Complimentary copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Olivia is a New York psychologist studying the impact of trauma on servicemen and first responders. Professionally, things are pretty good for her, but her personal life? That’s another story. Having dated a man for over two years only to find out he’s married with kids, she’s having a hard time picking up the pieces of her broken heart and is far from willing to trust another man. At the insistence of an old friend who lives in Seattle, where there just happens to be a conference Olivia can attend to present her work, she begrudgingly finds herself at the airport, headed to the conference and for a little girl’s time.
Owen is a NY fire fighter. He’s hot, dedicated to his job, and is a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy, having been burned in his last serious relationship (no pun intended). When the opportunity presents itself to head to Seattle for a weekend of bachelor debauchery with his two best friends, Owen also finds himself at the airport.
Olivia and Owen happen upon each other in the airport lounge and immediately sparks fly. While nothing really happens other than some innocent flirting, they find themselves on the same flight… in the airplane’s bathroom, just short of joining the Mile High Club. When they get to Seattle, they make plans to meet up at some point; never really thinking anything will come of it. What happens over the course of the next couple of days is something neither one of them saw coming. Owen finds himself brushing off his friends in favor of spending time with Olivia, but when Olivia’s lack of trust rears its ugly head, she finds herself back on a plane to New York, thinking things with Owen are done.
When Owen returns to NY, neither of them can resist the pull towards each other and they find themselves in an actual relationship, something neither of them had originally intended. But when former lovers return, the relationship is put to the test and they’re each questioning whether a future together is really possible, given they are both so broken by their previous relationships. Can they each ever learn to trust again, but more importantly, can Olivia stop running at the first sign of trouble?
Rescue Breathing was hot (again, no pun intended!), there’s no doubt about that! But unfortunately the ease at which Olivia is willing to walk away from their budding relationship starts to get old. She’s constantly insecure and suspicious, and while her past should make her leery of jumping into a relationship, it gets to be too much after a while. They fight, they make up. They fight, they make up. Rinse, lather, repeat. Some of that could have been edited out and it really wouldn’t detract from the story. The angst, distrust, and heat are all still there, but things would have been just fine if there just hadn’t been quite so much of it.
Rescue Breathing is a solid four stars. The book was well written and again, HOT and I was able to finish it within a day it kept me so interested. The characters were well developed and Owen was certainly swoon-worthy! I will definitely continue with this series, as I’m eager to find out how things work out, not only for Olivia and Owen, but for their friends as well.