With Every Breath

Wednesday, December 30, 2015 0 Comments A + a -

Title: With Every Breath (A Wanderlust Novel)
Author: Lia Riley
Published Date: December 29, 2015
BREATHE DEEP . . . AND JUMP IN
At the ends of the earth, Patagonia is a land where ambition trumps reason and the savage summit of La Aguja lures the most determined climbers. It's also the last spot a "play-it-safe girl" like Auden Woods expects to find herself. But she'll lace up her brand-new hiking boots and do whatever it takes to secure a dream job at an adventure magazine . . . even if it kills her. And it just might. When disaster strikes, her only chance at survival comes in the form of the surliest, sexiest mountaineer ever to come out of Scotland.
After a climbing accident cost him his brother, professional mountaineer Rhys MacAskill is at the end of his rope. Redemption is not in his future. That is, until a terrifying storm blows a budding journalist into his tent and it's up to him to make sure they both survive until morning. Despite the demons weighing on him, Rhys can't resist the temptation of the charming American and one wild night just isn't enough.
Auden and Rhys soon learn there are no shortcuts as they navigate their way between life, death, and atonement, and discover something they never expected-love.

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Review:
When a book wakes you up at 3 in the morning begging you to read it then, you know it's going to be good.
I swear Lia Riley has some secret superpower that makes her writing so poignant yet so so so uplifting. Every sentence evokes a sigh or an aw or laughter, and sometimes all three at once. Her characters have depth that is fathomless. Her story has so much heart it's sometimes too heavy to read but oh so worth it.
Auden, who I think is badass in her own right, is inspiring. The fact that she is bullied day in and day out by someone who should care about her and yet keeps being a positive source of light shows you that she is greater than most. She has a strong resilience and I can't help but admire her. 
Rhys. Oh boy is he another story. Side note: If you have read or seen Outlander, you probably will think of Rhys as Jamie and honestly, that is not a hardship. Just the fact that he is Scottish and his abs are phenomenal, got me intrigued. However, it wasn't until you get a hint of his brokenness that you're like OH MY POOR BABY... or at least that was my reaction. Essentially, he has a death wish and it isn't until he meets Auden that he starts rethinking.
Rhys' story and background is so painful and then content and then SO MUCH PAIN. I honestly wasn't expecting the way events turned out and it left me utterly gutted despite the HEA. Forgetting the gutted-ness, it came to fruition that the first forgiveness wasn't complete (sorry for being vague here trying to not spoil). Something needed to happen or some revelation needed to be had to completely absolve the guilt away, and there was and though it was painful it eventually helps heal... after some tough love. The pre-forgiveness is a very fickle phase to go through but once it's complete and completely felt in the heart and mind you're home free.
Every aspect in With Every Breath is beautiful. Lia Riley's storytelling is wonderful. I couldn't get enough of this story and I can't wait for the rest of the series.

***GIVEAWAY***



Author Bio & Links:
Lia Riley writes offbeat New Adult and Contemporary Adult romance. After studying at the University of Montana-Missoula, she scoured the world armed only with a backpack, overconfidence and a terrible sense of direction. She counts shooting vodka with a Ukranian mechanic in Antarctica, sipping yerba mate with gauchos in Chile and swilling XXXX with stationhands in Outback Australia among her accomplishments.
A British literature fanatic at heart, Lia considers Mr. Darcy and Edward Rochester as her fictional boyfriends. Her very patient husband doesn't mind. Much. When not torturing heroes (because c'mon, who doesn't love a good tortured hero?), Lia herds unruly chickens, camps, beach combs, daydreams about future books, wades through a mile-high TBR pile and schemes yet another trip. Right now, Icelandic hot springs and Scottish castles sound mighty fine.
She and her family live mostly in Northern California.

Mini-Review Compilation: NA Edition Part 2

Tuesday, December 29, 2015 0 Comments A + a -

Heyo guys! So I went all out and read a whole bunch of books ranging from YA to NA to even some adult. Overall, they were pretty much ALL wonderful. So for the next few weeks I'll be posting compilations of the books I reviewed. Please keep in mind that these will be mini-reviews and will not be very detailed. Most of them will probably involve a lot of caps. You've been warned.

Here's Part 2 of the NA compilation! (Click on the title if you want to read the synopsis on Goodreads)

Mini-Review Compilation: YA Edition Part 1

Thursday, December 10, 2015 0 Comments A + a -

Heyo guys! So the last month of summer I went all out and read a whole bunch of books ranging from YA to NA to even some adult. Overall, they were pretty much ALL wonderful. I'm finally catching up on my reviews and I'll be posting compilations of the books I reviewed throughout that month now. Please keep in mind that these will be mini-reviews and will not be very detailed. Most of them will probably involve a lot of caps. You've been warned.

So I'm going to start off with YA! (Click on the cover if you want to read the synopsis on Goodreads)

The Shape of My Heart

Thursday, December 03, 2015 0 Comments A + a -

I've read a lot of NA books over the past three years. Most are either set during the beginning of college or after graduation, and very rarely do I come across books that show the stress of the transition between the two. The Shape of My Heart is one of those rarities.