Rush

The Breathless Trilogy, Book 1

By: Maya Banks

Narrated by: Adam Paul

Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

When Gabe Hamilton saw Mia Crestwell walk into the ballroom for his hotel’s grand opening, he knew he was going to hell for what he had planned. After all, Mia is his best friend’s little sister. Except she’s not so little anymore. And Gabe has waited a long time to act on his desires.

Gabe has starred in Mia’s fantasies more than once, ever since she was a teenager with a huge crush on her brother’s best friend. So what if Gabe’s 14 years older? Mia knows he’s way out of her league, but her attraction has only grown stronger with time. She’s an adult now, and there’s no reason not to act on her most secret desires. As Gabe pulls her into his provocative world, she realizes there’s a lot she doesn’t know about him or how exacting his demands can be. Their relationship is intense and obsessive, but as they cross the line from secret sexual odyssey to something deeper, their affair runs the risk of being exposed - and is vulnerable to a betrayal far more intimate than either expected.

©2013 Maya Banks (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

HOT, but definitely not for everyone

Very heavy Dom/Sub relationship. This story definitely wouldn't work if you reversed the male and female roles/ gender-swapped the story. The main male definitely is a caveman/sexy and rigid grump. However, I still found the story to be super addictive and interesting. I listened to it in 2 days flat

Narrator RUINED this book!!!

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The book itself is great! The narrator however sounds like he's narrating a cookbook or TV guide. NOTHING sexy about his voice & makes it impossible to connect to the characters! Phil Gigante would have been perfect!!!

Would you be willing to try another one of Adam Paul’s performances?

Nope! Well maybe if I purchase an encyclopedia.

Gabe & Mia

This is the first book in the Breathless Trilogy. The series is set around three 38yo Millionaire hoteliers. They’re best read in order - while each book focuses on one couple, there are storylines that span the series.

I love the Best Friend’s Sister/Brother’s Best Friend trope. Partially because there’s already a relationship between the two and things aren’t starting from scratch. In this case, Gabe is 14 years older than Mia (he’s 38, she’s 24) - so there’s an age gap factor as well. I like that when Gabe says he waited for her to grow up a bit, it’s because he noticed her at 20 not that he’s been wanting her since she was a child.

This is best if you enjoy over the top controlling, alpha male paired with sometimes spunky but mostly submissive women. While this is BDSM, it still felt off at times - for me Gabe’s behavior sometimes bordered on abusive, even within the context of agreed relationship boundaries.

The biggest problem I have with this is how repetitive Banks’ writing can get. At just over 11 hours, I think at least an hour could have been shaved off by not having internal dialogues and conversations rehashing info presented immediately before.

There are a lot of really hot scenes - but an unstable ex, family drama, and business dealings give it a bit of plot. A big breakup and some groveling from Gabe give this a decent HFN.

Narration:
I liked Adam Paul’s narration. Particularly that he gives Gabe, Jace, & Ash unique voices that are consistent through the whole series.

hot

loved the book... it was hard to stop listening to can't wait to read the next one.

Disappointed

Although I enjoyed reading this book the audiobook was a disappointment. I much prefer when narrated by a man and woman. The narrator’s voice almost had a helium like quality that was hard for me to get past. Did not match for a Dom

My favorite romance in a very long time

These two had me from page 1. I absolutely loved them falling for each other and overcoming the obstacles of their very secretive relationship. Great smut and actual substance as well. On to the next in the series and anything else Maya Banks has written.

Bad Narrator Good Story

Where does Rush rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I am unable to rank it due to the narrator; The story had was ok, it could have been very good with a better narrator. I would recommend reading it instead of linstening with this narrator

Would you be willing to try another one of Adam Paul’s performances?

No the narration ruined the story.

Hot, Steamy & Good

This book has its pros and cons (for me).
Some of the reviews almost made me not buy the book but I am glad I did. Also I did not mind the narrator at all.
It's definitely a fast read, and I found myself engrossed. Mia and Gabe have a typical rocky relationship that involves a dominant male, but that didn't stop me from loving Gabe. The best thing I've found about Maya Banks is that she writes a desirable male. Although I enjoyed swooning after Gabe, I did find the romance to be slightly forced in terms of speech. I suppose it's the same as a soap opera; no one really talks like that. However, that honestly didn't stop me from enjoying the book and picking up the next one as soon as it came out. Overall, good steamy romance, even if it's a little predictable.

Good Start for New Trilogy

Good start to a new trilogy. I kind of expected more though. I wish the critics would quit saying if you like 'Fifty Shades then you'll love this", because this book just doesn't add up to Fifty Shade similarity to me. Don't get me wrong here. Fifty Shades is awesome and Maya Banks is awesome too, but this book is nothing like Fifty. Sorry! Yes there is a little BDSM but not on the Fifty level, so if you’re hoping for that then this is not the book for you. Go with the Crossfire Series instead, by Sylvia Day.

Ok...jumping off the bandwagon now... Breathless is going to be a great series, about billionaire hotel owners. I can't wait for Jace and Ash story... they got some kink in them, I wonder how are they going to separate the kink..??? It seems to me, that they like a little ménage a tois! Lol... Anyway, this book is about Jace’s sister Mia and his other best friend Gabe. Great love story. I love how Mia is a very strong female lead and not a push over at all, which you don't see very often, in these contemporary romance novels. Maya Banks always write her female leads right though. Great story... Loved it... Not a four or five for me... but decent. Ya know... I actually like Maya's Highlander series better... still waiting on the next Montgomery Book... LOL, who is with me...?

I would wait for the credit; but if you are a big Banks fan, then go ahead and buy, you won't be disappointed.

I was shock to see a male narrator for this series. This was my first time listening to Paul and he did a great job. Nothing to complain about, but nothing to rave about either. Just great ya know. A male narrator is unusual for a Banks book, but so is this series... it was written mostly from the male POV... so, I see why the male narrator was use.

a good listen<br />

Nice story but sometimes I thought I was listening to 50 shades of Grey. but Will definitely listen to the other 2 books. curious to find out what happens with Jas and Abe. ad