Author: Rachel Brookes
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release: March 11, 2014
For Savannah Rae, the thought of living in her picture-perfect world was almost too much to comprehend. With her dream job, a family she could finally call her own, and the beginnings of the best chapter of her life, she still couldn't shake the unnerving feeling that it was all too good to be true.
The thought of a life without Savannah was incomprehensible to Tate Connors. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would find his girl in the form of a sassy, stubborn, beautiful Australian. Finally he had the girl and life he so desperately wanted, but he still couldn't ignore the fear that it would crash around him.
When Tate’s past becomes his present and Savannah’s present becomes her past, the possibility of a future together collides head-on with reality.
In her darkest days, the words Just Breathe provided a peaceful comfort to Savannah from the heavens above. Now as she and Tate go down the path of new beginnings, brutal endings, and the constant craving of a happily ever after, they are anxious to learn how to Breathe Again.
Wendy's
5 Bare Naked Stars Review
In July 2013 I had the pleasure of ‘virtually’ meeting a lovely little Aussie writer called Rachel Brookes.
I had read Just Breathe her debut novel and fallen head over heels for the Tate Connor’s effect.
I have reposted my review for that book below as it also holds sentimental value for me in that it was the first review I did as Bare Naked Words and I thought you guys might like to see it again. I recently told her the Prologue in Just Breathe is up there with the likes of Abbi Glines, and I meant every word.
Now to Breathe Again, Rachel’s writing back in July was fabulous, but I have to say that she has grown with each book and by Breathe Again her obvious talent is not only shining through, it’s positively blinding us.
You have to read these books in order, so if you haven’t read Just Breathe please do not read this review.
Tate and Sav are separated at the start of BA, and us diehard fans know why and who is responsible and should the Bombshells (Rachel’s street team) ever get their hands on you know who, god help her.
Tate is breaking my heart at the beginning of the book, he is lost, floundering without his Savannah, but the chemistry between them upon Sav’s return is off the charts hot.
The sexy banter between the two only pays tribute to Ms Brookes clever writing style.
“I’m definitely not a two minute kind of guy. You know I’m at least a half-hour guy and well…. You don’t have have an hour” Tate
“the image of you in that bikini makes me want to cancel all my scheduled meetings and fuck you up against that window for all of Vegas to see. That’s me being brutally honest” Tate
Are you getting my drift now?
This book is the perfect finish to Tate and Sav’s story, it’s not been easy for them, their pasts have seriously influenced their futures and it has been a bumpy ride.
Jack and Tanzi were hysterical as always and even Blake came into his own.
"You own my heart, Sav. It's yours to break." Tate
“I may be an evil bitch, but god I rocked your world this morning” Sav
“Yes you did rock my world. Pregnancy certainly is befitting of you and your pussy” Tate
And on a rather packed train somewhere between Manchester and Leeds, I cried for the impossible situation they found themselves in, and as I looked up from my ipad a single tear spilled from my eye, and the guy sitting across from me smiled sympathetically and I smiled back, somewhat embarrassed and then……. Then…… Well nothing happened I’m in love with Tate of course.
And sometimes on cold wet British mornings, my little FB message pops up and Rachel bestows me with hot little snippets from her new stories, life doesn’t get much better than that.
I wish I could say more, to truly explain how fabulous and sexy and heart breaking and amazing, this series truly is.
It should say on the front of each book The Breathe Series by Amazon Bestselling Author Rachel Brookes. Because if she isn’t now, she sure as hell will be.
Look out for Be My December with the magnificently hot, dirty mouthed brothers Ky and Josh coming soon.
Rachel Brookes is from a coastal town on the east coast of Australia where beaches, kangaroos and surfers roam free. She writes angsty love stories with a pinch of craziness, a dash of drama, a cup of romance and a spoonful of sexiness… oh and the main ingredient hot guys.
Rachel sometimes forgets to eat, sometimes forgets to sleep and sometimes can’t remember the last time she cleaned her apartment but that’s because she is in a long term relationship with her laptop and is constantly writing.
When she does step away from her laptop she can be found taking too many photos, making scrumptious cocktails, laughing at Adam Sandler movies and spending her time with her amazing family and friends.
With her first novel, Just Breathe, due to be released in July 2013, her dream of releasing a book will become reality. With another three books already taking up her mind, she cannot wait to start this crazy ride.
As a standoff of epic proportions began between Chelsea and me. My hackles rose, and I knew I would never back down from her. I wasn’t a revengeful person, but as soon as someone starts hurting the people I care about and throwing around half-arsed accusations, they will see the wrath of Savannah. This could be the very reason I chose to have limited female friends. It was easier than having to deal with the bullshit games girls were notorious for starting, and clearly this was why I never hid my intentions when it came to men in the past. Be clear as day and no feelings came to the surface. I felt Mr. Davenport sigh beside me and I swallowed hard.
Professional, Savannah. For him.
I still didn’t back down as I spoke. “So I am assuming the—”
“Um, excuse me? I was told that I needed to be here.”
Our heads snapped to the door opening slowly, and I couldn’t believe who I was looking at, could this day get any weirder? Blake freaking Ryan had just walked through the door looking all rock star-ish. This was the first time we had seen each other since he had left New York for London.
His eyes widened to the size of saucers as he took everything in. Dressed head to toe in black, he was wearing a shirt that sat snug against his body, and his tattoos were glistening under the boardroom lights. He was born to be a rock star.
His eyes bounced between Tate and me and dropped to my hand gripped tightly in Tate’s and a smile tugged at his lips. Tate’s body stiffened against mine and his hand squeezed mine to the point of hurt like he was making his claim on me.
“Stop it,” I hissed and shot him a pleading look.
“Sorry, just habit,” he whispered then peppered my jaw with a kiss.
“Thanks for coming in, Blake.” Mr. Davenport shuffled papers on the large conference table and looked towards Blake, holding out a pen and what looked to be a contract. “So you have been booked for the shoot next week and we are now just finalizing details. Savannah will be running the shoot on behalf of Beautify and Chelsea will be the female model for the campaign. If you can just sign here, we are good to go.”
Blake shook his head and shot a disgusted look at Chelsea. “Are you serious? I can’t work with her.”
“See? I told you, Savannah. Even Blake doesn’t want to work with you in your pathetic little fairytale world you are supposedly living in,” Chelsea spat before she threw her straw-looking hair over her shoulder and strutted towards Blake. I watched Blake closely; the look sweeping over his face was priceless.
“I wasn’t talking about Savannah, you idiot. I cannot work with you, Chelsea. I tend to not want to associate with fucked-up, conniving bitches.”
I couldn’t hide the smile of victory tugging on my lips.
Blake Ryan, you genius. The look of utter devastation Chelsea was wearing made me feel like a million bucks. I still had no clue of the history that Chelsea and Blake shared.
“Well isn’t this going to be a fun shoot,” Mr. Davenport mumbled under his breath.
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Just Breathe - My Review (no spoilers) – 9th July 2013
The Prologue was just about the sweetest thing I have ever read, and when I had read the whole book I Tweeted the lovely Rachel Brookes and said “Wow, just Wow”. Because that’s how I felt! The story was real and not overdone, the characters could all be someone we know and I think we all have friends that are like them a little bit, maybe not as hot and gorgeous but like them all the same. Tanzi (Sav’s BFF) & Jack (Tanzi’s boyfriend) are adorably funny.
Savannah is a feisty, gorgeous Australian in LA, perhaps a little off the rails due to the ghosts of her past, but I loved her for her sassy, smart mouth.
But holy hell when she lays eyes on Tate Connors for the very first time you know sparks are going to fly:
“He was what I liked to call my perfect prey. And he ticked all the right boxes: dark brown, scruffy just had a wild time in bed hair – check; piercing blue eyes, - check; eyelashes that lasted for days – check; and a set of lips that were begging to be bitten - check” (Savannah)
“I watched his lips closely as they made their way toward me in all their pink pouty glory, that bottom lip…god, I’d love to bite it” (Savannah)
Yes me too!
Well I have to say I was practically salivating by now, and completely sold on Tate Connors too. Who gives a damn if he’s a player, notorious for his womanizing and partying, I wanted his ass right there and then and so did Savannah! Soon she was falling victim to the “Tate Connors effect”. The banter between them was laugh out loud funny and sexy as hell in equal measures. And yes it was very steamy in places, in fact it was sizzling right off the page.
Savannah and Tate both have ghosts from their pasts that continue to haunt them to this day and that was never going to make this relationship all plain sailing, but the twists and turns this story took me on broke my heart more than a few times and I really wanted them to get their happy ever after.
“What are you doing to me, Sav? he asked breathlessly
This book is not the end of Savannah & Tate’s story, and I can’t wait to see where Ms Brookes is going to take them next.
As a debut book, Rachel Brookes has done real good, this girl is going places, and I will be following, I’m sure you will be too.
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Just Breathe was your debut novel, how long had Tate and Sav been in your head when you decided to write their story?
Sav was the first one to decide to invade my mind and she didn’t leave. Around December 2012 she moved in and she hasn’t left since. It was almost three months before I opened up a blank word document and started writing what would become Just Breathe.
How long did it take you to get Just Breathe how you wanted it?
I started writing Just Breathe in February 2013 and was finished late May 2013
The Prologue in Just Breathe was one of the most beautiful prologues i have read, was it a labor of love for you?
When I wrote it I was completely in tears. It was something different and it was something that was so pivotal for the story. I needed readers to see just how amazing Sav’s dad was without him being in the story. Letters are such an important thing in my life so I needed to transfer it into my books.
Has it always been your ambition to write?
Definitely. Writing has been something that I have always loved doing and being able to write now and have people read and enjoy my words is a dream come true.
What are the biggest challenges Indie authors face when trying to get their stories out to the readers?
I think getting noticed and be able to spread your work through the community. Word of mouth is so important in this industry and you definitely have to have support behind you to get your work out there. It’s a constant cycle but in the process you get to meet some of the most amazing people and I personally have made some awesome friends in the process of sharing my work.
You recently attended your first author signing event and met some of your author heroines how did it feel to be a part of that?
It was such an amazing event and such a surreal day. Being amongst my peers and to be with some of my favourite authors was incredible. Definitely a day I will never forget. I still can’t believe this is my life.
In Breathless we get Tate's POV, what was it like getting inside Tate's head?
I absolutely loved it. He is a tortured soul and I needed to tell his side of things. I think after the way Just Breathe finished and his reaction to certain situations, he definitely needed to show who he was and why he reacted the way he did.
Breathe Again, brought Tate & Sav's story to the perfect end, are you sad to see this series end?
I definitely shed a tear when I typed the end. These two have been my life for over a year now. I was sad to finish their story but I was happy that I gave them the ending they deserved, well I hope I did. I am happy to announce that we will be seeing them again as I am planning to write a book for Blake in the future.
Your Bombshells street team is a truly dedicated bunch of bloggers and readers who support you, how much does it mean to you to have their continued support?
Their support means so much to me. I love having a group of people who I can bounce ideas off, share exciting news and just have a really positive environment to hang out in. It’s been one of the best decisions I have made. Wouldn’t be able to do this without them.
Tell us something we don't know about you?
I managed a band in my early twenties
What can readers expect next from Rachel Brookes?
I am currently in the process of writing Be My December. It is a brand new book with new characters and I am so excited to be writing it. I am looking at a mid year release.