Rush By Maya Banks

I was given an advanced copy of Rush (THE BREATHLESS TRILOGY) in exchange for an honest review and I was so excited to read it!  

Rush was one sexy, hot and steamy read!!  Whew!  I think I need to take a break from this genre for a while (and a cold shower!)   :)  Out of all the erotica/BDSM books I have read, this was by the far the most intense.   There were times I thought' "should I really be reading this?"  Uh, of course!!!  

Rush is the first book in the Breathless trilogy.  This story focuses on Gabe, the intense and previously scorned billionaire, who only has a relationship with a signed contract.  Unfortunately, the only woman that he envisions as his next contractual relationship is his best friend and business partner's little sister, Mia.

It just so happens that Gabe had been the high school and young adult fantasy of Mia's.  Although, she thought he wouldn't be interested in her since he always kept his distance and the 14 year age difference between them.  Until one night at Gabe's hotel's grand opening, he decided it was time and he made his move.

The story takes you through the journey of Mia and Gabe and their Dom/sub relationship.  At times it seems that Gabe is wonderful, caring and the perfect partner, and then suddenly he can't control his intense need for her and becomes selfish and at times animalistic.  The more time he spends with Mia, the more he needs her and can't be without her, which then scares him and he wants to pull away.  

Mia was a great heroine. She may have been Gabe's submissive, but she didn't take any of his crap.  And when a difficult situation was presented she did the right thing.  At 24 years old she was much more mature than 38 year old Gabe, just like a typical male/female relationship! ;)

For the majority of the book you see the progression of their relationship.  As I moved through the book I thought, "ok when is the s#!t going to hit the fan"  You know it is, It always does!  I thought it happened when they were on a business trip to Paris.  Did I mention he made her his Personal Assistant so he could have access to her at all times?  In Paris, Gabe's conscience gets the best of him and he decides on something that ends up being a monumental mistake (One, I would never have forgiven him for!).  I was so angry with him I had to put the book down, I couldn't look at him...or read about him.  Whatever, I was  so mad!  

I thought that was it, the big climax (no pun intended)  but nope!  The author got me again with a whammy!!  I looked to see how many pages were left and I thought, Oh no!  Is there enough time to fix this?  Without, spoiling the story, I will say that it wrapped up without a cliffhanger and I did not want to throw the book out the window.  ;)  I don't think I could of handled a cliffhanger or a disappointing ending.    

Of all the books that I have read in this genre, I can't pick a favorite.  I liked them all but for very different reasons.  This one was more.....informative.  Not that I will apply anything I learned to my real life!  Even though the story was very racy, it still had a sweet love story.  There were definite times where Gabe made me swoon!  Even control freaks can be sweet and romantic sometimes!   

I can't wait to see what's going to happen in the next book.  The second one, Fever (THE BREATHLESS TRILOGY), focuses on Jace, Mia's brother.  Jace and Ash (the other best friend and business partner) always share the same woman they "date".  It looks like Jace may not want to share anymore.  Interesting!! 

My Rating

4.5 Stars