Review: Five Ways to Fall by K.A.Tucker

Five Ways to Fall (Ten Tiny Breaths #4) by K.A. Tucker
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication date: June 24th 2014
My rating:  5 stars
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Purple-haired, sharp-tongued Reese MacKay knows all about making the wrong choice; she’s made plenty of them in her twenty-odd-years. So when her impulsive, short-lived marriage ends in heartbreak, she decides it’s time for a change. She moves to Miami with the intention of hitting reset on her irresponsible life, and she does quite well…aside from an epically humiliating one-night stand in Cancun with a hot blond bouncer named Ben. Thank God she can get on a plane and leave that mistake behind her.

Football scholarship and frat parties with hot chicks? Part of charmer Ben Morris’s plan. Blown knee that kills any hope of a professional football career? So not part of the plan. Luckily Ben has brains to go with his knockout looks and magnetism. After three long years of balancing law school with his job as a bouncer at Penny’s Palace, he’s ready to lead a more mature life—until his first day of work, when he finds himself in the office of that crazy, hot chick he met in Cancun. The one he hasn’t stopped thinking about.

If Ben truly were a smart guy, he’d stay clear of Reese. She’s the boss’s stepdaughter and it’s been made very clear that office romances are grounds for dismissal. Plus, rumor has it she’s trouble. The only problem is, he likes trouble, especially when it’s so good-looking…

My Thoughts:

I’ve been a big fan of K.A. Tucker with her Ten Tiny Breaths series but Five Ways to Fall is definitely my favorite of the lot.  It was a perfect romance with just the right amounts of snarky humor, sexiness, and heart!

Reece has moved to Miami to work for her stepfather, Jack Warner after a disastrous short-lived marriage.  Reece thought she found the love of her life in Jared.  Someone who appreciated her individuality, and instead she got a cheating douchebag!  The way she discovered Jared cheating would’ve shattered me on the spot, and I could easily picture reacting the same way! Reece tried to move on and almost did with Ben, in a drunken almost-one-night stand that will have you cracking up and cringing at the same time.  Reece is beyond shocked and mortified when Ben comes to work for Jack’s firm.

Ben has just passed the bar and quit working for Penny’s as a bouncer.  Those of us who’ve followed the series know Ben as the happy-go-lucky, incorrigible flirt with a long list of casual hookups.  Ben makes it no secret that he’s not looking for anything serious and we find out why in this installment.  When he goes to work for Jack Warner's firm, he’s surprised that the purple haired little minx that got away in Cancun not only works there, but is Jack’s stepdaughter.  She’s dialed her sass down by dying her hair back to blond and removing most of her piercings, but she still has the spunk and attitude that completely fascinated him. Now that they’re working together the pull is stronger than ever even though they tease and insult each other at every turn. There was sexual tension brewing a-plenty and these two just couldn’t keep their hands off of each other.

Both Reece and Ben’s back story were engrossing.  Both spoke right to my heart, and were woven in seamlessly, and with just enough information without distracting your attention from the overall story. I ADORED Ben’s family, his mother especially, and the time at the family’s orange grove was magical. His father was a completely different story and it was sad for both Ben and his mother that this man behaved the way he did.

Reece’s step-family was wonderful, too. Even though Jack abandoned her when Annabelle (Reece’s mom) cheated and left him, he redeemed himself by stepping up and rescuing Reece when she was at an all time low.  The interactions between Mason (her stepbrother) and her were priceless. So funny!  Some may take issue with Reece’s storyline with Jared, but I totally got it. Who wouldn’t be tempted by a man who utterly crushed and humiliated you when he started paying attention again?  No worries, though. I think Reece dealt with the situation admirably, for the most part.  Jared and Caroline really got what they deserved: each other!

I don’t remember laughing as hard in any other K.A. Tucker book!  Really, the humor was one of the best things about this story, and it balanced out the more serious issues perfectly.  K.A. Tucker’s writing talent just shines in Five Ways to Fall!  

As a side note, the cover is perfect for this story. The girl is completely Reece with her blond hair and black cherry ends walking up to the Bernard/Morris family’s grove. Love it when the cover matches the story!

I read that this is the last in the Ten Tiny Breath series, but I sincerely hope Ms. Tucker considers doing an offshoot series on Ben’s family.  I would LOVE a story about one or more of the Morris siblings, especially Josh.  A story centered around Josh winning his ex-wife and kids back would amazing!  

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