Review: Five Ways to Fall by K.A. Tucker

Five Ways To Fall (Ten Tiny Breaths #4)
   by: K.A. Tucker

Publication Date: June 24, 2014
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: e-ARC received via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 384 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Purple-haired, sharp-tongued Reese MacKay knows all about making the wrong choice; she’s made plenty of them in her twenty-odd-years. So when her impulsive, short-lived marriage ends in heartbreak, she decides it’s time for a change. She moves to Miami with the intention of hitting reset on her irresponsible life, and she does quite well…aside from an epically humiliating one-night stand in Cancun with a hot blond bouncer named Ben. Thank God she can get on a plane and leave that mistake behind her.

Football scholarship and frat parties with hot chicks? Part of charmer Ben Morris’s plan. Blown knee that kills any hope of a professional football career? So not part of the plan. Luckily Ben has brains to go with his knockout looks and magnetism. After three long years of balancing law school with his job as a bouncer at Penny’s Palace, he’s ready to lead a more mature life—until his first day of work, when he finds himself in the office of that crazy, hot chick he met in Cancun. The one he hasn’t stopped thinking about.

If Ben truly were a smart guy, he’d stay clear of Reese. She’s the boss’s stepdaughter and it’s been made very clear that office romances are grounds for dismissal. Plus, rumor has it she’s trouble. The only problem is, he likes trouble, especially when it’s so good-looking…

 

 

*sniffle* I can't believe this series is over! I have loved each and every book and I am going to miss these characters so much! K.A. has constructed stories that are filled with heart and emotion and she does an amazing job of really making you feel connected to these characters and what they have to overcome. I have been super excited for Ben's story, as I loved him back when we first met him in Ten Tiny Breaths.

 

Pacing: Just right! I loved the slower build up of Reese and Ben's relationship. Reese is rather fragile to handle, so it wouldn't have made sense to have things escalate between them too quickly. Instead, they form a friendship first and from there we see the lines between friendship and more start to blur.

 

Storyline: After a rather entertaining night in Cancun, Reese hoped she'd never lay eyes on the sexy, ripped blonde she'd humiliated herself in front of again. However, in her haste to exorcise her ex-husband from her brain, Reese neglects to get more details on Ben. Such as where he lives, or what he does.... The two find themselves face to face again months later, realizing they both work for the same law firm. Ben is constantly teasing Reese about their night in Cancun, which pisses her off to no end. Their banter is so amusing to watch and I loved seeing them actually develop a friendship with one another. Reese is still hurt over the infidelity of her ex-husband and to find he's also moved to Miami with his new wife is a shot to the gut for Reese. She was blindsided by their relationship and for a woman already struggling with abandonment issues, this does not bode well for any involved. Reese wants to make her ex jealous and what better way to do it than with a certain sexy, blonde haired ex-bouncer like Ben? Ben is a fun loving guy and has never gotten attached to any particular woman. While he is attracted to Reese, he loves that they have this casual, no strings relationship too. However, the more time he spends with her and getting to know her, makes him stop and wonder if there's something more here? And as for Reese, is making her ex husband jealous all she wants? Or does she want him to love her again and go back to the way she once thought things were between them?

 

Characters: Oh, Reese. She is a firecracker and I loved that about her. For those of you who have read Ten Tiny Breaths, she is VERY similar to Kacey. (Ben once crushed on Kacey hardcore, so it's no surprise he's drawn to Reese.) Reese has a wild streak and has always been known to attract trouble. Underneath that sassy, spunky exterior is actually a very hurt woman. Having been abandoned by her father as a child, and now her husband- she is much more delicate than she lets on. Her former step-father Jack, is the one person who actually treated her like his own and loved her like a daughter. He owns the law firm both Reese and Ben work for and he is very protective of her and doesn't approve of inter-office relationships. This makes things rather interesting for flirtatious Ben and a very guarded Reese.

 

Ben Morris reminds me of a teddy bear. He is one that I would want to clutch forever and ever and never let go of. He is a genuine good guy. He is a true mama's boy and watching his scenes with her are just precious. She desperately wants him to find a good girl and settle down, to which he jokes and blows off. However, the minute he brought Reese home with him, that mother's intuition kicked in and she just knew she was something special. Ben has his own demons to deal with concerning his father, however, which may give insight as to why Ben has never done serious relationships.

 

Reese's step-brother and Ben's good friend, Mason, is also a fun addition to the storyline. He and Reese have never really gotten along and you would think they would give up their childish poking and prodding. Nope! They cracked me up and they were also really funny to watch, as Mason is the complete opposite of Reese. He is a rule follower and doesn't like to embrace the crazy.

 

We do get to see Storm and Dan's wedding from Ben's POV, so Kacey does pop up briefly in this book, as does Nate, the other bouncer at Penny's. I will admit I missed seeing Livie, Cain, and Trent, but I do like how the series occurs in the same time frame.

 

Final Thoughts: I really did enjoy this one. Reese and Ben are two great characters with a lot more depth than they let on. The slow build up of their relationship makes everything that much sweeter, even though they take plenty of liberties before they realize what they really mean to one another. Reese and Ben's flirtatious banter is one that will leave you chuckling and also giddy inside. I am sad to leave these characters behind, but I am satisfied with the stories K.A. did provide from their world and how she concluded them. Still, I wouldn't mind a novella of sorts to see how all our characters are faring....