*~*Throwback Thursday: One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker – Character Interview with Livie & Ashton*~*

Last summer I had the pleasure of being on the blog tour for One Tiny Lie.  I absolutely loved Ten Tiny Breaths, so I was VERY excited to be on this tour.  OTL blew me away more than TTB did – and that’s saying a lot!  I was lucky enough to get an interview with Ashton and Livie…and of course I had to sneak in a few questions for K.A. too! 🙂

Livie has always been the stable one of the two Cleary sisters, handling her parents’ tragic death and Kacey’s self-destructive phase with strength and maturity. But underneath that exterior is a little girl hanging onto the last words her father ever spoke to her. “Make me proud,” he had said. She promised she would…and she’s done her best over the past seven years with every choice, with every word, with every action.

Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she’s dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes, set herself up for medical school, and meet a good, respectable guy that she’s going to someday marry. What isn’t part of her plan are Jell-O shots, a lovable, party animal roommate she can’t say ‘no’ to, and Ashton, the gorgeous captain of the men’s rowing team. Definitely him. He’s an arrogant ass who makes Livie’s usually non-existent temper flare and everything she doesn’t want in a guy. Worse, he’s best friends and roommates with Connor, who happens to fits Livie’s criteria perfectly. So why does she keep thinking about Ashton?

As Livie finds herself facing mediocre grades, career aspirations she no longer thinks she can handle, and feelings for Ashton that she shouldn’t have, she’s forced to let go of her last promise to her father and, with it, the only identity that she knows.

We were lucky enough to get an Ashton Alternate POV Scene – check it out here!

Have you read the other books in the Ten Tiny Breaths Series?

 

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.

You can read my review and an interview with Trent and K.A. Tucker here.

Owning a strip club isn’t the fantasy most guys expect it to be. With long hours, a staff with enough issues to keep a psych ward in business, and the police regularly on his case, twenty-nine year old Cain is starting to second guess his unspoken mission to save the women he employs. And then blond, brown-eyed Charlie Rourke walks through his door, and things get really complicated. Cain abides by a strict “no sleeping with the staff” rule. But being around Charlie challenges Cain’s self-control…and it’s been a long time since any woman has done that.

Twenty-two-year old Charlie Rourke needs a lot of money, really fast, in order to vanish before it’s too late. Taking her clothes off for men makes her stomach curl but Charlie tells herself that at least she’s putting her acting and dancing skills to good use. And though her fellow dancers seem eager to nab their sexy, sophisticated, and genuinely caring boss, she’s not interested. After all, Charlie Rourke doesn’t really exist—and the girl pretending to be her doesn’t need to complicate her life with romance.

Unfortunately, Charlie soon discovers that developing feelings for Cain is inevitable, that those feelings may not be unrequited—but losing him when he finds out what she’s involved with will be more painful than any other sentence awaiting her.

Check out what happens when I got Ashton and Livie all to myself… 🙂

Wow…wow wow wow wow wow…yeah…I don’t know how to handle my emotions right now. Of course I’m excited – hello?!?! I’m one-upping my TTB interview. How? Well…this time I’m getting a three-for-one special! Not just KA and Ashton but I’m also getting Livie too. SQUEEE!!! I think I love Livie just as much as Ashton. Okay…I prolly love Livie more.

Anywho…I arrive at ‘Chez Ryder’ in time for my interview, march straight up to the door with the entire mindset of having a perfectly calm and professional interview. Yeah right! I’m practically skipping with glee all the way to the front door and I might be bouncing as I wait for someone to answer. First surprise: K.A. answers! Squeee!!! (#2 for those of your keeping count) All professionalism is completely thrown out the window as I all but tackle her in a huge hug. I’ve met her once, that means we’re besties, right? :-\ Luckily she’s very accepting of my overly friendly hello and kindly laughs. After exchanging pleasantries, she leads me out back to the glorious deck I’ve read so much about. And my pulse starts to pick up as I see the cutest couple ever…Ashton and Livie *sigh*

They are sitting at a wooden picnic table, Ashton is straddling the bench seat while Livie nestles as close as she can be between his legs…like two puzzle pieces. Two incredibly adorable puzzle pieces that I want to squeeze to death. I just heart them so much! As they see us approaching the door, they both stand to greet me, I reach Livie first and give her the same enthusiastic hello hug I gave K.A. (apparently it doesn’t matter if I have met you at all…I’m a hugger…be warned…), Livie is sweet and hugs me back, a giant smile on her face.

And next…is Ashton. We’ve been here, done this folks. I don’t need to re-hash my behavior with Trent. And don’t worry…I won’t fail you now, this is equally embarrassing… I lunge at him – like, I’m almost positive if he wasn’t so strong from crew, I would have knocked him over…but God bless the inventor of crew because all those muscles feel like heaven. Livie is a very very lucky girl. So…at this point, my wits decide to come back to me and I realize I’m attached to someones boyfriend and three voices are calmly laughing at me. Oh good…they know to expect this behavior, that saves me from apologizing! I decide it’s time to rip myself off Ashton, unfortunate because I do so like being affixed to him in any manner, and we all sit down at the table, Livie and Ashton back in their places and KA and I on the other side of the table.

Lisa: “I have to thank all of you so much for meeting with me today, I really appreciate it. The girls and I had so much fun with Trent last time, I was really looking forward to this interview.”

Ashton: “Of course.”

Livie: “No problem.”

Lisa: “Great…so Ashton…you get the hot seat first, you ready?”

Ashton: “Bring it on.”

Lisa: “How hard was it to see Livie with Connor? How did you do it? It was in your face, every day…OMG… :-(“

Ashton: “Brutal. Fucking brutal. Though, I had no right given my own circumstances. And the guilt was eating me up. I know people wouldn’t believe I felt guilty but I did. I just couldn’t stay away from her. I knew exactly what I was doing every time I let things happen but I kept allowing it. Yeah, I’m a selfish prick.”

Livie scoots a little closer on the bench seat, wrapping her arms around Ashton’s waist for comfort. His arm comes down around her shoulder and a sad smile graces his lips. They’re silent support of each other is touching.

Lisa: “I don’t think you’re a selfish prick, I think you were a guy in an impossible situation. Alright, happier topic, why do you want to be a pilot?”

Ashton: “Flying high in the open skies with nothing but space around you? Who wouldn’t want that?”

Lisa: “Hmm…sounds like your own little piece of freedom. So, what do you think your mom would think about Livie?”

Ashton: “She’d love her, no doubt. How could she not? How could anyone not love Livie?”

Livie snuggles even closer to Ashton and gives him a quick peck on the cheek.

Lisa: “True story…I don’t know anyone who can say they don’t love Livie. Top three things you can’t live without.”

Ashton: “I’m not a materialistic guy, despite what you may think. I don’t really care about all the stuff I have. One thing got me through these last few years and it’s crew. Now, there’s only one thing I can’t live without. Okay, she’s not a thing but I sure as hell can’t live without her.”

Ashton steals a sideways glance at Livie who is beaming at him. It’s his turn to sneak a kiss on her cheek…OMGEE! How can you not love HIM! Gah…he’s just amazing…if I didn’t love Livie so much, I’d hate her.

Lisa: Awww…isn’t he sweet Livie?

Livie: “The sweetest.”

Lisa: “You ready for your turn?”

Livie: “I think so.”

Lisa: “What’s your favorite thing about Princeton? And your favorite thing about Miami?”

Livie: “It’s nice to see the fall leaves again. I haven’t seen those in years. It reminds me of pumpkin pies and cozy fires with my parents. Miami? Miami’s home for me now. Home, when I didn’t think Kacey and I would ever belong anywhere again.”

Lisa: “Aww…well if you ever need a new home, come to Texas! 🙂 So…you sure took a liking to alcoholic beverages, high five on that by the way…”

I lean across the table and she actually reciprocates my high five with a giggle – see?? How can you not love Livie??

Lisa: “So I’m taking it that you enjoy letting out your ‘inner beast’ if you will 😉 – so what’s your drink of choice?”

Livie: “Ugh. I’m living proof of why underage drinking is a bad idea. All those hormones, no experience, and booze? Disastrous combination. I’ll admit things got a little out of control. Now that I’m back home, I’ve toned down the partying a bit. It helps that Reagan’s not around. I miss her but she’s a bit too much animal for my kind of party. I’ll still have a Jack and Coke every now and then, but not when Dan’s around. He is the law, after all. I need to respect him in his own house.”

Lisa: “What fun are hormones and no experience if you don’t add a little alcohol! Lol 😛 Well…and speaking of one of the alcohol instigators…Dr. Stayner = most brilliant man alive, just sayin’. Where do you think you would be if you hadn’t listened to him and what’s the best piece of advice he gave you?”

Livie: “Oh, Dr. Stayner. Without him? I’ve thought about that. Over and over again, I’ve wondered. I wouldn’t have had that volunteer position without his interference and so I never would have met the twins. I’d probably still be in blissful ignorance, ace’ing my classes at Princeton. I don’t know if I would have met Connor. If I did, I would’ve inevitably met Ashton and I don’t know how that would have gone. Honestly? I get sad, thinking about what would have happened had I not picked up that phone the day Stayner called me. His best advice? Aside from the pigtails, which Ashton really likes, his push to embrace ambiguity for a while put things into perspective for me. Ambiguity has never been my friend but, in this case, it allowed me to make decisions with my eyes wide open.”

Lisa: “Wow…”

I have to (and I literally do) slow golf clap for Livie. She gives me the big smile I am starting to grow accustomed to.

Lisa: “Seriously Liv, for your age – that’s pretty deep. I wish I had been half as smart as you are when I was your age. Alright, what do you think your parents would have to say about Ashton?”

Livie: “Depends on which Ashton they saw first. If it was the Ashton that stands tall and respectful when his coach speaks, I think they’d like him right away. If it’s the Ashton that I met that first night, or the second night, or the third night… I think my dad would have packed me up and shipped me away. In time, I know they’d love him, regardless. They always were very tolerant of others.”

Lisa: “Well…even at his worst, it is really hard not to love Ashton. Okay now it’s time to have fun with BOTH of you! 🙂 What are your favorite 5 qualities about the other”

Livie: “Ugh! The dreaded five qualities. Have you been talking to Stayner?”

Lisa: “Possibly…I refuse to name my sources…quit stalling :-P”

I smile at her playfully and she giggles as she turns to look at Ashton.

Livie: “Let’s see… He’s a great listener, he’s very attentive, he’s driven, he has a great sense of humor, and though most people don’t see this side of him, he’s one of the most thoughtful people you’ll ever meet.”

Lisa: “Insightful…Ashton?”

Ashton: “Her eyes, her face, her…”

Livie slaps his arm playfully and he smiles deviously at her and I’m giggling like a 5 year old – come on, that was pretty funny!

Ashton: “Kidding. Livie is the most compassionate person you’ll ever meet, to a fault. She’s also the strongest person you’ll ever meet. She’s trustworthy, despite all that happened this past year. She’s tolerant of everyone, whether they deserve it or not. And she’s kind. She showed me kindness when I didn’t deserve it.”

Lisa: “Awww…so sweet. Well, you’ve both been thru so much pain in your past, different kinds, but still…how does it feel to be at this point in your lives, to have found each other…to finally have your ‘freedom’…your ‘forever’ :-)”

Livie: “I’m still shocked by how much has changed from one year ago.”

With her loving gaze falling on Ashton, you can tell how blissfully happy she is with the way life has taken her. Ashton on the other hand has a crooked grin plastered on his insanely gorgeous face.

Ashton: “Livie feels damn good.”

Lisa: “You guys have got to stop, you’re giving me a toothache from all your sweetness. Do ya’ll have plans for anymore tattoo’s? ;-)”

Ashton: “Seeing as I have Livie’s name on me, she’s getting my name on her”

That devilish grin is back

Ashton: “And we all know exactly where it’s going…”

Livie just shakes head, giving him a coy smile of her own

Livie: “I’ve said ‘no’ a thousand times but he’s got Kacey on the bandwagon and we all know what happens when Kacey gets involved…”

Lisa: “Where do I sign up for the bandwagon? :-)”

Livie keeps shaking her head and Ashton gives me a wink

Lisa: “Okay, possibly tough question, but the gloves are coming off…the end result of where you are today is the same – what is one thing you would have possibly done/said differently from your past? No cop outs! :-P”

Livie: “I never would have dated Connor. Or I would have ended it right away. I would have been completely honest upfront. Hurting him the way I did was awful. I’m just thankful that he’s talking to me.” again.

Ashton: “If everything would have ended the same way –me, with Livie, and that other “situation” with my dad—I would have ended it with Dana the day I woke up in Livie’s room. Dana’s a nice girl. She didn’t deserve any of that. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t have been with her in the first place, though…”

Lisa: “Good, honest answers. Thank you! So, where do you see yourselves in 5 years?”

They both look at each other and smile and in unison answer…

Livie & Ashton: “Together.”

AAAAAAAAND I just fell in love with them even more.

Livie: “I’m not planning too far ahead right now. I’ve done enough of that for a while. I’m taking a few years off and just enjoying life.”

Lisa: “Good plan. Time for a little word association – give me the first thing that comes to mind…Princeton”

Ashton: “Crew”

Livie: “Ashton”

Lisa: “Jell-O Shots”

I can’t stifle my giggle at that one – Ashton smirks while Livie rolls her eyes

Ashton: “Livie”

Livie: “Puke”

Lisa: “Regan”

Ashton: “Trouble”

Livie: “Hyper”

Lisa: “Irish”

Ashton: “Livie”

Livie: “Dad”

Lisa: “Connor”

Ashton: “Buddy”

Livie: “Smile”

Lisa: “Tattoo’s”

Ashton: “Scars”

Livie: “Drunk”

Lisa: “Family”

Ashton: “Mom”

Livie: “Miami”

Lisa: “Ashton”

I ask, staring at Livie

Livie: “Body…”

Before I can blink, Livie slaps her hand over mouth as her face turns red – I hold back another giggle, she’s just too cute for words

Lisa: “Livie”

This time my focus is directed at Ashton

Ashton: “Love”

Lisa: “Freedom”

Ashton: “Livie”

Livie: “Ashton”

OMG I’m about to explode from the amount of love I have for these two!!! As I sit there with a goofy grin on my face looking at the pair of them, we hear some noise coming from inside the house. It appears we have company! Kacey, Trent, Storm, Dan and Ben have arrive – SWEET! Beach party! WOO! 😀 Ashton and Livie go inside to help get things ready, which gives me time to pester K.A.

Lisa: “So…you’re brilliant and when can I come live in your head?”

K.A.: “LOL. You don’t want to live in my head, trust me. It’s full of self-doubt and confusion. The squirrels are running rabid in there.”

Lisa: “That’s awesome – I love squirrels. 😛 What are three things that surprised/shocked/excited you while writing OTL“

K.A.: “Let’s see…1) How big a role Dr. Stayner ended up playing. I knew he’d be in it, however he ended up being so critical to the story. 2) The extent of cheating in this book. I knew Livie would have to make a choice between the two men but I didn’t know how long it would drag out. As the story unfolded, it became clear to me that Livie would need to make some serious mistakes before figuring out how to get back to being the Livie we all know and love, though more mature. Thinking about Ashton but doing nothing or breaking things off with Connor right away is what we all expected of Livie. For the story and for her character growth, I had to do the unthinkable and push her over that line. I had to test her character. 3) The “scenes” between Livie and Ashton. I wanted them done tastefully (anyone who knows my writing style will have picked up on the fact that I don’t use graphic language). They were extremely difficult for me to write but I feel like they turned out well.”

Lisa: Very interesting. Who did you like writing better Kacey/Trent or Livie/Ashton? 🙂

K.A.: “That’s impossible to answer. I can’t answer that 🙂 I will say Livie and Ashton were harder to write. They took a long time to get comfortable around each other.”

Lisa: “Wow…really? Hmm…again, very interesting. What scene you enjoyed writing the most? Scene that kicked your butt?”

K.A.: “My Favorite scene? The first meeting with Livie and Ashton, where Ashton slips and tells her he regretted what happened. Awkward to the nth degree! Scene that kicked my butt? The bunk bed scene. That took me two days and I do believe I was sweating through it.”

Lisa: “Both AMAZING scenes by the way…and the bunk bed scene was worth every drop of sweat. So, not that TTB wasn’t amazing and brilliant in a million different ways, but did you intentionally mean to make OTL one of the funniest books I have ever read? It was possibly one of the best surprises of my life…made me love it that much more…”

K.A.: “Really? LOL. I like to balance the humor with the serious side of things. Without the humor, OTL would have been quite depressing. I love funny characters. Putting Livie in awkward situations was probably the most fun I’ve had writing, ever. She can handle it :-)”

Lisa: “OMG Livie is a pro at awkward…she deserves a medal. So Cain is next…another pleasant surprise…giving away any details? 🙂 (I am a GREAT secret keeper… 😛 )”

K.A.: 🙂 “Yes, Cain is next. The book is called Four Seconds To Lose and it will be a duo POV between Cain and a new leading lady with one hell of a bad situation. I’ve had a lot of questions around Cain. I think people are curious to see what his story is. I can tell you that it’s dark (and if I’m saying it is dark then… eeesh). As different as OTL was from TTB, this book will be different as well. Expect to see a lot of your favorite characters again 🙂 (especially Ben and Storm).”

I clap my hands with glee – the permanent goofy grin ever present and I’m TOTALLY holding back from tackling K.A….again. Barely. 🙂

At this point, everyone spills out onto the deck with armloads of food, drinks and the pièce de résistance – Jell-O Shots! 😀 #BestInterviewEver

 

One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*

5+++ “Jell-O Thief” “Irish” “Livie Girl” “Freedom” Kisses!!!!

OMG OMG OMG! Are you FREAKING kidding me. You’ve got to be. I loved TTB…loved it…and I was thinking, wow…it’s going to take a lot to top those emotions that you get with Kacey and Trent. HA! In my face. Big time. This book surprised me in all the best ways possible – if you think you know what to expect…you don’t, so just hang on. Oh my angsty goodness, I had no idea I was going to get as swept off my feet with this book as I did…but wow…okay…focus Lisa, you can do this.

So One Tiny Lie is Livie Cleary’s story (if you haven’t read Ten Tiny Breaths…stop the presses immediately, read it ASAP and then hop on One Tiny Lie…sound like a plan?) My Sweet…young…innocent…naïve…Livie. The girl is a saint – I mean, really, do you remember all that happened with Kacey? Of course you do…and somehow Livie survived loosing her parents, surviving her head case sister (and I say that with all the love in my heart because Kacey is the most awesome head case on the planet 🙂 ), the drama with her Aunt and Uncle, moving across the country, new school, more drama with Kacey….and she keeps up her record of never getting anything less than an A. REALLY?!?! Hello world, I feel like a complete and utter failure at life when compared to her perfection. But Livie has an excellent reason and motivation behind her perfection…seven little words… “That’s my Livie Girl. Make me proud.” The last seven words her father spoke to her. Are you crying yet? Cause I teared up typing it, let alone when I read it for the first time. *sigh*

“You’re too perfect, Livie. Everything you do, everything you say. You can do no wrong. If someone slapped you across the face, you’d apologize to them. I can’t believe you don’t deck me for some of the stuff I say. It’s like you’re not capable of getting angry. You could be the love child of Mother Teresa and Gandhi. You’re…” Kacey pauses as if searching for the right word. She settles with, “Too fucking perfect!”

So Livie is off to college, dealing with Dr. Stayner’s outlandish tactics at breaking out of her perfect shell, and of course Kacey’s assistance in this process…and what happens her first night out? She gets to experience a lot of firsts…shall we count them?
1. She gets totally wasted on Jell-O shots – first night at college is also her first time getting drunk! Woo!
2. First toga party – what a way to kick off the school year! 🙂
3. She had her first kiss ever – well, ‘had’ is a very loose term, it was kinda ‘stolen’ – there was a lot of thievery going on at the time, we’ll just call the kiss collateral damage
4. She got her first tattoo – and it was video taped for posterity and culpability purposes
Needless to say there were other epically awesome firsts had throughout the night and the next morning, but those are the top of the list and the only ones I wish to divulge without spoiling. And…it gets better.

‘I’m attracted to my drunken one-night stand, who also happens to be an unavailable whore and my kind-of boyfriend’s roommate and best friend.’

The aforementioned ‘stolen kiss’ was stolen by a Jell-O thief (told ya the kiss was collateral damage) – and let me tell you he can steal anything he wants from me as long as it involves a kiss in return. ‘…this tall, giant Adonis with dark wavy hair, tanned skin, and a body to tempt a blind nun…had his tongue in my mouth.’ Umm….with that description, I’m not seeing the problem Livie. Say thank you to the party gods and keep shooting those Jell-O shots and pray for a repeat.

“I was managing okay, thought.” He pauses. “And then the most beautiful girl on this planet punched me in the jaw.”
A small half-giggle slips out. “You deserved that, Jell-O thief.”

Gah…I’m getting bogged down, but I swear…one of the best ‘first meetings’ I have ever read…I was hooked from that point forward. And believe me…it got better…and better…and better. I was all over the board – so shocked my jaw hit the table…laughing so hard I was crying…and then of course crying and clutching my chest because I was so torn up…GAH! The ANGST people…I tell you, I was not prepared. TTB was a very emotional read for me, and I did feel some angst, but not like this. This was a level of angst I really wasn’t ready for. And all because of one…freaking…man.

“Because you’re not a one-night-girl, Irish.” Leaning in to place a kiss on my jawline, he whispers, “You’re my forever girl.”

I am literally overcome with emotion at how amazing Ashton Fucking Henley is…tears in my eyes, lump in my throat, butterflies in my belly and the insane desire to kidnap him and keep him all to myself. He’s amazing. There is no other way to describe him. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot to not like about Ashton, but the fact that you can see past all that is wrong to all that is right, is what makes him that much more amazing. If Kacey was a head case, Ashton is a train wreck. A beautiful broken train wreck that only needs one thing to make him better….Livie. OMGEEEE! His feelings and emotions for her…they just take my breath away. You. Have. No. Idea.

‘1. I’m brilliant
2. I’m charming
3. I’m hung like a thoroughbred
4. I’ve stopped all philandering
5. I’m highly skilled, as you’ve learned the other night.

P.S. Stop staring at my hands. I know what you want me to do with them.’

The connection that is built between Ashton and Livie is beyond words for me. It wasn’t insta-love, but there was always something there for them, and they both knew it. But it wasn’t easy…it’s never easy. Oh and the ‘surprise’ factor I mentioned…well try this on for size…there’s a love triangle. Actually, it’s kind of a square, but not really? I dunno what shape you wanna call it, but I was super excited for that aspect. It all ties in with the super angst I wasn’t expecting either. And then to really boggle my mind and make me fall in love more, KA Tucker throws in some of the funniest shit I’ve ever read…perfect example…

‘My nervous giggle is the only answer I can give him. Forget? My brain went blank. I forgot about my problems, his problems, and the potential zombie apocalypse. If that’s what orgasms do, then I can’t believe people ever leave their houses. Or cars.’

First of all…#truth on the power of orgasms, for the record. Second of all, it’s out of context – but trust me when I tell you I was hysterically laughing for like 10 minutes after I read this. Oh you want another one…try this this golden nugget from Kacey…

“Sometimes you’re as graceful as a one-legged flamingo in a pit of quicksand.”

And this happened multiple times. The wit, the humor, the sarcasm – it was all spot on for me. Loved it.

So, if Kacey’s head is full of turmoil, sadness and pain….Livie’s head is full of purpose, hilarity and confusion. It’s hard to remember that Livie is 18 years old…but she doesn’t act like it. Not even close. That’s part of what and why Dr. Stayner is around and doing what he is doing – Kacey needed to be put back together, Livie needs to be set free. And going thru the process of being on her own for the first time in her life, working things out, making mistakes and figuring out who she wants to be, is a phenomenal journey.

‘If there is one mistake I will never regret for the rest of my life, it is Ashton Henley.’

“Irish, if there’s one thing I’ve never been able to forget, it’s a single second with you.”

I have a bad habit of figuring out books…I just do…not once in reading OTL did I ever stop, sit back and think about what was going to happen next. I couldn’t have even if you asked me to. Mainly because I was so engrossed in the story, I couldn’t stop reading long enough to think about what was going to happen next. And then of course there’s the fact that even in my wildest dreams I never expected Livie and Ashton’s story to play out like it did. It was natural and fluid, logical…every aspect of this book from the plot to the characters was beautifully put together and I really can’t think of one thing that didn’t work for me. Brilliance…every word of it was engrossing, powerful, sheer brilliance. And…if you can’t tell I loved it.

‘Once all the confusion, the pressure, and the lies were gone, I was left with nothing but choices. Small, large, easy, hard – all of them mine to make. For me.’

Clearly I could babble all day long about all things TTB and OTL. These characters are absolutely amazing…and if KA Tucker doesn’t stop writing the most amazing tall dreamboat men, I might loose my mind. Oh wait…cause Cain’s story is next and lord knows I love a deep dark mysterious man like a fat kid loves cake. Bring on Four Seconds to Lose !

View all my reviews

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.