Hold me like a breath

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Title:

Hold me like a breath

Personal Author:

Schmidt, Tiffany, author.

ISBN:

9780802737823

Physical Description:

390 pages ; 22 cm.

Series:

Once upon a crime family ; book 1

Abstract:

Penny Landlow, seventeen, the overprotected daughter of a powerful crime family, has rarely left the family estate due to a blood disorder but when tragedy strikes and she is left alone in New York City, she must prove she is not as fragile as everyone believes.

Subject Term:

Organized crime -- Fiction.

Self-reliance -- Fiction.

Sick -- Fiction.

Family life -- New York (State) -- New York -- Fiction.

Transplantation of organs, tissues, etc -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction.

Electronic Access:

Language:

English

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Shelf Number	Location
Searching... Central Library	Juvenile Book	YAF SCHM	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

In Penelope Landlow's world, almost anything can be bought or sold. She's the daughter of one of the three crime families controlling the black market for organ transplants. Because of an autoimmune disorder that causes her to bruise easily, Penny is considered too "delicate" to handle the family business, or even to step foot outside their estate.

All Penelope has ever wanted is independence--until she's suddenly thrust into the dangerous world all alone, forced to stay one step ahead of her family's enemies. As she struggles to survive the power plays of rival crime families, she learns dreams come with casualties, betrayal hurts worse than bruises, and there's nothing she won't risk for the people she loves.

Perfect for fans of Holly Black and Kimberly Derting, this first book in the stunning new Once Upon a Crime Family series from acclaimed author Tiffany Schmidt will leave readers breathless.

Author Notes

Tiffany Schmidt is a former teacher and author of contemporary YA novels. Her titles include: Send Me a Sign, Bright before Sunrise, and Hold Me Like a Breath, the first book in the Once upon a Crime Family series. She is also the author of a new series of children's storybooks entitled The Adventures of Black Dog.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 8 Up-Seventeen-year-old Penny Landlow was born into the "family business"; her dad oversees a vast empire of illegal organ donation. Patients pay heartily for this life-saving service. Penny lives on a lavish estate that sports top-notch security and hired staff. She has limited interaction with the outside world, which is compounded by her disease; Penny suffers from a rare condition called idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Her body destroys its own platelets for no known reason, and the only treatment is healthy blood infusions every few weeks. Her life revolves around her blood tests and infusions. Penny's greatest desire is to go away to college and live like a normal teen, but her doting parents will never allow this. Carter, her older brother, is home from college, along with his trusted bodyguard, Garrett Ward. Garrett's dad is head of security for the business and his three brothers are employees as well. It's assumed that the Ward family will take over the organ business once Penny's father retires. When the Wards are not named as heirs to her father's empire, the action boils over. Her brother, mother, and father are brutally murdered, and Penny is forced into a heart-pounding, adrenaline-fueled race to discover the true murderers and survive the treacherous New York landscape on her own. Penny comes to recognize her limitations and have faith in her ability to make decisions, learning from her mistakes. The plot is contrived in spots, such as when Penny just happens to run into and fall in love with the son of one of the rival organ empires. Loaded with twists and suspense, this is the first in a series, and teens will anxiously await the next book. VERDICT A crime narrative that satisfies a craving for suspenseful romance, entertaining adventure, and edge-of-your-seat survival drama.-Julie Shatterly, W. A. Bess Elementary School, Gastonia, NC © Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Penelope Landlow has grown up within the protective bubble of family: the little-f family of her parents and brother, and the big-f Family that makes up the Landlow crime syndicate, which oversees illegal organ donations and transplants. Because of a life-threatening autoimmune disorder, she's considered too fragile to even be touched. Her biggest dreams are to attend a real high school for her senior year and kiss Garrett Ward, her brother's best friend and bodyguard, so when her family is murdered, she has no idea what to do. Waiting for rescue gets old, though, and Penelope finds hidden strength and a steamy new love interest as she searches for the killers. This is a fairy-tale romance with gangster set dressing. The story doesn't properly start until the halfway point, when Penelope leaves the safety of home and meets Char. Readers will quickly identify him as a rival mobster, though it takes Penelope far longer. With some action at the end and Penelope's growing self-confidence, this implausible but swoonworthy story will appeal to romantic-suspense fans.--Hutley, Krista Copyright 2015 Booklist