4.5 Wine Glass #Review of Breath of Passion by Lisa Kessler

Title:  Breath of Passion
Series: Muse Chronicles #3
Author: Lisa Kessler
Format: Kindle (236 pages)
Published: May 15, 2017 (Lisa’s Lair)
ISBN: ASIN: B01MYOF6EF
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Author
Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 Wine Glasses

The Prophecy - "Every generation the nine daughters of Zeus are reborn, and with their rebirth are also nine Guardians. They will be marked by the gods, and given gifts to protect his treasure. Their abilities will only be unlocked when they find their muse."

Erica Sterling owns her curves, and inspires passion in every person she meets. It’s the curse of having the Greek muse, Erato, lurking in her soul. After a hot night with a firefighter, she struggles to keep her distance from him. The gods have other plans, but Erica has crossed the line between passion and obsession once before, and she’s never going back. Not even for her Guardian.

No one understands fire and heat like firefighter, Reed McIntosh. After being burned by a bad marriage, he’s sworn off love. But he’s never been with anyone like Erica, and after meeting her, a dormant ability is awakened inside of him, along with the desire to keep her safe.

When a stalker’s threats turn up the heat, Reed will put his life ---and his heart--- on the line. But when the ashes settle, will love be too late?

Linda's Thoughts:
“Are all firefighters as hot as you?”

Breath of Passion by Lisa Kessler is the third captivating installment in her Muse Chronicles series. It is the sexiest book in the series to date and my favorite. The series is built upon a Prophecy: "Every generation the nine daughters of Zeus are reborn, and with their rebirth are also nine Guardians. They will be marked by the gods, and given gifts to protect his treasure. Their abilities will only be unlocked when they find their muse."  The muses have re-united and are committed to building a theatre to inspire mankind. Unfortunately, there’s a crazy cult called the Order, which is actively pursuing their goal of releasing the Titans whilst keeping the Muses from progressing with their theatre –by hook or crook.

You should know that each novel can be read as a standalone, if that is your preference, but, I would recommend reading the series in order if at possible. While the romance is fully contained within this novel, the development of the danger plot has been building since the first book.  That said, newbies to the series are never lost as Lisa seamlessly fills in the basics of what has transpired previously – without being boring to fans - as the story progresses.

The heroine, Erica Sterling, is Erato, the Greek Muse of Lyrics and Erotic Poetry, and her gift is inspiring passion and fire. Flirting and foreplay are right up her alley! Erica believes that she drives men out-of-control, so she avoids relationships after being burned by an ex-boyfriend who turned into a menacing ugly stalker.

Our hero is Reed McIntosh, a smoking hot firefighter and friend of Hunter, the guardian featured in book two. Reed actually met Erica through Callie, Hunter’s muse, and hasn’t been able to forget her since. Reed avoids relationships after his ex-wife lied to and manipulated him, ruining his opportunity to achieve his dreams.

I really liked both Erica and Reed. Their back stories are heartbreaking whilst the chemistry between them scorches the scale. I also thoroughly enjoyed catching up with the other muses and the guardians we’ve met so far in the series.

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from Breath of Passion:

She didn’t warn you about me?”
“Should she have?”
Erica finished her drink, relishing the burn in her belly and the flush of heat in her cheeks as she nodded “Definitely.”
His gaze smoldered. “It’s a good thing danger is my calling, then.”
--- 

He shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. “Two hours isn’t going to be enough time.”
She grinned, rocking her hips. “We’d better make it count.”
--- 

“What if I promise to keep my pants on?” The smile in his voice had butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
She stared up at the ceiling. “Fine. But you’ll have to leave mine on, too.”
“Well, shit.” His laughter warmed her all over. “You drive a hard bargain.”
“I’m all about hard things.” She ran her tongue along her teeth.
“You do have that effect on me.”

Lisa is a storyteller extraordinaire and she weaves her tales to where the characters become family. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed each book in this fun and thrilling series. Breath of Passion features plenty of steamy heat, emotion and danger in a perfectly-paced, action-packed tale. I giggled, swooned and cried. Needless to say, I was riveted and did not want to put this book down until I’d read the story all the way through. Now I can’t wait to find out who our next guardian and muse combination will be!



Suggested Reading Order: 
Book 1 - Lure of Obsession (August 1, 2016)
Book 2 - Legend of Love (December 2016)
Book 3 - Breath of Passion (May 2017)
Book 4 – Light of the Spirit (Projected Sept 2017)