BREAKING AWAY is a story of loss, healing, and love… where unexpected turns and heartache lead to passion.
To Nashville Assassins’ leading scoring center Phillip Anderson, playing hockey has always been easy… as natural as breathing. His life is no different. That’s until his world is turned upside down by the death of his sister. While mourning his loss, Phillip has to find a way to make his … make his very angry sixteen-year-old niece, Claire, happy. Now, as her guardian, he discovers the only thing that seems to heal her lonely heart is dance class. But what he didn’t count on was the attraction he’d feel towards her drop-dead sexy dance teacher.
For Reese Allen, dancing has always been part of her soul. After having her heart broken in New York, she comes home with the determination to make her dance studio one of the best in Tennessee and succeeds. When she sees Claire dance for the first time, she knows the girl is bound for greatness and takes the troubled teen under her wing. Using dance as therapy, she suddenly finds herself bound to the young woman… and her hot-as-sin uncle.
However, Phillip and Reese are happy in their single lives. It’s simple. They do what they want, who they want, and how they want, but from the moment they meet, the attraction is undeniable. Soon, they are more than willing to spend just one night tangled in the sheets. But, one night turns into two, and two turns into three, until they find themselves in a repeated dance of “One Last Time” that has the potential to be something more… if only Reese and Claire allow it.
Can Phillip find a way to thaw the hearts of both the women in his life, or will he be forever trying to break them away from their pasts?
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Read with Rating in 2015. Written Review added 2021:
I read the beginning of the Assassins series in 2015 when I was providing a rating only and providing written reviews. If and when I re-read this series, I will provide a more formal review. However, the rating was accurate at the time and I totally love Aleo’s writing style and the entire series. It’s a professional sports series based on the NHL team the Nashville Assassins.
Breaking Away was the sixth book in the series. I highly recommend the Assassins series and all spin off series: The Bellevue Bullies, Nashville Assassins Next Generation, and The Ice Cats.
Okay, so I figured out the author changed publishers or went Indie or whatever and that’s why the previous books are The Assassins series and this is book one of the Nashville Assassins. Same series though, really. But confused me at first!
I do have to say that the move to this book was a good choice. I really liked this one better than most of the previous books, except for Taking Shots and Trying to Score. It was better written, too!
I liked Phillip in this book, though it’s like his personality changed from the previous books, which is annoying.
Claire pulled some HORRIBLE stunts, though, even for an angsty teen. Like bad. Like not good person bad. Ruined someone’s career or put them in prison bad. And that’s totally not okay but she gets a ‘pass’ in this book that pisses me off. It just tells people that it’s okay to hurt people or ruin their lives just because you had it rough, and you will even be rewarded. In fact, Phillip was mad at the wrong person the most when he should have been livid with Claire, not the rookie!
As for Reese… at first, I totally understood why she was doing and feeling like she was, and it made sense and kept me reading! By the end, I had to admit it was overthetop and I didn’t like her anymore. She just didn’t get it at all that she was letting Kevin have too much power? It was seriously messed up for such a strong woman to keep living in denial. Like serious denial.
I did however love the chemistry, and dance stuff, and even Claire when she stopped trying to send innocent young 19-year-old kids to prison. The story was entertaining and engaging.
Onward to the next one!
Great story. Love Toni Aleo books.
I LOVED this book!!! I love the banter back and forth between Reese and Phillip. The two frustrated me to no end, but that made everything even better!!!
This story was one of my favourites. I adore that Ms.Aleo writes strong, take no bull from no one, female characters!
Reese is an amazing dance choreographer with a top notch school and a heart of gold hidden behind a wall of pain, distrust and fear.
Phillip is an amazing hockey player turned instant single father when he takes in his foul mouthed, wild niece Claire, after family tragedy. Finding out Claire is a dancing phenomenon puts these two on a heck of journey full of laughs, copious amounts of sexy times and coming to grips with feelings they rather stay hidden.
This book is part of a larger series so I highly recommend reading them in order. It will better help you understand some of the other side stories and supporting characters.
Poor grammar and typos. Maybe the “-f-” word in the first sentence was supposed to grab the
readers’ attention? Had it been used in better context, it would have worked.
I did not even “get into” the plot. I gave up after “…had took off again…”
and “…can’t help someone that doesn’t…..”
‘Breaking Away’ is the story of Reese Allen and Phillip Anderson. After Shea and Elli, Phillip and Reese is my favorite couple in the Assassins series and as for Phillip’s niece Claire, I adore her. She and the ‘Bellevue Bullies’ is the reason, I discovered ‘Assassins’, one of my favorite series I decided to combine ‘Assassins’ and ‘Bellevue Bullies’ series reviews according the time line of the books. I will post the reviews according to my second reading order so next will be ‘Boarded by Love’, first book of ‘Bellevue Bullies’ series, which is Claire & Jude’s story Now back to Reese and Phillip.
Phillip had a difficult childhood and he worked really hard to get out and become a successful hockey player. And he achieved it. He is leading scorer of Assassins and well-known ladies man but everything changes when his sister past away and his niece Claire comes and starts to live with him. Claire is hurt, broken and angry sixteen-year-old. Claire blames Phillip for everything she has been through because she thinks he abandoned her and her behavior causes Phillip to have a rough time. Phillip wants to help her heal and tries his best to make Claire to trust him but he fails every time. After catching Claire in a bed with a rookie, he decides to ask for help and calls Elli. According to new plan during Phillip’s away games, Claire will stay with Harper Titov and this is how everything starts to change for Phillip, Claire and Reese.
Reese is a professional dancer. After a bad break-up she leaves the spot light and her life in New York and moves back to Nashville. She opens up a dance studio and her studio becomes the best one in the area. She is really passionate and focused on her studios success. After the heartbreak she faced, she swore off relationships and she only has one-night stands but because of this behavior, she is known as ‘man-eater’ Reese sees Claire while she dances in her room at Harper’s and she is really impressed by the way Claire dances. Reese gives Claire a chance to be a part of her studio, which will change her, Claire’s and Phillip’s lives forever.
After Claire starts to dance for Reese, her behavior starts to change too and Phillip is really happy to see the positive change in Claire. Phillip being Erik’s best friend, who is married to Reese’s twin Piper, Reese and Phillip end up in a bar together with Erik and Piper. After their run in in the dance studio, you can feel the sizzling sexual chemistry between them. They both know hooking up can complicate things, but they cannot resist the attraction. When they decide to leave the bar together, they both make it clear that it is a one-time deal. However, soon ‘one last time’ becomes the most popular phrase between Reese and Phillip, so they decide being friends, who are having fun, is a good idea. Every thing gets complicated when Phillip falls in love with Reese. Will Phillip be able to change Reese mind regarding relationships and convince her to give him a chance? That is for you to find out
I love ‘Breaking Away’ and really enjoyed reading it (All three times). It is a story about overcoming the past and never giving up with a perfect dose of family, love, romance, and heartbreak. If you still didn’t get a chance to read ‘Breaking Away’ yet, I recommend you to read it ASAP.
Would I recommend this book: Yes.
Would I re-read this book: Already did.
Would I read future books by this author: Yes.
The review was originally posted on: http://miabookaddict.com/