Reason to Breathe

by Rachel Branton

Keisha doesn’t have time for a man she thinks abandoned her, but this time Xander is staying to fight.
Keisha Jefferson’s dreams of marrying the man she loved and becoming an attorney like the father she lost were cut short one stormy night when her choices slipped from her grasp. Four years later, she’s ready to take on the world again, though her dreams have changed, especially those involving love.
When another storm brings Xander Greenwood back into her life, he’s every bit as attractive as before—and as devastating to her heart. While her life was spinning out of control, he’s made good, a poor boy from a small town now turned doctor. But this time, Keisha won’t fall into his trap. She wants nothing to do with the man who didn’t love her enough to fight for her.

Xander has sacrificed much to achieve his goals, but he’d give it all up for one more chance with Keisha. If only he can get past her secrets to understand why she left him. Yet the truth he discovers threatens to unwind all the progress he’s made with her. Can he find his way back, or will he lose her again—this time forever?

Welcome to the small town of Forgotten, where people are more concerned about who you are now than what you might have left behind. Each of the novels in this series are stand-alone books, and you can read them in any order. However, characters are like one big extended family and often appear in many of the books, so by reading all of them, you can catch up with what your favorite characters are doing now.

What people are say about the series:

“Kiss at Midnight is evocative, revealing, and hard to put down. Its realistic dilemmas and character growth powers a story that is compelling and involving.” –D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

"This clean romance has just the right amount of mystery to keep you turning the pages. The ending is completely satisfying with exactly the right blend of sweet and passion to thrill lovers of wholesome romance.”

Genres: Contemporary, Romance

244 pages, Paperback

Published September 26, 2021

About the author

Teyla Rachel Branton grew up avidly reading science fiction and fantasy and watching Star Trek reruns with her large family. They lived on a little farm where she loved to visit the solitary cow and collect (and juggle) the eggs, usually making it back to the house with most of them intact. On that same farm she once owned thirty-three gerbils and eighteen cats, not a good mix, as it turns out. Teyla always had her nose in a book and daydreamed about someday creating her own worlds. She is now married, mostly grown up, and has seven kids, so life at her house can be very interesting (and loud), but writing keeps her sane. She thrives on the energy and daily amusement offered by her children, the semi-ordered chaos giving her a constant source of writing material. Grabbing any snatch of free time from her hectic life, Teyla writes novels full of mystery, romance, and imagination. She warns her children that if they don’t behave, they just might find themselves in her next book! She’s been known to wear pajamas all day when working on a deadline, and is often distracted enough to burn dinner. (Okay, pretty much 90% of the time.) A sign on her office door reads: DANGER. WRITER AT WORK. ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK. She loves writing fiction and traveling, and she hopes to write and travel a lot more. She also loves shooting guns, martial arts, and belly dancing. She has worked in the publishing business for over twenty years.

Reviews

[Kathryn]

Misguided thinking is agony for the heart…

I’ve loved reading (Teyla) Rachel Branton’s books but this one didn’t quite hit the five-star mark for me…

On a positive note, the town of Forgotten and several of the town’s people are heart-warming –a place you would personally like to visit.

Overall, I would summarize the story by saying it became a little too sweet and too sour at times for my taste... The town festival was one way of bringing Keisha and Xander closer together – it works, conveniently – but I felt that there was too much stalling up until then. I was at the point of giving up when the two of them finally opened up to each other. Yet, Keisha still wasn’t convinced. I really dislike when folks cannot be honest with each other up front. But then, of course, authors would have less conflict to write about. The plot seemed too familiar and although I did really like the book, I felt that it lacked a unique twist. The “wicked” aunt was so unlikable and Keisha was very gullible, stubborn and weak to her own dismay. Xander was a much more likable character but why all this homage to doctors? Someday, towns won’t be in need of or worship the medical profession – my personal perspective that others in Forgotten did not share.

So, the two things I value least in life – the lack of honest communication and prejudice were integral to the plot. Although these are worthy subjects to deal with, in this case, I found the character traits displeasing with too little courage displayed to go up against them.

Rachel Branton does infuse mystery and angst into an inspiring love story. She is a very good and well-accomplished writer. However, I couldn’t give this one my typical five-star review…I received an arc and this is my honest and voluntary review.

[Kathy]

I really love this series. This book is Keisha's story. When Xander, her fiancé from college returns to Forgotten 4 years after Keisha's accident, Keisha doesn't know quite whether to kick him or kiss him. She still has very strong feelings for him but feels he betrayed her by not coming to see her during the two months she was in the hospital recovering from a terrible accident. Xander has finished his 4 years of medical school in Washington DC and takes a residency position at the hospital in Panna Creek so that he can help his mother with his twin 5 year old step-sisters. During a freak series of storms, Xander gets stuck in Forgotten after his mother sent him to check on the house his grandfather lived in but had been left vacant for the ten years after his death. Great characters and a great story!

[Louise Pledge]

What a fun series and what a delightful town "Forgotten" is. Great back story of how it got its name. This was a sweet, clean romance that kept me wanting to keep reading. Keisha had her heart broken a few years ago after a bad automobile accident with no contact from her fiance. Said fiance had his heart broken when Keisha suddenly seemed to disappear from the face of the earth. What would happen if they ran into each other again after all this time? Will they finally learn the truth about what really happened? I'm sure you can figure out the answer, but it's the interesting plot of how they got to that point that will make it hard to put the book down. I loved the meddling of Aunt Olivia; she added a lot to the story, even if you will want to hate the woman.

[Vi]

Stormy emotions! Keisha had to deal with loss all her life. She's learned to handle it, even through the flashbacks. Then a new storm blew an old flame her way!
Interesting mix of likeable characters and smooth inclusion of characters from previous books. Entertaining, standalone small town read, enjoyed. Voluntarily read ARC for honest review.

[Stasia Todd]

Nice story

I guess you can't have romances without misunderstandings. Why don't people just talk to each other?
I liked the characters.
I'm glad things worked out with a hea.