Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Blog Tour: Ten Seconds to Lose by K.A. Tucker



ABOUT FOUR SECONDS TO LOSE:

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 doesn’t need to complicate her life with romance.

Unfortunately, Charlie soon discovers that developing feelings for Cain is inevitable, 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.

4 star review by Lisa Kane

I believe you don’t have years, or months, or weeks to impact a   person’s life. 
You have seconds.
Seconds to win them over,
And seconds to lose them.


This is the third installment of KA Tucker’s series, the first was Ten Tiny Breaths (Kacey and Trent) the second was One Tiny lie (Ash and Livie) and this is Cain and Charlie’s story. Cain is the owner of Penny’s an upscale gentlemen’s club. He made appearances in the first two books and has a heart of gold; he constantly helps the underdog or those in need. He treats the women who work for him as human beings and makes it his goal to keep them safe from their own demons of drugs, prostitution and domestic abuse. Lately, he has grown tired of the battle, but worries who will protect these women if he sells the club. His history has cemented the need to protect others, his family suffered a terrible fate and he has tried to make amends for his part in it. 

And I have considered quitting. I’ve considered selling Penny’s and walking away. And then I look at my employees’ faces-the ones who I know will end up at a place like Sin City without me-and the metal teeth of the trap around my chest dig in tighter.


Charlie has lived a life of luxury. Her mother was an exotic dancer when she was a child and ended up marrying a very wealthy client named Sam. Unfortunately, her mom died in childbirth giving birth to her half-brother, who didn’t survive either. Her step father has raised her and doted on her every need. Something has always been a little off with him. She has heard snippets of heated, secretive conversations. Often people have just “disappeared”. When she got older, Sam demanded some awful things from her, things no one should have to do for appease their relatives- all the while he calls her “little mouse”. Which brings us to today. Sam has demanded that Charlie assume her new identity (her name isn’t really Charlie Rourke) and must move to Miami where she can conduct family “business” easier.

“Come on, hurry it up,” Eddie barks. Bob’s rough hands squeeze my ass on their way up to my shirt, then under my shirt, where they linger. Deep breaths. I am not really here. This will be over soon.

She hates this life and is making plans to escape. But she needs more money to get out from under Sam and make a life for herself.  Sam wanted her to assume a normal life when in Miami, to blend in but not to make any real friends. Since she was active in gymnastics all her life, she takes a pole dancing class and becomes friendly with Ginger, who is in the same class and works at Penny’s. When Charlie lets her know that she is looking for a job she sets up a job interview with Cain. What an interview! Charlie has no idea what to expect and Cain can barely keep his attraction to Charlie to himself. She gets the job but they agree she will dance topless but no more than that and no private lap dances. Cain doesn’t want her dancing for anyone but is afraid she will go someplace else to work. Every night he watches her and wants her and resists.

“She’s here to make money, not deal with her boss hitting on her.” Even though she seems intent on torturing me. “And I have enough to deal with. I don’t need to add an affair with an employee to my own plate. I’m doing the right thing by staying away from her.” I can hear the tone in my voice. It’s solid and convincing. I’m not really trying to convince Nate, though. It’s me who needs the convincing, as I watch her, imaging what her sweat tastes like.

Finally these two stop their skirting around each other and they sizzle!! But there are so many lies and half-truths between them. What will happen when Cain finds out what Charlie has been doing in Miami for Sam? Can Charlie look beyond Cain’s insecurities and scars from his past?

I love this series and love how the characters from the other stories intertwine. Storm, Ben, Dan, Kacey, Livie, Trent; such beloved friends who I have come to adore!! I know Ben’s story is the next and the last one. How I hate to see this series end!

Three Chicks interview Cain

Three Chicks:  Cain, you seem to be in a good place in your life, how much of that is due to Charlie? 

Cain:  Everything in my life now has to do with Charlie. Before this, well… you know where I was at. And then she walked into my office and my entire world got flipped upside down.  In a good way, though I may not have seen it that way in the beginning.

Three Chicks:  Cain, you seemed to shy away from relationships. In the past you just had your booty call women but nothing with any real substance. Is that solely because of Penny? 

Cain:  No, that’s been an issue long before Penny. Between my “memorable” fourteenth birthday present from my mother and my own past, I didn’t see myself as being anyone a parent would want their daughter with. 

Three Chicks:  How big a part does the age difference play between you and Charlie? You said you never really had a chance to live out your twenties like a normal person, so being with Charlie would give you that opportunity. Do you think the age gap will play a bigger part as time goes on?

Cain:  I think the age gap will only become less important as we grow older. To be honest, if I had known her real age from the beginning, I think it would have been a road block for me. But by the time I found out, it was too late.  I already knew her and loved her.

Three Chicks:  Have you made peace with your family’s death? How about Penny’s? 

Cain:  I don’t know if there is such a thing as making peace with death. I think you learn to co-exist. I’m learning to co-exist with Charlie’s help. There are days when I wonder how different my life could have been without their deaths and there are days when I think someone chose this life for me for a good reason. In the end, I just need to live it.

Three Chicks:  Because of your sister and other events, you have a fierce hatred for drugs, how did you reconcile Charlie essentially being a drug mule? 

Cain:  I understand why she was doing it and I believe that she didn’t want to do it anymore. Plus, I’ve been there myself. Not with drugs, but with the underground fighting ring. How can I not give her a chance when she has given me one?

Three Chicks:  You and Charlie have both had to deal with major issues that most people never do-do you think those things have bonded the two of you together? Do you think that Charlie won’t have to always keep looking over her shoulder for someone trying to get retribution over some past action of Big Sam’s? 

Cain:  I think we understand each other better than people without our pasts would be able to. I don’t know that other women could look beyond my past as quickly as Charlie did.  And looking over her shoulder? No, I don’t think she’s in much danger anymore. The biggest risk to her was Big Sam and he can’t hurt her anymore. There’d be no point going after her; she doesn’t know anything. I’ll always be watching out for her, regardless.

Three Chicks:  Do you think you will be content with having Nate run Penny’s? Don’t you think you will worry about how the girls are doing and whether they are staying out of trouble? 

Cain:  I trust Nate with my life so if this is something he wants to do, then I will gladly let him do it. I just don’t want it to overtake his life; He deserves to be happy. I need to learn how to let go of feeling responsible for everyone else. Now I have one girl to focus all my attention on.
Three Chicks: Do you see you and Charlie getting married and having a family after she is finished school? 

Cain:  I definitely have plans but she’s already told me to slow down (she’s trying to teach me patience.).  

Three Chicks:  Cain, what does Charlie mean to you? Could you go back to the life you lived before she came into your life?

Cain:  Charlie is my reason for getting out and moving on with my life. Going back to that life would mean she’s gone and… that’s just never happening again.
 
ABOUT K.A. TUCKER:
Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.


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4 comments:

  1. i have seen this book for a while and have wanted this book denise smith denise226@verizon.net

    ReplyDelete
  2. I haven't read this series yet but I've heard a ton of great things about it.

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  3. Love this series! One of my favorites of the year.

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  4. I haven't read this series but I want to!!

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