Breathless

Scott Prussing

A line from a Sheryl Crow song popped into her head – something about “It’s not having what you want, it’s wanting what you’ve got.”  Satisfaction is a mindset, Leesa had learned that at an early age.

This book is about Leesa and her journey to find out what happened to her brother, Bradley.  It starts out by telling the story of when her mother, Judy, was bitten by a “one-fanged vampire” while visiting her sister in Connecticut and pregnant with Leesa.  After that, Judy became ill to the extent that she wouldn’t go in the sunlight because it would burn her skin.  Judy’s husband eventually left her and the family.   The story really starts out when Leesa is going to start college at Weston College in Connecticut.  Her Aunt Janet and Uncle Roger live in Connecticut nearby and take her in before starting school.   

At school, she meets Cali, who later introduces her to Caitlin and Stacie, who quickly become her group of friends.  In school, Leesa takes a class in “Vampire Science” from Professor Clerval, where she starts to learn about vampires and has her first encounter with Rave.  Later, at a frat party, she meets Stefan, who is a vampire, according to Rave.  It tells the tales of how she overcomes obstacles of romance, finding her brother and dealing with vampires.

“Should have had pie,” Uncle Roger jokes.  “Pie is your friend, I always say.”

Goodreads synopsis:

Breathless is a modern fantasy/romance novel in the mode of Twilight and Vampire Diaries, with enough new ideas to excite even the most devoted fans...

Weston College freshman Leesa Nyland has been fascinated by vampires since she was three years old. That's when her mom started acting weird, insisting sunlight hurt her skin because she'd been bitten by a one-fanged vampire.

But fascinated doesn't mean Leesa believes. Any more than she believes in blue fire, people who live for centuries, and kisses that can kill. But when her beloved older brother disappears after warning Leesa not to come looking for him, she is forced to consider all these and more.

She also has to figure out what to do about her mysterious new boyfriend. She knows Rave likes her a lot-so why won't he kiss her? And why is he always talking about vampires?
As Leesa draws closer to finding her brother, she faces some gut-wrenching decisions. Should she risk her mom's life trying to "cure" her? Should she continue seeing Rave, after he reveals his dangerous secret? And most terrifying of all, should she make the ultimate sacrifice-give up her humanity-to save her brother?

This book really keeps you interested in the story by the many different things that are happening at once and how Leesa, Rave, Stefan and Bradley are involved with them.  There is a little history of the vampires and volkaanes in the story as well.  A well written story that I would read again and again.