Book Review: Hold Your Breath (Search and Rescue #1) by Katie Ruggle

Hold Your Breath is the first book in the Search and Rescue series by Katie Ruggle. As the captain of Field County's ice rescue dive team, Callum Cook is driven to perfection. When he meets new diver Louise "Lou" Sparks, all that hard-won order is obliterated in an instant. Lou is a hurricane, a walking disaster, but when he is near her he's never felt more alive. Lou is new to the Rockies, intent on escaping her controlling family and ex. She is determined to make it on her own terms, no matter how tempting Callum and his help might be. When a routine training exercise unearths a body, Lou and Callum find themselves thrust into a deadly game of cat and mouse with a killer who will stop at nothing to silence Lou.

Hold Your Breath is a contemporary romance with complex characters and plenty of suspense. I liked Lou's propensity for sloppiness and her desire to take care of herself. I also liked Callum's need for order and desire to take care of Lou, and everyone else. I liked that the characters were imperfect and that they actually took the time to communicate their hesitations and needs rather than letting the continually fester and cause issues. The mystery and suspense portion of the story was very well done, aas was the introduction of several side characters that I feel like might be important as the series continues. None of the characters were cookie cutter perfect, or felt flawed in expected ways. I really enjoyed the small town setting, although with the complexity and danger running rampant in this area I am sure I would not want to visit, never mind stick around. This was a story that had me turning pages, and while satisfied with the conclusion eager to see what would happen next in this series.


Hold Your Breath is solid romance and suspense novel that I requested the second book from netgalley as soon as I finished it. I am really looking forward to more. I think readers that like high action and suspense romance will really enjoy this series. 

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