Lovin' los libros

One look from Savannah Rae was all it took for Tate Connors to fall.

From the first moment he laid eyes on her, his world was irrevocably shaken. He’s willing to accept that his life will never be the same again, but when she has to leave for New York the distance becomes more than either of them expected.

Tate is left alone with not only an empty bed but also a thousand thoughts running through his head. Insecurities soar as he wonders if he could ever really be the kind of man Savannah deserves.

When the demons of his past continue to threaten the future he so desperately craves, Tate knows he has to make the ultimate choice. Risk destroying his relationship and his family with one life changing decision, or gamble on fate and hope the past stays exactly that…the past.

My Review:

 

So... How excited was I that my boyfriend got his own novella????!?!!? Oh, excuse me. You haven't met my boyfriend Tate Connors? What. the. Heck. We need to remedy that!

 

First of all, I am so in love with this series. Rachel is such a talented author and I am so invested in her characters. I can't tell you how many times I've unleashed all my feels on her about these books! Just Breathe is the first book in the series (see my 5 star review HERE) and it is from Savannah's perspective. Savannah has just moved from Australia to California and has a fresh start available to her. She has known great loss in her life and to numb the pain, she loses herself in men, drinking and partying. Her surrogate father, Mr. Davenport, is the one to give her a job opportunity and help her get her life turned around. She never in a million years expected one of Los Angeles's most notorious womanizers and players to be the one to turn her into a one man kind of girl. Yet, Tate Connors certainly is no ordinary man.

 

Oh, Tate.  He also has known loss in his life and never ever expected to fall in love again. Besides having killer sexual chemistry- Savannah and Tate can see beyond each others' toughened exteriors and they recognize a fellow kindred spirit. Both have demons in their past that haunt them and have to work hard to keep those demons at bay. Sav and Tate's relationship reminds me of a quote from the movie, A League of Their Own. Tom Hanks says it and it's always stuck with me:

 

"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great."

 

Sav and Tate still have a long way to go in their relationship and we really see that here in Breathless. As much as I love Tate, he tends to say things without thinking first. He lets his jealousy get the best of him and Sav becomes frustrated with him. She doesn't understand why he can't trust her and I completely get where she's coming from. However, Tate isn't mistrustful of Savannah. He distrusts one person in particular and Sav gets caught in the crossfire. As much as Sav talks about how she wishes Tate would trust in her and their relationship, she suffers from the same apprehension he does. The ending is pivotal to what will come next in Breathe Again and I found myself a bit angry with Savannah. Trust is a two-way street and until these two learn how to trust one another, their relationship will remain a fragile one.

 

I loved that Rachel wrote this novella from Tate's point of view. It was awesome to get inside his head. You can really see how much he loves Savannah and how he would go to the ends of the earth for her. His life has been turned upside down since she walked into it and watching his character grow and learn how to love again is such a poignant part in their story. Seeing his thoughts and fears firsthand really help us understand why he is the way he is and I felt that was such a crucial element. I am so excited that Rachel announced the sequel would be dual-POV.

 

Even though this is a novella, I feel it created a perfect bridge between the two full length novels. It is not a retelling in Tate's POV, but picks up right where Just Breathe leaves off. We get to see Jack and Tanzi, two of my favorites from the first book, as well as Mr. D. I love Mr. Davenport so so much. He is fiercely protective of Savannah and he does not hesitate in speaking his mind to Tate. He will not allow him to break her heart and constantly tells him to not screw things up. We also have some other characters pop up unexpectedly that are determined to cause problems for Savannah and Tate. (angry face inserted here)

 

If you guys haven't started this series and you love NA Contemp. Romance, this is one to pick up. As I said earlier, Rachel has created a cast of amazing characters that really stick with you. I am so anxious/eager/excited/nervous to get my hands on Breathe Again to see how their story will conclude and if they will get the HEA they both so desperately deserve after all they have overcome.

 

Excerpt:

 

"I refused to take one step away from my spot on the sidewalk because moving would mean that she wasn't coming back. My mind was racing at a million miles an hour, trying so desperately to process everything that had happened over the past couple of weeks. I would never deny that I was a selfish prick, and I wasn't afraid to admit that I needed her here with me in Los Angeles, not thousands of miles away in New York City. My dependence on her scared me. Our lives had changed forever when she spoke those three words: I am pregnant. 'Tate Connors' and 'father' were words I never could have ever fathomed being spoken together. Fatherhood was not something I had ever wanted until Sav said those three words to me.

A relationship, falling in love, and a baby were not what I had in mind when Tanzi had told me about her new Aussie friend. This stranger wasn't meant to be this person. She wasn't meant to be the person who allowed me to love again, and she certainly wasn't meant to be the person who made me crave something so strongly. She was meant to be a simple fuck, my own personal conquest that would end in one night of incredibly crazy sex with that hot body being on top me, under me and around me. But the universe clearly had other ideas. One night hadn't been enough for me- it would never be enough. She was the perfect drug to me. She gave me the hit I needed and kept me craving more. She would forever be the person who threw me on my ass and made me take the shaky steps to become whole again- slightly fractured but still as close to being whole as I had been for so many years.

"Tate, are you okay?" As I turned at the sound of my name, my thoughts were shattered by the soft-spoken voice of Tanzi asking the question I could've even attempt to answer. With a shaky hand, she softly touched my arm, and my shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied, shooting a piss poor excuse of a smile at her. "It just sucks, Tanzi." Looking at my other half with hooded eyes, I let out a God-almighty sigh. Tanzi was my absolute world, and I knew she would be feeling as shattered as I was. Being a twin means we have an unbreakable bond, a connection that no one else would have. We knew when the other was hurting. A constant smile was on our faces when we knew the other was happy, and we'd cry with each other in our darkest days. I couldn't have survived the past four years if it weren't for Tanzi. She was without a doubt my saving grace. We were on this crazy ride of life together, through heartbreak, love, loneliness, and new beginnings.

"Twin time?" Tanzi asked softly, her blue eyes shooting hope at me.

Giveaway: