In Breathless, bestselling authors Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan will sweep you away–across continents and centuries, combining the best of all worlds in one unforgettable romantic saga. She was “the Swan.” London’s premiere courtesan. Men want to be with her. Women loathe her success and yet admire her beauty, her riches, her independence. But when the jealous wife of her lover moves to … of her lover moves to have the Swan banished from her home on the high seas, she winds up crashed against Spain’s rocky coast with no shoes, no clothes–and no name. Taken in by a tortured, sensuous man known as The Artist, the Swan comes to know the woman she wants to be–her artist’s siren.
When Art Professor Brenna Anderson is in danger of losing her post at Harvard, the rule-following, prim professor is at a loss of how to salvage the shreds of her life. But when a new painting in the mysterious Siren collection is discovered in a dusty old house in France, Brenna does the unthinkable–hops on a plane to uncover the identity of the beautiful, enigmatic woman who is the subject of the paintings.
There’s just one hitch–the frustrating, irritating, bold and beautiful art hunter Fitch Wilder is also looking for the Siren. He’s been a thorn in Brenna’s professional side for years, but when their individual quests lead them to team up despite being enemies, a whole new sumptuous world of art and culture opens up for the two of them. And with it, they enter a realm of passion and love…
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I love romance, I love historical fiction, and I love mysteries set in the art world, so I wanted to read Breathless as soon as I’ve seen the blurb. And I am happy to say that this book did not disappoint. Sometimes I find dual timeline books hard to enjoy because I get invested in one story and one set of characters and don’t really care for the other story and set of characters, but with Breathless I loved both timelines. I couldn’t get enough of The Artist and his Siren’s story, but I also really loved Fitch and Brenna’s dynamic and their adventures. Together with Fitch and Brenna we get to travel to London, Paris and Catalonia, and discover the beautiful love story behind mysterious Siren collection. If you are looking for a romantic story with a dash of mystery and a picturesque setting, make sure to pick up Breathless!
A mix of contemporary romance and historical fiction, Breathless is an incredibly well-written book. The jumps between present and past are done seamlessly. Clever use of varying POVs (dual 3rd person for present and singular first person for the past) to make one time period distinct from the other.
The characterization and growth of The Swan/Siren and Fitch and Brenna were excellent. As was the keen sense of place. I was transported to every place in the book: to Paris, Boston, London, the ship, Castell de la Cala, and especially to Barcelona. The authors’ use of different languages was particularly well done. They added to the authenticity of the setting.
Enemies-to-lovers is my favorite trope and the contemporary part delivered on this. I loved Fitch and Brenna’s electric chemistry and I enjoyed their reluctant fall into love. Here’s one of my favorite quotes:
“You’re brilliant and funny. You never give up. You’re a hot mess of complexity with a dab of crazy and that intrigues me.”
There’s humor and pathos, heartbreak and triumph, mystery and adventure. Breathless is really an entertaining book. Even if I weren’t given an ARC by SMP through NetGalley, I’d buy it for myself. And buy the book before this too: Unbound.
Breathless by Susan Donovan and Celeste Bradley is a great example of mixing historical fiction with contemporary fiction. This book actually contains two one set in the past, the other in the present. I loved how the hero and heroine are impacted by the events of the past as they are investigating and uncovering the story of the Swan, part of the series of paintings known as The Siren Series. Some of the scenes related to the Swan’s story were very emotional. The entwining of some actual events fictionalized in the story made for an interesting read.
I really liked reading this story with all of its drama, suspense and intrigue. The story takes the reader on an adventure in both the past and present. I really liked the characters and that they were relatable. I really enjoyed reading this book and recommend this book to other readers.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Breathless by Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan
Treasure hunt, romance, historical & contemporary romances, mystery and intrigue all are part of this book. The authors have seamlessly woven the life story of one woman from the past into the present and made it pertinent and real by sending Fitch Wilder and Brenna Anderson on a quest to find out more about the Swan…or is it the Siren?
I was gripped immediately by the beginning of the book and ALMOST decided to read only the portions of the book labeled PAST and skip over the PRESENT portions and pick them up later but am happy that I did not do so. Why? Because the story unfolds as it should with highs and lows that really do need to be read in order. I was not always “happy” with the Swan-Siren’s story but then neither was she. I am intrigued about what happened to her after her story ended (in the book) and wonder if perhaps Fitch and Brenna continued to pursue finding out more about her. Oh, one more thing…at a few points in the Swan’s narrative in first person I felt she told her story a bit as Fanny Hill told hers in the book with the same title.
Did I enjoy this book? Definitely
Would I read more books by these authors? Yes
Do I recommend this book? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press Griffin for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
This was a fun read, a mixing of past and present with a link between the two. Brenna is drawn to the history of “the Swan”, a courtesan. Fitch is drawn to “the Siren” paintings. He finds them for his client. The two bump heads but find love while figure the history out. I loved the mingling of past and present. I tried to guess where the story was going but was not correct. Despite that, I enjoyed this story.
I received a copy of this story through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.
I received Breathless by Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. This is a past/present story that intertwines two romances and their growth.
In the past, The Swan was a premier London Courtesan until she took the wrong man as a lover. Kidnapped and forced onto a ship, she is at a loss of what to do. When a storm takes control, she ends up on Spain’s coast hurt and with no past. She is taken in, and taken care of, by The Artist, who is himself a tortured soul fighting with guilt.
In the present, Art Professor Brenna Anderson is about to lose her position at Harvard for angering the wrong family. At a loss on how to regain her career, she sets out to uncover the secrets of a series of paintings known as the Siren Collection. She runs into Fitch Wilder (great name!) who is looking for more paintings for his collector buyer as well as attempting to answer the questions of who is she and who is the artist. Teaming up, the step into a culture that forces them to take a second look at each other and the attraction they have for one another.
Bradley and Donovan has done a wonderful job at drawing the reader in. With rich detail about the Coast of Spain, architect, and history, you can’t help but be drawn in. This story is a continuation of their book, A Courtesan’s Guide to Getting Your Man, but I have not read it so it is easy to fall into this story.
Brenna attempt to not be attracted to Fitch underlines her struggle with attachment. It strikes me that Fitch was attracted to Brenna immediately and is just buying his time until Brenna acknowledge her attraction to him. The only thing I really didn’t like was that Brenna was the one to apologize both times issues arose between them and I felt that Fitch should have taken credit for a portion of the misunderstanding at least. But he never did really and also Brenna’s back story was never really dealt with. It took up a paragraph but other than that, I just thought she was modern women disillusioned with men in general.
The true love affair for me was between The Swan and The Artist. Two lost persons that find each other and heal each other. A wonderful story that was the heart and soul of the story. The ending for them made me wail like Brenna and forced me to acknowledge that HEAs are not guaranteed so value every minute you have. The fact that the story really continues makes me want to read more about their future. I loved almost every minute of reading and look forward to the next story from them. #Breathless #NetGalley
Breathless by Celeste Bradley; Susan Donovan is the story of Brenna Anderson and Fitch Wilder.
This book besides having two great authors it also has parallel stories with one in the present and one in the past. The present story is dealing with Brenna a college professor needing a help with her career takes her on a path to follow a painting that leads her to Fitch. Fitch deals in fine arts and he too wants the Siren Series paintings.
While reading their story we also read about The Swan / courtesan who is taken in by the Artist. I must say their story was my favorite.
Overall I really enjoyed this book an hope to read more by these two authors.
This is a story within a story.
Brenna and Fitch are professional rivals but now they have come together to find the history of the woman in the famous Siren Series. As a result, they hope to find any remaining portraits of the Siren.
This couple were instantly attracted to each other but Brenna is holding a grudge about some of the actions Fitch has taken in the past. With a history of untrustworthy men, she’s not open to a relationship with him. Fitch is drawn to her in every way and would love to see her let go of her professor persona and live free.
Inside Brenna and Fitch’s story is the story of the Swan, her expulsion from Europe and her rescue by her Artist. As this couple track the Swan’s history they find themselves growing closer together, sometimes their emotions mirroring that of the woman that they are hunting.
I must confess that I enjoyed the Swan’s love story more so than Fitch and Brenna’s. The Swan’s background is steep in emotion. The chemistry between her and her artist palpable. Their pasts so very heart wrenching and their love the perfect balm to heal them both.
This is a relatively fast paced read, but I must confess to skimming some due to a lot of travel guide-ish commentary. This is a me issue as I’m not a fan of in-depth descriptions of locales or historical sites. There is a heavy emphasis on art that I did enjoy as it dealt mainly with the issue this couple were working on. Secondary characters hold their own, never taking over the story but pushing it along onto the path each of the main characters needed to get to their happy ending.
Overall, this was a very pleasant read and it made me curious about any previous books that might form a series.
Publisher’s Description:
In Breathless, bestselling authors Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan will sweep you away—across continents and centuries, combining the best of all worlds in one unforgettable romantic saga.
She was “the Swan.” London’s premiere courtesan. Men want to be with her. Women loathe her success and yet admire her beauty, her riches, her independence. But when the jealous wife of her lover moves to have the Swan banished from her home on the high seas, she winds up crashed against Spain’s rocky coast with no shoes, no clothes—and no name. Taken in by a tortured, sensuous man known as The Artist, the Swan comes to know the woman she wants to be—her artist’s siren.
When Art Professor Brenna Anderson is in danger of losing her post at Harvard, the rule-following, prim professor is at a loss of how to salvage the shreds of her life. But when a new painting in the mysterious Siren collection is discovered in a dusty old house in France, Brenna does the unthinkable—hops on a plane to uncover the identity of the beautiful, enigmatic woman who is the subject of the paintings.
There’s just one hitch—the frustrating, irritating, bold and beautiful art hunter Fitch Wilder is also looking for the Siren. He’s been a thorn in Brenna’s professional side for years, but when their individual quests lead them to team up despite being enemies, a whole new sumptuous world of art and culture opens up for the two of them. And with it, they enter a realm of passion and love…
My Thoughts:
This unusual romantic saga that covers two love stories in two different eras and flows easily from one story to the other drew me in from the first chapter.
I have read Celeste Bradley historical romance but this coauthored book with Susan Donovan is the first of this type I have read by either author.
This complex and compelling book isn’t to be missed. I discovered that there is another coauthored title by these two. Now I need to go back and read Unbound.
I gave this book 4.75 of 5.0 stars for storyline and character development and a sensual rating of 4.5 of 5.0 flames. This story, particularly that of the Swan is very sensual.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book by invitation to read and review. This in no way affected my opinion of this title which I read and reviewed voluntarily.
Breathless by Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan is a collaboration by two romance authors, one historical and the other contemporary. They deliver a satisfying and rich love story and a quest to learn the truth about the “Siren”. A genre-crossing novel. BREATHLESS will certainly entice fans of Regency, contemporary and Women’s fiction romances.
Set in 1827 and 2018, where the past and present collide. It is set in France, Spain and Catalonia. A beautiful, compelling and complex story. It follows Fitch Wilder, an art hunter and Brenna Anderson, Sociology professor, as they search for the link between the woman in the paintings, the Siren and a London courtesan known as the Swan.
An intriguing and captivating story with engaging and enjoyable characters.
These two authors have written a well crafted and well executed romance that will have readers turning pages, as they learn the secrets of the Swan and the Siren.
Fitch and Brenna are well developed characters who find love and a HEA, a long their journey to the quest for truth. Beautifully written!
“I voluntarily received a complimentary copy, however, these are my honest opinions. I was in no way required nor compensated to write a review.”
Breathless Kindle Edition by Celeste Bradley (Author), Susan Donovan This is my first book by Celeste Bradley and/or Susan Donovan and I am so grateful to #NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to preview this book. I wasn’t sure about reading two stories at one time (1827 and the present) I could not stop turning pages …I had to find out.. The Swan..The Siren.. Le Artiste their story filled my heart and broke it too.. Brenna and Fitch… So perfect for each other… If they can only see it. I laughed out loud and cried till I couldn’t read the words on my Kindle. I lost myself in both stories and didn’t want to leave… I did get to my HEA.. And highly recommend this book.
Breathless by Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan is a work of art. Team Bradley/Donovan has delivered a well-written book that intertwines two separate stories from two different time periods into one amazing book. Fitch and Brenna are both investigating and looking for more paintings from The Siren Series. Their story is loaded with drama, humor and spice. It took me a couple chapters but once I got into this awesome book, I couldn’t put it down. I look forward to reading more from Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan in the future. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.