Review: An angel needs a hero; and a hero needs an angel
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 25, 2012
An angel needs a hero . . ."I need a heroI'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the nightHe's gotta be strongAnd he's gotta be fastAnd he's gotta be fresh from the fightI need a heroI'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning lightHe's gotta be sureAnd it's gotta be soonAnd he's gotta be larger than life"(Lyrics from "Holding Out For A Hero")And a hero needs an angel . . ."I've run out of answers, I've run out of timeAnd I'm so confused that I'm losing my mindIt's gonna take a miracle to help me this timeI'm traveling a road that has not one signI need an angel, I'm callin' an angelSend me an angel down, oh singingI need an angel, callin' an angelSend me an angel down"(Lyrics from "I Need An Angel")Once again, Kristen Ashley shares her amazing storytelling talents in the latest book in the Colorado Mountain series. "Breathe" is like going through a dark tunnel and coming out the other side into the sunlight. My first impression was that it seemed less brawny but equally as commanding as the other books in the series. I won't bother repeating the plot summary since it has been covered well by other reviewers.The driving force in this story is the depth and quality of the relationship and love building between Chance and Faye. A reader's connection with these characters is cemented through such realistic dialogue that literally brings them to life on the pages. Watching as together they prepared care packages for the young runaway, Miah, and seeing the protection they offered both him and his sister was one of my very favorite parts to this story. Both Chase and Faye are extremely appealing characters on so many different levels. Both were such generous and kind souls. They made me laugh, cry, and simply fall crazily in love with both of them. Of course, the sexual chemistry between them is not to be ignored either. It was delivered in spades and hot enough to combust, but was still portrayed meaningfully and unforgettably.As always, Kristen Ashley provides an extraordinary treat packaged in a fabulous cast of secondary characters. Good guys/gals or bad guys/gals - they are always well-crafted and pull a bevy of emotions from readers to the surface.A few minor bleeps on my beta-reader radar prevent me from ignoring the overuse of "f-bomb" words and minor editing problems as well. Of course, a bit of comic relief in the form of Faye's "frak attack" from Battlestar Gallactica lingo lightened the burden a bit. After reading many books by this author, I still struggle with her editing, punctuation and grammar, as well as the lengthy narrative sentence structures. I find myself repeatedly reading sentences for their meaning.The "Force" was truly present in the writing of this Epilogue. Another treasure chest filled to the brim with all the delights readers have come to expect from this author. I would be a most disappointed reader without her tender, charming, and fun-to-read wrap ups - not a single disappointment could be found in this one. Appearances by all the Mountain Series characters, along with some Rock Chicks, delivered an additional breath of fresh air to this one.Sometimes love takes its timeAnd when it finally arrives, it's well worth the wait.An angel. A hero.And their very own FIVE-STAR Happily-Ever-After!