Review Tour | Inhale, Exhale (Hollow Ridge #1) by C.L. Matthews --> 5 Stars
TITLE: Inhale, Exhale
AUTHOR: C.L. Matthews
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: August 13th, 2019
"I do."
Two words woven in love.
In sickness and in health.
For better or for worse.
Til death do us part.
And death dragged us apart.
We both said these vows.
But neither of us kept them.
This is not one of those happy stories.
Life isn't made of simple choices and happily ever afters.
It's a dark place.
It's not easy.
It's full of mistakes and lessons.
It hurts.
And in the end, those two words said in love, are the same ones said in hate.
"You want a divorce?"
"I do."
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5 “Breathe” Stars
Wow!!! Inhale, Exhale was my very first read by C.L. Matthew and I’m so impressed! This is such a powerful, deeply emotional story that deal with actual subjects like depression, grief and cheating. The characters aren’t perfect, in fact they’re so flawed, but they make this novel so real!
"Scars made by people can go many ways. They can slice you in the skin. They can slice to the bone. They can even sever limbs entirely. But scars of the heart, the untouchable ones, the ones that ache deeper but are invisible, branded, tattooed, those scars are the ones you feel forever."
I should warn you that this book isn’t for everyone, because it can test your convictions, but it’s so worth it for the level of feels it delivers. Loren and Jason make a lot mistakes throughout this read. Inexcusable you would say, but that’s the beauty of reading; you experience the internal thoughts of the heroes and understand better what drives them to make their choices.
I enjoyed that the first part of the book presents the characters as teenagers and shows how their relationships started! Lo develops a conformable friendship with the funny and sweet Toby. As much as he tries to pursue something more, she always put him in the friend zone. When she later meets his brother Jase, she loses her heart for good! Eighteen years later, Lo and Jase’s marriage is in shambles after multiple challenging events and heart-breaking actions! It’s truly painful to see their love life so fucked up by their faults, but you still feel the fragile love shining between them.
Every action has a consequence and it’s so true with the way this story unravels with intrigue, heartache, passion, jealousy, possession, manipulation! Inhale, Exhale is a punch to the heart! I found myself choked up by the high and lows of emotion going from so beautiful, to cruelly agonizing, to sinfully hot! It’s not an easy story to read and the author plays with your feelings, but omg what a journey!!!
"My heart is a tricky bastard. It loves without fault. It doesn't falter or pause to beat thoroughly before loving deeply. My heart betrays my mind. It eats at my soul, takes every part of me, and gives it away."
With her stunning prose, C.L. Matthews achieves to present a truly poignant story that confronts your beliefs and integrates a few surprises along the way! I don’t want to reveal more of the storyline, but listen to me and grab this captivating novel! If you aren’t afraid of a roller-coaster ride that will break you, leave you breathless than repair you, I absolutely recommend Inhale, Exhale!!!
** ARC received in exchange for an honest review **
C.L. MATTHEWS
C.L. Matthews resides in Utah, the state with the best snow on earth. She is not a fan of the snow but loves her state just the same. She is known for her swag business and creative pieces. C.L. Matthews is a swag maker, reader, and a fairly new author, it isn't an easy task but she wants to succeed in many things. Her hobbies consist of crafting, drinking coffee until she can't consume any more, and reading until she falls asleep with books in her lap. C.L. Matthews is married to her childhood best friend, she got her happily ever after.
