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Breathe
Unavailable
Breathe
Unavailable
Breathe
Audiobook21 hours

Breathe

Written by Kristen Ashley

Narrated by Emma Taylor

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

There's nothing like the first time...

In Carnal, Colorado, Faye Goodknight is the town's quiet, shy librarian. She may also be Carnal's last remaining virgin. For years, Faye has had a crush on Chace Keaton, but the gorgeous cop has always been unattainable. She's resigned to live contentedly with only her books for company – until Faye suddenly meets Chace alone in the woods...

Chace doesn't think he's the good guy everyone believes him to be. He's made a lot of choices he regrets, including denying his feelings for Faye. Through his choices, he's come to believe the pretty librarian is too good for him, but after their time in the woods, Chace realizes that she may be his last chance for redemption. Soon, their long simmering desires grow to a burning passion. Yet always casting a shadow over their happiness is Chace's dark past...

A Hachette Audio production.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 26, 2014
ISBN9781478901037
Unavailable
Breathe
Author

Kristen Ashley

Kristen Ashley grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

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Reviews for Breathe

Rating: 4.146276628191489 out of 5 stars
4/5

188 ratings18 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a very good story about a shy, introverted librarian and a cynical cop. They have had so many obstacles to overcome to get together. The most emotional part of the story was about the young boy that they both start trying to help even though he won't communicate with them. The romance was sweet and enjoyable. Another good Kristen Ashley story.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love this series!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I didn't believe that Chase was actually going to be a future hero, given how complex, convoluted, and legitimately dark his issues were. I'm not sure I buy Faye as a well rounded character (and her geek rants were pretty skippable, despite being about things I love), but I enjoyed this book over all. Malachi completely stole the show (why rename a kid named Jeremiah 'Malachi'? Ok, Julia, this character has already been established as batshit crazy, stop second guessing it).
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Chase Keaton is on the local Police force for the town of Carnal. He is newly widowed from a woman he detested but was blackmailed into marrying. He is a blue eyed blonde and the hottest cop in town.

    Faye Goodknight is the shy beautiful red headed librarian who loves furturistic movies, geeks and books. She has also been carrying a torch for Chase for many years and has held onto her virginity just for him, or for at least a hero.

    Chase calls himself dark and has done things he has trouble living with and feels Faye is light, pure and too good for him. Things change all of this and the two find they rub along together rather well. Chase is a teddy bear in her gentle hands and she helps him see things from a different perspective. A homeless boy becomes a big part of their lives in trying to both help him and to solve the mystery of who he is and where he comes from.

    Many parts of this story are very touching and either very emotional or very passionate. The ending, when you finally get to parts of it is beautifully written and brought a tear or two. My problem with the book was two fold. First I had a great deal of difficulty believing Faye had a master degree in anything at all. High school diploma yes, more no. Next most of the story was written in the local dialect and street banter. I found it very difficult to understand at times. The characters were first class, the angst just right and the good parts very very good.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    just one of the best stories ever..intense insightful and just wonderful
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Every time I read an awesome book by Kristen Ashley, I simply can't imagine her stories possibly getting any better...Breathe once again proved me wrong. An incredible story of the virgin geeky librarian (who is completely awesome) gets the hot, emotionally scared police detective! I almost laughed myself of a chair when Faye started her Battlestar Galactica and Star Wars comparisons while I felt the heart wrenching emotions of Miah's story... You ROCKED it once again Kristen Ashley! This is a fabulous story you just can't put down!!!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a very good story about a shy, introverted librarian and a cynical cop. They have had so many obstacles to overcome to get together. The most emotional part of the story was about the young boy that they both start trying to help even though he won't communicate with them. The romance was sweet and enjoyable. Another good Kristen Ashley story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    4.5 stars

    This story is filled with sweet and sexy. The whole abused kid part really made me feel things. I liked both leads a lot. Great read!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Hmm... this wasn't my favourite of this series but it was still good. It just felt to me that certain tensions were set up and then they fizzled rather than exploded. Not that there was too little tension (well in one particular period of time anyway) but I just felt as though the cul-de-sac bits were unnecessary.

    I do like 'Serenity' appearing here and I'm hoping that means that a certain book is on the horizon.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Love her books
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Wow! Wow! Okay, jeez... I'm not sure where to start. Okay... Basics.This book was my introduction to Kristen Ashley the author, AND YES, I deliberately chose a book in the middle of a series (this is the fourth). I've come to realize that proof of an author's ability to write isn't necessarily proven by a well-received 1st book, or even a great-selling 2nd book. Rather, the proof comes when the author is able to bring new readers to the table AND entertain previous readers. The mission here is to keep the former group from feeling like they are one step behind, and the later group from becoming bored with character and plot rehashing done for those new readers. Luckily, I never felt as though I should stop and read books 1-3 before proceeding, but then again, this book was so wordy, I'm not sure what was plot rehash and what was new. Looking at the reviews posted previously to mine, the majority were written by returning "KA" readers, and they didn't seem to think there was too much rehashing. Thus, ON THIS, I would rate the book at 3-1/2 stars. NEXT...I downloaded the audio version of the story, also done deliberately, as I find it's a better way (for me) to try out new authors, new genres, etc. Since I must stop a lot when print reading (to ponder? to look for my glass of water?), by listening to the story, I find I'll hang in there longer on books I'm unsure of whether to finish or not. HOWEVER... when I downloaded the audio version, I did not pay attention to the LENGTH of this book... it's ALMOST 22 hours! To give you something to compare this with: ALL 7 Harry Potter books in unabridged format total 117 hrs (an average of 16.7 hrs/book). I've listened to audiobooks for years and have almost 700 documented here on LT. Looking through my online list, these are some of the "intro" books to new authors I listened to: Stephen King's 11/22/63 (30 hrs), Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl (19 hrs), Shana Abé's The Last Mermaid (20 hrs), and Jackie Collins' Thrill ! (17 hrs). Only a few authors whom I listen to regularly, come anywhere close (based on my loose estimation): Karin Slaughter (15-16 hrs), Nora Roberts' stand-a-lones (15-16 hrs), Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooter series (14-17 hrs), Susan Elizabeth Phillips (15-16 hrs), Lisa Jackson (15-16 hrs)... etc. etc. My point here? The above list of author's are (arguably) some of the industry's most talented or at least, best read authors out there. This story is TOO long. ON THIS, I rate it 2-1/2 stars. NEXT...But first a caveat or two... I don't consider myself particularly prudish regarding sex scenes between two CONSENTING adults (not too wild about ménage à trois, though). Sex on first dates and booty calls are just fine, as generally they are part of the plot/storyline... AND I've been told many times over the years that I have a potty mouth, swear like a sailor, and/or say "F" too much. Having made those statements... 1) the overuse of the "F" bomb can not be overstated! We're talking hundreds of times. Hundreds, folks! I wanted to use Amazon.com's "word search" feature to see how many occurrences there really were. However, only the Kindle "Look Inside" feature is activated for this book. Too bad; it would have really backed up my statement... 2) the number of times the characters had sex wasn't bothersome, BUT the number of times it was explained in detail was... boring! (I can't believe I said that, but it was!). ON THESE points, I rate it 1-1/2 stars.In the end, if this book was parried down by (at least) a fourth, the author's plot and story would shine through all the remaining "F" scenes and "F" bombs dropped, and still result in a sex-filled, street-talking, 'real-world' experience for the adult romance reader looking for both story and sex in their leisure reading. Mashed Result: 2-1/2 stars.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I really like Faye, her character seemed so true to me.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Breathe
    4.5 Stars

    In the aftermath of the Carnal PD scandal, Detective Chace Keaton is living with regrets. He views himself as unworthy of his hero status and of the one woman he has always wanted - sweet, shy, town librarian, Faye Goodknight. But a chance encounter in the woods brings Faye back into his life and this time he isn't letting her go no matter the cost…

    Even though this installment contains some darker themes, it actually feels lighter mainly due to the really sweet and relatively angst free romance. 

    Faye and Chace are wonderful as a couple. She is open, honest and very relatable as someone who also always has her nose buried in a book (and her sci-fi addiction is adorable). Chace initial attempts to drive Faye away, ostensibly for her own good, are understandable, but it is clear that he needs her goodness in order to feel clean again and begin to heal.

    The two minor suspense plots take a back seat to the romance although both are engaging in their own ways. The story of Malachi is heart-wrenching while the situation with Chace and his father's associates make the blood boil. Both are resolved satisfactorily although the tension at the end is not as acute as in other Ashley books.

    In sum, a charming romance with appealing characters and a story with a striking message of the redemptive powers of love and acceptance.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A. Ma. Zing. To be honest, I hadn't been particularly interested in Faye and Chace as a couple so I put off reading this installment in the series for longer than I normally would have. But as I have lived by the words "In Joss We Trust" for a long time, I will now add "In Kristen Ashley We Trust." (And the fact that Joss Whedon comes up big in this one makes me want to award an extra star beyond the 5 I'm allotted.) I can't believe I doubted her for even a millisecond. SPOILER: Hands down best break-up/make-up scene I have ever read. ("Christ, here we go. Backbone.") Having gotten to it at 1 a.m. with my 4yo asleep in my arms, I almost gave myself a hernia trying to keep my laughter inside so as not to wake him up when I came to the Star Wars part. And, oh my goodness, some of those lines... "For a long time, a long fuckin' time, Faye, nearly six years, I thought it was certain I'd never have anything as beautiful as the last three minutes." And Miah's speech--Aslan! Oh, for heaven's sake. I totally lost it.END SPOILERAlthough I own it in paperback, I also just requested it via ebook from the library just so I could read it again on an upcoming train trip. And I will probably go ahead and buy that version, too, just to have it alongside all my other KA books on the Kindle. The only downside as far as I'm concerned is that this book should come with a warning: do not read if you want to get anything else done over the course of a day. Dangerous territory in that regard.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I'm emotionally drained after this read. This book gave a different touch to the Colorado Mountain series and I really enjoyed it. Here we don't have a lot of relationship problems as we see with the other couples and by problems I mean that once they get together they are together for the rest of the story and the problems they are faced with are from another nature. Chace and Faye are my favorite couple of the series so far and I thought that was Ty and Lexie. Faye is the best with all her sweetness and her often present backbone. Chace is extremelly mountain man, right up there with Tate which is saying something. Miah and Becky's story tore my heart out. I just cried and cried and cried. And that epilogue?! Cry me a river. AWESOME!
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    meh. I ended up setting this aside and reading something else then coming back. It wasn't great. I felt like it was just a repeat of her other books. Chace and Faye both irritated me at times.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This isn't really a review, so much as my rambling thoughts about this book, cobbled together in one place. So sorry if it's both ranty and rambling.

    It started out good, I liked Faye, and felt for Chace's suffering. But then Chace decided to stop fighting what he felt for Faye, and it got real boring. Just a bunch of whispering and sighing and fraking and sex and relationship stuff. S.l.o.w. But then the Miah stuff really kicked in, and it felt like too much was crammed in at once. Miah and the people after the tapes and the library stuff, and Chace's family stuff. It kept jumping back and forth so quickly.

    I loved seeing Ally (from the Rock Chick series) pop up, but I don't quite see how she fit. I know we didn't get a ton of Ally in the RC series, but I can't recall ANY indication she was a computer person or a sci fi geek. Now I'm going to want to skim back through that series to see how many times she mentioned Nathan Fillion. So where did that come from? Left field. Hopefully that gets explained in her book, which I really think should have come before this one.

    Some of the sentences were so convoluted I gave up trying to understand exactly, and hoped I just got the gist of it.

    The sci fi parts didn't bother me, and Faye being such a reader, I really identified with her. Like, a lot. Living in a fantasy world doesn't mean you're totally out of the real world. I actually liked most of her sci fi rants, in particular, about Trane's father being worse than Darth Vader, cause at least he gave Luke a choice on the dark side. He asked. I was laughing so hard during that part.

    I hated that Miah and Becky had to leave, and would have liked to have seen them grow. I get the feeling Miah, at least, is more sequel bait. We'll see more of him. I also want to see Darius get a story, think that'll happen?

    I find it kinda ridiculous that one member of the city council doesn't like some of the books in their town's library (Twilight and Harry Potter? WTF?), so instead of trying to boot or at least shut up the one council member, they are instead planning to shut the library down and blame it on budget cuts.

    Props to D. Stom on Ammy for pointing out something that's always bugged me. KA's disgust with all things related to ass play. Now I don't need or expect anal play in all my books, but the way everyone was so disgusted, sickened, by what Chace's dad was doing in those tapes? From what I gathered, it was just a little bit pegging. Be disgusted that he was cheating on his wife with a couple of whores? Fine, I get that, but ass play is not this big evil thing, even if the guy is the one taking it up the ass from a chick.

    I think a more fitting title for this book would have been "Holding Out For A Hero". For one, it would have set it apart from all the other "Breathe/Breathing" titles out there. For another, that's what Faye has been doing for 13 years- Holding out for a Hero. She sang the song, she cried to it, they danced to it at their wedding. I just think it fit better.

    I don't think the Elite stuff was well explained at ALL. Just a plot point to add more drama to the story, that's been going on through several books and still doesn't feel resolved.

    The epilogue was all over the place. I don't mind seeing a snippet what happens a few years down the road. The whole last 10% of this book was the epilogue though! A year and a half later, then a year and five months earlier, wtf? It took me a bit to figure out it skipped from the day before the wedding to what was I'm guessing a week or so after Faye was buried in the backyard. (and seriously? Could you EVER sit on your back porch and look out over the yard you were BURIED ALIVE in??) Then skipping all over the place between a week after burial to the wedding day. Then to Miah's graduation day. TOO much jumping around.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    WOW , By far I do believe this is my Favorite KA one so far ... This story pulled me in from the start . I felt all the love, emotions, hate , every single ounce of it . This one made me Laugh , cry , hold my breath, and made me breathe .......


    In order to protect a father he does not respect, in Lady Luck, we learned that good cop Chace Keaton went bad, sacrificing his career and his future. But when the local police department's secrets are revealed and the wife he's forced to marry is murdered, Chace finds himself the town of Carnal's hero. Knowing how deep in the mud he was forced to sink, Chace feels he'll never get clean. The quiet, content future he envisioned of the love a good woman with whom he could build a family was now beyond his reach. The only thing he can do is find his wife's murderer.

    But he isn't the only one looking.

    While searching for new leads, he runs into Faye Goodknight, the town's quiet, shy, pretty librarian. Chace has long since had his eye on what could possibly be the town's last remaining virgin but he has also long since given up hope he could make her his. Faye is pure and clean and Chace refuses to dirty her with his sordid past.

    Pure and clean Faye may be, but when the shy librarian is forced to go head to head with the man who she's had a crush on since he hit her hometown, Chace finds Faye is full of surprises. And he doesn't know what to do with her



    Chace OMG , Swoon Right from the farking start .... He had me right from the damn start , he was sooo Sweet, loving, understanding... God al mighty Hot with every ounce of being . I New he was good from the last book , but this one made him totally down right AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL ..... He took the total care needed he worked wonders with Faye and her Virginity .... Amazing, Beautiful , and everything in between that is what Chace is ......Even when he shed tears, I shed them with him ......


    "Faye, darlin', I want you to hear this and get it, what you just gave me was the most beautiful thing I've ever been given in...my...life. What you'll give me later I know from what I've already had, not just now but since I've known you, will be even more beautiful. With me, anytime, anywhere, you're safe. But of the anytime and anyplace you're with me, the place you're safest is right here, in my bed. You never have to be embarrassed. You can ask questions. You can react how you want. You can be who you are. If I'm doin' something you don't like, you can stop me. Nothin' will ever happen in this bed that you'll be uncomfortable with. I swear to you, baby. You're safe here and you always will be."”

    Faye, the town librarian, shy, quiet, beautiful and has been in love with Chace since she was 16 was not only perfect for him but is one of my favorite heroines. Another reason I love Faye, she CLEARLY has amazing taste. She was amazing with helping Miah , doing what needed to be done for him to have better .

    That night, it wasn’t Dobie Gray,” I whispered. “It was this song. It was Ella Mae singing this to me when I thought you weren’t all I knew you to be, which is all the words to this song. Twenty-nine years, I held out for this. Then, half an hour later, you proved every one of these words true and every moment since then, you kept doing it. I’ll take you thinking I’m your angel but you need to know you’re my hero. Twenty-nine, honey, I held out for this. Twenty-nine years, I held out for you.”


    Miah his valedictorian Speech , I Balled My Eyes out like a baby ... enough said there ....

    Lauren and her talk with Faye in the beginning was AMAZING in so many ways , I also shed tears through that one ....

    Ally Popping up as her online friend was wayyy AMAZING !!!!!


    This book was way more then 5 stars to me ... It has it all and then some . If you have not read this one or the previous ones in this series DO IT NOW ... YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT !!!!!!!