Review: The Air He Breathes by Brittainy C. Cherry (Elements #1)


You know that place in between nightmares and dreams? The place where tomorrows never come and yesterdays don’t hurt anymore? The place where your heart beats in sync with mine? The place where time doesn’t exist, and it’s easy to breathe?


   I want to live there with you. –TC


What an introduction to writing of Brittainy C. Cherry The Air He Breathes turned out to be! I bought this Elements series starer, plus another of her books, when they went on sale for 99 cents, and there is absolutely no buyer's remorse that will be coming from my end. This is one of those books that is worth so much more than the amount you pay for it. I went ahead and decided to purchase and read this book even though the second book, which I was slated to review, was a standalone and had no connection whatsoever to this first one. I did due diligence, looking through ratings and reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and a couple of trusted book blogs, before one-clicking and I bit the proverbial bullet again and not only made a second purchase but also pre-ordered the very same book that I already had a review copy of. I have no regrets whatsoever and at this point of the review, I'm already highly recommending you get a hopping and buy both The Air He Breathes and The Fire Between High & Lo, the first and second books in the Elements series, and two of my 2016 top reads.

Tristan Cole and Elizabeth (whose last name is never mentioned in the story...unless I missed it and if I did, please leave me a note and let me know) are all too familiar with pain and loss. The thirty-three-year-old is a widower, but not only did he lose his beloved wife, but he lost his eight-year-old son as well. The twenty-eight-year-old was spared from the heartache of losing her five-year-old daughter Emma, but she still mourns the untimely passing of her husband. Both broken and struggling to move forward from the devastation of trying to live a semblance of a life, Tristan and Elizabeth simply wish for things that will never come to pass. Their first meeting doesn't go well, nor does it bode well for future interactions. He warns her off from even trying to make conversation with him and there are people in the small town of Meadow Creek that are more pointed in their cautionary gossip. But Elizabeth recognizes herself in the man that happens to be her neighbor, and as hard as they try to resist the urge, they can't seem to resist the pull that the other one has over them.

Within the first couple of chapters, I had a working theory in my head as to where Tristan and Elizabeth's story was going to climax, and I was proven right. Even the twist that's revealed late in the tale was something I figured out, but then I have a tendency to over-analyze and spend way more time trying to predict where everything will intersect and cause the kind of collision that will force the characters to pause and decide if it's time for them to retreat or press on. But not once in the entire time I was reading this book did my interest in the story or the characters ever wane. Tristan and Elizabeth needed to heal and I wanted to be there—with them and for them—even if it was just as a reader, if that makes any sense. They had my full attention, but so did supporting but memorable characters like Emma, Zeus, Faye (who was my favorite scene stealer), and Mr. Henson. There were numerous quotable quotes and squee-worthy interludes, but Chapter 25 is my overall favorite "Le sigh" moment this year. If I could award The Air He Breathes more than five-plus stars, I would. ♥

Date Read: 25 March 2016

Learn more about Brittainy C. Cherry.

Purchase The Air He Breathes on Amazon.

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