Monday, February 4, 2013

"Exhale" by Kendall Grey

EXHALE

by KENDALL GREY






COVER DESCRIPTION

The man of Zoe Morgan’s dreams isn’t only real, he’s interested. In her. But her boss wants her too, and is leveraging his unsolicited advances with the threat of blocking the huge promotion she's after. When he places a spy on her research team, the intense stranger discovers more than he should, and Zoe fears hiding a relationship with Gavin Cassidy from her boss is the least of her worries. The whale she must protect has been marked for death, and Zoe's old enemy Scarlet is eager to deliver the killing blow. To both of them.

Australia’s Sentinels must find and lock the door into the Dreaming before Fyre Elementals launch another attack on innocent dreamers. But corruption and distrust abound, and Gavin believes someone on the Sentinel council is in league with the Fyres. As he reluctantly embraces his new role as council leader, Gavin must not only keep Zoe safe from Scarlet's vengeful clutches, but organize a Sentinel defense strong enough to prevent a full-blown Elemental war—with a traitor fighting by his side.

*This book contains graphic language, sex, and violence. Not suitable for readers under the age of 18.

**The author will donate all profits from the sale of the JUST BREATHE trilogy to programs that educate people about whales and the challenges they face.

MY REVIEW 

"Exhale" continues the story begun in Kendall Grey's book "Inhale".  It is the second in a series of three and I enjoyed it more than I did "Inhale".  

by Chinese artist An He
I understood the Elements theme a bit better in this book, which made it easier to follow.  That part of the story hasn't hooked me so far though.  And, like in "Inhale", I wasn't crazy about some of the metaphors in this book. There are other pieces in this book that do have me completely pulled in and eager to read about in "Just Breathe", the last in the series.  In fact, as soon as I finished "Exhale" I downloaded "Just Breathe" to my Kindle and started reading right away.

Zoe and Gavin are so completely, passionately, truly in love.  I may have to have a word with Ms Grey if they don't end up together at the end of "Just Breathe"!  Their desire for each other, the sexual attraction, is smoking hot.  The descriptions of their sexual experiences on a physical, emotional, and mental level pull you in.  I found myself reading faster when things started to heat up and smiling or raising my eyebrows when one said something especially seductive to the other.  

Zoe and Gavin's love story is more than sexual attraction though - part of what makes it so appealing.  They each have obligations outside of their relationship that they have to fulfill.  The theme of the Elements in the story creates its own challenges for their relationship.  They know that although they want each other immensely, there are other considerations and they love each other enough to respect those other considerations.

There is one other character that I must mention - Scarlet.  God help me if I knew the woman it would take everything in me to not smack her upside the head!  She is sexy and gorgeous and conniving and evil to the core.  She has a ravenous appetite and doesn't care what she has to do to satisfy her appetite.  She has many agendas in the story and is one of those characters that you love to hate.

We learn more about both Gavin's and Zoe's families in this story and are introduced to a couple of new characters.  I literally gasped in one scene when there was a revelation about one of these new characters.  A revelation I didn't see coming at all.  

Ms Grey also gives us another very well done ending.  In fact, this one is way better than the one in "Inhale", and I liked the one in "Inhale" very much.  Get out the hanky people!  You're gonna need it!

I admit that I am hooked at this point.  I can't wait to find out what happens with Zoe and Gavin and I hope that Scarlet gets everything she deserves.  And, I can't forget to mention the beautiful story about the whales. It's sweet and touching and I hope they are treated with the grace and respect that such gorgeous creatures deserve as the series winds down.

If you read "Inhale" but haven't read "Exhale", do something about that.  Hold on to your heart.  Be prepared to smile and cry and find yourself giving advice to characters.  "Exhale" is a ride you don't want to miss.   

About the Author

Kendall Grey, word wrangler, whale warrior, wicked wench, and lover of tongue-tripping alliteration, was born without an off-switch between her brain and mouth. She's been called the "Flux Capacitor of Twitter" (@kendallgrey1) and "A little package of love all wrapped up in F-word paper," but she's really just a maniacal writer relaying eyewitness accounts of the rave inside her head. She writes urban fantasy with strong romantic elements and also dabbles in erotica and horror on occasion.

Kendall lives off a dirt road near Atlanta, Georgia, but don't hold that against her.


You can connect with her here:


justbreathenovels.com
kendallgrey.com

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