"Breathe" by Cari Hunter is a heart-pounding thriller that will leave you breathless as you navigate its pulse-pounding twists and turns.

Jemima is a paramedic in the north of England with a terrible habit of getting the worst cases and losing her partners because of it. Bumping into Rosie, an easy going copper, brightens her day and gives her at least one person who doesn’t want to run away. But as storms hit, the water rises and a murder inquiry turns nasty, Jem and Rosie need all their good luck to come out of it together and unscathed.

This is Cari Hunters first romance… but fans of her earlier action adventures (with a hit of romance) won’t be disappointed. As the blurb and my brief description indicate it’s not exactly a saccharin “girl meets girl and falls in love” tale. The crime element centres around child grooming and trafficking, the weather has a major voice in the action and the run down and derelict back end of town does it’s best to add drama.

Cari writes with her usual wit, this one is firmly grounded in northern colloquialisms, sarcasm and English humour. The characters are well developed and adorable in their normality, full of recognisable faults and deficiencies, they are literally the girls next door. Ably supported by a great cast of characters we could definitely do with a follow up to fill out the ‘what happens next’ of the romance and family reactions.

The title is also perfection – Jem has chronic asthma which doesn’t help her with emergency responses, and the plot denouement will leave you gasping – literally.

Warning – if you cant cope with some English slang, and a wicked sense of humour you might not be delighted with this .. but if you dare step out of the box, enjoy some English culture and have fun learning about wellies, brollies and lots of taking the piss, then this is just a delightful read (Cari has even done a humorous translation page for non-British-English speakers https://carihunter.wordpress.com/2019/08/28/breathe-translation/)

Excellent reading as always, Cari Hunter’s books are always on my go-to list and this one is highly recommended.

Another cracking book. This time it’s along slightly different lines from this author’s previous titles but great to read a story set in Cari's own world. It’s also a good wake-up call for anyone who thinks being a paramedic is glamour job that anyone can do. It takes special people to be paramedics, coppers, firefighters and the like.
Although we’ve seen these worlds in Cari's other books, Breathe gives us a little more insight and shows us that even paramedics have their flaws, their weaknesses and their own health problems to deal with. These are ordinary, everyday people. They might have slightly different ways from those we're used to, and trust me, even in England there can be regional differences in how things are said and done! They may use language that's unfamiliar or say things slightly differently but all of Cari's books show the real people behind the characters. With all of those come the little idiosyncrasies that give the characters life and the language is so authentically British it’s been a delight to settle in and lose myself in the latest Cari Hunter story.
I should add that I’m about to read it for the third time. I only ever re-read books that capture my imagination, transport me and have me really rooting for the characters within. Says it all, for me 😊

You know when you pick up a Cari Hunter book you are in for one hell of a ride. This writer can really write a book! In her newest novel, Breathe, she gives you amazing characters, thoughtful dialogue and a plot that just won’t stop.

Jemima Pardon is an accident waiting to happen. She’s klutzy and just one of those people that is a magnet for disasters. Jem just happens to be the best damn paramedic in Manchester. While Jem is on her own on night trying to help a patient she gets a ton of help from police officer Rosie Jones. These two quirky characters hit it off right from the start. Both Rosie and Jem’s characters are full of complexity. Their backgrounds make them who they are today, and Hunter takes us on the ride of bringing their past to their present if that makes any sense. She gives us enough detail and emotion to bring them to life. I loved their banter and wittiness even in the most harrowing situations.

This is a great book to pick for when you really want to escape. As with all Cari Hunter books you are getting a quality story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

It took a while to get into the flow of the story. I had difficulty with the English slang. But once past half away in the book if finally started flowing for me. The crime part of the plot confused me a bit first then I finally caught on. What I like most about the book is the diversity of the main characters and the fact that one of them isn't "perfect", dealing with chronic illness. Jemima and Rosie balanced each other out well.
I wish more lesfic books were a tad bit more realistic with their characters. It tends to get tiring to read about perfect looks all the time. An enjoyable book!

Stevie‘s review of Breathe by Cari Hunter
Contemporary Lesbian Romance published by Bold Strokes Books 10 Sep 19

Various of Cari Hunter’s novels feature protagonists who work for the emergency services, and this latest book is no exception, pairing paramedic Jemima Pardon with police officer Rosie Jones. The two initially encounter each other when attending an incident in which a prospective bridegroom’s stag night has ended with him stuck in a precarious and highly embarrassing situation. Our heroines’ improvised solution to the problem was certainly ingenious, even if the finale to the rescue managed to strengthen Jemima’s belief that she brings bad luck to anyone unfortunate enough to work with her. Although she likes Rosie a lot from the outset, she’s very wary about getting involved and further jinxing both their situations. Of course, it’s not long before they find themselves working together once again, and this time the situation is far more sombre.


Called out to attend a lad who appears to have fallen in the river, Jemima soon realises that he had been the victim of a brutal attack before he ever entered the water. Rosie is the first officer on the scene, and so finds herself working on the case with Jemima as a key witness. Realising that the victim had been receiving money through illegal activities, she takes some unorthodox steps to track down the real villains – including enlisting Jemima’s help – and soon uncovers evidence of a gang trafficking young runaways and other disaffected teens, forcing the kids into the hands of abusers in return for drugs and treats.

The two women find themselves in a series of dangerous situations as they attempt to track down kids ensnared by the gang, as well as past and potential future victims. Both the runaways and the gang members have a liking for abandoned mill buildings and supposedly empty houses, and the weather isn’t helping with the safety of the locations either.

I really enjoyed seeing both women at work on both their regular day jobs and on the main investigation of the story. Some of the call-outs they attended were darkly humorous and some were just plain funny. I also sniggered at the bad dates they both went on separately between their first and second chance meetings with each other. The contrasts between their very different, but equally loving families, and those of the various runaways were very well drawn.

If I have one criticism, it’s that the tension of the grand showdown was slightly underplayed, while Jemima’s paranoia that chance misadventures were somehow her fault was slightly overplayed. It was good to see another story set in the less glamorous parts of Manchester, especially when that was set against some of the beautiful countryside in the surrounding area, when our heroines were able to get away and enjoy it. I’d like to see more of Rosie and Jemima, not to mention their friends, families, and work colleagues.

Grade: B

Since I first started reading works by Ms Hunter I knew I found an author that would be in my favorite author’s list. Don’t know how she does it but they just keep getting better.
Police Officer Rosie Jones liked her job. No two days were alike. She, along with her partner Kash handled all kinds of calls. One rainy night she gets a call for some assistance helping with a young man who was out celebrating his upcoming wedding when his good friends decides to hang him over the bridge, leaving him there until someone called for help. The Ambulance crew was already there but it seemed as if the only one trying to get the man up was working by herself.
Paramedic Jemima Pardon loved her job and like Rosie found herself in some very interesting predicaments. Finding the young man hanging was not going to be an easy job. She was cold and wet but she was trying her best to get him up so she could examine him. The guy supposedly working with her didn’t care about the young man or for that matter Jem either. Then Rosie showed up to give her a hand.
The two women didn’t know if they’d meet up again but Rosie certainly hoped so. Jem, while liking what she saw with Rosie didn’t hold out much hope of ever having a relationship with anyone. None had worked out so far.
They get another chance when Rosie’s called out to help with a young man who’d been found unconscious after being found by two homeless men. Jem is already there working hard trying to save him but when he dies, she finds herself, along with Rosie, trying to find his killer. This is when the story starts twisting and turning into another great mystery.
Simply put if you’re a fan of Ms Hunters work you’ll love this book. If you’ve never read Ms Hunters books you don’t know what you’re missing. Now comes the part I don’t like. Waiting for the next book by this author. A very, very good read. Loved it.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

‘Breathe’ by Cari Hunter is the story of asthmatic paramedic, Jemima Pardon (Jem), the unluckiest woman in England. Or so she thinks. Meeting cherry, fun police officer Rosie Jones might be the start of something different in her life. They keep bumping into each other on call-outs and it’s full-on excitement from the beginning.

Cari Hunter’s sense of humour is a mixture of leg-pulling, sarcasm and the gallows humour that anyone working in the emergency services has to adopt to survive. The banter between the main characters is brilliant. It is so real and natural . The language and local lingo and dialect pulls the reader into the world of her characters in a way I’ve never seen with other authors. It’s hilarious. Also Cari Hunter- you make me starving every time I read one of your books! From dunking biscuits to roast dinners and hot buttered toast, I need to eat after every chapter.

The story itself is tightly plotted and full of action and excitement. The two women find themselves in danger more than once and Ms Hunter had me on the edge of my seat. I’m totally in awe of Cari Hunter. Her skill as a storyteller is unparalleled. I loved this book and highly recommend it.

I was given this ARC for review

Jem is a paramedic with an unlucky track record, but when she meets policewoman Rosie she may have met her match and her luck may be about to change. The two women are thrown together time and time again as they work together solving the strange mystery of a murdered teen.

I loved the quirky nature of the characters, the fast-paced and chipper dialogue between them. It really lightened up an otherwise heavy story. I loved the way this book really drew on all your senses, really drawing you into the story, the setting, the weather. You felt the aches and the exhaustion and the chill and the dampness right along with the characters. Cari Hunter is a master at their craft, creating brilliant mystery and suspense stories, balanced with heartwarming characters and sweet love stories. I haven't met a book that hasn't been absolute brilliance.


I received an ARC via NetGalley exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic book. I am a great fan of Cari Hunter's work and this didn't disappoint. Great story!
Breathe has wonderful and authentic main characters who have real issues and ordinary lives. There is a very good supporting cast. The story has plenty of drama and action, gentle humour, and - to me anyway - a very real romance. I also really enjoyed the clever and very real use of regional language in this story. One thing about UK accents is they can change quite dramatically in 20-30 miles which folks this side of the pond struggle with, but in this case the language is integral to the story.
Overall, a definite five start recommendation.

Cari has done it again! Absolutely loved this one. The characters are real, authentic and relatable. The story is gripping enough to make this a page-turner with just enough of a sweet love story thrown in. I love how she shows Manchester's dirty underwear. Makes me want to visit even more. The crime story-line is well thought out without boring you with too much police procedure.

I fell in love with Jem and Rosie (especially Rosie). Rosie isn't the dashing hero that we're used to, but she's still a hero. Her gentle kindless moved me. Jem is a mess and she still saves lives. She is courageous and funny and gives the rest of us hope! It was refreshing to read this love story because sex so often gets overused in lesfic. As always, Cari uses it sparingly and with great effect and doesn't rely on it to tell her story.

The focus of this beautifully written novel is connection, sensitivity, sincerity and kindness. We need more of that in the world.

I was entertained by the characters, storyline, and distinct British writing. I am a fan of her mysteries and crime stories. Though this read was light on both compared to other stories I have read, it was still enthralling as she introduced two unique personalities. Jemima Pardon (great name), lacking confidence and wanting to be liked but very good at your job. Rosie Jones, possessing a positive outlook on life and dealing with a formal love interest. Also, appreciated the supportive secondary characters. This is a read about staying true to who you are and feeling good about it. Such a true to actual life read where it is possible to go through your day-to-day life viewing life as half full.

This s an interesting story about an EMT who has asthma and feels she is not a desirable as a coworker or a potential dating partner. She is however an excellent EMT. The other character in the book is a police officer with a devil may care attitude, she too is an excellent police officer. These two meet several times on distress calls and become friends. These two can’t be more than friends, or can they?
This book is full of adventure and danger with the action and danger never stopping. I got another level of respect and admiration for first responders after reading this book. I highly recommend this book.

A thoroughly enjoyable book with plenty of action from start to finish. A touch of a sweet romance, centred around a cops and docs (paramedics) story. Wonderful. Having read some other reviews I must add that it was refreshing to read a book written with such an obvious local flavour from a part of Britain, though even some of us living on this isle had to look up some of the Mancunian colloquialisms!
I was given a review copy by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I do like Cari Hunter's books - I especially liked her Sanne and Meg series and didn't think she could recreate the chemistry and angst in quite the same way again. But I'm happy to say that she has managed to pull it off. Jemima (Jem) and Rosie are thrown together in a tough 999 call and the story follows their attempts to solve a murderous criminal gang targeting young people. The streets and back alleys of Manchester are well covered as are the hospital wards Jen often finds herself in because of her chronic asthma. Jem has a pessimistic outlook because of her childhood baggage and Rosie is in a weird controlling relationship. How can these two damaged woman, work through their troubles and find an answer to a missing child?

The trauma and conflict are very well constructed and the plot races along very well. The characters are real and credible and certainly Jem is the more "real" of the two. The minor characters are all three dimensional and add to the narrative positively. Ms Hunter is developing as a writer and I am excited to see where she goes next. I wouldn't mind more Jem and Rosie if she is finished with Sanne and Meg. This is a romance but the path is not smooth and the underlying story is strong.

Recommended if you want a book that will keep you turning the pages as you develop a liking for the characters and want to know who is behind the horrible mistreatment of the young victims.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

3 Stars, This book was cute. This book was about Jemima Pardon, a paramedic who has asthma, who runs into office Rosie Jones, she can't stay away. They run into each other at two separate times and both want to get to know each other. They start to spend time together and get involved in a case that keeps them both guessing until the end.

I read his book a little while before I wrote the review for it. The case for this book was not very memorable as I am racking my brain to try and remember any of the details from the case. Jem and Rosie's relationship is cure and evolves throughout the novel. They start off as friends and their relationship evolves slowly. They both have cute interactions and they both want to get to know each other. Jem and Rosie seem to actually care about each other. This is a decent book and I would recommend it to people who want a cute, easy to read novel.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47175190-breathe" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Breathe" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1563868286l/47175190._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47175190-breathe">Breathe</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4826521.Cari_Hunter">Cari Hunter</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2973091559">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I read through the night, hooked by the main characters Rosie (police officer) and Jemina/Jem (paramedic). Their chemistry was believable and the plot had just the right doses of humour, angst, drama and romance. The health issue of chronic asthma nicely handled without detracting/overpowering the storyline. I loved the Brit colloquialisms. Another hit from Ms. Hunter - heavier on the romantic side. Easily recommend with 4 stars.<br /><br />I rec'd an ARC from NetGalley/Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/31134832-gail">View all my reviews</a>

Jem Pardon is a paramedic sent out to a bridge where a bachelor party prank turned ugly, leaves a groom dangling over a severe drop. Police Officer Rosie Jones is the first to assist and one crazy rescue scheme later, Jem is both charmed and in awe of Rosie’s lively, unabashed nature. Rosie is all smiles herself from the meet and they become good friends who occasionally find themselves assigned to the same emergencies. A murder mystery, torrential floods, and arson are all mixed in with plenty of humor and a bit of romance that build into a lively and compelling story.

What I love the most about Breathe is that the main characters are imperfect but continuously strive to be decent human beings which means that they resemble most of us. The author makes it so easy to identify with the mc’s that I feel like I inhabit every space the characters experience, whether it’s the chaotic hospital wards, the creepy old mill, or the pitch dark woods. While I’m reading passages, I’m soaking wet and shivering right along with Jem and Rosie while they fight to bring back life to one of the victims or I’m struggling with Jem while she wheezes and gasps for air during an asthmatic exacerbation. I can empathize with their fears and insecurities because they’re so intimately drawn by the author. As far as action, Cari Hunter generates non stop suspense with a sneaky ferocity that will keep you on edge. Before you know it, you’re all in and it’s way past your bedtime.

Quick note on the Britishisms that some readers are commenting on, fairly easy to decipher from context and fun if you’re into learning new words and meanings.

Jem is a paramedic who seems to have a curse or hex on her. Easy calls go south and hard calls go souther. She also has a hellish case of asthma as well.

She meets Rosie when the two of them have to Macgyver a harness for a guy just hanging out (And sorta soused). Rosie is a patrol policewoman and after these two women meet once, they keep meeting and then start meeting on purpose. They also get into some big troubles too. Through all this they get closer of course.

I liked the mystery in this novel. I also liked the relationship between Jem and Rosie, as well as the interesting relationships Jem and her family and Rosie and her family.

The one part that really tripped me up was the accents and the words being used. This isn't my first British novel, or first Cari Hunter novel for that matter, but, for a lot of the start of the novel especially I just knew barely any of the words. They were English, just, not the English that I happen to speak, heh. It took me a little bit out of the story for quite awhile.

Still, as I said, it was a fun story, and even though I didn't always get the subtleties, the characters quite unique and delightful to read about. (Also delightfully normal too).

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to Bold Strokes Books.

This might end up being more of a review of Cari Hunter's writing in general than a review of this book in particular, but that's because it confirmed her as my favorite lesbian fiction writer at the moment. Or rather, lesbian mystery (which is the best sub-genre of lesbian fiction ever). The conclusion I've come to upon finishing this, though, is the following: she's absolutely great at balancing the mystery with the romance.

In <i>Breathe</i>, Hunter brings back some key aspects of her popular trilogy, <i>The Dark Peak series</i>. We've got a health professional and a police officer, one of them with a weird name, one who likes living near the mountains right outside Manchester; they end up involved in a case together, and they talk a lot about food. That's where it ends, because Jem and Rosie are brand new characters, and wonderful ones at that.

Jem is a paramedic with chronic asthma and shit luck. These are two very definitive traits of her character, in that they are very present in the story, and this is something that worried me after reading the synopsis — sometimes authors decide a character has a chronic illness or is unlucky or clumsy and that's their full personality, their story centers around The Chosen Trait and it's generally terrible. I don't read books for plot but for characters, so one-dimensional characters will make me drop a book and move onto the next one without a second thought. Cari Hunter shall not do that to me, though: Jem felt <i>genuine</i> and real. She was brave, she was insecure, she was caring and sweet, she showed vulnerability as well as her strengths, and I felt for her. Her being chronically ill and feeling that she had terrible luck brought layers to her character without being all that she was.

Jem meets Rosie a few paragraphs into the book, and thank fuck for that — it bores me when authors give me a short bio of the protagonists before ever giving me a single reason why I should care. Also, why do English-speaking authors seem to love starting books exactly with the first and last name of a protagonist as they do something shocking? Anyway, I digress. My point is, it's a breath of fresh air to meet Jem and Rosie as they rescue a perfect idiot dangling off the side of a bridge. A regular day in the life of a Manchester paramedic and police officer. From there, we can start to get to know them, as they get to know each other too.

First impressions made me think Rosie was a cool lesbian type, I don't know why; probably the way she talked and moved around during the whole bridge episode. I thought she'd be all emotionally closed off and intimidating. Oh how glad I was to be wrong! She has <i>such</i> a huge heart and she's just the sweetest, so caring and absolutely hilarious.

This reminds me Cari Hunter is also brilliant at keeping a light-hearted tone while navigating a pretty heavy plot. Having tackled horrifying sexual trafficking and assault cases in past novels, this time around the author starts off the main case with an ugly murder that leads them to a much deeper hole to which several runaway teens have been dragged. The characters and situations, however, are very often funny and heartwarming, as the book is not at all intended to make you feel anxious or burdened by the weight of knowing there's so much evil out there. It is very much a story of finding happiness and comfort while dealing with all the shit life brings.

Some would argue that the mystery is the main plot while the romance happens in the background, and I beg to disagree. This is very much a character-driven story in my opinion. It delves into what makes Jem and Rosie who they are way more than it details the crime and its investigation. The case isn't what kept me awake until I finished the book; wanting to find out what would happen to them did that. We're shown a lot of Jem's work as a paramedic and how she feels about it, and it all works to build her character, and Rosie's character development is even less centered around her job as a police officer and the part she plays in the case. I'd dare say the mystery here is not much more than an excuse for this to <i>not</i> be just a romance story: having such a tense plot brings the extra potential for angst, and that's pretty much what it does in this book.

The romance in itself is a delicious slow burn, though not slow enough that it would be frustrating to keep waiting for <i>something</i> to happen. They take their sweet time getting to the actual romance, but the journey there is beautiful as they find themselves unexpectedly thinking of each other more often, and worrying and caring for the other as much as (or even more than) for themselves, and wanting to get to know each other better and spend more time together. Knowing Cari Hunter's writing mainly from The Dark Peak series where the protagonists are childhood best friends, it was nice to see how well she can also develop the love and intimacy between these two women from its first steps.

Last but not least, it wouldn't be me if I didn't gush about how much I love Hunter's writing in its most basic form: the way she uses words and slang and dialect to compose some of the best dialogue I've ever read is honestly mindblowing. Dialect and slang are key terms here because when her characters are English, they are <i>really</i> English. I've had to google terms so deeply local and characteristic of a certain demographic (e.g. Manchester cops — or <i>coppers</i>, I should say) that they wouldn't even show up on a first search attempt unless I added a more general term to help the algorithm find it in context. And I don't mind having to pause for these searches at all, as I love language and it's always a pleasure to add to my vocabulary of (so far) useless British slang and insults. My point, though, is that this is what makes the dialogue she writes so authentic. The characters always sound like real people would speak, and as someone who lives in Brazil, it is very realistic to me that real people who live in real places speak in ways that could baffle someone from the neighbor state. There are even simple prepositions that people in my city use differently than people from a city that sits no more than a <i>bridge</i> away from us (!). So I find her writing brilliant in that she doesn't give a fuck whether you'll readily understand what Rosie means by "More fool him". Google it and you'll get one of the best bits of dialogue in this book, and as a bonus, you've learned a new English expression.

This is a mess of a review that I have no idea how to finish up but the main thing is I loved this book so very much and I appreciate Cari Hunter's writing to no end and lesbian mystery is a gift.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.