With Every Breath: A Slow Burn Novel

Maya Banks

Aug 2016 · Slow Burn Novels Book 4 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

#1 USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Maya Banks continues her suspenseful and sizzling Slow Burn series with this fourth book—a mesmerizingly sexy tale of a strong, brilliant woman who encounters the one man who makes her lose all control.

Eliza Cummings fought free of a monster who terrorized her when she was an innocent teenager and helped put him away for good. She took a job with Devereaux Security Services and devoted every hour to taking down the very thing she’d nearly become. No one, not even those closest to her, know her darkest, shameful secrets. But now the killer has been set free on a legal loophole and it’s only a matter of time before he comes for her. Eliza's only choice is to run and lead the monster away from the people she loves.

Wade Sterling has always lived by his own rules, a law unto himself who answers to no one. He’s never professed to be a good man, and he’s definitely not hero material. Wade never allows anyone close enough to see the man behind the impenetrable mask—but one woman threatens his carefully leashed control. He took a bullet for her and the result was more than a piece of metal entrenched in his skin. She was under his skin and nothing he did rid himself of the woman with the courage of a warrior and who thinks nothing of putting her life before others.

But when Wade sees a panicked and haunted Eliza he knows something is very wrong, because the fool woman has never been afraid of anything. And when she tries to run, the primal beast barely lurking beneath his deceptively polished façade erupts in a rage. She may not know it, but she belongs to him. This time, Eliza isn't going to play the protector. She was damn well going to be the protected. And as long as Wade breathes, no one will ever hurt what is his.

Ratings and reviews

Intense. Captivating. So emotional. I could go on for an hour about this book. Maya Banks writes suspense that sticks with you. Once you start reading, you better not have plans because you won't be able to stop. Eliza put away a murderer ten years ago and now he's getting out on a technicality. Kind of. He has the power to change people's thoughts. (I loved the psychic twist to the suspense.) Eliza believed she could live in peace without worry of him coming after her, but the phone call changes everything. She knows she needs to get away from all that she loves or he'll hurt them. She works for DSS (a security company who rescues people), so why she didn't tell them what was going on was a little mystifying. But I think in the same situation, I'd be thinking similarly, that I need to protect instead of involve them with a cold-blooded murderer. Unfortunately (for her), Wade Sterling just isn't going to let her walk away from her life (or him). He's the penultimate alpha-male. No one tells him what to do, he lives by his own rules (which may or may not coincide with the law), and he never lets go of what's his. He and Eliza have this tension that borders on hatred (it seems). It's fun to see them banter. He's arrogant enough to be annoying, but once you start seeing how he feels about Eliza, you start melting, just like his icy exterior. He might keep the air of arrogance in public, but with her, taking care of her, he's just the sweetest, swoon-worthy man. He really puts his heart on his sleeve. I couldn't get enough. I think there were some times where I was asking, "why would this person make this choice," but with a little thinking, I do think they were all decisions that real people would have reacted to in the same way. I've read one other book in this series. You can read them as stand-alone novels, but reading them in order would help make the story complete. This one mentions a lot of the previous missions and horrors the girls went through, but while it might have been nice to know the missing parts of the story, I still found this very enjoyable. I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Maya Banks is an author that I have been reading since her Pregnancy and Passion series was originally published in 2013. Her Harlequin stories are treasures that I repeatedly return to and are a major part of my favorites collection. I had no idea about her double life as a suspense writer, so it took me a while to wrap my head around the bone chilling terror of With Ever Breath. Only a twisted mind could torture an innocent in the way Eliza endured. Her experience has made her stronger and determined to protect others from her haunting history. Emotionally scarred, yet her inner strength was to think of others. An exceptional character. Wade and Eliza are united by darkness but the courage to rise above all of that is the true message. Addictive, heartbreaking and glorious story of the courage of two wounded souls searching for redemption. Had to finish, hard to forget.

Loved it can't wait for the next one. Boy didn't wade say the f word alot!!!!!

About the author

Maya Banks is a #1 USA Today and New York Times bestselling author whose chart toppers have included erotic romance, romantic suspense, contemporary romance, and Scottish historical romances. She is the author of the Breathless Trilogy, the KGI series, the Sweet series, and the Colters' Legacy novels.