The Rules for Breaking (The Rules for Disappearing #2) by Ashley Elston

Title: The Rules for Breaking
Author: Ashley Elston
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Release Date: May 20, 2014
Pages: 320
Source: ARC, ALA

Summary from Goodreads:
Anna Boyd almost lost her life to get what she wanted most in the world: freedom.

But just when it seems that her family has finally escaped Witness Protection, the illusion that Anna could resume a normal life comes crashing down.

The deadly man Anna knows as Thomas is still on the loose, and now he's using her as a pawn in a dangerous game with the drug cartel determined to silence her forever. When Thomas and a mysterious masked man capture not only Anna but also her fragile younger sister and her boyfriend, Anna decides it's time to break all the rules-even if it means teaming up with the lesser of two evils.

Anna will do whatever it takes to protect the people she loves and win her life back once and for all. But her true enemies are hidden in plain sight. Before long, Anna will learn that putting her trust in anyone may be the last mistake she ever makes.

Review

I liked The Rules for Disappearing well enough – interesting premise, plot and pacing - but The Rules for Breaking was much more fun, much more engaging, much more my kind of book.

Anna is thrust into the middle of a dangerous power struggle and no matter how hard she tries to take control of the situation, the bad guys always seem to be a step ahead. I love these kind of stories. The stakes are high. People are bound to get hurt. Everyone is trying to out-maneuver everyone else. You can't trust anyone. And just when you think you understand everyone's motives, and have a sense of how things are going to go down, something happens or is revealed that changes everything. I don't know how believable the events in this story were, but this book was undoubtably unpredictable and exciting.

And there were a few other little details to complement all the excitement. This sequel takes place in New Orleans. And although the setting wasn't given a ton of attention, it still added a certain spooky feel to the story. And in their captivity, the girls found letters in the ceiling that belonged to a young girl who was locked away in that same attic many years ago, whose story was a local legend. Not only am I fascinated with old stories and things but this kind of detail is a definite plus for me.

Teeny, and Anna's protectiveness of her, warmed my heart as usual. I found Anna to be quite resourceful in this sequel, which did make me like her more than I had in The Rules for Disappearing. But Anna and Ethan still don't spark any strong emotion in me, individually or together. But I didn't not like them. I wouldn't exactly call this a shortcoming, it just didn't add to the story for me.

The Rules for Breaking was a strong sequel to finish off a welcomely different story. I definitely recommend this duology.

PS: These duologies lately are just kicking trilogy ass.

BLOG TOUR {Review #101 & Giveaway}: The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

Welcome to our blog tour stop for The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston, hosted by Shane at Itching for Books. You can follow the tour here. And don't forget to check out the giveaway at the end of this post! Thanks for stopping by! :D

Title: The Rules for Disappearing

Author: Ashley Elston

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Release Date: May 14, 2013

Pages: 320, Hardcover

Summary from Goodreads:

She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

 

Review

"RULES FOR DISAPPEARING BY WITNESS PROTECTION PRISONER #18A7R04M:
Remember your old life is dead and gone. Better it than you."

The real draw here for me was the premise. I loved the idea of Meg being in Witness Protection. Another Identity. Another story. Having to hide so many things about her true self. It was a story I haven’t had the pleasure of reading before so it was new and exciting. And for her not to know why they were even in Witness Protection - she assumed it was something her father did - only added to the intrigue and mystery.

RULES FOR DISAPPEARING BY WITNESS PROTECTION PRISONER #18A7R04M: 

Only use public transportation. It's the one true way to look completely uninteresting. That is, unless you have a hideous wood-paneled station wagon. That'll work too."

But the story went deeper than that. The moves were starting to take a toll on her family. Her mom was rarely sober anymore. Her father was withdrawn. And her sister Teeny was almost non-responsive. Meg couldn’t stand to see her once happy family fall apart like this. She was tired of losing people and having them lose her. She was fed up with lying and pretending to be someone else. And she started to like this podunk town in Louisiana, and a certain boy who lived here, and couldn’t imagine moving again.

Meg was determined to stay and to do that she had to find out what her father did to get them in this mess in the first place. And fix it. And she really couldn’t do it fast enough because weird things were happening to her. She felt the sensation of being watched, her things disappeared or were disturbed, and her strange nightmares were getting worse. Not to mention, Ethan was on to her about not being who she said she was. And he was a persistent little bugger.

"RULES FOR DISAPPEARING BY WITNESS PROTECTION PRISONER #18A7R04M:
Educate yourself on what you plan to lie about. It sucks when you say your family is from Arkansas and then not be able to answer a damn thing about Arkansas."

I know I mention delivery a lot in my reviews because it’s a big thing for me. Not every book works with a sense of humor but they tend to be my favorite and this book had a bit of that. The "Rules for Disappearing" provided at the beginning of each chapter were my favorite. But the best scene was:

"He wiggles his eyebrows. 'Wanna go back to my place?' 
I giggle at his cheesy line and hit him with one of my own. 'Why? Wanna make like fabric softener and snuggle?'

He falls back, laughing then says, 'If I told you that you had a great body, would you hold it against me?' 

My cheeks get warm and I rack my brain for another line. He's smiling, dimples and all, and waiting for my comeback. Oh! Got it! I move in closer, trying hard for a serious expression and say, 'If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together.' 

He braces his hands on the table and is inches from my face, eyes twinkling, and asks, 'What's a nice girl like you doing in a dirty mind like mine?' 

Oh my God."

So cute. But Meg herself was just so-so. I loved her relationship with her sister. She was a rock for Teeny - caring, reliable. But even though she was pretty mature and reasonable when it came to managing her family, she had a tendency to act pretty reckless when it came to everything else. I always find it somewhat comical when people treat 'scary bad men that want to kill you' lightly. She just didn't really charm me. 

I've mentioned before that I have very little patience when it comes to silly, whiny, nonsensical, and/or boy-stupid behavior. Meg exhibited boy-stupid behavior. After moving so many times, she was determined not to make any friends or attachments at this new place. But her strength of will wasn't very strong because - and I don’t think I am exaggerating here - almost every single encounter between Meg and Ethan would start with her telling herself that she would say no to him, only for her to immediately say yes. Things like this annoy me easily.

"Say no or say yes? Say no. Every time I say yes, I wish I wouldn't have. Definitely say no. 'A movie sounds good.'"

"Ethan works his magic on me and like the weak ass I am, I agree."

But the story was fun and the ending was pretty thrilling. There was a good bit of suspense (who was after her). A good mystery (why she was in Witness Protection). And a nice adventure (how she was going to fix things). The story kept me entertained even though the romance and characters weren't my favorite.

"RULES FOR DISAPPEARING BY WITNESS PROTECTION PRISONER #18A7R04M:

If you have to get a job, do not make friends there. Don't ask your coworkers about their boyfriend, girlfriend, dog, cat, latest fad diet, thoughts on global warming, or anything else remotely personal. Because then you have to lie about your boyfriend, girlfriend, dog, cat, latest fad diet, and thoughts on global warming and that really sucks. "

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About the Author

Ashley Elston lives is North Louisiana with her husband, three sons and two cats. She worked as a wedding and portrait photographer for ten years until she decided to pursue writing full time. Ashley is also a licensed Landscape Horticulturist and helps her husband run a commercial lawn and landscaping business. They also custom harvest pecans and have cows. Yes, cows.

ashleyelston.com | twitter.com/ashley_elston

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Giveaway

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