Book Review | The Air He Breathes (The Elements Series, #1) by: Brittainy C. Cherry

The Air He Breathes
By: Brittainy C. Cherry

Book Series: Elements
Book Number In Series: 1 of 4
Genre: New Adult Romance
Trope(s): Angst, Single Mother, Life After Loss

Format: Kindle eBook
Publisher: BCherry Books
Publication Date: September 25, 2015
My Rating: 3 ½ Stars

Blurb:

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.

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My Review

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The Air He Breathes and Brittainy C. Cherry has been on my tbr for way too long. I’m in the mood for some angst so I’m diving in! Fingers crossed I love it as much as I think I will.

I honestly feel like I’ve been missing out these past few years. Brittainy C. Cherry definitely knows how to put her all into an emotional tale. It took me until the end of the prologue to realize this wasn’t going to be the typical, run-of-the-mill, sugar coated at the end angsty romance. I had a very strong feeling in the pit of my stomach that this novel was going to push me past all my emotional limits and then some. I thought I was prepared to dive into this one… keyword: thought. I was wrong. There is no way a person can be ready for the amount of tragedy between the pages of Tristan and Elizabeth’s story.

The Air He Breathes is the first book in the Elements series by Brittainy C. Cherry. This is also the first novel I have read by this author, so I’d like to give a shout out to Brittainy Cherry for making me cry all the tears the first time around! Tristan and Elizabeth’s story isn’t one for the soft-hearted. This story is full of angst and heartbreak, in fact, I can count on one hand how many smiles due to light-hearted moments crossed my face, all thanks to Elizabeth’s five year old daughter Emma. There is no doubt about it, Emma was the sunshine throughout this novel. So if angsty tales aren’t your go-to reads, or you absolutely with everything in you, despise angsty tales then it may just be best for you to move on from this one. For me though, I’m a huge fan of angst and I’ll add a bonus if the author brings me to tears. This tale is about two lost and broken souls finding their way out of the dark and back into the light. 

Tristan’s  life came to a screeching halt the day his wife and his eight year old son passed away. Now Tristan is merely existing in a world he’d rather not be a part of. Tristan’s story broke my heart and crushed my soul. This man would do everything for his wife and his child. But on the day when his everything mattered the most, his everything didn’t count. He learned a harsh lesson; you can’t stop death when it’s knocking on a door, and you can’t press the pause button on life. He learned you have to experience each moment fully for what it is, because today is just that, and tomorrow isn’t promised. I cried so many freaking tears during Tristan’s flashback scenes. Seeing the numbness that comes along with a tragedy as big as the one he experienced really grabbed onto my heart. It was in those moments that I found his character the most relatable. 

On the very same day Tristan was experiencing the tragedy, Elizabeth was experiencing her very own version of hell as she received the news from a doctor telling her, her husband is no longer alive. Elizabeth was just as fierce as she was strong. This woman couldn’t let the world cave in around her, she couldn’t crawl in bed and hide under the covers until the end of her time, she wasn’t able to lose herself to the numbness threatening to take her under. She had a daughter to care for and to protect from the devastation. So she went about her days putting on a smile and trying to fight depression. But when the night comes near and all is quiet in the house, that’s when she allows herself to softly cry and mourn the loss of her husband and the loss of what was supposed to be her happily ever after. I loved the moments when Elizabeth really shined at being a good mother. I loved those little moments she spent with her daughter and the moments that included all the white feathers. But one thing I would have loved, a few flashback moments with Elizabeth, Emma, and Stephen in their element as a family. I feel like those moments would have connected me more to her character. Those moments would have brought another level of angst to Elizabeth’s story. I needed and wanted more of her past. I wanted to feel ALL the tears with her character.

The draw is what initially connected me to the romance of this novel. Tristan and Elizabeth have both been hurting for far too long. When a heart and a soul is crushed for that long, a body craves any other feeling that constant grief. I loved the different stages of emotions they experienced throughout this novel. From the denial, the anger, to the guilt and then ending with accepting that this path is the one they are meant to be on. It was all so heart-wrenching. I found it easy to relate to these characters and the all-over emotional turmoil they were feeling.

From the very beginning, there was one shining light throughout this story. Emma is the feisty, say-whatevers-on-her-mind, five year old with a heart of gold. I thought her character was the perfect antidote for all the negativity swarming around in this novel. When it felt too heavy she was there to lighten the heart. I loved her connections with all the characters, especially her connection with Tristan and his pup. I’m not going to lie, there were many tears when she asked if Tristan could read her a bedtime story….and even more tears when they had their conversation afterwards…. Oh! kids and their kind hearts. Never ceases to amaze me. I think I loved her character most of all.

I was invested in this story and it didn’t take long until I saw the happily ever after looming up ahead, but then something happened…. And Brittainy decided to throw one hell of wrench in the mix… that’s when things took a turn for me. That’s when I found a third emotion coursing through my veins. I experienced sadness, and joy…. But then anger stepped in and I felt it like a sharp stone under bare feet. I understood the twist at the end, but I wasn’t a huge fan of it. After everything Tristan, Elizabeth, and Emma have been through. After all the tragedy already inflicted on these three, just to add more for the hell of it? Don’t get me wrong, if it happened to any other character in another romance I would have been sitting on the edge of my seat and all for it… But not Tristan and Elizabeth, not two people who have been through HELL and back two times over. And that is why I gave this a 3 ½ star rating. I wasn’t a fan of that little twist in the midst of it all. 

However, the epilogue was the saving grace! I loved seeing Tristan and Elizabeth overjoyed and settled. I loved the happiness that shined within these moments. My heart felt full and felt light. This precious moment was the perfect conclusion to their story. 

One thing I’ve learned by reading The Air He Breathes is Brittainy C. Cherry definitely brings the angst and all the feels. I also really enjoyed her writing style. I think she’s a brilliant author and it only goes to show she puts her heart and soul into the novels she writes. I’m getting ready to dive into The Fire Between High and Lo!!!! Have I mentioned yet how happy I am that I don’t have to wait to marathon this series!!

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Peace Love and Happy Reading,

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