From New York Times Bestselling author Gena Showalter, comes the next standalone romance in the Original Heartbreakers Series—CAN’T HARDLY BREATHE!
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CAN’T HARDLY BREATHE Synopsis:
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 longstanding 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 the 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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Excerpt
Holly had no idea. To this day, she idolized him and blamed Dorothea for the split. And that was the way Dorothea preferred it. The girl distrusted too many men already. Starting with their snake of a dad!
When Joe Mathis divorced their mother to marry his side slice, as Holly liked to say, he’d cut all ties with his daughters. Dorothea had been hurt, but Holly…she’d cried herself to sleep for weeks.
Carol had shut down so completely Dorothea was ultimately forced to step up and act as both mother and father. A role she’d played until the day she moved to the city.
Biggest mistake of my life.
She’d promised to stay in constant contact, but every time she’d visited, every time she’d called, Holly had treated her like, well, this. Insults and rancor had abounded.
Eventually Dorothea stopped coming around, and even stopped calling, unwilling to deal with a new bombardment of vitriol…not realizing until too late that young Holly had interpreted her move as yet another rejection.
Now Dorothea longed to repair their broken relationship without damaging her sister’s perception of Jazz. The two were like siblings. Loving siblings.
Jazz called Dorothea at least once a week to report the things Holly texted him—and also to beg Dorothea to give their marriage another chance.
He missed her worship and adoration, nothing more.
After saying “I do,” he’d somehow—and easily—convinced her to drop out of school, work two jobs and support him until he graduated. That way, he could get a job at a news station and one day become the state’s premier meteorologist. Then Dorothea could return to school. And after she graduated, Jazz would do her a favor and recommend her to his boss.
I’m such a fool. He’d finished school and gotten a job, no problem. But before she could return to school, he’d also gotten his side slice.
“Jazz and I didn’t love each other,” she finally said, whisper-soft. “Love is the difference between success and failure.”
“Love is a myth,” Holly said, her tone as dry as the last two Oklahoma summers. She arched a brow, the silver hoop pierced at the edge glinting in the light. “Sex is what makes or breaks a relationship.”
“Holly!” Dorothea had lost her virginity to Jazz. In freaking college. “You’re too young to be having…you know.” She thought of high school Daniel and his parade of girlfriends. “Teenage boys are fickle. They come and go, and leave heartbreak in their wake.”
Her sister rolled her eyes, eyes the same bright green as Dorothea’s. “You aren’t my mom, and this isn’t a teaching moment. Stop acting as if you care about me.”
“I do care.” She reached out, intending to hug the girl. “I care a lot.”
“Too bad, so sad.”
Review
Can’t Hardly Breathe by Gena Showalter is book four in her Original Heartbreakers series. A romantic, contemporary, sort of second-chance romance. You will easily find yourself falling for these two irresistible characters.
Bullied in high-school, Dorothea Mathis would rather forget a lot of her past memories. However, she can’t forget her long-time crush on Daniel Porter. Crushing on him since kindergarten, Dorothea realizes her feelings haven’t changed much, even years later as adults. Two different people than they were in high-school, she now owns and runs her family’s inn, while Daniel has returned to Strawberry Valley after serving as an army ranger to be a frequent guest along with whomever he’s chosen as his date for the night. Her feelings for him should be long gone, but she can’t help but still feel a pull towards him. So when a spur of the moment desire to be spontaneous leads her to Daniel’s room one night, though not resulting in what she expected, it begins a whole new relationship between her and Daniel that this reader found enjoyable.
I really liked this story. Ms. Showalter’s characters, Dorothea and Daniel, are very likeable and real. I admired Dorothea’s strength and determination, as well as, her positivity and caring. She has a past that she is dealing with, same as Daniel, and I like how both characters grew as friends and companions before jumping in as lovers. Daniel is a great hero as well, though a bit stubborn in his way of thinking which gets him into trouble with Dorothea. I am happy Ms. Showalter didn’t make it too easy on him to win the girl in the end. I loved his father, Virgil, and his friends Brock and Jude. I can’t wait to read Brock and Jude’s books in the future.
Overall, Can’t Hardly Breathe by Gena Showalter is a romantic, cute, funny, and very enjoyable novel that I gladly recommend. I can’t wait to read the next novel in the series by Ms. Showalter.
Giveaway
Gena Showalter’s CAN’T HARDLY BREATHE – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:
August 21st
Fictional Rendezvous Book Blog – Excerpt
Obsessed by books – Review
once upon a romance blog – Review
Scandalous Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
The Book Maven – Review & Excerpt
August 22nd
Alpha Book Club – Review
Beware Of The Reader – Review & Excerpt
Evermore Books – Review & Excerpt
Melena`s Reviews – Review & Excerpt
The Romance Rebels – Review & Excerpt
August 23rd
Booknerd1107 – Review
East Coast Book Chicks – Review & Excerpt
Reads & Reviews – Review
Sweet Red Reads – Review & Excerpt
Under The Covers Book Lovers – Review & Excerpt
August 24th
Lynn’s Romance Enthusiasm – Review & Excerpt
Rainy Days and Pajamas – Excerpt
Read. Eat. Love. – Review & Excerpt
Reese’s Reviews – Review & Excerpt
Shannonbookishlife – Review & Excerpt
August 25th
A geordielass honest blog on reviews – Review
Never without a book in hand – Review & Excerpt
Reading Between the Wines Book Club – Excerpt
Reads All the Books – Review & Excerpt
August 26th
Brittany’s Book Blog – Excerpt
Kayns Book – Review
Ramblings From This Chick – Excerpt
The Lovely Books – Review & Excerpt
With Love for Books – Review & Excerpt
August 27th
From the TBR Pile – Review & Excerpt
Kdrbck – Review & Excerpt
Living in Our Own Story – Review
Nessa’s Book Reviews – Excerpt
August 28th
Book Angel Booktopia – Review & Excerpt
My Nook, Books & More – Excerpt
Read-Love-Blog – Review
The Book Reading Gals – Review & Excerpt
August 30th
As The Book Ends – Review & Excerpt
Nerdy Dirty and Flirty – Review & Excerpt
Red Cheeks Reads – Review & Excerpt
Smut Book Junkie Reviews – Review & Excerpt
August 31st
Embrace the Romance – Review & Excerpt
Milky Way of Books – Review & Excerpt
Once Upon a Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Straight Shootin’ Book Reviews – Review
Two Girls with Books – Review
September 1st
BJ’s Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Books and Things Blog – Review & Excerpt
Foxylutely Books – Review & Excerpt
Somewhere Lost in Books – Review & Excerpt
September 2nd
A Fortress of Books – Excerpt
Nicole’s Book Musings – Excerpt
The bookworms obsession – Review
What Is That Book About – Excerpt
September 3rd
a crazy vermonters book reviews – Review
Bad boys and bedtime stories book blog – Review & Excerpt
Bloggin’ With M. Brennan – Review
Francoise’s Reading Corner – Review & Excerpt
Susan’s Books I Like – Excerpt
September 4th
All Things Dark & Dirty – Review & Excerpt
Lover of Big Books Cannot Lie – Review & Excerpt
Rantings of a Reading Addict – Review & Excerpt
September 5th
Escape Inside the Pages – Review & Excerpt
Reading Escape Reviews – Review
Taylor Fenner’s Bookish World – Review & Excerpt
The Sassy Bookster – Excerpt
September 6th
Romancing the Readers – Review
Travels N Reads – Review & Excerpt
Sassy Book Lovers – Review & Excerpt
September 7th
JOJO THE BOOKAHOLIC – Review & Excerpt
Lina’s Reviews: A Book Blog – Review
Sofia Loves Books – Review
Wrapped Up In Reading – Review & Excerpt
September 8th
Book Lovers Hangout – Review & Excerpt
Crazii Bitches Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
Dirty Girl Romance – Review
Stuck In Books – Excerpt
Shannon’s Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
September 9th
ContemporaryCween – Review & Excerpt
G & T’s Indie Café – Excerpt
Jax’s Book Magic – Excerpt
Ms. Me28 – Review & Excerpt
Relentless Romance – Review & Excerpt
About Gena Showalter:
Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the spellbinding Lords of the Underworld and Angels of the Dark series, two young adult series–Everlife and the White Rabbit Chronicles–and the highly addictive Original Heartbreakers series. In addition to being a National Reader’s Choice and two time RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan (Red Hot Read) and Seventeen magazine, she’s appeared on Nightline and been mentioned in Orange is the New Black–if you ask her about it, she’ll talk for hours…hours! Her books have been translated in multiple languages.
She’s hard at work on her next novel, a tale featuring an alpha male with a dark side and the strong woman who brings him to his knees. You can learn more about Gena, her menagerie of rescue dogs, and all her upcoming books at genashowalter.com or Facebook.com/genashowalterfans
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