What Caz Read

Haley Chapman is expected to finish her college degree, but music is her true passion. When Haley becomes the target of a kidnapping attempt linked to her mother’s Senate career, the Senator insists on round-the-clock protection.

Ace Murphy was her brother’s best friend, and Haley’s teenage crush., but now he works in personal protection. While they were close as children they hadn’t spoken in years and now Ace is posing as her boyfriend on campus while trying to keep her safe. As the threats escalate, their forced proximity ignites a connection they can’t ignore—one that could either save them or break them all over again.

Steal My Breath Away is a bodyguard romance with a political subplot packed with drama, suspense, tension and spice!

I really liked the dual timeline aspect of Steal My Breath Away as it showed Hayley’s family dynamic when she was a teenager and the relationship her family had with Ace.

Haley and Ace had a lot of chemistry but they also carried a lot of grief, which they needed to work through together and separately. Both characters showed a lot of growth throughout the book as they worked on themselves and their unresolved feelings towards each other. Their relationship was messy yet heartfelt.

One of the things I really liked about this book was how it showed that people process grief differently. Haley acted out when her Dad died while her Mother compartmentalised her feelings. Matt thought he had to step up and be man of the house while Ace stopped going to school. After another traumatic event Ace felt weighed down by guilt and cut himself off from his friends, which was the opposite of Haley, who surrounded herself with friends but kept her emotions locked away.

There were a couple of things that fell flat for me in Steal My Breath Away, but they were only minor. There were moments when Haley frustrated me because she refused to take advice from her bodyguard; the man trying to keep her alive! If my life was in danger and a bodyguard picked me up and threw me in a closet to keep me safe I wouldn’t argue with him, I’d say thank you!

The other issue I had was the constant back and forth between Haley and Ace, which did get a little repetitive as I prefer a slow burn, but that’s more a me issue than a book issue.

Steal My Breath Away is perfect for readers who like romantic suspense with strong heroines and protective heroes.

– brother’s best friend
– bodyguard
– fake dating
– second chance
– Forced proximity

This was a 3.5 star read for me.

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Publisher: Bramble
Format: Ebook
ASIN: B0DDJCZTRG

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Here’s the synopsis

Emotions run high, but the tempo thrums higher as music, heat, and angst collide between a singer and her bodyguard.

Haley Chapman has struggled against rules all her life. As the daughter of a senator, she’s expected to finish her college degree, but music is her one true love—the only outlet she has for her wild, impulsive feelings.

When Haley becomes the target of a brazen kidnapping attempt linked to her mother’s high-profile Senate career, the Senator insists on round-the-clock protection. Having a security detail follow her around college feels like overkill, but the Senator has the perfect solution.

Ace Murphy was her brother’s best friend, and a former Air Force pilot, now working in personal security as a celebrity bodyguard. He was also Haley’s teenage crush and the man who abandoned her when she needed him most, breaking her fragile heart.

Now, as Ace poses as her boyfriend on campus, their personalities clash. He may be her protector but to Haley, Ace is just another obstacle to her freedom and a painful reminder of the past. But as the threats escalate, their forced proximity ignites a connection they can’t ignore—one that could either save them or break them all over again.