The Air He Breathes (Elements, #1)

by Brittainy C. Cherry

I was warned about Tristan Cole.

“Stay away from him,” people said.
“He’s cruel.”
“He’s cold.”
“He’s damaged.”

It’s easy to judge a man because of his past. To look at Tristan and see a monster.

But I couldn’t do that. I had to accept the wreckage that lived inside of him because it also lived inside of me.

We were both empty.
We were both looking for something else. Something more.
We both wanted to put together the shattered pieces of our yesterdays.

Then perhaps we could finally remember how to breathe.

• ISBN10: 151738799X
• ISBN13: 9781517387990
• Publish Date: 30 October 2015 (first published 25 September 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 306
• Language: English

Reviews

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

This was not my first stint with Brittany C. Cherry and so I had high expectations for this book and she did not disappoint. A note of warning if you plan to read this book ensure you have a box of tissues nearby as The Air He Breathes will tear your heart to pieces and slowly put it back together again.

This was not your typical romance. It’s a story of loss, grief, acceptance, moving on and finding love once again under the most incredible circumstances and with the most unlikely person.

My heart broke for the characters. Losing someone is never easy and the circumstances under which they both lost the love of their lives were both tragic and heart-breaking. Tristan’s loss was greater as he lost both his wife and child. Not to downplay Elizabeth’s loss, as she lost her husband, but she had her daughter, Emma, who brought some light to her darkness.

Tristan’s pain ran so deep it would appear he could not manage, however Elizabeth’s and Emma’s appearance in his life brought peace to his broken heart and kick-started the healing process for them both.

Now Tristan and Elizabeth did not meet under ideal circumstances. However, at the end of that interaction, I laughed so hard that tears came to my eyes. Despite, his abrasive behaviour, Elizabeth stood her ground with him.

The author did an outstanding job with her portrayal of these broken characters. She made their pain feel so real that I could not help but sympathize with them. She showed that there was more to Tristan than one initially thought. Throughout, the story’s progress, his gentle and caring nature came to light.

I enjoyed the romance. Their relationship started out as means of getting over their loss and slowly developed into something meaningful and lasting.

The secondary characters brought some light moments to the story, although there were one or two I would have wanted to disappear as they only made things difficult for the main characters.

I had a theory as it relates to the accident that destroyed both their worlds, and I was right on all counts. The revelation proved devastating and had the potential to destroy their new found happiness or push them to the next step of their healing process.

Narration
I had purchased the e-book, but when I discovered it was available in Audible Escape, I went the audio route. This was my first time listening to Brian Pallino and Erin Mallon. I thought they both did an excellent job in portraying the voices and the mood of the characters.

Conclusion/Recommendation
I had a wonderful time with The Air He Breathes and would definitely recommend it to fans of contemporary romance.
This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading

[Cocktails and Books]

I think I'm going to read through all the Element series books as fast as I can!!

This author can create some fabulously flawed characters that are so freaking easy to love. Tristian and Elizabeth were a prime example of that. Both of them were broken and thinking they were beyond repair, but all it took was finding some who could really see them before they started to heal.

An awesome Kindle Unlimited find. So glad I stumbled across this series.

[Linda]

The Air He Breathes broke my heart! But it also filled me with hope! I loved the story so much, it touched me very deeply.
Full review to come.

[stacey_is_sassy]

It was worth taking that next breath.

Life's a funny thing. What's worse, finding out your loved one has two months to live or will die instantly in a car crash? Both are bad, but when you lose the opportunity for one last goodbye, how do you move on? The Air He Breathes was one of the best and emotional reads I've experienced in a long time. I cried through the whole thing and continually questioned how on earth I could come out the other side with a smile on my face. For two people to have that much pain in their lives and still manage to keep breathing was inspiring. I will try and remember (for the next 24 hours at least) to make the most of each day and tell my loved ones how much they mean to me.

The writing style flowed well and even though there were a few flashbacks, which I'm not normally a fan of, they helped you get a better understanding of how things had played out previously. The characters were brilliantly crafted with the supporting ones bringing the story to life. There were intimate scenes to show the strong connection between Tristan and Elizabeth, but they weren't over the top or put in to make the story better. They were just there to show the couple's progression. The relationship with Tristan and Emma was beautifully told and you could see that the author wasn't using Elizabeth's daughter as a replacement for him.

I'm not the sort of person who enjoys stories that makes you weep, but this one was special and will stay with me for a long while to come. Ms Cherry has made me stop and think before judging people by their looks or even their actions....maybe there's a reason for the monster to keep breathing.