Reviews

Breathless by Beverly Jenkins

hayleyde's review against another edition

3.0

I was invested enough in the very likable characters to finish the book, but I found a lot of the writing “telling” instead of “showing,” and did not like the plot of the book.

flapjacks's review against another edition

4.0

I am by no means an outdoorsy person and have never had any desire to ride a horse but reading this made me want to abandon my current life and move out west and become a cowgirl

mundinova's review against another edition

3.0

""And you're supposed to be nailing shingles." He wanted to nail something all right - real slow and real thorough like, but decided to keep that to himself."

Jenkins is my go-to for all things romance related, but this story was just a little slow and boring. Much sexier than Forbidden but the characters weren't as interesting. It's a sweet romance, not much more.

Character Development: 2 stars
Story: 3 stars
Prose/Writing: 4 stars

andipants's review

3.0

I liked this one better than the first in the series. There were fewer plotlines, so it felt more focused, and the secondary characters felt more believable, and less like cardboard cutouts in an idyllic fantasyland. I particularly liked Kent and Portia and their relationship; they felt like realistic, reasonable people, and their relationship felt believable and mature, with no contrived conflict or petty nonsense thrown in just to create tension. The conflict in the story was mostly external, which was fine with me. I also liked the family relationships portrayed here, especially the one between Portia and Regan (and I'm definitely looking forward to Regan's story!).

There were still some definite faults, mostly plot-related. The fate of the guy who killed the ranch hands was decidedly anticlimactic, and the part at the end where

Spoiler

Portia gets kidnapped

came out of the blue and then was resolved in a snap; it should have been expanded enough to create actual tension or cut entirely. There were also some definite trappings of the Wallpaper Historical here (was mandatory marriage counseling really a thing in the Old West? Really?), although the text was sprinkled through with references to actual historical events and social movements, which I definitely appreciated.

Overall, despite the flaws, I found this one a solid entry, and I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

vibecalledjess's review

4.0

Sweet, easy read

I love all the historical details in Beverly Jenkins’ novels. Whenever there’s a series or a character reappears, it’s my fave to pick up.

morgonwashere's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition

4.0

While it was not bad, Breathless was more shallow compared to Forbidden. Less depth to the characters. Less obstacles to overcome. More sexy times. Almost no yummy food descriptions.

ameliabee33's review

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Portia is into numbers and not into men. So when a childhood family friend comes to her family's Arizona ranch and is determined to sweep her off of her feet, she doesn't know what to do. And then he calls her "Duchess" and her heart is lost to him, and no other woman can have him. Plus, he can cook! 

Similar to the first book, the mcs Portia and Kent have instant chemistry. And it gets steamy fast. I am always a sucker for the "lessons" that "won't go that far" and then ultimately they end up falling fornone another. Also there is a big family role throughout the book, with Kent's fraught relationship with his dad as well as the Carmichaels being tight-knit and loving. 

sydapel's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I feel like I've included this in past reviews, but while I do appreciate the historical context that Beverly Jenkins brings to her work, it mostly falls short for me on the emotional front. I wish I felt differently, because she is so iconic and there needs to be room made for BIPOC characters in our historical romance, but I hardly ever feel like I get enough time with the characters to be invested in their relationship. All this being said, I do absolutely love Portia's no bullshit mentality and seeing Rhine and Eddy be so happy together. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Abandonment, Racism, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Gun violence

stephy_mu's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5