Book Review -- Breathe

I recently won a copy of Breathefrom the generous Sloan Parker. I have to admit this was a little out of my comfort zone as a male/male romance. So if that bothers you, you will likely want to avoid the rest of this post.

Lincoln McCaw lost everything -- his home, his job, his partner -- after he caused a fatal accident. A year later, he's drowning the guilt and despair in whiskey, but he needs to move on. His sister and her kids are counting on him. Then he meets a man who ignites a passion Lincoln thought he’d never find. Too bad one night is all they can have together. Now he needs to figure out how to turn away from the only person who makes him feel alive…before whoever is sending him threats decides Lincoln needs to suffer more than he already has.

Jay Miller is surrounded by grief and misery until he finally gives in to all those years of sexual fantasies about being with another guy. Realizing he’s ended up in the arms of the man who caused his wife’s accident, he tries to pull away. But how can he give up a friendship he needs more than anything -- a friendship and a love that could save him? He may not have time to make the choice before someone else destroys it all.

As I said, this was outside my norm of man/woman romance but Parker did such a masterful job of breathing life into characters that I was caught up in Lincoln and Jay's story. The fact that it was two men was secondary, for me at least, to the amazing struggle these two people had to overcome to be together. To have such a major event tie them together while holding them apart at the same time, well, it left me breathless.

Forgiveness. Second chances. Love. All played key roles in the theme of this story. Added to that is the mystery around who's threatening Lincoln. Parker did an excellent job at keeping me guessing. I thought I knew, then bam! Love it when a twist like that comes along.

And of course, there is sex. It is a romance (romantic suspense), an erotic one at that. The tension is high, the stakes are huge, the sex sizzles, and Parker keeps the emotions in the forefront. Thus, the scenes are so much more.

In the end this was an amazing read of a poignant story with characters who stayed with me long after the last page was turned. I will definitely be reading more from Sloan Parker!