Febuary 12, 2013 by Atria Books
(Prev.Indie Release Dec-12)
Kindle Edition: 262 pages
Purchased
When Kacey hightails it outta' Michigan, she isn't looking for the next big thing or a chance at a killer career, she only wants to escape her creepy uncle who lately has been taking a liking to her beautiful yet vulnerable younger sister Livie. The two having lived with their Aunt and Uncle since a drunk driving accident claimed the life of their parents really had no choice in the matter when they were sent to them. Old enough now to be Livies legal guardian, and even though she refuses to get it approved by the court, Kacey moves them to Florida and quickly lands a job as a bartender in a strip club. Not her dream come true, but it pays the bills and gets Livie away from Uncle Raymond and off to college in a few years. Is all Kacey needs to do is survive until Livie is able to take care of herself , and as long as the night of her parents death, the accident and the memories of watching them and her boyfriend die stay buried deep within her, she can handle her life and everything that comes with it. While drugs, alcohol and men helped Kacey get through those first few years, abstaining from sex and destructive garbage is her normal these days. To drive off the overwhelming guilt and anger an icy heart and beating a punching bag is really all Kacey depends on.

With change and a new environment comes all those pesky things Kacey has been avoiding, like friendship and relationships. Things that she's vowed not to let in her life again, but human nature craves relationship and Kacey needs connections, slowly these new desires begin melting and breaking though her ice fortress. Opening herself up to a little bit of happy is the result of freedom and meeting next door neighbor Storm and her adorable daughter, the friends at the bar who protect her and of course the incredible Trent from apartment 1D.

Trent makes Kacey feel things that begin sparking life back into her, happiness seems to be the flavor of life for the moment, so instead of facing those deep rooted pains she lets Trent and the idea of Trent mask who she really is. Trent however knows Kacey has a dark past and wants her face it. He wants fix her, he wants to make things better for her, even if he punishes himself in the process, because fixing Kacey will be like fixing him, a man hiding from his own past, with his own set of emotional problems. While Kacey is up front about the fact that shes messed up, Trent hides it so deeply no one would ever know and the love him and Kacey share is dulling all those feelings of wanting to hide, what he has become perfect at lying about is slowly eating him, each of them is having an opposite reaction to the relationship. Where Kacey is happy, Trent is retreating, where Kacey is anger, Trent is forgiveness, and where the passion explodes around them, guilt and lies want to destroy them. The funny thing about secrets is the fact that they always seem to come out, things done in the dark always find a way to the light and everything is about to fall apart in all the lives surrounding them.

I loved Ten Tiny Breaths. I loved the story, I loved the heart break, I LOVED the ENDING!! Kacey's character development was incredible, I was so impressed how Tucker presented this broken character to the reader, from the start we have an angry, bitter young woman, but hidden under her surface layer is a very broken scared girl who never dealt with the loss of her parents and friends in a healthy way. She never truly grieved them, she just buried it, she never had the chance to heal herself or even attempt to forgive the driver who killed them, who himself died in the accident. Her hate consumed her and gave her the energy to face each day, so instead of healing and moving on, anger motivated her, and while it got her to function on a daily basis and take care of her sister, it turned her into a person unrecognizable to her family. Along with Kacey, the side characters in this were amazing, they each had serious potential to carry the story, Livie and Storm brought great family and friendship perspective. Trent was a perfect counter part that brought more dimension to Kacey, and while I wished I could of seen into his mind the story worked fantastically by keeping him an inch away from the reader.While I figured things out long before the big reveal, it was still a twisty, emotional read that packed a few tear worthy scenes. Tucker did an amazing job at making everything I was hoping for no matter how unconventional it was come true.

I would highly recommend this to lovers of contemporary romance, new adult fiction, and lovers of twisted relationships that deserve happily ever afters.