I had it all. Truly, I had the perfect life. One filled with happiness and love where the bright smiles of my gorgeous wife and my beautiful daughter greeted me every day. I was a lucky man… darkness…
The moment when I find myself alone again. The pain is real and the emptiness inside me only grows with each passing day.
Time will heal me, they say. But they’ve never lived through the loss I have. They’ve never felt the excruciating pain of what it means to have your heart shattered into a million pieces.
They don’t know the guilt I carry.
Sometimes I wonder why I even bother waking up every morning. But if I let go, I let go of them. And their memory is all I have left.
I know I need to move on. I know it’s time to Just Breathe Again…
The problem is I didn’t know where to start.
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Wow!! I am speechless! What an amazingly heartbreaking story from CA Harms! Aaron and Faith were beautiful, but so broken! I hate spoilers in my reviews, so I can’t give too much away, but this book was a huge 5 Stars for me!
Wow. This book was heartbreaking to say the least. Aaron is drowning is pain and guilt after the death of his daughter. He is suffocating and believes he deserves to be miserable, lungs close to bursting. But when he sees Faith for the first time he’s able to break the surface for just a moment to take breathe. This scares Aaron, but he can’t deny how much he wants her. I’m gonna lie, I both loved and hated Aaron at the beginning of this book. He is tortured and when he gives into his attraction for Faith its all wrong. He uses her as a way to temporarily escape his demons and leaves her brokenhearted with her heart in pieces with his thoughtless words and his back as he continues to walk away from her.
Faith is a saint for trying to so hard to discover the man hidden behind the sorrowful eyes. Damn if she didn’t get hurt bad by the man. I had to respect her sticking with him even when she was ready to walk away to protect herself from anymore pain. I loved how she gently coaxed his truths from him, was patient, and sat with him as h completely broke down and dropped his walls. The dam broke and she held him through it all.
Just Breathe Again was a beautiful story that I really loved. Yes, this an emotional book about a man who lost his entire world and is learning to breathe and live again. It also has some great family moments, a sweet small tow feel, and some funny moments as well.
4.5* OMG my heart!!! I could feel the devastation, the hopelessness just bleeding off of the pages. Then I could feel the hope building, the wanting to try, the push and pull of feelings, emotions that just pulled at my heart!!!
Would the hopelessness win or will the love triumph? Read it and find out!
I really liked this book. For me this was one of those books that stayed with me for days after I read it. It was written so well with great characters and chemistry.
3.5 stars
Just Breathe Again by C.A. Harms tells the emotional story of Aaron and Faith. Aaron had a perfect life until he didn’t. Now every day is a struggle and he can’t seem to find a way to move forward. Faith has moved back home to help her father after an accident. When they meet, the attraction and connection is strong and immediate, but Aaron fights it with everything he can. Faith was caring and sweet. Aaron was working through his past and what he once had for so much of the story it was hard to see him able to move forward. I never truly felt their connection, so it made it harder to connect with them. Though this one was not for me, I do love this author very much and look forward to reading more from her.
~ Liz
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Who are Aaron, Lynn, and Ivy? How do they know one another? What happens in Aaron’s life that rips him apart? Who is Faith? Who is Franklin? Why is she saying goodbye to him? Who and what is in Gillette, Wyoming? Oh, I like Granny Rae! What does Faith’s father do for a living? What about her? What do we learn about Aaron? I wasn’t sure how to feel about Lynn at first when she showed up in Gillette and didn’t leave, but I enjoyed her persistance, causing Aaron to re-evaluate things. Enjoy the read and have the tissues nearby!
RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS A GIFT FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin’ With M. Brennan.
“I wanted to be able to breathe without feeling guilty that I still could.”
Harms never fails to emotionally connect us to her stories. Her words are crafted carefully, woven intricately and pack a punch. Just Breathe Again is no different. It wrings is out emotionally then builds us up again-just where we want to be.
This was an emotional roller coaster. Aaron was happy, blissful and content in life. It took only seconds for that to be ripped away. His pain was immeasurable. He had fallen so far that there didn’t seem to be an end. He tried, many times he tried, but it was never enough. The hurt was always there.
“…every time I allowed myself to feel even an ounce of serenity, it was quickly followed with that empty, hollow feeling inside. The ache so deep, so penetrating, it left me feeling as if everything was flipped upside down.”
Faith was the epitome of her name. Joyful, happy, and always looking for the good. She saw through Aaron immediately and the armor he wore on the outside. The beauty was that it wasn’t just the exterior although that was there. It’s almost as if souls connected when the met. She could be his salvation, his light, if only he would let her.
“I had no idea what it was that he was fighting. All I knew was that, if the look in his eyes in that very moment was any indication, it had to be something deep and something still very raw.”
All it took was her walking down the steps toward him. Something changed in the instant he really got a good look at her. His world shifted but he was going to fight it every step of the way. But with each step, his life changed. It hurt but each step took him closer to healing. She was his reason. Mistakes and missteps along the way but each wobbling step looked towards a brighter future and a path of happiness.
“You’re the light, the peace, and the healing power I needed but reused to accept.”
This is an emotionally grueling yet beautifully perfect story on loss, healing and second chances in life. It was a difficult journey, heartbreaking and filled with angst. You can make it through, you just need to breathe.
“Falling in love with you wasn’t the problem. It never was.”
WOW! That is all I can say after this amazing read! This one grabbed my heart from the start and never let me go. Even now days later I am having trouble putting into words just how much I loved Aaron and Faith’s story.
My heart broke for Aaron and all that he had been through. I can’t even imagine the pain and heartbreak he went through and I couldn’t help but fall for him and hope for him to find some healing and happiness. Although at times he frustrated me and had me wanting to shake some sense into him my heart continued to keep a soft spot for him.
I loved every second of this emotional story that had me going through all of the feels. I more than recommend this one! It is definitely a must read!!!!!
4.5 Emotional Stars
CA Harms has brought us an emotional heart tugging story with this one. I would advise tissues and wine for this read. She has written this beautifully with so much emotion that felt raw and real.
Aaron has had his world destroyed and is struggling to move in. Really he is just going through the motions, not really living and is drowning in his grief. I just wanted to hug him, he was so broken. Once he sees Faith he starts coming back to life, making him want more.
This book broke my heart so much with everything Aaron and Faith went through. She is so determined to help him heal but he doesn’t think he is worthy of her and keeps her at arms length.
Despite my tears I really enjoyed this book, I honestly feel like I went through a gamut of emotions reading this but it was worth every tear.
What an emotional but beautiful story!!!! Poor Aaron was beyond broken when he met Faith. Faith was a beautiful soul that saw beyond his sadness. She made it her mission to feel whole again but Aaron wasn’t easily persuaded. Their attraction was intense but the sadness he felt was bigger than his happiness. This was not easy. They had lots of ups and downs but Faith never gave up. Aaron knee he wanted her but he had to find how to start living again. When things changed he was so alpha and delicious. He protected her something fierce and little by little he tried very hard to overcome his past and Faith was there bring his cheerleader. The ending?! Omg BEAUTIFUL!!!!! Loved these two!!!
This story left me with mixed feelings about the characters. Aaron has suffered a tragic loss and pushes people away with his loner personality, gruff manner, and pain filled eyes. His pain breaks your heart but the way he treated Faith was at times so awful that I started to hate him. Faith, for me, makes this story bearable because she is so open and real with her feelings. She gives Aaron all of her love even when he pushes her away time after time. So if you love angst, like I do, Faith and Aaron’s relationship has enough to keep you satisfied. Even with the love/hate feels I experienced while reading this book, I still rooted for a wonderful HEA for these characters. They both deserved one! 3.5 stars
Just Breathe Again is a poignant romance that will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love all within minutes of reading the first scene. From the first page we are pulled into a sweet memory of Aaron’s until that memory takes a dark turn. His life from the point forward is nothing but darkness and living through his grief with alcohol. Then he finally wakes up one day when he sees Faith and then something in his world starts to change. Faith came back home to be closer to her family after her dad has a small accident. When she sees Aaron for the first time there is an intensity they didn’t see coming. He is moody, gruff and sexy while Faith is feisty, funny and shy some of the time. Aaron tries his best to fight the attraction, but Faith is something he can’t see to fight. She is determined to make him see her and there is nothing that will stop her. Just when we think Aaron is going to give in his pasts comes back to open wounds that haven’t healed. He is going into a downward spiral and if he would just open his heart someone will be there to hold on to it. When Faith finally gets a glimpse of the pain, he hides can she keep on fight or will she give up. Aaron must wake up even more to see that we sometimes get a second chance and that we can’t heal without help. Their intensity and chemistry are what makes them so great together in this book. They are both stubborn and sometimes Faith just about killed me with her dramatics. This is quick read that can be done in one sitting as I have done. You will not want to put it down because the tragedy, second chance and romance will have you turning the pages to see what will happen next. I fell in love with the story on the first page and I hope there is more to come from the people in their small town.
*Read and ARC and this is my honest review*
Favorite Quotes:
I wanted to be able to breathe without feeling guilty that I still could.
Mary Jane Kleiber was on her third husband and fifth kid. She always did say she was going to find a man to take care of her. I guess the income of child support and divorce settlements was the route she chose.
Somehow, telling my mother that the sweet man she was referring to had devoured me with deep penetrating kisses only forty-eight hours ago then dismissed me like yesterday’s garbage didn’t sound like such a great idea.
You forget that this is a small town and that people talk. You can’t buy nonfat yogurt from the market without every person in town gossiping about how it’s about time you notice your ass has gotten bigger.
She would tell me that when I smiled at her, it made her tummy tickle.
My Review:
This book just wasn’t my preferred cup of Darjeeling. I struggled, valiantly I must add, as I have read and enjoyed several books by this author and knew eventually she would pull the depressed and wallowing character’s cranium from his rectum, but alas, it took far too long for my taste. I am no fan of constant conflict, repetitive cycles, or high angst, and unfortunately, that would describe 80% of this story.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it was poorly written, it wasn’t. My rating is purely a reflection of my personal satisfaction, and regrettably, this book fell short of my definition of enjoyable entertainment. While there were still things I did enjoy such as an interesting premise, dual POV, and eventual sweet and steamy HEA; Ms. Harms clever trademark humor made only scant appearances and not only did she deploy several of my highest ranking pet peeves in her storylines, she did so repeatedly. I was not a happy camper and experiencing an escalating level of exasperation and sighing with displeasure and high dudgeon until I neared the 85% mark when my mood vastly improved with that long-awaited skull extraction and sudden bursts of sweet romance and sensual steam which culminated into a fond HEA to save the day.
Just Breathe Again by C.A. Harms is an emotional rollercoaster story that will have you crying, laughing, steamed up and just rooting for the main characters- Faith and Aaron. This isn’t one of those easy peasy romance reads but one that will take your emotions thru the ringer. The plot is raw, full of feels; Aaron has this past full of pain that is stopping him from seizing him from finding love but Faith is determined to be the woman who breaks past those barriers. This is one story that will take you on a journey towards that HEA.
My Rating: 4.2 stars ******
This one was heart wrenching heart breaking hopeful. This one was a little difficult to get through because it has so much emotion in it. Aaron goes through something no person should ever have to go through. He never heals from it. But then a ray of light comes into his life Faith. But he doesn’t let her get to close except for a couple of times and those times lead to something neither one of them expect to happen. It makes Aaron realize that maybe life can go on. But will it be enough to bring him out of the darkness he is under? Will Faith be able to forgive him? I absolutely loved this one. I loved the storyline between Faith and Aaron. It was gripping and heart wrenching from beginning to end. You literally have to sit down and read this one from beginning to end because it will grab onto your heart and not let you go until the end. Another great book from C.A Harms
What an emotional story this was! The characters were deep and complex. After a devastating loss, Aaron could not move past the anguish and guilt. Faith was like a breath of fresh air. Their story was not an easy one but so worth it. This was another solid offering from this author.
Thank you for the privilege of reading this book! Amazing
4.5 Stars
What a heart tugging story this was from CA Harms. As always it was beautifully written and you were able to clearly understand the turmoil these characters were going through from the very first page.
When Aaron first sets eyes on Faith he knows she could be the one to finally start his heart beating again but he’s drowning in his grief and guilt after the loss of a child. He’s tries to back away from Faith but her determination to help him heal his heart is such more than he could ever imagine.
A fantastic story that will break and heal you all at the same time.
Just Breathe Again is a perfect title for this story cause that is what you will be trying to do from the moment you pick up this book. This story is every parent’s worst nightmare and deals with the struggle of trying to move on when your whole world just became dark. Aaron’s emotions shine through your tears and then some smiles. Each person heals during their own phase of recovery and it takes some longer than others as you will see in this story. Granny Rae is someone you love right away. Faith is just a ray of sunshine and brings out the best in Aaron that he has been hiding for some time now. Best way to state this to avoid any spoilers.
This story is truly emotional, and I hope you fall in love with this book the way I did. This is one book that would be an awesome book to movie in my opinion. When you are struggling in life or healing from a loss, just remember that it is okay to Breath Again. Angels are watching over you even when you don’t think they are.
I may as well have just handed C.A. Harms my heart and asked her to shred it when I started reading this. I probably would have cried less doing that. But my god can she put a heart back together in the most perfect way. Fair warning, you Will ugly cry reading this. Full on snotty, can’t see through the tears, hiccuping ugly cry. You will also be so moved and fall so deeply in love with these characters it will be more than worth the tears and tissues.
Heartbreaking is not even a big enough word for all Aaron has been through. No one should ever have to suffer loss the way he has. Even through his darkest times though the man that Aaron is still peeks through. And when Faith comes into his life more and more of that man fights it’s way to the surface. These two have such an emotional, beautiful, and powerful story that sticks with you long after you’ve reached the end.
Wow! This is a fantastic, very emotional, read! Watching him trying to live, just going through the motions, after his unimaginable loss is heartbreaking. Have tissues read and enjoy!!!