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Title: A Breath Away
Score:
Author: Rita Herron
Rating: Not available
Hits: 213

Review of A Breath Away

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Comments for A Breath Away

• Posted on 2007-01-25
  In love!
  
  When reading this book, and meeting the male character, I absolutely fell in love with Grady Monroe. He has gave me a great deal of respect now for any law enforcement. This book pulled you in from the beginning with the little girls and Violet screaming in her room for someone to help her best friend and Grady's half-sister, Darlene.
  
  Grady Monroe is the one my heart went out to. He never knew his mother, had a father who stop speaking to him, growing up to always hear that Grady was the one to blame for Darlene's death. Fact was, Grady grew up to be a hard man to know. It was always about the law, doing what was right, and putting away the criminals. Except, living in a small town like Crow's Landing, he rarely had any crimes. He had a young woman in love with him at the local diner, but he wouldn't give her the time or day. Only a smile every now and then as she tried time and time again to get his attention. Then things begin to take a turn....
  
  Violet Baker's father is found dead with a confession saying he killed Darlene. Grady is so confused on what to believe, but he calls Violet and tells her grandmother the news. Violet is then forced to go back to Crow's Landing, where she would be unwanted by the locals, to bury her father and hope to solve the murder and prove to everyone that he did not kill her friend.
  
  Instantly, Grady and Violet resent each other. From their first meeting, to when Violet kicks Grady out of her father's house, to the next morning when he shows back up with a search warrant. They continue to resent one another until Violet cuts her way into the case of her father's mysterious death, and Grady is forced to allow her to help. Never realizing that he would lust after her, and she the same to him.
  
  This story makes you want to bite your fingernails until no more. Grady and Violet have such mesmorizing chemistry, you never want their story to end.
  
  This is by far my favorite Rita Herron book! And just because of Grady Monroe. Too bad he isn't a real person.....
  
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• Posted on 2006-04-08
  Has a few leaks that need repair
  
  I understand it is difficult to integrate romance and suspense in one story. This book is an example of this difficulty. Ms. Herron did a fine job in the suspense department but the romance did not blend into the story. It is predictable and boring. What bothered me was in the beginning when Grady and Violet meet for the first time in twenty years.... The door creaked open. Faint moonlight spilled in the front porch, silhouetting a human form......... The author goes on to describe Violet through Grady's eyes from head to toe nail (In the dark)..... Toe nails with pink polish that made his body stir. (What kind of night vision goggles is he wearing? Did I miss something?)
  A natural rose color stained full lips devoid of lipstick. She didnt need it. She had kissable lips. (How does he see this in faint moonlight?) I knew the story was going to have problems from that point on. I continued to read it however, because of the mystery. I agree with other reviews, there are too many characters that were thrown into the story for the sake of suspense and they just sort of unravelled at the end. Descriptions were repeatd which is annoying. I have quit reading books that start to fizzle in the beginning. Life is too short. However, I DID finish this book and despite the flaws, and felt satisfied. The actual plot was strong and creative. I will try another one of Herron's books.
  
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• Posted on 2006-03-28
  Too many stories, not enough endings
  
  This is my first Rita Herron book so if she has storylines in other books for some of the characters in this one, I haven't discovered them yet. First of all the story is fair with lots of mystery but she has so many major characters with mysterious lives that could make them the killer but then again they aren't but she doesn't unravel any of the mysteries. The mystery of Logan and his mysterious hands, lives with his dark glasses on always, sleeps in a cave, "something" makes Violet afraid of him. The mystery of Nick Norton the FBI man with lots of secrets, wants to jump his profiler Adams bones but she is married but unhappy? Then there is Joseph, Grady's half brother that disappears for "mystic reasons" having to do with his Indian ancestory, he also gets pounded on in his mother's resturant where he works for no reason but the men are bullies but they aren't arrested, just told to leave. He is handsome but no woman wants him. Poor DeWayne and his nutty mother are mysterious with lots to hide but Herron doesn't say what they are hiding other than intelligence and his dad. Half of the town knows about the secret that is causing women to be killed but too stupid to tell why. Makes no sense when many of the deaths are their own family? Finally Grady is going to just walk away from being sheriff and move to Tynbee Island and be with Violet and do what? Too many questions for me without any kind of resolution. I hate books like that. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED AND WHY. Book was a let down.
  
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• Posted on 2005-07-16
  less impressed than most
  
  I guess I was less impressed than most with this book. I was really looking forward to it, and, yes, there were lots of suspects. But so much of the promise of the first 2/3 of the book became pure contrivance by the end that I was going "Oh, give me a break!" The beginning and even the clairvoiance were good and believable, but then we had to keep throwing so many troubled/psychotic/criminal people into the mix and having them ALL contribute to the plot. I am sorry, but the true criminal was not unexpected (I picked him out by the second time he was mentioned, even tho' we had NO background story on him, and almost too much on the others). I think she tried to make too many possibilities and instead made a muddy story.
  Also, as a medical person, pavulon is a muscle paralytic but that means paralyzing all muscles, resulting in the person not only NOT being able to blink but also NOT BEING ABLE TO BREATHE! If they aren't on a ventilator--guess what? They DIE within minutes. Just really was the final mess in a rather messy story.
  I would have liked it better, too, if she hadn't done the Disney "clean up all the stories and make everyone happy ever after" at the end.
  
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• Posted on 2005-05-31
  Breathtaking Suspense
  
  From the very first pages the reader will be drawn into this extremely satisfying and suspense filled romance. Beginning with the prelude you are an eye-witness to the emotional trauma, terror, and guilt eight year old Violet Baker experiences as she mind links with her very best friend Darlene who has been kidnapped. Somehow, Violet and Darlene Monroe had discovered that at times they knew what each was feeling. When Darlene had gone missing, Violet tried to tell her father where Darlene was; that a bad man was hurting her; and had suffered the guilt ever since in not been able to save her best friend. Twenty years later on the eve of the anniversary of Darlene's death, Violet was having visions again of another woman being murdered, in much the same manner as Darlene. It would be a call from the sheriff, Grady Monroe, of Crows Landing, telling of her father's suicide and confession of Darlene's murder that would send Violet back to her hometown to confront the ghosts of her past.
  
  Grady Monroe, remembered the homely young girl that had befriended his sister and though at times he wanted to blame her for his sister's death, knew the blame laid with him for not being there to watch his little sister. Now as sheriff, he would have to deal with Violet - never expecting that the homely young child had turned into a beautiful young woman stirring emotions in him that over the years he'd held in strict control. As the two began to unravel clues to Darlene's murder it became apparent that the same killer had resurfaced once again and was edging closer to home, and one of his victims on his list was going to be Violet.
  
  ____My gosh, this was a true edge of the seat thriller with more suspects than you could shake a stick at that kept the suspense sizzling right up to the very end. The lead duo of Grady and Violet were both well drawn out and sympathetic in their emotional turmoil of two wounded souls attracted to one another. In a first time read of this author I was impressed with the non-stop suspense and the many twists that comprised this full-bodied read. Praise must be given to this author for a totally mesmerizing suspense filled romance that I highly recommend. [Marilyn, for www.romancedesigns.com ]
  
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