Review - Four Seconds to Lose (Ten Tiny Breaths #3) by K.A. Tucker

Title: Four Seconds to Lose

Author: K.A. Tucker

Series: 3rd (Ten Tiny Breaths, One Tiny Lie)

Pages: 400
Published: April 1st 2014 by Atria Books

ISBN: 9781476740492

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: 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.

 I Give This ...

I'm invested in this series.  I've loved every character we've met so far.  I was particularly curious about Cain.  What led him to life he's chosen?  I had a feeling his history was sad, and I was right.

Cain has made it his mission to save women who have fallen on hard times.  And what better way to find those women than by owning a strip club?   Women who work in this business are in need of the fast cash.  Cain wants to me the one to set them up for future success.  He keeps them out of drugs, away from abusive boyfriends, and basically helps them see the woman they are meant to be.  He's trying hard to earn redemption for the two women he wasn't able to protect, his sister and Penny.

I wasn't sure what to think of Charlie for a long time.  I wasn't sure if she was completely naive or really was in so deep there was no way out.  It just didn't sit well with me that it took so long for her to see her stepdad for who he really was.  But, then again, being that close to that type of person and seeing what he is truly capable of had to be frightening.  I found it interesting that she thought she could keep this other world hidden from Cain especially.  She picked his club because it seemed "safer" in many ways, but in all reality it brought everything to a head.

All three books have different tones so far.  This one is far grittier and darker.  Cain's past is not pretty and he's willing to go the distance to protect Charlie, something that makes me deeply curious how Charlie would react if she knew the truth.   And while Charlie has a lot of guilt for what she is doing...her answer was to save enough money to run and hide.  Forget taking dear old daddy down, it's every women for herself.

There's a lot of sexual tension (and sex) in this story, and not only between Charlie and Cain.  It seems Cain has some intense desires and interesting ways to satisfy those needs.  But, I think it's a way of staying detached and lets him not care.  Plus, there's just a lot of verbal comments.  I never felt like it was too over the top though.

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.  I love series that are connected but focus on different characters!