From Goodreads: Too many secrets. Not enough time.
Nick Merrick is supposed to be the level-headed one. The peacemaker. Since it’s just him and his three hotheaded brothers against the world, that’s a survival tactic.
But now he’s got problems even his brothers can’t help him survive.
His so-called girlfriend, Quinn, is going quick as mercury from daring to crazy. Meanwhile, Quinn’s dancer friend Adam is throwing Nick off balance, forcing him to recognize a truth he’d rather shove back into the dark.
He can feel it—-the atmosphere is sizzling. Danger is on the way. But whatever happens next, Nick is starting to find out that sometimes nothing you do can keep the peace.
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Imagine growing up a fully fledged elemental, having complete control of one of the four elements: earth, water, fire, or air. It sounds phenomenal, doesn’t it? Except, your full control really isn’t much control at all, and when you call on your element, and sometimes even when you don’t, scary things tend to happen. And that’s why the lesser elementals want you and your entire family dead. You’re too dangerous.
Brigid Kemmerer’s latest novella, Breathless, gives readers something we’ve been yearning for for a long time, a glimpse into the heart and soul of Nick Merrick. Up until this point, Nick has been somewhat of a background character, and though readers know a lot about him, we’ve never really experienced the depths of his heart and soul like we have his other brothers in the series. But that all changes with Breathless. In this novella, Kemmerer focuses her attention on Nick, air elemental extraordinaire. And as we really get to know him, Kemmerer shows us his confusion and his true want and need for acceptance, not just from his friends, but also from his family. Nick has always felt a little bit different than his twin Gabriel when it comes to girls, but until now, he’s repressed those thoughts and feelings. Yet, while the allure of college calls to him, so does his yearning for a relationship, except for Nick, his preference would cause multiple problems with his family, or so he believes, and so he struggles to accept himself.
This is a very well written novella that I highly enjoyed, especially as we get to see how calm, cool, and collected Nick is anything but as he struggles to figure out just who he is and who he wants to be. Believing himself to be the exception of the “norm” in his family, Nick’s thoughts and feelings will have readers rooting for him the whole way, and I cannot wait to see how everything pans out for Nick as he takes his next steps towards the relationship he truly desires. Four stars.
Kensington Books has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novella, via Netgalley, prior to its release tomorrow, April 30, 2013.
Books: The Cheapest Vacation You Can Buy 
[…] forever transfixed by his brooding nature as his deep-rooted goodness shown through. When I read Breathless, the third novella, I learned that looks can be deceiving and Nick’s yearnings and desires follow […]