“I don’t have all the pieces to fix this beautiful, trapped, broken man, but I do have one piece and it’s mine to give… For how ever long he wants it.
Me. Completely.”
I love this book!!!
If you loved Ten Tiny Breaths, you’ll love this one too! It was different in many ways and definitely stood on it’s own but it had that same spark! I just could not put it down!
Highly recommended!!
I have to say this story really surprised me. It went in a really different direction than I was expecting and I just LOVED that about it! See, it was actually a bit of a forbidden romance. Here’s the set up:
Livie was always mature for her age and after the tragedies her family suffered through, she grew up too fast too soon. Her shrink just wanted her to to let loose and LIVE a little and so her sister, Kasey, takes her out partying. She wakes up the next day with very fuzzy memories, a brand new tattoo on her back and in a room full of people, one of whom happens to be Ashton.
To her horror, Ashton seems to remember everything but… seems more than happy to forget it. Much to her disappointment. At this point, she meets his best friend Connor who is pretty much perfect, gorgeous, Irish and totally the kind of guy she could see herself with while Ashton is gorgeous, mysterious, but more than a bit of a man-whore and is hiding something underneath it all. But even with this perfect guy in front of her, she can’t stop thinking about the one who shouldn’t be on her mind…. Ashton.
“… you’re not a fuck-buddy kind of girl and he’s not boyfriend material. Clearly.”
As the story goes on, Ashton keeps insisting that they shouldn’t be together, that he isn’t good for her… and something about it makes her wonder if there’s more to his story than meets the eye.
“Why?”
“He looks away for a minute and I watch his jaw clench… “Because you’re not a one-night-stand girl, Irish.” Leaning in to place a kiss on my jawline, he whispers. “You’re my forever girl.”
Ashton was just the kind of hero I love. Broken/tortured heroes just break my heart in a way that just makes me fall even harder for them and Ashton was definitely one of those characters. Between that and just his whole attitude and all the swoony and sweet things he did, I found it impossible not to fall in love with him.
It was all about the little things… flirty comments, a glance that has so much meaning, a little touch that lingers too long, a glimpse into something deeper behind the carefree exterior.
But I have to say that when his back story came out, it seriously just made my heart hurt. It’s bad, guys. Really bad. I was trying to think and figure out what exactly his reasons could be for staying away but nothing that I came up with made sense. But when the reason was brought out into the open, it totally and completely explained EVERYTHING. It was very well put together, took me by surprise and ended up being fully believable given the context of the story.
As for Livie, I really liked watching her journey as she figured out what she wanted most out of her life. Up until now, she’d always taken the safe road. The right road. Connor was safe, right, perfect. And Ashton wasn’t. This story was about her letting go, learning to live, and learning to choose with her heart over her head.
“Life has a funny way of creating it’s own tests. It throws curve balls that make you do and think and feel things that are in direct conflict with what you had planned and don’t allow you to operate in terms of black and white.”
I loved watching Livie and Ashton dance around each other a bit in the beginning. The reason I called this a forbidden romance is that there were genuine reasons why they couldn’t be together at first and so everything between then was in these little, emotionally charged stolen moments.
I’m not usually a fan of love triangles but the reason I was totally okay with this book was that you could tell right from the start that Livie and Ashton were right for each other. There was really no question there. It was just a matter of figuring out how they’d end up together.
The entire book was really well-written but I also have to say that the scene where Livie figured out what had happened to Ash in his past was just phenomenal. I felt like I discovered it right alone with her and came to the realization at the same moment that she did. That moment? Omg I was just right THERE. I teared up, got chills. It was really emotional and I loved it.
The story wasn’t a fast build but I enjoyed the pacing. Around 50% in, my heart really started to race as the layers built. The detailing and character development was so engaging that honestly I just wanted to read this in one sitting. Add that to the fact that broken/tortured heroes are just my all-time favorite and really this book just hit all the right marks with me. I cared, really CARED about the characters and the story.
There is definitely steam in this book but it’s very tastefully written and not graphic. But trust me, you’ll feel it!
I also loved that we got to see quite a bit of Kasey and Trent in this. I think it’s wonderful when, in sequels, the characters from the first book are remembered and included. It gives the whole story a really wonderful, well-rounded feeling.
Oh and yes, there is a happy ending! Fully resolved, no cliffhanger!
I love the whole interconnected sort of family network that has been built between this book and the first one. I’ve heard that the next book will be about Cain (he’s so mysterious! I want to know more!) and then Ben. I really can’t wait!!
Each of the books in this series can technically be read as stand alones but I do suggest reading them in order if you can.
I highly recommend this series!
4.5 stars
READING ORDER
Each book in the series is about a different couple and can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading them in order because they are interconnected.
#1 TEN TINY BREATHS
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#2 ONE TINY LIE
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#3 FOUR SECONDS TO LOSE
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#4 FIVE WAYS TO FALL
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BLOG TOUR: EXCERPT
The Beast
There are about five seconds of calm and blissful ignorance after I crack my eyes open. Five seconds when I stare at the white ceiling looming not far from my face, as my eyes adjust to the dim light, Las my brain just sits idly, waiting for the neurons to start firing.
And then the avalanche of confusion hits.
Where am I?
How did I get here?
What the hell happened?
I roll my head and find my sister’s face only a few inches away. “Kacey?” I whisper.
She moans, and my nostrils catch her rank breath. I cringe and turn away. Too quickly, it would seem, as a sharp, stabbing pain pierces my brain. I cringe a second time.
We’re in my dorm room. That much, I can quickly deduce by the cramped space and a few personal belongings. But I don’t remember coming home.
What do I remember?
My hand slides feebly up to my face to give it a good rub while I pick through my foggy memory, trying to piece together the night… Bits of blurry images flicker so faintly that I’m not sure they’re real. Shot after shot. After shot. Orange, blue, green . . . Kacey and me doing the robot on the dance floor? I groan and immediately wince at another throb of pain in my head. God, I hope not. From there . . . nothing. I remember nothing. How can I not remember anything?
Kacey moans again and I’m assaulted with another wave of that foulness. Swallowing several times, I accept that my breath can’t be much better and that I would kill for a bottle of water. I push my sheets off my body with slow, uncoordinated kicks.
And I frown as I take in my exposed flesh. Why am I . . . Oh, right. I was wearing that stupid toga last night. That doesn’t explain why I’m in nothing but panties now, but my head hurts too much to think about tha . . . Whatever. It’s only my sister. And Reagan, but she’s a girl.
I struggle to sit up, groaning as I push my hands back through a mess of knotted hair, squeezing my temples to relieve some of the pressure. And why does my head feel ready to burst! I think if someone walked in here with an axe, I’d stretch my neck out for a clean cut.
There’s already a vile taste in my mouth when a surge of nausea hits me. I need water. Now. With shaky arms and legs, I rock my body around and down, not wasting time with the ladder and hoping I don’t step on Reagan’s head. If I can just make it to the mini fridge and chug a bottle of cold water, I’ll feel better. I know it…
A second later, as my feet hit Reagan’s plush white shag rug by the bed, I get my second shock of the morning.
An ass. A male ass. And it’s not just an ass. It’s everything. There’s a very large, very naked guy sprawled out on Reagan’s bed, his legs and one arm hanging off the edge. By the mess of honey-blond hair poking out from beneath the covers in the corner, I can see that Reagan is buried somewhere in there.
I can’t stop staring. I’m standing there in nothing but underwear, the room is spinning, my mouth tastes like I drank sewer water, and I’m frozen, focused on this naked man in front of me. Partly because he’s the last thing I ever expected to see when I climbed down. Partly because he’s the first naked man I’ve ever seen. Partly because I’m wondering what the hell he’s doing here.
And . . . what is that on the top of his left ass cheek? My curiosity overtakes my shock as I step forward cautiously, hesitant to get too close. It looks like . . . a tattoo. It’s red and puffy. I’ve seen pictures of fresh tattoos and that’s what they look like. Like, really fresh. It’s a fancy scroll font and it reads “Irish.” Irish? I frown. Why is that word jogging my memory . . . ?
The floor creaks as my weight shifts, startling me. I abruptly back away. The sudden movement makes the crammed room spin. Water. Right. Now. With wobbly legs, I stumble toward the fridge and my robe that hangs on a hook by the door. Unfortunately, our dorm rooms are tiny and, let’s face it—I’m an ox in a closet when I’m nervous. My back slams into Reagan’s dresser, hitting it hard enough to knock over an array of her glass perfume bottles. I hold my breath, hoping the loud noise isn’t enough to wake up the naked giant.
No such luck.
My heart stops beating as I watch the guy’s head roll over to face out. He cracks open his eyes.
Oh. My. God.
It’s the Jell-O thief. It’s Ashton.
Gloria says
I couldn’t have said it any better! Fantastic review!
This book was truly amazing along with TTB!!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Love hearing what others have to say to a book I fall in love with.
Ka tucker did a great job! Can’t wait for her other books! Woot woot!
Thanks love <3
Xox
Aestas says
Thanks Gloria! I’m so glad you loved it too and I can’t wait for the rest of the series 😀
Theresa DeWit says
Loved Ten Tiny Breaths! Hoping to win One Tiny Lie
Feifei says
OMG!!! Thanks for the giveaway!!
Aestas, I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog’s new format!!! Not to mention your book reviews and recommendations 😉
YOU’RE THE SUPERSTAR!!!!
Aestas says
thank you so much!! <3
Debbie Jensen says
I would like to read Ten Tiny Lies because I have Ten Tiny Breaths.
Annaiss says
Great review, Aetas! I read Ten Tiny Breaths last year and I’ve been wanting to read One Tiny Lie!
Christina G says
Awesome review and excerpt! How can anyone not be interested in reading this book after that teaser?