At your dying mother's bedside seems like a pretty out-there place to meet the girl of your dreams, but that's exactly where Hayden Crewe, the hottest rock star of the moment, meets Briar. It's the worst possible timing; they are both seriously emotionally compromised and the pressures of a life lived in the intense glare of the media spotlight seem bound to drive them further apart. Still, love will find a way even in the darkest times, and that's what happens in Between Breaths... love, eventually, does find a way, though there are some pretty tough obstacles that Hayden and Briar have to overcome along the way.
This is an emotional roller-coaster of a book; Alexa Padgett does an amazing job of portraying the difficult emotions necessarily suffered by the nearest and dearest of dying loved ones. Hayden and Briar begin the story a great deal already in common, and through the story even more is revealed, such that it soon becomes apparent that they are perfect for each other far beyond their initial physical attraction. The sex scenes are hot and realistic, the chemistry between Hayden and Briar obviously off the charts from the beginning, but their relationship is so much more than that.
I loved this book. It made me smile, it made me laugh, and at times it made me want to weep with emotion. It's powerful writing, the characters are extremely relatable and the emotions they experience are beautifully described.
There is, however, one small issue I'd like to raise; one of Hayden's bandmates, Ets, has a major issue with Hayden 'settling down' to the extent that he actually attempts to sabotage the relationship, on more than one occasion. One of those actions consists of him sending a 'groupie' in to Hayden while he is in the shower, despite Hayden having made it clear that he isn't interested in any such thing.
If the genders were reversed and a strange man had been sent in to join a woman in the shower, this would be a shocking act of sexual assault. I can't quite get past it, and knowing that the next book in the series is Ets' 'happy ever after story'? I just can't. Some acts are unforgivable. I don't believe that he DESERVES one, after those actions. The author did too good a job of making him into the bad guy.
I'm happy to give this book five stars... but I'll be giving the next one in the series a miss.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through Reader’s Favorite.