Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Breathing Room

by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Goodreads Author)

3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 · rating details · 5,544 ratings · 240 reviews

Join the New York Times bestselling author on a journey to the sun-washed hills of Tuscany. Another sexy, wonderful, contemporary love story with all the heart, wisdom, and wit that have made Susan Elizabeth Phillips the gold standard for women's fiction.

She's Dr. Isabel Favor, America's diva of self-help.
He's Ren Gage, Hollywood's favorite villain.
Sometimes you just know

...more Join the New York Times bestselling author on a journey to the sun-washed hills of Tuscany. Another sexy, wonderful, contemporary love story with all the heart, wisdom, and wit that have made Susan Elizabeth Phillips the gold standard for women's fiction.

She's Dr. Isabel Favor, America's diva of self-help.
He's Ren Gage, Hollywood's favorite villain.
Sometimes you just know that God has a sense of humor.

Dr. Isabel Favor, author of Four Cornerstones for a Favorable Life, has sacrificed everything to build her self-help empire. Then, in a matter of weeks, it all comes crashing down. She loses her money to an unscrupulous accountant, her fiancé to a frumpy older woman, and her reputation to headlines denouncing her as a fraud. America's diva of self-help soon discovers she can fix everyone's life but her own. Broke, heartsick, and soul-weary, she heads for Italy in search of a little breathing room.

Lorenzo Gage makes his living killing people... on the silver screen, that is. He's viciously handsome and sublimely talented. But as he begins his vacation in Italy, he's also vaguely dissatisfied. Being a villain with a face to die for has its rewards, but he hates the feeling that everything he's neglected in life is catching up with him. Then he spots Isabel sipping a glass of wine in a sidewalk café. A good guy wouldn't think of seducing such a tidy-looking woman... but he'd never seen the fun in playing the hero.

It doesn't take long for Isabel to realize she's escaped one kind of chaos only to be plunged into another. Even the shelter of a simple stone farmhouse nestled in a Tuscan olive grove can't provide her with the refuge she needs—not when the townspeople are scheming to drive her away, and her plan to restore her reputation has come up empty. And especially not when the man who deceived her refuses to leave her in peace.

Breathing Room is a book for any woman who's dreamed of wandering through a vineyard, of lazing under the Tuscan sky, or of reforming a deliciously wicked man. This is a story of hope and renewal, of love and redemption when it's needed the most. Sometimes it takes a special place... a special love... a little breathing room... for life to deliver all its glorious promise.(less)

Paperback, 400 pages

Published April 29th 2003 by Avon (first published 2002)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Famous Characters

35th out of 173 books — 518 voters

All Time Favorite Male Character

125th out of 273 books — 186 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 03, 2011 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of contemporary romance

Shelves: mainstream-contemporary-romance, opposites-attract, good-secondary-romance, women-s-fiction-territory, owned-copy

Disclaimer: I read this book several years ago, so some things are hazy. But a GR friend asked me to write a review. So here it is:

I was thrilled when this book came into the local library. I went through a pretty big SEP phase, because I loved the humor in her books, and the steamy romance (for the time). She had a couple that I read and enjoyed that were more serious, such as Dream a Little Dream and This Heart of Mine. But in general, her books are laugh out loud funny (a real plus, since I l...more Disclaimer: I read this book several years ago, so some things are hazy. But a GR friend asked me to write a review. So here it is:

I was thrilled when this book came into the local library. I went through a pretty big SEP phase, because I loved the humor in her books, and the steamy romance (for the time). She had a couple that I read and enjoyed that were more serious, such as Dream a Little Dream and This Heart of Mine. But in general, her books are laugh out loud funny (a real plus, since I love to laugh). That's a major reason why I was a little bit disappointed with Breathing Room. I laughed once or twice, but it was pretty somber, in my opinion. I felt bad for Isabel. She was a woman who did not know how to relax and be real. She is probably one of the most uptight women I've ever read about. When she had sex with Gage for the first time, she was so uptight, she made him wear two condoms. I'm not even sure that's feasible. Needless to say, it was miserably bad sex. What made it more sad was that it was a manifestation of Isabel's control issues. It didn't have to be bad if she allowed herself to not be in control for once. She met a guy she was seriously attracted to, and she had to control that and morph it into something that fit her well-organized, but colorless existence.

Ren is probably one of my favorite SEP heroes. I found him to be a very interesting character. Ren was an actor (he wanted to be a serious actor) who had made a career of playing the 'bad guy' in action movies, due to his rough, not very pretty features. As a lifelong action movie fan, I could really visualize this guy, and it gave him an edge when it came to liking him. I felt bad for him, the way Isabel treated him. When he started being not-so nice to her, I could see why she wasn't his favorite person. I'm not making excuses for a jerky hero, but let's just say he has more motivation for being a chest-beating jerky type than most of SEP other heroes, who tend to be of the uber-jerky variety.

I enjoyed the beauty of Italy, and the cottage where Isabel ends up staying. I liked seeing this very rigid, emotionally-controlled woman relax and learn to enjoy life.

Let me tell you, I am not a woman's fiction fan. It gives me hives! This book was very close to being one of those types of books, which is another reason why I was disappointed with it. I thought the romance was too subtle, and I found the idea of Isabel and Ren getting past their issues and coming together to be dubious. Of course, they do, since this is romance. It's fairly well-done, but occurs a little too slowly and underplayed for me. The next time they made love was much better, so that was good.

The secondary romance was very good, but very woman's fiction-y, to this reader. It was about a couple who had married young, and had too many children (in the husband's opinion). From I remember, they had five. He started drawing away from his wife and the crazy family life, and working too much. When it turns out the wife is pregnant again, this almost destroys their marriage. The husband is forced to join them in Italy, and they slowly repair their marriage, and deal with the real issues as to why Tracy wants to keep having babies.

As you can see, I gave this book four stars. Although it did disappoint me in ways that I mentioned above, it was a very good book, and I found it moving. I don't consider it a stellar romance book. However, Ren lingers in my memory, because I really liked him. I just wish that the romance between Ren and Isabel was more in the forefront, and that there were more funny parts (a sure draw to a SEP for me). Me and my plebian tastes.(less)

12 likes · like · see review

Aug 27, 2009 Holly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: august-2009, re-read-in-2009

Breathing Room is one of those romances I could finish and immediately start again. I adore both Ren and Isabel. They have amazing chemistry and their dialogue is fantastic.

The romance is one that blossoms over time and we really get a sense of the two of them in the meantime. This isn't a two-day whirlwind romance. I love that.

The secondary characters are just as wonderful. Plus, I adore the setting. This book never fails to make me want to visit Italy. Definitely a must read.

5 likes · like · see review

Mar 02, 2013 Joanna Tsiou rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-romance, contemporary

I am soo happy I think I wanna cry right now!!

This book was so good. Chicago Stars level good. After the dissapointment in most of Wynette series I have to admit that I started reading with low expectations but SEP did it again! The book was yummy! It has humor, drama, romance and a hero to-die-for.

Ren is most likely one of my favorite romance heroes of all time. He is gorgeous, a little arrogant, has a sense of humor, he is a great guy in bad boy's clothes. He knows he has issues, he knows why...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 04, 2010 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-contemporary, read-in-2010, ebooks

Breathing Room was a decent book. It’s about a bad boy movie star and famous self-help doctor who spend a few weeks in Tuscany, Italy. The story was very original and even though I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’ve enjoyed SEP’s other books it still had enough to keep me slightly intrigued. I really enjoyed how the story took place in Italy but there is something about both characters that I just didn’t fall in love with. There just wasn't enough sweet moments for me like SEP's other books.

One th...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 03, 2013 Nícky rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

No es para nada de lo mejor que ha escrito la SEP. Reconozco que el principio me confundió, ya que comenzar con el personaje que interpretaba Ren en vez de con el Ren verdadero no me lo esperaba. Isabel no me ha gustado. Me parece una loca perteneciente a una secta, una gurú con más problemas que nadie y la mujer más inestable que he conocido en la vida. No pude sentirme identificada con ella para nada, ni con su forma de pensar o actuar ni con el final que culminó en las ruinas del castillo. Re...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 07, 2012 VaultOfBooks rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

By Suzan Elizabeth Phillips. Grade B
I started reading this book when I was tired of reading the same old boring story with the same plot where the girl and boy have straight uncomplicated sex. But the girl falls in love with the boy during this. But the boy does not want to get involved in a relationship. They have a fight and then the boy realizes how much he loves this girl and marries her.
This book is nothing different, and honestly I was hugely disappointed with Ms. Phillips. She has enterta...more By Suzan Elizabeth Phillips. Grade B
I started reading this book when I was tired of reading the same old boring story with the same plot where the girl and boy have straight uncomplicated sex. But the girl falls in love with the boy during this. But the boy does not want to get involved in a relationship. They have a fight and then the boy realizes how much he loves this girl and marries her.
This book is nothing different, and honestly I was hugely disappointed with Ms. Phillips. She has entertained me with novels like First Lady and Kiss An Angel and this is not what I was expecting at all! She is one of my favourite authors, and I’d honestly thought I was in for a treat. Boy, was I ever wrong.

Dr. Isabel Favor is destroyed when her empire comes crushing down on her shoulders and her fiancÃ©e breaks up with her for another girl saying that she was not passionate and wanted everything only in her control. To overcome this grief, she makes a journey to Italy and soon finds herself sleeping with a man named Dante, in an effort to re-discover her sex-drive – a scene which I found quite distasteful.
But it seemed like fate had some other plans for her and she soon figures out that the owner of her Farmhouse where she is staying is no other than so-called Dante who is actually an actor called Lorenzo Gage who thinks that she is stalking him.
Lorenzo Gage is Hollywood’s favorite villain. He has played more psychopaths and evil doers than he can remember. On hiatus between films, he has fled to Italy to escape the scandal surrounding the suicide of his one-time girl friend. When he figures out that Isabel is not a crazy fan, he starts courting her as he is bored with his life. :bored:
So, when two people on top of the world find themselves hiding out in Italy waiting for the bad press to die down. However, they end up finding more when they discover each other. Breathing Room is a fantastic read. Lorenzo, or Ren as he is called, is that bad boy every woman wants to tame. He has it all, looks, money, talent, and loads of sex appeal. Isabel is the self-contained character that needs to learn to live life.
Nobody writes secondary characters as well as SEP does. Ren ex-wife’s romantic foibles make a great foil for the romance of Ren and Isabel and is just as engrossing. You didn’t feel as if the secondary plot was taking you away from the primary one because it was just as interesting. But I’ve always found this true of her stories.
This is one of the few scenes I liked in the book-
A series of high-pitched squeals split the air. He looked up and saw three children running down the hill from the villa. Two noisy little girls and a boy – all of them barreling straight toward him and screaming at the top of their lungs. “Daddy!” Ren took a step backward as the girls hurled themselves at his legs, their giggles shrill enough to cut glass. Only the boy held back.
Isabel felt light-headed. Daddy? Ren had never said a thing about having children. He’d admitted to a short-term marriage when he was young, but three children didn’t look short-term to her. She glanced up and saw a woman appear at the top of the hill. She stood silhouetted against the sky, a toddler in her arms, the breeze plastering the skirt of her cotton dress to her very pregnant belly. “Daddy! Daddy! Did you miss us?” the older girl shrieked in American English, while the younger collapsed in giggles.
Ren jerked away as if the children were radioactive and gazed at Isabel with something that looked like panic. “I swear to God, I’ve never seen them before in my life.” Isabel tilted her head toward the top of the hill. “Maybe you’d better tell her that.”
Some funny scenes come then, but the book starts it downfall again. Not as bad as before where I almost had a headache, trying to finish the book but not too good either. The story of Tracy- Ren’s ex-wife – her husband Harry and Ren’s and Isabel’s run at the same time.
I did not the concept of the ending, some of it because I was not interested after seeing the way it was written and some of which just failed to engross me.
There’s lots I could complain about, as others have, but to me the greatest sin is the lack of attention devoted to the leads. Isabel and Ren are almost an afterthought. Instead, the story of Ren’s ex-wife and her marital problems (which amounted to a Big Misunderstanding and a lot of immaturity), and another silly subplot involving the townsfolk and their fertility issues take center stage after the first third of the book.
I am so sorry, Ms. Phillips, but this book is quite a disaster. I am hugely dissatisfied with this book and have lost some of my huge faith. Though in all respect the book is not as bad as I’ve made it out to be, counting only the negative marks.

Originally reviewed at www.vaultofbooks.com (less)

like · see review

Nov 01, 2011 Iris Blobel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My rating; 3.5/5

Gee, I like SEP's books. Another great read. From start to almost the end. Yes, I have to admit, the end was close to ridiculous or unbelievable that I wondered whether I had picked up the wrong book.

The main characters are Isabel and Lorenzo "Ren". She's just lost everything important in her life when she flees to Italy for some time out. But she meets Ren who's in Italy about to start his next movie. Order meets Chaos! I really liked the two characters, Ren even more when he go...more

like · see review

Jun 26, 2011 Jessi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: appealing-characteristic-character, appealing-characteristic-setting, contemporary, romance, re-read-often, 2011

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-k...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 19, 2011 Aparna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

To start with, two stars are for Ren Gage and Ren Gage alone. I think it's about time I admitted a liking towards "mindless romance novels". And with characters like Ren, I think it's going to be a whie til I get off the craze.

I wasn't as impressed with the book, as I was with the descriptions - I could almost see the villa and the Tuscan landscape, I could almost taste the wine and the grapes, and could I almost imagine ... er... cavorting around Italy with Ren. But with that said, I thought it...more

like · see review

Feb 14, 2011 Pamela(AllHoney) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, contemporary-romance, entertainers-model-actor-dancer-etc, my-4-star-romances

Dr. Isabel Favor is a self-help guru whose perfect world is crashing in on her. Her accountant takes her money, her fiance leaves for another woman and her reputation is in question. So she heads to Italy. Tuscany to be exact. Lorenzo Gage (Ren) is an actor who plays a villain on the big screen. They meet in a sidewalk cafe.

A nice light-hearted contemporary romance with a hint of mystery. I wasn't in love with Ren but he grew on me. Overall, it was a decent enough read to get 4 stars.

1 like · like · see review

Aug 15, 2012 Ruthie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: commitment-phobs, family-issues, favorites, fun-read, hero-baggage, heroine-baggage, read-2012, two-stories-in-one, romantica, library-kcls, some-steam

H/h: Ren/Isabel
2nd storyline H/h: Harry/Tracy
Where: Casalleone, Italy (The Tuscan countryside)

Dr. Isabel Favor just had the rug pulled out from underneath her, both personally and professionally. She went from being on top of the world to questioning everything she knows and understands about life. Ren just had a personal blow but, professionally, life has never been better. Through a series of OMG moments they meet and form an alliance.

I will tell you that I seem to be getting pickier about th...more

like · see review

Sep 19, 2011 Carolyn F. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance, favorites, audiobook-and-owned-book

Audiobook.

The narrator sounds like Ellen Degeneres, which is great for the funny parts but I'm seeing Ellen's face as the heroine. Not sure how that's going to affect my rating at the end of this book. Didn't affect it at all, the narrator was so good and her other voices were great, it wasn't awful to think of the heroine as Ellen either.

I had to give up on the audiobook. I swear it went through a magnet or an x-ray machine because the voices would fade in, fade out, fade in, fade out. Drove m...more Audiobook.

The narrator sounds like Ellen Degeneres, which is great for the funny parts but I'm seeing Ellen's face as the heroine. Not sure how that's going to affect my rating at the end of this book. Didn't affect it at all, the narrator was so good and her other voices were great, it wasn't awful to think of the heroine as Ellen either.

I had to give up on the audiobook. I swear it went through a magnet or an x-ray machine because the voices would fade in, fade out, fade in, fade out. Drove me bananas. It was like a bad cell phone connection. I'm throwing the audiobook cassettes out and if you knew me well you'd know that's a big deal. If I don't sell it, I donate it or give it away. I never throw anything out. I ended up going to the used book store and just buying the book because I really wanted to hear/read what was happening.

Now as to the story. Fantastic! I wasn't sure if I'd like it - self-help guru meets a famous actor in Italy and the wackiness starts. But I bought this huge box of audiobooks and this was the closest one to pick out that wasn't about spies and the Cold War. Isabel's world falls apart, her accountant steals her money leaving her owing over a million to IRS, her fiancee leaves her for his pregnant girlfriend and no one buys her newest book. She takes over the rental of an Italian farmhouse from a friend and is going to get her life together the 2 months she's there. On one of her first days in Italy, she gets a little tipsy and flirts with a guy at a table next to her having her first one-night stand that turns out horrible. It also turns out the guy is a famous actor who was pretending to speak no English and is also her landlord. I know, sounds corny, but the author throws in so much humor it was anything but corny.

Also, I forgot to mention, I liked that Isabel believes in God and is constantly praying. I loved how the author could portray a believer as sexy and funny.
I just loved the book and now have a new author that I like. (less)

1 like · like · see review

May 07, 2012 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yet again, I have been impressed with Susan Elizabeth Phillips' romances. The two that I have read so far stand head and shoulders above the typical population of the romance genre, and I will be sure to read more of her work. This book in particular was especially entertaining because of the career of the leading man, Ren. As an actor, I felt like he was able to act a lot goofier and dramatic than other leading men (e.g. wearing disguises) which I found very enjoyable. The leading lady, Isabel,...more

like · see review

Mar 29, 2011 Twiggy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance, family-children-featured

Really enjoyable in typical sep style.

Isabel is an uptight psychologist for whom everything has gone pear shaped and is taking time out in Italy.

Lorenzo Gage ( ren) is a holywood movie star who specialises in playing psychos and has started to think that he does not deserve to ever be anything but the villain.

They meet and have a drunken encounter which goes wrong for Isabel and leaves Ren feeling worse about himself.

However it turns out that she is renting the farm house attached to his vill...more

like · see review

Aug 29, 2010 Lisa Weber rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Loved this book!
Gorgeous bad boy (who of course, isn't bad at all, but a great guy) meets beautiful uptight woman (who of course, has just been needing someone to loosen her too-tight knots), with the sumptuous backdrop of Tuscany as a distraction. SEP's trademark: plenty of banter, plenty of sex, plenty of silliness (when bad boy's ex shows up with her husband and children), a dose of real life challenges and very real emotions, and a happy ending for all.

This book would have earned a 5 from m...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 16, 2011 Sarah Eiseman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really liked this book–it’s definitely one of my favorites by Phillips that I’ve read up to this point.

This book follows Isabel Favor, a well-known therapist with a career on the fritz. She meets up with Lorenzo Gage, a Hollywood bad-boy actor who has returned to Italy to prepare for a new role and take some much needed r & r. When these two polar opposites meet and end up spending more time together, the sparks fly, as well as the insults and fun.

This book had multiple story lines and man...more

like · see review

May 11, 2013 Sandhya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As Ms. Susan's other books, this was also a beautiful work. Funny and romantic....entertaining to read!! Lot of laugh scenes and interesting plot!! I enjoyed the book for the most of the part but was just not able to connect with some parts of the book especially the spiritual inclination of Dr. Isable, our female protagonist!! I did not understand some of the things....the cultural beliefs of the Italian village mentioned in the book. Ms. Susan has described different places and sights of Italy...more

like · see review

Jun 02, 2011 Elisabeth Rodrigues rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Elisabeth by: SEP glom

Shelves: audio, 2011, contemporary-romance

SEP's audio books are lovely to listen to. This one was narrated by Kate Flemming and I can see why she was so beloved by Seppies - her range of voices is astounding. The book itself was very funny in parts and audio lends itself very well to the humour but I found the book a little inconsistent - flashes of brilliance but the pay off wasn't as sweet for me as Call Me Irresistible or Ain't she sweet which are my favourites. Notwithstanding that, SEP's books really resonate with me and I think it...more

like · see review

Aug 19, 2011 Dácil González rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A falta de leer dos novelas de la autora puedo decir que esta es la más floja con mucha diferencia.

El 3/5 viene por mi incapacidad de ponerle menos nota a una de mis autoras favoritas, SEP podía haber dado muchísimo más de si, yo que considero que casi todas sus novelas son de 5/5.
El ritmo es bueno, engancha y se lee rápido. La pareja secundaria (Tracy y Harry) me han encantado! y para mi son sin duda lo mejor de Toscana para dos.

¿Qué ha arruinado esta novela?
Una protagonista insufrible, insopor...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 21, 2012 Tasha Wilder rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Aug 19, 2009 Sharal Hunter rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance

This was a great book that made me laugh and cry! The descriptions of the Tuscany area of Italy were very vivid and I could imagine myself being there.

This story centers around a woman named Isabel Favor, also known as the "Diva of Self-Help." After her fiance leaves her for another woman and her accountant leaves her with a hefty tax bill, she is a bit of a mess. She decides to go to Italy for some peace and meets Hollywood villain, Lorenzo Gage.

Throughout this story, these two characters are o...more

like · see review

Dec 06, 2008 Loreta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fun

The life of Dr. Isabel Favor, a self-help lecturer, is in the toilet. In trying to examine her options when the bottom drops out, she meets movie star Lorenzo Gage, from whom she unknowling rents a farmhouse in Italy. Although the townspeople are trying to get her to leave the farmhouse she refuses to go and the sparks fly between the lady and the movie star. With a mix of Ren's ex-wife, her husband her children, the townsfolk (including a sexy doctor)the two main characters have to examine thei...more

like · see review

Dec 23, 2011 Adinda Owen Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Isabel, seorang motivator interpersonal yg terkenal, bangkrut karena manajer investasinya bawa lari semua uangnya. Gak lama setelah itu, tunangannya mutusin dia karena Isabel is too much, too much perfect for everything.
Ingin mulai bangun hidup lagi, Isabel pergi ke Italy. Yg tdnya ♏ªªªυ bareng ma tmnnya, tp sang temen jatuh cinta jadi batal pergi.
Di Italy, Isabel ketemu ma Lorenzo Gage. Bintang film yg kebagian jd antagonis mulu. Pembunuh n penjahat.
Alhasil, lucu banget karena Isabel nya perfec...more

like · see review

Feb 18, 2012 Brenda Margriet rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

First SEP I've read and really, really enjoyed it. Great character arcs...Isobel from uptight, unhappy psych guru to love goddess, Ren from twisted movie playboy to loving 'uncle' and hero.

It would have been so easy to write a much longer set up, when showing Isobel's life before it all falls apart, but SEP keeps it tight and down to less than 10 pages. And while there circumstances are a bit odd with how they meet, and then are thrown together for two months, they are not beyond the realm of po...more

like · see review

Nov 26, 2011 Annie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: comedy-cute-romance

Breathing Room is hilarious, poignant, romantic, tense, sexy, great chemistry, and fantastic dialog. I found myself laughing out loud at many sections in the story, and when I was done reading it I was ready to re-read it! Ren and Isabel were wonderful characters and I loved their story. The romance was believable and built up gradually, the sex was steamy but not over the top, the secondary characters were fun additions to the story, most of the story takes place in Tuscany. I felt myself cravi...more

like · see review

Jul 11, 2011 Heather in FL rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: z-from-audible, audio, a-i-own-it, elements-romance, mix-m-f

Isabel has her life in order. Completely. So she's completely unprepared when it all falls apart. She escapes to Tuscany to try to get things back in order, but she's thrown for a loop when Lorenzo Gage first pretends to be someone else (she thinks he's a gigolo) and then is ultimately her landlord. I thought their building relationship was sweet. I thought it was cute that Ren wanted to spend time with Isabel. And that she found herself drawn to him. I loved that they sort of learned from each...more

like · see review

Oct 29, 2010 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bad-boys, humorous, opposites-attract, actors, starting-over-divorced-seperated

Dr. Isabel Favor was on top of the world with a successful following for her books and lectures, a fiance, and financially fruitful until her life derails with her career taking a nose dive, her fiance leaving her for another woman, and her accountant skipping town. Isabel winds up in Italy to clear her head and find her next step in life when she ends up meeting Lorenzo "Ren" Gage a famous actor known for playing a villain. Ren finds himself pulled to Isabel and her frank talk along with her ir...more

like · see review

Feb 16, 2013 Helen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Take UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN's idea of a woman whose life has fallen apart and who goes to Tuscany to recover her equilibrium, and then add a hero whose own life is in need of serious reconsideration. Add a town whose people both subtly and not-so-subtly try to make both of them leave (for reasons of their own). Make her a self-help psychologist and him a bad-boy actor, and you have a great book from Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

I'd read this before but I had to reread it for the author's wonderful sen...more

like · see review

Feb 08, 2012 Kathy Anne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: susan-elizabeth-phillips

I did really like this book and although it did get a little slow,especially at the beginning,it is the most humerous book I`ve read in years.Susans sense of humor is great,I`d like to find a book like this to laugh with at least once a year!
I thought Ren was a very different kind of H and I really enjoyed him and I did enjoy the h too tho I don`t pay a lot of attention to the heroines-my attention is on the male.
I liked the description of the Tuscany area,I didn`t know it was considered so beau...more

like · see review

Jul 14, 2010 Photojim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-reads, romance, jim-swap-shelf

Self help guru Dr. Isabel Favor and bad boy actor Lorenzo (Ren) Gage hook up in this one. I just like SEP's characters and plotlines. There was not as much humor in this as in most SEP books, but still very much a feel good book. I normally can't stand an uptight heroine. I also usually feel that a heroine that prays constantly comes across as sanctimonious and preachy. Both of these characteristics apply to Isabel. Instead of being annoying characteristics, they became endearing qualities. 3.5...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (26)

More editions...

Genres

Romance

248 users

Romance > Contemporary Romance

151 users

Contemporary

86 users

Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

61 users

Adult

13 users

Cultural > Italy

12 users

Humor

10 users

Adult Fiction

5 users

Modern

4 users

Love

4 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Tangled Up In You
by Rachel Gibson
Head Over Heels
by Susan Andersen
He Loves Lucy
by Susan Donovan
Tall Tales and Wedding Veils
by Jane Graves
Accidentally Yours
by Susan Mallery

About Susan Elizabeth Phillips

SUSAN ELIZABETH PHILLIPS

The Huffington Post says the books of Susan Elizabeth Phillips provide a “gateway drug to the whole [romance] genre,” which she assumes is a good thing. Bookpage magazine calls her “the crown jewel of romantic comedy writers,” which is definitely a good thing. Since she wrote her first novel on a typewriter in her kitchen, her books have been published in over 30 languages...more

More about Susan Elizabeth Phillips...

Books by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Natural Born Charmer (Chicago Stars, #7)

Dream a Little Dream (Chicago Stars, #4)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Breathing Room

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Breathing Room

“She threw up her hands. "All right. Why not?"

Why not?"

Sure."

His arms fell to his sides. "That's it? I pour my heart out. I love you so much I've got freakin' tears in my eyes. And all I get in return is 'Why not'?"

What did you expect? Am I supposed to fall all over you just because you've finally come to your senses?"

Would it be too much to ask?"...He'd begun to glare at her again, his eyes growing stormier by the minute."When do you think you might be ready? To fall all over me, that is.” — 122 people liked it

“I finally figured out that not every crisis can be managed. As much as we want to keep ourselves safe, we can't protect ourselves from everything. If we want to embrace life, we also have to embrace chaos.” — 95 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Breathing Room
avg rating	preview: Breathing Room Goodreads rating: 3.82 (5544 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/790145.Breathing_Room?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347671808l/790145.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/790145.Breathing_Room?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Breathing Room by Susan Elizabeth Phillips[/url]

Breathing Room

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website