Breathe You In

A Sweet Torment Novel

By: Joya Ryan

Narrated by: Cristina Panfilio

Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

For years, Amy Underwood has been wracked by guilt over her sister’s fatal overdose. With one last shot at redemption, she is determined to open a drug treatment center - even if it means her shameful secret will be exposed. But when she sneaks into the biggest political event of the year in search of funding, she quickly discovers that in the world of fast-paced politics there is always a price - and this one could cost her everything.

Running for a second term, the young governor of New York, Roman Reese, finds that his privileged past and dark childhood could not only threaten the blue-collar vote - but his reputation and livelihood as a politician. So when he meets a sexy woman with big ambitions, he quickly strikes a deal: He’ll see that Amy’s clinic obtains funding, and she’ll play the down-to-earth girlfriend to help his electability. They’ll keep the relationship strictly business, scripted to the last detail, and end it when the polls close. But secrecy and desire have a way of binding hearts. As Election Day draws closer, so do Amy and Roman - until the discovery of one final deceit threatens to tear them apart for good.

©2014 Joya Ryan (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Joya Ryan just reached my instant download list

I only have like 5 authors (Cole, Ward, J. Ashley, K. Ashely and Frost)... Now I have 6!

Ryan's men are the best of the best! They are alpha male, dominating, smart as a whip, and Boy are my SMEXY!!! The female leads are a stroll in the park too! This is some of the best darn character development ever... Loved it... And the story revolving around the characters are just great... You already know who the next book is gonna be about... or rather... who the BETTER GET A BOOK!

The secondary characters are just a intriguing as the main ones... I just loved this..

Just think of Break Me Slowly on Political Juicy Juice!

Gov.Roman Reese!!! Wowza! I so want to vote for him... And Amy... loved her too! Now it's Amy's best friend and her boss, the Governor's head of public relations... OMG!

Either those two will hook up or they each need their own book... Can't wait till this entire series makes it to Audible... Instant Download...just can't go wrong...

Narration was good, this is a great buy, sale or credit!

Breathe You In Book 1 - I've Added 2 To Wish List

Amy is a woman on a mission. She is an advocate for those fighting substance abuse. Her drive is fired by her sister's memory. Her sister died of a drug overdose years earlier and Amy feels everyone blames her for it- including her parents. She is in New York, working [temporarily] within the community but is trying to fund raise and create a permanent nonprofit.

Roman is running for mayor of New York City. He is stunning and handsome and all the usual... As a single man running for office he needs the 'blue collar vote.' So, when he finds Amy - who has sneaked in - at a ritzy political event, he sees an opportunity.

A 'blue-collar' gal, doing something good for the community will be the perfect girlfriend. He lays out the deal: Amy's cause will be funded & Amy will act the doting girlfriend. [The usual deal for these romances.] No strings attached, no real feelings only acting as a couple in public - until his election day.

As these stories go… Amy begins to have feelings for Roman. He is guarded and refuses to give in. They are intimate on every level except he will not admit any feelings for her – quite the contrary.

While this is similar to a tale we have heard before, I felt it was unique because of the political spin. Several different things will complicate and challenge the "couple." I was really interested and did not want it to end. I've added book 2 to my wish list.

The narrator was very good. She was believable with every character that she performed. Listening to her gave another dimension to the book that you would not have if just reading.

I bought this when it was on sale for $3.95-that is a steal. The member price is under $8.00 so I'd advise buying and save your credit for a more expensive book.

Note strong language and mature themes

Thank you for reading my review, if you felt it was helpful in your decision-making please select yes immediately following this text.

Loved

The author did an amazing job writing this story and the narrator delivered! I couldn't put it down. Wonderful love story.

excited to find a new author

I was very pleasantly surprised to find a new author. I loved the book and look forward to read all her other books.

What a love story

I don't usually read love stories, but this was a good one, I was literally crying at the end. First time reading Joya Ryan, but will read her again.

better then what I was expected!

I love the voices of the narrators!! I would've like to know more about the relationship of her and her parents before the incident with her sister.

A- rating overall...

My Review:
Overall.... 4.25
Performance... 4.75
Story.... 4.00

The narrator on this...wow, she is absolutely fabulous. She was able to emote with her voice inflections so well. This is a fairly emotional book and she did an outstanding job with the voices. I loved her and this is my first audiobook that I've listened to by her. (I plan to check out what else she's narrated.)

I'll be honest...I have no idea why or when I picked up this audiobook. I've had it for a while and pulled it out of my tbr pile on a whim. I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story.

When the book begins, it's obvious that Amy has some history that has left her a bit of a wounded creature, but I was surprised as the story went on just how wounded Roman was too. I loved that she pulls emotions out of him that he never planned to experience. She disarms him and he never quite knows what to do with her. He has a very definite plan for how she'll fit into his life, but she pushes outside those parameters at every single turn and I loved that about her and their relationship.

On the surface, Roman is the guy who has it all sorted out. He's the governor of New York. He has a highly successful career and is on the way to getting reelected. Amy is an intern just hoping to get the job and repay society for the loss of her sister, who died of an overdose. Amy's passion is working with addicts to enable their recovery.

Both these characters have some serious familial issues. Amy has skeletons in her closet. Gah...I couldn't stand her parents. How could any parent do that to their child? And I know it happens and I know that this is how I was supposed to react to them, but the unfairness of how they treated her broke my heart. She is such a good person. That's so obvious in everything she does. Then there is Roman. His backstory with his mother was as shocking as it was heartbreaking. The best scene in this book though was when his mother reached out to Amy at the end...gah, so emotional.

I really did enjoy everything about this one. The narrator was so good. I highly recommend it on audio, but will definitely be checking out more of Joya Ryan's work (and Cristina Panfilio's narration) in the near future.

Good Start To A Sexy Series

I'm so glad I took a chance on Breathe You In. When you meet Roman Reese right at the beginning, he is all-consuming and totally charming! Immediately, I got the feeling that the governor of New York has a dark side that is hidden so perfectly. He doesn't waste time pursuing Amy, and they enter into a “relationship”. He wants to be re-elected again, and Amy could be the right person to help his image. Oh, boy! So many times I just wanted Amy to back away from this deal, but Roman is such an alluring character. She also has her own agenda to fulfill.

I want to make it clear that this story is not BDSM. This is a steamy contemporary romance set against a political backdrop with a hero who has a dominating and controlling personality. Roman is hot and cold and always gets what he wants. Although I could anticipate certain things happening, I still found Breathe You In to be a page turner and well worth my time. I had to keep reading to find out why Roman was so tortured. As the story unfolds, both their stories broke my heart. This series is adequately named, because once you're sucked in, you'll be sweetly tormented until the very end.

Cristina Panfilio was great with the delivery of the story

Loved this book!

Would you consider the audio edition of Breathe You In to be better than the print version?

Yes.

Which character – as performed by Cristina Panfilio – was your favorite?

Amy

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not at first, but I couldn't' stop listening to it.

Any additional comments?

The story was good and the narration great. I really enjoyed this book.

worth the read.

i enjoyed this book. i liked the chemistry that developed between the two main characters and the twists in the plot.