Ole Miss grad Melissa Brock Mason has everything a striking, blonde southern belle could aspire to: a plum job as a CFO, a doting Steel Magnolia of a grandmother, and, most importantly, the consuming love of her dashing new husband, Quinton Robert Pierson, who seems so perfectly suited for her that many refer to them as Barbie and Ken. However, things are not as sparkling as they seem below the Mason Dixon line, and sunny days soon descend into a heart of darkness from which Melissa may very well not emerge. Breathless, Tonya Sharp Hyche's latest high-suspense novel with a deliciously southern drawl, once again layers heart-racing intrigue with shimmering foreign climes to whip up a thriller of a southern dish that, like murder, is served deliciously cold. As the story takes off, Melissa herself is preparing for the dream wedding to Quinton at her family manse, with friends Alison Roeske and Amanda Fields at her side. However, things between Melissa and Quinton have already taken on a complex, unnerving undertone. On their honeymoon, her newlywed's controlling ways intensify, and by the time they have their first child, Quinton's veneer as Mr. Right is increasingly sullied by deceit, abuse, and even murder. Melissa soon finds that she has no recourse but to move to the other side of the world to Queensland, Australia in order to escape the threat of her menacing husband. She begins life anew with her young son Dillon in a cozy little beach town. However, her blissful new beginnings are soon destroyed when the past returns with one phone call. With blood-pumping suspense and richly spun detail, Breathless is part high-octane thriller and part absorbing romance, offering readers a smart, charming heroine who has the softness to allure and the razor sharp will to take on the most diabolical of sociopaths and fight for everything she holds dear. It's a spellbinding, far-flung adventure that will enthrall anyone who relishes a fast-paced read with a gorgeously feminine side.