Title: Before You Break
Series: Between Breaths #2
Author: Christina Lee
Release Date: 18th February, 2014
Rating: 4 stars
Cliffhanger: No
A sexy, emotional New Adult romance about a bad boy on the edge and a good girl about to lose control…
The star catcher of the college baseball team isn't supposed to have skeletons in his closet. But Daniel Quinn is hiding a guilty past so dark he refuses to let anyone get close. Except there’s something about gorgeous, studious Ella Abrams that goes beyond the electric attraction between them—something that makes him want to open up.
Ella has suffered enough heartache and guilt to fill one of her psychology textbooks, but she keeps that part of herself hidden behind a bubbly exterior. Until she receives an anonymous call while working the suicide helpline and the voice on the other end touches something inside of her that she can’t ignore.
Soon Ella and Quinn’s physical connection heats up, even as their deep and revealing hotline talks intensify. But by the time Ella realizes that her seductive jock and her sensitive caller are the same guy, it might be too late to save him—or to stop herself from falling too far.
*A companion novel to ALL OF YOU
The star catcher of the college baseball team isn't supposed to have skeletons in his closet. But Daniel Quinn is hiding a guilty past so dark he refuses to let anyone get close. Except there’s something about gorgeous, studious Ella Abrams that goes beyond the electric attraction between them—something that makes him want to open up.
Ella has suffered enough heartache and guilt to fill one of her psychology textbooks, but she keeps that part of herself hidden behind a bubbly exterior. Until she receives an anonymous call while working the suicide helpline and the voice on the other end touches something inside of her that she can’t ignore.
Soon Ella and Quinn’s physical connection heats up, even as their deep and revealing hotline talks intensify. But by the time Ella realizes that her seductive jock and her sensitive caller are the same guy, it might be too late to save him—or to stop herself from falling too far.
*A companion novel to ALL OF YOU
Before You Break was very compelling novel and never once did the pace seem to slow down. Yes, it was a little predictable, and yes it was very new adult-ish but I didn’t mind in the slightest. From time to time a story like this is exactly what I need.
As the blurb tells us, Before You Break is about Avery’s friend – Ella. I can’t say I remembered much about her. I knew who she was, but other than that she wasn’t exactly memorable in All of You. I was very surprised to learn that she came from family with polish roots as I am from Poland myself and lived there all my life.
Anyway, Ella’s younger brother committed a suicide a few years back. It was hard for her and her very close family. Every member of it took his dead as a serious punch in the gut. Especially Ella. Why didn’t she see any sights? Why didn’t she help her brother? Was she really this blind? She wonders.
Now, in college Ella still is full of regret and psychical pain. That’s the main reason why she’s studying psychology and volunteers in suicide prevention line. She’s hoping to help someone that needs it, just like her brother did.
When one day she picks up the phone and hears a desperate voice her world suddenly change.
Quinn is baseball player. Popular. Handsome. Smart. Most of people would say he lives the life in its finest. Almost no one knows how guilty and broken he feels. While he hides his secret and pretends to enjoy being a jock and fraternity member he meets sweet, beautiful Ella and nothing is the same again.
Well, it’s safe to say that I absolutely adored this sweet, heart galloping romance – I devoured it in one sitting, not even pausing to make sure the world is still going. I totally dashed through this story. Why? It was easy to connect with characters. Written in dual point of view, Before You Break made it hard not to feel related to Ella and Quinn. I also couldn’t help by feel my heart clenching repeatedly for both of them.
Quinn and Ella made a great couple. They were so right for each other. Seeing them together brought hundreds of butterflies to my stomach. Sexy kisses, yummy tension and sweet, adorable confessions of love mixed with some drama were a hit for me.
Although, the story is kind of predictable and reader can clearly see what is going on almost from the beginning, I wasn’t bored. The lack of roller coaster’s twist and turns didn’t bother me much. I was enjoying myself too much to realized it. More needing reader can have a problem, though.
I also wanted to say that the author mentioned Ella’s polish family quite few times. I can’t stop myself from commenting how was it done. It didn’t influence my rating or the level of my enjoyment but it left an aftertaste I can’t seem to shake off.
I cringed every time a word in polish was used and it was grammatically incorrect or just didn’t seem like something I would say. For example, my father would never ever say to me ‘córka’ (daughter) at the end of the sentence. In English saying something like ‘Don’t do it, Son’ or ‘Can you tell me, Son’ sounds okay but in polish it’s… weird. The same goes with saying to my mother ‘matka’. Yes, of course you can say that, but it’s very official and doesn’t hold any warm feelings. When using polish you also have to remember to alternate the verb to every case. So you can have ‘córka, córki, córce, córką’ and so on. It wasn’t done in the book.
When Christina Lee mentioned Easter’s meals we eat in polish I only sighed heavily. I can’t remember if I ever had pierogi on Easter.
Sorry, for this ‘lesson’. I tend to be very critical when someone is talking about my country’s traditions and doesn’t get them right. Readers who don’t know anything about polish culture won’t even pay attention to this details.
Overall, Christina Lee delivered what I hoped she would - romance that made me sweat, enough drama to satisfy but not overwhelm and so much aww moments to fill a bucket or two.
Reading Order: Between Breaths series
#1 – All of You | Ebook | Paperback | Goodreads
#2 – Before You Break | Ebook | Goodreads
#3 – Whisper to Me (releases May 20, 2014) | Ebook preorder | Goodreads
#2 – Before You Break | Ebook | Goodreads
#3 – Whisper to Me (releases May 20, 2014) | Ebook preorder | Goodreads
Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son–her two favorite guys.
She’s addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. She believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.
NA Contemporary Romance ALL OF YOU, out now (Penguin/InterMix). BEFORE YOU BREAK in February and WHISPER TO ME in May, 2014. Repped by Sara Megibow.
Also the creator of Tags-n-Stones (dot com) jewelry.
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