Ten Tiny Breaths
Summary:
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.
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.
Review:
Oh, where to begin. How about how easily I connected with Kacey? How I would do the exact same thing were I in her shoes. Not to mention, she's from Michigan (which is my home state, wow!) and moved away (which I plan on doing as well, for different reasons than hers) and started a new life, made friends, and found the guy of her dreams. Sorta, about the guy.
Trent is kind of a bad-boy meets good-guy-who-will-do-anything-to-see-his-girl-smile. He's got the biker thing going on (Let's be honest, ladies, bikes are always hotter) and he's super sweet. Who could ask for more in a guy? He even comes to Kacey's rescue within the first day of meeting her because he could hear her screaming from next door. And, oh my, is that scene luscious! And those blue eyes you could just fall into repeatedly were quite descriptive. I could see them clearly. But Trent isn't the only main concern here.
Olivia, aka Livie, moved with Kacey to get away from their creepy uncle. She's the one who convinces her sister to play nice with the neighbor, Storm, who finds Kacey a job and offers to cook for them on multiple occasions because Livie helps with her daughter Mia. The whole bond between these four is comical, yet serious, and very natural. They become friends immediately.
But, of course, with every good story there's an equally good climax. And this one is good. I definitely didn't expect it, and I had to actually go back and re-read it several times just to get it through my shocked system. I couldn't believe it! (Maybe because I haven't read much of these books, but I think it's also just Tucker's writing style.) I found myself feeling everything with Kacey in the final parts of this novel, and I relished it. It was simply amazing. I found myself taking ten tiny breaths.
Overall, this book is fantastic! I can definitely see myself reading it over and over again. Anyone even slightly interested in romance should read this book.
