The Air He Breathes (Elements, #1)

by Brittainy C. Cherry

[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