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.

IF YOU'RE OPEN MINDED.....

Any additional comments?

If you're an open minded reader and modern, slightly erotic romance is your genre, then I'd suggest ignoring the negative reviews of the book and trying it. I went in a bit suspicious due to the reviews, but found I liked the plot and characters. My ability to connect with a character's humanity is important to me and and I felt Banks included enough humanity in her characters to make them real and relate-able. This series reads a bit like the 50 Shades Trilogy in regards to the kink so if you didn't like or were appalled by those books then don't give Banks' Rush Series a try -- you probably won't like it either.

I would describe the audio performance of this series as good, not excellent, but that's probably because I felt like Paul's voice made the men sound older than intended. This is a personal opinion, though, and I didn't take marks off for his performance because he did well in all other ways.

LOVE LOOVE LOOOVE

Absolutely loved it. My immediate thoughts after the first chapter was “great..... another attempt to re-write Fifty Shades of Gray.” In the end, I was totally wrong, I laughed, got angry, was repulsed, cried and talked to the characters as if they were real people. The hero (Gabe) and heroine (Mia) have known each other for years. Gabe is scarred by his ex-wife and vows he would never get involved in a relationship without protecting himself. Mia has always had a girlish crush on Gabe, never knowing his special likeness for her. Now Mia is all grown up, and plans to make a surprise appearance to her brother’s hotel grand opening ....... and there it begins. Very happy ending, I only wish there was an epilogue to follow.

Its was simply OK

I would of appreciated an original story and a female character with a little more self respect. This story line was way too similar to FSOG. I only purchase it because it was on sale. I recommend you do the same if you are curious.

Great Narrator!

loved this book. halfways through I bought the rest of it! only wish this story would continue more! the Narrator is fantastic!

I have a submission problem....

Submitting to someone's will is a most difficult pill to swallow...Rush made my blood boil, I had an attitude and was even arguing with the characters in my head, because of that fact, I like this book. Escapism, is that even a valid word, who knows, but I did escape into the world of bondage and submission..
Listen or don't listen, the choice is up to you, after all, how can I make you submit to my advice when I have a problem with submission...

Great series

One of my favorites. Loved whole series. Want more from this author. Like this genre.

Romance with an Edge

After reading other reviewer's comments, I decided to gamble on the purchase since it was under ten dollars! Overall, I didn't think it was a bad purchase for the price.

Other reviewers found the sex to be degrading; I actually thought it was pretty gritty and representative of what BDSM might be to some individuals. The female character found it arousing, so even if it wasn't what some people would appreciate, it was part of the story's development.

Other reviewers didn't believe the male character's emotional development; I saw glimpses of the changes throughout the book, so that also seemed to work within the story.

Some reviewers didn't like the narrator; I thought he did a fine job and I was able to differentiate the characters.

As I listened I realized...I didn't empathize with the main characters and didn't like them very much! Usually there is something appealing about one or both of the characters and their flaws make them more human; however, in this book I found Gabe to be someone who "talked a good game" but didn't behave very well. I didn't find him to be likable and didn't warm up to Mia.

I wouldn't have used a credit for the book and a potential reader should be aware this is a grittier, edgier lust/love story.

Intense

This is my first audiobook with a male narrator for the entire book. I was not sure at first but Adam did a great job portraying all the characters of the book. The story was intense and kept you wanting more. The anticipation of what was next was very satisfying and kept my interest on high alert

Need to read it instead of audible

The narrator was not a good fit for this story... His voiced reminded me to much of Nathan Lane and just was a complete turn off for an alpha male, his impressions of the other characters was just terrible, weird accents, and pronunciation. He would be more suited for a comedy, maybe even a rom com. I would have enjoyed this story more it wasn't for him. I will definitely get the book on kindle and read it instead of listen.

Good story. I listened every chance I had.

This story held my interest. I wanted to see what happened so I finished as quickly as I could. I liked Adam’s voice for everyone but the male main character. He sounded a bit whiny. This is one of those storylines where you just have to forget about the “me too” movement to enjoy it. There were many scenarios I don’t believe would be in a book written today. If the same things happened, then they would be presented differently e.g.: she wouldn’t have worked for him. I think I will listen to the other two books since I was able to gloss over the scenes I didn’t like and I really enjoyed the book overall.