Release Blitz + Review + Excerpt | Breathe (Hollow Ridge #2) by C.L. Matthews --> 5 Stars
TITLE: Breathe
SERIES: Hollow Ridge #2
AUTHOR: C.L. Matthews
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: April 14th, 2020
You’d think five years would be enough time to cope and move on. It’s not. If anything, it’s given me more unrealistic ways to deal with my loss. More pain. And even worse, a woman I don’t love. A woman that isn’t her. I hate her. She hates me, too. My life’s a mess. My heart’s nonexistent. My soul was lost long ago. Worst of all, I no longer have any fucks to give. They say you find your true love after you lose your first one. I call bullshit.
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5 “Love The Hate Out Of Me” Stars
Where do I start with this review? There’s so many emotions flowing through me right now that I don’t exactly know how to put into coherent words my impressions on Breathe. Gah… this book! I live for stories that hurt and make me an emotional mess, before getting to the healing part. The ones that twist me with all the highs and lows. Well, Breathe is that type of story! C.L. Matthews, with her stunning prose dripping with words of ache and passion, obliterated my heart time and time again with Toby and Joey’s stormy love story! I won’t enter into too much details about the storyline, because it just needs to be experienced. It’s not an easy read, some scenes will have you raging and hurting, but others will have you fanning yourself from the pure hotness. Others will have you swooning over the romance of this couple when they’re in sync, but you’ll also shed tears when they’re breaking. And yes… there’s a lot of breaking between these two damaged people! Toby is a character I really enjoyed in Inhale, Exhale. I was so sad about his relationship with Lo that only made him bleed from the inside out, and was definitely curious about his own story and possible happily ever after. I wished for him to finally heal from all this heartache. Breathe clearly shows that he’s a broken man, but not only from Lo’s treatment. His brokenness comes from very early on in his life and left a destructive mark on him. Maybe that’s his wrecked heart that recognizes Joey’s own despair at first glance. They certainly share a deep bond from the start and I loved their connection. There’s an important age gap between them, but they just click! Their relationship is certainly a rollercoaster, but I loved this intensely passionate ride. Breathe is a book you need to read! If you love books that shows you the beautiful as much as the ugly, the sad and the happy, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this novel! Even if it's not required, I highly recommend to read the first novel in the Hollow Ridge Series to better understand this novel and the dynamic between the characters.
** ARC received in exchange for an honest review **
I bottle the resentment and hatred as one would a black widow and praying mantis in a jar, wondering which would strike first and who would conquer all.
One time, Wes caught one of each in two separate jars. It annoyed me that he captured two beautiful creatures just to hold them hostage and watch them waste away.
He set the glasses side by side, mirrors, almost doorways, to see how calculated each species was.
The intrigue in his eyes terrified me, let me know something inside him may be darker than I bargained for, yet I did nothing but watch.
His fingers caressed the one housing the bright green mantis. He leaned in close, his eyes narrowing on the stillness, I'm sure.
When the insect didn't move, only keeping a stock-still position, I wondered if maybe fear kept it frozen in place, but like Wes knew something I didn't, he smiled.
The way his lips tilted at the edges conspiratorially made my insides squeeze uncomfortably. As a predator or person with a lack of empathy would, he gave me chills, but for some reason, it didn't force my eyes away.
Like the impact when music hits really loud, the bass bumping throughout your body, I could only prepare for the cacophony of bulldozing emotions.
After deciding whatever he needed, he stared at the widow. Its red stomach patch faced away from us as it protected itself by hiding in the lid, but Wes saw. Tapping the lid several times, we watched as the spider plopped to the bottom.
He bit the inside of his cheek wordlessly, causing an insane curiosity to bite at my mind.It made zero sense.
This was barbaric, but I didn't do a single thing to stop this from escalating.He unscrewed the lids, lifting both cylinders at the same time. Nothing could prepare me for what I witnessed next.
Anxiety gnawed at my stomach, creating an untamable distress to bubble through my chest. It burned and ached, acting as an early warning system as the two foes faced off.
Neither moved.
They both stood motionless, almost calculating, watching, observing the opponent.
It never occurred to me which would win, but staring at the black widow, knowing its bite was as deadly as it was vicious, my mind had made itself up.
It struck first. The widow went straight for the jugular, and that was its first mistake—taking the easy shot, the uncalculated risk of striking first.
The mantis, as if knowing all along, gripped the spider with its pincers, holding it like it was sushi, his arms the chopsticks of death.
It squeezed and squeezed, making sure to eat its legs while it writhed in its hold. Nausea built inside me, suffocating my every breath, but the mantis didn't stop to recognize how uncomfortable I was.
How could it know?
This was a dog-eat-dog world. In this case, a mantis-eat-widow one, he did what he had to do to survive. He won, eating his winnings like a gloating king after battle.
And I learned something valuable that day: always watch your six, don't trust words, and never take the first shot. I'd never lay victim to a man ever again.
THE HOLLOW RIDGE SERIES
Book #1
Inhale, Exhale
$2.99 for a limited time / FREE in KU
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.
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