Friday, January 10, 2014

Blog Tour - Heart Breaths by K.K. Hendin Review & Giveaway



Title: Heart Breaths
Author: K.K. Hendin
Published: November 5, 2013
Format Read/Pages: eBook/265
How I Acquired It: Itching for Books
Date Finished: January 5, 2014
Purchase at: Amazon | B&N

***Heart Breaths will be available for $0.99 on Amazon for this week only!!

After a tragedy nearly ripped 21 year old Madeline Darlington-Gray’s life in half, she's spent the past three years trying to put the pieces back together. But pieces never just fit back together, and when she's betrayed by those she trusts, everything crumbles. Shoving everything she owns into the trunk of her car, Maddie drives south, trying to run from her past.

Eno, North Carolina seems like the perfect place to hide. Working at a local café is light years from Maddie's Manhattan existence and for the first time in a while, she's finding her family. There's Grandma, the café owner; Samantha, the hairstylist next door with plans to make Maddie's life unsuck and Noie, the three year old girl who's stolen Maddie's heart.

And then there’s Gabriel Mendez, Noie’s single dad. He’s intrigued Maddie since the first time she met him, and while he has his own secrets, he wants more from her than just friendship. But the past never stays past, and all too soon, Maddie realizes she can't hide from hers. If she can't put the pieces of her shattered life together this time, she'll have no hope for a future.

A future she desperately wants.

~

I really, really, really loved this story. It hit me right in the feels and left me with more emotions than I ever like to have. I seem to be reading a lot of stories about loss and they all manage to make me feel for the characters as though they are real people. Hendin accomplished that and then some with Heart Breaths.

The fact that the single parent in this story is the father was something that I really appreciated. It seems that not many authors, these days at least, have fathers as the main parent, especially as a single parent. I feel as though it brought a whole new set of challenges that are not always seen, especially since Noie comes with challenges of her own. The relationship between Noie and Gabe was perfect and it made me feel as though they are the best father/daughter duo a person can ask for. Maddie seamlessly fits into the equation upon being introduced to the two of them and it just seemed natural for her to be there. 

The heartbreaking reality that is Maddie’s life is something no young woman should have to go through at that age. Given her circumstances and the reasons that drove her to flee her home, she really finds a place that she is able to let her guard down and start to find a new way to live. With the help of some kick ass friends and people that genuinely love her, she found something and someone to live for again. Watching her journey unfold made reading the story easy and had me setting a fast pace to see what new daily adventures she was embarking on along the road to happiness.


The one and only gripe I have about this story was the abrupt ending!! I feel as though I got no closure with the characters and I would have loved to see how they all turned out. Other than that, I cannot express how much I loved this story. I will definitely be on the lookout for any more stories that Hendin puts out. 

4.5 Stars


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
KK Hendin's real life ambition is to become a pink fluffy unicorn who dances with rainbows. But the schooling for that is all sorts of complicated, so until that gets sorted out, she'll just write. Preferably things with angst and love. And things that require chocolate.


Make sure to check out the other stops on K.K. Hendin's Heart Breaths tour. The full schedule is available at Itching for Books!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you Shane at IFB and K.K. Hendin for a chance to participate in this great tour!

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