Breaking Away

Assassins, Book 5

By: Toni Aleo

Narrated by: Lucy Malone

To Nashville Assassins leading scoring center Phillip Anderson, playing hockey has always been easy - as natural as breathing. His life is no different. That's until his world is turned upside down by the death of his sister. While mourning his loss, Phillip has to find a way to make his very angry 16-year-old niece, Claire, happy. Now, as her guardian, he discovers the only thing that seems to heal her lonely heart is dance class. For Reese Allen, dancing has always been part of her soul. After having her heart broken in New York, she comes home with the determination to make her dance studio one of the best in Tennessee and succeeds. When she sees Claire dance for the first time, she knows that the girl is bound for greatness and takes the troubled teen under her wing. Using dance as therapy, she suddenly finds herself bound to the young woman... and her hot-as-sin uncle. From the moment Phillip and Reese meet, the attraction is undeniable. Soon, they are more than willing to spend just one night tangled in the sheets. One night turns into two, and two turns into three, until they find themselves in a repeated dance of "One Last Time" that has the potential to be something more... if only Reese and Claire allow it. Can Phillip find a way to thaw the hearts of both the women in his life, or will he be forever trying to break them away from their pasts?

Contains mature themes.

©2014 Toni Aleo (P)2014 Tantor

Frustrating, Reese needs to grow up!!!

I LOVE how Phillip is, how great he is with both girls and how much he cares. Reese was the one that frustrated me. I understand heartbreak and how it can effect all relationships following it but she was SO childish. If you are in love and happy take the leap, if they truly love you back they will catch you and make everything truly matter in life. I hate how wishywashy she was and cold about her getting hurt not caring if she broke Phillip's heart. It was all about her, like she was the only one whose feeling matter. Phillip and Claire deserve more than a selfish baby.

Loved it!

This was the first book written by Toni that I have read/listened to and I LOVED it!!! I’m so happy that most of the series is on audible escape so I can listen to them all.❤️

Loved Philip and the way he cared so much for Claire. Loved the relationship Claire & Reese built. Totally Swoon by the way Philip and Claire fell in love.

Love this series

and I love this addition to it. We get Philip's story who honestly is a bit of a jerk when we're introduced to him but you just can't help but love him after this one and we're introduced to Claire who if you've read the Bellevue Bullies series you get her full story in Boarded by Love. This is everything you come to expect from Aleo it's fun and a little sad and sassy with Alpha hockey players and their antics Narration is ok, there was some annoyance for me with the overemphasis on some words repeatedly but overall it was a good listen.

Good!

Good book! I am so glad Reese and Phillip got their happy everafter. Claire got a safe home.

The power of dance and a mentor.

Phillip has recently found himself the sole guardian of his very unhappy and resentful niece, Claire. While he has always loved her, Claire doesn't see it that way. Moving her to live with him in Nashville, he desperately tries to get her the help she needs and form a bond with her. In an effort to make Claire feel like she has a true home (as opposed to constantly traveling with him), Phillip arranges for her to stay with Harper and her family when Phillip is out of town. It is here that Reese, Harper's younger sister, first sees Claire dancing. Recognizing raw talent, she offers Claire the opportunity to dance for her studio. To Phillip's astonishment, this helps more than anything else he's done for Claire, including counseling (which she hated and where she lied to her therapist continually).

Reese as burned by a man while she was living in New York and has vowed to never get that close to a man again. She has a policy that she only ever sleeps with a man once, he always comes to her place, and he never sleeps over. When Phillip comes into her life, she finds herself feeling things that terrify her and forming a bond she doesn't want. Regardless of what happens between her and Phillip though, she refuses to let their relationship impact her relationship with Claire.

Over the course of the book, Claire warms up to Phillip with the help of Reese and dance. The three do find their HEA by the end of the book and there is no cliffhanger. This book can be read as a stand-alone if desired, but I would highly recommend reading the rest of the Assassins series.