ARC BOOK REVIEW ~ BREATHLESS BY BRIGID KEMMERER

Title: Breathless (Elemental, Book 2.5)

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Expected Release Date: April 30, 2013

ARC provided by NetGalley

Too many secrets. Not enough time.

Nick Merrick is supposed to be the level-headed one. The peacemaker. Since it’s just him and his three hotheaded brothers against the world, that’s a survival tactic.

But now he’s got problems even his brothers can’t help him survive.

His so-called girlfriend, Quinn, is going quick as mercury from daring to crazy. Meanwhile, Quinn’s dancer friend Adam is throwing Nick off balance, forcing him to recognize a truth he’d rather shove back into the dark.

He can feel it—-the atmosphere is sizzling. Danger is on the way. But whatever happens next, Nick is starting to find out that sometimes nothing you do can keep the peace.

Book Review

First off, I thought I requested the first book in the series--Whoopsie.  I was off by a book and a half.

Secondly, reading Breathless in no way required me to read the first book, which is called Storm. 

So, I was a very happy reader. 

But now, after finishing Breathless, I need to go back and read Storm. Brigid Kemmerer's Elemental series intrigued me and I want to know more about the Merrick Brothers.

The Elemental Series is categorized as Young Adult and deals with mature subject matter regarding homosexuality.  

Nick Merrick is struggling to come to terms with a huge secret that has been plaguing him for years. His sexuality. 

He has a girl friend (sort of) who he hasn't slept with, but he has always dated girls. But he describes the feelings as "pleasant" when he engages in kissing and "ahem" other things. Something he knows just isn't right. He blames these feelings on hormones that just haven't woken up. Yeah. Right.

Quinn, his sort-of girlfriend, struggles with a family who doesn't appreciate her for herself. Her brother teases her constantly about her weight and kids have been cruel as well--calling her Crisco. She isn't afraid to speak her mind. The only person she can seem to talk to is Nick, but sometimes, even then Quinn feels...unattractive. She wants so bad to be loved and wanted. 

One night when she cannot face going home, she calls Nick to pick her up at the local Y. It is there that Nick sees her dancing and pushes her to enjoy what she has a passion for. But her insecurities seem to hold her back. 

Her friend  Adam shows up at the Y to practice for an audition for a local dance school. He is graceful, fluid--moving to the music as if he's a part of every note, every beat. And Nick can't stop watching him. Nick feels something that he never has with anyone--especially a girl. 

I am assuming the other books in the series will deal or have dealt with the Elemental part of the series? There wasn't much paranormal play at all in Breathless. It is a novella in which Nick is confronted with all the questions he has ever had about his sexuality. 

And when Nick and Adam kiss?  Sparks flew out of my kindle. It was hot, intense, and left me...breathless. 

I am looking forward to rewinding a bit and starting at the beginning of the series.