Oxygen

First, read with the Blackwood Security series before starting this series of books. Oxygen is a side novel exploring what happened to a Akari, who was found and rescued, in the Blackwood Security Series. Oxygen is the first book in the Blackwood Elements Series, which I think, based on this book and the second book in this series, covers some of the interesting side characters in previous novels.

Akari was found and rescued during a Blackwood Security operation. She was the lover of the brother of Black and the mother of the brother's son. She has returned to the U.S. and is enrolled in a prestigious music school. Her musical instrument is the piano. Akari is gentle, quiet and a loving mother, as well as a talented pianist. The opportunity to improve her playing is a wonderful gift that she desperately wants, but fears failure.

The suspense is not quite as intense as in the Blackwood Security Series. It is more like Akari, the author gently introducing you to more of who Akari is, her fears and her simple joy in being free, her love for her son, and her sorrow from the death of her son's father. Her courage comes through and she discovers that love isn't a once in a lifetime opportunity.

What is the price for following your dreams? Being a talented pianist comes with great hopes and dreams. With a push from her piano sensei, Akari is accepted at a highly sought after academy for the musically gifted.

This requires Akari to find the courage to move away from her overbearing (with reason) family in Japan to Boston with her 1 year old son, Hisashi. This is a huge challenge for her as memories of being held hostage in Columbia haunt her. She struggles to adapt to her new home, in a new country while chasing her dream.

Akari hires the perfect nanny and becomes part of a three-piece mixed ensemble consisting of herself - a wickedly talented pianist, Jude - a flaky, playboy cello player, and Jansen - an intensely crazy violinist. As Jansen becomes verbally and physically abusive toward Akari, she is helped out more than once by the protective, sexy janitor at the school. But, was everything (and everyone) as it seemed?!?

Have you read Into the Black, the Blackwood Security series book #2? Do you remember loving, sweet, quiet, captive Akari? Now she has her own book and it rocks!!!

If you are familiar with the Blackwood Security Series, in Oxygen, Emmy is a big part of Akari’s adventures in Boston. Akari also gets to see Black and Bradley again. Yay!

Blackwood Security is my favorite book series ever as the characters and action are amazing, but also because Elise writes amazing extra stories (like this one) in the Blackwood Elements series that follow side characters from the Blackwood Security series. I highly recommend, this book, the entire Blackwood series, and anything else written by Elise Noble! :)