Slick 
 4.5 STARS 
 *The heroine in this book was raped eight years prior and is still recovering. She suffers from panic attacks, bad dreams, and can't stand to be touched by men in any way. Because of the sensitive nature of this book, I felt a warning was appropriate as I would never want someone to pick this book up and be blindsided by the issues this woman faces. 
 This isn't a book I would have typically picked because I'm not a hockey fan and I tend to steer clear of hockey romances because to be honest I don't understand the game and sometimes there are so many references I just don't get. However, I'm going to Author's After Dark this week in Charlotte, North Carolina and attending a get together hosted by sports romance writers and Catherine Gayle is one of them so I chose to read this book by her. I am so very glad I did, Breakaway is an amazing story of a woman's journey to take back the life that was brutally taken from her eight years ago, but to do so she needs the help of her big brother's best friend. This wasn't always an easy story to read but it was well written and I feel done with great care for the subject matter. 
 There's so much I want to say about Dana Campbell but first and foremost is how strong she is even though she doesn't think she is. Being raped took from her everything that she loved and after years of therapy she's gotten to a point where she doesn't feel she'll get any better unless she does something pretty drastic. With encouragement from her therapist, she decides to enlist the help of her brother's best friend and her friend, Eric Zellinger. Eric is quite shocked by what Dana wants from him but in the end he agrees to help her because he has loved her for so long and will do anything to help her. 
 It's very hard to review this book without spoilers but Dana and Eric embark on a close friendship that along the way helps her begin to trust him and to allow him to touch her. They take very teeny tiny baby steps and even then sometimes it's too much. Eric was such a great guy and this patience was remarkable. It was evident early on how much he loved Dana but he was so afraid of moving too fast or hurting her that most of the time he followed her lead. I loved watching Dana gain back her confidence and learn to trust not only Eric but some of his teammates as well. I also enjoyed the friendships she built with the player's wives, something I don't think she'd allowed herself since the incident that stole her life. 
 Breakaway is an emotional story of one woman's journey but it is also a story of patience, love and friendship. Catherine Gayle has hooked me into this series with this book; the characters will have you cheering, the plot is full and entertaining, and the love story knows no bounds. It really is quite a remarkable story.