Four Seconds to Lose by K.A. Tucker

Title: Four Seconds To Lose (Ten Tiny Breaths #3)

Author: K.A. Tucker

Publisher: Atria Books

Release Date: April 1, 2014

Source: Borrowed from fellow blogger

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

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.

If you've been following my reviews for a while, you'll know that I have been absolutely LOVING K.A. Tucker's New Adult novels. I devoured Ten Tiny Breaths and One Tiny Lie, and when I picked up Four Seconds to Lose, the same thing happened. The story completely sucked me in, and once again, I just fell in love with the characters. To say I wasn't disappointed is a major understatement.

Everyone always makes assumptions about the type of person Cain Ford is. Owning a strip club will do that. But Cain refuses to be like all the other strip clubs out there. At Penny's women are safe and Cain will do whatever he can to help them get their life on track. And the one thing he will absolutely not do is sleep with any of his employees. And so far, Cain has been able to stick to that rule. But everything changes when Charlie walks into his club looking for work. Charlie is looking to escape from her past, not get involved with her new boss. But the more they try to deny their attraction to each other, the more Cain and Charlie find themselves being drawn to one another. But Charlie knows that getting involved with Cain could be the one thing to end her. Because if Cain finds out about her past, she could lose the one person she truly cares for.

If nothing else, K.A. Tucker's books always seem to give me ALL THE FEELS. I just can't seem to get through any of her stories without my heart being put through the wringer and me lying on my bed hugging the book. This happened with Ten Tiny Breaths and One Tiny Lie, and it happened once again with Four Seconds to Lose. The story this time around was different and darker than the previous two. But this darkness and intensity is what kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me turning the pages. There were so many unknowns in this story and I wanted to know them all, being the curious person that I am. Due to the subject matter, though, I can't really say that I connected as much with this story than I did with the other two, but that didn't stop me from loving it. And the characters, more than anything are what drew me in. Unlike in the two previous books, Four Seconds to Lose is told from alternating points of view and I loved what this brought to the story. It allowed me to get to know both Cain and Charlie that much better and made me realize just how intertwined their stories were, whether they knew it or not. 

I don't think I can even begin to explain how much I loved Charlie and Cain. They were both so broken but tried so hard to put themselves back together. As you may know by now, I love it when characters are broken because they just feel that much more real. That's exactly what I got with Cain and Charlie, and I loved them for it. Though she never wanted for anything, Charlie's life was pretty horrible all things considered. The more I found out about her stepfather and his "business," the more I wanted her to find a way out and to be able to do so without having to sacrifice everything and everyone, especially Cain. And I don't really think I can put Cain into words. Whatever image you have of a strip club owner in your mind, think the complete opposite end of the spectrum and you might be getting close to Cain. He's had a rough past, that's for sure, but he's trying his best to atone for it in any way that he can and sees fit. Sure, sometimes I questioned whether the decisions he made were the best ones, but there was never any doubt in my mind that he was a good guy. And at the end of the day, Cain and Charlie were just perfect for each other, even if they weren't always willing to admit it themselves.

I absolutely LOVED K.A. Tucker's Four Seconds to Lose. This is the kind of story that reminds me why I love broken characters so much and why they often make for the best stories. If you haven't picked up any of K.A. Tucker's New Adult titles, believe me when I say that you are seriously missing out.