Guest Review: Breathless by Laura Lee Guhrke

Posted April 30, 2008 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 4 Comments

Nath‘s guest review of Breathless by Laura Lee Guhrke, published by Pocket Books in July 1999.

I’ve been on a Laura Lee Guhrke kick lately, so after Not So Innocent, here is my review of Breathless 🙂 I’ve seen Breathless and The Charade around, I even own a copy of The Charade, but for some reasons, I never felt like reading them. Perhaps it’s because the setting is in America instead of Europe… I finally did read Breathless… and what did I think?

Lily Morgan may be Shivaree, Georgia’s most talked-about lady. Everyone in town knows about the bitter breakup of her marriage five years before, when Daniel Walker, her husband’s tough, uncompromising lawyer, tore her reputation to shreds and left her with nothing but a wish to get even. But now something about Daniel makes her blood boil and her pulse quicken . . . not with righteous fury, but with passion.

Daniel has returned to Shivaree to once again match wits with Lily Morgan. The thought of a rematch with Lily delights him, for he has never forgotten her hot temper–or her lovely looks. But when a shocking murder shakes the town, Daniel joins Lily to find a killer, and their unexpected partnership sparks something between them they never expected–desire. Now Daniel, the strong-willed lawyer for whom winning is everything, realizes he must win the one reward he can’t live without: Lily’s forgiveness–and her love.

Exceprt available here.

This was such a great read! I really, really enjoyed this book 🙂 The storyline goes as followed: Daniel is a lawyer with political ambitions. Indeed, he wants to present himself for the next senator election… this would go to prove how much he has achieved in life, how successful he has become and how far he has come from his humble beginnings. The wealthiest man of Atlanta is ready to give Daniel his support; however, there’s a price. Daniel must go to Shivaree and convince the judge to re-open Shiravee’s Gentlemen Club (read high class brothel), one of his most profitable sources of money. Problem is that Lily Morgan stands in his way. Five years ago, Lily lost all of her respectability when her husband asked for divorce and accused her of adultery. Thus, every year on the date of her divorce, Lily goes to the judge and ask for the Gentleman Club to be closed… finally, she has gotten what she wished for and she’s not about to let Daniel Walker, the one who contributed to ruin her life, re-open it.

Lily Morgan was such an enjoyable heroine. She’s a very strong woman who stands up for herself. She has a short temper and flaws that she acknowledged and once she’s determined to do something, she puts all her energy into it. I really liked her… I felt so bad that nobody believed her and everyone treated her so badly. I almost cried, because it was so unfair. The only thing I didn’t like was that Lily cared too much about what others thought and how she wanted back her respectability. After what she went through, she must have known that it didn’t matter, that’s respectability from those people is not worth it. I understand why she wanted it, but I thought she’s been through so much… that she didn’t need it.

As for Daniel Walker, he’s the typical hero – kid of the town’s drunk who achieved great things. He’s very focused on what he wants and a bit selfish as well. He doesn’t seem to ever look back… I liked how throughout the book, he became a bit more compassionate and started doubting himself over some actions. I mean, it’s good to be confident; however, it’s better to be sure that you’ve done nothing wrong in your life and be confident 😛

As for the story, I like how packed it was and how fast it moved. I mean, the book wasn’t just about Lily and Daniel falling in love or the re-opening of the club. There were actually a lot of things happening and it added suspense to the book. It added layers to the book in my opinion. I also liked how Lily and Daniel got to know each other before falling in love with each other and also, how their feelings didn’t change overnight. Seriously, Lily was right to resent Daniel abot the divorce… My only complaint is the part where Lily and Daniel finally got together was a bit short, although it did fit the storyline well.

All in all, a great book: great characters and storyline 🙂

My Grade: 4.25/5

This book is OOP from Pocket Books. You can buy it here.

You can check out more reviews from Nath on her personal blog Natuschan
and her joint review blog Breezing Through.