Breaking Away

Nashville Assassins #1

by Toni Aleo

BREAKING AWAY is a story of loss, healing, and love… where unexpected turns and heartache lead to passion.

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 sixteen-year-old niece, Claire, happy. Now, as her guardian, he discovers the only thing that seems to heal her lonely heart is dance class. But what he didn’t count on was the attraction he’d feel towards her drop-dead sexy dance teacher.

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 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.

However, Phillip and Reese are happy in their single lives. It’s simple. They do what they want, who they want, and how they want, but from the moment they meet, the attraction is undeniable. Soon, they are more than willing to spend just one night tangled in the sheets. But, 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?

Genres: Sports, Romance, Sports Romance, Hockey, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Hockey Romance

312 pages, ebook

First published March 16, 2014

About the author

WALL STREET JOURNAL, NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BEST SELLING AUTHOR TONI ALEO IS AN AUTHOR YOU CAN'T MISS!

make sure to Join my Mailing List: https://www.subscribepage.com/toniale...

My name is Toni aleo and I'm a #PredHead, #sherrio, #potterhead, and part of the #familybusiness!

I am also a wife to my amazing husband, mother of a wrestler and a gymnast, and also a fur momma to Phoebe, Gaston el Papillon & Winston.

You can usually find me hollering for the whole Nashville Predators since I'll never give my heart to one player again. When I'm not in the gym getting swole, I'm usually writing, trying to make my dreams a reality or being a taxi for my kids. I'm obsessed with Harry Potter, Supernatural, Disney and anything that sparkles! I'm pretty sure I was Belle in a past life and if I could be on any show it would be supernatural so I can hunt with Sam and Dean.

Also, could I LOVE hockey anymore?

Reviews

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars



I have a new favorite Assassin’s player and his name is Phillip Anderson. I’ve been waiting for his book for a while now and I was so excited to get to read it! Breaking Away has turned out being the best book in this series for me so far!

Reese Allen has been burned by love once, and she’s not giving anyone the chance to do it again. Her broken heart is starting to heal. She’s happy running her dance studio and filling the void with one night stands. No one can hurt her heart that way. Not again. She won’t let it happen.



Phillip Anderson is an all American top scoring hockey player. Lately, he’s been off his game. Since taking in his sixteen year old niece, Claire, his priorities have changed. The former ladies man is now focusing his time and energy on this one girl. But it’s not easy. With all the traveling and Claire’s attitude, he needs help. Thankfully he has his Assassin's family to help out.

Reese is Piper’s sister and Piper is married to Assassins player Erik Titov. Erik and Phillip are best friends. Even with this connection, Reese and Phillip haven’t spent much time together. When Reese takes Claire under her wing for dance, everything changes. For Claire, for Reese, and for Phillip.

Phillip couldn’t be happier with all the positive changes he’s seeing in Claire. He decides to go to the studio and watch her dance. He see’s Reese there. When Phillip and Reese lay eyes on one another, sparks fly. Phillip has been lonely lately, and he hasn’t wanted anyone the way he wants Reese. They both know being together could complicate things, but the pull between them is irresistible.

“Last time.”


“Definitely.”

It’s only supposed to be one time. One time together turns into time after time, after time. The more times they are together, the more Phillip’s feelings for Reese grow. Reese is starting to care for Phillip too, but she can’t admit those feelings to him, or herself. Phillip is on a mission. To convince Reese to give him a real chance, to try. And he has his work cut out for him.



Reese and Phillip were perfect together! Even if it took Reese a long time to see it!

The way they fit, was just perfect. He had never been with someone that did that to him. That made him breathless and craved everything about them but Reese was that.


Reese was stubborn, a bit of a ‘man-eater’ and a dedicated dancer. She could seem a little harsh at times, but she really did have a big heart. It came out around Claire, Phillip and her family. There were points she stressed me out a little, but by the end, I loved her!

Now Phillip... Phillip was pretty perfect. Stepping up the way he did with Claire and never giving up on her. And doing the same for Reese. Never giving up even things got difficult. He made me melt.



Along with the two main characters, it was great catching up with the other Assassin boys and their families. And Claire. I adored Claire. I would love a Claire book in the future! She was awesome!

Breaking Away was another winner from the Assassins series. I am not big on sports books, never have been, but for some reason or other, I LOVE these! The perfect mix of steam, romance, family and passion. This is a must read for all those who love sports romance, or just romance in general!

[• Lisa • · Rating 5 out of 5]

FIVE LOVE ME STARS.

"A story of loss, healing and love ..."



I have a predictably, wonderful romance-addict confession; I am unable to resist and will always look out for a steamy, sexy, sports-related romance. I also don't mind admitting that books in this genre, namely the 'Assassin series' written by Toni Aleo make me almost certifiably crazy, they are that good. This book has it all and it's the type of novel that as soon as I started reading it I just knew I'd be exited to review about it. Books like 'Breaking away' are easy to fall in love with and I'm almost certain that most other readers will agree. If you are familiar with this series and didn't have a favourite from the assassins team before then I can say with confidence that you will now, Phillip Anderson is everything a fictional character should be and more and I'm happily in hero heaven right now. Readers, you are in for a romantic treat.

What's it all about?
Reese Allen is a passionate, determined and focused business woman, her life as a professional dancer is where she is able to give her all, after leaving her heart in New York with who she thought was the love of her life, her priority now lies with protecting herself from ever falling for the same mistakes and lies again. Happy to enjoy the opposite sex has never been an issue for her troubled heart, especially when she knows she usually gets what she wants. Hockey star, Phillip Anderson has worked hard to move away from a painful past and difficult childhood but when the family experience a tragedy, he finds himself the carer of his angry sixteen your old niece, Claire. Claire has only one desire; to dance away her problems and fight away any attempt her uncle has to show that he loves her. Soon enough Phillip and Reece's lives cross paths when Claire's dancing talent is uncovered and they begin a journey of just one night of passion together but when they start to feel more for each other than just attraction they both have to decide whether or not they are able to say goodbye to the hurtful past and try a love that could be forever or say goodbye to a life-changing love and each other.



What did I love the most?
I first discovered Toni Aleo when I started reading on my treasured kindle, purely by chance I added the first book in the assassins series and promptly fell in love with Shea Adler and the rest of the assassins team. Since then I feel like I am always waiting impatiently for this authors releases and I have become a huge fan of Toni Aleo and her sexy, romantic novels. Mrs Aleo certainly perfected her dirty imagination writing this book, the heat levels were definitely turned up and set to blazing hot. Each 'breaking away', chapter was awarded with multiple orgasms and I think it's safe to say that this hero needs an award for his talented mouth. Everything about this book appealed perfectly to my reading tastes, there was some low level angst, panty ripping hot action, heart pumping romance, great story telling, heart warming reconciliations, great sports action and much more. As for the characters well I feel like I'm part of the assassin family now and as each novel develops we also get to see the developing relationships of past characters and I have to admit I don't want to ever say goodbye to this addictive series and the characters that I have grown to love. As for Phillip and Reese well there was no disappointment here for me I really enjoyed reading about them both and yes, Phillip Anderson was every inch the lady killer that I thought he was going to be in fact Toni Aleo far exceeded my 'assassin hero' expectations and I may have to crown him favourite character overall. Reece had her moments of self doubt and questionable decisions but overall I loved her strength and snark, she's a leading lady that gave our sports hero a run for his money and I loved how once again Toni got me wrapped up in her assassins tale of love. Great writing style, winsome characters and plenty of bed time, day time in fact any time action, Toni either has a wickedly naughty imagination or a husband that keeps her very happy either way I loved the sexy, swooned at the romance and once again I'm left with an anticipation of what this author will do next.



Final thoughts ...
I can't quite believe or imagine that there are readers out there who love this genre and have not fallen in love with a Toni Aleo story. This authors books are laced with passion, true to life drama, and enough delicious heroes to keep most of female population smiling. I can't recommend this series enough to readers who love this genre and I like to thank Toni for my new found appreciation for men on the ice. 'Breaking away' will be a delight to those that love this series and those readers that have yet to meet the team what are you waiting for? Go grab this book on release day, enjoy ... Kisses.




*ARC generously provided directly from the lovely author, Toni Aleo in exchange for an honest review.*

[Catarina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 “Just Having Fun”



Philip is having a rough time. After his sister’s death, her niece Claire came live with him. He loves her as a daughter and knows she’s just hurt and broken, but her problematic behavior isn’t being easy for him. He knows to heal her but he doesn’t know how, so as expect, his personal live have seen better days.
After a bad (bad) breakup, Reese swore off relationships and just want to have one-night-stands and have a good time. So when she and Philip collide and realize they are pretty goo together in the physical part, they insist on just being friends and having fun. (Yes, sexual fun).
But when Reese starts to look so good in Philip’s life and starts to help Claire come out of her shelf, he realizes he wants more. And that’s when he realize when their biggest problem isn’t their pasts of their families. What could put everything to lose between them is Reese itself… and her commitment phobia.



This series are becoming one of my favorites. These books have everything I love: swooning heroes who are also athletes, nice love stories, heartwarming moments, steamy scenes… and well, the most annoying heroines ever (we can’t have it all).
Toni Aleo became one of my “to-go-author” when I need a great and sexy romance, and I have no problem in going down with this addiction. After all, who says all addictions are bad?



Rating: 4,5 Stars
Characters Development: Philip saved the book for me when Reese almost ruined it He was amazing, loyal and sexy as hell. Not to mention he was great with Claire (if you want to read her story it’s “Boarded by Love”. Read it, it’s awesome). Reese was pretty awesome… when she wasn’t a bitch. And unfortunately, she was one for a good part of it. I swear, Toni Aleo must have taken some kind of degree in how to create the most annoying heroines ever, because this series take the prize!!
Steam: Hot.
Sensible Subjects: Not with the protagonists.
Love Triangle: No.
Cheating: No.
HEA: Yes.

[NMmomof4 · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Overall Opinion: Welp...this wasn't for me. I know I'm a minority again, as a lot of GR friends seemed to really enjoy this. I think the base premise for the book was good. But I also think there was too much of certain things to make it executed just not right though. There was too much sex (gasp! I know), too much inner dialogue, too much mushy inner dialogue, and way too much pushing away. I even disliked the h by the end. Im rating it a little below 3 "just okay" Stars, because after writing out all my issues I don't feel like I can give it more. But I did get it on Amazon while it was free, so there is that!

Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Reese and Phillip's story. Phillip is struggling with his new custody of his 16 year old niece, and he has Reese's sister help out when he is out of town playing away games for the professional hockey team he is on. Reese owns her own dance studio and one day discovers that the closed off teen has a natural talent that she would like to work with to improve. Neither Reese nor Phillip are in a place for a relationship, and they give in to their attraction in a hot ONS. Only the ONS ends up continuing into a friends with benefits type relationship, and they eventually fall in love. There is a lot of personal baggage they have to work through, a good bit of hot sexy times, and some super sweet moments...and they get a HFN ending.

POV: This alternated between focusing on Reese and Phillip in 3rd person narrative.

Overall Pace of Story: Not the best. I skimmed some of the sex scenes, and towards the very end I also skimmed some because I was over the h at that point. There was a lot of what felt like repetitive inner dialogue for both mcs going on throughout, and I think that alone made the book feel longer than it was.

Instalove: No, they take a while to develop stronger feelings. Instalust? Yes.

H rating: 4.5 stars. Phillip. I really liked him! I think because I really liked him it made it really hard for me to like the h and accept how she treated him.

h rating: 2 stars. Reese. She really grated on my nerves. I tolerated her pushing away for most of the book, but when it got to their main conflict I was done!

Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed

Push/Pull: Yes! The h pushes away for all of the book! She even pushes away in the epilogue.

Heat level: Hot. They have some hot tension, chemistry, and scenes. I did end up skimming some scenes because even though they were hot, they seemed excessive.

Descriptive sex: Yes

OW/OM drama: Yes The h is hung up on what her ex did to her, and he is around and causes drama for the couple.

Sex scene with OW or OM: Yes There is a scene with the H getting oral from OW.

Cheating: Not between the mcs The h was unknowingly used by her ex to cheat on his wife. The H was with OW after he was with the h, but they were supposed to be just a one time hook-up.

Separation: Yes They are separated a few times. The H gets oral sex from OW during one of these separations, and he also says he tries to be with OW but no descriptions as to how far he went during the other separation. There was no mention or suggestion of the h having other partners during this time.

Possible Triggers: Yes Alcoholic/drug abusing parent and sibling (H off page), loss of parent/sibling (H off page), H has custody of 16 year old niece (on page), and the h was the OW when she found out her ex boyfriend was married (off page but deals with situation).

Closure: This ended with okay closure and with what I would call a HFN ending. Others might be fine with considering this a HEA, but it didn't have enough concrete closure for me they get engaged at the end of the epilogue.

Safety: This one should be either Safe with exception or Not Safe for most safety gang readers depending on personal preferences.

- Does Not have cheating by mcs
- Does have a descriptive sex scene with the H and OW
- Does have the h pushing the H away
- Does have a separation between the h and H
- Does Not have abuse
- Does Not have a HEA ending

[MELISSA *Mel Reader* · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 All You Need Is Love Stars!
(Copy gifted by Book Babes Unite)





Reese Allen is a 27 yr. old independent single woman living in Nashville, TN. She has been a dancer since the age of 3. She moved to New York to follow her dreams with her dancing, and then returned to Nashville after getting her heart broken. Now for the last 2 years she owns & runs one of the most successful dance studios in Nashville.




Reese is content with her life. She has a job she adores, a fantastic family she is close to, and an active sex life to keep her satisfied. She is no longer looking for her HEA. She lives in the present, sleeps with who she wants, and doesn't let feelings get in the way. She feels she isn't cut out for love, marriage & kids, and is happy to just be the cool aunt to her sisters children.



Reese's sister's are married to the Titov brothers who play hockey for The Nashville Assassins, so Reese is often around hot hockey players. The Assassin's are like one big happy family. One of the star players Phillip Anderson that is her brother in laws best friend shows up out with their mutual friends. They are extremely attracted to each other & Reese takes him home for one of her typical one night stands.



Problem is he was mouthwatering & she wanted him again. She couldn't get him off her mind, & she breaks her rules & goes back for more. Phillip is equally as taken with Reese, and they decide to do a friends with benefits kind of arrangement on the down low.



Phillip has been told of her reputation as a tough as nails man eater, but still can't help falling for her. He begins to fit into her life and she finds herself needing him & having strong feelings for him as well. We get some drama with Reese being scared of relationships & letting anyone too close to her, but eventually she just can't control how her heart wants Phillip! I really enjoyed this book & can't wait to read more in the series! So many delicious hockey players! YUM!!! :D



-When her eyes met his, he lost his breath. He didn't understand the pull that had manifested between them, but it scared the living shit out of him.

-"I watch you, all the time. I have never wanted someone the way I want you."

-Breathless, Reese smiles as she looked deep in his eyes. She had never been so captured by a man. So completely taken.

-He wanted to make her laugh and give her a reason to smile. Phillip felt as if his feelings for her were the real kind. The genuine kind. The kind that could last a lifetime.

-She was starting to believe that kissing Phillip was as natural as breathing. His kisses were swoon worthy, breathtaking, and something she yearned for.

-"You have me. Always have."

[✿kawehi.reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breaking Away is by far one of my FAVORITES from Toni Aleo’s Assassins series.

Hockey Casanova Phillip Anderson feels his world turn upside down after his sister dies and he inherits the sole custody of his niece, Claire.

Now raising a hurt and angry teenager hell-bent on making her time with him an unpleasant one and while still balancing his hockey career, can he make things work?

What about when he meets Claire’s dance instructor, Reese Allen, and the sparks fly? Can this former playboy convince this Ice Queen to take a chance on love? Or will he fail trying?

So Reese…



Reese Allen knows what it’s like to have your heartbroken and torn to pieces. Confident, beautiful, and successful, Reese is a renowned dance phenomenon. After all, she danced professionally in New York for a prodigal dance company and highlighted as the star female dancer.

But when she accepts Phillip’s 16 year old niece into her dance studio, little does she know that the heart works in mysterious ways. Will Reese open herself to take another chance at love? Or will she let her past overshadow her future?



My thoughts: My initial thoughts when discovering that Phillip and Reese were going to be paired up were approval and glee. I had already known that this book was going to be featured on Phillip and had always hoped for Reese to get bitten by the love bug so it totally worked out in my favor.

I mean, her twin, Reese, is married to Phillip’s bestie, Erik, and if Reese ended up with Phillip it would be like best friends dating twin carbon copies of each other!! It works out. How cool!!

Toni Aleo definitely does not disappoint readers as Breaking Away now ranks as being one of my top three biases in the Assassins series (aside from Elli's and Reese's stories). I really hope that there's more books from this series but I don't know. It is from what I know, not confirmed as of yet. Ig not, I would love a Claire and perhaps one of Phillip’s teammates in the future? That would be a riotl! But I highly doubt it.

So…all in all, assuming that this is perhaps the final book in the Assassins series, then it was great while it lasted. Everything does have its end so I was happy to have partaken with this journey.

AWESOME JOB TONI!!










To be released: June 10th, 2014

[Toni Aleo · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this one :)

[Rose]

PHİLLİP'S BOOK !!!!!!!
Reese and Phillip ?



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[Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 I want to do you Phillip Stars

Oh Lordy, I LOVE me some Toni Aleo hockey romance.

I have been following The Assassins series since she first came out with Taking Shots in 2011. I had just reluctantly received a kindle for Christmas (I was one of those die hard "I have to have a BOOK in my hands" snobs)...until I realized there was this whole self-publishing world out there with awesome stories for $0.99.

I remember thinking, wow, my holier than thou paperback moment is officially over...and, holy shit, this is the best book ever.



Anyway, enough reminiscing about my kindle-love, back to this book with my new book boyfriend Phillip.

LOVE him.

I remember when she came out with the blurb on this one, I wasn't all that excited...because Phillip was a total douchey manwhore in all of the previous books and Reese was nothing less than an uber Ice Queen sideline character that Audrey hated.

I didn't know how Aleo was going to pull it off, especially since the last manwhore - Erik - has been my least favorite Aleo male to date.

Well shame on me for having doubts because Toni totally pulled this one out and I loved it. Phillip was to die for - up there with Tate in devotion and awesomeness (not Shea though, nobody compares to Shea). His patience with Reese and her hang-ups was so great and I loved how he evolved and changed with the arrival of Claire's character.

I also REALLY dug Reese. It was refreshing to have the girl character be the one out there sowing her wild oats and getting herself some for once. In fact, Reese might officially be one of my favorite chick leads of all time now.

Some other fun tidbits about this read:

-Shea was in it and the scene where he told Phillip there are other fish in the sea, Phillip said is that was people said to you, and Shea said, HELL no, Ellie is my prized fish? Fucking awesome.

-We got to see what happens procreatively speaking with all the other breeders characters.

-I got to pretend in my head that I can actually dance.

-There were some hot sex scenes.

-And...Shea was in it.

So why .5 stars short of the full 5?

There seemed to be some hockey missing from this hockey romance. I feel like the other books had more focus on the hockey aspect and the men as hockey players, while this one was almost based solely around the dance studio. It was fine and I dug it...I just missed the hockey a bit...

Also, the end scene Phillip running onto the stage during Reese's impromptu dance and their whole long-winded dialogue/make-out session on a stage in front of all her dance parents? I don't know about that.

I don't know...

Other than that, this was everything that is awesome about Toni Aleo's Assassins series and I can't WAIT for Karson's story!

[Andrea Fleury · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reece

I tried to love this book but I didnt. I thought Reece was a bitch. I got as far as 30% and I quit. I adore hockey romance but this did nothing for me

[Cami · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 "Or something" Stars!

It has been a really long time since I have read any books in this series and it took me a bit to remember characters from the other books and piece stuff together. Once I was able to get into the swing of it I really enjoyed this storyline but I’m not going to lie, this book seemed like it went on forever. I was engaged the entire time but it was a long book.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I love a hockey player book. This was a well-rounded story with plenty of sexy times, friends, family, fun & angst.

I will have to say that NO.....just NO with the whole "Kitten" thing. A woman should not refer to her privates as her "kitten". And it wasn't just one time is was many times in the book.

[-C- · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I didn’t think I needed you,” she said softly.
“Sometimes the things we need most are the things we think we don’t.”

[a · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+ stars!



Breaking Away is by far my favorite book in the Assassins series so far!! For some stupid reason I was nervous to start reading this series again; I think I forgot just how awesome it was. But from the first chapter, I was hooked and couldn't stop.

If you've been reading the previous books, you'll know that Reese is perceived as the "cold-hearted, man-eating bitch". Now if you've never read this series before don't worry, Reese is a very well likable character and is in fact not a bitch at all. Sure she can be a bit cold to people but that's just her outer layer. She's successful and is happy with the way her life is. Single, happy, and successful.

Phillip is known for being quite the lady's man but recently the last thing on his mind is women. His sister dies and Phillip needs to take care of his 16 year old niece. She's a dramatic teenager so of course you already know she's a handful but especially because the life she lived with her mother was very bad. Phillip has his hands full with trying to get Claire (his niece) to accept his love and make time for hockey so the last thing he expects to find, is love.



Reece has been hurt in the past and is absolutely firm on wanting nothing more then sex from men. Phillip is fine with that and they agree to only hook up once, and then move on. But the chemistry between them is scorching and the next thing you know, they're going at it every chance they can get. And that's when they set up the friends with benefits rules.

Now, I know what you're thinking: what makes this book any different from the other "friends with benefits romances"?

Well for one, this series is like nothing you will ever read.

But beside my epic love for this series and these characters, I loved that Reese was 100% serious about wanting only benefits with Phillip. This wasn't some stupid plot idea that was just put in so they could have a bunch of sex (and boy do they!) and then say they love each other. Reece has some legit commitment issues that do not go away easily at all. No matter what Phillip tries and says, she sticks to her guns and I loved it. Phillip on the other hand, is done with just sex with girls and wants more; but convincing Reece is his real challenge.



This book is filled with hot, scorching sexy time and lots of angst, drama and comedy to make any romance lover swoon right off her chair. Reading about all the previous characters has really made me nostalgic but I loved hearing about the things going on in their lives. I think it's great that despite that this book is completely Reece and Phillips book, we also get great secondary character stories that keep you interested with everyone in the book.

Overall, I have to applaud Toni Aleo on a job well done. It may feel like it takes forever for her books to be released but I think the wait is well worth it. I highly recommend this series to every and all romance book lovers and even though I don't watch hockey much, these books make me want to become a fan asap.

Oh and this is pretty much my reaction when I found out that there's going to be not only another two books in the Assassins series but also a spin-off series with the first book being about Claire, Phillips niece:



HAPPY READING! :)

[Dilushani Jayalath · Rating 4 out of 5]

I swear I was going to give this a three star during the first 33% or so of the book but boy, after it jumped the 50% mark, all feels were brought in. My heart was literally lurching inside and I could feel tears burn the back of my throat during that last 25% of the book. I haven’t felt this choked up by a book since November 9( Believe me that book opened flood gates in me). It wasn’t your typical sad and tragic book but with a sweet HEA but the amount of feels this book brought was immeasurable the lines in it were cheesy and corny sometimes but Ms Aleo managed to fit them in the perfect slots in the story that it was impossible for me to fall for each word written. My heart was in my throat by the end of the book.

I did not expect myself to love Reese. She was too hard headed and had all the typical characteristics I would really dislike in a person but by the end of the book I just wanted to crawl into the book and hug her. Philip isn’t your typical bad boy. The steps he took and the patience he had with slowly breaking down Reese’s walls made me fall for him so hard. Up till the end where he had to give up, he patiently waited for Reese and that was beyond beautiful. Yes, the end he took a break for a little while but I loved how he didn’t completely give up the fight. He thought he did but he couldn’t. I loved all the side stories and wished I could read about them too.
My review would not be complete if I did not mention my utter love for the amazing dancer and the beautiful girl, Claire Anderson. She deserves the world and I am happy that she has Reese and Philip now.

Now I’m gonna sleep off my boob hangover and quickly energize myself before I dive deep into Claire’s story next.

[Yomi M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating Clarification: 4.5 stars

I loved Phillip, I wasn't anything what I expected and that was a surprise. Reese did get on my nerves sometimes because most of the time she was living in denial land, overall if was great read. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

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Raise your hand if you know my favorite sport.
Raise your hand if you know my favorite types of book.
Raise your hand if you know who my book boyfriends are.

Well if you don't know those answers let me tell you...
I love Hockey. I love my romance sexy books. I love ALL the boys.

Breaking Away is just my kinda book! Toni does it for me every damn time. This book - number five in the series - is still fresh, hot, sexy, loving, and a super fun read.

The lover Phillip is in this book is beyond this world. The true girly girl that Reese is - so fantastic. Their story is so flipping awesome to read.

Favorite parts:
Phillip telling Reese his favorite flavor!
The game and what happens on the jumbotron! (THANK YOU!!)
Phillip as an uncle
Reese with true feelings of her past heartbreak
Let's also not forget - Ms Aleo writes great "porn scenes"! bwhahaha

Even better - as I was reading the ARC I got to text my little author friend and tell her all my favorite parts in the book (and let me tell you there were a lot!)
The best way to read a great book is to read it with a friend. Thankfully Toni let me do that with her! So grab your book bestie and pick this up... or hell message me! because I would love to relive this story over and over again.



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[Mia Book Addict · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Breaking Away’ is the story of Reese Allen and Phillip Anderson. After Shea and Elli, Phillip and Reese is my favorite couple in the Assassins series and as for Phillip’s niece Claire, I adore her. She and the ‘Bellevue Bullies’ is the reason, I discovered ‘Assassins’, one of my favorite series :) I decided to combine ‘Assassins’ and ‘Bellevue Bullies’ series reviews according the time line of the books. I will post the reviews according to my second reading order so next will be ‘Boarded by Love’, first book of ‘Bellevue Bullies’ series, which is Claire & Jude’s story :) Now back to Reese and Phillip.

Phillip had a difficult childhood and he worked really hard to get out and become a successful hockey player. And he achieved it. He is leading scorer of Assassins and well-known ladies man but everything changes when his sister past away and his niece Claire comes and starts to live with him. Claire is hurt, broken and angry sixteen-year-old. Claire blames Phillip for everything she has been through because she thinks he abandoned her and her behavior causes Phillip to have a rough time. Phillip wants to help her heal and tries his best to make Claire to trust him but he fails every time. After catching Claire in a bed with a rookie, he decides to ask for help and calls Elli. According to new plan during Phillip’s away games, Claire will stay with Harper Titov and this is how everything starts to change for Phillip, Claire and Reese.

Reese is a professional dancer. After a bad break-up she leaves the spot light and her life in New York and moves back to Nashville. She opens up a dance studio and her studio becomes the best one in the area. She is really passionate and focused on her studios success. After the heartbreak she faced, she swore off relationships and she only has one-night stands but because of this behavior, she is known as ‘man-eater’ :) Reese sees Claire while she dances in her room at Harper’s and she is really impressed by the way Claire dances. Reese gives Claire a chance to be a part of her studio, which will change her, Claire’s and Phillip’s lives forever.

After Claire starts to dance for Reese, her behavior starts to change too and Phillip is really happy to see the positive change in Claire. Phillip being Erik’s best friend, who is married to Reese’s twin Piper, Reese and Phillip end up in a bar together with Erik and Piper. After their run in in the dance studio, you can feel the sizzling sexual chemistry between them. They both know hooking up can complicate things, but they cannot resist the attraction. When they decide to leave the bar together, they both make it clear that it is a one-time deal. However, soon ‘one last time’ becomes the most popular phrase between Reese and Phillip, so they decide being friends, who are having fun, is a good idea. Every thing gets complicated when Phillip falls in love with Reese. Will Phillip be able to change Reese mind regarding relationships and convince her to give him a chance? That is for you to find out :)

I love ‘Breaking Away’ and really enjoyed reading it (All three times). It is a story about overcoming the past and never giving up with a perfect dose of family, love, romance, and heartbreak. If you still didn’t get a chance to read ‘Breaking Away’ yet, I recommend you to read it ASAP.

Would I recommend this book: Yes.
Would I re-read this book: Already did.
Would I read future books by this author: Yes.

The review was originally posted on: https://miathebookaddict.wordpress.com/

[McGee Magoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

One thing Toni Aleo really does well is making utterly loveable heroes and heroines you want to bitch-slap (with the exception of Piper in Blue Lines). TBH, I could only swallow Reese's reasons for not wanting a relationship with Phillip for about 1/2 of the book, then it got eye-rollingly tedious. And the references to her "Kitten" were making me so annoyed, lol.

Phillip was amazing. Funny, dedicated to Reese and to Claire (swoon--he's a total hero), super hot and not shy about giving a girl what she needs first, if you know what I mean:
And I can't leave out that he is a kick-ass hockey player who's a complete bad-ass--I'm not going to spoil anything but when he gets a puck to the face, I was all:

5-stars for Phillip, 1-star for Reese and I'll meet in the middle with a 3 star rating.

[♥ Barb ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVE me some Assassins :)

review coming :D

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have loved the Assassins series since I first found Taking Shots a few years ago. I was extremely excited to finally read about the team's biggest scorer, on and off the ice ;) And Phillip was. He was the definition of a player who liked to get laid and often. Until his niece Claire came into the picture. Once he took her in, he changed his philandering ways. I really loved that about him. In fact, Phillip totally made this book for me. Every time I got his pov, I was engrossed and couldn't put it down. I loved how he loved Claire and was willing to put his personal life on hold to make sure she had a stable home and to prove to her how loved she was by him.

Reese is another story. I liked her a lot, but she annoyed me a lot too. I get that she was hurt in her past by a total douche bag, but with how Phillip was trying so hard to show her how he felt, and taking great pains not to push her too far too soon, it bothered me how she consistently pushed him away. How he couldn't even say they were dating for fear she'd run. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but that bothered me about her. Other than that stuff though, Reese was a great leading lady. She loved her family and took to Claire right away and was in awe at her raw talent. She knew from the first that Claire would be a star and Reese was determined to see that happen.

The romance between Phillip and Reese, or I should say them "having fun", was smokin hot! I don't remember the other books in this series having so much hot sex in them... but then again it has been a while since I read them ;) I really enjoyed the two of them together. He got her in a way no one else did. Everyone thought Reese was a cold-hearted, man eating bitch, when really she was hiding behind a wall in self preservation. Phillip saw through her and worked hard to break the wall down. It was a fun ride to watch too!

As always, catching up with the previous characters was also amazing and I loved seeing everyone. Especially Shea ❤ How Elli lets him impregnate her so much... Ok I totally get it and would let him knock me up constantly too! ;)

The reason I'm dropping a star is the editing. After so many books, I felt that the editing should have been way better. If it had been just a few slips here and there I would have been able to let it go, but unfortunately it was throughout the entire book, sometimes multiple issues on each page. It grew distracting and annoying. This is a big pet peeve of mine which is why I'm addressing it here. I love Toni Aleo's books and will absolutely continue to read them, but I hope that whoever she's getting to edit does a better job the next time.

*please don't tar and feather me for that last paragraph* :-)

[Sara Evans]

DNF
I can't even think of anything to right here.. well, I can think of a lot of things that I hated about this but I'm not in the mood. This story was so bad! God, it was just so bad. I'm surprised to see that there are so many 4 or 5 ratings for this.
Safety Gang: Not safe. they have a ONS. & the hero wants more but the h doesn't so doesn't say anything & sleeps with other women & has "bj"s but he can't come while the h doesn't sleep with anyone else even though she was the one who didn't want more. They have another one night stand and don't see each other and the hero again does things with other women because "he can't stop thinking about the h". what a joke!

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four Stars- Glad to have spent some time with the Assassins. Reese spent much of the book emotionally unavailable which is unfortunate because Phillip is going on my list of best book boyfriends. I loved him! Sweet and sexy which are a winning combo for me. Expect a lot of sex in Breaking Away, for real. Possibly a tad too much (I know, I can't belive I said that either!). These two were bangin any chance they got. The book seemed a bit long at times and seems like it could have been edited down a bit. Not my favorite of the series, but overall, I enjoyed it. Glad Claire got her HEA finally.

[Coco.V]

💝FREE on Amazon today (5/4/2018)!💝

[Amy | Foxy Blogs · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

BREAKING AWAY
● Phillip & Reese (27)
● NHL player / dancer & dance studio owner
● paternal figure for his 16-year-old niece, Claire
● Claire is an angry teen that Phillip has to break through her walls
● Reese sees Claire dancing and brings her to her dance studio

I enjoyed these 3 together. How Phillip & Reese came together and supported Claire was heartwarming. The single dad trope always hits me in the feels.

NASHVILLE ASSASSINS:
#1 Phillip & Reese - Breaking Away
#2 Karson & Lacey - Laces and Lace
#3 Jordie & Kacey - Overtime
#4 Benji & Lucy - Rushing the Goal
#5 Markus & Mekena - Face-off at the Altar
#6 Vaughn & Brie - Delayed Call
#7 Lucas & Fallon - Twenty-Two/ Jakob and Harper -One Timer
#8 Jensen & Wren - In the Crease

Audiobook source: Audible Plus
Narrator: Lucy Malone
Length: 14h 38m

[Umaiya ❄️Ramblings of a Scattered Mind❄️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unpopular Opinion Alert: *shrugs* It just wasn't meant to be I guess.
30percent in and I couldn't wait for it to end! It felt draggy and needlessly complicated and so much ott drama!

I'm a blunt, no bullshit kinda gal. I like things straight and in your face. I don't do secrets and misunderstandings.

Check out NMmomof4's review for exactly how I felt.

[beachbum bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was actually really good...probably should be a four star, but the heroine was so annoying I took a star away just because of the eye workout she gave me.
For more of my thoughts on this book and other romances please subscribe to my YouTube channel @:


https://t.co/Jx58B4KNW5?amp=1

[Margreet Asselbergs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pre- Final Edit Read.....

My rating: 4.5 - 5 ⭐️

First off, I am going to read this book again once it is in its final format, but for now let me say....

YOWZA!!! Keep the icecube tray handy, girls!! Not only is Phillip probably the most attractive, sexy, I-wanna-lick-you-all-over sex fiend in the entire Assassins line up, he is a DOLL!!! I'm not kidding you....a doll I tell you!! Absolute dreamboat....and I am forever spoiled for any other man.

Reese is multi-layered and so much more than she has shown us in little snippets so far. Phillip is good in bring it out in her. But if you want to know more about this very, interesting and slightly contentious....ummmm....non? relationship??... you will have to wait until we get a little closer to the date of release. Not gonna spill all the beans now.

Just be prepared to leak.....EVERYWHERE!!

[Lisa :) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Phillip was a great guy and he deserved someone much better than Reese.

She definitely was a cold-hearted bitch most of the time.

Also, the whole kinda dragged on and on. It‘s page after page saying how hot they find the other, then them having sex a million of times and them breaking things off. Twice! This would have been so much better if it were at least a 100 pages shorter.

[Lisa (A Life Bound By Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!!! I was lucky enough to ready a very, VERY early copy and holy crap! This one is smoking hot! Loved these two characters - Phillip and Reece and I can't wait for you all to have a chance to spend some time with them too. Full review to follow closer to the release date.

[Laurie V · Rating 1 out of 5]

Crude, vulgar with no real plot except sex. I am no prude as you can see by the books that I have read, but you have to have a well written book with redeeming characters to highlight the sex scenes. This book did not have that.