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Breathe Again

by Bonnie R. Paulson (Goodreads Author)

3.66 of 5 stars 3.66 · rating details · 44 ratings · 19 reviews

Maggie Lachlan is struggling to get over the death of her husband. After being overcome by emotion during a shift in the E.R., she's suspended indefinitely. Making things worse, she needs a place to stay after the quick sale of the house she shared with her late husband.

Fortunately, her friend Ryan Stewart offers her a room while she gets her life in order, much to the cha...more

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Published (first published August 22nd 2011)

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Jan 18, 2012 KatiD rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-review-ish

Maggie Lachlan is still trying to cope with the death 10 months agoof her husband, Dean. Dean committed suicide in their living room, leaving no note, no hint as to why. He'd served three tours in Iraq and was more distant each time he came home. Maggie struggles with the fact that their 12 year relationship really wasn't all that happy, and her profound anger at Dean for doing what he did. By day, Maggie is an x-ray technician at a local hospital. The job suits her because she can really just g...more Maggie Lachlan is still trying to cope with the death 10 months agoof her husband, Dean. Dean committed suicide in their living room, leaving no note, no hint as to why. He'd served three tours in Iraq and was more distant each time he came home. Maggie struggles with the fact that their 12 year relationship really wasn't all that happy, and her profound anger at Dean for doing what he did. By day, Maggie is an x-ray technician at a local hospital. The job suits her because she can really just get in and out of a hospital room without having to have too much interaction with people, which is a good thing, because Maggie is almost completely shut down. But the hospital suspends Maggie after a traumatic day at work and she's now at loose ends. She has no relationships, with her family or Dean's family. Nor does she have any close friends. Until she meets Ryan Stewart.

Ryan suffers from cystic fibrosis and is in and out of the hospital. He's a sweet, funny guy with a VERY protective big brother, Broden Steele. Broden dislikes Maggie on sight. He thinks she's pushy, plain spoken and frankly, she unnerves him. But Ryan loves her, and he wants to be her friend. Given that Ryan is living on very borrowed time, Broden allows Maggie into their lives. For her part, Maggie is completely discombobulated by Broden. He's gorgeous, gruff, non-communicative and she can't stop staring at his ass. Her attraction makes her more and more agitated, which makes her more plain spoken, and less likable. But Ryan likes her, and she really likes him, so she perseveres, despite the fact that her attraction to Broden is making her feel even more nuts than usual. After Maggie and Broden exchange a very hot kiss, which Broden ends, she's more confused than ever. This guy doesn't even like her, and yet he kissed her very passionately.

Meeting Ryan and Broden spurs Maggie out of the inertia she's been in for some time. She decides to sell the house that she and Dean lived in. She's shocked that the very day she puts it on the market, it sells, and even more shocked to learn that the buyer wants to take possession of the house in six days. She's stymied by what to do until Ryan insists that she move in with he and Broden. Maggie agrees reluctantly, thinking that it will be torture to be near Broden, but she really has no other options, other than moving in with her parents. Will living with Broden make him finally act on the feelings he's confessed to having for her?

I picked this book because it looked angsty. And I loves me some angst. And this book IS angsty, but not in a way that completely made sense to me. Part of it is that to me, Maggie is still very much in the grieving stage of Dean's death. She's furious with him, and is still crying every day and mystified as to why he killed himself. She's angry, cutoff and detached from reality. So it made it very difficult for me to understand how this person could be remotely ready to have a relationship. The story is told in the first person, which makes understanding Broden's actions a bit difficult too. He's definitely remote and difficult to get to know, but Maggie has this wild attraction to him. She throws herself at him more than once, and he does respond, but if it were me, I'd be thinking, "Um, no, this chick is NOT ready for a relationship."

My other issue with the story is that it doesn't always transition well. Because it's told in Maggie's voice, and she's a very erratic character, sometimes her thought processes and justifications for actions just didn't make sense to me. And once she found out why her husband committed suicide, rather than making her grief more intense (the reason is awful), it kind of closes things for her. Having known several young women who lost their husbands very early in life, I just didn't buy that Maggie was healed and ready to move on after reading Dean's letter. Therefore, I didn't buy the Happy For Now offered by the author.

Breathe Again is an interesting story, full of angst and a hero who had potential, but the heroine's erratic behavior made me not fully invest in the couple, or their Happy for Now.

Final grade: C
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Sep 13, 2011 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, non-erotic

Originally posted at: http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...

Every person handles grief differently. But Maggie, she didn't make time to do so properly. Soon after her husband's tragic death, she jumped back into work, keeping a non-stop hectic schedule. It finally catches up with her, as she just isn't the same. Before she's pushed into taking time off, Maggie meets Ryan, a patient at the hospital she works for.

Maggie lives her life in a daze, it seems. Never accepting or getting closure for...more

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Aug 18, 2011 Maldivianbookreviewer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs, brooding-heroine, brooding-hero, bonnie-r-paulson, commitment-phobic-heroine, contemporary-romance, family-drama, first-person-pov, good-for-nothing-ex-husband, grieving-heroine, grieving-hero, haunted-by-the-past-heroine, loner-heroine, netgalley-reads, not-yet-released, sizzling-sexual-tension, tattoed-hero, tortured-heroine, widowed-heroine

Breathe Again by Bonnie R. Paulson is a contemporary romance set to release on the 22nd of this month from Carina Press. This is a story that deals with a lot of grief, a widow who hasn't allowed herself time to properly grieve for a loss that has her questioning each and every relationship in her life, making her reject overtures made by her friends and loved ones because pity is intolerable in the face of what she has experienced.

Told in the first person from Maggie's point of view, Breathe A...more Breathe Again by Bonnie R. Paulson is a contemporary romance set to release on the 22nd of this month from Carina Press. This is a story that deals with a lot of grief, a widow who hasn't allowed herself time to properly grieve for a loss that has her questioning each and every relationship in her life, making her reject overtures made by her friends and loved ones because pity is intolerable in the face of what she has experienced.

Told in the first person from Maggie's point of view, Breathe Again describes how Maggie finds friendship and ultimately the strength to move on from her past and embrace a love that blossoms in the the most unlikely circumstances. Maggie has been struggling with the death of her husband Dean for the past ten months. A radiologist who immerses herself in her work to keep the dark memories at bay, Maggie suddenly finds herself taking a forced vacation of two weeks from work making her wonder whether she would be able to handle all that time alone by herself.

Rescue comes from an unlikely friendship that is forged between Maggie and the charming, fun and easygoing Ryan Stewart and his taciturn older brother Brodan Steele who seems to rub her emotions in a wrong way. This unlikely threesome somehow cross all the hurdles and form a close knitted group even with Brodan trying to keep Maggie at arm's length, trying his damndest to ignore the spark that continues to dance between them.

It is this relationship that acts as a starting point for healing that begins the torturous process of letting go of Maggie's painful past amidst facing the truth about Ryan and the toll his waning health takes on his older brother who refuses to step away from his side.

For me, there are a couple of things worthy of being mentioned about the story. I found the grieving aspect of the story to be a unique one which held my undivided attention as Maggie undergoes a lot of pain and feelings of insecurity as to why her husband had opted to leave her the way he had. It certainly would not be easy for anyone to get over a death like Dean's, especially given the fact that Maggie never allows herself to grieve properly for a loss that continues to haunt and taunt her even ten months on.

Ryan's attitude towards life, even when his life was filled with so much uncertainty was an aspect of the story that made me think about all the things in life that one ought to be thankful for. Its a fact that we humans rarely take the time to do that, much less appreciate each given day as it comes.

Now for the things that didn't work for me in the story. The sexual tension that was built up right from the very start between Brodan and Maggie never fully materialized even towards the end of the story. I felt as if I had been cheated out of a vital aspect of their relationship and that a door had been slammed shut in my face even before I fully knew what it was that I wanted when it came to their reluctant relationship. I could definitely understand Brodan's reasoning when it came to avoiding any sort of realtionship with Maggie apart from being friends because of Ryan. But to be able to say no to what Brodan and Maggie both obviously wanted from each other just didn't sit that well with me.

Because the story was told only from Maggie's point of view, I felt cheated out of ever getting to experience how it is Brodan feels throughout the story. The sexual tension aspect of a novel works brilliantly if and when the hero's tortured thoughts are also included as part of the developing relationship between the hero and heroine which this one lacked. Though overall I did like Maggie's thoughts and at times her self depreciating humor, I would have loved it if Brodan's thoughts and feelings and his point of view had been included in the story.

Towards the end, I just felt that there was too much grief and very little happiness in this story. For someone who likes happy endings, the somber mood of the story throughout with very little lightness somehow detracted a bit from my enjoyment factor. Though there is a happily ever after in the making for Brodan and Maggie, I just never felt that glow that comes from being satisfied when the hero and heroine finally seal their life together towards the end.

Rating=3/5

Original review posted on MBR's Realm of Romance (less)

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Sep 12, 2011 Christa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook-arc

I found this to be a rather sweet, contemporary romace. The main character, Maggie, was difficult at times. Her situation and history made it understandable, but I found her behavior over the top at times. I liked Brodan, the hero, and enjoyed how protective he was of his brother.

Maggie has had a difficult time dealing with her life after her husband's death. When she meets Ryan Stewart, a patient at the hospital where she works, she feels an interest in being with people and having friends agai...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Jill rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance

Ten months have passed since Maggie's husband Dean died. One evening she meets Ryan, a patient and his brother Brodan, at the hospital where she works as a radiographer. At times Maggie doesn't handle her husband's death well. It is affecting her work and she is asked to take time off from her job. When on leave she again meets Ryan and Brodan and they quickly establish a friendship. Ryan, cheerful and outgoing and Brodan, brooding and cynical.

The narrative in the first person by heroine Maggie...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Wanda (Good Choice Reading) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, ebook, reviewed

Maggie has been struggling with keeping her head above water. And while she struggling she doesn't show anyone what she's going through. Work is her refugee. But not for long. Her work ethics is not as sharp as they were and her boss is noticing her declining work load. And decides to let her go. He gives her two weeks to grieve or recuperate.

Fortunately she made new friends with a guy named Ryan and he became her savior in his own way. He was there to distract her from the obvious and help her...more

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Aug 22, 2011 Christi Snow rated it 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
Oh my goodness, this is such a heart-breaking story. After the suicide of her husband, Maggie is broken. She simply makes it through each day, not really living, just existing. She's a radiology tech at the hospital and a chance meeting with 2 brothers, Brodan & Ryan, changes her life.

This is not a book that can be considered light reading. There is a ton of sadness and emotional trauma throughout the entire book from page 1 to the very last page. Maggie is dealing with the death o...more My Review:
Oh my goodness, this is such a heart-breaking story. After the suicide of her husband, Maggie is broken. She simply makes it through each day, not really living, just existing. She's a radiology tech at the hospital and a chance meeting with 2 brothers, Brodan & Ryan, changes her life.

This is not a book that can be considered light reading. There is a ton of sadness and emotional trauma throughout the entire book from page 1 to the very last page. Maggie is dealing with the death of her husband 10 months before. She meets Ryan when he is in the hospital and is drawn to his exuberant and happy-go-lucky approach to life. She is drawn to his brother, Brodan, for very different reasons. Through these 2 brothers, Maggie is learning what it means to live again.

I am not a sad book kind of gal (which is reflected by my rating,) but this is one of those books that makes you think and lingers with you. I have a feeling that this one is going to stick in my psyche for quite a while.

All three of these people are hiding from life in one way or another...and they all have valid reasons for that. It's incredibly sad, and truthfully, a little hard to read, but at the same time, it's incredibly moving.

I adored Ryan's character. His exuberance for life is contagious and his friendship with Maggie is such a positive influence on her life. He is so incredibly intelligent and truly just a really good guy. I don't want to ruin the story for anyone else, but his character just makes my heart ache.

Brodan is a more difficult character. His love for his brother is all-encompassing and self-sacrificing. He has given up everything to be there for Ryan, but Maggie presents a really strong temptation for him.

Maggie's grief is profound and pervasive throughout the entire story. She undergoes a transformation through the book as she finds what it means to live again through her special friendships with Ryan & Broden. I was somewhat disappointed with how she reacted at the end of the book...maybe just a little too realistic for me.

It's profound. It's heart-breaking. It makes you think about what it means to live. This is a book that will stick with you for a while as you consider the characters and the haunting life-lessons that they learn...
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Mar 30, 2012 Dinjolina rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, angst, bad-boy-involved, bipolar-alert, drama-queens, hero-overly-angsty, horribly-sad-ending, love-your-fellow-man, maybe-i-should-not-try, more-rant-than-rew, psiho-antihero, romantic-suspense, stress-inducer, sorry-but-just-no, been-there-done-that

A vary dark read.
I feel a bit violated after reading it. The emotions tugged at my heart a bit too much. I know it was realistic. I know it was written superbly and the author should be applauded.
But I still can not make myself like it.
It had a distinctive Withering heights feel to it.

Yes, I know everybody is looking at this rew and wondering if I am crazy. Withering heights? How so?
What I meant is this:
There was a happy ending for somebody. There was.
But all that heartache could not get topped....more

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Aug 08, 2011 Margaret rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Maggie Lachlan is struggling to get over the death of her husband. After being overcome by emotion during a shift in the E.R., she's suspended indefinitely. Making things worse, she needs a place to stay after the quick sale of the house she shared with her late husband.
Fortunately, her friend Ryan Stewart offers her a room while she gets her life in order, much to the chagrin of his brother and housemate, Brodan Steele. Brodan doesn't want to like Maggie, not when he knows Ryan has feelings for...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Chelsea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow. I'm blown away by some of the comments on this book. The book was amazing. As someone who has recently been through a loss, I would say that Maggie's feelings were very realistic as she was struggling to move past it and get on with her life. Ryan and Brodan woke her up from her depression and got her to see the good in life again. This was a touching and emotional book and one I would recommend to anyone looking for a sweet, romantic and heartfelt book. Kudos to the author on a job well do...more

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Oct 01, 2011 Brooke Moss rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is one of those books that proves the fact that you can't judge a book by its cover. At first glance, this book is a stereotypical romance novel, but it is much, much more. Ms. Paulson's knowledge of the medical field and her skill at crafting an emotionally grabbing storyline made for a book not to be lumped in with all of the others. This is a stand out novel with more depth than advertised. My only complaint is that there was no epilogue, so now I am left to wonder what will become of Ma...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Tracy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was a fantastic, emotional romance! I had tears in my eyes in parts of it. Sweet romance. I do wish the ending had been longer but it was still a great read.

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Feb 19, 2013 Amanda rated it 1 of 5 stars

The beginning of the book was good. About 3/4 of the way through, the story got very rushed. It started to not even make sense. Ending was lame.

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Mar 28, 2012 Shelley Martin rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book made my heart melt. I fell for the characters. Hard.

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Sep 14, 2011 Natasha A. marked it as dnf

For now, I'm marking this as a DNF.
I am really enjoying the story. I am intrigued and I want more.
However I can't handle the writing style. I find myself irritated and pissed off while reading it.
I have to say, it reminds me of The Butterfly Tattoo, which was another DNF for me, again for the writing style.
First person I guess?
And just the way details and information are reveled.
ARG.

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Sep 05, 2011 Tracy's Place rated it 4 of 5 stars

4.25 out of 5

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Sep 30, 2011 Laura YA indie princess rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

Could not finish just did not like the authors style of writing.

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May 13, 2013 Impossiblepast marked it as to-read

Shelves: to-get

May 02, 2013 Stephanie marked it as to-read

Apr 21, 2013 P.D. marked it as to-read

Apr 15, 2013 Roy Huff marked it as to-read

Apr 10, 2013 Vivek rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mar 27, 2013 Christa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mar 20, 2013 Michelle DeCambra rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jan 14, 2013 Holly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Dec 17, 2012 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dec 07, 2012 nurmawati djuhawan marked it as to-read

Nov 27, 2012 ♥Sasha♥ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Nov 06, 2012 Brooklyn Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nov 03, 2012 Jill Cooper marked it as to-read

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About Bonnie R. Paulson

I mix my science and medical background with reality and possibilities to make even myths seem likely and give every romance the genetic strength to survive. Let's kick start this show!

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