I really liked this story. I felt for Lincoln throughout the story. I can't even begin to imagine what he would have to live with from that type of situation. I liked Jay, also. He was grieving but in a way where he had already passed through most of the stages and could see the accident as just that. I did think it would be slightly difficult for them to have a future together considering the guilt and emotions that have surrounded them throughout the whole book. I hope they can find a happy ever after. They both deserve it after such a tragic act. ( )

Wow! Talking about emotional overload! My head hurts ~:|
I need a "vacation" book!

After finishing 60% of the book, only putting it down once, I found that suddenly it was extremely hard to keep up, I had to take breaks, had to stop and figure things out and try hard not to give into temptation and sneak a peek at the last chapter.

This is such a true, real life, f*cked up situation - taking a great loss, going through hell only to realize that someone who seems less than ideal match is, in fact, crucial not only to your happiness and welfare, but your very survival.

How do you let go and live with yourself doing completely the opposite from whatever is "normal" and "expected" from you?

***

Very good ending. I am a very happy camper after all.
( )

I'm having a hard time writing a review for this book. It is so very well written and the characters have depth and substance. It is a story of forgiveness and redemption and second chances...all things I crave in a book. But somehow I wasn't "feeling" it. Somehow, I felt removed. I fear it is a lacking in me rather than the characters in the book or the ability of the author. I fear I could not be that forgiving... ( )

So I didn't really connect with the characters in the book. The "mystery" wore on my nerves. Maybe I find the extended "I can figure this out by myself without the help of the cops" a bit too much. Maybe I'm just in a shitty mood, but whatever it is, it didn't allow for me to really care about what happened.

The premise is an interesting one, and the writing was good. Lincoln McCaw in a moment's distraction killed Katie Miller. Jacob (Jay) Miller is devastated by her death. Katie is all that was perfect and was exactly what Jay needed. After Lincoln is released from serving a jail sentence, not knowing who Jay really is, has an encounter with him at a bar. Jay figures out who Lincoln is after that encounter, but they can't stay away from each other. Jay's family is NOT having him 1. be gay (although this isn't a huge deal) and 2. be in a relationship with the "killer" of the wonderful Kate (this is the deal breaker). Jay's mother, especially, is a psycho about Katie and her death. Lots of stuff happens (death threats, attempted murder, stalking and attempted harm to children), but the men still fall in love.

I was a lot annoyed by the fact that the story would shift between the characters with no indication of the change. I kept having to go re-read the sentence to make sure I knew who's turn it was at dictating the dialog. I was also a bit bothered by the insta-love. This usually doesn't bother me, but it didn't connect for me this time.

I certainly don't know that I wouldn't become a psycho if someone killed my daughter, but I think the family drama on Jay's side was a bit much. Jay's mom seemed to have taken her death to heart more than Kate's mom... it just seemed a bit over the top for me.

Also, the love affair between Lincoln and Jay wasn't all that touching or romantic to me. I didn't feel the connection.

I think the expectation built up for this book didn't quite make it for me... I would still read another Sloan Parker, but this particular book just didn't work for me. ( )

Breathe is not a “pretty” romance, on the contrary, for being a contemporary setting, it’s quite dark, almost gothic, with some oppressive feelings supported not only by the story, but even by the setting, it seemed like there was always a cloudy day or a dark night, like the sun was never able to break through.

Jay’s wife died in a stupid accident; it was not Lincoln’s fault, who was driven the other vehicle, and neither that of Jay, who allowed his wife to be out at night for nothing really important. Sure Lincoln was worried for his sister, and he was driving towards her home, and maybe he was distracted, but for sure he didn’t want to kill a young woman and he paid for it; not only with money, but also with his own life: 6 months in jail were not enough for him and he decided to destroy what remained of his life, breaking with the man he loved, and loved him back. One year after the accident, Lincoln is still punishing himself, avoiding like hell to try to have a better life, only surviving that little enough that was necessary to help his sister and her little kids.

On the other side Jay is doing pretty much the same: he dropped from college, he is drinking too much and he is denying who he really is and what he really wants. Jay was pretty much always aware that he liked men, and being Katie, his wife, his best friend since they were 7, she did know too. And she approved. I think she knew Jay loved her and there was nothing wrong in allowing him his fantasies, since they were only that, fantasies. Maybe in time, they would have acted on those fantasies, maybe they would have reconsidered their relationship, but for now they were barely 21 years old and with still the world in front of them. Katie was not expecting to leave his husband so soon, and Jay was not expecting to be faced with his hidden desires so soon after the marriage.

But now Jay is alone, and he meets Lincoln in a pub. At first they don’t know who the other is, allowing them only to recognize each other loneliness. When they discover the truth it’s too late to deny those other feelings, and Jay is too eager to know more about his desires and himself. In this Jay really proves his young age; he is like a kid with a new, dangerous toy, despite the warnings he is not able to let it go.

I don’t know but I think that Lincoln, unconsciously, was paying his debt to Jay letting him play with him and his life; even in their first sexual encounters, with Lincoln mostly playing the submissive role, I saw like an attempt of Lincoln to give something back to Jay, something that for sure was not enough to compensate the loss of his wife, but at least was something more tangible of the money that Jay didn’t want to touch. Sure that impression was only at the beginning and their relationship moved on from that, but still, it niggled me like that.

The story was good and the characters quite complex, maybe I had only 1 complaint, everyone seemed so nice, even the villain in the end was a good person. But it’s really a minor complaint and I appreciated how the author chose to make her characters not hero material but more faulted men, like I liked how she decided not to downplay Jay and Katie’s relationship, it was a good marriage, sure they were working on it, finding their balance, but they were still so young, I bet they would have a chance if life didn’t decide differently.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004ISLQCG/?tag=elimyrevandra-20