Review of Fever (Breathless #2) by Maya Banks

Fever is the second book in the Breathless trilogy.

Jace Crestwell owns a series of hotels with his best friends Gabe and Ash. His sister Mia is marrying Gabe, and at their engagement party, he meets a beautiful woman that completely captures his attention.

Ash notices her and also finds her beautiful, so he hunts her down and invites her up to their hotel suite for sex. Jace and Ash usually have threesomes, neither going solo often. The young woman, Bethany, accepts and they have a passionate evening together.

When Jace wakes in the morning, Bethany is gone, leaving only a note to thank them for the wonderful time. He tears through New York City to find her only to discover that Bethany is homeless.

To Bethany, her night with Jace and Ash was a good distraction from her life. A warm bed and good meal along with the wonderful sex. But her life is nothing like theirs and never will be.

Much to her surprise, Jace shows up at a shelter she's spending the night in and whisks her away to his apartment. He tells her he'll take care of her, gives her an apartment, buys her nice clothes, and shows her love in a way she's never experienced. But how can she trust it will last? She can't help clinging to Jace's promises even though she knows it will have to come to an end.

Jace must convince her that his desire for her is true and real so she understands that her place is with him. Forever.

Warning: this book contains a Dominant/submissive relationship that may upset some readers.

Jace's obsession with Bethany that quickly gives way to love was stunning and heartwarming to me. I loved that he didn't care about her past, and that nothing she told him deterred him from his desire to keep her. It broke my heart to read in Bethany's thoughts that a man like Jace could never want a woman like her. I rejoiced when they finally began to understand one another.

Bethany's friend Jack, a man she'd known since childhood, rubbed me the wrong way from the very beginning, as intended, but I also understood why Bethany felt the way she did. Love and loyalty are only worth anything if they're true. I sided with Jace in his dislike and distrust of Jack, and his anger over what Jack was involving Bethany in. I would have wanted Jack to disappear from her life if I were him.

The ups and downs in Jace and Bethany's relationship made me want to thump Jace and hug Bethany. Jace was an idiot more than once, and Bethany should have torn him a new one.

The plot I found better than Rush, and it focused more on the struggles within the relationship rather than the struggles of establishing the kind of relationship Gabe wanted. I did enjoy in both books that the women were loyal to their men and didn't play games. They were honest, not manipulative, and genuinely loved the men. The men were the same, though they made stupid mistakes that nearly destroyed the relationship more than once.

Overall, I loved the book, and the series thus far. I can't wait to read Burn, the final installment!

Photo Credit Katherine Elizabeth

Stars Image Credit lovethenerddesigns