ARC Review: ‘Steal My Breath Away’ by Sarah Castille
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Steal My Breath Away
by Sarah CastilleSeries: Havencrest U #2
Published by Bramble on June 17, 2025
SubGenres: New Adult and College Romance, New Adult Romance
Format: eArc
Pages: 320
Source: Netgalley
Audience: 18+/Adult
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New York Times bestselling author Sarah Castille brings another angsty, deeply emotional, heated romance that blends Ana Huang's Twisted Games with Katherine Center's The Bodyguard.
Emotions run high, but the tempo thrums higher as music, heat, and angst collide between a singer and her bodyguard.
Haley Chapman has struggled against rules all her life. As the daughter of a senator, she’s expected to finish her college degree, but music is her one true love—the only outlet she has for her wild, impulsive feelings.
When Haley becomes the target of a brazen kidnapping attempt linked to her mother’s high-profile Senate career, the Senator insists on round-the-clock protection. Having a security detail follow her around college feels like overkill, but the Senator has the perfect solution.
Ace Murphy was her brother’s best friend, and a former Air Force pilot, now working in personal security as a celebrity bodyguard. He was also Haley’s teenage crush and the man who abandoned her when she needed him most, breaking her fragile heart.
Now, as Ace poses as her boyfriend on campus, their personalities clash. He may be her protector but to Haley, Ace is just another obstacle to her freedom and a painful reminder of the past. But as the threats escalate, their forced proximity ignites a connection they can't ignore—one that could either save them or break them all over again.
Steal My Breath Away by Sarah Castille truly took my breath away while I was reading it. Sarah, you could have given this reader a heads-up that I would be crying. Tissues are definitely a must when reading this emotional book. I’m tearing up while trying to write this review. I loved Haley and Ace and their story so much. This book will undoubtedly be on my list of Top Reads for 2025 due to the significant impact it had on me while reading.
I knew immediately with the FMC, Haley Chapman, that I was going to adore her character. She was the fun, go-getter type even when life was throwing her loops every once in a while. She was determined, though, to prove to herself and everyone that she could manage not only going to college but also becoming a famous musician. She never suspects that someone wants to threaten her life due to her mother being up for reelection, and she also doesn’t ever think her childhood crush and friend, Ace Murphy, will be back in her life, but he shows up one day to be her bodyguard, even though she doesn’t think she needs one.
Ace Murphy hasn’t been the same since leaving the Air Force after losing his best friend, and he blames himself for what happened to his friend. Since getting out of the service, he has worked in security for celebrities. While home on mandatory vacation, he never expects his past to resurface. However, he’s determined to protect the girl he’s loved for years, even if she makes it difficult at times, especially since he still has strong feelings for her.
My heart felt so much for both Haley and Ace when reading their story. I love how Sarah Castille not only wrote dual POVs for this book, but she also made sure to write past moments between these characters, how they met, and what happened between the two for one of them not to trust the other. Both characters have been dealt with so much, and they have issues to get through, but in the end, these two were always meant to be together.
I loved how the book’s ending brought everything together for the characters despite their many challenges. This was an emotional moment for me, and it involved someone they both loved dearly who brought them together. No spoilers from me; just know that you’ll need tissues.
Overall, such a fantastic book, and I give it five stars. I look forward to reading more books from Sarah Castille. =)
Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you enjoy reading emotional second-chance romance stories about two characters who have loved each other for years but only finally admit their feelings when forced together, especially when one is in danger, then you should add this book to your TBR list.
What to Expect:
✔️Brother’s Best Friend
✔️Second Chance
✔️Bodyguard Romance
✔️Forced Proximity
✔️Military Hero
About Sarah Castille
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Sarah Castille, writes contemporary erotic romance and romantic suspense featuring blazingly hot alpha heroes and the women who tame them. A recovering lawyer and caffeine addict, she worked and traveled abroad before trading her briefcase and stilettos for a handful of magic beans and a home near the Canadian Rockies.
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My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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