Review: Don't forget to "Breathe"...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 30, 2012
In June, I wrote my second post about author Kristen Ashley -- from this point forward I will refer to her as KA (Ms. Ashley seems too formal and I feel like she isn't a formal kind of gal). This is my third but most likely not my last post about a KA novel. Since I recently told you all about my total and complete girl crush on KA, there is no reason to re-state the obvious. (If you didn't read that post...it is titled, "I'm Melting" and it was posted on June 20, 2012.  This post will be solely based on "Breathe"... KA's new Colorado Mountain series release."Breathe," the fourth installment of the Colorado Mountain Series, is the story of Chace Keaton and Faye Goodknight.  We met both of these characters in "Lady Luck" (the third book).  Without giving any treasures away, for those of you who may not have read these books yet ( YOU MUST READ THESE BOOKS...preferably in the order they were written) Chace is a detective for the police department in Carnal, Colorado.  In "Lady Luck", we saw Chace painted in two different lights... we saw him for the villain we thought he was and for the person we learned him to be.  KA was able to create Chace for her readers and cast a shadow over him without ever allowing us to hate him and  when she was ready, she cleared away the clouds and she showed us who Chace really was..once again doing what she does best...creating a brilliant hero.KA writes the most unique heroes I have ever "met."  They are sharp, they are physically strong, they are quick witted, they are funny and they are expressive (even though they don't always use the best choice of words) of what it is that may be holding them back emotionally.  Chace was no exception to KA's rule.  Chase knew what he wanted but didn't believe he deserved peace.  He knew the woman that he needed but thought he couldn't bring her happiness.Than there are KA's heroines.  They are the best.  In every story, KA finds a way to make her heroines strong and supportive yet soft and gentle.  They are always able to stand by their man ( sometimes in front of them and sometimes behind) to help them get through their "dark".  They are able to cut through the bullshit, often created by said man (isn't that how it usually is?..heehee) and once they have licked their wounds, they are able to have their man's back and guide them towards the much sough after light.Faye was no exception.  At first, she may have come off as weak due to her shyness and what appeared to be a somewhat reclusive behavior.  She was made to seem vulnerable due to her virginal status and her lack of all experiences male related...yet while she was inexperienced and at times immature when it came to sex, the act and the discussion, she was well aware of the world and the way it worked around her.When KA put Chace and Faye together on the same page sparks flew...you can only imagine what happened when she put them together horizontally. WOW!!  I have no idea how KA is able to write the scenes she does...I have no idea if she is married...but I can say, she either has one happy spouse, or a really fantastic dating life!!!  It isn't just the physical love that makes me melt every time I open a KA book, it's also the words declaring adoration, admiration, and love that rock my world every time I open her books.  My husband just looks at me when I'm reading KA's books and laughs..he wants to know what I'm reading...he can see happiness on my face.  (Hmm...do you think it would be odd if I gave him a list of my favorite lines from all of KA's books and told him to use them at random times?...just a thought..heehee!!)One of my favorite parts of "Breathe"( as well as the other books in KA series) is that KA brings back all of our heroes and heroines from the first three books.  They play pivotal roles in this book and without them, the story wouldn't be all that it could be (thank you ARMY!)"Breathe" was another fantastic story in a growing line of fantastic Kristen Ashley books.  At no point does she lose her voice. At no point does she lose her way. At no time are you wondering when the story will be over.  You will, however, at several points need to be reminded to just...Breathe!Here is my warning...this is a Kristen Ashley book.  While that should be all I need to say, for some of you it may not be enough..so here I go.  This book contains a ton of foul and crude language, a lot of incredible consensual sex scenes, serious situations such as child abuse and child endangerment, and a whole lot of love and happiness.Feel free to go to Lisa's Reads for more book reviews.