This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration by Harlequin Books.

The Last Breath

Gia Andrews chases and helps with disasters all over the world- no disaster is too large, too intimidating for Gia. Except one…. And no matter what, Gia does not think she can fix the one- the one that tore her family apart.

Gia’s dad is in prison for killing her step-mother. A crime that shocked and horrified the small Southern town that Gia and her family grew up in. Let’s set the scene- the nice man, the town pharmacist, the man who helps the town with fundraisers and more- kills his wife. Or did he?

His own children seem to think so- Gia can’t quite believe that he killed Ella Mae and yet can’t quite believe that he didn’t. The evidence was there. But is her dad a killer- or is there more to the story?

When a professor comes to town writing a book about wrongfully convicted men- some of the things he says gets Gia thinking and asking questions. Because, while her dad is out of jail; his time is drawing near as he was sent home to die.

While at first, Gia had no desire to be back in the same town- the town that had shunned her and her family after her father was convicted of killing Ella Mae- between the professor, her Uncle Cal’s behavior and the neighbor, Dean (aka the prosecutor’s star witness)- things are not adding up. And Gia is going to do everything in her power to reunite her family and to find out what really happened the night Ella Mae died. And if she can do all that with the local sexy restaurant owner/bartender by her side- well, even better.

 

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Secrets. Secrets GALORE. Kimberly Belle’s debut opens with a bang- Ella Mae revealing her husband had found out about her affair with Dean. Then it begins to reveal how Ella Mae spent the final minutes of her life- how she had known death was coming for her.

With most of the book told in present time- with Gia coming back home to watch her father die, with her struggling with her feelings over his guilt or innocence- it’s interesting and enjoyable. But, as the reader gets in the book- already armed with the knowledge that Ella Mae is dead- getting a glimpse of Ella Mae’s story- the story of how the affair began, how she did not love Ray anymore- all adds up to be the most intriguing part of the book for me. I would read an Ella Mae section and then flip forward trying to see how long before I would get another piece of the story via her journal. And boy, does her journal paint a picture!

The reactions of Ray’s children in the book felt very real- they were dealing with finding out that their father was considered a cold-blooded murderer- and each child dealt with that news in their own way.

While I did enjoy the secrets and the intrigue- there was one secret that just felt like it was too much for “shock factor”- and then Gia’s reaction kind of made me want to pinch her.

Overall thoughts: If you like mystery/suspense (especially if you like a side of romance thrown in)- then give THE LAST BREATH a try. It’s a strong debut from Kimberly Belle- an author that I look forward to reading more from in the future.

 

*THE LAST BREATH was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration by Harlequin Books. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

 

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T