Review: Four Seconds to Lose by K.A. Tucker

 Four Seconds to Lose (Ten Tiny Breaths #3) by K.A. Tucker

When a gorgeous young dancer walks through his door, a strip club owner must decide whether to follow his rules or his heart in the third novel by the author of One Tiny Lie and Ten Tiny Breaths.
Owning a strip club isn’t the fantasy most guys expect it to be. With long hours, a staff with enough issues to keep a psych ward in business, and the police regularly on his case, twenty-nine-year-old Cain is starting to second guess his unspoken mission to save the women he employs. And then blond, brown-eyed Charlie Rourke walks through his door, and things get really complicated. Cain abides by a strict “no sleeping with the staff” rule. But being around Charlie challenges Cain’s self-control…and it’s been a long time since any woman has done that.
Twenty-two-year-old Charlie Rourke needs a lot of money, really fast, in order to vanish before it’s too late. Taking her clothes off for men makes her stomach curl but Charlie tells herself that at least she’s putting her acting and dancing skills to good use. And though her fellow dancers seem eager to nab their sexy, sophisticated, and genuinely caring boss, she’s not interested. After all, Charlie Rourke doesn’t really exist—and the girl pretending to be her can't get distracted by romance.
Unfortunately, Charlie soon discovers that developing feelings for Cain is inevitable, and that those feelings may not be unrequited—but losing him when he finds out what she’s involved with will be more painful than any other sentence awaiting her.

Publishes in US: November 4th 2013 by Atria Books
Genre: NA contemp
Source: Atria via netgalley
Series? Ten Tiny Breaths #3
One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker my review #2
 Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker my review #1

#4 Five Ways to Fall Expected publication: June 24th 2014 by Atria Books Woot--Ben's story!!
Buy it: Amazon | B&N | iBookstore | BAM | Bookish | Indigo | Other

Author stalk away: site 

 

    I wanted to read Four Seconds to Lose because I loved the other books in the series by Tucker and couldn't wait to see who and how she brought the next characters to life and also hoping for another glimpse at how Kasie is doing, since she is still on my mind a lot. And I somehow missed the release date change or I would have read a lot sooner. Because I had down it released the end of this month? But I didn't get the memo, but oh well. 

    I quickly got lost in Cain and Charlie's worlds. While they are two different people, they still have a lot in common, and there is initial chemistry and attraction between the two of them, so it was fun to watch the torture towards what I know is the inevitable as the reader. The banter, the stolen moments, their thoughts and trying to control their attraction to the other all make this perfect storm of angst for me. 

    We know pretty much Cain's history and what makes him like he is because the book starts out with his life and how he feels he failed to protect his sister and that alters the course of his life. We find that Cain truly is a good guy and he keeps the club as legal and straight up as he can and he really invests time and energy and emotion into the girls, especially the ones who are dancing for reasons of a dark past or messes they are in. We find out that Penny was one such girl and that it was the only one who worked for him that he had a relationship with. Things obviously didn't end well there, and he has this heavy weight on his shoulders andhis mind--guilt, pain, responsibility and a vision to help who he can. 

    Charlie is more of a mystery, we know she is hiding, and wants to earn money so that she can get a whole new identity and life, but only as the story unfolds do we realize why. Its a pretty unique twist on why and the details of her past that she so desperately want to escape and I feel for her and can see how she got herself in so deep. Charlie also has never stripped or pole danced at an adult club so we can see her unease and how she gets through it. We get to see Ginger kind of take her under her wing, so she has someone to confide in and work with as she's learning. 

     I did enjoy seeing the characters from the first two, we get a lot of repeat performances, especially the ones that are at Penny's and there is also some time at Storm's house. It was worked in well, and since Charlie didn't know them before if you are just stepping in, you wouldn't be confused I don't think.

      It took a bit for either Cain or Charlie to act on their attraction, but when they did it went from zero to sixty pretty darn fast. This book is darker than the other two, and even though Cain is upfront with Charlie and tells her about what went down in his past, Charlie is more close lipped. And while I understand her reasoning at some point, it got to me and made me mad and hurt for Cain. But it did help the book to come to an exciting conclusion and I don't think that Charlie would have felt safe or things would have made sense otherwise.    

     I will def be continuing this series, and hoping not only for more glimpses at what Kasie is up to, but now Cain and Charlie and seeing how things are for them with things settled down. I am also looking forward to getting a deeper connection with some of the characters that I've met and one that I haven't. 

Bottom Line: Darker than the first two but I loved getting into Cain and Charlie's head and reading their stories and romance.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Would you ever pole dance?