Author: Laura Lee Guhrke
Publishing Date: 1999
Genre: Historical
Rating: B
Sensuality: Warm
Book Disclosure: Obtained a used copy from Paperbackswap.
Lily Morgan's reputation was ruined when her husband divorced her under grounds for adultery. Lily never cheated on her husband, if anything it was the other way around. But when Lily was put on the stand, Daniel Walker the hot shot lawyer twisted and turned her testimony until she did look guilty and the jury agreed. Every year on the anniversary of her divorce Lily goes down to the courthouse and makes an appeal to shut down the cathouse, which she believes was responsible for her husband's wandering ways. Daniel Walker a big time lawyer in Atlanta, soon to be senator, has been asked to get the house reopened. He heads back to his hometown to once again match wits with the infamous Lily Morgan.
I love a good romance where the heroine and hero are at odds with each other in the beginning of the story. Then as the story progresses they begin to realize that there is an awfully thin line between love and hate and the next thing they know instead of arguing they are kissing. Breathless is one such story and Lily and Daniel battle against one another - Lily to keep prostitution out of her town and Daniel to keep it in. Lily and Daniel are both clever people and the fight is a brutal one.
What I really enjoyed about this story were Lily and Daniel's characterizations. Both were richly drawn and the reader is easily sympathetic to both of them. It is hard to take sides and eventually the outcome the reader is rooting for will be to see both win. I love the dynamics of the town's people. It really brings the story and the setting to life. It plays a major role in the book. As a matter of fact, the whole town at one point is women vs. men.
There is a side plot involving an unsolved murder. Eventually, Daniel represents the boy who is on trial. This is where the book slowed for me some. The middle sags when Daniel and Lily's relationship doesn't move forward because of the trial. Also, facts about the murder aren't revealed until the trial happens, so those few chapters adding up to the big reveal seem slow in comparison to the rest of the story. That is why I gave this book a B instead of an A. Breathless is definitely worth a read if you enjoy a clever hero and heroine at odds with each other in the beginning.
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