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Breathless Surrender
They called her the Ice Princess. Drawn to her like a magnet, men gazed into her violet eyes and longed to shatter the beautiful porcelain mask she wore. But Heather felt nothing.
Once it had been different — before her mysterious disappearance from L.A., before the accident. She remembered another Heather — a girl with a fiery temper, ready laughter, an open, trusting heart. But all that was gone. And she knew it was hopeless... until, without warning, she found herself thrust into the arms of a compelling stranger whose demanding kisses burned her, whose jet black eyes challenged her, dared her to remember... to open the door to love she had locked so long ago.
Once it had been different — before her mysterious disappearance from L.A., before the accident. She remembered another Heather — a girl with a fiery temper, ready laughter, an open, trusting heart. But all that was gone. And she knew it was hopeless... until, without warning, she found herself thrust into the arms of a compelling stranger whose demanding kisses burned her, whose jet black eyes challenged her, dared her to remember... to open the door to love she had locked so long ago.
191 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1982
1 person is currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
Kay Hooper
97 books2,447 followersKay Hooper (aka Kay Robbins) was born in California, in an air force base hospital since her father was stationed there at the time. The family moved back to North Carolina shortly afterward, so she was raised and went to school there.
The oldest of three children, Kay has a brother two years younger and a sister seven years younger. Her father and brother are builders who own a highly respected construction company, and her mother worked for many years in personnel management before becoming Kay's personal assistant, a position she held until her untimely death in March 2002. Kay's sister Linda works as her Business Manager, Events Coordinator, and is playing a major role in the creation and operation of The Kay Hooper Foundation.
Kay graduated from East Rutherford High School and attended Isothermal Community College — where she quickly discovered that business classes did not in any way enthrall her. Switching to more involving courses such as history and literature, she also began to concentrate on writing, which had been a longtime interest. Very quickly hooked, she asked for a Christmas typewriter and began seriously working on her first novel. That book, a Regency romance titled Lady Thief, sold to Dell Publishing in 1980. She has since published more than 60 novels and four novellas.
Kay is single and lives in a very small town in North Carolina, not far from her father and siblings. Deigning to live with her are a flock of cats — Bonnie, Ginger, Oscar, Tuffy, Felix, Renny, and Isabel — of various personalities who all like sleeping on manuscripts and whatever research happens to be spread across Kay's desk. And living amongst the many felines are two cheerfully tolerant dogs, a shelter rescue, Bandit, who looks rather like a small sheepdog, and a Sheltie named Lizzie.
The oldest of three children, Kay has a brother two years younger and a sister seven years younger. Her father and brother are builders who own a highly respected construction company, and her mother worked for many years in personnel management before becoming Kay's personal assistant, a position she held until her untimely death in March 2002. Kay's sister Linda works as her Business Manager, Events Coordinator, and is playing a major role in the creation and operation of The Kay Hooper Foundation.
Kay graduated from East Rutherford High School and attended Isothermal Community College — where she quickly discovered that business classes did not in any way enthrall her. Switching to more involving courses such as history and literature, she also began to concentrate on writing, which had been a longtime interest. Very quickly hooked, she asked for a Christmas typewriter and began seriously working on her first novel. That book, a Regency romance titled Lady Thief, sold to Dell Publishing in 1980. She has since published more than 60 novels and four novellas.
Kay is single and lives in a very small town in North Carolina, not far from her father and siblings. Deigning to live with her are a flock of cats — Bonnie, Ginger, Oscar, Tuffy, Felix, Renny, and Isabel — of various personalities who all like sleeping on manuscripts and whatever research happens to be spread across Kay's desk. And living amongst the many felines are two cheerfully tolerant dogs, a shelter rescue, Bandit, who looks rather like a small sheepdog, and a Sheltie named Lizzie.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 4, 2023
It should be more angsty but because H was besotted(hadn’t cheated her and looked for her while they were separated) it was not.
June 5, 2018
"Breathless Surrender" is the story of Heather and Adam.
Dubbed as the "Ice Princess", Heather lives her life in a shell, untouched by emotions, just drifting along- ever since she lost her memory 6 months ago.
However, when a painting exhibition shows her own face and a stranger enters her life- a spark ignites. Who is Adam, and why do his kisses and his unrelenting obsession with her matter so much?
An amazingly well written amnesia-trope-romance with loads of drama, mysteries, angst and oh so much love. I laughed, cried, and felt giddy with this crazy hero and lost heroine.
Won't give away more because this was a good (albeit a little predictable) read!
Safe
4/5
Dubbed as the "Ice Princess", Heather lives her life in a shell, untouched by emotions, just drifting along- ever since she lost her memory 6 months ago.
However, when a painting exhibition shows her own face and a stranger enters her life- a spark ignites. Who is Adam, and why do his kisses and his unrelenting obsession with her matter so much?
An amazingly well written amnesia-trope-romance with loads of drama, mysteries, angst and oh so much love. I laughed, cried, and felt giddy with this crazy hero and lost heroine.
Won't give away more because this was a good (albeit a little predictable) read!
Safe
4/5
August 11, 2019
It wasn't terrible, but I don't think this one is a keeper. The guy had WAY too much dub con for my tastes. The end did OVER explain everything, but still, the H's actions are very skeezy if, like the h, you haven't a clue why he's all up in her business to begin. I think that she needed to call HR on this guy, and put on the breaks. OR, he could have provided at least a slightly less, I want you in my bed, explanation in the beginning. Anything, to at least make him less stalkerrific...
July 31, 2024
“It all happened too fast. I loved you, but I was frightened by the way you made me feel. I was trying to test the water with one toe, and you pulled me in before I could even get my bathing suit on!”
Heather and her besotted boss, who happens to be her forgotten husband.
Heather and her besotted boss, who happens to be her forgotten husband.
November 13, 2024
Though it had some flaws, I'm giving it four stars because it held my interest and kept the mysteries hidden, leaving you to try and piece it together yourself, then see how much you got right or wrong.
It would have been better if, when the h regained her memory, we were shown flashbacks of her meeting with the H, their whirlwind romance and marriage, the trouble with the h's father, and the events that brought about her amnesia. It would have been more effective than just to have her recite them in her mind. It also would have been better for the H to have taken a different approach when he finds the h again. It was understandable that he was hurt, angry and frustrated, but he also knew that most of the blame was on his father, with the only being guilty of insecurities that her father-in-law added to for his own selfish reasons. So, the H shouldn't have come on so strong, giving the impression that all he wanted was to get the h in bed, and then made a game of it (let's see how long you can hold out when I can tell much you want me, etc.), and then, when he tried to be sincere, it's no wonder she didn't believe him. m Not remembering their past, she didn't know what to make of this man, who she found herself drawn to, who seemed to be able to find the cracks in the "ice maiden's" shell.
Wouldn't it have been better for him to have just shown an interest in her, asked her on dates, told her he wanted to bet to know her, etc., before he declared he wanted her in his bed? It would have made more sense, since, despite her attraction to him, his coming on so strong was making her wary and distrustful, and more determined to resist his charms.
But why take the sensible route when the other one's more entertaining, I guess.
I found myself almost as interested in the secondary story as with that of the MC. The h's roommate had fallen for an older man with a playboy reputation, and didn't believe him when he said he loved her and wanted to marry her. The h helped bring them back together (and getting the H jealous in the process), and I wish the author had saved those two for a separate book, instead.
There's also some irony in the story. The roommate's widowed father was against her getting involved with the man, not only because of his reputation, but because he was 15 years older than her. Meanwhile, he had been the h's doctor for a time (he helped with her rehab after her car accident) and fell in love with her, hoping he'd get her to feel the same, despite his being old enough to be her father (48 to her 25)! So how come he considered that okay? A bit of a double standard, don't you think?
Her was the (sort of) OM in the story, though nothing happened between them. She had no romantic interest in him at all. Nor did she have any for anyone else, until the H came back into her life. She dated a few men, but it never went further than kisses she couldn't respond to (hence her "ice maiden" nickname), and since she had no memory of the H, (didn't know at the time that there had been any man in her life before) that can't be considered cheating. The H had been trying to find her for three years, and since he knew they were married, there were no other women.
Again, we have a situation where the H is wealthy, yet all his money/connections don't help when it comes to locating the h (which only occurs accidentally). I find that hard to believe.
I wish more time had been spent on both the H's artistic career and the h's interest in art (she had some talent in that area, too). Also, the troubled relationship between father and son should have been gone into more, and the H's determination to have nothing more to do with his father than was absolutely necessary (and who could blame him) has changed by the epilogue, which was very rushed and should have been better. That man caused so much trouble for the H and h, was uncaring, domineering, vindictive, and manipulative, and it's tough to believe he could change so much and do an about-face so easily. There should have been more of a gradual change, to make it seem believable.
All in all, it's worth reading, if you overlook the flaws. (But the artistic name of "Hyde" I could have done without.)
It would have been better if, when the h regained her memory, we were shown flashbacks of her meeting with the H, their whirlwind romance and marriage, the trouble with the h's father, and the events that brought about her amnesia. It would have been more effective than just to have her recite them in her mind. It also would have been better for the H to have taken a different approach when he finds the h again. It was understandable that he was hurt, angry and frustrated, but he also knew that most of the blame was on his father, with the only being guilty of insecurities that her father-in-law added to for his own selfish reasons. So, the H shouldn't have come on so strong, giving the impression that all he wanted was to get the h in bed, and then made a game of it (let's see how long you can hold out when I can tell much you want me, etc.), and then, when he tried to be sincere, it's no wonder she didn't believe him. m Not remembering their past, she didn't know what to make of this man, who she found herself drawn to, who seemed to be able to find the cracks in the "ice maiden's" shell.
Wouldn't it have been better for him to have just shown an interest in her, asked her on dates, told her he wanted to bet to know her, etc., before he declared he wanted her in his bed? It would have made more sense, since, despite her attraction to him, his coming on so strong was making her wary and distrustful, and more determined to resist his charms.
But why take the sensible route when the other one's more entertaining, I guess.
I found myself almost as interested in the secondary story as with that of the MC. The h's roommate had fallen for an older man with a playboy reputation, and didn't believe him when he said he loved her and wanted to marry her. The h helped bring them back together (and getting the H jealous in the process), and I wish the author had saved those two for a separate book, instead.
There's also some irony in the story. The roommate's widowed father was against her getting involved with the man, not only because of his reputation, but because he was 15 years older than her. Meanwhile, he had been the h's doctor for a time (he helped with her rehab after her car accident) and fell in love with her, hoping he'd get her to feel the same, despite his being old enough to be her father (48 to her 25)! So how come he considered that okay? A bit of a double standard, don't you think?
Her was the (sort of) OM in the story, though nothing happened between them. She had no romantic interest in him at all. Nor did she have any for anyone else, until the H came back into her life. She dated a few men, but it never went further than kisses she couldn't respond to (hence her "ice maiden" nickname), and since she had no memory of the H, (didn't know at the time that there had been any man in her life before) that can't be considered cheating. The H had been trying to find her for three years, and since he knew they were married, there were no other women.
Again, we have a situation where the H is wealthy, yet all his money/connections don't help when it comes to locating the h (which only occurs accidentally). I find that hard to believe.
I wish more time had been spent on both the H's artistic career and the h's interest in art (she had some talent in that area, too). Also, the troubled relationship between father and son should have been gone into more, and the H's determination to have nothing more to do with his father than was absolutely necessary (and who could blame him) has changed by the epilogue, which was very rushed and should have been better. That man caused so much trouble for the H and h, was uncaring, domineering, vindictive, and manipulative, and it's tough to believe he could change so much and do an about-face so easily. There should have been more of a gradual change, to make it seem believable.
All in all, it's worth reading, if you overlook the flaws. (But the artistic name of "Hyde" I could have done without.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2022
Besotted H. H and h had a 12 years age gap but you never feel it. Angst was delicious with a very HEA.
July 14, 2025
Besotted hero (36) finds his missing wife of 3 years, the heroine (24) who, because of a car accident, has 6 months missing in her memory. Those are the months in which she met and married the hero. He has been looking for her ever since.
This is a sweet story with two nice main characters and lots of sweet side characters and no OW.
This is a sweet story with two nice main characters and lots of sweet side characters and no OW.
September 9, 2020
I do love a good amnesia story but unfortunately this wasn’t the best.
August 13, 2023
De betovering verbroken
October 14, 2015
I was expecting a much better book. The male protagonist is a bully and a persecutor. He'd better go to hell.
May 25, 2018
The h is 24 year old Heather. When the book begins, it’s been 3 years since she had an accident and lost 6 months of her memory. There are two Heathers. The one before the accident and the one after the accident.
Three years (and six months?) ago she quit her job and just disappeared. Then she’s next heard of when she wrapped her car around a tree and lost her memory. The only thing left from those six months is an identification bracelet with her name on it and a Shakespearian quote.
A doctor who’s taken care and supported her after the accident takes her to an exhibition to see a specific painting. Turns out that the painting is of her, by some one named Hyde. She goes in the back of the gallery to fined out about the artist, and runs in to a man. One thing leads to another and he kisses her. The thing is that after the accident she’s not been able to respond/felt interested in any man. But with this one she feels something. The next day it turns out that he’s her new boss Adam Blake, and he immediately stakes his claim.
In that same day he fallows and spies one her when she’s at lunch with a man friend and then confronts her at the office and then stands outside waiting for her to give her a lift home after work. Then he comes over that same night with her bag that she forgot in his car. By this point both the h and me is exhausted! It felt like half the book had gone by (just checked, almost half the book has in fact gone by.)
They agree on a truce.
Then nothing really happens accept a lot of push pull, until, finely, they end up in bed.
The morning after the h is battling her conscience. She discovered that she wasn’t a virgin and since she would only give her virginity to someone she really loved she must have fallen in love during the lost six months and now she has betrayed him. Not only that, now she has discovered that she’s in love with the H. She decides to sneak out on him, since obliviously only wants her for her body. But before she goes she’s drawn to one of the guest rooms. There hangs the painting of her from the gallery. The memories flood back. Adam is the artist Hyde and painted the portrait.
She met Adam three years ago and it was insta love! They married but don’t really communicate. The H father wants the H to start working for the family company instead of being an artist and blames the h for encouraging him to paint. The h has just found out that she’s pregnant when the father in law shows her false divorce papers from the H, and she believes him. She takes the car and has the accident. She loses her baby and overhears someone say she cant have any more. So now she must leave because she cant give her husband any more children.
Fast forward 6 weeks and the h has discovered she can indeed have more children! (It’s never mentioned, I don’t think, why she all of a sudden could have children. Did she hear wrong or did the doctors make a mistake?)
The father in law from hell finds her. But he is sorry for what he has done and wants to make reparations. He say that Adam really loves her and always have. She goes to Adam and he tells her he loves her. Apparently he never said that when they were first married. She in turn say she should have trusted him and realized that he would never dump her like that.
The H found her by accident when he saw the list of employees of his new company and decided to not just barge in and tell her he was her husband. Therefor the painting and so on.
If you like your Heroes possessive you will like this book. I was a bit disappointed tho. I had hoped that the heroin would be this icy cool h for most of the book but she became an ordinary h pretty fast after meeting the H.
If you know this kind of books you know the plot already so there wasn’t any surprises.
Just an OK read. The third star is for the way you can see how besotted the H is and how you get glimpses of how much he wants her to remember.
Three years (and six months?) ago she quit her job and just disappeared. Then she’s next heard of when she wrapped her car around a tree and lost her memory. The only thing left from those six months is an identification bracelet with her name on it and a Shakespearian quote.
A doctor who’s taken care and supported her after the accident takes her to an exhibition to see a specific painting. Turns out that the painting is of her, by some one named Hyde. She goes in the back of the gallery to fined out about the artist, and runs in to a man. One thing leads to another and he kisses her. The thing is that after the accident she’s not been able to respond/felt interested in any man. But with this one she feels something. The next day it turns out that he’s her new boss Adam Blake, and he immediately stakes his claim.
In that same day he fallows and spies one her when she’s at lunch with a man friend and then confronts her at the office and then stands outside waiting for her to give her a lift home after work. Then he comes over that same night with her bag that she forgot in his car. By this point both the h and me is exhausted! It felt like half the book had gone by (just checked, almost half the book has in fact gone by.)
They agree on a truce.
Then nothing really happens accept a lot of push pull, until, finely, they end up in bed.
The morning after the h is battling her conscience. She discovered that she wasn’t a virgin and since she would only give her virginity to someone she really loved she must have fallen in love during the lost six months and now she has betrayed him. Not only that, now she has discovered that she’s in love with the H. She decides to sneak out on him, since obliviously only wants her for her body. But before she goes she’s drawn to one of the guest rooms. There hangs the painting of her from the gallery. The memories flood back. Adam is the artist Hyde and painted the portrait.
She met Adam three years ago and it was insta love! They married but don’t really communicate. The H father wants the H to start working for the family company instead of being an artist and blames the h for encouraging him to paint. The h has just found out that she’s pregnant when the father in law shows her false divorce papers from the H, and she believes him. She takes the car and has the accident. She loses her baby and overhears someone say she cant have any more. So now she must leave because she cant give her husband any more children.
Fast forward 6 weeks and the h has discovered she can indeed have more children! (It’s never mentioned, I don’t think, why she all of a sudden could have children. Did she hear wrong or did the doctors make a mistake?)
The father in law from hell finds her. But he is sorry for what he has done and wants to make reparations. He say that Adam really loves her and always have. She goes to Adam and he tells her he loves her. Apparently he never said that when they were first married. She in turn say she should have trusted him and realized that he would never dump her like that.
The H found her by accident when he saw the list of employees of his new company and decided to not just barge in and tell her he was her husband. Therefor the painting and so on.
If you like your Heroes possessive you will like this book. I was a bit disappointed tho. I had hoped that the heroin would be this icy cool h for most of the book but she became an ordinary h pretty fast after meeting the H.
If you know this kind of books you know the plot already so there wasn’t any surprises.
Just an OK read. The third star is for the way you can see how besotted the H is and how you get glimpses of how much he wants her to remember.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews