Today I am reviewing the four ephemera novellas that accompany the three novels in the Just Breathe series. I also have a giveaway - the winner gets to pick one book out of all seven... ok, well, six because you can get the first book (Inhale) free (go do that now, please - links below). I think this is a fabulous series, and I hope you give it a chance. Now on with my reviews!
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Stifle
Sinnder is a hotter-than-blazes Fyre Elemental who thrives on the Fire of sex, and Scarlet, his partner in crime, plans to hook him up. Charged with "occupying" headstrong Zoe Morgan's attention at a local music club while Scarlet tries to get back in rock star Gavin Cassidy's bed, Sinnder walks into Shaggy's with zero expectations. But meeting Gavin's dream lover Zoe face-to-face arouses addictive heat he never anticipated. Captivated by the promise of the fiery passion lurking beneath Zoe's good-girl exterior, Sinnder will do whatever it takes to go down in flames with her - and Gavin if he has to.
STIFLE takes the reader on wild ride through the twisted mind of an Elemental consumed not only by Fire but by the ashes of his past. This sizzling bit of Just Breathe Ephemera features highly explicit content. Readers are strongly cautioned
The fantasies that Sinnder has are seriously sexy, and they venture into ménage territory in a variety of ways. I loved it. Definitely one of my two favorite of the four ephemera. I highly recommend!
Letting Go
Twelve-year-old Zoe Morgan has always felt out of place. With no friends, an overbearing mother, and a broken brain, it’s no wonder she’s a walking disaster. Trapped in a world dominated by backward letters that don’t make sense, she struggles through each day by clinging to the one thing she does understand: whales. On a life-changing trip to Australia, Zoe comes face to face with her demons and learns that fitting in is sometimes a simple matter of letting go.
LETTING GO is the second installment of the JUST BREATHE Ephemera series, a companion collection of shorts that supplement Kendall Grey's JUST BREATHE urban fantasy romance trilogy.
This story shows how paths can cross before we meet… maybe we are destined to meet a friend, an enemy, or our soul mate. You just never know. I really liked this story. For one thing, it was wildly different from Stifle, but it still showed this important history of Zoe. It was really quite inspiring, actually. You think it can’t get much worse, but with the flap of a butterfly’s wings your entire future is set in motion.
This story, and Zoe’s encounter with the whale is quite moving and amazing. I mean, first I’ve read Inhale and I was completely in awe. Then I learned more about Kendall, I watched her video on youtube. I felt the love she has for these massive beings, and to see it take root right here in Zoe’s life… well, its something beautiful to see.
Dirty
WARNING: This JUST BREATHE short story contains explicit language and graphic content. Not suitable for readers under the age of 18.
Mild-mannered veterinarian Jetta Briggs wrestles with humiliation and self-hatred after someone she trusts brutally betrays her. But when an enigmatic woman shows her the world through the calming Element of Earth, Jetta uncovers inner strength she never knew she had. As everything she believes in flips upside down, Jetta is forced to trust the part of herself she doubts the most—her broken heart.
DIRTY is the third installment of the JUST BREATHE Ephemera series, a companion collection of shorts that supplement Kendall Grey's JUST BREATHE urban fantasy romance trilogy.
In Dirty we meet Jetta, who seemingly has nothing to do with Zoe and Gavin, and yet everything to do with them. Elementals are everywhere, and they all have their own history before they become what they are meant to be. And Jetta was changed from feeling small and insignificant to feeling strong and empowered – and came about it through extreme tragedy.
At first this wasn’t one of my favorites out of the four. But then it grew on me, and it simmered while I kept reading. By the end I was in love with Jetta and the woman she’d become. This is a really fascinating novella, and its another much needed cog in the machine that is Just Breathe.
Vexxed
WARNING: This JUST BREATHE short story contains EXTREMELY graphic sexual content and explicit language. Not suitable for readers under the age of 18.
When Fire scorches Air, Vexx has no choice but to embrace the burn…
Free-spirited Aer Elemental Vexx finds herself in an ironic predicament when her boss pairs her up with Byrn, a brazen Fyre Elemental, to complete an undercover mission at a BDSM club. She’s been secretly crushing on him for months, so playing Domme to his arrogant, snarky sub is a dream come true. Not only that, she can finally turn the tables on him for the all the suggestive taunting he dishes on a regular basis. But one small problem prevents Vexx from fully embracing her role. If Byrn touches her, she’s dead.
Whoa. This one caught me by surprise, along with Stifle. It’s content was completely unexpected. Vexx and Burn are sent to Club Carnival to locate a Fyre. So they go incognito and decide to blend in with the BDSM crowd. Vexx is the Domme and Byrn is her pet. And oh, do they do so well together.
Their visit is on fire, in more ways than one. Vexx is a pink haired bundle of joy, and Byrn is full of simmering sexiness. But see, different elementals can’t mix – it could be disasterous. So even if you think there could be something more… that there could be more, there just can’t. And in that aspect this story hurt my heart a bit. It only took a few pages to really care for both of these characters. Then a couple more to get turned on with them. And then when reality sets in, well… sometimes it just is what it is, and you have no choice but to accept it.
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All in all, I loved all four of these stories. They were all so varied, a real treat. I still have to catch up and read Exhale and Just Breathe, but I tell ya – I can’t wait. Kendall Grey really has a way with her words to reach right into your heart and grab hold. And so I implore you, read this series. Buy this series. Support Kendall. Support the whales. Take a moment and get to know her, listen to her story. You won’t regret it. Thanks for taking the time to listen to me. I hope I helped sway your decision.
Word diddler and whale warrior, Kendall was born without an off-switch between her brain and mouth. She’s been called the “Flux Capacitor of Twitter” and “A little package of love all wrapped up in F-word paper,” but she’s really just a maniacal writer relaying eyewitness accounts of the rave inside her head. She writes urban fantasy romance and dabbles in erotica and horror on occasion. Kendall lives off a dirt road near Atlanta, Georgia, but don’t hold that against her.
Previous Kendall Grey Posts on Fictional Candy
Oh, and one more thing:
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
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