Review: "Rescue Breathing" by Zoe Norman

Rescue Breathing is the first book in the Breathe duet by Zoe Norman. This was given to me as an unexpected gift by one of my fellow bookaholics, Mara de Guzman, who also happens to be a book blogger! This came highly recommended and I've seen a few of the reviews on Goodreads so I was excited to finally be able to read it. ^.^

Olivia Burke is a psychologist who finds herself recovering from a three-year relationship that ended with a betrayal she never saw coming. After many months of getting her life and heart back in order, she's invited to a conference in Seattle to share the findings of her research work focused on those who suffer trauma in the line of duty, i.e. firefighters, policemen, etc. Little does she know that her trip is about to take her away from comfort zone and push her to take a few risks.

Owen Maxwell is a part of one of the Rescue companies of the FDNY, an elite group of firefighters known for taking on riskier and specialized rescues. As much as he loves his job, he also loves his freedom from commitment, limiting his time with the opposite sex to hook-ups and booty calls. The disastrous end of his previous engagement has made him wary of relationships. But while waiting for his flight to Seattle to visit his best friends, he meets someone who's about to rock his world.

I liked the honesty in the book. Owen's reputation as somewhat of a manwhore precedes him and he certainly makes no apologies for it because it simply was the way he was before he met Olivia. There's also no pretending that while fate was playing a hand in what was going on between them, the attraction was physical in the beginning. Readers are able to see the relationship grow and develop instead of Owen and Olivia suddenly falling in love while in Seattle. They figure things out as individuals and as a couple, giving the book a realism that's important.

There were a few things that did bother me. Admittedly, there were parts of the book that felt repetitious and Olivia's running from Owen every time she makes assumptions as to what she's seeing or hearing without fully understanding what's really going on began to get tiresome. There were some editing issues but nothing egregious. 

Overall, Rescue Breathing is a good book with likable characters and a refreshing story. You're left with a few unanswered questions but the story does NOT end in a cliffhanger (hooray!) AND the second book is already available so you won't be feeling any frustration. ^.^  I'm giving it four stars out of five and would happily recommend it to fellow lovers of romance novels. ♥

Date read: 29 September 2014

Check out my friend Mara's book blog here.

Learn more about author Zoe Norman here.

Grab a copy of Rescue Breathing and its sequel, Life Support, on Amazon | Barnes & Noble.