What do you think?
Rate this book
Breach
The boundary between battlefield and home front blurs. Are there wounds love can heal? Marleigh Mulcahy grew up in a boxing gym, the daughter of hard-drinking parents who didn't keep a stable roof overhead. In the cinder-block Box-n-Go, amidst the sweat and funk, she meets EOD specialist Jace Holt, a highly and expensively trained bomb diffuser with three successful deployments behind him. With a heady mix of hope, carelessness, and a ridiculous amount of courage, they begin a family. When Jace returns to active duty, a roadside bomb resurrects ghosts from the couple's past and threatens the life they've built.An unflinching and timely gaze into the marriage of an enlisted special operator and his wife, Breach is a story of betting it all on love, a couple's determination to change the trajectory of their lives, and one woman's promises to the man she loves and the boys they're raising. What choices will a desperate mother make to keep her family whole?
- GenresFiction
312 pages, Paperback
Published May 17, 2022
4 people are currently reading
3490 people want to read
About the author
Kelly Sokol
2 books104 followersKelly Sokol is a Pushcart-Prize nominated author and MFA-Creative Writing graduate from Goddard College. She has been featured on NPR, discussing the portrayal of motherhood and postpartum depression in fiction. She teaches creative writing at The Muse Writers Center and through Tidewater Arts Outreach.
When she is not reading, writing or parenting, Kelly dreams, in color, of the mountains. She can often be found skiing or wandering the backcountry. The mother of two plucky daughters, she resides in Virginia.
When she is not reading, writing or parenting, Kelly dreams, in color, of the mountains. She can often be found skiing or wandering the backcountry. The mother of two plucky daughters, she resides in Virginia.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 9, 2022
In a simple context, I believe this is a book about the meaning of love and identifying with that person. Beyond that, it looks at how emotionally traumatic experiences affect those serving in the military making it more likely that they may have an issue with re-entry into civilian life.
Page one of this well-written book mentions what happens when we are sleeping and sets the stage for us to recognize that clearing away damage is essential for us to survive and thrive.
The very first chapter of the book draws us into this love story with the protagonist Marleigh meeting Jace and stating she'd be able to sense him somehow, even if she couldn't see him. Interestingly, many people believe that body odor is more important for attraction than appearance and that people put off a natural scent that may or may not attract different people.
Marleigh and Jace hook up at a traumatic time and together they go on to create a family. Sokol related how previous experiences tied into Marleigh's and Jace's perception of life's events and I must state that I felt Sokol's description of the Holt family unit seemed very true to what one might expect.
This carefully crafted love story points out the positive and negative effects of traumatic experiences and I appreciated how the Sioux legend tied into the story as well as the italicized communications while Jace was deployed.
This story made me think about the statement “ounces equal pounds, pounds equal pain,” being used as a description for more than just innovative material choices as people often express emotions in terms of weight - such as a "heavy heart".
There are many things you can learn from this book. I felt the most important takeaway was that we connect with others when we share experiences. In the process of sharing trauma, we learn to, cope with mistakes or changes in our environment and we learn to appreciate life, see new possibilities, and set new goals.
I received a copy of this book from Michelle Fitzgerald, Publicity Director at FSB Associates
Page one of this well-written book mentions what happens when we are sleeping and sets the stage for us to recognize that clearing away damage is essential for us to survive and thrive.
The very first chapter of the book draws us into this love story with the protagonist Marleigh meeting Jace and stating she'd be able to sense him somehow, even if she couldn't see him. Interestingly, many people believe that body odor is more important for attraction than appearance and that people put off a natural scent that may or may not attract different people.
Marleigh and Jace hook up at a traumatic time and together they go on to create a family. Sokol related how previous experiences tied into Marleigh's and Jace's perception of life's events and I must state that I felt Sokol's description of the Holt family unit seemed very true to what one might expect.
This carefully crafted love story points out the positive and negative effects of traumatic experiences and I appreciated how the Sioux legend tied into the story as well as the italicized communications while Jace was deployed.
This story made me think about the statement “ounces equal pounds, pounds equal pain,” being used as a description for more than just innovative material choices as people often express emotions in terms of weight - such as a "heavy heart".
There are many things you can learn from this book. I felt the most important takeaway was that we connect with others when we share experiences. In the process of sharing trauma, we learn to, cope with mistakes or changes in our environment and we learn to appreciate life, see new possibilities, and set new goals.
I received a copy of this book from Michelle Fitzgerald, Publicity Director at FSB Associates
June 7, 2022
As a whole, this story was great. I loved these strong characters and the growth that they went through from their first meeting till the very last pages in the novel. Sokol helped this world come to life with the descriptions and the emotional scenes we experienced. I could smell the boxing gym. The expanse of plains from Nebraska was a living thing in my living room. Each laugh, argument, and cry this couple had was something I got to participate in. I loved it all. When an author brings you into the story with beautiful writing is the what I crave every time I pick up a book. Kelly Sokol pretty much nailed it too! The Holt family became a really family in my world. I still have the wish for the family to both have happiness and heal from the pain they’ve experienced. I don’t even care that they are fictional! I can’t wait for you guys to give this story a shot and to meet the Holt family. Their boys are absolutely charming!
Kelly Sokol manages to check off so many positive things with this story. From her writing to her plot, Sokol makes you feel attached to Marleigh and Jace and their growing family. Anything they go thru from the very beginning just proves how much hope you have invested in these two and their happiness. Sokol leads these two individuals, who grew up in very damaged households, together and allows them to make better decisions than what they each had. It shows that just because you might have had a rough and broken past, if you strive to make the future better, then nothing is out of reach. The past shapes you, but your will makes you who you want to be.
Breach shows that life is truly a boxing match and the strongest will make it too that final bell. Time for the Next Round!
I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for a voluntary honest review.
Kelly Sokol manages to check off so many positive things with this story. From her writing to her plot, Sokol makes you feel attached to Marleigh and Jace and their growing family. Anything they go thru from the very beginning just proves how much hope you have invested in these two and their happiness. Sokol leads these two individuals, who grew up in very damaged households, together and allows them to make better decisions than what they each had. It shows that just because you might have had a rough and broken past, if you strive to make the future better, then nothing is out of reach. The past shapes you, but your will makes you who you want to be.
Breach shows that life is truly a boxing match and the strongest will make it too that final bell. Time for the Next Round!
I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for a voluntary honest review.
March 23, 2022
I had the privilege of reading an advance copy of this fabulous novel.
Like a powerful symphony, BREACH begins soft and cozy then builds and builds through successive movements until the final high-intensity climax. Marleigh and Jace jump off the page; real, raw, and ever captivating. This virtuoso story draws the reader into the characters' hearts and souls, to feel what they feel, love whom they love, grieve when they grieve, exult when they overcome. Can tortured yet determined souls triumph over flawed heritage and monumental challenges for the sake of those who depend on them? It depends...
Like a powerful symphony, BREACH begins soft and cozy then builds and builds through successive movements until the final high-intensity climax. Marleigh and Jace jump off the page; real, raw, and ever captivating. This virtuoso story draws the reader into the characters' hearts and souls, to feel what they feel, love whom they love, grieve when they grieve, exult when they overcome. Can tortured yet determined souls triumph over flawed heritage and monumental challenges for the sake of those who depend on them? It depends...
May 4, 2022
Loved this book! You could smell the gym; the leather boxing gloves, the ocean, the feelings of holding her children and the hope Marleigh held for her husband, children and herself ...the author's descriptions put you in the moment. Marleigh and Jace are a real love story and the strongest need and do survive. The author allows you to love, celebrate, grieve and find hope and strength.
June 4, 2022
While Marleigh and Jace definitely had their good and bad traits, a reader could want nothing more than their happily-ever-after.
Marleigh had fought for everything she had, but once she met Jace at her family’s boxing gym, he promised she’d have it easier. They both had paid their dues and were ready for happily-ever-after. But karma doesn’t always cooperate.
Jace’s job as a bomb diffuser with the Navy was a level of stress that most people could never even comprehend, and after every deployment, a little more of him seemed to be left behind. The transition back to family man was harder every time.
They never planned on having kids who would have to struggle as they had, but no one can ever really know the future. The characters in this book were so gripping, I gave the story 4 out of 5 stars. I’d recommend this book for those who enjoy character and family dramas, and military stories (although there is not actual combat re-told in the story, they were definitely a military family, which influenced everything).
https://booksithinkyoushouldread.blog...
Marleigh had fought for everything she had, but once she met Jace at her family’s boxing gym, he promised she’d have it easier. They both had paid their dues and were ready for happily-ever-after. But karma doesn’t always cooperate.
Jace’s job as a bomb diffuser with the Navy was a level of stress that most people could never even comprehend, and after every deployment, a little more of him seemed to be left behind. The transition back to family man was harder every time.
They never planned on having kids who would have to struggle as they had, but no one can ever really know the future. The characters in this book were so gripping, I gave the story 4 out of 5 stars. I’d recommend this book for those who enjoy character and family dramas, and military stories (although there is not actual combat re-told in the story, they were definitely a military family, which influenced everything).
https://booksithinkyoushouldread.blog...
April 15, 2022
Breach
by Kelly Sokol
Pub Date: 17 May 2022
5/5 Stars
Marleigh Mulcahy had a plan for her life. She would continue to work in her Granddad’s boxing gym and at the local tattoo parlor while taking classes to become a hygienist. She certainly wasn’t looking for love. Enter Jace Holt, handsome, cocky, EOD specialist on leave from the Navy.
The beauty of Marleigh and Jace’s love story was so real, it took me back to my own youth. But even as I followed the story their happiness, I couldn’t deny the premonition of sadness for what I felt was to come. The beauty of this book is that it recounts so adeptly all the beauty, grief and hope of love and real life.
Thank you to NetGalley and Koehler Books for the privilege of reviewing this ARC
by Kelly Sokol
Pub Date: 17 May 2022
5/5 Stars
Marleigh Mulcahy had a plan for her life. She would continue to work in her Granddad’s boxing gym and at the local tattoo parlor while taking classes to become a hygienist. She certainly wasn’t looking for love. Enter Jace Holt, handsome, cocky, EOD specialist on leave from the Navy.
The beauty of Marleigh and Jace’s love story was so real, it took me back to my own youth. But even as I followed the story their happiness, I couldn’t deny the premonition of sadness for what I felt was to come. The beauty of this book is that it recounts so adeptly all the beauty, grief and hope of love and real life.
Thank you to NetGalley and Koehler Books for the privilege of reviewing this ARC
January 8, 2026
The characters really come to life and you feel like you are right there with them experiencing their challenges, triumphs and defeats. You will root for them and want so badly for them to catch a break, but it seems they are destined for heartache and a life of never quite enough. Their struggles are real and Marleigh's determination to create a better life for herself and her children is inspiring. I am still wondering what happens next for the characters after reading the last page and wanting their story to continue seems like the best way to know if you really enjoyed the read. Highly recommend this gripping tale.
August 20, 2022
Some of us bear continual hardships that others might never encounter. Marleigh Mulcahy is one of these people. Both her parents are addicted to alcohol, and she was raised in a boxing gym by her grandfather. She is working through school to be a dental technologist, but has to work several jobs to make ends meet. Her grandfather fades into dementia and eventual death. Life seems stacked against her.
While in the gym, she meets a young Navy EOD specialist named Jace. (He disarms bombs while deployed.) They quickly fall in love and desire to found a family of their dreams. At first, it seems that they are succeeding in these hopes, but life’s challenges again seep in. Jace struggles with understanding his experiences in a combat zone, and Marleigh is understandably overwhelmed by being a new navy mom. Questions and doubts loom: Will they be able to fulfill their dreams or will they encounter more hardships to forestall their progress?
That much of the story I just described makes this book seem like a simple romance. That plot-line, however, spans only the first half of the book. The story evolves over and over again and becomes not a tale of simple love but primarily of resilience and human dignity. It speaks especially to women whose lives might not match up with their earlier dreams. Marleigh continues to try to live up, again and again, to the dreams that Jace and her aspired to when they started.
Sometimes, Sokol makes Marleigh seem to lose her focus and all hope. The despair of pressing on with the present seems to overcome the narrative. Marleigh is so used to encountering bad things in life that she forgets that life can bring positive developments as well. When these good things happen, she rekindles her spirit and her family’s spirits, and her story becomes one of perseverance and of one woman’s strength.
People – especially women and especially those affiliated with the military – recalibrating their life aims will benefit from reading this book. It presents a nice combination of adjusting to reality while continuing to press on in hope. Life is not easy, and Marleigh’s story is not easy. Nonetheless, her determination and adjustments make her a noble character who saves her life and her family’s lives through maintaining dignity amidst oppressive circumstances. The old adage, “You can only control your choices, not your circumstances,” proves true here, and Marleigh reminds us to dig for strength deeper and deeper within.
While in the gym, she meets a young Navy EOD specialist named Jace. (He disarms bombs while deployed.) They quickly fall in love and desire to found a family of their dreams. At first, it seems that they are succeeding in these hopes, but life’s challenges again seep in. Jace struggles with understanding his experiences in a combat zone, and Marleigh is understandably overwhelmed by being a new navy mom. Questions and doubts loom: Will they be able to fulfill their dreams or will they encounter more hardships to forestall their progress?
That much of the story I just described makes this book seem like a simple romance. That plot-line, however, spans only the first half of the book. The story evolves over and over again and becomes not a tale of simple love but primarily of resilience and human dignity. It speaks especially to women whose lives might not match up with their earlier dreams. Marleigh continues to try to live up, again and again, to the dreams that Jace and her aspired to when they started.
Sometimes, Sokol makes Marleigh seem to lose her focus and all hope. The despair of pressing on with the present seems to overcome the narrative. Marleigh is so used to encountering bad things in life that she forgets that life can bring positive developments as well. When these good things happen, she rekindles her spirit and her family’s spirits, and her story becomes one of perseverance and of one woman’s strength.
People – especially women and especially those affiliated with the military – recalibrating their life aims will benefit from reading this book. It presents a nice combination of adjusting to reality while continuing to press on in hope. Life is not easy, and Marleigh’s story is not easy. Nonetheless, her determination and adjustments make her a noble character who saves her life and her family’s lives through maintaining dignity amidst oppressive circumstances. The old adage, “You can only control your choices, not your circumstances,” proves true here, and Marleigh reminds us to dig for strength deeper and deeper within.
June 27, 2022
You won’t soon forget the characters and the story in Kelly Sokol’s new novel, Breach. From the very first page, Sokol’s evocative prose enmeshes the reader in Marleigh Mulcahy’s world in Norfolk, Virginia. The sweat-soaked boxing gym she manages for her beloved grandfather who’s slowly sinking into dementia. The greasy restaurant where Marleigh picks up shifts to pay for her classes in dental hygiene. The run-down Ocean View assisted living facility where she sips tea with her grandfather and gives him updates on the upcoming fights at the gym. All of this is Marleigh’s life. Until she meets Jace Holt.
Jace brings the promise of a stable life and family. First exploring the sweeping vistas near Jace’s family home in Nebraska and then moving to a small but sunlit apartment in a neighborhood Marleigh never dreamed of affording, Marleigh begins to hope “she could move ahead in life instead of falling back.”
Jace’s job has always involved danger and long tours in Afghanistan, but when an accident occurs and Jace returns home with severe emotional scars, Marleigh must summon all the strength her tough life has given her to protect her family. Sokol fills Marleigh’s and Jace’s story with sorrow, sweetness, suffering, courage, and hope. A must read.
Jace brings the promise of a stable life and family. First exploring the sweeping vistas near Jace’s family home in Nebraska and then moving to a small but sunlit apartment in a neighborhood Marleigh never dreamed of affording, Marleigh begins to hope “she could move ahead in life instead of falling back.”
Jace’s job has always involved danger and long tours in Afghanistan, but when an accident occurs and Jace returns home with severe emotional scars, Marleigh must summon all the strength her tough life has given her to protect her family. Sokol fills Marleigh’s and Jace’s story with sorrow, sweetness, suffering, courage, and hope. A must read.
June 18, 2022
Let me just tell you this before you pick up Kelly Sokol's Breach: buckle up because you're in for a fast-paced, whirlwind of a ride! You're never in one place very long,and with each transition you're picking up speed down the roller coaster hill.
I don't want to spoil the story for you because you need to go on the ride in order to feel the whole impact of the book. But, I'll say this: just when you think you have your head wrapped around Marleigh and who she is, you'll find out that you don't.
Sokol's book is relentless, and I mean that in the best way. Once I finished the story, the pacing made all the sense in the world even though I found myself needing to set the book aside just so I could catch my breath. (Trust me, you're going to want to jump into the book and just give Marleigh a big ass hug.)
This is a great character study and a terrific read, but just make sure you remember to breathe along the way!
I don't want to spoil the story for you because you need to go on the ride in order to feel the whole impact of the book. But, I'll say this: just when you think you have your head wrapped around Marleigh and who she is, you'll find out that you don't.
Sokol's book is relentless, and I mean that in the best way. Once I finished the story, the pacing made all the sense in the world even though I found myself needing to set the book aside just so I could catch my breath. (Trust me, you're going to want to jump into the book and just give Marleigh a big ass hug.)
This is a great character study and a terrific read, but just make sure you remember to breathe along the way!
Read
January 7, 2024DNF
Writing terrible. Storyline depressing.
On page 55 it says, 'She shoved the cash in the safe and locked it.'
On page 56 it says, 'Her father lunged at Marleigh, reaching for the money.'
What??? How can he lung for the money if it's in the locked safe already?
There are many other authors out there who tell what it is to be in the military and live through PTSD. This one is not it.
This book takes place where I live, Norfolk VA, but that could not redeem it.
Writing terrible. Storyline depressing.
On page 55 it says, 'She shoved the cash in the safe and locked it.'
On page 56 it says, 'Her father lunged at Marleigh, reaching for the money.'
What??? How can he lung for the money if it's in the locked safe already?
There are many other authors out there who tell what it is to be in the military and live through PTSD. This one is not it.
This book takes place where I live, Norfolk VA, but that could not redeem it.
June 1, 2022
The book started out okay but ended really meh. But that's to be expected if you actually read the book.
It's not my favorite but it's not a bad book either. It took me this long to get to it because I was reading other books.
Sorry for the delay.
Oh, I won this from a giveaway from Goodreads.
It's not my favorite but it's not a bad book either. It took me this long to get to it because I was reading other books.
Sorry for the delay.
Oh, I won this from a giveaway from Goodreads.
June 23, 2022
Engrossing story and a fast read. It only took me five days to finish, it was hard to put down. A must-read.
My Review
My Review
May 25, 2022
This book is a page turner from start to finish. I feel like I know the characters and am totally invested in their story. A riveting read just in time for summer reading.
June 15, 2022
This was one of the most moving books I have read in a long time. The writer was so descriptive that you understood every feeling and frustration. Loved it!
October 4, 2022
Very interesting book which covers some of the issues facing young mothers and a lack of support in the US
March 25, 2023
This book was a great read. If felt very true to life to the hardships a military family and a single mother can have. I felt very much in touch with the characters and their journeys.
November 2, 2025
What this poor woman went through. A very good book. Review to follow on Gotta Write Network.
June 9, 2022
a page turner
I couldn’t put this book down from the minute that I picked it up. Marleigh- the main character - was compelling and interesting . . . I wanted to know what would happen to her, how she would navigate the various situations that fate threw her way. This book made me root for her as she fought for everything that she wanted for herself and for her family. I would recommend this book highly. Two thumbs up.
I couldn’t put this book down from the minute that I picked it up. Marleigh- the main character - was compelling and interesting . . . I wanted to know what would happen to her, how she would navigate the various situations that fate threw her way. This book made me root for her as she fought for everything that she wanted for herself and for her family. I would recommend this book highly. Two thumbs up.
August 26, 2022
I enjoyed this story so much, it was rollercoaster of emotions. The description of the main characters situation was so clearly described, you could just see it and feel it. Definitely couldn't put the book down.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews