Review: Breathless

Breathless by Beverly Jenkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kenton Randolph, was that spoiled arrogant child known as the “cat house king”, he had a conflicting relationship with his father and had spent time in prison for sleeping with a married woman. Portia is smart, educated, grounded, independent, and stable. However, when Kent shows up in Arizona, he is a different man. Handsome, kind, and a dazzling cowboy, Portia has a hard time resisting him. Dealing with her unstable past with her mother, Portia is not keen to subject herself to any man due to her fear and lack of trust. Kent cannot take his eyes off Portia; he is overwhelmed and finds she has grown up to be a beautiful woman. Duchess is the name he used to call her when they were back in Nevada. At first, Portia hated the name, but now when he calls her Duchess, it brings on a warmth that she cannot control. Kent now wants to settle down in Arizona and his goal and challenge are to win Portia’s trust and heart.

Although Kent fell in the category of the men that her mother entertained, I believe Portia saw him in a different light because she knew him and had developed a trust for him; realizing people can change despite who they were. I think there was an innocent and natural development of love between Portia and Kent. However, Kent was very sexually experienced, and his seductions were a bit fast, so I was surprised that Portia did not run the other way, but because of her surprising desire for Kent, she complied.

I am going to stop for a minute with the mention of Geronimo. Geronimo was a Native American Apache leader who continued the tradition of the Apaches resisting white colonization of their homeland in the Southwest, participating in raids into Sonora and Chihuahua in Mexico. He was best known for his fearlessness in resisting anyone–Mexican or American—who attempted to remove his people from their tribal lands. Sounds like he was fighting for freedom and rights. Yet, people feared Geronimo and characterized him as a criminal. I believe Jenkins was showing how a race of people can be stereotyped and targeted, based on the white perception.

Quotes I loved:
“He no longer wanted to pursue women other men had ridden hard and put up wet.” I never heard it put that way, but it was funny as hell.
The meaning of love, explained my Kent, taken from 1 Corinthians 13:8, “love is kind, it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never ends.”

I truly enjoyed this book and highly recommend. This is book #2 of the Old West Series. The narrator was excellent. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

My choice of casting:

 

• Taylor Rooks as Portia Carmichael 
• Cam Newton as Kent Randolph

View all my reviews