Love isn't supposed to hurt.

Hedge witch Shannon Baldos isn't looking for love. She isn't even looking for sex. She's looking for the courage to finally leave her gaslighting husband's ass. So the last thing she needs is a distraction, like the town's land-grabbing yet oh so sexy property developer, Adam St. John.

Then again, maybe a little distraction is exactly what she does need.

Growing up in the care of her maternal grandmother, and then married to a misogynistic man, thirty-nine-year-old Shannon Baldos has learned that love hurts. For almost seven years she's lived under the thumb of her abusive husband, all with the guise of wanting to give her son a stable home. The truth? She's stayed because she's a coward. Still is. But maybe, with heart fluttering, groin throbbing, Adam St. John by her side, she'll discover some hidden courage, and finally take her son and escape. As for falling for St. John and his pirate grin, not a chance. Rule #1: Don't fall in love.

Referred to as an emotional train wreck, Wexford's successful developer, Adam St. John, has rules. A lot of them. Created to keep him well-insulated from further pain and disappointment with regards to life, and love. At forty-nine, he's quite happy with his life of solitude. With three divorces under his belt, he's in no hurry to add a fourth. Besides, there are more than enough women willing to keep him warm at night. But when he meets the town's green-eyed witch with the freckles splattered across the bridge of her nose, and the hips that sway under her flowing skirts, one night of passion leaves him craving more. Maybe it's time to break a few rules.

In her newest novel, Breaking the Rules, Tinthia Clemant has woven a story about one brave woman's determination to take back her life as she learns that love doesn't always hurt.