Ten Tiny Breaths

Ten Tiny Breaths #1

by K.A. Tucker

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.

Genres: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Young Adult, Fiction, Chick Lit

262 pages, Paperback

First published December 11, 2012

About the author

K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge.

She is the internationally bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water series, He Will Be My Ruin, Until It Fades, Keep Her Safe, The Simple Wild, Be the Girl, and Say You Still Love Me. Her books have been featured in national publications including USA Today, Globe & Mail, Suspense Magazine, Publisher's Weekly, Oprah Mag, and First for Women. She has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance 2013 for TEN TINY BREATHS and Best Romance 2018 for THE SIMPLE WILD. KEEP HER SAFE made Suspense Magazine's Best of 2018 list for Romantic Suspense.

K.A. Tucker currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto.

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Reviews

[Colleen Hoover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have two copies of this book on my bookshelf. I only read one of them and I really, really loved it. But I felt bad that I was neglecting the other copy, so I decided to read it too, but I started with the last word and read the whole book backwards. I wouldn't recommend doing that, it doesn't really make much sense. And it takes longer to read the book back to front than it does front to back, because our brains aren't used to working in reverse.
If you read this book, which I think you should, I would highly recommend reading it front to back.

[Richa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Listen......,are you breathing just a little and calling it a life?"

How long has it been since you've read a fairytale? Let me tell you about the one I came across recently.......a fairytale about redemption and forgiveness, about love and life, a fairytale about healing, about second chances.....



in a land not that far away lived a girl called Kacey. She was a girl with auburn hair and light blue eyes - the princess of our story.



She lived in happy times, in a happy palace of warmth, emotions, and sunshine......



But one day on her way to home with her family, best friend and boyfriend, bantering with her Dad something happened, something truly terrible, horrifying....and she had no idea of the fate awaiting them......BANG!!

A soft hiss ... my heart thumping in my ears. I hear nothing else.

....Mom? ...Dad? ...

Dim lights … voices …

I see them. I hear them. They’re all around, closing in. I open my mouth to scream, but I can’t find the energy. The voices get louder, the lights brighter. A reedy gasp sets my hairs on end. Like a person struggling for their dying breath.

I hear a loud snap, snap, snap, like someone pulling stage light levers; light suddenly pours in from all angles, illuminating the car with blinding power.

The smashed windshield.

The twisted metal.

Dark smears.

Liquid pools.

Blood. Everywhere.

It all suddenly disappears and I’m falling backward, crashing into cold water, sinking further into the darkness, picking up speed as the weight of an ocean swallows me whole. I open my mouth to search for air. A lungs worth of cold water greets me in a rush, filling me inside. The pressure in my chest is unbearable. It’s ready to explode. I can’t breathe....I can’t breathe......

AND HER LIFE IS SHATTERED INTO 9 MILLION PIECES.........

Every day is so wonderful
And suddenly it's hard to breathe
Now and then I get insecure
From all the pain, feel so ashamed

To all your friends you're delirious
So consumed in all your doom
Tryin' hard to fill the emptiness, the piece is gone
Left the puzzle undone, ain't that the way it is?

One, only one ray of sunshine is left in her life....her younger sister Livie.....her reason for living....

Both the sisters are as different from each other as day is from night......

Where I’m a looming thundercloud, she’s the sunshine breaking through.

Livie


And for her she'd do anything......

THE FIRST MILLION PIECES --

I've become so numb I can't feel you there. Behind my smile is a hurting heart. Behind my laugh, I'm falling apart. Look closely at me and you will see, the girl I am isn't me.

If people can't deal with their problems, they numb themselves a little bit. And Kacey is no different.....she makes herself numb, erects wall around her heart, creates barrier and doesn't let anyone in.....the Before Kacey is lost....in the After Kacey....

I’m not Kacey Cleary anymore. I’m an empty shell who cracks inappropriate jokes and feels nothing. I’m a Kacey imposter.

Until....she meets the Prince Charming of our story, Trent.....Trent with his blue blue eyes and charming dimples.....the one who with just one look crushes the walls, dismantles the barriers and lets himself in.....

When she sees him for the first time......

The air leaves my lungs in a swoosh, and I’m left staring at a set of deep dimples and the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen—cobalt rings with light blue on the inside. I squint. Do they have turquoise flecks inside them? Yes! My God! The blue floors, the rusty old machines, the walls, everything around me vanishes under the weight of his gaze as it strips me of my protective bitch coat, yanking it clean off my body, leaving me bare and vulnerable in seconds.

And that is not all.....

Nora a.k.a. Storm, her drop-dead gorgeous neighbour and her five year old daughter, Mia, sneak in too..........

Mia steps out from behind her mother’s legs and wanders into our apartment, dragging a faded yellow fleece blanket behind her. At first she simply takes in our place, likely investigating for hints about her new ‘friends.’ When her eyes finally rest on Livie, they don’t shift again.
Livie drops to her knees to meet Mia face to face, a giant grin stretching her lips. “I’m Livie.” Mia holds up her blanket, her face serious. “This is Mr. Magoo. He’s my friend.”

Mia


THE SECOND MILLION PIECES--
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It's not denial, I'm just very selective about the reality I accept.

She fights, struggles to keep all of them out....tries to deny she cares........

THE THIRD MILLION PIECES--


Whatever you fight, you strengthen, and what you resist persists.

Every fiber of my body is craving it.
Craving Trent.
I feel like I’ve come up for my first gasp of air after being under water for years.
....I’m too busy fighting this internal battle inside that tells me I must resist this charm. It’s all an act. He’s no good for me.

I fight to stay numb. That’s how I get through each day and it’s worked well for me. Until now. Now Trent has edged into my life and I can’t focus....Somehow he’s managed to slide a finger in under my titanium coat and touch me in a way that no one else has ever touched me.

THE FOURTH MILLION PIECES--




She could never hold hands......it made her nauseous and panicky, it's her phobia, another nightmare to deal with.....the only one whose hands she could bear in hers was her sunshine, Livie,.....but someone else showed her that she could grab onto his hands and he would never let go....

I cautiously reach out, my stomach muscles coiled into a tight ball, suddenly panicked that whatever I felt earlier might be temporary, that I’ve lost it again. When my fingertips graze his and warmth spreads through me, that dread evaporates.

His warmth. His life.

Closing my eyes, I slide my hand further in, slipping my fingers between his and curling them around. My lips part in a small gasp when his grip tightens over mine. He doesn’t move closer though. He doesn’t try anything or say anything. We stand like that, in the doorway, our hands entwined, for what feels like forever.

The spaces between my fingers are right where yours fit perfectly....so hold on tight and......

“I want to make you smile. For real. Always. We’re going to go for dinners, and see movies, and walk on the beach. We’ll go hang-gliding, or bungee jumping, or whatever you want to do. Whatever makes you smile and laugh more.” His fingers toy with my bottom lip. “Let me make you smile.”

And so she falls......

Remember those walls I built
Well, baby they're tumbling down
And they didn't even put up a fight
They didn't even make up a sound

It's like I've been awakened
Every rule I had you breakin'

Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace

You're everything I need and more
It's written all over your face
Baby I can feel your halo
Pray it won't fade away....

THE FIFTH MILLION PIECES--


I didn't hear you leave
I wonder, how am I still here?
And I don't wanna move a thing
It might change my memory

Oh, I am what I am
I'll do what I want, but I can't hide
And I won't go, I won't sleep, I can't breathe
Until you're resting here with me

And I won't leave and I can't hide, I cannot be
Until you're resting here with me.

The princess has fallen in love with the prince, they're happy together, he makes her laugh and smile but the fairytale's not over.....

Nothing but ten tiny breaths holds the rest of me together.

The Prince has snuck in, stolen her heart, resuscitated her back to life.....for her...... He’s like ripe watermelon after a lifetime of thirst. He’s like air after years under water. He’s like life. But then........

THE SIXTH MILLION PIECES--


I hold my breath, til it's more than I can take. And I close my eyes, and dream that I'm awake.

A shocker.....the prince has his own closet of skeletons and when the skeletons come tumbling out...everything is flooded, gone under, and the princess is drowning, drowning and drowning.....

THE SEVENTH MILLION PIECES--


“Keep breathing. Just keep doing it. It's easy. In and out.”

I’m falling.
Falling backward into the deep, dark water.
It’s pouring over me, into me, through my mouth, up my nose, filling my lungs, seizing my will to breathe, to live.
I accept it. I welcome it.
In the distance, I hear voices. I hear people calling my name, but I can’t find them. They’re safe, above water.
In another world. The world of the living.
There’s no place for me there.

THE EIGHT MILLION PIECES--


Learn how to exhale, the inhale will take care of itself.

One … Two … Three … Four… Five… Six … Seven… Eight… Nine … Ten



She learns to swim, to breathe again, to live again.......

I’m above water.
And this time I’m staying where I belong.

THE NINTH MILLION PIECES--


Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.

She has let go of the past........and now she seizes life....she seizes love.....

“Oh, Kace.” Trent’s lips curve and he flashes me the deepest set of dimples I’ve ever seen, buckling my knees. “Nothing’s ever been more right.”
That’s all I need to hear. I barrel into his arms, my mouth connecting with his.
Seizing him. Feeling him. Loving him.

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The only thing that our hearts are made of
Are the acts of forgiveness and love
The only thing real when push comes to shove
Are the acts of forgiveness and love

'Cause in the end no one loses or wins
The story begins again and again
With forgiveness and love.



THE TENTH WHOLE PIECE: SHATTERED NO MORE; TOGETHER AGAIN--THE...


And like any good fairytale this story ends with a happy ever after....the darkness has been conquered, the devils have been vanquished and love has triumphed once again....

"A lifetime is not what is between
the moments of birth and death.
A lifetime is one moment
Between my two little breaths.
The present, the here, the now,
That's all the life I get.
I live each moment in full,
In kindness, in peace, without regret."

And with my each breath I'll give you a happy ever after........




The princess had never understood her mother's these words before, but now she did.....now she did.....

“Just breathe. Ten tiny breaths....
Seize them.
Feel them.
Love them.”

THE END

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio re-read 11/13/15. This book! Still love it just as much as the first time <3


Just breathe. Ten tiny breaths... Seize them. Feel them. Love them.

This story is absolutely beautiful.

“Our past isn’t who we are. I’m me and you’re you and that’s who we need to be.”

This is Kacey’s story

Twenty year old Kacey and her little sister Livie move to Miami, far away from their aunt and uncle in Michigan. A car accident several years ago took Kacey’s parents, best friend, and boyfriend from her and left her broken, damaged, and jaded. Kacey is a survivor. She a tough girl. All she has left is her sister. Kacey can’t cope with the loss. She tries to cope at times with drugs and sex- that doesn’t work. Now she is just getting by the best she can, going to the gym and taking care of her little sister.
Then theres Trent...

Trent is Kacey and Livie’s neighbor. Kacey starts to feel things for Trent that she hasn’t felt for years. Craving Trent. I feel like I’ve come up for my first gasp of air after being under water for years. Things she has never felt before. Trent is the sweetest. He is patient with Kacey and their relationship.
“Let me make you smile.”
Loved Trent
Kacey also meets another neighbor, Storm and her daughter Mia. Storm was wonderful! She got Kacey a job, and tried to get to know her a befriend her.
“It’s like you’re fighting against being yourself. Every time a little bit of the real you escapes, you shut it down. Cover it up.”
Kacey is trying to do better. For herself, for her sister, and for her friends. She has people she cares about again. People she is afraid of losing. And that is terrifying for her. Her and Trent’s relationship grows. Even with a misunderstanding of him disappearing and then coming back, they are able to make it and she is finally happy. ‘Before Kacey’ as Livie would say.
He makes me happy. Happier than I’ve been in a long time. In many ways, happier than I’ve ever been. He makes me laugh. He makes me giggle. He makes me feel again. And each night, he takes my nightmares away.
Then, something happens. Things from the past resurface and no ones life will be the same. You just have to read it, I didn't see it coming at all- no hints! I was really shocked though! Just read it!!!!

This is a story that will stay with you long after you read it. My heart broke for Kacey and Trent. The characters were all wonderful. This is a story of how one choice can change lives. And a story of forgiveness.
“Because forgiveness has the power to heal.”

A beautiful book, loved the ending. I will defiantly be recommending this one! Bump it up on your tbr lists!



“Give me your heart, Kacey. I’ll take everything that comes with it.”
“I’ll make you whole again, Kacey. I promise you I will.”

[Whitney Atkinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a fucking mess. There was NOTHING about it that I enjoyed. The main character was a bitch, the entire book's premise was unrealistic and disgusting, the romance was dry, rushed, and unrealistic, there was slut shaming, etc. NOTHING in this book made sense. I am appalled someone read this and went "!!!! wow!!!!! let's publish this!!!!!" the storyline was so predictable and cheesy and the relationship was SO gross and toxic, and the entire construction of this book was a trainwreck. WOW I hated it. I can't believe I made myself finish it.

[Aestas Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

“Just breathe,” my mom would say.
“Ten tiny breaths …
Seize them.
Feel them.
Love them.”


My Trent casting^^

This is a story about a girl who was drowning in the pain of her shattered life and the boy with a dark past of his own who pulled her out and helped her to breath, to live, and to love again.

"Give me your heart, Kasey. I'll take everything that comes with it."

This book doesn’t ease you in to the story, it just plunges you right in and submerges you in its beautiful and spiraling journey of pain, horrific loss and heart ache, and then it pulls out back up, until you feel the forgiveness and healing the characters have reached.

Ten Tiny Breaths follows Kasey’s journey as she goes through the stages of her life, healing from trauma, finding forgiveness for unimaginable hurt, falling in love when she thought it was beyond her, and rediscovering the beauty of life.

I absolutely adored the writing style. You truly FEEL the story. You just sink right into every word you read. They are projected onto you in such a way that you have no choice but to internalize them. Feel them. Its one of those books that just has that ‘spark’, you know what I mean? That little bit of extra. This book had it. And despite the seriousness, it also had wonderful laugh out loud moment breaking up the heavy and allowing out to see another side of the characters.

After the death of her parents, best friend and boyfriend in a horrific drunk driving accident of which she was the sole survivor, and an abusive and horrible stay with their aunt and uncle, Kacey takes her sister and heads out on a bus, determined to find them a better life.

But unlike her sister, Livie, Kasey has never been a ‘good girl’. At least, not since the accident. The pain, anger and hatred at the unfairness and trauma of the event has filled her to the point where she feels numb.

So they set up in a small apartment complext in Miami and begin to piece together a new life.

Then in walks Trent. Her gorgeous god of a neighbour in 1B. He’s charming, sexy as all hell, oh, and is also 6’3″ with tattoos, an 8-pack, dimples, and a Harley… yeah… excuse me a minute while I fan myself here… But back to Trent.

“He skates between nice guy and bad boy so fluidly, I never seem to catch the transition.”

He’s the first guy in forever to make her swoon but Kasey won’t let him in at first. Her hurts run too deep and the protective walls she has built around herself are built too high. But slowly, his charm works through her defenses and she can’t help but fall for him.

“I swear he’s going to kiss me.
I swear I’m going to let him.”

“I’m not ready for this. I haven’t prepared. … One… Two… Three… Four… By the time I reach ten, I’m freaking out.”

I loved Kasey’s character and her voice. She was both damaged but strong. Her body had been broken by the accident and she had build herself back up and healed, but emotionally, she was still shattered. Angry, vulnerable, at times violent. I loved that she wasn’t held back by anyone’s judgement of her. She simply was who she was. No BS, no games.

“I have dozens of steel pins and rods through my body, holding me together. Physically. Nothing but ten tiny breaths holds the rest of me together.”

But she had also taken every little piece of the real her – the ‘Before Kasey’ and bottled it up. And every time a little piece of it would slip out, she’d slam a wall down ensuring it stayed locked up. Protecting herself. It was almost as if a part of her died four years before in the accident and slowly, with the help of her friends and the patience and love of this one guy, she slowly comes back to life again.

I loved that the way the writing style got you right into Kasey’s head. You became totally in sync with her thoughts and emotions. I felt like I was absolutely 100% experiencing the story right through her eyes. No disconnect ever.

I loved how the author took something as simple as the first time they held hands and was able to give it in intensity of a first kiss. Totally beautiful!

“I don’t know what’s happening, what I’m doing, what has taken over all rational thought, but I know I don’t want it to stop. Every fiber of my being is craving it.
Craving Trent.“

This book really drove home how no matter what someone shows you on the outside, you never know what personal hell they are going through inside.

And then OH MY HOLY HELL! At about 40%, I put two and two together and figured out a major part of the plot twist and loved it! It gave me shivers! If I was to be picky, I’d say that I wish it had been a tad less obvious, but still, it didn’t stop me from enjoying it.

I really fell strongly for Trent. He was hiding a dark secret from his past but he was just so patient and perfect and so totally swoony! You could really feel how strongly he cared for her.

“His dimples are in full force now. “I want to make you smile. For real. Always. We’re going to go for dinners, and see movies, and walk on the beach. We’ll go hang gliding, or bungee jumping, or whatever you want to do. Whatever makes you smile and laugh more.” His fingers toy with my bottom lip. “Let me make you smile.”

“I’d fix it all for you if I could. You know that, right?” He whispers. I wonder if he’s talking about my scars or the last four years of my life.
“Yes,” is all I say. Yes to all of it.“

I will mention that I was a just a little bit thrown by how non-graphic the bedroom scenes were. I know this is the NA genre and its not Adult, and it wasn't that the scenes were fade-to-black, but almost more that the acts were glossed over in places. You saw the immediate before and the immediate after but the actual acts were very hazy. It didn't detract from the emotional connection, but I do wish they had been just a little more present even still within the lines of NA.

The book never made me cry but I did get choked up a few times. Especially during a big tell-all scene at the end. SNIFF!

The last part of the book takes a bit of a turn from the pacing and feeling of the first part. There’s a bit of a twist to the twist, so to speak, that really makes you rethink the whole story from the beginning. I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about it. It made it… hmm… very… less perfect? hmmm, um, I don’t know really what to say but it yeah, it was unexpected to me. Really makes you think twice about the story. But I can’t say anything without spoiling it so you’ll just have to read it and see for yourself.

Don’t let that scare you off though �� there is a swoony HEA with an epilogue and all so don’t worry about that!

Book #2 will be Livie’s story and I can’t wait for he story. She was such a lovable character and I’m looking forward to reading a whole book about her. I love KA Tucker’s writing style and any of her future books will be on my automatic to-buy list :)

And seriously, I think this is one of THE. BEST. COVERS. I have EVER seen!!


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[Stacia (the 2010 club) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Old MacKacey had a farm. E-I-E-I-O.
And on this farm she had a Trent. E-I-E-I-O.
With a wink, wink, here and a smirk, smirk, there. Here a wink, there a wink, everywhere a wink, wink.
Old MacKacey had a farm. E-I-E-I-OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH...

2.5 stars. Sleepy Stacia after a long weekend = nothing in the bag of tricks other than some random thoughts. I'll avoid non-tagged major spoilers of specific outcome-revealing details, but there will probably be dancing around general plot points of the book and commentating on some of the events.

I'm going to give my final verdict upfront : I liked Ten Tiny Breaths enough to read all the way through. This was mainly because of my curiosity to see how Kacey would fare, as well as what would happen with Mia, Storm, and Livie. I did not like the character of Trent. At ALL. He would wink and smirk and wink and smirk. He never really showed anything of himself until pretty far into the book (just showing up, hanging around, and looking hot is not enough for me). Kacey observed from the get-go that it seemed like he knew something was wrong with her and yet she never questioned why he was always there, wanting to help? I get grief being a cloud but what was it about Trent which made her decide to let her guard down? I'm not sure if this was ever made clear.

Trent was a stalker. Kacey went from shutting the entire world out to changing her tune just because of dual-colored eyes. Although, I guess if I ever saw someone with turquoise flecks in their eyes, I might cave too because that's pretty damn unusual. Is he a supernatural creature? Maybe so, because guess what ladies...he can make you climax with just a look. No, I'm not kidding. I wish I were. I actually went and flipped back and forth a few pages to try and find out what made Kacey deduce that Trent was a "godlike creature" who "couldn't be a creep because he was too beautiful and too nice." Uh, what scene did I miss there? A brief encounter in the laundry room and a couple minutes of conversation?

So how does the relationship build, you ask? Is it through long and meaningful conversations and poignant moments? Uh, no. Trent decides to show up at the strip club where Kacey works at and stare at her. Rinse, repeat...for shift after shift. Then in one of the few brief 'alone' moments, he comes up with this question -
"Isn't it exhausting?"
"What?"
"Keeping people out."
Maybe I'm too world-weary but if someone said that to me and I barely knew them, I'd probably laugh and say "who are you to assume that you know anything about me?" then walk away.

Now, the stalking might have been kind of cute if Kacey worked at the local IHOP (that's a restaurant for those who don't have them where they live) and he showed up on occasion to order his morning coffee before heading off to work. But, nope. Avoiding the naked chicks so you can watch the chick at the bar serve drinks to horny men was just...bizarre?

Oh, btw...Kacey got job at said bar with no test of her knowledge on how to make drinks, no trial run or training, and no paperwork. It was 'here's a rec from a friend' and she's in there working right away. Hey, I'm no bar expert, but I'd assume the person hiring would want to know if you can even make some basic drinks and might watch you for a sec?

So when stalker guy finally gets close, these are the words which are supposed to make things better?
"I'll make you whole again, Kacey. I promise you, I will," he whispers.
Back the train up here. She's aware of the fact that when you're broken inside, another person can't make you whole, right? At least, she should be aware that another person can't banish your own personal demons (even if they can help you through the process as you learn to do it yourself).
Her thoughts one paragraph later : Pushing inside me, making me whole.
*Stacia lays her head down on the desk and tries out this 'ten tiny breaths' technique as shown in the book*

I felt like the 'twist' was unnecessary and turned a touching story about one person's emotional recovery into something wrong, twisted, and useful only for the purpose of shock value. I guessed what was coming when Trent kept harping on how he was going to fix her. Why would this person who didn't even know her be so invested in needing to fix her unless he had a connection? So when it happened, I sort of groaned out loud and wished that things had gone differently. Why couldn't Trent have just been a normal guy who helped Kacey learn to start living again? Instead, we find out that he was just as screwed up as she was and that they were going to somehow try to work together to form a functioning relationship? Realistically, the book would have been better had Trent been put back into the hospital and he and Kacey never saw each other again.

Because of my complaints, the ending bugged me. It was too easily solved. I don't mind "issues" books having a strong presence of romance but the romance needs to make sense. And this romance never quite made sense, given that these two people didn't ever really know each other.

So where are my positives?

The story was actually readable. The story was actually interesting. The story was actually moving at times. The secondary characters absolutely made the book for me and I'm glad that they were there.

This book would have been AWESOME if the Storm/Kacey friendship had been the focus because the friendship part of the story was my favorite part. It's always nice to see when females can put away initial misgivings and learn to trust one another because this can be such a rare thing in the real world. If Storm (or Livie) had helped Kacey start to put the pieces back together instead of Trent, this could have been a "wow" book for me. Never, have I ever wished so much for a romance to go away than I have with this book. I would have loved to have seen a person find reasons to keep moving and keep seeking out help, other than through the urging of a 'godlike male.' The book was a good read but it could have been a great read without the romance...or if the romantic lead had come in much later in the book, after Kacey had already started the healing process, and been there for her through the later stages of recovery.

Who might like this book? I'd say that it would work for just about anyone who loves books where romance is the primary focus. As a straight-forward love story (without picking apart the details like I have), it works. Even though I do enjoy romance, I generally put the story as a whole over the aspect of romance, so Ten Tiny Breaths only worked halfway for me. I expected more than what I got.

Stacia's prediction : I see a future movie deal in the style of a Nicholas Sparks flick. Horrified men will be dragged along by their girlfriends to watch this on the big screen. Women will cry. Men will keep checking the time on their phones. I'm calling it now.


This book provided from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Dd · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you cope after watching your entire world crumble around you?What do you do when everything goes wrong?What do you do when pain shatters your soul?

B.R.E.A.T.H.E


....................BREATHS........................


................TINY BREATHS.......................


.............TEN TINY BREATHS.....................


ONE.TWO.THREE.FOUR.FIVE.SIX.SEVEN.EIGHT.NINE.TEN


Seize them......Feel them......Love them.


Just Breathe..........

-----------------------------------------------------------

...Mom?...Dad?

Jenny?

Too dark to see Billy,but I know he's there because I can feel his hand.It's big and strong and it envelops mine.But it's not moving...

The smashed windshield.
The twisted metal.
Dark smears.
Liquid pools.
Blood.Everywhere.

It all suddenly disappears and I'm falling backward,crashing into cold water,sinking further into the darkness,picking up speed as the weight of the ocean swallows me whole......


-----------------------------------------------------------

Hello Readers!!

I'm in quite a fix.What do I tell you about this story? How do I explain to you the what are these ten little breaths? Why ten? Why tiny? Why not deep?

Well our Kacey asks the same exact questions.They don't work.But she takes them anyways.That's a little bit of her mom left with her.


The story starts with 20 year old Kacey and her 15 year old sister Livie arriving in Miami.After the accident which resulted in their parent's death along with Kacey's best friend Jenny and boyfriend Billy,their custody had been handed over to their aunt and uncle.But when one drunken night their uncle makes a pass at Livie,Kacey packs up their suitcases and they come to Miami to start a new life.

There in their new apartment they meet their neighbours Storm and her five year old daughter Mia.

Also Kacey meets with their sexy,beautiful and smoldering hot neighbour Trent.


No one looking at these two beautiful people will ever guess how very damaged they are.

The Kacey before the accident is dead and buried.Now all she has is pain and anger and hatred.Which she channels out during kickboxing.Yes,she can kick some serious ass.

But unbeknownst to her,somehow Mia,Storm,Trent manage to creep in.

And nothing is more vulnerable than LOVE.

"Isn't it exhausting?" The pad of thumb strokes my neck softly.
"What?"
"Keeping people out."

But how can she keep him out when he breaks down her every defence?

"I want to make you smile.For real.Always.We're going to go for dinners,and see movies,and walk on the beach.We'll go hang-gliding,or bungee jumping,or whatever you want to do.Whatever makes you laugh and smile more.His fingers toy with my botom lip,"Let me make you smile."

And so the girl who had sworn off love,falls crazily in love.

The girl who hated to be vulnerable,becomes vulnerable.

And the girl who never let any one hold her hands after Billy died holding them,lets him hold them!!

But...Trent has his own secrets.Secrets which can tear them apart....

"I hope one day you can heal from all of this,and someone can make you laugh.You have such a beautiful laugh,Kacey Cleary."

So Readers,join Kacey in the nine stages of her life---

Stage One--Comfortably Numb
Stage Two--Denial
Stage Three--Resistance
Stage Four--Acceptance
Stage Five--Dependence
Stage Six--Withdrawal
Stage Seven--Breakdown
Stage Eight--Recovery
Stage Nine--Forgiveness

Join Kacey and experience the healing which occurs when you let the hatred go.

The healing of soul which only forgiveness can bring.

And come and learn with Kacey **WHY TEN LITTLE BREATHS**!!

And watch her resurface....TO LIFE!!

I barrel into his arms,my mouth connecting with his.

Seizing him.Feeling him.Loving him.

That's all for now.
Ta-Ta!!

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A hissing sound..
Bright lights...
And then it all just...stops. And I'm vaguely aware that something is very wrong. "Mom? Dad?" There's no answer.
It's hard to breathe..."

"Just breathe," my mom would say. "Ten tiny breaths..."

~ Seize them.
~ Feel them.
~ Love them.

And that is exactly what Kacey does every time she feels like the world has fallen form underneath her feet and she just can't breath any more...

Ten tiny breaths is a remarkable story about loss, love, friendship and about losing everything you have in life and learning how to pick up the pieces to make it whole again... And in the end, isn't that what life is all about? Falling down, and learning to get back up again? I think we all go through the stages of recovery at least once in our lives, but everyone handles with them in their own way. In this book, the mantra that's continuously repeated to regain control over your life is to take ten tiny breaths... Does this mantra help at all?? Why ten? Why tiny and not deep? That is what you'll have to find out for yourself by reading this wonderful story...

Ten Tiny Breaths follows the journey of a girl named Kacey Cleary--


When we first meet Kacey, she's not the same person she used to be four years ago... Four years ago, is when a terrible car accident happened and Kacey did not only lose the four most important people in her life (her mom, her dad, her best friend and her boyfriend), she also lost a very important part of herself. She suffered from the accident; not only physically (her body now being covered in scars and held together by dozens of metal rods and pins); but most of all she suffered emotionally...

"Before Kacey died four years ago and all that's left is a mess. A mess who spent a year in physical rehabilitation to repair her shattered body, only to be released with a shattered soul.

I'm not Kacey Cleary anymore. I'm an empty shell who cracks inappropriate jokes and feels nothing. I'm Kacey imposter."

Emotionally all that holds her together are ten tiny breaths every time she feels panic rising...

After her parents died, Kacey and her sister Livie spent four years living with their aunt and uncle but after their uncle tries to assault Livie; the two sisters decide to move out and start a new life in Miami.

And that is were Kacey meets her new next-door-neighbor Trent--


At first he's a contradiction. One second sweet, the next second brazen. A mind-blowing hot contradiction.

But Kacey and Trent quickly become inseparable and although Kacey has an impenetrable shield wrapped tightly around her heart, Trent manages to break through, slowly but surely... He makes her want to be alive again.

"Something's just different with Trent. He's like watermelon after a lifetime of thirst. He's like air after years under water. He's like life..."

Because of Trent, Kacey finally allows people back into her heart...

So we follow Kacey along the journey of healing... We follow her through the nine stages that will make her life whole again -

Stage One ~ Comfortably Numb
Stage Two ~ Denial
Stage Three ~ Resistance
Stage Four ~ Acceptance
Stage Five ~ Dependence
Stage Six ~ Withdrawal
Stage Seven ~ Breakdown
Stage Eight ~ Recovery
Stage Nine ~ Forgiveness

I've learned that the process of healing isn't an easy one... In fact it's a very hard one and you'll probably struggle a lot, but with the right people by your side, anything is possible...

"I want to make you smile. For real. Always. We're going to go for dinners, and see movies, and walk on the beach. We'll go hang gliding, or bungee jumping, or whatever you want to do. Whatever makes you smile and laugh more. Let me make you smile."

"Give me your heart, Kacey. I'll take everything that comes with it."

"Inhaling, I look up into his face and see a world of calm and possibilities. For the first time in four years, the thought of a hand covering mine doesn't send me into a dizzying spiral down. And I realize that I want Trent to touch me."

Reading this story made me cry over all the sadness these young people had to go through,
it made me laugh at all of Kacey's sarcastic and hilarious remarks,
it warmed my heart to see such a strong bond between Kacey and her sister Livie,
it made me smile at how in love Kacey in Trent were
and it made me hope for a better life for all these wonderful characters because they sure deserved it...
It was a beautiful, unforgettable story and it definitely earned itself a very special place in my heart...

And now I can't wait to read Livie's story in the upcoming sequel One Tiny Lie ... K.A. Tucker, you've gained yourself a new fan!!!

5 HEARTWARMING STARS!!!

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

How to start... How to start... Ok so Ten Tiny Breaths follows the story of Kacey Cleary, a girl who is trying to get her life back on track after a traumatic accident. Shortly after which, her and her sister move to live with her aunt and uncle. After that fails they decided to run away and move to Florida. I was drawn too this story for two reasons... The cover and the ratings. Almost everyone I'm friends with on GRs gave it 4 stars or higher... Which I'm kind of confused about.

The characters in this book are just above okay. That's it though, just okay. Kacey is our leading lady. From the start I didn't like her. I get she has this hard outer shell because of what happened to her, but her attitude was 90% of the time just too much. If anyone said hi to her she wanted to fight them. She automatically assumed every guy wanted to sleep with her. We get that you're a fiery red head and all but calm your tits. Just because a guy says good morning doesn't mean he wants to jump your bones. Seriously, she spends pages and pages talking about punching people in the face... WE GET IT YOU TOOK A FEW KICK BOXING CLASSES!!! Towards the middle of the story I started to like her a lot more, but by the end I was hating her again. The whole "don't hold my hand" thing was so pointless. It seemed like it was going to be important, but was dropped so early on.

Livie, Kacey's sister, just barely formed as a sub character. At first when the story started from the way Kacey talked to her, to the way the author portrayed her, I assumed both girls were a lot younger. I thought Livie was idk 8, and Kacey 17. Turns out ones 15 and ones 20. (So that was awkward to discover.) Livie was BEYOND annoyingly naive. Then there's Storm and her daughter Mia. This is going to sound harsh since Mia's all little and cute but still could careless for her character. Storm was the only lady in this book I actually liked. She was the perfect blend of sassy and sarcastic.

As far as males go there's only one you really need to know about, and that's Trent. Oh Trent where to start with you... Should I start with your sexy dimples? Should I start with your six pack abs? No, I think I'll start with the fact that your character was SO, SO predictable! That and the fact that all he has to do is smile at Kacey and her Vagina bust out her pants. I'm all for girls getting weak in the knees over a guy but this chick took it to the next level. She can barley walk the whole novel. Something serious happens between the two characters toward mid-end and all ya boy has to do is say "whoops my B" and Kacey is back in love with him. I wont say what it is, but trust me it would take more than a couple of lopsided dimple smiles to make me forgive him. I just didn't like his character. I wont lie I like guys that are moody bad boys. Trent tries to wear a wolf mask but turns out he was just a sheep. I don't want my guys just showing up thinking looking hot is enough... I want some kind of emotion from them, even if it's just because they have some crazy in their eyes. I JUST WANT SOMETHING!!! Trent is the character that makes Kacey start "returning to her old self" but I have no idea what was it about Trent which made her decide to let her guard down? He does nothing but stalk. (yeah I've found stalking hot in other tales, but not this one.)
On top of all that this boy turned out to be some kind of super natural
human... He can literately make a girl climax by just looking at them. Yeah couldn't make that part up if I tried.

As far as the plot went, it went slow. I kept waiting and waiting for something to happen that would make my jaw drop, and it sadly never came. I figured out pretty early on what the "big reveal" was going to be. I was hoping there was going to be more to it and there wasn't. If someone didn't see it coming than I would naturally assume they had never read another ya/na novel before. The plot basically rinse, lather, repeats itself over and over again. The plot builds about as much as the story does... So yeah not at all. THE ONLY, ONLY thing I liked about this book was the meaning, and the way the phrase "Ten tiny breaths" was revealed.

<“Just breathe. Ten tiny breaths. Seize them. Feel them. Love them...”
The meaning behind it was BEAUTIFUL! And I applaud Tucker for giving us such a wonderful quote with a powerful meaning to back it up. But even that sweet little nugget couldn't save this story for me. Everything down to the ending of this book just didn't reach me. I found myself having to do the tiny breath routine just to get to the ending. I wish this book would have lived up it all the hype and constant recommendations I was getting on it. Sadly, to me, it was just boring.

[Tough Critic Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another read in which I was doused with reader hype before I had a chance to pick it up. When that's the case, I try not to expect much. Actually, I prefer to enter a book with little to no expectations. Expectations tend to taint my experience. However, if you look up synonyms for taint you'll find the word infect. There is no doubt that I was infected by Ten Tiny Breaths from the very first moment.

What blew my mind was that this book was a fast paced easy read despite the trauma, heartache, loss, and pain. It was a complete contradiction. It was the perfect contradiction. Don't get me wrong, I love when a book takes over my heart and crushes me with so much emotion I can't breathe, but sometimes...I want to breathe. I was not suffocated or drowned by the emotion or drama, but I was able to experience it and at the same time enjoy it. It was not overpowering; it was perfect.

The tension between Kacey and Trent is palpable. My only issue was the semi-awkwardness of the beginning of their relationship. Specifically the second laundromat scene. I loved how their relationship wasn't rushed, but that's exactly what made Trent's "You are so very beautiful" comment seem a little out of place...awkward even. Other than that I loved everything about Trent and Kacey.

The other mind blowing experience of Ten Tiny Breaths was the secondary characters. All of the secondary characters. So much love! It was like a secondary character orgy. Storm, Mia, Tanner, Caine, Brad, Nate, and Dan. I. Loved. Them. All. Caring about these characters helped make this such a fast read. It caused me to be completely invested in such a way that I never, never had any bored moments...no draggy bits.

I admit, I knew about halfway through what the "big secret" was, but I didn't care. I still enjoyed the experience of getting there. I would have loved to see a little more out of the ending (specifically Trent and Kacey's beginning...together), but again, I think it was more about me not wanting to let these characters go. I was pulled into their world, their stories, their heartache, their love, their loss, and their healing. I didn't want to leave.

I definitely recommend it! READ ON!

[Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

Initial reaction: I think most people know from my status updates on this that I didn't like this book, but I think reflecting upon the work on a number of different levels, it's more than just one element or the measure that this fell into many New Adult cliches. This book really got under my skin on how poorly it was written, how poorly it treats some very weighted, but very real issues (PTSD, depression, etc.) and how it manipulates dramatic scenarios to the point that none of it felt real. There is a part of me that's interested in hearing Liviey's story, because that's contained in the sequel, but honestly? I don't think the writing will carry that well based on what I see in this book. It may be subject to change/improve, but I honestly have no idea. This just wasn't done well. I have many bases to cover in the full review, but I'll try to be as concise about it as I can, and note some of my respective issues with it.

Full review:

I sat on my hands intentionally before writing a review on "Ten Tiny Breaths" because I felt I needed to think about what didn't work with this book. Let alone the fact that the book upset and disappointed me on a number of different levels. I could go into an extended discussion on how there's really nothing new that distinguishes "Ten Tiny Breaths" from other titles in the "coined" New Adult genre, but for me, this actually could've been a much better novel if the writing wasn't so terrible among other aspects. It makes many basic mistakes on the level of the narrative aspects of the writing as well as the presentation of many different issues. And it's emotionally manipulative to top it off.

Some of you might be wincing at this point and say "Rose, that's harsh" but when I say emotionally manipulative here, I don't say it with much snark or mirth. I'm saying that the story - in technical terming - manipulates the emotional resonance in a horrible way here. Whether it was intentional or unintentional, I don't know, but I really think this story could've been so much stronger than what it was - I saw where it was going, I saw what it was trying to do. It just didn't handle it well at all; I've read stories in other terms that have taken these issue and made them hit home with so much more impact. Further, there were a number of things in this story that really offended me. I'll address much of that shortly.

Let's begin by talking about Kacey, the protagonist. She's a tough cookie for sure considering she's suffering from a heavy measure of PTSD after a horrific accident in which her family, boyfriend, and pretty much everyone she loved was killed except for her and her little sister Livie, who happened to stay home that day. Kacey was the only survivor of the crash. I would expect her to be bitter, go through the motions, and be psychologically damaged. I would expect her to lash out and have trouble with relationships and have recollections from the crash, alongside nightmares that perhaps her family (Poor, poor Livie) would have to contend with from time to time. Those factors I didn't mind at all. I also didn't mind the fact that she ran off with her little sister (15-year old Livie, who was pretty much the major character I liked somewhat consistently in this book, even if she wasn't always at the forefront). Livie was nearly molested by their uncle, and that prompted Kacey to pick up their things and get away from home. I actually didn't like how the book depicted them leaving home - what with some drug induced manipulations and whatnot, but I figured for the sake of the story, I'd follow it.

Kacey really turned out to be a horrible protagonist in more ways than one, basically coming across in spurts as the female version of Travis Maddox from Beautiful Disaster. She slut shames every woman she comes across (including her neighbor Storm, who I have to say was a nice character in framework and I would've liked to see more of her than Kacey). Kacey uses and loses people she sleeps with, thinks every man she comes across is a misogynistic twat (which to be honest, every single male character in this really is misogynistic in some way, including the hero). Kacey has a penchant for violence and she either thinks of beating down the people she's around or she actually does so in physical measures (I'm trying to figure out how the author thought this was okay?). There's also another confrontation where she came close to killing a man with a broken bottle. I'm not going to say she didn't have her reasons because of events, but I still couldn't wrap my head around her actions even in context with what occurred.

On the level of the writing in this, it was very tedious to move through - Kacey does a lot of info-dumping and repeating of the accidents events in bits and pieces up to the actual recall, which makes the narrative overbearing and overselling/stating the point. In a more mature narrative, it probably wouldn't have been a problem, but the writing is juvenile the way it's presented. Melodramatic even. Cliched, certainly, to the level of committing several offenses. I could talk about the slut shaming, body shaming, bitch slamming, sexual objectification, misogyny among other things that goes along with other NA reads in current spectra, but I want to turn attention briefly to another problematic issue that rears its head in this novel: racial appropriation.

Yeah, I'm going there. Pretty much the only two minority characters featured in this book are sexually objectified and/or shamed in some way. They're both strippers, and while their occurrence may fit somehow in the context of where Kacey works, I didn't get any other impression in this novel other than they were there as diversity set pieces. The Asian stripper was shamed because of a certain way she could move her body (and that had the underlying subtext of denouncing her), while a Native American stripper is shamed in a manner by doing a version of a "rain dance" when she's nearly naked.

I'm going to be blunt with saying this - characters of color are NOT an author's personal set pieces to be moved around willy nilly. You can't just throw them into a scene and make stereotypical assumptions/statements and think "Oh hey, I'm being diverse!". Because like the assumption of portraying a Native American with stereotypical feathers and doing some sort of dance in a strip club when that "dance" has significant symbolic value to a tribe (who isn't even really named, it's just following stereotype), you use it in the wrong way. You shame the group, you offend the group, and it's a HORRIBLE way to portray any person or group. Authors, don't do this. Please. When portraying any group of color, think about how you're portraying them. Seriously, please THINK.

Moving on with the story dynamic, Kacey, as the protagonist, overfixates her attention on her love interest Trent, who when her "walls" aren't being broken down just by being in his presence, she spends long passages talking about his physical features - the specks in his eyes, his physical body and "looking him up and down" (when she isn't being looked up and down herself). I'm not saying that physical objectification doesn't exist in other narratives, but it came to a point I wanted to say that the author was doing it TOO much to the point where I just felt ill at ease with it and noted the repetition. Kacey somehow pours all of her trust into being with this guy even when she doesn't know much about him, and shames any woman who comes close to him.

On that note, let's talk about Trent. Or maybe I shouldn't, because when this novel was all said and done, I wanted to say "Screw Trent" with the power of a thousand...somethings. Trent is emotionally manipulative in his own way - I cannot with people who use sexual encounters as emotional leverage to get the other person they love to do things. Kacey is obviously a damaged person. He recognizes this, tells her to get help even when she's resistant against him. Kacey does call him out on the fact of witholding sexual encounters to make her admit things she doesn't want to admit (and yet she does them anyway). Yet he's just as reluctant to talk about his own past (then again Kacey doesn't ask).

When a certain twist in the narrative comes to the forefront that involves his and Kacey's relationship, I thought that could've been used as a conflict of worthiness if it was done right (even if I didn't like some of the implications behind it). Yet, the events after said twist were so creepy and unrealistic that I wanted to throw my computer against the wall. It was manipulative, championing, deceitful and made this one of the worst narratives I've read this year for its subject matter. I do not understand why stalkerish relationships in the NA genre are somehow championed and made to be romantic. This book is especially creepy considering the knowledge Trent has before this point and what he did with those measures, and it's equally unrealistic to think that with the emotional turmoil that Kacey has been through before and after these events (which I would say is so overblown with drama that I felt my head rushing with blood), that everything would turn out to be just fine.

In a line from a Maroon 5 song, and I run the risk of being slightly cheese with saying this: "It's not always rainbows and butterflies, it's compromise that moves us along." That actually could've went along with this particular narrative's thematic, but the story felt so contrived and didn't deal with any of the issues realistically for the exceedingly heavy emotional weights presented here. It was pure melodrama and played right along with the cliche that "love conquers/heals all."

I'm sorry to be the bummer of the party, but that's not true. Not the reality for who suffers from PTSD/depression. It can take a long time for someone like Kacey to heal IRL, and there could've been so many more constructive, fuller ways for her to come to terms with what happened. Hinging her recovery on Trent and who he reveals himself to be after the twist plays into a horrible mentality that Kacey can't heal herself unless it's by loving someone or having someone heal her, rather than healing herself. The twist and the revelations behind that twist didn't make that any better with what she emotionally goes through. I felt sick with some of the apologetic bargaining that Kacey's therapist forced her through. The only time I think I actually felt for Kacey's coming to terms was when her sister Livie pretty much told her to buck up and that she was tired of going through the same things that her older sister put her through. I wanted to hug Livie after that because she was spot on. I just wish that there were more of that actual, genuine resonance in this story than there was.

I cannot recommend this book to anyone, because for a narrative on PTSD/depression, finding love, and showing the developing relationship of two people in difficult circumstances here was VERY mediocre, melodramatic B.S., and perpetuates so many stereotypes in the NA genre that I couldn't even begin to wrap my head around. There are SO MANY novels that deal with this theme better and it's just a matter of looking. This was very weak in comparison, and champions a lot of problematic ideals for the sake of drama.

Overall score: 0.5/5

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Atria.

[Pearl Angeli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've just read another phenomenal book!



I picked Ten Tiny Breaths because of its postive reviews on Goodreads and I'm so happy that I made a great decision. It did not disappoint. The story was handled and delivered well by the author.

Ten Tiny Breaths tells us a story about the main character Kacey Cleary whose life has changed ever since the day her parents, her boyfriend, and her bestfriend died in a car accident. It's the accident where she was the only one who survived. When she and her sister Livie moved to Miami to start a new life, she met the tall, gorgeous, and intriguing guy Trent Emerson whom she had an immediate attraction to. She later on became attached to him-- but with reluctance, because of her issues.

I am a fan of romance books with deep and heavy drama behind, and I must say that this book really brought out the emotions in me. Although the writing style of the author didn't feel as captivating to me at first, I enjoyed the book as I've read further because of the surprisingly peculiar effect it had in me.

Kacey is a great character. She's a headstrong woman. What I like about her is the way she became determined to protect her sister from anyone who became a threat to them. I wish I have a sister like her! I have to admit that at first, I really had a hard time liking her. She's one of those whiny female leads that constantly annoy me, but then I quickly warmed up to her the moment the author presented the details about her traumatic past. I ended up a bit feeling awed by her.

Trent is also one amazing character that is worthy to be praised. I love how he was introduced in a mysterious manner. I also love his gentleness towards Kacey and the way he became a remarkable part of the book.

"Just breathe. Ten tiny breaths … Seize them. Feel them. Love them."

The thing you can expect about Ten Tiny Breaths is the beautiful impact afterwards. It's a story about love, grief, denial, healing, and forgiveness. I appreciate how moving on was greatly emphasized here. I highly recommend!

(I've read this along with my sissy QueenNicay. Thank you, sis! xoxo)

[xrysa · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Just breathe...
Ten tiny breaths ...
Seize them...
Feel them...
Love them...”


Breath



How many deaths can you bear before you get drowned?



Will you ever recover from your past?


Kacey

Kacey lost her parents , her best friend and her boyfriend in a car accident.Since then she was living at her aunt's house .
After an incident Kacey decided that it wasn't safe for her and her sister to live there and they ran away.
They moved to a new town.
They started a new life.

"Our pasts isnt who we are.I'm me and you are you and that's who we need to be."

There they met Storm and her five year old daughter Mia.
Livvie and Mia started to spend a lot of time together and Kacey after all these years she found someone who she could rely on.

Trent


He was her hot neighbor.He wanted to be with her from the first moment but whenever he got a chance he wouldn't grab it.
He wanted things between them to be real.

“I want to make you smile. For real. Always. We're going to go for dinners, and see movies, and walk on the beach. We'll go hang-gliding, or bungee jumping, or whatever you want to do. Whatever makes you smile and laugh more. Let me make you smile.”

Kacey is trapped in her past and her only escape is kicking sand bags until her knuckles are red.



In the first half of the book she is cold and full of hate for those bastards who took the lives'of her most beloved people.
Her only wish is:vengeance

"Hatred is good.Forgiveness is bad."

However, meeting Trent changed her life.

"Trent held my hand and I didnt drown."



He made her happy..
He made her laugh..
He took her nightmares away..
He made her feel again.

“I'll make you whole again, Kacey. I promise you, I will.”

“Trent has kept his promise. He makes me smile every day.”

Trent had also secrets and when I read what he did I coulnd believe it.



Why I liked this book: This book was setting a good example.
Vegeance is not the most important thing in our lives. All of us can forgive and survive from the most difficult situation.
This book combined love,happiness,fear and forgiveness.
I was so glad they ended-up together and that shows how strong they both are.



“I barrel into his arms, my mouth connecting with his. Seizing him. Feeling him. Loving him.”

[Pavlina Read more sleep less blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Just breathe," my mom would say.
"Ten tiny breaths...Seize them.
Feel them.Love them."




Ten Tiny Breaths follows Kasey’s journey as she goes through the stages of her life.

Stage One-Comfortably Numb
Stage Two-Denial
Stage Three-Resistance
Stage Four-Acceptance
Stage Five-Dependence
Stage Six-Withdrawal
Stage Seven-Breakdown
Stage Eight-Recovery
Stage Nine-Forgiveness


After a tragic accident that took the lives of her parents,best friend and boyfriend Kacey changed!Before she was a sweet girl..Now she is a mess.She sunk into the world of drugs,alcohol,sex.



She doesn't cry and she doesn't let people in.She can’t stand the feel of hands because they remind her of death.She use boxing to forget her past.






Starting her new life in Miami with her younger sister,Kacey has managed to secure an apartment in a little complex and intends to have nothing to do with those around her.All she wants to do is support herself and her sister and figure out her life along the way.
She will meet new friends and the guy who will change her life...







Trent is Kacey & Livie’s neighbor and immediately there is attraction between them.She can’t stop thinking about him and she wants to know more about Trent.Trent is so hot and adorable!!He is sweet and care about Kacey!!Because of Trent, Kacey finally allows people back into her heart...

"I want to make you smile.For real.Always.We're going to go for dinners,and see movies,and walk on the beach.We'll go hang-gliding,or bungee jumping,or whatever you want to do.Whatever makes you laugh and smile more.His fingers toy with my botom lip,"Let me make you smile."









Trent has his own secrets.Secrets which can tear them apart....




But in the end of the book I was so happy for them!!Because they found the ability to forgive and cope with their pasts.They found a way to not let it rule who they would be forever. It was a beautiful story and the epilogue was perfect!

[Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Kacey and Trent:

"The blue floors, the rusty old machines, the walls, everything around me vanishes under the weight if his gaze as it strips me of my protective bitch coat, yanking it clean off my body, levaing me bare and vulnerable in second."

After tragical death of Kacey's dearest ones and after her younger sister was almost molested by their uncle, Kacey decides to act as Livie's guardian and run away with her to Miami to start over again. But after everything Kacey had to go through, she is different person, bitter, full of pain, almost like a living shell, keeping her distance from everyone. Until she meets her new neighbour, good looking and charming Trent, who knows exactly how to get through that protective wall of hers...

Ten Tiny Breaths is one of those stories that after reading blurb you think you know exactly what it is going to be about but once you start reading you do not have an idea what hit you. This book is perfect, unique and definitely one of the most interesting contemporary novels I have read this year. It was my first book by K. A. Tucker and I really liked the "voice" of this story and style of writing in general.

Ten Tiny Breaths is book about ways of dealing with death of close person and overcoming the trauma. Everyone deals with pain and sorrow differently. Some people need to open up, someone needs a time and some people think they are lost forever in their hatrage and bitchiness. The last mentioned is the case of 20 years old Kacey, the narrator of this book. Kacey was very interesting character, I could feel her pain and understood her decisions even though I did not always agree with her.

Ten Tiny Breaths is about Trent, main male character who got my full attention from the very fist moment he appeared in this story. He was charming, playful, nice and attractive in every possible way. BUT (there is always but right?) he had his own issues and secrets.

Ten Tiny Breaths is about forgiveness - about letting anger go and letting forgiveness to heal you when you feel broken.

Ten Tiny Breaths is about strong passion and desire between two young people who never expected to find happiness again.

Ten Tiny Breaths is about...life is short so just read this book yourself and find out. It is so worth it!!!

"Just breathe," my mom would say. "Ten tiny breaths ... Seize them. Feel them. Love them."

MORE REVIEWS ON MY BLOG Reading Is My Breathing

[Ramona Popescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've heard to much about this series and I know that K.A.Tucker is a wonderful writer, that truly provides her readers with the most genuine and real stories. This depth I am talking about will surely connect with everybody because we all know life sometimes can be hard, but we must find a reason to keep going.

So, taking into consideration the above info, let me tell you something about the story. Kacey has been through a lot. After losing her parents, best friend and boyfriend in a terrible accident, she is lost and literally hanging on for dear life. One day, in order to protects her sister, Olivia, from their uncle, she decides to leave her old life and move to Miami. They want to start fresh, leave behind the terrible events that marked them forever. Easily said than done. With no money, because their uncle made sure to lose them at playing cards, they have to start from scratch.

But how? Kacey didn't graduate, Olivia doesn't have the age to work and they have to make a living from something. With the little resources they have, they rent out an apartment and try to find a solution. Kacey feels so lost and not because she can't provide for herself, but she has to do something for her sister, because she is the only one in her life that means the world to her. Enter Trent Emerson, the guy next door. He moved in recently and he's as mysterious as it can be. Of course he is smart, gorgeous and extremely persistent. He instantly clicks with Kacey and sets up his goal to befriend her. Of course friendship will lead to other steamy and romantic things, but the readers have to be patient.

So, this is all about the plot. Why 5 stars?

First, the characters were amazingly built and here I am talking especially about Kacey. She is not your typical heroine. After the accident she changed dramatically. She became involved with drugs, fights and one night stands, using that rush and adrenaline to keep her emotions together. She didn't talk to anybody about that night and as time passed, she built up a wall that couldn't be destroyed easily. Violence and a hard exterior were her only defense mechanism and she used them permanently. Olivia was everything for her and she focused that energy in seeing her well provided, paying her studies and maybe one day seeing her happy. There was no time to think about herself, and despite a very traumatizing experience, she didn't received the proper treatment then, becoming " The after Kacey".

When meeting Trent she couldn't believe how instable she was around him, how her walls came crumbling down and how alive she felt around him. Trent at first sight is perfect, caring so much about Kacey and making her feel special, but there are a lot of things we don't know about him and as the plot progresses, be prepared to be surprised and why not, cry. I know I did:)

If you think this is a normal love story, you are in for a disappointment. A lot of connections will be made regarding our characters past and many secrets will be revealed that will completely turn their world upside down. This is a very different love story, born from hurt and suffering and I won't spoil much because there are some twist and turns that will leave you completely shattered, and they are key to our heroes relationship. What I can say is that their love will be tested and despite everything, everyone deserves a chance to be happy and whole again. This element of moving on was very important for the writer, because her focus was not only on Kacey's ability to do so, but also on Trent's past and issued that will connect with Kacey. Just wait and see.

And one last thing. This book raises awareness about PTSD symptoms and I believe it is so important to read carefully and try to connect with the characters and maybe learn something from it. There are so many people in the world that didn't ask for help when the time came, so if anybody knows a similar case, please don't hesitate in taking a stand and help them, until it's too late. With the proper medical help and love from friends and close ones, anybody can start over.

5 beautiful stars!



For more reviews please check https://readwithloveblog.wordpress.com

["That's All" Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Just breathe,” my mom would say. “Ten tiny breaths…Seize them. Feel them. Love them.”



What the hell does a tiny breath do? Why not a deep breath? Why not three or five or twenty? I’d scream and she’d simply smile her little smile. I didn’t understand then.

I do now.



This isn’t your average love story.

This isn’t about how a beautiful girl meets the beautiful boy and then they go off into the sunset and live a beautiful life.

You’re going to cry. And you’re going to scream. And you’re going fight it.

Because it will affect you.

You’ll see.

The smashed windshield.
The twised metal.
Dark smears.
Liquid pools.
Blood.
Everywhere.



Kacey’s dead.

Well, her lungs still have the audacity to breathe. And her mind still swims with thoughts. And her legs still have the power to walk. And words still fall parachuteless from her mouth.

But as far as she’s concerned, she died in a car wreck caused by a drunk driver.

♦ The same car wreck that killed her mom, dad, best friend, and boyfriend. ♦

Just… One… Hit.

That’s all it took. One drunk driver. One bad decision. And One impact.

It all suddenly disappears and I’m falling backward, crashing into cold water, sinking farther into the darkness, picking up speed as the weight of an ocean swallows me whole.

Now, all Kacey has is her little sister, Livie, a bible-hugging aunt, and a pedophilic uncle (who lost all of Kacey and Livie’s inheritance in one bad-handed card game).

And Kacey’s had enough. So she and Livie take of in the middle of the night and start over in a new city, Miami.

And it’s in Miami where she and Livie find a new apartment, new people, a new life.

And Trent.



. . . There’s something different about him, and I don’t have to think hard to see it. Something about the way he takes over a room, the way he looks at me, as though he has already identified and can disarm every one of my defense mechanisms with no effort, as though he sees through them to the disaster lying beneath.

And he wants it.



Trent is the ultimate contradiction. He’s all bad-boy with one wicked smile.

But then he’s also the sweetest man on Earth.

He’ll shove you against the cupboard growling words only meant for you, while fucking your mouth with his.

But then he’s the guy who will hold your hand and will catch your tears with his fingers and will bring little girls flowers.

And he’s also the only one who can deal with the blood-red rage living between Kacey’s muscle and skin.

♦ Because he knows all too well what it’s like to have a car accident kill your life. ♦

Ten tiny breaths.

Sieze them.

Feel them.



Love them.

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gets 4 **** bright stars from me!! TEN TINY BREATHS by K.A TUCKER is a New Adult novel that is beautifully written, emotional and ends up as a feel good read which I thought was quite good! To be honest I didn't even realize that there was even such a genre as New Adult, I had to google it! This was definitely a page turner and extremely hard to put down.

I am following my new review format for this read as mostly all of my points of a complete reading experience do apply for this one. Usually I go into a book blind so the synopsis of a book doesn't necessarily come into play in most of my reviews. That is why I usually don't do a summary of the plot.

THE COVER really grabbed my attention as it was appealing and after reading it I found that it was also very fitting. The cover really depicts that as the story is about a girl who finds herself drowning in the pain of her broken heart and how she overcomes that through the love of a boy who has his own dark secrets and who ultimately helps her to breath, to live, and to love again.

Favorite quote: "Give me your heart, Kasey. I'll take everything that comes with it."

THE TITLE was absolutely spot on for this one. TAKE TEN TINY BREATHS. SEIZE THEM. FEEL THEM. LOVE THEM.

TEN TINY BREATHS has us following along Kasey’s journey through the stages of her life after the accident.

Stage One - Comfortably Numb
Stage Two - Denial
Stage Three - Resistance
Stage Four - Acceptance
Stage Five - Dependence
Stage Six - Withdrawal
Stage Seven - Breakdown
Stage Eight - Recovery
Stage Nine - Forgiveness
Final Stage - Epilogue

I loved Kasey’s CHARACTER and her voice throughout this novel. She was damaged, strong, angry, vulnerable and could be also be a little violent at times. I also really enjoyed the authors writing style and how she delivered this story as she got you right into Kasey’s head and had you feeling her pain and her emotions as you followed along with Kasey's journey and all the different stages of her healing. I felt the love and chemistry between Kasey and Trent and the determination he had in trying to make her smile and to help her deal with her pain. I found TEN TINY BREATHS was easy to follow along with the storyline and all the secondary characters involved.

I don't normally read romance novels but this was definitely a nice change from all the Thrillers & Suspense novels that I normally read. Although I did have some suspicion quite early on how one of the characters was going to be involved and when it actually is revealed I have to say my heart went out to this character. The ENDING was quite touching, satisfying and very pleasing for a very pleasant reading experience.

At the end of the book I fell in love with both Kacey & Trent and all of my TEN TINY BREATHS taken throughout this novel. I will definitely be reading the rest of the novels in this series!

To sum it all up it was a fast-paced, touching love story, that was a quick & easy read with a very satisfying ending. Would recommend!!

This review can also be found on Two Sisters Lost in a Coulee Reading book blog:
https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com/

[Smitten's Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Kacey and Trent

Fantastic book! I was in a huge book hangover from my last read and I was worried that whatever I read next would be difficult, but Ten Tiny Breaths was just what I needed.

It was a really easy read. I flew through it in about twelve hours and it was relatively pain free.

The characters were great. Trent was impossible not to fall in love with from the very beginning. He was sexy and seductive, with his panty dropping laundromat introductions... I was hooked.

I think I'm going to fall in love with this man.

As the book progressed, his sensitivity just pulled me further and further under his spell. He's a fantastic, gorgeous, adorable hero and I'm officially adding Trent Emerson to my ever growing collection of book boyfriends.

"I want to make you smile. For real. Always. We're going to go for dinners, and see movies, and walk on the beach. We'll go hang gliding, or bungee jumping or whatever you want to do. Whatever makes you smile and laugh more. Let me make you smile."

*swoon*

Kacey was clearly tormented, but ballsy and quite comical at times. I like that she didn't resist for too long, to Trent's charms. After all, a book where the heroine spends the entire time rebuffing the hero is no fun for anyone.

I crave his presence, his body, his voice, his laugh, his everything.
I need him.
I need Trent.

There were some great surrounding characters that really made this book what it was... Storm, Livie, Mia, Ben, Nate, Cain, Officer Dan, Tanner... they were all great and played their small but fundamental parts. There were some great witty one liners.

The sexual chemistry in this book is palpable! I found myself fanning myself on numerous occasions as Trent and Kacey wound each other up to the boiling point. Completely scrummy! Oh how, love a good dose of sexual frustration!

For two years, I haven't given anyone the time of day. Now, here I am, day one into our new life, and I'm ready to straddle this guy on the washer.

But ultimately, this book is a moving story of forgiveness, coping through adversity and love. Love for family, love for friends and finding love in the most unlikely places. I shed a tear a couple of times and the beautiful ending made my heart swell!

Hope. Hope that something beautiful may come from this tragic story.
Fear. Fear that it won't.
Forgiveness ... forgiveness.

To read more reviews go to my Book Blog: http://smittensbookblog.wordpress.com/
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[❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing new is grabbing my attention, so now I'm going back in time to 2013 to re-read this one and hopefully fit in the rest of the series.

This book just plunges you right into the story from page one, you go on an emotional roller coaster right through to the end..Ten Tiny Breaths is a definite read!! Gets my recommendation and 5/5 stars and then some!!

[Jenny Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Just breathe,”
“Ten tiny breaths…
Seize them.
Feel them.
Love them.”

Ten Tiny Breaths is about Kacey Cleary and the Stages of her Life

Stage One ~ Comfortably Numb
After a tragic drunk driving accident that took the lives of her parents, best friend, and boyfriend, Kacey became an Ice Queen.
Before Kacey was a sweet girl. Her irises shined when she laughed. She had tons of friends, and she snuck in hugs and kisses and handholding with her boyfriend whenever she could. But that Kacey is gone.
After Kacey? Well, she's a mess. She sunk into the world of sex, drugs and alcohol as her coping mechanism. She doesn't cry. She doesn’t open up about anything; she can’t stand the feel of hands because they remind her of death. She doesn’t let people in. Kickboxing is her way of forgetting the pain caused by her past.

I’m not Kacey Cleary anymore.
I’m an empty shell who cracks inappropriate jokes and feels nothing.
I’m a Kacey imposter.

After the death of her parents, together with her sister Livie (who is an angel, btw), they lived with their Aunt Darla and Uncle Raymond. But because of their uncle's little "visit" to Livie's room, Kacey decided it's time for them to leave. They came across an apartment in Miami, wherein she will meet new friends, and the guy who will change her life... Trent.

Stage Two ~ Denial
Trent Emerson. Gorgeous hottie (with dimples!) neighbor. Their meeting was uneventful. Why? Because when Kacey saw Trent, she became speechless. She felt something different about him, and developed instant attraction. And then she met her other neighbor, Storm . She's blonde, hot, a real-life barbie. NUH UH. Don't judge the book by it's cover. She's NOT A BITCH. She's a genuine friend, and she also has a daughter, which Livie is very fond of. And of course, Kacey, being Kacey, shut them down and denied access to her life.

Stage Three ~ Resistance
Thanks to Storm, Kacey's now working at the bar (or Strip Club) where Storm is working. They're not strippers, ok. They're bartenders. One night, she spotted Trent. And no, he's not watching the naked pretzel on the stage. He's actually watching her.

One day, when she was in the shower at her apartment, a rather funny "incident" happened, and Trent saved her...NAKED. She can't deny her attraction to him and so she kissed him. and he kissed her. . After that, Trent became a regular at the bar, always watching her, and Kacey starts flirting with him too. When the unimaginable happened:

So slow, so light, my fingertip skims his index finger. He still doesn’t move his hand. He remains completely frozen, as if waiting for me to make my move. Swallowing hard, I let my entire hand skate over his. I hear a sharp intake of air as he gasps, his jaw clenching. His eyes are locked on mine and they’re unreadable. Finally, his hand shifts and covers mine, his fingers gently slipping in between. Not forceful, not rushed.



I can’t contain the euphoria swelling inside me. Trent’s touch is full of life.

Then, Trent asked her: "Is this okay?"

Stage Four ~ Acceptance
YES.



She answered YES to the handholding. Or maybe even more?
Because after that, things became better for her.

“I want to make you smile. For real. Always. We’re going to go for dinners, and see movies, and walk on the beach. We’ll go hang-gliding, or bungee jumping, or whatever you want to do. Whatever makes you smile and laugh more.”

“Let me make you smile.”

Stage Five ~ Dependence
Days pass and on each day, she realizes how attached she is to Trent. When he isn't around she misses him. She needs Trent.

So again, another problem. Trent convinced her to join a Support Group, which she agrees to. But, she cannot take it. She isn't ready (or will she ever be ready?) to talk about her past and thinks he's hurting her. And said:

“Stay away from me.” I spin around and stalk down the sidewalk.
I don’t look back.
Trent doesn’t chase.

Stage Six ~ Withdrawal
Trent's gone. Will he come back? You have to find out what happens next.

I'll leave you with that, and the few stages of Kacey's life. Stages 7-9 ~ Breakdown. Recovery. Forgiveness. Because I think those are the most important parts of the story and I don't want to spoil it all for you :)

THOUGHTS:
I LOVED IT. I love the cover. The prologue and epilogue is perfect. Ten Tiny Breaths is AMAZING.
I loved all the characters in this story. They are all likable especially Kacey's sister, Livie. She's just so selfless and she's a positive person. She's mature for her age, maybe more mature than her sister, to be honest. She has one of the most beautiful lines said in this book --> "Our past isn’t who we are. I’m me and you’re you and that’s who we need to be." I hope Kacey learns from her. And I want a sister like her :)
And of course, Trent. My new book boyfriend. He's a breath of fresh air ;)
I love K.A. Tucker's style of writing, plus the humor and the emotions she put in the book.
There's a twist in the story (which I totally figured out). IDK, man, I think it's that obvious, but I still enjoyed it and there are times I cried. I also find some of the scenes repetitive and Kacey, the heroine, can be annoying at times. Nevertheless, it's a great read!

Overall, I enjoyed reading this. This book teaches us not to dwell on the past, move on...and most importantly, learn to FORGIVE.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

[Kristalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Final rating: 4.75/5 stars

“I want to make you smile. For real. Always. We’re going to go for dinners, and see movies, and walk on the beach. We’ll go hang-gliding, or bungee jumping, or whatever you want to do. Whatever makes you smile and laugh more.” His fingers toy with my bottom lip. “Let me make you smile.”

Wow. Wow. Wow. At first, i wasn't impressed with this book. I didn't connect with the main character - in fact, she pissed me off. I didn't find the story interesting, felt that it needed more, and wondered if it was going to continue being like it whole book. But then, the last 40% were mind blowing. I must admit - in the end i was impressed. Not to mention that i cried. I CRIED, while i thought it wouldn't make me :P

“You hate me, don’t you? You must hate me. I can’t help it. I’m broken.”
Trent squeezes me close to him. “I don’t hate you. I could never hate you. Give me your heart, Kacey. I’ll take everything that comes with it.”

First half of the book left me wondering - Why? Why did i start this book? Do i even like it? Do i like the Kacey? Do i like the story?

The answers i had in the end were like this:

♦ Why? Why did i start this book?

-Because all of my friends loved it and i believe them.

♦ Do i even like it?

-In the end, i did. I really did. It was heart breaking afterall. I didn't expect that kind of a plot twist, but it broke me down. And it broke Kacey down.

♦ Do i like the Kacey?

-At first, she pissed me off. She was way to stubborn, she was annoying, she hurt people intentionally with words. But that is the way she coped. She lost her family, boyfriend and best friend in one night. And all that she had left was her sister. In the end, she changed, she forgave, she felt again. And i slowly connected to her again.

♦ Do i like the story?

-Yes, yes, ten thousand times, YES! At first, it was just normal story - boy meets girl type. But the last 40% of it proved me wrong. It wasn't an ordinary story and it deserves attention, love and to be read.

____________________________________________

Characters :
____________________________________________

♦ Kacey:

Like i said before, i didn't like Kacey for the first half of the book. She was selfish, she hurt people, she destroyed herself. She thought that she was imposter. Kacey's imposter. After the incident, she was never the same. She doesn't want to feel anything. She is broken, inside and out. Or so she thought until she was made to feel again by Trent. She lets him in her life, slowly...but it pains her. Deeply. It broke her down into pieces, only to heal slowly, patiently, in time.

♦ Trent:

I fell in love with him. He is a wonder. I loved him, despite everything that had happened. He is amazing, bright, funny, wonderful. Almost perfect. Except that he isn't perfect - he hides something, he hides his past. Just like Kacey does. He begins to fall in love in Kacey, her each move, each smile, her craziness.

♦ Livie:

Livie was wonderful character. She was always there, holding Kacey whole, her only support, not allowing her shatter in pieces. She is funny, cute and adorable. I can't wait to find more about her in the next book.

♦ Storm & Mia:

Storm and her daughter Mia were amazing characters. Storm is funny, crazy, works in a stripper club, falls in love eventually and is great friend and support to the two girls. I liked her so much :)

♦ Others:

there were so many characters in this book who are amazing. Ben, Dan, everyone!

____________________________________________

SERIOUS SPOILER SECTION, DON'T SAY LATER I DIDN'T WARN YOU :
____________________________________________

I still can't believe who Trent actually is. His real name, given name, is Cole. The same Cole who gave his keys to his best friend, the same guy who then found out that he had lost everything - that his decision killed 6 people. He tries to cope with it, but he couldn't, after all, it's not easy. Until he got the idea of stalking Kacey for 2 years. He wanted to connect with her, so she could forgive him - for all he had done. She was his coping mechanism, if she didn't forgive him, he would probably go crazy or insane. I understand him, i really do. And i am glad that in the end, Kacey forgave him. He suffered so much, and he deserved to be happy, just as much as she did.


____________________________________________

OVERALL :
____________________________________________

Truly a beautiful book. I was left speechless in the end, and i don't regret reading this one. If you have guts to survive 50% of the book, then i highly recommend it :D

This review can be found on my blog: infinity-of-time.blogspot.com also known as...

[Jennifer Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

”Ten tiny breaths...Seize them. Feel them. Love them.”

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In an attempt not to swoon all over this review (I LOVED everything about this book!!!) or give anything away, I'll try to keep it simple.

This story takes you on a journey to Miami with Kacey and her sister, Livie. We take each step with Kacey as she slowly walks through her grief and numbness to living and feeling.

”I’m not Kacey Cleary anymore. I’m an empty shell who cracks inappropriate jokes and feels nothing. I’m a Kacey imposter.” ~ Kacey

I adored each and every character and their role in Kacey’s journey- Storm, Princess Mia, Officer Dan, Ben, Cain, Nate, Tanner and last but SO not least…Trent.

”Isn’t it exhausting?” The pad of his thumb strokes my neck softly.
“What?”
“Keeping people out.” ~ Trent

”How can he see what I don’t want him to see, what I work so hard to conceal? He’s found a way in, that’s how. Like a trespasser, he’s invaded my space, breaching security and sliding in to take what I haven’t offered him.” ~ Kacey

Trent’s feelings for Kacey on his quest for her love and smiles had me swoony!

"I want to make you smile. For real. Always. We're going to go for dinners, and see movies, and walk on the beach. We'll go hang-gliding, or bungee jumping, or whatever you want to do. Whatever makes you smile and laugh more." His fingers toy with my bottom lip. "Let me make you smile." ~Trent

"You hate me, don't you? You must hate me. I can't help it. I'm broken." Trent squeezes me close to him. "I don't hate you. I could never hate you. Give me your heart, Kacey. I'll take everything that comes with it." ~Trent

This is a story about love, loss, healing, forgiveness and rebirth. It presents the reader the sad truth that in most tragedies there are two sides which are forever affected and healing can’t be completed without forgiveness.

Thank you K.A. Tucker for this story! This is a definite reread story for me. I’ve already went back numerous times to reread my favorite parts that bring both tears and smiles!

[Ophelia's Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

:


Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker

"I want to make you smile. For real. Always. We’re going to go for dinners, see movies, and walk on the beach. We’ll go hang-gliding, or bungee jumping, or whatever you want to do. Whatever makes you smile and laugh more. Let me make you smile."

This book was recommended to me by so many readers and everyone was raving about it, it had so much hype surrounding it. When I decided to see what the fuss was about I naturally had high expectations that I tried really hard to squash because high expectations are never a good thing to have going into a book.

The story is about Kacey Cleary a twenty-year- old girl who was in a car accident that killed both of her parents, her boyfriend and her best friend. After the tragic event her aunt who was a bible fanatic got custody of Kacey and her little sister Livie.
Kacey suffered from severe PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and at first tried to cope by using drugs, drinking and being promiscuous after that didn’t work, she found a more effective way which was kickboxing at the gym.




One night, after her uncle came home drunk and tried to molest Livie, they packed up and left. And that’s where the book starts; they rent an apartment in Miami, where they meet Nora AKA Storm a single mother to an adorable 5 year old, Trent the hot mysterious neighbor and Tanner the landlord and they form a little family.


Surprisingly it was a really fast paced book; I finished it in one sitting. The angst was there but it wasn’t overwhelming or too over the top. It was just right.


I didn’t love the writing style very much because I felt like the author was telling me the story more than showing it to me, I didn’t feel connected to the characters at times and that bothered me.

Kacey was a very damaged character, jaded and just plain screwed up. She was too judgmental at times and that made me dislike her a little bit. She kept a protective bubble around herself not letting anyone in, and pushing away everyone who tried to get close, afraid of getting hurt. Men didn’t interest her anymore physically or otherwise until Trent. There was something about him.

“The way he takes over a room, the way he looks at me, like he has already identified and can disarm every one of my defense mechanisms with no effort like he sees through them to the disaster lying beneath.”

Trent was a great guy, he was patient, sweet, and he wanted so badly to “fix” Kacey. He had a dark past of his own that he to deal with and it made him so mysterious.

“What’s wrong is that every morning and every night, I lie in bed wondering why you’re not beside me.”

He tried to make her deal with her past so she could move on. He pushed her to talk about the things that she buried.
Their relationship was intense hot and very passionate.

“Isn't it exhausting?"
"What?"
"Keeping people out.”

This is a story about loss, suffering, healing and forgiveness.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/



^^^^This one did it for me. In case we haven’t yet met . . . .



For real – but I do try and pick out books that I won't hate. I got denied a reader copy of this book waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the Fall of ’13 and promptly forgot all about it. Then a few weeks ago I was stalking her Facebook page noticed Tarryn Fisher had just read/recommended He Will Be My Ruin by K.A. Tucker. Of course since I had used up all of my librarian requests making sure the pornography collection was well-stocked, that book wasn’t available. However, this one was and I figured same author probably still good, right? Wrong.

Alright, so here’s the plot: Kasey and her sister Livie were orphaned when their parents were killed in a drunk-driving accident (Kasey was the only survivor in the car, Livie was home with the flu and wasn’t in the accident at all). Fast forward a few years and Kasey and Livie hightailing it to Miami after their creeper of an uncle “accidentally” climbed into bed with Livie. The two set up residence in a “Melrose Place” style apartment complex and begin to move on with their lives. And then Kasey meets the new boy next door . . . .



And panties be dropppppppppping!

Okay, it’s NA so panties be dropping after a whole lotta angst and in fade-to-black style, but they still be dropping. Oh and there’s instalove. Of course. Chick meets dude in the laundry room, immediately runs away because she has some wicked PTSD that she’s never dealt with due to watching nearly everyone she loved die around and she’s scurrrrred of feeling the feels but then fast-forward a couple of weeks later to . . .

“Somehow he’s managed to slide a finger under my titanium coat and touch me in a way that no one else ever has.”



Seriously. At that point they hadn’t even really had a conversation, but whatevs. Young love.

Then things get even more convoluted and magic peen goes all Coldplay and declares that “lights will guide you home – and ignite your bones – and I will tryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy to fix you.” (<<< not a Coldplay fan, but that is a farking excellent song). The big dun dun dunnnnnnnn moment was glaring like a fiery G.D. beacon to me and once my thoughts were confirmed I was all . . . .



This one just WAS. NOT. FOR. ME. At all. But that’s what I get for diving back in the NA pool headfirst even though I should know better. I’d give it 1 Star, but I’ve been trolled enough (by the granny faction of Goodreads, no less) in recent weeks and I’m not really interested in garnering the attention of Tucker’s fangirls. Also, that cover?????



That’s worthy of a star all by itself. Look at me and my Grinch heart being all generous and shit!

ARC denied eleven thousand years ago by NetGalley, but I still read it anyway.

EPILOGUE: In a wondrous turn of events my bemoaning the first world problem which is my lack of dollars and ginormous library fail regarding the K.A. Tucker book I really wanted to read, I was bequeathed it by a delightful little book fairy . . .

[Beatrice Masaluñga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four years ago, a tragic accident happened that killed her parents, friend and boyfriend traumatized Kacey Cleary. She's damaged and her nightmares continued to haunt her. She and her younger sister, Livie are living with their Aunt Darla - a born-again christian and Uncle Raymond - who gambled their college funds and lost it. She refused to get help on her PTSD and she almost destroy herself by doing drugs, drinking alcohol and having hook-ups as means of coping which are unacceptable to her aunt. One night, her drunk uncle slipped to Livie's bed that scared the heck out of her sister was a wake up call for them to leave Michigan and move to Miami where they can start a new life.

They live on a small apartment just enough for them and their neighbors are warm and friendly, like Storm and her little daughter Mia. At first, Kacey is really aloof but tries her best to engage in conversations. Still, she puts her guard up and doesn't want to talk about her past. But there's something about her sexy,attractive neighbor, Trent Emerson, stirs her emotions. Being around him makes her comfortable and undeniably, they're attracted with each other. Slowly, she's falling for him and she wants to love someone again. What if she's not the only one who's broken? It seems Trent has a traumatic past and the truth might ruin Kacey again.

"Ten tiny breaths...Seize them. Feel them. Love them."

This has been on my TBR for ages. Goodness, I wish I've read this earlier. The heroine has a great character development. Kacey might be a tough nut to crack but she's a selfless, independent and responsible woman for taking care of her sister. Talking about the past makes her vulnerable but for the sake of the people who care and love her, she conquered by seeking help in order to forgive and heal the scars that damaged her. It's not easy but seeing her happy makes me want to cheer her. I really like the plot twist. I almost guess it right with some clues and all but I'm still a little shock by it.. I'm suspicious that Trent is part of the accident but I didn't expect he is Cole. Hahah! I almost got it. haha! I love the chemistry between Kacey and Trent. They shared some steamy scenes enough to make me feel giddy as they take their relationship slow. I like how Trent is more patient than Kacey (can't blame her raging hormones. Trent is HAWT). All the conflicts were resolved and I'm satisfied on how it ends. Definitely no loopholes.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it's a great start for the series. I am looking forward to read the rest of it.

[Beth Hudspeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by: Hello Beautiful Book Blog

Passionate story with twists along the way. Must read for new adult romance fans. This author ranks with some of the best.

Just breathe, Kacey. Ten tiny breaths. Seize them. Feel them. Love them.

My first book by K.A. Tucker. I always like to start at the beginning with an author when I can. That way you can see how far they’ve come as an artist. Am I alone in that or does everyone like to do that?

This starts out as your typical romance. Girl moves to new city, meets boy and romance ensues. Except, there are some serious twists along the way. I loved that Kacey wasn’t your typical herione and didn’t follow what people thought she should be doing. She is independent almost to a fault.

I really loved Kacey’s relationship with Storm. I love when girls look out for one another. Their bond was strong. Kacey has a hard time letting people in or caring about people in general, but Storm easily opened her up to their friendship. She was so helpful with getting Kacey a decent paying job and making sure her and Livie were taken care of.

Trent Emerson is the perfect love interest. He is mysterious in the best way, but also thoughtful and protective. I found Trent to be a little too protective at times. I know he means well, but I kept thinking he was being a creep. I ended up really liking his character. He and Kacey are bound together and I love that. Trent and Kacey harbor a very special connection and I don’t think that should be taken lightly.

Kacey Cleary’s story is filled with cheese and unbelievable senarios, however Tucker does a wonderful job of making you not care. Storylines with far fetched plots must be treaded on carefully. I felt Tucker made the characters real enough that you found yourself making excuses for the events surrounding the plot. I thought this was a well executed book and would very much like to read more of K.A. Tucker’s work to see how she has grown as an author.

There were some major things that I felt were wrong with this book and some things I did not agree with whatsoever, but the writing style of K.A. Tucker outweighed much of every complaint I had. She is such a strong storyteller, as I was turning each page I couldn’t help but love this book.

What did y’all think about this one?

[chan ☆]

dnf @ 32%

this author has come a LONG WAY since this book. but big yikes, this was bad. slut shaming/girl hate/just overall JUDGMENT from the main character was really hard to ignore. the insta-lust was stupid as hell. and the overall premise... like was there one? idk.

i was trying to finish this for a video but i don't hate myself this much.

[Mo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow - must say this one was very good. So many talented new authors out there now. Saw where it was going to go while reading it but still did not take away anything from the story. Loved the main characters. Poor Kacey, trying to be a tough nut. Trent, what's not to love about him and of course the extended "family" - Storm, Mia .... Think we might get Livie's story at some stage - Hopefully. It was sad, happy, funny, sad but it got there in the end. Just breathe!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars!
Loved this book! I was up all night reading this one because I needed to finish it.

“Take ten tiny breaths. Seize them. Feel them. Love them.”

That's what Kacey's mom used to tell her to do when things got tough. Kacey doesn't understand whatever her mom was trying to tell her. Nothing will help her right now. Ten tiny breaths are defiantly not going to make things better. Kacey is fine being the mean, angry and sarcastic girl. She doesn't need or want anything in her life except her sister Livie.

Kacey is no longer the outgoing, funny, flirty and friendly girl she was at 16. She goes through life now avoiding others touch.

The very idea of my hands wrapped in someone else’s has plagued me, making my heart stop, my stomach drop, my vision blurry, my muscles spasm, and sweat pour down my back all at once. Until now. ~Kacey

When Kacey runs into her new neighbor Trent she can't help but to want him. He's sexy. He's got these beautiful eyes. She's no stranger to having a one night stand. It's just sex. But she promised Livie she wouldn't have sex with strangers any more. But she's having a hard time keeping that promise with the hot as hell Trent showing up every where. Her gym, her work and even when she's doing laundry. After a scare in her apartment and Trent comes to the rescue Kacey thinks things are heating up between her and her sexy neighbor. But Trent has other plans. He sees past these walls Kacey has put up. He wants to take things slow with her even if it is the hardest thing he's had to do.
Trent wants Kacey to open up about her past. Kacey is fine keeping that shit buried deep! She definitely doesn't want to talk about it. She thinks everyone is crazy talking about their tragic past. But Trent will try everything to get Kacey to open up and trust him.

“Give me your heart, Kacey. I’ll take everything that comes with it.”~Trent

“I’ll make you whole again, Kacey. I promise you, I will,” ~Trent

I loved Trent. One minute he was slow and sweet and the next he was taking control of the wheel. But Trent's past is also messed up.

So I had my suspicions about Trent but I kept thinking no it can't be him. So I kept reading. Then I was loving all the others in the book and wanted to see if we get their stories so I'm on GRs checking for other books. That's when I see the 0.5 book and I'm like damn! O.O!

When Trents past catches up with him my heart was breaking for both him and Kacey. The tears were flowing. The scene behind the glass tore me up!!!

Then I found myself rooting for both of them to get better. I needed them to get better!

The ending had my tears flowing again. They were happy tears though.
What can I say? My feelings were a mess during this book. It was well worth losing sleep and walking around like a zombie today! Loved it!!

My very first read by this author and I will be reading more in this series. I loved Livie and am so glad her story is next.

Seizing him. Feeling him. Loving him.