BREAKAWAY – Deirdre Martin
New York Blades Series, Book 11
Berkley Sensation
ISBN: 978-0-425-24368-8
February 2012
Contemporary Romance

Ballycraig, Ireland – Present Day

Erin O'Brien and Rory Brady grew up together, but when he was signed by the New York Blades pro ice hockey team and went away to America, his visits became fewer and fewer. Erin and many of her fellow townsfolk are still annoyed at how Rory let fame and money keep him away from Ireland . The once golden boy of Ballycraig is now an outcast. Erin may have loved and lost Rory, but she's started to make the moves to become independent from her family by finishing up her art degree and beginning a search for her replacement at her family's bed and breakfast. In her spare time she hangs out with her best friend Sandra. Erin briefly dated Rory's best friend, Jake, but dropped him when she realized the spark between them wasn't there. Not like it had been with Rory.

Rory knows he was stupid in letting Erin slip between his fingers, but he hopes he has a chance with her again and returns to Ballycraig. He'll crawl on his knees to give her heaven and earth, and certainly with the money he's earned from the Blades he can afford to provide a comfortable future for them. Rory soon discovers time apart has matured Erin and hardened her heart against him, and he's going to have an uphill battle to complete the nearly impossible. First he has to convince her family and friends in Ballycraig that while he knows he was wrong, he's a better man now and ready to claim his birthright and the woman he loves. Slowly and surely, even as he wins over people, Erin continues to resist him. Can he ever hope to have a future with her?

With BREAKAWAY, readers are once again brought back to Ireland where the O'Brien clan resides and Erin has started her plans for a future—which doesn't include Rory Brady. Young and in love, they'd once had their life mapped out and thought that his going to America to claim fame and fortune was part of it. Alas, Rory's visits and calls soon became further and further apart. Erin became bitter towards him, as did others in Ballycraig. His return isn't what Rory expected, and he feels almost like a stranger. Money and affluence isn't going to win Erin or his friends back, so he digs in and just looks for the right opportunity. First up is battling Jake, who thinks he has the right to claim Erin . Rory also helps out at the local football camp and becomes friends with Sandra's son LJ. Then there is Erin . Getting close to her is going to be a tough battle, but if Rory can win at the game of hockey, then surely he can win at least a friendship with her.

Erin 's mother depends on her way too much. In fact, Erin is basically unpaid help doing most of the chores and errands at the bed and breakfast. When Erin broaches the subject of hiring someone, her mother freaks out and accuses Erin of abandoning her family. When Rory shows back up in town, seemingly there to take up where they left off, she makes it clear to him she's moved on. Yet he always seems to be around, ready to help her out. Can she resist the attraction that still holds between them? Can she stop being at her mother's beck and call all the time and start finalizing her plans?

Readers will cheer as Rory works on his chance at redemption in Deirdre Martin's BREAKAWAY. Erin is the woman he's always loved and never forgotten, but despite letting her slip away, he's going to win her back, no matter what it takes. While BREAKAWAY is part of the Blades series, it is more connected to the Wild Hart series, including STRAIGHT UP, which featured Erin's cousin Liam O'Brien, who now resides in Ballycraig and is married to Aislinn. BREAKAWAY is about a summer of rekindled love and friendships and one of new beginnings, not only for Erin and Rory, but for their friends Sandra and Jake. BREAKAWAY is a sassy treat filled with intriguing, lighthearted characters and tons of sexy fun. Don't pass this one up!

Patti Fischer