Tag «Author: K.A. Tucker»

Series Review: Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Ten Tiny Breaths (from Goodreads):
Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.

Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.

But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.

SERIESous’ Top Book Series: Canadian Author
Series: Ten Tiny Breaths
Author: K.A. Tucker
# of Books: 4 (Full Reading Order Here)

There is a prequel novella, #0.5 In Her Wake

Book Order: Connected
Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Tragedy, Drama
Heat Rating: Toasty
Point of View: First Person, Single (#1-2); Alternating (#3-4)
Publication Dates: December 2012 – June 2014
Source & Format: Public Library–eBook (#1-2); Scribd–Audiobook (#3-4)

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

When I first started reading the New Adult genre, this popped up all the time on my recommended reads list. Like many books, I didn’t get around to reading it until e-copies became available at my library.

The Concept:

The whole premise of this series is that love can be messy. These aren’t your typical boy meets girl stories. These characters have tragic pasts or have made different life choices than your regular romantic leads. That means the stories here aren’t always cut and dry. I thought a lot of these relationships straddled a line between what society would expect and want versus the human condition.

The Plot:

I think the best way to describe the plots in all these stories is that our leads are running from something and suddenly, they find themselves in a place that accepts them and they start to think maybe I can call this place home. What they are running from differs from book to book but that’s the overall vibe these books give.

Some are more suspenseful than others because of the characters. But they all have this angst and some sexual tension with their romantic leads.

The Characters:

If you enjoy flawed characters learning to embrace who they are as people, even if they make a few mistakes along the way, you’ll enjoy this cast. Again, you might not love everyone you meet but I feel like K A Tucker does a good job of developing her characters so at the very least, you can understand their motives.

The Romance:

While there is plenty of steam when it comes to the romance, you aren’t just reading sex scene after sex scene. In some ways, there is a bit of a slow burn to all these romances as they take their time to grow.

However: I definitely thought the romantic connections were stronger at the start of the series. As we got to the end, I just thought the romances seemed a little tired and not as rich in their connections as they were at the start.

When to Read the Novella #0.5 In Her Wake:

DO NOT READ THIS UNTIL AFTER YOU FINISH TEN TINY BREATHS! Or else it will ruin the amazing suspense of Ten Tiny Breaths! It is a perfect companion for Ten Tiny Breaths and that is all I am going to say about that!

My Audiobook Experience:

I enjoyed the audiobooks. I only made the format switch because I read the first two books YEARS ago and they were available when I needed new audio reads.

Series Rating: 4/5

Ten Tiny Breaths 4/5 | One Tiny Lie 4/5 | Four Seconds to Lose 3/5 | Five Ways to Fall 3/5

I think if you enjoy angsty, realistic reads about people finding their “home” in life a heavy dash of romance and suspense, this is a great series to explore!

Read if You Like: angsty reads, darker stories
Avoid if You: dislike romance

More than This by Jay McLean (More Than Series #1)
Burying Water by K A Tucker (Burying Water Series #1)

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Series Review: Burying Water by K A Tucker

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Burying Water (from Goodreads):

The top-selling, beloved indie author of Ten Tiny Breaths returns with a new romance about a young woman who loses her memory—and the man who knows that the only way to protect her is to stay away.

Left for dead in the fields of rural Oregon, a young woman defies all odds and survives—but she awakens with no idea who she is, or what happened to her. Refusing to answer to “Jane Doe” for another day, the woman renames herself “Water” for the tiny, hidden marking on her body—the only clue to her past. Taken in by old Ginny Fitzgerald, a crotchety but kind lady living on a nearby horse farm, Water slowly begins building a new life. But as she attempts to piece together the fleeting slivers of her memory, more questions emerge: Who is the next-door neighbor, quietly toiling under the hood of his Barracuda? Why won’t Ginny let him step foot on her property? And why does Water feel she recognizes him?

Twenty-four-year-old Jesse Welles doesn’t know how long it will be before Water gets her memory back. For her sake, Jesse hopes the answer is never. He knows that she’ll stay so much safer—and happier—that way. And that’s why, as hard as it is, he needs to keep his distance. Because getting too close could flood her with realities better left buried.

The trouble is, water always seems to find its way to the surface.

SERIESous’ Top Picks: Canadian Author
Series: Burying Water
Author: K A Tucker
# of Books: 4 (Full Reading Order Here)
Book Order: Connected but Chronological Events
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Suspense, Romance
Heat Rating: Toasty
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: October 2014 – October 2015
Source & Format: Owned & Public Library–Audiobook

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

So I came across this series in a really weird way. I actually won Chasing River (#3) from a Twitter giveaway from the publisher and then I bought the other novels to complete the collection on my bookshelf without ever reading that book. But I knew I would enjoy them. K A Tucker simply writes great contemporary romances that have this edge to them that is right up my alley. So needless to say, I was very excited to see what she had in store for this series!

The Plot:

I’m a fan of dual POVs in my novels and I think this series is a perfect example of when it enhances the story. You would think in a series that is rooted in suspense like this one is that having that additional POV would ruin some of the anticipation but that isn’t (always) the case. In some ways, you lose the mystery of what the other person is thinking and/or what their motives are. But because you are kept in the dark about the actual drama there is still enough drive to keep you reading.

The Characters:

I really liked all the leads and side characters we meet along the way. Because we get the dual POV I found that all the leads had great development and dimensions to them. You learn nearly everything you can about them and I enjoyed watching them grow throughout the stories.

The Romance:

Fantastic chemistry between leads can go a long way and I think it shows here. The romance is just as addicting as the drama. I thought the connections weren’t as strong in the last two novels of the series as the first two were. However, because we get such strong character development, I totally saw why these pairings would work based on what I knew about the individuals.

My Audiobook Experience:

Despite owning the actual paperback copies of these novels, I decided to listen to the audiobooks from my local library (simply for the convenience!). But I’m so glad that I did! I loved the audio productions so much. The narrators were great and I think hearing their stories aloud helped get me even more invested in their stories and dilemmas because the emotions are much rawer.