I had a love hate relationship with Dearly, Beloved. I still recommend this to fans of Dearly, Departed. Some of the stories lines were fascinating, and despite issues, I enjoyed aspects of this and adore Nora and Bram.

There were a lot of different points of view and that's not always my jam. I really enjoyed the first one and wish the series would have continued.

I requested this title back before my blogging break. I have ended up with a number of titles that are overwhelming to catch up on now I am back from my blogging break. I am regretfully not going to be reading and reviewing this title, but now I am back from my blogging break, I am looking forward to reading and reviewing some of your future titles. Thank you so much for the opportunity and apologies.

I have lost access to the kindle that had this on it and I cannot download. I have checked my kindle library and it isn’t there. Sorry

I really loved book one. It got a little lost in its own love story sometimes but I thought the voice was excellent, the world creatively imagined, the characters interesting and fun. Dearly Beloved still has some of those hallmarks to recommend it but the pacing is a huge detriment -- far too little happens over hundreds of pages. This is a slog to get through for at least 60% of its nearly 500 pages.

This needed another edit and some repetitious passages cut out. So many "she said" "he said" and also recaps of things the audience had just witnessed. It moved at a glacial pace and the slow reveal of the plot did not help.

ZOMBIES. I love a good zombie story, and I never find enough of them. This book was a wild ride. So much happens at every turn, and its very busy. The author creates so many character arcs and details that somehow blend together, and the way it all plays out in the end is mind-boggling. The book switches perspectives every chapter, though, in order to maintain this, which is very disorienting sometimes. Overall, though, it was executed better than the first book; the voices were distinct and I was able to tell them apart and not get confused. The beginning was slow, but it picked up after a while and I couldn't put the book down. Great book, interesting characters, and fascinating plot!

I really enjoyed this book. The story is unique and very interesting. Lia Habel is a master at world-building and creating characters that keep you interested.

I don't believe I have ever read a book where zombies are not "monsters" but actually try and control their appetites. This was a very interesting book and extremely well written. I was not familiar with this author before this title but am very familiar now. I would highly recommend this book for anyone that likes a little paranormal in their reading.

I loved the first book in this series, but sadly this one just fell short for me. I didn't enjoy it as much and it seemed so predictable. Which made me so sad, because I had high hopes for the series. I love the cover though, I must say that.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to review the book at the time. However, it has been promoted on my site. I feel my readers welcome news about books even without reviews. Thank you for the opportunity to review your product.

I haven't read that many steampunk novels, nor have I read that many stories about zombies, so my knowledge of either subjects is pretty non-existent. I was lucky enough to receive a copy and immediately, the cover AND title sparked my interest. Lia Habel's Dearly, Departed is a wonderful world that adds beautiful imagery and creepy zombies into a dystopian world. It's an absolute terrific story filled with context, emotions, and depth.

The story begins with Nora Dearly, who lives in the year 2195; in a world where society has readopted the ways of the Victorian era. It has been a year since her father has died, and the only family left is her aunt. After a world-changing catastrophe, the people of the North America has migrated towards South America, dubbing the reconstructed government New Victoria. The citizens are identified and tracked with ID chips, and knowledge is spread through holographic technology.

But alas, the people ride carriages, wear Victorian fashion, and are cordial to their neighbors. The citizens of New Victoria are split between the Victorians and the Punks. In Habel's world, they are engaged in a civil war. The streets are patrolled, for it isn't safe anymore. But little do the citizens know, it isn't the Punks that are responsible for death.

Nora's world is different from the life of Bram Griswold. Bram is a sixteen year-old captain of the Z army. He saves Nora from an invasion of crazed zombies, revealing himself to her as one of the more civilized and less crazed zombies. Bram explains the details of his world versus the others. He tells her about the Lazarus virus and the part that her father played. Slowly, Nora's world unravels with one simple secret.

Steampunk + Zombies = Awesome.

The world that was built and the characters that I was introduced to were my favorite things about this book. It has a Romeo and Juliet feel, but with zombies. Unrequited love...you know things like that. It wasn't about a choice between two love interests. Instead, it was about the unconditional love that one has for another person. Whether it be between Nora and Bram or between family members, Habel shows the intricate levels and types of love between two people.

Habel also talks about acceptance through out the book. Punks versus Royals and the Grays versus the Red lights. While yes, acceptance could coincide with love, Habel does a great job discussing about society in a micro and macro capacity. I won't go into a school lesson blurb, but let me just say it fascinated me so much.

There were some parts of the book that I questioned and others where I hoped were explained a little more. Dearly, Departed took me into a fantastic world that I could never imagine and Habel guided me into the wonderful world of zombies. This was such a great read. I highly suggest this to everyone. It was beautiful.

I no longer have the old DNF review I wrote for Dearly, Beloved, but I remember that my main criticisms were too many POV characters, not enough forward momentum, and definitely not enough parasols being used as weapons like they were in Dearly, Departed.

I really wanted to like this one. It just didn't hold my attention. It's a really interesting idea though and recommended for romance and zombie lovers (#twothingsineverthoughtwouldgotogether)

As we begin the second installment of Lia Habel’s Gone with the Respiration series, things have slowed down and the living and the dead are trying to learn to “live” side-by-side. Although Dr. Dearly has agreed to allow Bram Griswald to court his daughter, Nora is finding the return of the New Victoria stringent rules to be harder to embrace after the freedoms she was allowed during the siege.

Society in general has started embracing their undead relatives, but not everyone is ready to play nice on either side of the living and the undead. There are now men in masks calling themselves The Murder grabbing zombies off the street and attacking pro-zombie supporters. There is also a group of zombies calling themselves The Changed who want to protect their own.

As a zombie and former Captain of Company Z, Bram is trying to balance between keeping the living safe from mad zombies as well as keeping the innocent zombies safe from frightened living. As tensions begin to rise again as both of these terror groups run rampant through New London, he is starting to wonder whose side he should be on.

Nora’s best friend Pamela is showing signs of PTSD after her adventures during the siege. She desperately wants to return to her pre-siege life but is unsure if she can ever accomplish that.

All the while, Michael is putting into motion his grand plan to convince Nora that he is a better man than her zombie love; plans which include kidnapping them both and ripping out Bram’s unbeating heart.

I was very interested in giving this book a try and I would say that I have mixed feelings about it. The story was well written enough that it was enjoyable and the characters were likeable, even the villains (Michael is kind of a pathetic villain), but the constant switching of POV dragged this story out a great deal to the point I felt like “How can I still be reading this book?” There is a reason for it since it gives you not only insight into your main characters, but also into Michael and his obsession for Nora; we have a first person view into the Changed camp; and we also spend time in the world of Verpertine, who was a protagonist in the last book, and we are given a chance to determine for ourselves if she is truly evil and selfish (like Michael) or if there is more to what drives her.

There was enough to intrigue me to read the next story when it comes out, but I am hoping that it is intended to be a trilogy only. There are answers to questions that pop up in this story that I would like answers to, and we get a hint that Michael’s father is everything a true villain should be, but I know that I could not continue this as a series, her style of writing, although enlightening, is just too draggy.

I would also like to stick around to see if there truly could be a happy ending here. Zombies might be walking around but they are still decomposing. Our hero Bram may have 4-5 years at best before his mind decomposes to mush and he could be a danger to those around him. Unless there is a miracle “cure” found that will return them to living beings, there can’t really be a HEA for Nora and Bram.

I am definitely in this for one more book, but definitely no more than that.

Received digital ARC from publisher through Netgalley.com. Thank you.

Sorry for the inconvenience in taking so long for my feedback, but I never finished this book and no longer have access to it.

*I never got around to reading and reviewing this book. I may do so in the future*

Humans and zombies coexisting is a delicate situation. Yet, this story follows Nora as she navigates the world, gets kidnapped, and saved by a zombie whom she falls in love with. A lot happens but the story is beautifully crafted and the romance is unexpected but enjoyable.

The cover of this book is a eye catcher for sure. When I requested "Dearly, Beloved" I wasn't aware it was book two in a series and a book about zombies. If I'd paid better attention I wouldn't have requested it. After four years reviewing on Netgalley I'm more thorough when reading synopsis and requesting titles that are in my favorite genres.

I read this book years ago, but I loved the whole series and I'm seriously needing a third book! I feel like Lia's fans have been hanging on for years!