Daniel Porter was Dorothea Mathis' secret high school
crush, he had always stood up for her when she was being
bullied, but Dorothea knew the golden boy was not for her.
Dorothea of the freckled face, the too-round figure, and the
frizzy hair. Life did not go as planned for Dorothea, and
after a failed marriage, she comes home to manage to
Strawberry Inn, which her flighty mother gave to her.
Dorothea who even has to straighten Daniel's room after his
trysts with countless women. Tired of feeling miserable and
longing for Daniel, Dorothea decides that she must be brave
and do something about it; if she can't hope for anything
more, she will at least treat herself to one night with Daniel.
I don't know if it's because of the cover, but I was
expecting CAN'T HARDLY BREATHE to be a rather light
romance, and it definitely isn't, mostly because of
Daniel's issues. Not only does he suffer from PTSD, but he
refuses to commit to anything or anyone and he doesn't try
very hard to do anything about it, until it's almost too
late, and he is infuriating. Dorothea has mostly resolved
her self-esteem issues, but it's not a very good idea that
she inevitably falls hard for Daniel. Although I empathized
with Dorothea, I couldn't really understand why she would
risk her fragile heart for Daniel, who tells her upfront not
to expect anything from him. But then again, this is
Romanceland and not real life.
I had not read any of the previous contemporary romances
from the author, I know Ms. Showalter from her paranormal
series, and it elicited a chuckle from this reader when she
mentioned in passing the titles of her paranormal and Young
Adult fantasy series attributed to a fictional author. Gena
Showalter's exceptional talent for descriptions and
character building shine in CAN'T HARDLY BREATHE as always,
and the dialogues ring true from beginning to end. Every
character is sharply drawn, and I thoroughly enjoyed
Dorothea's relationship with her difficult younger sister
Holly, and Daniel's father Virgil is another unforgettable
character. I must commend Ms. Showalter on the sex scenes,
which were seriously steamy and original; for once, it
didn't feel as if I had read them before. I was also rather
surprised that CAN'T HARDLY BREATHE did not end precisely
as I had thought, and the resolution felt genuine. But boy,
it was a bumpy road getting there!
New York Times bestselling author Gena
Showalter returns with an irresistible Original
Heartbreakers story about a woman who's never felt desired
and the man who wants her more than air to breathe…
Bullied in high school, Dorothea Mathis's past is full of
memories she'd rather forget. But there's one she can't seem
to shake—her long-standing crush on former army ranger
Daniel Porter. Now that the sexy bad boy has started using
her inn as his personal playground, she should kick
him out…but his every heated glance makes her want to join
him instead.
Daniel returned to Strawberry Valley, Oklahoma, to care for
his ailing father and burn off a little steam with no
strings attached. Though he craves curvy Dorothea night and
day, he's as marred by his past as she is by hers. The more
he desires her, the more he fears losing her.
But every sizzling encounter leaves him desperate for more,
and soon Daniel must make a choice: take a chance on love or
walk away forever.
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