K.A. Tucker

Luke Boone doesn't know exactly what his uncle Rust is involved in but he wants in on it. It's not exactly legal, but it puts him behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 and onto the radar of gorgeous socialite named Rain. Clara Bertelli is one of the most successful undercover officers in the Washington, DC, major crime unit, and she's going deep undercover as Rain Martines in order to expose one of the West coast's most notorious car theft rings. As the lines between right and wrong start to blur, will she be able to leave it all behind?

A Novel

Becoming Rain

Anna Ureta

It took me a little longer to finish this book in comparison to the first because I was on vacation and didn’t have much time for reading.
 At first I didn’t think I would like this novel because of the typical cop/target romance story, but the more I read it the more it grew on me. I love when that happens, when stories and books, movies and songs grow on you.
 The first novel in the series was a little more suspenseful for me, but this one was a great follow-up.
 (Plus, I liked the fact that the main character, Rain/Clara, was twenty-six, and Luke was twenty-four. Can we have more books where the characters are in their mid to late twenties please?).

Luke Boone has gotten everything he needed in life presented to him on a silver platter by his Uncle Rust. Now he’s about to inherit more than the garage he’s been working at for years. There are dangerous things in play that Luke doesn’t know about, but his uncle is sure he can handle them and can carry on with the family business. Except the family business isn’t strictly speaking legal.
 Clara Bertelli has been going undercover, trying to get Luke’s attention but with no success.
 Eventually she tries a different tactic and the two spark a very dangerous friendship that could lead to blowing up in Clara’s face. This could be the biggest bust of her career and could open doors for her. And one thing she is often told not to do was to fall in love with her target.

One EXTREMELY MINOR criticism I have about this book and perhaps this series was that the story was kind of long and sort of dragged on.
 I mean I liked the detail and the easy pace of the book, but there comes to a point where it just becomes too much.
 Where is the line drawn between, too long, and just enough?
 I’m not a real author so I can’t say, so I was on the fence with this book despite having enjoyed it a great deal.
 Perhaps its not fair to say that because the first book was around the same length but I found it didn’t feel as long. Maybe because you were jumping between two POVs and being in the past and in the present which is what made it interesting. In this book it was just like you were watching a cop show. (These book would make a great TV show though).

Maybe it’s because I’ve read so many of these books in my several years of reviewing, or maybe I’m just bitter, but I’m a little bit tired of the guy with perfect bodies.
 Maybe I’m just in that point of my life and reading career that wishing for someone like that isn’t realistic (not that I thought that before), but perhaps I’m just not as attracted to it anymore.
 Looks are important but they aren’t everything.
 Appearances aside though, Luke seemed like a real genuine sweet and flirty kind of guy (if only I didn’t suck at flirting).
 He cared about his appearance, about his job, about being a good person – he was just put in bad situations that were out of his control. But Luke genuine loved and cared for Rain and that’s one of the best things to have – someone who loves you for you and to be there for you no matter what.

“You’re perfect. Almost too perfect … Sometimes I wonder if you’re even real.”
I close my eyes with his words, as his mouth finds my collarbone. I am real. At least, parts of who he’s seen are. And this is real, what’s happening between us right now.”

Clara/Rain was put in a very complicated position but handled it better than most.
 I wonder how I would act under that kind of pressure…to be fake and lie and to not say how you really felt. I mean she had a wire on! Like almost the entire time. Imagine what kind of pressure that is – to make sure you don’t say something inappropriate. Rain was put in some difficult positions but she handled it pretty well.

In the end, the only thing that may have made little sense to me cause I might have read it too fast, was the ending, maybe the last….twentyish pages or so. But I think that was just me.

Everyone got what they wanted in the end and that’s what mattered.

Can’t wait to read the rest of the series, especially the last book since there’s an Asian on the cover

Sven Test

I received an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion and to participate in the blog tour.

4.5 stars: Becoming Rain is such an electrifying and thought-provoking story in all its uniqueness filled with suspense and enough romance to keep the reader wanting more.

Clara Bertelli dream is to work as a federal agent. In order to prove herself and get her name at the top of the list, she goes undercover as Rain Martines in order to take down a car theft ring in Portland. She needs to bring down Rust since he is the one at the top of the thefts but in order to get to him, Rain needs to get close to Luke, Rust’s nephew. It is definitely not easy to get his attention but when she finally does, he can’t leave her alone…and neither can she. Rain must put her feelings aside or she will lose her career. But when love comes to play, what will she do: choose her career or fight for Luke? You’d be surprise by the outcome.

Going into the story, I didn’t fully know what to expect. I knew it would good but this story exceeded my expectations. What I loved about it was that the author didn’t mainly focus on the romance, she really put a lot of thought into the undercover aspects and the suspense, which gave a thrilling feel to the story. Starting from the beginning, it was rather slow but I was so excited to find out what was going to happen that I speed-read for the first few chapters. When things start to pick up and the action feel to it starts making light, I knew I was sucked in for the whole story. There were a lot of aspects that the reader needed to know first in order to understand what was happening when the excitement started.

As soon as Luke made an appearance, I gravitated towards him—it was like an instant pull. I was 10% in when I posted on Goodreads: “I can see why it would be so easy to fall for Luke *sighs dreamily*”. He is actually a decent human being. He doesn’t know what exactly he is getting into. All he wants is to have the acceptance of his uncle and make him proud and he will do anything for him. What I didn’t like a bit was that he was way too confident, the kind that makes you want to doubt if his intentions are true but besides that, I was in love.

“You’re perfect. Almost too perfect … Sometimes I wonder if you’re even real.”

I close my eyes with his words, as his mouth finds my collarbone. I am real. At least, parts of who he’s seen are. And this is real, what’s happening between us right now.

Rain and Luke are complete opposites and watching both of these characters grow to practically be “one” and their connection was gratifying. While Rain lived a very strict and middle class life, Luke was surrounded by money from the get go. His uncle made sure Luke had everything he needed and even got him a Porsche! But as I mentioned before, Luke was so different when his work and the money weren’t involved. I loved getting into his head and discovering the real Luke.

I’m standing at the edge of a cliff now, and I have no choice. I have to jump, even though the landing is going to hurt. But I know the fall will be pure ecstasy.

I love K.A. Tucker a lot. Her stories are always so thought-provoking and engaging. She really delivered a great story with Becoming Rain and I cannot wait for the third book, Chasing River, to come out. Like the girls over at Lost In Lit, I’m hoping this third book has Warner as the main character. Warner is another FBI agent that always kept an eye on Rain, always looking out for her and protecting her as best as he could. I really want to know more about this character and really want him to have a happy ending.

This review can be found on GenGen's Book Blog.

Samantha 

Megan Williams

Becoming Rain. OMG. Quite Literally… (this will make much more sense after you read the book Winking smile). 

I have to say this book was pleasantly surprising. After reading Tucker’s Ten Tiny Breaths series, I didn’t think that this new series could exactly measure up. So come to find out I was completely wrong because Becoming Rain is amazing in a totally separate but equal way from the other series. 

This book is so crazy good! Like, in a, I never want to stop reading this book kind of way + after I read this book I just sat and stared at the wall for twenty minutes. Becoming Rain is this kind of thrill read that took me in and changed everything I thought I knew about K.A. Tucker and her writing style. This book is intense, yet a different kind of intense that I have come to expect. I loved the switching views that bounced from Luke to Clara “aka Rain”. It built up the tension for me as I slowly pieced together what was happening as the characters themselves were experiencing it. 

Clara is one of those cops that is slowly becoming jaded… at least until she meets Luke. Luke is this interesting mix of spoiled yet kind. Sometimes I just wanted to punch him in the face as he seemed to make all the wrong mistakes. Then he would do something un-expectantly sweet, throwing not only me but also Clara off guard. I think what made this book so great was how real the author was able to make the emotions and characters authentic.

Luke was a hard character to understand. At some moments he seemed like a spoiled brat using his relationship with his uncle to move through the ranks faster and get more money. Yet at other times he would do these amazing acts of kindness that really showed another side. Throughout the book he kind of progressed and matured, aided by Clara. It was a great transition and without it, I would definitely not have fallen in love with this book.

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads
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Why oh WHY did I wait so long to read this book?! Seriously... why? I have no excuse. I loved Burying Water. So much, in fact, that I read it twice! I was over the moon when I got an early copy of this book because I couldn't wait to get Luke's story. But somewhere along the line, it got shoved to the back of the line and I didn't pick it up until this past weekend. I could kick myself for waiting this long, but at the same time, I'm thrilled I read it when I did. 

All you really need to know about Becoming Rain going in is that it's a story of the ultimate forbidden love – that between an undercover cop and her target. (Can we talk for a second about how much I LOVE that there was a female cop in this book? Hooray for strong, kickass women!) It's rife with suspense and enough twists that you're guaranteed to be on edge for at least half of the book. I certainly was. There were actually points in this book where I was afraid to turn the page for fear of what would happen next. But, all that said, it wasn't overly angsty or overplayed. It was just engaging as hell. Of course, I'm not going to tell you anything else about the plot because really you just need to experience it all for yourself. 

I loved Rain (er, Clara?). I adored Luke. I was as hopelessly wrapped up in their romance as I was the darker storyline of the underground car fencing and everything that came with it. As they started to get closer, I was both anxious for Luke to learn the truth and terrified of what would happen when he did. Not because he was dangerous, but because he was a genuinely good guy who was in over his head because he trusted his uncle and got in over his head. I didn't want to see him hurt. I didn't want to see Rain hurt. But I also knew that thinking they could escape everything without getting hurt was naive. More than anything, I just wanted them both to make it through safe to the other side. I hoped they could work through everything else at that point. 

Kathleen's books always have a way of grabbing ahold of me and not letting go until long after I've finished reading. This is exactly why I was thrilled to get a glimpse into Alex and Jesse's lives now, after the events of Burying Water. It's also how I know I won't be forgetting about Rain and Luke anytime soon, either. Excuse me now, it's time for me to jump right into Chasing River. It just seems like the right thing to do.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

This book was jointly reviewed by me and my co-blogger, Becca!

*Though this review is spoiler-free for BECOMING RAIN, it may contain spoilers for book 1 in the series, BURYING WATER.*

THE STORY:
Becca: WOW! I wasn’t sure what to expect going into Becoming Rain. Burying Water was very different from the Ten Tiny Breath Series and I absolutely loved it! I knew that Becoming Rain was going to follow that path and it did and boy was it amazing! Becoming Rain had a similar level of suspense and action. I loved the concept of Rain (Clara) being an undercover police officer who is investigating Luke and the businesses his Uncle owns and operates. However, this concept did take quite some time to build. Lisa and I were just waiting for the good stuff to happen! Because of the undercover work, the mystery of Luke’s families business and the character development of Luke and Rain (and Clara) we were about 25% in before things really started to pick up and get interesting. It was a bit frustrating, but once the ball got rolling it did not stop! It was intense, suspenseful and had me clutching my kindle in anticipation! It is safe to say that the amazing-ness of the last 3/4 of the book made up for the slow start!!


Everyone has their motivations – even criminals. Usually it’s pure, blind greed.

Lisa: Absolutely!! Looking for a Kindle-gripping romantic suspense? THIS IS IT! I’ve always loved K.A. Tucker’s books, starting with the Ten Tiny Breaths series. It’s not a stretch to say it’s my favorite series, pretty much ever. This series is so different from those books, yet still include Tucker’s amazing writing and story lines that leave you smiling, gasping, and tense. I can’t get enough! Becca’s extremely accurate, the first part of this book did, in fact, drag a bit. But since we’re such huge fans of Tucker, we knew it would pick up at some point… and pick up it did! I felt the first half of the book was definitely considered on the slow side, but I can see why Tucker decided to do it this way. There was a lot of back story that took a bit to get the story going… and then once it started, it didn’t stop! The entire second half of the story was so intense! Any story including an undercover cop seducing a criminal, including, of course, Russian mobsters, is sure to remain fast-paced. “OMG!” was texted quite a bit back and forth between Becca and I. We were definitely hooked by 50%.
 

THE CHARACTERS:
Lisa: Rain and Luke were really quite opposite. Rain, working her butt off as an undercover copy trying to get into the FBI to better her future, was strong, persistent and confident. Luke, who always seemed to get things handed down to him by his rich Russian mobster Uncle, was living the good life full of money, cars, and anything he could want… though was completely overloaded with stress. Rain is hired to get close to Luke in hopes of him giving her some info to help the FBI catch the guys involved with this illegal activity. This is not as easy task, as Luke is rather closed-off when it comes to females, partaking in only one-night-stands and having no interest in a romantic relationship. At first, I wasn’t a big fan of Luke’s. He was a bit to overly-confident and almost narcissistic, as Becca put it, for my taste. But as the story progressed, I did start enjoying him more. Having the alternating points of view for both Rain (Clara) and Luke really helped get into his head a bit better, and on a more deeper level.

Another character I really enjoyed was Warner, Clara’s “handler”. He was another FBI agent that was basically her bodyguard through this undercover investigation. He was there for her a lot, always being the first call after an encounter, and definitely seemed to be easy on the eyes. He caught my attention right away. ;) And I can’t leave out Stanley and Licks, Clara’s and Luke’s dogs. I ALWAYS enjoy when four-legged pals add to a story, and these two definitely added a fun aspect to an otherwise very intense story line. So ugly they’re cute, my favorite kind of dog. <3

“You’re perfect. Almost too perfect … Sometimes I wonder if you’re even real.”
I close my eyes with his words, as his mouth finds my collarbone. I am real. At least, parts of who he’s seen are. And this is real, what’s happening between us right now.

Becca: Lisa could not be more accurate! Luke and Rain were so very different, it was interesting to see how they both grew throughout the story. More specifically Luke, at the very beginning I told Lisa that he seemed quite “narcissistic and greedy” but of course in true Tucker fashion, this is the image we were supposed to see. I felt like the reader was pulled into this image of Luke just like Rain was and we had to discover what truly lay beneath the Rolex, Porsche… and of course his meticulously maintained chiseled body. Like Lisa, I also loved Warner and I am hoping that we get to see more of him in the future (hint hint KAT ;) ) Last but not least, Stanley and Licks! OMG they were absolutely the best! Maybe I am partial to Licks because I have my own drooling, wrinkly ball of fur :) They were so cute and a wonderful addition to this story! I was also very excited that we briefly got to see Jesse and Water! When Rain and Luke pulled up to the farm I was actually grinning from ear to ear and mentally cheering!

I am so impressed by Tuckers ability to get inside the mind of not only an undercover police officer, but also the mind of career criminals. I could not believe how on point she was with her creation of “the bad guys”. It was so believable and she painted such a vivid image that I was in such suspense! Bravo KAT, what an amazing job!!
 

OVERALL:
Becca: Overall, this novel was great! Although the story took some time to build it was so full of action and suspense throughout the second half that it made up for it! Lisa’s absolutely right, we just kept texting OMG back and forth because we were so excited and anxious! Once again Tucker has amazed and impressed me, her character development and story lines are so unique and her writing style is just absolute perfection for me! She remains one of my favorite Authors and I will continue to read anything that she writes!! I am eager to see what comes next in the Burying Water series… I know one character I would like to see more of *coughs* WARNER *coughs* :D

“I’m standing at the edge of a cliff now, and I have no choice. I have to jump, even though the landing is going to hurt. But I know the fall will be pure ecstasy.”

Lisa: YES!! Becca, you are so right… more Warner is definitely something I would want to read! ;) Although I mentioned the slow start, it really didn’t hold me back much from enjoying this story. I completely understood why the slower start was necessary to give the rest of the story so much action and depth. No one should ever doubt the writing brilliance that is K.A. Tucker.

“Such a precious sun it is, the one that shines after a cold, harsh rain.”

Another fantastic book by K.A. Tucker!! Book 3 in this series has a name, but doesn’t yet have a synopsis. I’m dying to see whose story Chasing River is going to include. Maybe Warner?? *fingers crossed*

(Thanks to Atria Books for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Gretchen Gomez

I NEED MORE!!!!!! Ugh I was on the edge of my seat while reading this the whole time, not knowing how it was going to play out in the end.

I wasn't sure how I was going to like this because Luke does come off as a dick in the first book but once I get to really meet him in this book, I was just like "YES YES YES!!!"

I'm always down for a good undercover cop story mixed in with New Adult and K.A. Tucker definitely did great with this!

Becoming Rain A Novel

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