I have been a huge fan of Jodi Ellen Malpas since her very first novel and to this day Jesse Ward, the Lord of the Manor himself still remains one of my favorite characters ever! Sooooo needless to say, I jumped at the chance to read a JEM newest novel and I’m thrilled to say her newest novel Leave Me Breathless did not disappoint!

I read Leave Me Breathless in record time! This addictive novel centers around Ryan and Hannah who both don’t want to admit it, but have immediate chemistry! The two ultimately couldn’t stay away from each other, but at the same time managed to keep their walls up. Ryan’s profession is protecting people and it just so happens Hannah is desperately in need to protecting! I couldn’t wait to see what JEM had in mind of them!

I really enjoyed the premise of this book! Jodi Ellen Malpas does a great job with melding sweet, sass, and steam! There was some mystery aspects woven into the storyline which I felt added a lot to the intrigue! Leave Me Breathless is a 4.5 star novel that any romance fan would love! As always, I’m already looking forward to reading the next JEM book!

(3.5 stars)
Ryan Willis just wanted to get away from his demanding job as a bodyguard for a bit after a close call. Going home to his cabin should be just what he needs for a little R&R & family time right? Wrong! Not when he literally bumps into newcomer artist, Hannah Bright. This is a spin-off of “The Protector” so we get cameos from another bodyguard we fell in love with. This is a slow burn romance with some action, secrets and suspense however it takes a while to get to it. There were a few slow spots for me and if you’re a fan of her “this man” series this is very different from that. Told in dual POV

I could’ve told you less than 10% in that I was going to love this book and it would be a five star read for me. I was immediately drawn to both Ryan and Hannah. I loved that Hannah was quirky and different and when I found out Ryan was a single dad I was like, OKAY YES TELL ME MORE. Jodi is one of my favorite authors and having read all of her books, it was so fun to have characters from one of her previous books make an appearance in this one as well. But just because some of these characters aren’t new to us, doesn’t mean this story isn’t unique. This one was twisty and suspenseful and so intriguing! As Ryan and Hannah both try to navigate their pasts and build a future together, the ease with which they settle into a life together is so pure and sweet. I loved how natural and flirty they were together, yet we still got to see those awkward new relationship moments between them. And while this story wasn’t as steamy as some of Jodi’s others, this may be the best love story she’s ever written.

This is my first read by JEM and I requested an ARC because my fellow book friends have given her work such high praise.

I was pulled in by the cover and blurb of this book as I was searching for my next read. After reading a few reviews, I learned that this book is somewhat of a spinoff from The Protector. Reading it out of order did not seem to interfere with the story at all. You’ll get a little bit of history from the main character in the first few chapters that will fill you in. That being said...

I thought this book had a really good jumpstart to the plot. The action that takes place in the beginning instantly drew me in. I finally get to read a book that focuses on a good guy complex rather than your typical damaged hero. Ryan’s career and sudden need for a change of life made him all the more interesting. We are given a bit of background on the town hunk, but readers are left blind at figuring out the new gal that has decided to take up residency in her newly opened art store.

The world built up on the small town of Hampton was captivating all on its own.
Hannah is the new mystery woman that has caught the attention of our hero. This woman is defiant at building relationships for reasons unknown. We’re given a few glimpses into her past which are relevant to figuring out why her means to remain hidden in the dark are necessary.

All in all, this book had a great storyline, but was uneventful and I was struggling to stay interested. The last thirty percent was thriving with loads of action again, yet the majority was a bit lackluster. There was also quite a bit of repetition of the characters always meeting at the same store. I kept thinking I lost my place and was re-reading the same part over again. I am going to continue on reading JEM’s other work because I did enjoy her writing style. Her words have an easygoing flow to them that I was able to appreciate, but this one didn’t make me swoon like most romance novels do.

Jodi Ellen Malpas has done it again. She made me fall in love with another story except this time she left me BREATHLESS with her romantic and powerful writing!!

I am such a fan of her work so I was so excited to get my hands on it. Once I dived in, I couldn't put it down. I loved the plot of the story. A woman who has escaped an awful situation and a man trying to settle down after a life of protecting everyone else. She gave us two outstanding characters in Hannah and Ryan. They are complex and likable.

Hannah is the artsy type. She is creative, talented, and sassy when she needs to be. She has a chip on her shoulder because of a secret she has had to keep. She is constantly fearful that her past will collide with her present.

Ryan is a protector who is impulsive and fearless. He is reaching a point in his life where he wants to live a calmer lifestyle in his cabin. He goes back home and is captivated by Hannah. He has been in a serious relationship before and that didn't turn out so great. He has been living the single life for a while and Hannah is making him rethink his bachelor state.

I loved that Jodi surrounded Hannah and Ryan with amazing supporting characters. Alex, Ryan's daughter is a spitfire She was one of my favorite characters because she was funny in some of the tense moments and so wise for her age.

This just made it's way to my 'top 5 reads of the year' list. Everything about this story was breathtaking.

I give Leave Me Breathless 5 stars. It was an unputdownable romance that was wonderful to read. Jodi Ellen Malpas wrote a well-developed plot with charming characters that will steal your hearts. Get your inhalers ready because this book is about to leave you breathless. 😉

4.25 stars

I have had this author on my TBR for a very long time but for some unknown reason, I had never read any of her books even though I own them all. I will be gladly rectifying that because if this is how she writes then I am going to love them. This blurb drew me in. Add in the fact that she was creating a whole new world of characters and I won't be lost had it that much more appealing.

The story starts out with action and interesting characters. I really liked Ryan. he was strong, sweet, had an amazing daughter, and fell head over heels for Hannah. Hannah took me a little bit to warm up to because I knew that there was something to her story she was hiding from and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why she would hide it from Ryan. Especially knowing what he did as a profession. However, I tried to push that to the side and let it go because she had a valid reason to be fearful-- even though that reason took a long time to surface. Their relationship was cute to watch evolve. Especially, with the help of the daughter, Alex. Alex stole the show in a lot of ways. I loved her snark and that she was so wicked smart. She definitely was an old soul and wasn't going to fall for anything.

This was definitely a slow burn in regards to the climax of the story but watching their relationship unfold and seeing how this author is setting up the world so that future stories can evolve was nice. It was refreshing. I look forward to more from this world AND this author. I am grateful for the advanced reader copy and getting a chance to discover this JEM of an author.

I had high expectations for this book because I read *The Protector* and really enjoyed it. This book, however, just didn't excite me the way other romance novels have. The premise was tired and the characters lacked a spark that I needed. This just could not be the season of my reading for this book. I may give it another try later, after publication.

I’ve been going back and forth about my thoughts and about what to rate this book. While it was better for me than any other book that JEM has written, I didn’t really find anything special about it.

This was a typical story of a woman with a secret and she falls for a man in the town she’s hiding in. While there was the suspense and the angst between the couple, I was still waiting for the story to actually suck me into it. Most of this book was Hannah hiding secrets and the day to day building romance between her and Ryan.

I must say that Ryan is the best love interest that I’ve read from her. Don’t even get me started on Jesse Ward. Ryan was considerate of Hannah, and not just that. He was patient, caring, and was more concerned for her than himself. I love that he was willing to give so much of himself even though he knew she was hiding things.

All in all, I just feel very meh about it. It’s a book that didn't really move me at all and is very forgettable. However, it was the first book I read from here where I didn’t cringe while reading and wasn’t full of toxic love interests.

Well, I've been a fan of JEM since her very first book series. Yup, I fell in love with Jesse Ward. Since then, I've had some ups and downs as far as her books go. More ups than downs, but I'll definitely read her books because she brings the heat, she has hot alpha males that are sexy as hell and her story telling is on point.
Leave Me Breathless is a spin off of another Malpas book, The Protector. You do not have to read that book to read this one. This is a complete standalone. They are really not related in any aspects besides them both being partners in a protection company. And to be honest, The Protector wasn't a favorite of mine unfortunately. But let's get back to Leave Me Breathless...
This cover isn't...well, it's ho hum for me, but Ryan, the hero in this book? He's anything but ho hum. The book starts out with a job being done and a little excitement before we return to a sleepy town in England. Ryan is set to retire from his protection job and live in his cabin secluded in the woods with his very aware 10 year old daughter, Alex. Hannah, the heroine, is a new person in the small town and she has just opened up her own art store. She has a past and she has secrets that she cannot share with anyone. She is quirky, artistic, perhaps a bit accident prone and a ray of sunshine when she doesn't let her past haunt her. Even under all this, she is a strong woman that knows what she has to do. So when the "no relationship" Ryan and Hannah continuously bump into one another, will they combust or will they fizzle? I have a feeling we all know where this is going to go.
If you like JEM's past alpha men, you will really like Ryan. He's a man's man. He is caring, protective, likes to build things with his own hands and, here's my selling point...he absolutely LOVES his daughter and will do anything for her. But when Hannah enters the picture, his life flips around. It's like nothing he expects and these two just can't deny their chemistry. His protectiveness kicks into overdrive, but all his questions about the mysterious Hannah do too. Will he find out about her past (which is a doozy, to say the least)? Or will he let sleeping dogs lie?

Leave Me Breathless has all the important pieces to a romance story. We have an alpha male that is all protective, a woman on the run and a very precocious 10 year old. We have a secret being hidden, and we have undeniable chemistry between our two main characters. I enjoyed watching their relationship flourish, but I did get frustrated with Hannah at a few points. But it isn't a romance unless I want to rattle a character. :)
We also have many side characters that hold small parts, but they make the plot move forward in such a way that we don't get stalled too often. One of them being an appearance by Jake and Cami and their kids. We also have Ryan's baby mama (I want to slap that woman), and some other town folk. They all make the story complete. Told in dual POV with a few chapters from Hannah's past, we get the complete picture for the story. Some of the story seemed to drag on a bit, but overall I got my romance and I got my heat. Perfect for a cozy fall night in.

Leave Me Breathless has it all! It is romantic, swooney, and sexy with big doses of humor, banter and unpredictability. There is no shortage of Alpha males & strong females as well.

Ryan Willis is done. After a close call, the ex MI5 called it quits on the protection business. Settling down in his small hometown Ryan is content to spend time with his 10 year old daughter a fix up his cabin. But life doesn't always go the way you want it to. Ryan literally "runs into" newcomer Hannah Bright.

I just loved Hannah! She is sweet, fun, unique, strong and messy! She has secrets, dangerous secrets! Ryan suspects as much but he wants her to confide in him. Hannah has many layers and I loved watching her go from apprehensive to full on confidence as each layer was removed!

Let's talk about Alex, Ryan's awesome 10 year old daughter! She nearly stole the book with her wit, banter and comebacks.

"You're ten."
"Last time I checked, that doesn't make you the fountain of life knowledge."
"Last time I checked, thirty-nine doesn't make you clueless when it comes to women."

Jodi Ellen Malpas will leave you breathless as you swoon over Alex & Hannah! I really enjoyed it! There is also a surprise visit from Jake & Cami (The Protector).

3.5 stars

I don't really know how to rate this book. I'll be honest, I struggled to read this and it took me almost a week to read. I was first attracted to the book cover and description and I've heard many great things about Jodi's books so I requested an ARC copy of this book. I think the premise of the book is great but lacked on execution. I didn't find myself getting lost in any of the characters so it was difficult to connect with the story as a whole.

On the flip side, there's definitely some suspense in the mix which made it a little more interesting and there is a HEA and I'm always happy with those! :)

Leave Me Breathless
Release Date: November 5, 2019
Review Copy Provided by the Publisher

I’m fairly new to this authors writing, but I’m quickly become a huge fan!

I absolutely LOVED the hero, Ryan, in this book. He was all kinds of alpha and uber protective, but he was also so tender and sweet. He was pretty damn amaze balls, in my opinion.

The heroine, Hannah, really impressed me. She took charge of her life to make it better, but she still had a vulnerable side that so many women who’ve been hurt can relate to. She’s kinda quirky in a fun and cute way. She can sometimes be awkward, but all that just makes her more “real” and likeable.

Neither one of the characters is looking for forever, but from the moment they hit the sheets, everything changes. Their emotions take over and it sometimes got messy. The way Ryan kept pulling Hannah back in when she tried to run was absolutely swoon worthy. I liked the way he made her really look at herself.

The banter between Hannah and Ryan kept me giggling. Ryan’s 10 year old daughter was hilarious and kept all the adults on their toes.

This book was sexy and emotional, with just the right amount of suspense. I think I’ll be checking out this authors backlist!

This book was received as an ARC from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) - Forever in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

From the start of this book, my expectations were unknown. From the cover this looked like a romance novel but when I read the description, this looked like a thriller novel mixed with all sorts of drama which intrigued me right away. As I read on, there were some parts that were confusing and didn't blend well to the plot making it heard to put the pieces together. When I got towards the middle of the book, that is where the action sprung and everything started to make sense. The background of Ryan being in the protection division meeting a beautiful woman and then combining the story of Hannah owner of an arts and crafts store that turns Ryan's world upside down and all if forever changed.

We will consider adding this title to our Romance collection at our library. That is why we give this book 4 stars.