Publisher: Atria Books
Publication date: November 4th 2013
My rating: 3.5 stars
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.
My Thoughts:
I enjoyed the first books of this series, so I was looking forward to getting Cain, the controlled strip club owner’s story. Four Seconds to Lose was definitely darker than the first two, but just as addictive.
Cain is a noble type strip club owner. Sounds contradictory,
right? I know but as I got to know him
through this series and this story that’s exactly how I’d describe him.
Motivated by the murder of his sister, Cain strives to make up for the past by
running a club where girls could have a safe, protected environment to dance
and make a lot of money. Where he can,
he helps the girls shift into other forms of employment. Cain also has a
strict, self-imposed hands off policy with his employees. Well, that’s until
Charlie walks through his door.
Charlie has her own issues. Big, BIG, issues that made my
stomach turn just thinking about them. After losing her mother when she was
just six years old, she’s been in the care of her stepfather, Sam, who on the
surface seems like a good guy. And yet, over the years, little details add up
to showing that Sam is anything but good. Sam arranges for Charlie to make “deliveries”
to some extremely scary people! When one of those deliveries turns very ugly,
Charlie knows she must get permanently away from Sam and his shady operations,
and to disappear right, she needs a lot of money quickly. This brings Charlie
to Penny’s, Cain’s club, and even though a relationship is the last thing
Charlie needs or wants, she slowly falls for Cain.
The trouble Charlie is surrounded by is deep and scary. In fact I was on the edge of my seat for the majority of this read because of it. I loathed Charlie’s stepfather, and it was clear he had no actual love for her. Charlie did take some small assistance from Cain but I seriously wished she would’ve confided in him or even her friend Ginger way sooner than she did, and get some help. Cain was so honest with her and laid out his past which was not squeaky clean either so I’m not sure why she held back. I’m not one who likes to be stressed out while I’m reading so this affected my rating. The story and writing were solid and captivating, but my enjoyment was hindered because of Charlie holding back.
I will say the romance was full of chemistry with lots of built up sexual tension. I do love a good slow burn, so that was satisfying. I’m happy with how everything turned out, and some of the last twists at the end surprised me. If you’re looking for a New Adult read that’s more than just a sexed up YA book, K.A. Tucker is a great choice.
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22 comments:
I haven't heard of this series but I really like the sound of Cain!
Now Rachel, aren't ALL strip club owners really noble at heart? Hee hee. I've seen reviews of the first book in this series, but nothing on this one yet, so it's good to see you enjoyed it!
Also, I am halfway through THE ART OF SEDUCING A NAKED WEREWOLF right now. :D You got me hooked on those books, which I am so happy about, because I love them. But man, I wish she had better covers.
Wendy @ The Midnight Garden
I loathed Sam as well. Also, I was like "dammit, girl! Get your shit together and tell him. HE CAN HELP YOU, DON'T YOU SEE THAT?" and all she did was lie some more. I totally get where you're coming from. I liked the smexy as well, but as you know, I have some issues with this book. I'm actually writing my review today based on the notes in my notebook so it's funny that you had this review up today of all days lol. Great review and I'm glad you enjoyed it hon:)
The hype surrounding this series makes me a little curious however I think I'll wait a few years since there is some sexual content. But I love slow build up romances! And when they finally kiss it's like ERMAHGERD THIS IS TOO CUTE MY TEETH ARE FALLING OUT
Brilliant review! <33
Yay to K.A. Tucker! Love her series. Have yet to read this book but I sure will read it soon! Hope I won't get too stressed out while reading the book. Great review!
While I probably won't like this as much as One Tiny Lie, I think I'll definitely enjoy this much more than Ten Tiny Breaths! I've always been intrigued by Cain so I can't wait to read his story<3
I DNFed this one. Just...didn't like either of the characters enough to finish, I guess. Cain tries to be noble but he's still the owner of a strip club. I felt sad for Charlie being put in that position but if she'd just talked to someone, maybe it could have been prevented.
I'm glad the romance was satisfying, Rachel. I'm starting to stray away from NA because I'm sick of all the angst that there is. Plus, this author doesn't work for me for some reason.
Still, I'm glad you liked it. :)
Lovely review!
I've heard a lot about this series but something - likely the darkness of these stories - keeps holding me back. I should just give in and check these out, though, since so many readers have enjoyed this series. Wonderful review, Rachel! :)
A noble strip club owner? Am I allowed to read the last book of this series without bothering with the other two? I've heard great things about this series but they didn't really spark any interest in me until I read your review for the last one. I am super curious to see what a noble strip club owner is like. :P
I am glad you enjoyed this!
Lovely review, Rachel! :)
This definitely sounds somewhat darker than the first two books. The characters seemed well-developed and I'm curious about Cain's background story. Loved your review, Rachel!
I gave up on this series after the first book. Somehow I didn't connect with the characters or the story but I'm so happy you're still enjoying this one. I do enjoy dark, dramatic reads more than pink ones so I might give this one a try someday. Great review, Rachel :)
I am okay with darker, so glad to hear its still addictive and we get to understand Cain
Hmmmmmm! This series look pretty episodic, isn't it? I ask that since I haven't read the first one, but I am kind of intrigued with this one's premise. Cain's backstory is something I haven't really seen before that so that piqued my interest. Plus, slow-moving-and-building romances are kind of my thing now, as the hot-and-fast ones tend to be get old after a while. Haha. I loved that feeling where something is being built up and when we get to the climax, all the pent-up feelings go bursting out. That's a good show, indeed.
Great review!
Faye @ The Social Potato
I thought Ten Tiny Breaths was pretty good, but I loved One Tiny Lie. For some reason, I haven't been anxious to read this one. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Rachel, despite the stress!
I feel as though this might be a book I"d both love and hate. It sounds like it tackles all those issues I love to explore in books - but not necessarily delving deep enough into them. Nevertheless, I'm glad you were able to enjoy it overall, Rachel! Great review :)
Ah I do want to read this one, I do like slow burn romance and it seems like it has a lot going on. Nail biting for me heh. I do want to read One Tiny Lie first I think.
You don't have to read the first two books to enjoy this one, Rashika. I hope you like this if you pick it up. And thanks! :)
I was surprised how much I loved One Tiny Lie, Andrea. I was more excited about this one, but I like the first two better. Still, this was a good read. :)
The angst in NA & YA can be annoying, Nick, so I totally understand. I've sorted gone the other direction and have been gravitating towards adult reads. :)
I wouldn't have finished this if I didn't like the characters, Mary. No sense in wasting your time. I did like Charlie and Cain, but I agree, if they just would've talked a lot of the drama would've been avoided. I'm not a fan of lack of communication.
I was so skeptical about the 'noble strip club owner' plot set up. But surprisingly, I BOUGHT IT in this book. I thought the author set up Cain's character really well. This is in fact my favorite of the series. The first book read to similarly to other Trauma Victim plots for me, and the second I couldn't get past the doctor ordering Livie to become a drunken party girl. BUT I really liked this book. I agree to wanting a bit more from Charlie, and I wished at the end she would have gone to Cain and they could have solved the issue together instead of running away. That brought this down for me a bit. But overall, I agree a solid book, and I like as you said that there is a plot beyond the sexytimes.
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