Kane and Viv stole my heart! From almost the moment I opened Barely Breathing, Ms. Rothert had my heart pounding in my chest! The moment Viv meets Kane is a powerful one, laced with emotion and fear (not of Kane... nope not telling - read the book so good). Viv feels a deep attraction to Kane and I loved her questioning why, especially given the circumstances to which they meet. As Kane and Viv start to give into their attraction, Kane hesitancy made sense for this man just moving through the motions in life. I adored how Viv opened him up, how being with her awakened him, how Kane felt for what seems like the first time in years. Kane pulling away truly spoke to a man who thinks he isn’t good enough, the moment he lets it all out was so well done and Viv’s response was so touching. Viv’s acceptance slowly turns into some pushing as she truly feels Kane is entitled to so much more from life. This played out so well and keep me engaged in the book. This book is told in alternating POV’s. I loved hearing from both Viv and Kane as they come to this relationship with very different backgrounds. Kane's past though dark, was touching, at times my heart broke for his man who didn’t think he was allowed to be happy, and although this plays into some drama at the end that had me wanting to throw my kindle, it was well played out and true to the story told. This book had by far one of the best epilogues I have ever read with a masterfully change of POV, Ms. Rothert elevated Kane’s character development in way I hadn’t expected, not only did it tear me up, it warmed my soul!

Mathew Kane met Vivian Marceau on a night when a date went terribly wrong, she needed saving and saving her he did. What he never imagined was that she was going to be the one to save him from his past, the demons he'd been carrying around for a good portion of his life, and help him see the goodness that was hiding underneath his tough exterior. Kane is a very different character from those Brenda have written before, he's rough, he's raw, he has no patience for nonsense, but there's also a vulnerability to the man, something pure that no one has yet discovered, until Viv materialized in his life. Viv is an intelligent woman with a successful career, not the kind of woman that Kane thought was interested in him or deserving of a man with a past as dark as his. But Viv, showed him what it was to love, to accept his sins, and most importantly to forgive himself in order to live the life he was always meant to have. The sizzling chemistry between these two characters can be seen from the moment they met in that dark alley. Through it all they seduced not only their minds but their bodies, their sexual encounters fueled by unrestrained passion. I love a good heroine, who's strong and not waiting to be saved by the male character, Viv is definitely that and then some. And although I'm a fan of alpha males in books, I like for them to have soul, to be compassionate, and to treat their women with respect no matter the circumstance, all qualities that Kane displays without losing his dangerous edge. Brenda Rothert wrote a story that will have you enthralled to every page from the very first one. This is a story full of heart, commitment, that show us that no matter what mistakes we made along the way there is always room for improvement, for forgiveness, for salvation.