Breathe (The Homeward Trilogy, #1) in David C Cook

Apr 27, 2013 Brooke Barenfanger rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-christian-romance, reviewed-on-blog

Breathe is about Odessa St. Claire and her struggle to survive against the horrible disease that almost always means death—consumption. She travels from her home to the high mountains of Colorado, seeking a cure for what most think incurable. Strange things happen at the sanitarium, where she is one amidst many patients also sick with consumption. Will Dessa be able to figure it out in time to save her life and the life of the man she is falling in love with?

I have wanted to read a book by Lisa ...more

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Mar 15, 2009 Margaret Chind rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: christianfiction, historical, own, suspense-thriller, david-c-cook, nookbook, kindle, colorado, geography-colorado

Breathe is more than just a prairie romance, it is an edge of your seat page turning mystery. This book is deeper than most historical fiction books that you will find and it really makes you think. There is a darker side of things, but not too dark to survive without God on your side.

In this novel, instead of following one character with various side characters in the background, the reader really follows the three different St. Clair siblings on their individual adventures. Having one story c ...more

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Jul 15, 2013 Kate (The Shelf Life) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2013, romance, historical-fiction, western

I fell in love with the River of Time series by Lisa Bergren, from there I moved on to The Grand Tour series. Both were fantastic and contained a lot of historical detail with fantastic characters. I knew from those two series I wanted to read more by Lisa Bergren.

I looked around and found Breathe. When I saw that it was set in Colorado and in one of the few places that I have visited, Colorado Springs, I had to read it. I was not disappointed in my selection. As I made my way through Breathe, t I fell in love with the River of Time series by Lisa Bergren, from there I moved on to The Grand Tour series. Both were fantastic and contained a lot of historical detail with fantastic characters. I knew from those two series I wanted to read more by Lisa Bergren.

I looked around and found Breathe. When I saw that it was set in Colorado and in one of the few places that I have visited, Colorado Springs, I had to read it. I was not disappointed in my selection. As I made my way through Breathe, the attention to detail brought back my trips to Colorado and to the beautiful scenery that there is in the state. It also brought back the memories of my trip to the Garden of the Gods. It was fantastic to read about Odessa and her family visiting there. I could see them there as the story unfolded.

From the first chapter, Breathe catches your attention as Nic and Moria are doing their best to keep their sister well enough on the train to get her to a sanatorium in Colorado to help her get well and fight the consumption she has been battling for a couple of years. Nic and Moria don't want to see their sister suffer and die as their younger brothers or mother had. It is a race against the clock for the siblings. Once there, it's an up hill battle for Odessa, but it is made easier for her with the friends she makes in Sam O'Tool and Bryce McAllan. Her friendship with Sam is short lived however, when he dies suddenly at the sanitarium. Everyone says it was consumption, but Odessa wonders if her fevered dreams weren't something else entirely, but her hearing him being murdered in his room. As Odessa heals, she is drawn further in to a mystery that take a lot of her strength and new found health to solve.

The story doesn't just focus on Odessa, but also her brother Dominic or Nic, and her sister Moria. The family interaction between the siblings is very touching. They care about each other, they also care about pursuing their own dreams. Nic cares about his sisters and is determined to make sure they are safe, which typically means he wants to use his fists to see it happen. Moria is determined to enjoy the finer things in life and have fun singing. But having such an independent mind for Moria and hot head for Dominic lead them to the sheriff of The Springs and puts the family in a precarious spot.

It was an enjoyable read! I wasn't able to sit down and read the book for long periods of time with so much going on, but each time I picked the book up, I was able to get right back in. ...more

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