Breath of Scandal [Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unabridged] [MP3 CD]

Sandra Brown (Author), Dick Hill (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 20, 2007

On a rainy Southern night, Jade Sperry endured a young woman’s worst nightmare at the hands of three local hell-raisers. Robbed of her youthful ideals and at the center of scandal and tragedy, Jade ran as far and as fast as she could. But she never forgot the sleepy “company town” where every man, woman, and child was dependent on one wealthy family. And she never forgot their spoiled son, who with his two friends changed her life forever. Someday, somehow, she’d return…exacting a just revenge, freeing herself from her enemies’ grasp, and, perhaps, fulfilling a lost promise of love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Jade Sperry's entire professonal life is dedicated to one purpose: revenge. As a pretty and intelligent high school senior she is raped by three classmates, an attack instigated by Neal Patchett, the son of the most powerful man in Palmetto, S.C. No one, not even her own mother, believes Jade's tale, and her boyfriend, led to think she cheated on him, commits suicide. Jade vows to destroy all three boys, especially Neal. She has become pregnant from the attack, but she wins a full scholarship to college and takes her baby son with her. Even after she achieves professional success, her violent past will not allow her to enjoy healthy relationships with men--until she meets Dillon Burke, whom she hires to build the construction project in Palmetto that will spell financial ruin to Neal Patchett and his father. A heroine with a one-track mind can be tedious, but Brown's ( Mirror Image ) portrayal of Dillon as a well-rounded character in his own right adds depth to a fast-paced drama. Doubleday Book Club selection.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"Solar heat mixed with bursting levels of tension and suspense".

-- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• MP3 CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on MP3-CD Lib Ed; Library edition (March 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423324773
• ISBN-13: 978-1423324775
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,643,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sandra Brown is the author of sixty New York Times bestsellers, including RAINWATER (2010), TOUGH CUSTOMER (2010), SMASH CUT (2009), SMOKE SCREEN (2008), PLAY DIRTY (2007), RICOCHET (2006), CHILL FACTOR (2005), WHITE HOT (2004), HELLO, DARKNESS (2003), THE CRUSH (2002), ENVY (2001), THE SWITCH (2000), THE ALIBI (1999), UNSPEAKABLE (1998) and FAT TUESDAY (1997), all of which have jumped onto the Times bestseller list in the number one to five spot.

Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into thirty-three languages.

A lifelong Texan, Sandra Brown was born in Waco, grew up in Fort Worth and attended Texas Christian University, majoring in English. Before embarking on her writing career, she worked as a model at the Dallas Apparel Mart, and in television, including weathercasting for WFAA-TV in Dallas, and feature reporting on the nationally syndicated program "PM Magazine."

She is much in demand as a speaker and guest television hostess. Her episode on truTV's "Murder by the Book" premiered the series in 2008 and she was one of the launch authors for Investigation Discovery's new series, "Hardcover Mysteries."

In 2009 Brown detoured from her thrillers to write Rainwater, a much acclaimed, powerfully moving story about honor and sacrifice during the Great Depression.

Brown recently was given an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University. She was named Thriller Master for 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer's Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Breath of Scadal, February 3, 2008

By 

Kelly "Reviewer for The Sinfully Sensuous" (Littleton, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Breath of Scandal (Paperback)

Jade Sperry is a happy high school senior with her whole life ahead of her. She thinks she is blessed and has more than anyone could hope for. She is pretty, popular, smart, and has a boyfriend that truly loves her. In one moment Jade's life takes a drastic turn when she is brutally raped and left for dead by three of her peers. This event shapes all her decisions and how she lives her life. Jade decides that she will extract her revenge on those that harmed her.

This is a really well written story. The one thing that was hard to deal with was that just when you thought Jade's life couldn't get any worse, it does. It is very intense and emotionally draining.

34 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scandalous Look Into Smalltown America...Heartbreaking, October 2, 2002

By 

Tracy Talley "Book Addict" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Breath of Scandal (Paperback)

A very serious and scary look into Smalltown, America in the late 70's and 80's where one family can make or break anyone, including the law. Where the rules are ignored and ignorance reigns.
This was a serious yet uplifting story about a young woman who was brought down by this family and faced a woman's most horrifying nightmare and lived to tell about it. Her struggle through years of nightmares and torment and no justice. A place where no one can help her...everyone suspects the worst yet turns a blind eye.
This is the story of Jade Sperry, a 18 year old girl in a tiny town in South Carolina who has big dreams of going to college and becoming someone when a horrible twist of fate throws her into a pit of regret and fear. She can't talk to anyone, no one believes her. No one WANTS to help her.
Practically run off, Jade makes a life for herself and becomes a stronger woman in spite of her past. Years later, with vengeance on her mind and revenge burning in her gut, she returns to South Carolina where everyone remembers a 18 year old woman who left in scandal. This time she proves she is no niave girl with stars in her eyes, she proves a worthy enemy to the powerful family who ruined her life.
Jade will not give up until her past is avenged...even if it means risking a new love blossoming for her.

A powerful tale about greed, violence and true love. I was awed by it and recommend this story to anyone who wants to read about someone being thrown down and then picking themselves back up and moving forward, even though the odds are against them. Very inspiring Ms. Brown, I loved it. Strong characters and strong plot make a winner here...

Tracy Talley~@

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and gut-wrenching, February 27, 2006

By 

Michelle888 (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Breath of Scandal (Paperback)

One spring night in the small town of Palmetto, South Carolina, a young girl's dream would be shattered forever. Raped and beaten by the three town hell-raisers, Jade Sperry's life would be irrevocably changed. Had she been weak, she would have stayed in the mud that her attacker left her at. But more compelling than her will to survive was the need to see her attackers punished for their crimes. But when her plea for justice was ignored, Jade vowed to one day return to the town that betrayed her, and find the peace she will never again know until her attackers suffered as much as she did that night.

Fourteen years on and Jade is a very successful woman. Knowing that the only way to hit back at the Patchetts - the powerful family who made everyone turn a blind eye against her attack - is by crippling their business, she builds a construction project in Palmetto. And as she comes close to the justice that was denied her once, it seems that fate is not only granting her that one wish, but also giving her another chance at love in the form of Dillon Burke, the man she hired to complete the project.

BREATH OF SCANDAL is an intriguing and heartwrenching tale about a young girl's shattered dreams and her fight for survival. The author has carefully spun a tale that is guaranteed to hook you from the start. The story flows well and I felt all sorts of emotions - anguish, disbelief, sadness and pride. Yes, pride for Jade and for how she picked herself up after what she went through. And I was so glad for her to meet someone like Dillon, a man who also suffered the cruelty of fate, a man seeking for a new start. I loved how he patiently helped Jade overcome her fear of men and intimacy and help her rediscover love.

With its strong characters and compelling plot, BREATH OF SCANDAL is a tear-jerking novel that you won't be able to put down.