Just Breathe [Mass Market Paperback]

Dee Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 3, 2001

Former CIA agent Matthew Broussard came to Vienna to catch a killer. But when his only lead is shot dead, he is left without answers and with an injured witness in his arms. The enticing young woman may be his last chance to resolve the tragedy that still haunts his past. He cannot let her out of his sight, even if it means getting close to someone again.

For aspiring travel writer Chloe Nichols, escorting a tour group of wealthy old ladies through Europe was supposed to be anything but thrilling. Then she is rescued from an assassin’s bullet by a stranger on the train–a perfectly handsome, charming stranger who saves her life with a kiss and asks her to pose as his fiancée. Chloe believes Matthew is trying to protect her, until the seductive charade becomes part of a lethal international conspiracy in which no one is what they seem–including her captivating hero. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A naive travel writer, a handsome ex-CIA agent and a group of frisky little old ladies are the key characters in Davis's rambling new contemporary romantic thriller (following After Twilight). In an attempt to gather material for a travel article she intends to write, Chloe Nichols has joined a group of seniors for a prestigious European tour. Her plans are disrupted, however, when a murder at a train station in Vienna sends her tumbling into the arms of Matthew Broussard. Matt has traveled to Vienna to meet with a sleazy reporter claiming to have information about Matt's former girlfriend, who was killed 15 years before when she supposedly uncovered dangerous KGB secrets. Now that the reporter is dead, Matt believes that Chloe, who witnessed the reporter's death, will be next on the hit man's list. To keep her out of harm's way, he suggests that she pose as his fiance, which sets the pair up for a romance that seems forced but will satisfy readers hungering for lusty love scenes tinged with humor. The feisty senior ladies deliver all the surprises and enliven the pace of this slumbering narrative with their sharp one-liners. Davis appears to be aiming for a Mission Impossible-meets-Ally McBeal read, and the end result is a confusing mix that misses the mark.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Excellent romantic intrigue...The frantic pace of Just Breathe will leave readers on the verge of asphyxiation, but comic relief from the traveling tour group eases the tension just enough so the reader can gulp some air. The lead characters are an intriguing duo while the support cast adds villainy, scenery, or humor. With this strong romantic suspense and Vienna, readers will want to waltz to the nearest bookstore to find other tales from Dee Davis."
--Midwest Book Review

"Dee Davis' marvelous voice combines irreverence, romance, and amusement to create a memorable read. Indeed, Davis strings words together with the grace worthy of a poet, displaying her remarkable mastery of language with every page. Further, plot twists and teasers keep the reader not only wondering at character's motives, but also involved with the humorous subplot--the bit with the cow and naked man kept me in stitches! The eccentric and realistic main characters keep the reader amused even as the danger builds. Equally remarkable are the wonderful secondary characters, each carefully crafted. Most memorable are the `muses' who can be my traveling companions anytime, except Irma needs to leave her gun at home. Very highly recommended."
--Word Weaving

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ivy Books (July 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804119678
• ISBN-13: 978-0804119672
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,540,224 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dee Davis has a BA in Political Science and History, and a Masters Degree in Public Administration. During a ten-year career in public relations, she spent three years on the public speaking circuit, edited two newsletters, wrote three award winning public service announcements, did television and radio commercials, starred in the Seven Year Itch, taught college classes, lobbied both the Texas State Legislature and the US Congress, and served as the director of two associations.

Her highly acclaimed first novel, Everything In Its Time, was published in July 2000. Since then, among others, she's won the Booksellers Best, Golden Leaf, Texas Gold and Prism awards, and been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award, the Holt and two RT Reviewers Choice Awards. To date, she has sold eighteen books and three novellas, including Set-Up in Soho, A Match Made on Madison, and Dark Deceptions.

She's lived in Austria and traveled in Europe extensively. And although she now lives in Manhattan she still calls Texas home.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic!, July 31, 2001

By 

Mandi L. Ballard (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Just Breathe (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved this book! I have Dee's other 2 books, but this is the one I have enjoyed the most (though I also liked the others). It is exciting, fast-paced with all kinds of plot twists that left me guessing until the end. I really enjoyed the setting of Vienna. It's such an unusal choice, but it doesn't overwhelm the story. The heroine, Chloe, is spunky and charming, with just enough faults to make her believable and real. Who wouldn't love a messy, accident-prone heroine who ends up in the lap of a dead man?!! The hero, Matthew, is wonderful as well. He is sensitive, but not wimpy. Strong, but not overbearing. Down to earth, but still glamorous (and very sexy). I reccomend this book to anyone who loves a romantic, suspensful, quirky romance novel. It is fresh and fun!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breath taking -- Very highly recommended, July 4, 2001

By 

C. Penn "WordWeaving" (Greenville, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Just Breathe (Mass Market Paperback)

Fifteen years ago a beautiful young reporter died mysteriously when she went to the Volksgarten in Vienna, Austria to meet a source. If her source told the truth, then she could have been on the path to a very promising career. Instead, in the moment she lay dying, she recognized the executioner as a friend.

In the present day, Chloe Nichols seems to draw trouble. Part of a very exclusive tour, Chloe is hoping the magazine she works for will buy her story and reimburse her expenses. She intends to write about how the jet set travels, but the tour hasn't gone as planned. First it was the cow and then it was an altercation in the hotel room. But her most remarkable disaster occurs when she trips over a dead body as she disembarks a train. Fortunately, a handsome, incredibly sexy stranger immediately comes to Chole's aid, and helps her to avoid the police's uncomfortable questions.

Matthew can't resist the marvelous woman who combines innocence with a backbone. His startling kiss, begun to make the police not notice them, turns into an encounter that defies all reason and logic. What began as a measure to be certain there would be no repercussions for what Chloe had or hadn't seen, became something entirely more. He hadn't been able to save Lisa fifteen years ago. This time he won't let anything happen to Chloe.

Sabra Hitchcock shot Charles Messer as he disembarked the train, cursing the klutzy woman who managed to get rescued by the man she wants, has always wanted. Matthew is both her nemesis and her obsession. An ex CIA agent turned mercenary, Sabra's a dangerous woman to cross. And whether she knows it or not, Chloe's interest in Matthew places her directly in the line of fire.

Dee Davis' marvelous voice combines irreverence, romance, and amusement to create a memorable read. Indeed, Davis strings words together with the grace worthy of a poet, displaying her remarkable mastery of language with every page. Further, plot twists and teasers keep the reader not only wondering at character's motives, but also involved with the humorous subplot -- the bit with the cow and naked man kept me in stitches! The eccentric and realistic main characters keep the reader amused even as the danger builds. Equally remarkable are the wonderful secondary characters, each carefully crafted. Most memorable are the "muses" who can be my travelling companions anytime, except Irma needs to leave her gun at home. Very highly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I inhaled this one!, March 11, 2002

By 

Kristi Ahlers (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Just Breathe (Mass Market Paperback)

This was a great book. Ex-CIA agent Matthew Broussard is at the right place at the right time for ditzy Chloe Nichols. In an Austrian train station a sniper kills a man in front of Chloe and she is knocked over and falls right on top of the dead man. Matt is there and wisks her away to safety or so he thinks.

Chloe is a travel writer experiencing a European Tour with a group of retired ladies and one befuddled tour guide. Already having experienced several well, "incidents" not much could happen that would surprise her until the dead man in the train station and unbelievable hunk that kisses her senseless in order to make her blend in with the crowd. Chloe's trip ends up dumping her into the middle of an international problem with CIA and Russians, and several unsolved murders which are tied to Matthew and his past. With the help of her elderly travel companions, and her strong and yummy "fiancee" (Matthew you really need to read the book) murders are solved and friendships are cemented. You won't guess who the bad guy is until the very end.

You really need to read the book. You will laugh and fall in love. Just like love should be.