Review: Dare to Breathe

Title: Dare to Breathe

Author: M. Homer

eBook ISBN: 9781629290898; Print ISBN: 9781629290904

My Review:

From the first page, Dare to Breathe strikes an instant connection to (and sympathy for) the main character, Samantha.

Newly starting college, Sam is still plagued with nightmares of a series of horrific events she thinks may be from her childhood. While she knows she's lucky to have spent the last 12 years with her adoptive parents, she can't escape the traces of her early years etched in her memory. Dare to Breathe is her story of coming to a decision to make a change, and having the courage to do the work needed to accomplish that change. Throw a smokin' hot new housemate, a job at a busy cafe, and coursework in child psychology, and she has her work cut out for her in this new university.

This book had it all. Sam and her little brothers' childhood is so very heartbreaking. Her new friendships are tender. Her fears are understandable and her struggle to overcome is admirable. There is a twist part in the last third of the book that was quite a shock! Without giving anything away in the review, I will say that this New Adult novel is also super, super sexy at parts. M. Homer knows how to write DESIRE! Dare to Breath is a great read, and I recommend it!

From the back cover: 

Can you learn to forget?

Sam is plagued by nightmares she can’t understand with dark visions of a past she suspects may be her own. When she moves into a new co-ed house, she is drawn to the handsome but aloof Nathan. The housemates welcome in Sam but all withhold their own secrets from her which she knows she needs to unravel to truly understand Nathan. But her past is destined to torment her, can she find the strength to face her fear?

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Review: The Promise of Light

Title: The Promise of Light

Author: Paul Watkins

ISBN-10: 0312267665

ISBN-13: 978-0312267667

About the Book:

A young American man searches for his family's past amidst the earliest days of the Irish Troubles.

My Review:

Paul Watkins is possibly our best living author. The research he did for The Promise of Light shines through to set the reader in Ireland in the early 1920s (in fact, I think I remember reading that he lived in the town for a while, and would walk in the fields wearing the old boots his characters wore, so he would know exactly how it would feel and sound to be there). Watkins' strengths are in place and in ruggedly male characters; characters the reader connects with, without feeling all warm and fuzzy about it. The Promise of Light may be my favorite of Watkins' books, but it is right up there with Stand Before Your God and Archangel... both dealing with subjects I didn't know I was interested in until his writing drew me into them. I whole-heartedly recommend any of these.

Review: A Sea Not Full

Title: A Sea Not Full

Author: John Erickson

ISBN-10: 1935079476

ISBN-13: 978-1935079477

Review: When 16-year-old Nate's father dies while they're surfing together, his world crumbles. He finds comfort in the arms of a troubled young woman, Nora, and an inherited sailboat. The first chapter of this book is surfing-heavy, and for a non-surfer like me, it was a bit hard to get through. However, it isn't long after that the book picks up speed for even the most land-loving reader. Like the ocean, there is so much below the surface of A Sea Not Full. The characters are complex, and even the ones that seem to fit into a predictable mold (the cool pastor, the popular pretty girl, etc.) have so much more depth to them as the reader goes deeper into the story. I won't give away the dramatic and dangerous climax... but no one is guaranteed to get out of this adventure safely. There doesn't seem to be a solid canon of young adult Christian fiction aimed at young men, so this is an excellent addition on becoming a man in a Christian context, without being preachy or working off of an assumption that religious people are all good and the rest are not.

From the back cover: A modern coming of age adventure tale, A Sea Not Full is the story of Nate Pritchard, a 16 year old boy who, at a precipitous juncture in his life, must make some difficult choices. The novel is set primarily Ventura, California, where Nate lives with his father. When his father dies, a cataclysmic event in young Nate's life, he must find a way to live the life his father intended for the two of them. There is a boat, the sea, and the girl, Nora, whose troubles are masked by her own father's inability to accept the choices he made in the past with Nora's mother. Making good choices and coming to terms with his relationships with his mother, his grandparents, and Nora are the challenges Nate faces, which bring about a deeper understanding of his purpose in his life. A Sea Not Full is a thrilling read for young adults or anyone who enjoys an exciting adventure with a twist near the end.