Books are like Air ...

3.5 StarsI enjoyed this book, but it didn't flow smoothly for me. I thought the characters where a bit too cookie cutter toward the end. I did like the story. I liked Marco especially. He first needed to learn to forgive himself before he could open himself up to love. The author did a very nice job with him.I'm going to go think on this one a bit more before finalizing a full review, but these are my first thoughts.++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Updating a bit after a discussion with AnneOK:I think this author struggles a bit with conveying deep feelings. She spends too much time in the heads of her characters telling me what they are thinking/feeling and why. I like it when the story evolves so I can feel those things myself. The sign of a really good author.I'm no expert, but I hate when an author can't convey real intimacy. I don't care if the sex is graphic or not. I do care if there is feeling and intimacy. A touch of the cheek, an soft kiss placed in the corner of his smile ... you know what I mean. I could say a bit more here, but I think you can surmise my meaning. You can't fake good... no way, no how. Have you ever had a discussion with girlfriends. You can always tell when one isn't too good at what she is conversing about ... poor thing. This component was sorely lacking for me with these two. It felt a bit immature and rudimentary.I liked the Marco character. I could empathize with him totally. Even in non-war situations others can suffer from your well intentioned decisions. I think having him work through his issues was good. Flashing to the dreams and then replacing Alyssa in the dreams. These could have been a bit more developed.I think I'm too tough on stories like these. I've dealt with people who have real life issues for one reason or another. It is no simple matter and takes a great deal of thought and patience to help them through it. I guess we can't change who we are [my baggage in a read].Overall, I liked this one, I didn't love it. I think others have done it much better. She deserves some credit for the attempt.Happy Reading!