Sunday, June 26, 2011

Breathing Room by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

I can't explain why I love this story, but I do. 
Set against the lush background of an Italian summer, Isabel Fortune is trying to gather up the broken pieces of her life. Her self-help empire fell apart when her boyfriend left her and her accountant steals all of her money. How can she help others when she can't even help herself. Even an attempt to cheer herself up with a gigolo goes awry when it turns out that the man is not only a famous actor, but her landlord as well.
Lorenzo Gage is well-known for his roles as fiendish criminals but his off-screen life is just as infamous. He's attracted to Isabel, not only for her "goodness," but because she doesn't fawn over him. In fact, she seems rather irritated by him, which only makes him want her more.
An intriguing situation with a couple of wonderful sub-plots (including Ren's ex-wife who has just moved her pregnant self and four kids into his house because she and her current husband are having difficulties and a mystery surrounding the house Isabel is renting) that make me re-read this book at least once a year.