Title: Breathe the Sky by Michelle Hazen
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 336 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
Two strangers start out saving animals and end up rescuing each other in this heartwarming romance from the author of Unbreak Me.
Mari Tucker is a wildlife biologist who scoops bunnies and endangered tortoises out of harm’s way on construction sites. Still haunted by her past, she takes the most remote jobs in the Mojave Desert to avoid people and hide from her ex. It’s a simple, quiet life filled with sweet animals and solar-powered baking until she ends up assigned to Jack Wyatt’s crew.
Construction foreman Jack Wyatt’s loud, foul-mouthed temper keeps even the most rugged of men on his crew in line. No mistake is overlooked, because out in the desert it could mean life or death. In his opinion, the job site is no place for sensitive biologists, especially one as shy as Mari. But instead of wilting from the heat and hard work, Mari wins over Jack and his crew one homemade brownie at a time.
Jack and Mari find a comfortable rhythm, building a friendship that’s rare for both of them. After Jack’s rocky childhood, they have more in common than they’d imagined. But even the Mojave sun can’t chase away the shadows when the past is determined to track them down…
Review:
Breathe the Sky by Michelle Hazen is a marvelous contemporary romance with a breathtaking setting.
Following years of abuse, biologist Mari Tucker has escaped her ex-husband, Brad and started a new life for herself. She works in the Mojave Desert with a handful of other biologists who are monitoring a crew installing electrical lines. Mari is quiet, keeps to herself, and dreads the day Brad finds her. Due to her past, she is sensitive about loud and aggressive men, so the last person she wants to monitor is foreman Jack Wyatt. But as she gets to know him, Mari realizes they share more in common that she originally believes. And when she begins spending time with him outside of work, will Mari act on her growing attraction for brash, yet gentle, Jack?
Jack might have left Alabama but he still carries the scars from his abusive childhood and dysfunctional relationship with his brother Leroy. Jack does not suffer fools lightly and although he is foul-mouthed and shouty, he genuinely cares about the men working for him. He is under a lot of pressure to keep the project moving so he impatiently and emphatically refuses to listen to the biologists’ explanations about why they are protecting certain species. But when Mari is assigned to watch him and his crew, Jack appreciates her quiet way of getting her point across. Jack is protective of Mari but will he let down the walls he uses to keep everyone at arms’ length?
Mari and Jack’s relationship gradually shifts from professional to friendship to romance. Mari takes the first hesitant step to friendship but Jack is hard to read. She does not push hard but she is persistent as she sets aside her fears of rejection. Jack is certainly enamored by Mari, but due to his past and the negative voices in his head, he is initially a little uneasy about their budding friendship. Mari opens up to him about her past and while Jack tells her some details about his, he tends to be tighter lipped. Just as their romance is beginning to gain traction, Mari’s knee-jerk reaction and unrealistic expectations put a future together in jeopardy. For his part, Jack is willing to give her the space she requests but a family emergency is an additional threat to their relationship.
Breathe the Sky is a slow-growing, heartfelt romance. The characters are beautifully developed with back stories that tug on the heartstrings. The Mojave Desert springs vividly to life and provides the perfect backdrop for Jack and Mari’s heartwarming romance. With a few obstacles for Mari and Jack to overcome, Michelle Hazen brings this charming love story to an uplifting, sigh-worthy conclusion. A must read for fans of contemporary romances.
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