Review: Inhale by Kendall Grey

Inhale by Kendall Grey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary:

Strangers in reality, inseparable in dreams…

After years of suffocating under her boss’s scrutiny, whale biologist Zoe Morgan finally lands a job as director of a tagging project in Hervey Bay, Australia. Success Down Under all but guarantees her the promotion of a lifetime, and Zoe won’t let anything—or anyone—stand in her way. Not the whale voices she suddenly hears in her head, not the ex who won’t take no for an answer, and especially not the gorgeous figment of her imagination who keeps saving her from the fiery hell of her dreams.

Gavin Cassidy hasn’t been called to help a human Wyldling in over a year, which is fine by him. Still blaming himself for the death of his partner, he keeps the guilt at bay by indulging in every excess his rock star persona affords. That is, until he’s summoned to protect Zoe from hungry Fyre Elementals and learns his new charge is the key to restoring order in the dying Dreaming. He never expects to fall for the feisty Dr. Morgan…nor does he realize he may have to sacrifice the woman he loves to save an entire country.

*This book contains graphic language, sex, and some violence. Not suitable for readers under the age of 18.

**The author will donate all profits from the sale of the JUST BREATHE trilogy to programs that educate people about whales and the challenges they face.

Review:

Based on the blurb, I thought this would be a good read, but it completely blew past all my expectations. It’s the type of book you tell all your friends about – but you don’t loan them your copy because you’re too busy re-reading it while you wait for the next one in the series.

There’s so much going on in this book – whales, elementals, dreams – but all of the diverse plot lines come together seamlessly.

The characters are people you’d like to know, or maybe they remind you of a friend. It’s easy to sympathize with Zoe and Gavin because their characters are detailed, well-rounded, and flawed, yet likeable. Even the villains are likeable in an awesomely evil love-to-hate-them kind of way. And there some serious chemistry between Zoe and Gavin! Let’s just say Kendall Grey knows how to write a great sex scene!

This is the first book in a trilogy, and I was really pleased it didn’t leave me hanging like other series sometimes do (don’t you hate that?). The story is wrapped up – for the moment – and the romantic relationship leaves you on a happy, emotionally satisfying note. I can’t wait to read the next two books!

D is for Dreams - A to Z Challenge

Dreams are funny things. Take this one for example:

Aliens love to mall walk!

I'm at an abandoned mall turned airport getting on a plane (but the plane is more like a spaceship). Then I volunteer to get off the plane to deal with the aliens (think Sigourney Weaver) in order to clear the way out of the mall. A few of us start shooting the aliens (because apparently we all brought guns to the airport and nobody cared) and I tell everyone to shoot for the head. I realize I'm really low on ammo and then I wake up.

Weird, right? My mom blamed it on watching a little too much “Walking Dead” - as if there could actually be too much of that excellent show!

Sunday night, after new episodes of "The Walking Dead"

Whatever the reason for dreams, they can serve as excellent inspiration. The basic idea behind my first book was dreamed up… literally. I woke up thinking about a pair of twins casting a spell and the idea for a book was born.

I love writing dream sequences. They can be full of crazy imagery, buried meanings, and a stream of consciousness style. And those dreams can mean anything - from character worries to premonitions to story foreshadowing. Several dreams figure in my upcoming book, along with a couple of nightmares as well. The characters wonder what the dreams mean, and sometimes they think they know... but can a person ever be sure they understand the meaning behind their dreams?

What’s the craziest dream you’ve ever had? What did you think it meant?