UNBEARABLE GUILT
(Breathe Again #2)
by Emma Grayson
Published: February 24, 2014
Kane Archer hasn’t always been tormented; he hasn’t always hated himself or been full of rage. He hasn’t always lived his life with an overpowering sense of guilt that threatens to destroy him.
There was a time when his life was different. He was optimistic; he smiled and laughed; he loved passionately; he had it all.
Kane was content—until the unthinkable took it all away.
Two and a half years later and still reeling from his fiancée’s death, Kane returns to the one place he vowed he’d never visit again—Camden—with the promise to find the men who killed her and bring them to justice, regardless of the cost.
Emotionally numb, stricken by guilt, and haunted by the events preceding Aimee’s death, the last thing Kane wanted was to meet someone he connected with; someone who made him feel again.
As Kane gets closer to those responsible for Aimee’s death, he is thrown a curveball when he discovers a secret so devastating it rocks his world and threatens to destroy his chance at happiness.
Whitney Jareau packed up her life when tragedy struck her family, leaving everything behind. Finally free from the persistent and domineering family that insisted she do the one thing she couldn’t, Whitney found peace in Camden.
Two years later, her family wants her to come home and will stop at nothing to get her there. Wearing her heart on her sleeve for Kane Archer, a man so gorgeous it hurts to see the pain he carries, Whitney fights her family and refuses to return home to carry out their wishes.
Can Whitney stay strong without giving in to the demands of her family?
Can Kane let go of the past and move forward with the woman who brought him back to life?
Or, will he walk away from her and carry the burden of UNBEARABLE GUILT
There was a time when his life was different. He was optimistic; he smiled and laughed; he loved passionately; he had it all.
Kane was content—until the unthinkable took it all away.
Two and a half years later and still reeling from his fiancée’s death, Kane returns to the one place he vowed he’d never visit again—Camden—with the promise to find the men who killed her and bring them to justice, regardless of the cost.
Emotionally numb, stricken by guilt, and haunted by the events preceding Aimee’s death, the last thing Kane wanted was to meet someone he connected with; someone who made him feel again.
As Kane gets closer to those responsible for Aimee’s death, he is thrown a curveball when he discovers a secret so devastating it rocks his world and threatens to destroy his chance at happiness.
Whitney Jareau packed up her life when tragedy struck her family, leaving everything behind. Finally free from the persistent and domineering family that insisted she do the one thing she couldn’t, Whitney found peace in Camden.
Two years later, her family wants her to come home and will stop at nothing to get her there. Wearing her heart on her sleeve for Kane Archer, a man so gorgeous it hurts to see the pain he carries, Whitney fights her family and refuses to return home to carry out their wishes.
Can Whitney stay strong without giving in to the demands of her family?
Can Kane let go of the past and move forward with the woman who brought him back to life?
Or, will he walk away from her and carry the burden of UNBEARABLE GUILT
(Breathe Again #2)
by Emma Grayson
Published: February 24, 2014
My rating: 4.5 of 5 ⭐️
At some point in his life, Kane Archer thought things couldn't get much better. After his somewhat turbulent adolescence he had chosen a path for himself that was one of justice, if at times on the gray side of the law, and he had come back to Camden, claiming his future wife. Now, two years after an assignment gone horribly wrong that had left him injured and his fiancee dead, he is in Camden once again - torn and bitter and hell-bent on revenge.
Moving to Camden to get away from family pressure, is the best thing Whitney Jareau could have done for herself. She was being forced in directions she didn't want to go, after the family suffered a devastating loss. Here in this small town, she could live on her own terms and make her own choices. She had good friends and enjoyed working at the coffeeshop. Even better when the dark and brooding, but beautifully handsome Kane Archer popped in for his regular shot of caffeine.
Kane noticed the blue-eyed Whitney, her welcoming smile lifting a bit of his dark mood each time he came in. But he hadn't planned on acting on it, not until he was forced to intervene when it appeared she might be in trouble. Little did he know, the blonde bombshell had some moves on her. She diffused the situation almost single-handedly before he had a chance. That made her even more attractive to him and he had to struggle to keep his focus where it needed to be - finding his fiancee's killers.
Whitney understands the pain and darkness Kane struggles with and would love to alleviate some of it, but has to tread carefully. She has come to care for him a great deal and he is not ready for that. But when her family is once again putting on pressure to make her come home and abide by their wishes, this time by force if need be, he doesn't hesitate to interfere.
****
FABULOUS!!! Another great writer discovered....well....for me at least. And a series! You know what that means...... There will be more!
A little reminiscent at times of the amazing Kristen Ashley, the feeling this book gave me when I was reading. The way the characters were portrayed and the relationship developed. I really, really loved it. Heat, humour, grit, growls, and an array of fabulous and colourful characters against an interesting backstory.
Whitney is resilient, despite suffering significant loss in her life, she has the ability to pull positives out of most situations. If anything, she may have a little too much faith in the goodness of people. An endearing quality but dangerous as well. Her positive nature did allow her to see more than just skin-deep with Kane, the man underneath the armour.
Kane is fueled by revenge, which is why he can pretend not to be affected by the negative assumptions made by the town he grew up in, or why he doesn't make any effort in his own defense. He tells himself it doesn't matter, even though it does. Whitney seems to be the only one who doesn't judge, doesn't assume. She baffles him with her openness and draws him out.
These characters cause the most delicious friction on paper. Poetic contradictions with Kane the rugged and monosyllabic enigma of a warrior and on the other hand Whitney, a guileless and luscious coffee shop employee, with a sweet exterior but a firm bite. Love how the public personalities slowly give way bit by bit under the influence of the other, to reveal the true characters underneath. All of this with a heavy dose of sexual chemistry that is nothing short of delicious.
I adored this book by Emma Grayson, and absolutely do not wish to miss another one in this series. The combination hot chemistry with great suspense is one I am a slave to, as those who know me will attest to. Highly recommended!!
✨An adrenaline-spiked, hot and heavy Alpha ride!!✨
**ARC provided in return for an honest review.**
“Yeah, that will do—” Kane said into his cell as he came out of the kitchen, wearing nothing but a pair of black baggy sweats that hung low on his hips, the top of his V showing perfectly and making the ache inside me grow more intensely. He stopped dead when he saw me standing by the door. “Gotta go,” he said and hung his cell up without giving Basil a chance to say anything.
“Hey,” I said, trying to keep my focus on the yellow bag of M&Ms and can of Red Bull he was carrying.
He looked me over then tossed his cell phone on to the table in the dining room, and walked into the living room. “Hey, what’re you doing here?” he asked, sitting down on the couch and putting the M&Ms and Red Bull on the coffee table.
“I just wanted to stop by and talk. Sorry, maybe I should have called.”
He took the black game controller into his hand and pressed a couple of buttons and the screen on the TV came to life.
Video games. Figured.
“If you came to talk to me more about what you said last night, you should just turn around and leave,” he said dryly.
Ouch.
Shit.
“No, I just came to apologize for what I said. It wasn’t fair for me to bring any of that up, especially Aimee, and I just want you to know that I’m sorry,” I said, watchinghim for any kind of acknowledgement, but he stayed focus on the TV. “If you ever need to talk or anything, I’m here for you, you know where to find me.”
He didn’t say anything.
He just nodded and kept his eyes on his game. I could see his jaw was tight, like he was clenching it, and his eyes looked as if they weren’t even watching the TV, but just staring at nothing—like he was waiting for me to leave.
Again, ouch.
“Okay, I’ll just let you get back to what you were doing,” I mumbled, then turned around and made my way to the door and pulled it open to leave.
I didn’t hear him get up off the couch, and I didn’t hear him come up behind me until his arm reached out over my head and pushed the door shut, and then he grabbed me by the hand and turned me around so we were facing one another.
My heart rate spiked and my core vibrated with anticipation the moment we came into contact. I could feel the tiny sparks of electricity igniting and spreading over my entire body and shooting right between my legs, making my pussy throb desperately for him and only him.
I swallowed the breath that was caught in my throat as I looked up at him. His green eyes vibrantly shimmered down at me as one side of his lips twitched then started to curl, as if he could read my mind.
Fuck. Me.
Literally.
Kane continued to look down at me as his hand slid up over my body until his fingers wrapped around the first button of my coat and pulled it open, then did the same with the next two that followed.
My bag fell to the ground as his hands slid inside my coat, his warm fingers softly grazing over my breasts as he moved them over my shoulders and pushed my coat off, and I let it slide down and fall to the ground around my feet.
“Baby,” he said, his voice low and raspy. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Book #1 in the Breathe Again Series
"UNBEAUTIFULLY LOVED"
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