Breathe is book four in the series and I have been wanting this story ever since we saw glimpses of this couple in Lady Luck. This features the town cop hero Chace and the local librarian Faye. Faye is quiet and loves to read, she carries a book with her everywhere that she goes. And she has been in love with Chace for years. Chace is widowed, having just cleaned up the police department of crooked cops, and has his own inner demons. But after meeting with Faye in the woods one night, his attention shifts to her and he is captivated by this strong yet quiet woman who is lovely and smart. But he still has enemies, and as Faye and Chace connect and try to save a little boy who is on his own, fearful and being abused, they find the murderer of the town and find a love worth fighting for. I’ll let you in on a secret, honey. The knight who has serious chinks in his armor but never falls is the true hero. That means he’s won battles and doesn’t waste time polishing his armor so he can look good while he rides in parades that are tributes to his glory. He just drags himself back on his steed and keeps right on battling. And if he’s the right kind of knight, he never rides alone. The best heroes inspire loyalty. The best heroes keep fighting the good fight, tirelessly, quietly. The best heroes always have scars. If they didn’t, the heroine would have nothing to do. It’s her job to help the hero let all that stuff go in order that her man can be strong enough to fight on but when he’s with her he’s free to just ‘breathe’. Breathe is one of my favorites of the series so far, it was just a endearing read and I really love librarian characters, especially bookish heroines because I relate with them so well and I liked seeing Faye and Chace get their story told. I was also hooked on the story of the little boy they are trying to rescue. His story is pretty sad but we see the good in Faye and Chace as they try to build trust with this scared little boy who is all alone it seems. I was hoping for a different outcome in how he ends up, but it was still a happy ending so it was still good. The romance that develops between Chace and Faye is sweet, poignant and heartfelt. Its a story that was the perfect way to end Valentine’s Week for sure.

2nd edition shelved for book challenge purposes. (for re reads of books within the same year) Full review here - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This was a very good story about a shy, introverted librarian and a cynical cop. They have had so many obstacles to overcome to get together. The most emotional part of the story was about the young boy that they both start trying to help even though he won't communicate with them. The romance was sweet and enjoyable. Another good Kristen Ashley story.

I probably would’ve loved this when I first started reading KA years ago, but I sadly just wasn’t a big fan of the main characters. Faye, the 28/29 year old virgin who’s been pining for him for almost a decade? 😐 And Chace, the hero who always has to get his way or it’s the highway? So the MCs are meh but I did like everything outside of them.