Four Seconds to Lose: A Novel (The Ten Tiny Breaths, #3)

by K.A. Tucker

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 reallycomplicated. 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.

• ISBN10: 1476740496
• ISBN13: 9781476740492
• Publish Date: 10 April 2014 (first published 4 November 2013)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 13 July 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Atria Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Ashley]

Nose Graze — Young Adult book reviews

THIS BOOK! HOLY SHIT, THIS BOOK! It blew my mind! That's what it did. It completely addicted me and owned me.

Four Seconds to Lose is my favourite book in the series! It rocked my universe in ways that I didn't even expect. I seriously hoped I'd love the book, but I did not expect it to own and dominate me in every way possible. I was literally GLUED to the pages! I started Four Seconds to Lose at around midnight, expecting to just get started, but I couldn't put the book down until I finished it—at 4:30am. I couldn't stand the thought of being parted from those characters, that romance, the incredible story that sucked me in..

Cain is officially one of my favourite characters ever. He's not a bad boy, although he did used to be. Presently, he's an amazing, sweet, generous guy. He goes out of his way to look after girls who slip into the world of drugs and violence. He has strict principals and goes above and beyond to uphold them in his club. These traits really made him an amazing boyfriend, and I adored his relationship with Charlie! I love how he treated her and he was so quick to forgive the bad parts of her life. And hot damn, Cain and Charlie had AMAZING chemistry!

And on that note: Four Seconds to Lose was more explicit than the other books in the series. There are more hot and heavy sex scenes.. and damn, they were SERIOUSLY HOT! But if you don't like more explicit sex scenes, you may want to avoid this book.

But I think what really had me hooked was the story. Four Seconds to Lose gives us the sex trade (strip clubs), drug trafficking, abusive families, and a hot romance. Throw that all together and you have one hell of a book! Charlie's story was super intense and I was constantly desperate to see how it would pan out. It had me completely hooked!

I think my one slight disappointment was with part of the ending. I felt like Sam got taken down WAY too easily. The whole book he was built up as this immensely powerful and intimidating character.. then he got taken down so quickly and so easily, with just one conversation with the cartel. Then he just disappeared. No drama, no fight, no showdown. It was a bit anti-climactic. But other than that one piece of the ending, I enjoyed everything else! The most important parts of the ending were done well and I did enjoy those!

If you enjoyed the other books in the series, you NEED to pick up Four Seconds to Lose! I promise, you won't regret it.

[nitzan_schwarz]

2015 tbr challenge

3.5 stars

[kimbacaffeinate]

Coffee Date with Four Seconds to Lose

First Date: I enter Penny’s night club excited to be back in Tucker’s world and anxious to learn more about heart-throb and strip club owner Cain Ford. This tattooed hottie acts like a bad-ass, but from the previous novels I already know how he takes care of his employees. A newcomer has arrived by the name of Charlie Rourke, and she is looking to pole dance. Cade’s “no sleeping with the staff rule” is about to be put to the test. The chemistry between them in sizzling. His intense gaze says one thing but his kindness and then cold shoulder attitude confuse the heck out of Charlie. They begin to play this dance, and it’s fun to watch. Things are about to get intense. I settled in with my coffee flavored liqueur and prepared to enjoy the ride.

Second Date: Charlie has secrets and boy howdy is our blonde haired pixie in a heap a trouble. She finds Cain attractive so to ease her nerves while dancing she pretends to dance only for him. The scenes were hot and I loved all the teasing Cade got. As the two get to know each other, Cain gets cranky. The staff and his friends encourage him to take a chance. Holy Hotness! Things are heating up; the pages are curling. Cain is sharing stories from his past. As he opens up I want to hold him. He knows Charlie is in trouble and patiently waits for her to open up. I want, need Charlie to spill before it’s too late. *bites fingernails*

Third Date: I love Charlie and Cain together; the chemistry felt genuine and those tender soft-spoken moments. Whew, someone, get me a fan. Tucker had my palms sweating because Charlie is knee-deep in some serious shit, and Cain could be in trouble. Secret calls, creepy evil men. Gah! Twists, turns, and bodies kept me flipping the pages. Mystery and danger had me spellbound, and my heart twisted for Charlie and Cain. This last date kept me up late as we raced towards the conclusion. While I still needed some chocolate, Tucker kept the angst low, and the suspense high making these dates a success.

Four Seconds to Lose was such an intense ride. The mystery aspect thrust this into the romantic suspense genre for me. Having read all of the previous books I would have to say Tucker stepped up her game giving me one heck of a ride. For fans of the series, we see past characters, and get to spend some quality time with them. Five Ways to Fall is the next book in the series due out in June of 2014 and will feature bouncer turned lawyer Ben Morris.

Copy received from publisher in exchange for unbiased review that originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Cocktails and Books]

FOUR SECONDS TO LOSE is a captivating story about Cain and Charlie. The story is a rollercoaster ride of emotions including suspense, tension and drama. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I loved every minute of it.

At twenty-nine, Cain runs an adult entertainment club named Penny’s located in Miami. It is the crème de la crème of adult entertainment clubs. He puts his heart and soul into the business and the people working for him. He cares about the girls too much and is always trying to help make their lives better. It’s exhausting trying to help them all. I fell in love with Cain who is a hot alpha male with a sensitive side.

Cain and Charlie meet when she asks for a job as a dancer in his club. He is immediately drawn to her, but he has a policy of never getting involved with the girls at the club. Charlie has never stripped before and she is different from the other girls. She isn’t easy to read, keeps her emotions hidden and has secrets that she can’t share with anyone. She is innocent, vulnerable, beautiful and sweet. I liked Charlie, but felt sorry for her and the situation she was caught up in, at eighteen she doesn’t know how to deal with her out of control life. As Charlie works in the club, she and Cain become increasingly aware of each other and try their best to ignore the strong attraction simmering between them. Cain always has to help a person in need and he senses Charlie needs his help.

It’s always fun to discover a new author and I plan on reading everything K. A Tucker has written because, I loved everything about this book and think K. A. Tucker is a gifted writer. I enjoyed the camaraderie between all of Cain’s friends. I especially liked the Ben, a law student working at the club and hope there will be a book about him in the future. This is the first book I have read in this series and each book is a stand-alone. The story is alternately told between Cain and Charlie’s point of view. Can Cain and Charlie share a future together?

Reviewed by Karen for Cocktails and Books

[Linda]

Four Seconds to Lose is just as emotional as the first two books in this series! The characters are truly awesome, and I loved the whole story.

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