Title: Ten Tiny Breaths
Series: Ten Tiny Breaths #1
Author: KA Tucker
Published: First published December 2012, released again, February 2013 by Atria Books
Format: NetGalley Invite
Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.
Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.
But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.
I’ve absolutely fallen in love love love with this book. I’m not even sure where to start on my review without sounding like I’m having a fan-girl moment.
First, the story. Kacey has gone through something so horrible and heartwrenching, it is a miracle she’s even alive. And now there are only her and her sister, Livie. And while they are under guardianship of their aunt and uncle, things take a big turn for the worse. So they take off for Florida.
Right away I loved how Kacey was so completely protective of her sister. She loves that girl to death, and will do anything to protect her. The move to FL promises to be difficult, but they will stick it out together because they are family, and that’s how it should be. This fierce love they have between each other made this story so special for me.
Just Ten Tiny Breaths, a little coping mechanism taught to Kacey by her mother. It’s such a powerful lesson for her to learn, and I loved it. What a great way to find peace when you feel you are about to spin!
The story itself was fast paced, and I couldn’t put it down. Kacey and Livie meet all of their neighbors, and some of them prove to be the best thing they could ever ask for. I’m talking about Storm and her daughter. Quickly she proves to be a genuine friend and ally. I loved her personality, and how easy she cared for these strangers who found their way into her life. She is every girl’s dream of what a best friend should be. And her daughter is absolute perfection in a five year old package.
And then there is Trent. Trent is beyond wonderful, I crushed on him the entire way through. At one point he had a hero moment, and I was completely melting into a puddle of want all over the place. Tall, dark, handsome, secretive, protective, caring, sensitive, sexy… heck, I could go on and on about this man. But what matters the most is that when Kacey and Trent see each other, the rest of the world disappears. And I loved how just the mere presence of him would leave Kacey, Ms. Control, so completely unhinged.
Kacey herself. The girl has strength she hasn’t even tapped into yet. Her inner monologue had me busting out in laughter at times, I love her smart assed nature. She is understandably a bit distrustful of people, but this group she finds her in breaks away everything for her. For every good thing that happens to her I was silently cheering her on, so happy for her, myself.
But secrets, that’s the name of the game. And everyone has their own skeletons. And when they come out…. man. It is a whirlwind and a hurricane and a tornado. It’s a mess. And my heart broke for everyone involved.
This book made me laugh and it made me cry, even when I promised myself I wouldn’t. I did. I cried bad. Even after it was over, I was crying. I am going to buy this book in print so it can sit so pretty on my bookshelf. The cover is amazing (both covers, actually) but the content inside was so raw and emotional, it was truly a pleasure and a joy reading this beautiful and heartfelt story.