Elizabeth Camden has done it again- she’s brought intricate characters to life straight from America’s past.
After reading With Every Breath, I feel like I walked the streets of our nations capitol, had dinner at one of the most famous boardinghouses in the area, and worked side by side our main characters in Washington Memorial Hospital, all while in 1891.
In the shadow of the nation’s capital, Kate Livingston’s respectable life as a government worker is disrupted by an encounter with the insufferable Trevor McDonough, the one man she’d hoped never to see again. A Harvard-trained physician, Trevor never showed the tiniest flicker of interest in Kate, and business is the only reason he has sought her out now.
Despite her misgivings, Kate agrees to Trevor’s risky proposal to join him in his work to find a cure for tuberculosis. As Kate begins to unlock the mysteries of Trevor’s past, his hidden depths fascinate her. However, a shadowy enemy lies in wait and Trevor’s closely guarded secrets are darker than she ever suspected.
As revelations from the past threaten to destroy their careers, their dreams, and even their lives, Trevor and Kate find themselves in a painfully impossible situation. With everything to lose, they must find the strength to trust that hope and love can prevail over all.
Elizabeth Camden is one of my favorite Christian authors, right up there with Tamera Alexander and Julie Klassen. I’ve read every one of her novels, and her upcoming titles sit in my “Want to Read” list on Goodreads. When I received With Every Breath, I wasted no time digging right in.
But I promise an honest review here, so I’ll let you know that if I had not read her other books and trusted her as an author, the cover would not have grabbed my attention. I’d have probably overlooked it at first glance. It’s pretty but unassuming. And after reading the book, I don’t really think the model looks much like Kate other than her red hair (you can see from my pic how I envisioned our characters. Mmmhmm). Anyway, that’s just my opinion, but covers are important to me.
That being said, I still give this book somewhere between 4.5 and 5 stars.
The two main characters, Kate and Trevor are a blast. She’s a feisty and smart woman, very funny and quick witted, just my kind of girl. She was quick to make assumptions and form opinions but also quick to correct herself if she was wrong. Trevor was such a unique character in the fact that he didn’t seem to have any redeeming qualities at first, but as you dive deeper into the novel, you realize that he is a misunderstood man with a heart of gold, and you can’t help but fall for him.
Together Trevor and Kate take on the mission to find a cure for tuberculosis. As you can imagine, it’s quite the daunting task, with disappointment around every corner. Reading this novel, I felt like I had a first hand, behind the scenes glance into medicine practices we take for granted today, and how much work and sacrifice was put into establishing modern medicine. Until I read this, I rarely thought twice about how scientists and doctors went about finding ways to help humanity, and the hardships along the way. My eyes have been opened.
The faith-based message in With Every Breath was apparent throughout but not overly preachy. Faith, hope, and love are what I gleaned as the basis of this particular novel. Mrs. Camden has perfected the art of storytelling while delivering the message that God is good and faithful in all things. This is one of the many reasons I love her writing.
For a dive headlong into American history, while watching a most beautiful and at times heartbreaking love story unfold, I highly recommend With Every Breath.
My reviews for these other Elizabeth Camden novels-
Lady of Bolton Hill and Against the Tide
Into the Whirlwind
