Member Reviews

A nicely written cute romance story with good characters and an actual plot. Definitely worth a read.

Was this review helpful?

Cute
What I liked:
The writing style
Dual POVs
Part of a series; supporting characters with their own books
Standalone
HEA

I look forward to reading more from Leigh LaSalle.
I voluntarily received an ARC from NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and purchased a copy as I like it so well.

There were portions of the books that dealt with Yoga. As I have never done Yoga, the terms were unfamiliar and parts confusing. BUT with that said, I adored the characters and the plot. I loved the dual POVs. It helps me to understand the character and to identify with them. Ms. LaValle was wonderful in her dialogue. The plot just flowed. I did shed a tear or two. I highly recommend. Can't wait for book two.

Was this review helpful?

This is a great book that breathes life into the contemporary romance genre. With a great setting, great characters, and not-your-average plot points this book is sure to please fans of contemporary romance.

Was this review helpful?

Hannah Roberts had recently moved to Boulder, Colorado and because a part owner of Bloom Yoga Studio. She had finally stopped running and wanted to sink roots. So, she sung her life's savings in the studio to become a part owner.

Jake Marshall had grown up in Boulder. He and his best friend, Cody, had joined the National Guard together and were shipped to Afghanistan to fight in the war. He came home with a leg wound after an IED blew up their convoy. He was told he would probably never walk again. His best friend, Cody, along with two others, never made it home. Jake was determined to not only walk again but to live life for Cody. He felt guilty because Cody died trying to save Jake. He didn't do long-term relationships. His relationships only lasted until his next adventure and then he was gone. When he came back, he didn't start things up with the same girl. He was a broken and wounded man. Then he met Hannah and she helped provide healing not only for his knee but to his heart. But, he didn't want to be healed. He didn't deserve to be loved. He was preparing for a five- month long trip to Alaska and his relationship with Hannah had an expiration date. Could she be the one to break through his closed off heart and help him to finally heal the wounds on the inside and the outside?

I absolutely loved this story. However, the highly descriptive sex scenes and the continual f-bombs were a turn off to me. It is not a book I would feel comfortable recommending to a friend because of those two things.

I was given an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Breathless is the first installment of the Yoga in the City series. There was everything I look for in a good book. It is wonderfully written. There is humor and love and a bit of drama. I would without a doubt recommend this book. I can't wait for the next. This also made me want to do yoga again, so bonus :)

Was this review helpful?

In an Oyster Shell - It was a steamy romance that was a little too explicit for me.

The Pearls - I like the idea of a Yoga teacher helping a soldier rehabilitate. Hannah is a non-traditional Yoga teacher but that's part of her charm. The charm that Jake can't resist. I like how the author constantly intertwines Jake and Hannah.

I like the conflict that happens with Hannah and Jake. Hannah has been burned by relationships before. She makes a list of traits that she cannot date and Jake about fits them all. Jake has is own reasons for not wanting to get involved. The tension between the two is palpable.

The romance is steamy and redeeming.

The Sand - The steam level was a little too high for my taste.

Was this review helpful?

Breathless is a beautiful story about healing. Hannah has sunk all her savings into part ownership of a yoga studio in Colorado. Jake is a war hero cum contractor set upon renovating the building where her yoga studio is located. He's a broken man, hasn't moved past losing his best friend on their last deployment. He needs serious rehabbing of his injured knee, and soon he finds that Hannah's yoga is just the ticket to fix his knee. But can it fix him inside? As Jake finds his knee healing, he knows he needs his mind and heart to heel, too. Hannah could be the one to heal him, if he'd only let her. But, how can they work out when he's set on going to Alaska, on a trip in honor of his lost best friend? And when he thinks he's not good enough for Hannah? She can't force him to let her in anymore than she can talk herself out of loving him.

I really like Breathless, it's steamy and emotionally fleshed out. Jake and Hannah, especially Jake, are well rounded, likable, realistic characters. I am looking for more of this series.

Was this review helpful?

I LOVE that the setting of this one was a yoga studio with a heroine who was a yoga teacher but not a 'typical' yoga practitioners. I really liked the characters - both the main characters and the side characters. There was some humor and quirkiness which I always appreciate in a romance. This was a very sweet romance that also had some substance around making a home for yourself and facing things head on. The pacing was great and I didn't want to put it down. I couldn't wait to see where the story was going. I definitely recommend this one and I'm looking forward to future novels in the series!

Was this review helpful?

4.5 Stars!

Lots of hiking, yoga, and renovating occur in the picturesque city of Boulder. There is newly discovered love, wonderful friends, and loyalty. So you may want to free up some time and pick-up up a copy of Breathless, the first book from Leigh LaValle's contemporary new series, Yoga In The City. The outstanding prologue is just the beginning of this harmonious novel.

Hannah Roberts is not your typical yoga instructor. She enjoys Doritos, Coke and even Oreos, in addition to a good workout. Because of some untimely building renovations, the yoga studio which Hannah owns with three other women, is losing students daily. All of her savings are tied up in the business, and making ends meet may soon become difficult. The man in charge of the renovation is Jake Marshall, a former soldier that returned from Afghanistan a hero. Jake likes to live on the edge, and prefers climbing the highest mountain to sitting behind a desk.

Even though Hannah and Jake share an immediate attraction, it takes Jake quite a while to convince her to go out with him. Hannah's last relationship ended very badly and as a result, dating is not on her "to do" list. Furthermore, once Jake's injured knee is fit for adventure, he intends to hike Alaska, so a short-term relationship is what works for both of them. Of course, nothing ever goes according to plan when feelings get involved.

Overall, this is a well-written, emotionally charged book with a unique cast of characters. Ms. LaValle perfectly combines hot, sexy times, drama and angst into this romantic read. I immediately connected with both Hannah and Jake, and there was never a moment that I did not want them to be together. The supportive relationship between Hannah and her business partners is heartwarming as well as amusing. I am truly looking forward to the next book in the series.

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

This was an enjoyable read with a hero who blends strength and vulnerability, grumpiness and teasing. Jake’s hotness (he’s Hottie McHotterson after all) has a flavor of something stereotyped, but his stoicism and tendency for self-flagellation balance it out.
Like in a romantic comedy there’s lots of banter, humor and too much sex scenes; but also serious issues like grief, veterans PTSD and survivor’s guilt.
I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this story so much – the constant sexual innuendos and the language are a bit dull – but I liked Leigh LaValle’s take on the wounded hero trope, Jake’s “ravaged brokenness”, the way he seeks healing in the mountains, as well as the yoga dimension and a heroine who is also a three-dimensional character.

Was this review helpful?

Sometimes I run into stories that really do reflect their title, Breathless is one of those. Hannah captured my imagination, she’s so like a friend of mine that it’s rather scary. I understood her reasons, even if they were totally not the best thing for her. At times, the hardest thing to let go of is your past – those pesky memories make that an often difficult task.

Jake and Hannah have a slow burn romance that will melt the pages of your e-reader. Really. But it’s not exactly an easy journey to get to that point. Two different minded people fighting a strong attraction is one of my favorite story lines. Which will win? Logic or emotions? Truthfully, I enjoy it most when it’s a combination of the two, and that is how I saw this couple. They had plenty of reasons why they couldn’t work, and a lot of emotions that said something far different.

I had fun with Breathless, and I believe any reader who loves Romance will enjoy this one as well. Letting someone into your heart, trusting them with all that you are… that’s scary, not always easy and that’s what love is. If you enjoy a romance that is hard fought for, that changes lives and gives you an emotional kick, then this story is one you’ll want to read. The first in the series, so get caught up in Yoga In The City from the very beginning.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely loved this book. I started reading it one evening and then couldn’t put it down until after midnight. What made it was that the characters, Jake and Hannah, just came across as decent, good people with their own insecurities who couldn’t resist falling for each other.

Hannah is a yoga teacher, but feels like a fraud because she doesn’t embrace all the woo-woo talk of many yoga enthusiasts or doesn’t enjoy drinking a lot of green smoothies. She has suffered in her life and been hurt and betrayed by previous boyfriends. So she’s on a boyfriend hiatus while she tries to help in the yoga school that she has bought into with three other women (who will presumably be the subjects of future books that I look forward to reading). She’s just barely making it.

Things aren’t helped when she encounters the hunky Jake who is a former soldier whose knee was injured in Afghanistan. Now he’s home working as an architect and building contractor while also taking off for months at a time to climb mountains. And he happens to encounter Hannah when she’s sprained her ankle while hiking in the mountains. Then he turns out to be the guy in charge of renovating the building where Hannah’s yoga business is located. He is deeply attracted to her but she tries to resist because she doesn’t want to get involved with a guy who owns their building and is planning to leave to climb mountains in Alaska for five months.

The story is how these two can’t help themselves in their attraction to each other. The book is told in alternating narrations so we can see how each of them grow and strengthen with the help of each other and come to understand that they are stronger than their weaknesses. I found it moving and lovely.

I was given a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?