Another great read from Shannon McKenna. This is the second story in the Obsidian Files and I was not disappointed. It was fast paced, page turner, and I loved Zade and Simone.

This had a lot of action, it was fast-paced and kept my attention. I haven't really read Shannon McKenna's stuff before because it wasn't my style but I've got to say that if it presented itself to me again - I would definitely request again. It kept my attention and I didn't get bored.

Wow, I loved this book so much I had purchased book 1 for this series.

I didn't finish it because it didn't capture my attention enough. Consequently, I will not post my opinion in my other social networks as to not bring down the rating. Sorry!

Hot and sexy - grabs you and sucks you in from the first chapter. I couldn't put it down! Will definitely be reading book 1 in this series, it will help with understanding the character development for this one. Get them both, you won't regret it!! Shannon McKenna's stories are well developed with plenty of action, suspense, and sizzle. LOTS of sizzle!!

This was my first in Ms. McKenna's Obsidian Files books. This did not effect my enjoyment of the story. This book has strong well developed characters, a lot of action, some mystery, and a set up for continuing the series. I really liked Zade and Simone. I thought the underlying problem of finding Zade's brother Luke kept the story moving forward. The things going on in the super human soldier story are elements that kept me glued to the pages just waiting to find out more about how it all is going to play out.

Phew, this book was intense.

I haven't read book one yet ( Right Through Me ) and have to admit I felt like I was trying to play catchup for a lot of the book when it came to the Obsidian group and their plot--Zane explained some of it to Simone at around 50% and more of it about a quarter of the book or so later, which definitely helped, but I'd definitely recommend reading the books in order if you can.

Even without having read book one, though, this one was a heck of a read. Zane and Simone are sympathetic characters, and their chemistry is scorch-the-pages hot. The action scenes are intense, and even if I didn't always understand 100% of the background for what was happening and why, it was still a heck of a ride. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from this series and finding out what's in store for all of the Midlanders!

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

4.5 Stars

This was the second book in the Obsidian Files series by Shannon McKenna and oh my goodness was it amazing!

My Next Breath is the story of Zade Ryan and Simone Brightman.

Zade, who is one of Obsidian’s super soldiers, is on a mission to find what happened to his brother Luke after he was kidnapped by Mark Olund. He knows that Simone might know what was used to stun him and possibly where he was being kept. He just has to find a way to make her trust him so he can get the information. What he doesn’t expect is to find himself enjoying the time he spends with Simone and even coming to care for her. The only problem is Simone isn’t what she appears to be.

Obsidian have sunk their claws into Simone in a way that Zade didn’t expect and he has to tread very carefully because Simone has no idea. Simone is supposed to a good girl but finds herself rebelling against everything she’s used to after her second engagement fell to pieces. Nothing is going to plan in her life so why should she continue as if it’s normal?

This book kept me on the edge of my seat, much like the first book in the series. I loved the characters and how Simone finds her true self throughout the story. The paranormal aspect of this book has me fascinating with all the technology and biomedical gear that is being used. The super soldiers and their abilities keep you so intrigued as to find out what else they can do with their mods and implants.

I can’t wait to read the next book and find out what happens with Luke!

'My Next Breath' by Shannon McKenna is Book Two in "The Obsidian Files". This is the story of Zade Ryan and Simone Brightman. I have not yet read the previous book, so for me this was a standalone book.
This was a very exciting read for sure...it makes me want to find the previous book now!
Zade and his friends who he feels close to as brothers have been transformed somewhat but the Obsidian experiment. Zade which have made them stronger, sense of smell stronger, hearing better and some other things. It also has certain side effects and triggers that they have to learn to overcome and deal with.
Zade is trying to locate his 'brother' who was once engaged to Simone. In addition Simone has invented things that have caused issue for them in the past. Zade goal is to get to close to Simone and learning what he can about her and what she knows of his 'brother'. But what Zade didn't know would happen was that he would be so drawn to her. In addition he is learning that she is one of them in them....that she too has been tampered with without her knowledge. Her Step-Father / Boss if very controlling of her and Zade is trying to now protect her. How will Simone handle it when she learns how she has been betrayed by Zade and others?
"My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."

I really liked this fast-paced read. Loads of suspense and drama, great characters and steamy sex. A great read.

My Next Breadth by Shannon McKenna is the second book in "The Obsidian Files" series that features super soldiers with heightened senses, intense romances and nail biting suspense. Having enjoyed the first book, Right Through Me, I was eagerly waiting for this book and jumped at the chance to read and review it.

As I had noticed with the first book, this one too doesn't have a very appealing cover. If I hadn't taken a risk in picking up the first book, despite the somewhat dull cover, I would have missed out on this absolutely engrossing series. So if you a reader who makes first impressions based on covers then this one will come as a surprise because it falls in the category of "don't judge a book by its cover" books.

The blurb is engaging and it was because of the blurb, aside from the author's name, that I stopped to pick this book up to read. Shannon McKenna's writing style is fluid, crisp and vivid. I could visualise each scene and felt part of the story throughout. The suspense and paranormal edge had me sitting on the edge of my seat and diligently turning pages, eager to know what happened next!

The romance is extremely sensual, even erotic but is well balanced with emotional play so it doesn't look unreal and complements the story. The characterisation is expertly done and I could empathise with Zade and felt connected with Simone. Each character whether primary or secondary is given due page space and I loved how admirably the author has knit her story.

The world building is vivid and stunningly done.

Despite being part of a series, this book can be read as a standalone story.

All in all, My Next Breath by Shannon McKenna is another stellar book with plenty of suspense, action, intense romance and heartfelt emotional play that will keep a reader engrossed until the very end and then left wanting more! 4.5 stars out of 5 to it and recommended to all adult readers of paranormal romantic suspense. I heartily recommend The Obsidian Files series too and eagerly await the next book.

I received an ARC for review and the above is my honest and unbiased opinion.

A big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I am leaving a voluntary review. I have not read the first book. I will go back and get it. I rate this a 4.5. It was intense, riveting. My daughter came into my oom and stood next to the bed where I was reading yelled MOM and made me almost jump out of my skin. I did not want to put my kindle down to feed her. LOL Please read this and let me know what you think

My Next Breath by Shannon McKenna is a heart pounding roller coaster thriller with hot, hot, hot romance. I would say that it is an instant lust romance but since Zade has been watching Simone for months, it is not exactly that but something more. Simone is not the person that she seemed to be when engaged to Noah (now ex) in the first book, Right Through Me. I loved Shannon McKenna takes first impressions of her characters and turn them upside down.

Along with amazingly complex main characters and supporting ones there are also disturbing villains. One especially spine-chilling is the stuff of nightmares which left my heart in my throat every time when he is with the one he has “captured”. I really wanted that thread to be complete but alas that is the cliffhanger with this book.

What themes are completed are done so in thrilling detail. There are just too many bad people after the Rebels for them to be taken care of in one book. The romance and relationship security does not wait until the threats are all eliminated, thank goodness. Now if the missing brother’s book is next, I will be one happy reader.

4.5 Thrilling Stars!
This is the second book in Ms. McKenna's exciting series, The Obsidian Files. Rebel supersoldier, Zade Ryan, is trying to find his missing brother and needs Simone Brightman's help. He always thought Simone was a cold, emotionless tech inventor. But after weeks of watching and planning how to approach her, he has become more and more intrigued by the reclusive woman. When he supposedly rescues her from a robbery, they are captivated by each other and the sparks fly. Zade wants to protect her from the organization who created them. As time is running out on finding his brother Luke alive, Zade and Simone must stay ahead of the men who will stop at nothing to destroy them all. Simone was a great character. She is smart and sassy and I loved her growth from mousy and compliant to brave and daring. She and Zade made a great team, and their chemistry was explosive. Ms Mckenna never disappoints with her strong heroines, dominant alpha men who love their women fiercely, the hottest love/sex scenes, the most terrifying villains, and the best heart pounding action scenes, and this book has it all! This story is fast paced, and thrilling with plot twists that will have you on the edge of your seat. My Next Breathe is a wonderful continuation to The Obsidian Files series and I can't wait for more from these rebels!

I received an advance copy of My Next Breath via Netgalley and this is my freely given, honest review. My Next Breath is the second in the Obsidian Files series. It's every bit as exciting as the first, Right Through Me but it delves deeper into the Midlands survivors stories. I would suggest reading Right Through Me first because even though My Next Breath stands alone, it is part of an ongoing series and there will be references to it. This is the story of Zade, a Midlands survivor who is desperately searching for his brother and Simone, a biotech engineer that has been used by Obsidian without her knowledge. These two could be great together if they just trust each other. Shannon McKenna is one of the best when writing romantic suspense and in this series she has added a bit of a paranormal aspect. This book is full of intrigue, mystery, action, lust and love! I cannot recommend it enough but I will not spoil your reading experience by giving away anything more. My Next Breath is written in dual POV as are all Shannon McKenna's books. I have read them all and she always impresses me with her innovative and exciting writing. Do not miss this one!

MCKenna wrote a thrilling book. The only problem is I felt lost because of the overwhelming amount of backstory from prior books. Apparently I haven't read any of this series so I had zero understanding of what was going on.

There's a menacing group known as Obsodian. The main characters (in a HUGE coincidence) have separately and secretly all undergone some kind of treatment that gives different abilities. Our heroine doesn't seem to realize that this is done to her. Our hero knows he did it, but didn't know about her.

Lots of creepiness and action in the story. I enjoyed the story despite my confusion.

I received a copy of this book from the author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in Shannon McKenna’s The Obsidian Files series.

Zade Ryan has been searching for his missing brother. Part of a human modification experiment when he was young, he now possesses a data chip in his brain that allows him almost superhuman strength and analytic abilities. Zade and his brother, Luke, appear to be the only two people still alive from this failed experiment and he is desperate to find him before it’s too late. There is only one person who can help find him.

Beautiful and smart, Simone Brightman is a technology genius. Her inventions, unbeknownst to her, were used by a killer to capture and hide Luke in hopes of enticing Zade and destroying them both. After being dumped by a former lover, Simone sheds her sleek, stylish appearance for a more reclusive lifestyle, working from the privacy of her own small apartment.

Thinking that Simone can lead him to Luke, Zade sets his plan in motion to seduce her and get the information he needs to find his brother. What he didn’t count on was the sizzling attraction between them. As they embark on their dangerous mission to find Luke, they find their need for each other and their new relationship is more than either of them thought possible.

I’ve been a fan of Shannon McKenna since her McCloud Brothers series. I’m not a big fan of paranormal and mind-altering experiments, but I actually like this series since it’s not over the top. Her writing makes one feel that this could totally happen with today’s technology. The only downside for me is the number of characters in the book. I had a hard time keeping straight who was who and if they were the bad guys or the good guys. I had to constantly check back to my highlighted notes to refresh my memory of where they fit in and I found it to take away from the flow of the story.

This is a typical Shannon McKenna book with tons of action and mystery and, of course, lots of hot sex. I would recommend this book for those looking for those qualities and a bit of paranormal.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2102978952?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

This second installment of the Obsidian Files had me on the edge of my seat throughout the story. Once again, I felt as though I were a fly on the wall, in the midst of the action. The descriptions paint vivid landscapes that augment the largeness of the characters and the story. Knowing about the characters special powers does not detract from the reader believing that they are constantly in danger - in fact, the reader is in constant fear that these beloved characters will suffer more than death.
I love the way minor characters from Right Through Me become central to the story. Shannon skillfully weaves their background stories into this new one and hints at the connections they have with the characters we fell in love with in Right Through Me.
The sexual tension and constant struggle between the main characters to be strong and individual create a sense of yearning for acceptance and unconditional love. Exposing Simone and Zade's depth of longing is gut wrenching. The title, My Next Breath, becomes more and more appropriate as the story evolves and we find Zade and Simone struggling to stay alive and to stay one step ahead of their enemies.
Shannon has mastered the skill of weaving new technology and paranormal powers so that the characters abilities and the challenges they face do not seem over the top - in fact, it all is very real and mysterious.

I was provided this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I honestly can say that I loved this and I anticipate the Obsidian Files will be another successful series, just as good as, the McCloud Brothers series!

I've been a Shannon McKenna fan since I read Behind Closed Doors (McCloud #1) back in 2002, and I've yet to be disappointed by one of her novels--this one is no exception. It includes all the things that made me a fan of her work from the very beginning: strong, handsome, smart and sexy alpha males--often in the military or dark ops, their singular devotion to and intense protection of the women they love, women who all have wills of their own and strong backbones to not be pushed around by those men, and some of the sickest, most evil and depraved villains in modern fiction. I simply could not put this book down, and it gets 4.75-stars from this reader.

I strongly recommend first reading book #1 of The Obsidian Files, entitled, Right Through Me. The torturous background endured by the heroes in this series is beyond an easy explanation, and even though I read Right Through Me, it still took a while to get my bearings, as the past was a slow reveal. My Next Breath carries on that tradition, but doesn't completely cover the history revealed in the first novel, a history that I feel is essential to understanding this second novel in the series.

Zade, the hero in My Next Breath is, as was Noah Gallagher in the first novel, a non-consenting, genetically modified and enhanced, superbly fit, super soldier, who, unlike many of the others who were experimented upon, managed to survive what was done to him with some degree of his sanity intact. He wages a constant and painful battle against his programming. His brother, Luke, was also a victim of the same, and he was abducted by one of the other program victims whose experiences turned him into a greedy, malevolent, soulless and heartless villian, with an agenda of his own. In this novel, Zade is trying to find Luke, fearing that he might already be dead, but wanting proof-postiive of that fact.

Many of the devices used in those evil experiments were originally designed to help people, and they were designed by the ex-fiance of Noah Gallagher, Simone Brightman. Simone is still reeling from the break-up of her engagement to Noah, but Zade believes that she may be the key he needs to find his missing brother. She was a buttoned-up, tightly controlled and cold fish of a woman with Noah, but when Zade sets up a situation where he can meet and rescue her from would-be thugs, she's anything but the frigid woman she was with Noah. Although I was less than thrilled with the manner in which she was manipulated and lied to by Zade, his love and concern for his missing brother, trumped my feelings about the way he chose to initially met Simone.

Simone has worries of her own--her mother died from a genetic brain abnormality and she's beginning to show the symptoms of the same malady, but when she tries to have her DNA tested, her stepfather, a controlling businessman who seems to be using Simone for his own purposes, must find a way to stop her and get her back under his control. As Zade spends time with her, he begins to suspect that she too may have been experimented upon and modified.

And all of that is just for starters--this is a fast-paced, action-packed thrill ride of a story. It contains both graphic violence, scenes of torture, threats of rape and some of the hottest sex scenes you're likely to find in modern romantic fiction. Some of the aforementioned may be triggers for some, so this information comes as a warning to those readers.

If you're wondering why I rated this excellent novel at marginally less than 5-stars, it's that what I was expecting would be a wildly exciting climatic ending seemed to be just a bit of a let-down and fell just a tad short of thrilling ending I expected. It also comes with the information that there is still a cliffhanger at the end, in addition to the HEA, and the next novel in the series cannot arrive soon enough for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance reader copy of this novel and received no compensation for doing so. The opinions expressed are my own.