Name: Anna Ureta's review of Four Seconds to Lose by K.A. Tucker
Item: Four Seconds to Lose
Rating: 4
Author: Anna Ureta

K.A. Tucker

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. I believe you don’t have years, or months, or weeks to impact a person’s life. You have seconds. Seconds to win them over, and seconds to lose them. 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 his 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.

A Novel

Four Seconds to Lose

Anna Ureta

Looking at this book on my shelf I thought, “Wow this is a big book!” and was pretty excited to read it.
 I don’t know if it’s just me because I’d already read two books previous and was tired of the writing style but for some reason I just couldn’t get into this one…
Reviews are subjective to each reader, just because I didn’t enjoy it too much doesn’t mean it’s a bad book. For me, it just didn’t have the wow factor the other two had and I think I was expecting it which was why it was a letdown.
 However, despite the things I may say about this book, it does have a wonderful love story behind it, and the scenes where Cain and Charlie really get together and TALK, those are the kinds of scenes I live for. It’s not just about the sex and the love, but about communication and bearing your soul and everything that causes you pain to another living being and still being loved anyway.

Instead of moving to New York and starting college like she wanted, Charlie Rourke is headed down to Miami to do some work for her stepfather, Sam. It isn’t real work, it isn’t even legal work, but she has to do it anyway. But enough is enough and Charlie wants out of the business for good and is planning on running. All she needs to do is save up enough money to disappear. She is fortunate enough to find a job at Penny’s as a dancer and bartender. She doesn’t mean to stay there long, or make friends, or have any sort of relationship with her coworkers, let alone her disturbingly hot boss who can’t seem to stop looking at her.
 Cain Ford is the boss everyone dreams of working for. He takes care of his employees, he’s fair, and he wants them to succeed in life. He’s haunted by his past and the memories of losing his parents and his sister that he vows to try to help others in any way he can. This includes hiring a young girl who looks exactly like ‘her’ – the one that got away, the woman that he loved and couldn’t save. As hard as he tries he can’t stay away from her for long, but the two are hiding dangerous secrets, which if revealed, could mean the end of them both.

A long summary for a long book (well, not that long, but longer than the first two books in the series, and long because I’m terrible at writing short summaries that don’t sound like every other summary I’ve written :P ).
 I think despite that this book takes place over a short period of time (and then jumps around towards the end), A LOT HAPPENS and I think that’s why the book had to be so long. There was a lot of detail between Charlie and Cain that needed to be explained in order for the two to really get together.

Honestly, the book was a little slow for me and I just wanted to say, “OMG Just get together already please, someone do something!” But recently I saw a photo that said something like, “People who have been single for a long time are the hardest to love because they’ve been independent for so long and don’t know how to let other people help them.” Or something like that. And the same can be said for Cain and Charlie. Cain has never let anyone get close to him, and Charlie’s life is too complicated to allow anyone near her. It’s just a bad situation all around, thankfully they both end up making the best of it.

“I believe some people are inherently evil.
 I believe guilt is a powerful motivator.
 I believe redemption is something you can strive for but never fully achieve.
 I believe second chances exist only in dreams, never in reality.
 I believe you don’t have years, or months, or weeks to impact a person’s life.
 You have seconds.
 Seconds to win them over, And seconds to lose them.”

Cain is definitely the kind of guy girls dream of. The kind that will take care of you and do anything for you, the kind that wants everyone to know you’re theirs and isn’t afraid of displaying public affection. Well if you’re into that, which I definitely am.
 Charlie on the other hand, I don’t know she was very on and off for me. Not my favourite type of girl even though I’d probably closest to her in terms of personality. Conservative with what she says, witty and fun when she wants to be. She’s reserved because she’s afraid the things in her past will scare people away and is afraid to trust someone for fear they’ll get hurt because of her. People who’ve been damaged are hard to get close to…they can’t help but have trust issues.

“She’s the woman who stole my heart right out from me before I even realized she had her hands on it.”

Overall, not my favourite book but I’m glad these two found each other. And at the end….oh man, I was shocked and maybe you won’t see it until the last page like I did ;)
 Only one book left in the series, let’s see if I like it better than this one.

3.5/5 Hearts of Love

Megan Williams

The Plot. I thought that this book was such an amazing read! I’ve actually read Ten Tiny Lies and One Tiny Lie, and I was really interested to learn more about Cain as he always seemed so interesting in the other two books. The way the author set this book up was so great and I loved the setting this book was put in.

This story was so interesting as Charlie and Cain’s worlds collide. The plot of this story was really unique to the series as it steps away from the sisters that the series started with and evolves to the people around them. After reading the first two books, I had high expectations for this book and I wasn’t disappointed. The emotion that the author wrote into this book made it so life like and real. The writing style of this book flowed great and I loved the personality that was put into the story.

Charlie & Cain. I loved Charlie’s background and how the author introduced her into the book. It was different than other books and made her seem more interesting. I also thought her characteristics were a great match for this book and allowed the writing to flow really smooth. The author did a good job of writing the interactions between her and Cain.

Cain was such an interesting character and I loved how the author slowly revealed his secrets throughout the book. I loved seeing parts of the book through his eyes as he allowed me to see his position on the events in the book.

Other Characters. I loved getting hints of the character’s lives from the previous books. It made their stories more interesting and allowed me to connect all three books into one story. I loved how they affected Charlie and Cain’s relationship and felt like the book was better because they were a part of it.

The End. The ending was great of course as everything in the book comes to an end, and all the conflicts get resolved. I loved Charlie’s revelation and felt that it made their relationship stronger. Tucker is coming out with the fourth book in the series soon and I am looking to get a copy ASAP as I am interested to see where the story will go.

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    "I believe some people are inherently evil. I believe guilt is a powerful motivator. I believe redemption is something you can strive for but never fully achieve. I believe second chances exist only in dreams, never in reality. I believe you don't have years, or months, or weeks to impact a person's life. You have seconds. Seconds to win them over, and seconds to lose them."
  

K.A. Tucker has a way of writing beautifully flawed characters, particularly men, in a way that makes me love them more because of their faults, their pasts. Cain is no exception to this rule. I loved Trent in Ten Tiny Breaths. I absolutely adored Ashton in One Tiny Lie. Cain... I'm not sure how to put my feelings for Cain into words. He's deliciously flawed. He bucks all the stereotypes. He feels guilt because of the times in his past where he was unable to help someone he cared about and he spends every day trying to make up for it by helping others. He owns a strip club, but it's not the trashy, scum-filled kind of place people would imagine. He doesn't sleep with the dancers, he doesn't charge them stage fees to try to make more money from them, he ensures they have a roof over their heads and that they follow their dreams and get off the stage at Penny's. He protects them. His staff protects them. He's beyond gorgeous and built - a former fighter - but he's more than that. To call Cain complex is a giant understatement, but I don't have a better word for him. He has a sketchy past and has been involved in some dangerous things over the years, but it's all in an effort to protect those who work for him. I just... wow. Cain.

  
    "I know Charlie's coming with her own bag of secrets. But, frankly, as long as she's not willfully doing something immoral, I don't give a shit what she's done. I just want to help her get away from it."
  

Charlie is in over her head. She's desperate to get away from her stepfather Sam's influence and his business ventures. She knows she's in danger and it's not the kind of danger she can just walk away from easily. She's going to need a lot of money to disappear. Charlie's disgusted with herself for what she's doing for Sam and she's trying to find a way out. When she arrives in Miami and meets Ginger, she suddenly has a new option: a job at the local strip club, where she can rake in a lot of money, fast. She doesn't want to strip - or do any of the other things that typically come with the job - but she's in a bad situation and this is the only way she can see to get out.

  
    "He's made no effort to speak to me since hiring me. The few times I've crossed paths with him in the back hallways, I've gotten nothing more than a nod. But while I'm on that stage, I feel those dark eyes on me, like those of a predator stalking his prey, while the music vibrates through my body, and my limbs coil around the cool brass, and my hips swirl and curl and dip and bend. I really am a fantastic actress. And Cain is an even more fantastic distraction."
  

When Ginger, one of Cain's employees, brings her mysterious new friend Charlie to the club because she's in search of a job, Cain is stunned. Not only is she gorgeous, but she reminds him so much of Penny, the woman he loved, who used to work for him, who was murdered by a jealous fiancé before he had a chance to save her. There's an instant spark between them, but neither of them are willing to admit it to themselves... or anyone else. Cain refuses to allow himself to open up to someone else, especially someone who works for him. He's all about the meaningless hookups with women who don't know who he really is. He's definitely not looking for more. But, we often find what we need most when we're not looking.

  
    "She's the first person I've seen you look at twice since Penny was around. And you never used to come out and watch Penny onstage like this. Charlie's gotten under your skin. That's gotta mean something, Cain."
  

Cain and Charlie skirt around the issue of their mutual attraction once she starts working at the club. Their fellow employees and closest friends, Ginger, Nate and even Ben, can see what's happening between them, what they're both so determined to pretend isn't. With Ginger's encouragement, Charlie begins to perform each dance *for* Cain when she steps out onto the stage. They play with fire, flirting and being suggestive with each other while she's on stage, but interact very little when she's off, until it all comes to head one night after an incident at the club has Cain believing his worst fears may come true again. That incident, along with the support of their friends, make him willing to admit that he wants more with Charlie.

I would be remiss if I didn't make mention of Ginger and Nate more than just in passing. We got a small taste of Nate in TTB and it was enough to intrigue me, but he's unbelievable in this book. In a good way. Sure, he's quiet, intimidating and dangerous to the outside world, but there was a lot more to him than met the eye. More than I would have imagined from his presence in the first book. He's a great friend to Cain. He's there for him regardless of what he needs. The advice and the support he offered in this book blew me away. Ginger gave him nearly as much support. I loved her. She was spunky and sassy and real. She wasn't afraid to tell it like it was. I loved both of these characters nearly as much as Cain and Charlie. I really hope one (or both!) of them gets their own book in the future. There's no denying that K.A. Tucker writes fantastic characters. Whether they're main characters or secondary characters, she just puts something into them that makes me fall in love with them and want to get wrapped up in their lives. She keeps me coming back for more.

  
    "So this is all about a second chance?"
"No. It's about trying to balance out the good with the bad. I don't believe in second chances, Charlie."
  

I'm not going to get any further into the plot of the book, or the romance between Cain and Charlie, except to say both were phenomenal. This book had the perfect balance of action, angst, suspense, sexual tension, friendship, sex and drama. I refuse to spoil it for you. It's truly something you have to experience for yourself. It's gritty and dark at times. I laughed and cried, smiled and freaked the hell out waiting to see what would happen next. This book took me through the full gamut of emotions and exhausted me - in the best way possible. You might think you know what happens and how everything turns out, but you'll never imagine the path it takes to get there.

  
    "And I don't think any less of Cain for it. In fact, if possible, I love him more. We are simply two good people with equally flawed pasts, looking for perfect futures. And I think we've found it, in each other."
  

K.A. Tucker has hit the trifecta of perfection with the Ten Tiny Breaths series. I've read and loved each of the books in the last several months and, as a matter of fact, I'm in the process of "re-reading" Ten Tiny Breaths right now on audiobook because I had to go back and see if the story would affect me as much the second time around. It totally is. One Tiny Lie was amazing in its own right. I adored Livie in TTB and was so excited to read her story in OTL. But, Four Seconds to Lose absolutely blew me away. It was darker, grittier than the first two books. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and this time, for more than just wondering if the two characters would find their way to each other. There was danger and suspense and I found myself cheering on the characters for doing things I couldn't believe I was condoning. It transported me to a different place. I was totally floored. I still haven't stopped thinking about this book and the characters. It's the kind of story that will stick with you for a long time.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. All quotes come from the review copy and may differ from the final version.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

No surprises here… I loved this book. This series is easily one of my favorites. Tucker’s writing style is flawless. Her characters are deep, emotional, and personal.

Cain has appeared in the shadows throughout this series, and the thought of getting to finally be told his story and how he came to the life he was leading really intrigued me. He’s always been the thoughtful, heart-of-gold bar owner who befriend his employees — most of them lost, hopeless girls who have a tragic past — and set off to help them better their lives. He really did care about his employees and friends, and did everything he could to help them. And Charlie was no exception.

I really liked Charlie. She was living a life that was completely unknown to me, yet probably more realistic than I can even comprehend. With a father who was into some pretty scary stuff, Charlies was forced to participate whether she wanted to or not, and live a life of lies. Lies that included her entire identify. Her age, her past, basically her entire existence was a lie.

This entire series has been full of drama, emotion and romance. And this book was no exception. The chemistry between Charlie and Cain was intense and addicting. If you’ve enjoyed the first two books in this series, I’m confident in saying you won’t be disappointed with this one. Tucker’s knack for pulling together a horrifically tragic story into a nice, complete package is admirable. She remains on my top authors list. :)

I’m super excited to read Five Ways to Fall, Ben’s story, which is set to be released June 24th. Bring it! :)

(Thanks to Atria Books and InkSlinger PR for the review copy!)

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Gretchen Gomez

3.5 stars

I really loved this book in the beginning. I couldn't put it down for the life of me, till it started to drag.

And drag.

And drag some more.

Oh and the ending? I didn't like it AT ALL. I am very disappointed, VERY.

Samantha bolton

"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 checking up on him regularly, twenty-seven year old Cain is starting to second guess his silent mission to save these women. That is, until a tiny angel named Charlie walks through his door. Blonde and blue-eyed, sweet as can be, this dancer's sad smile opens up old wounds. She reminds him so much of Penny. As much as Cain tries to avoid being that creepy strip club boss who dates his staff, he can't help but be attracted to Charlie. As he grows closer to her, waiting for her to turn her life around, he discovers that she's headed down a dangerous path, the same one that claimed the other important women in his life"--

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