Reviewed by Desere
The expression 'Everything happens for a reason" has always been a favourite of mine but never has it been so perfectly depicted as in the new read from Natalie Anderson.
The read is about Chelsea, after her fiancée being tragically killed in a car accident and she severely injuring her leg, her life tumbles to the ground and she looses her independence. Letting others help her is the one thing she hates most, so she fights her way back to the top, making sure she can and will do things for herself and she does a truly great job at it.
She doesn't count on ending up in the arms of don't-deny-your-attraction-to-me-or-I'll-have-to-prove-it Xander. Soon there is a blazing hot passionate affair between them but this is only sex to the both of them, Xander lives for fun and fun only, and Chelsea does not need some hunky do me every-way everywhere you want lifeguard to save her, she does things on her own or not at all.
The character of Chelsea was for me as reader was one that showed courage and strength in fighting to get her life back on track, a strong heroine is always remarkable, but at the same time this heroine was something else. She goes from strong and independent to a complete helpless mess and back to her ready to fight mode and yes back again to complete mess.
This might sound like a see -saw character that no doubt will turn you off , but the reasoning behind her actions were so stunningly depicted and explained by the author and it brought me the understanding I needed into her fears, the more I read the more evolved and remarkable she became.
The character of Xander was a true hero, not the usual kind a woman dreams of, more the 'I will only be using this sex on legs for a good time' kind. He is hot with a capital H and is guaranteed to bring every female reader to her knees.
But at the same time he is the understanding kind, the man is able to draw out pleasure and at the same time he is able to tell what Chelsea needs on a emotional level. That is not something we always see in romance reads, as it goes from meeting each other to the hot sex and then the I love you's comes, with no real depth into the in between and the what he or she is able to do for each other. The fact that author let him be so in tune with Chelsea and her emotions, slowly but surely drawing her out from her shell made him the perfect bad-boy hero, and gave me as reader the true level of depth for this read that most reads completely miss.
The backdrop settings were fun and exciting, but mainly very wild and oh so very sexy! From the very wild and controlling 'office sex' scene to the anger overload aquarium scene the entire read was filled with wild, crazy, hot unbridled passion.
The author packed so much emotion behind the sex that it brought tears to my eyes it was truly as if I could feel not only the very raw heat between Xander and Chelsea but I could almost touch the emotions of joy, anger, fear, lust and pain.
The dialogue was flirty and extremely sexy, you will be squirming in your seat when you hear the things Xander says to Chelsea, and I am willing to bet there isn't a woman alive that would be able to resist. But the author also gave it her all on the emotional front.
She took the characters dialogue from flirting to wild in seconds and to kind and caring in a heartbeat. Yes a few curse words were used here and there, but not to the point of overuse or to the point where the curses were killing off the romance element of the read completely.
No more to the point of it being real life depicted, as in certain relationship moments today's couples do actually get to the f@#% you point in their conversations This to me as reader showed that the author really created remarkable characters that were realistic and that many readers can connect to. Fantastic work Natalie.
Now if your thinking that because of the high level of sexual content in this read as I mentioned that this is another 50 shades erotica you would be very wrong, the difference lies in what the author has done with her characters, giving us a stronger more believable hero and heroine, a better and more powerful message and a more in depth look into the characters, their emotions and ultimately what can save them.
I highly recommend this read for lovers of realistic romance with a sexual content that is pushed from vanilla sex to vanilla with sensory overload of drizzled strawberry syrup topped with whipped cream and covered with a blanket of true soul-mate found love.
I am very much looking forward to the other three books in this series, as the author let me in on the friends of Xander and I can tell that we are in for one heck of a ride with these boys. I fully anticipate this series to hit the best sellers list.
5/5 star review
"Learning how to breathe by giving the kiss of life"
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Reviewed by Nancy Crocker
Breathe For Me by Natalie Anderson
Still recovering from a devastating car accident, which took the life of her finance Tom. Chelsea doesn't want to feel that kind of pain and lost ever again. She is just starting to get her life back on track, by moving to New York City for a few months while doing an internship and working on a post-grad qualification. But she is finding it extremely difficult to not give in to temptation.
Xander Lawson is the "lets have fun only type of guy". He is loyal, has great friends, self made, flirty, loves to lend a hand, rescues damsels when needed. But when it comes to love, he wants no part of it. Not after the life he and his mother suffered at the hands of his father. He can rock your world in bed and even up against the wall, but don't make the mistake of falling in love, because that is when he checks out.
From the moment Chelsea Greene and Xander Lawson meet you can almost feel the sizzling attraction. Just one touch from the very witty and sinfully attractive Xander, has Chelsea feeling things she hasn't felt for almost two years. Once these two agree to have sex it is with the understanding, that this is all it will ever be for both of them ... Or I'll it ? This is one VERY Intense and passionate read. The scenes were extremely HOT. I also loved Xander's humor in this book, there were quite a few chuckles. I found it very hard to set this book down, until I was finished.
This was the first book by Natalie Anderson for me, but I look forward to reading many more in the future. I can't wait to read Logan Hughes story in Beg For Me!
5/5 stars
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Reviewed by Maria
I haven't read such a hot read in a while. It really made me sit up.
At the core, it's a love story. Chelsea was maimed in an accident which took her fiance's life. She was left with a damaged leg and her life was interrupted. She's now living in New York City and trying to make it in life without the cushion of parental protectiveness. Xander Lawson was a child from a broken home. His father was violent and controlling. He has become something in life, owning an engineering degree and a security company. But deep inside, he's hurting.
It's said that when two people are destined for each other, they recognize each other, even if they don't really realize it at the time. Xander and Chelsea embark on a sexual relationship. Neither of them wants anything long term and permanent but they both want the kind of emotional release which they seem to be able to get only with each other. As they explore the depths of intimacy and sexuality, the unthinkable happens. They fall in love.
Natalie Anderson writes deep, sexy, passionate prose. She literally takes the reader by the hand and boldly goes where other writers don't. Short of being in bed with Xander and Chelsea, I couldn't have gotten in any deeper. Arousing? Yeah, very much so.
Therein lies the problem. How do you go back to washing the dishes and cooking dinner having explored the depths of fantasy with Xander and Chelsea?
This couple get so intimate that they feel each others' pain. The healing can begin when they literally go over that edge - going that extra mile with each other on the road to recovery and self discovery.
It's a human, sexually vivid story.
It's a very precious story.
So I would hate for someone to misread it and classify it as a 'dirty book'.
For mature readers only.
It explored levels of commitment and possessiveness that had me sitting up and taking notice. And it was that closeness, that intimacy, that moved me much more than the sexploration, the sex play and the role playing. Heck, being a fly on the wall is NOT much fun.
It also made me want to grab hold of my significant other. And get down and dirty.
Kudos to Natalie Anderson for her courage in writing a book like this. Any fault? Well, I don't fancy sharing my private world with the greater world out there - I wasn't sure if Chelsea would either.
As a certain Irishman used to say, books are neither bad nor good. Books are well written or badly written, that is all.
This was well written. Very much so.
4.5/5
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Reviewed by Nas
BREATHE FOR ME by USA Today Bestselling Author Natalie Anderson is an April 2013 release.
Chelsea Greene was caught with the elevator not working during a fire alarm in her building. And she was in a bikini as she was on the roof top pool when the alarm sounded.
So when Xander Lawson swung her in his arms and carried her down, she didn’t really want to let go! But what was she hiding behind the hurt in her eyes? Was she ready to let go of the past to move into the future?
Xander had his own demons. He didn’t really want any commitments. He wasn’t ready, would he ever be?
BREATHE FOR ME is a sensual romance which would bring tears at it’s emotional intensity. It also has off the charts sexual chemistry between Xander and Chelsea. This is a story about recovering from past guilt and grief and moving forward. The premise was wonderful and story moved along very fast. Natalie Anderson has once again penned a superb, engrossing and fascinating romance which kept me hooked from the first page.
I loved this story and highly recommend it.
My rating 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Return to Romance Book Haven
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Reviewed by TashNz
An intensely powerful, captivating and gripping story about Xander and Chelsea who meet during a fire alarm in their apartment building. Chelsea is slower than everyone else and suddenly "Superman" appears and carries her down many flights of stairs. It's the start of something amazing that both of them promise each other they wont analyse and it is what it is for as long as it lasts with NO strings!
Chelsea's story is wonderfully crafted, unique and so heartbreaking that I was completely engrossed in the story, hoping she would get her happy every after. Xander is to die for! He has it all - looks - brains - money and while he is damaged in his own way he really is a super hero for Chelsea in so many ways.
The heat level in this book is insanely hot, Natalie does warn us she's ramped it up but I'm pleased to say that her usual humour she has used in past books has shone thru as well. Another thing Natalie does that gets a massive tick from me is she gives her heroes sexy, strong and masculine names. Chapter Three introduces us to Hunter, Logan and Rocco.
...She walked, lifting her chin with resolve, giving the doorman a quick smile of thanks before looking out to the street— and stopped so suddenly the person behind almost barged into her.... too dazzled by the sight running past on the other side of the road. Four of them running along the opposite sidewalk, looking like a Nike ad. All of them athletic gods in shorts and tees. Hell, one was without the tee. It was— “Oh my,” she couldn’t contain herself.
It had me dreaming/hoping/wishing that Hunter, Logan and Rocco all get their own stories too... it was a fist-pump moment when I found out the answer was YES!!!
Breathe for Me is intense in many ways, Xander and Chelsea's chemistry, Chelsea's background, Xander's pursuit of Chelsea, I just couldn't put this down and I can.not.wait for Logan's story. I liked that Hunter, Logan and Rocco feature heavily thru out the story and I loved the humor interspersed thru the characters dialoge. Another thing I really liked about the story is that there was actually a story, there was substance, which is lacking from so many stories out there today where the heat level is higher than boiling point.
Totally couldn't put this down once I started, I would highly recommend for any Natalie Anderson fan, for anyone who is looking for substance to match an off the Richter Scale heat level and for anyone who loves connected books and for anyone who still dreams of being rescued by Superman!
