With Every Breath by Elizabeth Camden
Bethany House Publishers, August 5, 2014
In the shadow of the nation’s capital, Kate Livingston’s respectable life as a government worker is disrupted by an encounter with the insufferable Trevor McDonough, the one man she’d hoped never to see again. A Harvard-trained physician, Trevor never showed the tiniest flicker of interest in Kate, and business is the only reason he has sought her out now.
Despite her misgivings, Kate agrees to Trevor’s risky proposal to join him in his work to find a cure for tuberculosis. As Kate begins to unlock the mysteries of Trevor’s past, his hidden depths fascinate her. However, a shadowy enemy lies in wait and Trevor’s closely guarded secrets are darker than she ever suspected.
As revelations from the past threaten to destroy their careers, their dreams, and even their lives, Trevor and Kate find themselves in a painfully impossible situation. With everything to lose, they must find the strength to trust that hope and love can prevail over all.
A favourite author of mine, I always look forward to Elizabeth Camden’s books with joy plus some anxiety. Anxiety doesn’t sound good, but I like it for her books. Camden usually does something a little different with her characters in each book and I’m always waiting with baited breath to see if I’m going to like what she’s done. What’s funny is even though I haven’t always liked the characters she presents, I really value her for stepping out onto a limb and pushing herself for more, greater depth and breadth to her characters. I also love the research with her books, I always learn something and this is a real pleasure.
With Every Breath was a fine example of this. Learning about Tuberculosis was really interesting and the backdrop of Washington DC was really lovely. Kate and Trevor have a battle scarred past and Camden uses it to give her readers a strong chemistry and their competitive natures enable both of them to push each others buttons, but to also strive for great things. The challenges of finding a cure for TB is a sad experience, with many fatalities along the way and a cure is still years away. The pain of this eats away at both Trevor and Kate and they are forced to come to terms with the effects of the disease as it invades their lives in unexpected ways.
Trevor is a no nonsense, straight to the point, driven man and Kate is a female version of him. Watching them compete and then learn to work together is a delight. The mystery surrounding the hospital is well done and kept me turning the pages to find out more.
A great, engrossing read.
Jess is a mum of two children and married to the calmest man alive. She loves to bake and go for walks. A writer of contemporary romance, Jess write stories about the heart and where love is worth the journey.