Book Review and Giveaway: All Of You (Between Breaths #1) by Christina Lee

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: July 1, 2014
Publisher: NAL Trade
304 Pages

In this powerfully emotional New Adult novel, Avery has just met her hot upstairs neighbor.

He’s irresistible. Tattooed. And a virgin.

Nursing student Avery Michaels wants nothing to do with dating—she’s perfectly happy single. Privy to too many of her mother’s bad decisions and even worse taste in boyfriends, Avery can only handle a string of uncomplicated hookups whenever the mood strikes.

When she meets smoking-hot tattoo artist Bennett, she wants him—for just one night. But he won’t accept a no-strings-attached arrangement. He lives by a straitlaced code of values based on his own troubled upbringing.

Bennett sees something special in Avery, and he wants more from her. Way more. As Avery wrestles with her emotions for Bennett, danger and tragedy force them to open up to each other. And Avery must face the terrifying realization that she wants more from him too.

So she needs to make a choice: Let Bennett go or finally let him in.

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Thanks to the lovely ladies over at NAL Trade, I have one copy of ALL OF YOU to offer to one lucky reader. The only catch is you have to have a US address (Sorry international folks!)

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Unfurl your muscles

Slip off your skin

Drop your guts in a heap on the floor

Nuzzle inside the hollow of my bones

Let our breaths mingle as one

Turn liquid for me

Only for me

Bury your essence inside of my soul

Bennett and Avery – two people who are on the different spectrum of relationships. One wants them, one doesn’t. One lost trust a long time ago, the other believes that trust is the only way. And one is a virgin, while the other one sleeps around to forget. 

This is the first book in the Between Breaths series and I wish I would have read this one first. It’s hands down my favorite of the three out so far and the one I would recommend to anyone. The New Adult genre has been a hard one for me to get behind, but every once in a while I find one that gives me just a little hope that this new genre could possibly survive. 

Lee writes a believable struggle between two people who want different things. Their fights with each other along with their inner struggles just added more depth and realism to the characters. I liked that one didn’t give up their values or what they believed just for ‘insta-love’. Both characters were honest from the start about what they wanted and it was nice to read them grow and change together. Because one was a virgin, there wasn’t a lot of hot and heavy sex (which was a good thing, because let’s face it, that seems to be a majority of NA books now). Instead, there was this slow buildup of UST that just drove you crazy until you found yourself screaming, “Just do it already!” But I’m glad they didn’t listen to me.

Avery was a strong-willed, no backing down girl. Her guard rarely comes down and only in the presence of those closest to her. She was sarcastic, funny, determined, and vulnerable. They always say that college is about finding yourself and I think that’s true for Avery who does the most growing in this book.

Another thing, I rarely find swoonworthy guys in NA book but Bennett in up there. From the way Lee describes his physical traits to his personality, I want one. Simple as that. From the five word game they play to the flowers to the art…I was swooning. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this. It wasn’t a new concept but I liked the spin that Lee put on it. 

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher for my honest opinion and review. Big thanks to NAL Trade for allowing me partake in this giveaway!