Review: Breathless Anyone?
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 30, 2013
Novella's as a part of a series do excite me like a little kid in a candy store. Usually because I get attached to my series characters (like the swoon worthy Merrick brothers), so when extra short stories are thrown in the mix, I'm all over it. Brigid Kemmerer's Breathless allows readers into Nick (Gabe's twin) Merrick's mind and his out of control girlfriend. I give Kemmerer kudos for writing a series that mainly focuses on strong young men as the protagonist. Granted I do enjoy my kick ass heroines, its nice to see a supernatural series that boys can be less afraid of getting caught reading.Nick is a well-rounded teenager struggling to keep it together after his parents died, while living up to his twin's and other brothers expectations along with his confusing relationship with Quinn and coming to terms with his own sexuality. Especially since Brigid Kemmerer writes his view in such a way that you can feel how torn he is between being who he is and who others want him to be. Teenagers and all kids strive to make their parents happy, making Quinn the perfect pairing for his story because she struggles with her family relationships to the point of very bad decision making. I really enjoyed how Adam was written to be a little pushy at times with Nick because I felt he needed to be challenged. Plus in reality not everyone is nice or behaves like a perfect person. Adam was definitely given his own unique personality while remaining a strong influence on both Nick and Quinn.However, one thing that I didn't particularly care for was that there was no clear definition between Nick and Quinn's viewpoints seeing as how they're pretty much together through the entire book; it wasn't always a clear transition. I believe the story would have been stronger if those sections blended together better or there was a page break, just something to warn readers that the story is about to change point of views.In the end Breathless reminded me why I loved the Merrick brothers and young adult books. It was beautifully written and sent me back to the days when I was a teenager with an identity crisis. Brigid Kemmerer definitely leaves readers excited and begging for more of Nick's story. We want to see him in his full glorified potential. Breathless, is a compelling, engaging, and intense read making it a wonderful addition to The Elemental's series.