Review: Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt

Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Publication date: 05/19/2015

Series: Once Upon a Crime Family , #1

Age range: 13 - 17 Years

Source: Netgalley

Penelope Landlow has grown up with the knowledge that almost anything can be bought or sold—including body parts. She’s the daughter of one of the three crime families that control the black market for organ transplants.

Penelope’s surrounded by all the suffocating privilege and protection her family can provide, but they can't protect her from the autoimmune disorder that causes her to bruise so easily.

And in her family's line of work no one can be safe forever.

All Penelope has ever wanted is freedom and independence. But when she’s caught in the crossfire as rival families scramble for prominence, she learns that her wishes come with casualties, that betrayal hurts worse than bruises, that love is a risk worth taking . . . and maybe she’s not as fragile as everyone thinks

The premise of this book is what really made me want to read it. I’m a big lover of crime/mob stories - especially the ones that make you cringe and keep you in suspense of how the characters will fare in the end. Hold Me Like a Breath had plenty of grit to go around.

Penelope is such a unique character and I loved watching her transformation from being a fragile caged butterfly to finally standing up for herself and living her life the way she’s always dreamed of. She was shielded from her illegal family business dealings because of her condition and because of their illegal transplant business, there was always another family trying to take over and nothing was ever considered safe. So when tragedy strikes, Pen has to decide who to trust even as she navigates the streets on her own for the very first time. Always dependent upon her family and Garrett, her crush and also childhood friend, Pen doesn’t know where to turn then enters Charlie, the gorgeous newcomer with secrets of his own. Pen’s finally able to feel normal with Char by her side even though danger still hovers nearby. I loved how fierce Garrett and Char were when it came to Pen’s safety. With lies and secrets clouding her every move, it was nice to see Pen’s determination to live her life even while she dealt with tragedy and the constant danger that she was in.

I felt this book was more about Pen’s journey and how she coped with everything that happened within the confines of the family business. So I’m curious as to what will happen next as Pen ventures into the next phase of her life. Hopefully, we’ll get more danger and action as other crime families fight for power.     

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

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