Becoming Rain: A Novel (The Burying Water, #2)

by K.A. Tucker

Luke Boone doesn't know exactly what his uncle Rust is involved in but he wants in on it-the cars, the money, the women. And it looks like he's finally getting his wish. When Rust hands him the managerial keys to the garage, they come with a second set-one that opens up the door to tons of cash and opportunity. Though it's not exactly legal, Luke's never been one to worry about that sort of thing. Especially when it puts him behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 and onto the radar of gorgeous socialite named Rain.

Abby Masters is at the top of her game-at only twenty-six years old, she's one of the youngest detectives in the Portland major crime unit, and she's just been handed a case that could catapult her career and expose the west coast's most notorious car theft rings. But, in order to do it, she'll need to go deep undercover as Rain Donnally. Her target? The twenty-four-year old nephew to one of the key players, who appears ready to follow in his uncle's footsteps.

As Abby drifts deeper into the luxurious lifestyle of Rain, and further into the arms of her very attractive and charming target, the lines between right and wrong start to blur, making her wonder if she'll be able to leave it all behind-or if she'll even want to.

• ISBN10: 147677420X
• ISBN13: 9781476774206
• Publish Date: 12 March 2015 (first published 3 March 2015)
• Publish Status: Transferred
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Atria Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[liz089]

So apparently this is not the first one XD Pffft, way to go. I do think I read a lot of spoilers for the first book XD But overall this was about different people most of the time, so will see when I start the first one after this.
I enjoyed this one, though I had some trouble about 60%.. but I pushed through and finished it. A lot happens, but sometimes it felt like it all went too slow ? Or maybe too fast ? A lot happens in a short amount of time and that felt a bit unrealistic ?
Did like the undercover angle... though again not very realistic I think... But like the whole criminal angle / a bit mystery about what's going on..
But first time to read the first novel XD

[KitsuneBae]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

I can't believe that I procrastinated in reading Becoming Rain. I liked it more than Burying Water. I love that Tucker didn't glorify the detective stuff. The even pacing of the plot was also appreciated. I didn't have any moment of boredom reading through this. The only reason that it took me 4 days to read this was the fact that I was busy with other reads that I have to tick off in my need-to-complete-series list.

And hell, can Clara/Rain and Luke get even more sexier?

[Linda]

Becoming Rain was fantastic! Kick-ass undercover female cop and gorgeous male suspect *sighs*

This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookvies

[whisperingchapters]

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.

[Cocktails and Books]

Becoming Rain is the continuation of the Burying Water series. I would recommend reading these two books in order. In Burying Water, we met Luke Boone briefly. He is Jesse's best friend and shares an apartment with him. To be honest, I didn't remember too much of him and went back to Burying Water to see what was said about him. I remembered I wasn't impressed with him. He seemed materialistic, self involved and not terribly smart in Burying Water. His uncle Rust owned the garage where Jesse worked. Luke's one redeeming quality in Burying Water was he wanted to help Alex (Water). He seemed sympathetic to her situation.

As I began Becoming Rain, I was worried that I wouldn't connect with Luke and honestly, it took awhile for me to really like him. Luke is a nice guy and is a product of his circumstances and environment. He was raised by his Uncle Rust who has a legitmate business with the garage but also runs a car theft ring. He has been handed his condo, cars, jewelry without really working for it. He assumes he will just take over the garage for Rust but he knows there is more to his business then just the garage. Once Luke begins down the illegitimate side of things, he begins to question if this is a good choice for him.

Clara/Rain is an undercover officer with aspirations of making it into the FBI. She hopes this case with land her application at the top of the pile when she finishes. Her target....Luke. They need him to turn on his uncle. The complication....Clara/Rain begins to fall for Luke. The story of an undercover agent falling for her target has so many possibilities. If I am honest, it took 3/4 of the book for me to buy in to their attraction and affection for her other. Tucker is usually brilliant at romance but the tension and lines drawn between these two characters sometimes did not pull you in. Ultimately, this is a well written story. I would call this lightweight romantic suspense. This story was not my favorite KA Tucker but it definitely is worth a read.


Reviewed by Candace for Cocktails and Books

[kimbacaffeinate]

Clara Bertelli is twenty-six and currently one of the top undercover detectives in the Washington D.C, major crime units. She has been assigned a high profile case that may land her the FBI job she has been coveting. The job takes her to Seattle where she poses as Rain Martines. Her job is to gain the trust of twenty-four year old Luke Boone. Fans of Burying Water will remember this yummy mechanic. Luke works for his Uncle Rust. Rust owns several legitimate businesses, in particular the auto shop that Luke works at. It is believed that Luke is being groomed to run the shop and the illegal businesses as well.

Tucker shared the tale in dual perspectives letting us inside the minds of both Clara (Rain) and Luke. I think it worked perfectly and allowed me to understand where they were coming from as well as experience their emotions. The romance felt genuine and progressed slow. The forbidden romance trope added additional suspense to the tale and balanced out the investigation. I love that Tucker took things slowly, kept the angst low and did not rush things. We spent a little bit of time with Water and Jessie and I enjoyed how their story was threaded into the tale.

“I don’t care about any of it. All I want to do is lean forward and kiss him. Steal him away from the bad stuff, convince him to start over because I believe he isn’t beyond saving yet.”

“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.”

The criminal case, wire-taps, and high profile players created suspense as Clara weaved her way into Luke’s life. Fast cars, boats, guns and secrets had me flipping the pages. I love the slightly darker romantic suspense that Tucker is delivers leaving the angst of your typical new adult books behind.

Fans of Burying Water, Tucker and romantic suspense from new adult to adult will enjoy Becoming Rain and its well-developed characters and nail-biting case.
Copy received from publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer