I am dying to share this Release Blitz with you all to celebrate K.A. Tucker’s BECOMING RAIN! BECOMING RAIN is a New Adult Romantic Suspense novel, and the second novel in K.A. Tucker’s Burying Water Series, published by Atria books, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster. I hope you’re ready for this!

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Luke Boone doesn’t know exactly what his uncle Rust is involved in but he wants in on it-the cars, the money, the women. And it looks like he’s finally getting his wish. When Rust hands him the managerial keys to the garage, they come with a second set-one that opens up the door to tons of cash and opportunity. Though it’s not exactly legal, Luke’s never been one to worry about that sort of thing. Especially when it puts him behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 and onto the radar of gorgeous socialite named Rain.Clara Bertelli is at the top of her game-at only twenty-six years old, she’s one of the most successful undercover officers in the Washington D.C. major crime unit, and she’s just been handed a case that could catapult her career and expose one of the west coast’s most notorious car theft rings. But, in order to do it, she’ll need to go deep undercover as Rain Martines. Her target? The twenty-four-year old nephew of a key player who appears ready to follow in his uncle’s footsteps.

As Clara drifts deeper into the luxurious lifestyle of Rain, and further into the arms of her very attractive and charming target, the lines between right and wrong start to blur, making her wonder if she’ll be able to leave it all behind. Or if she’ll even want to.

“Let us know if you have any more problems.” Luke flashes that wide, charming smile that stalls my feet just a little.

Still no mention of connecting again. In fact, I’d say Luke has gone out of his way to skirt the subject. He’s just not interested. That’s all there is to it. Or maybe he’s waiting for me to bring it up again. But if he’s not, then bringing it up will make me look desperate. I’m guessing he doesn’t like desperate women.

Luke Boone has me in a tailspin. No target has ever had me second-guessing myself this much, this early. It’s just the pressure of the case, I remind myself. “I’m sure I will.” I take long, slow steps, ensuring my movements are sleek and appealing, the opposite of my frantic thoughts, as I desperately search for another hook, since nothing I’m casting has caught so far.

“So, when did you say you’re cooking dinner for me?”

I fight the urge to groan with relief but I can’t keep the smile from exploding across my face. “Whenever you call me.” I turn to regard him, to see his smug face—like he knew I was waiting for it all along, like he was toying with me—and nod to the sheet on his desk. “You have my number.”

“I do.” His eyes twinkle. “I’ll call you soon.”

Thank fucking God.

I wait until I’m in my car and around the corner before turning off my wire and squealing like a fourteen-year-old who just got asked out to the movies. I dial Warner to debrief, my heart still racing. It’s standard protocol to call in after every meeting with my target. Up until now, I’ve had nothing but failure to report. And, while this may not seem like much . . .

I think I’m finally in.

Such a precious sun it is, the one that shines after a cold, harsh rain.

I’ve been a huge fan of this author since she first released her Ten Tiny Breaths series. Her first book in the Burying Water series was definitely quite a bit different from that and I absolutely devoured it. Burying Water was emotional, suspenseful, and with a wonderful love story at the core of it. Burying Water is also where we were first introduced to Luke Boon, Jesse’s somewhat wayward best friend. Luke was always a bit of a question mark as far as some morals go. While you knew he has a heart beneath all that bluster, he was also in the thick of things with trying to finally truly get inside his uncle Rust’s business, knowing that not everything he does is legal. But Luke also liked the money that went along with the questionable life style, so what’s shaking hands with some criminals. He’s grown up around this life, starting with his grandfather.

But while he’s trying to gain trust and grow within his uncle’s organization, he’s being watched. The beautiful blue-eyed brunette in the building across from him is no admirer, however. She’s a tough as nails undercover officer, Clara Bertelli, determined to bring an end to Rust Miller’s illegal business and everyone that’s tied in with it, including his connection with the Russian mob. Her looks allow her for an easy in; attract Luke’s attention since research clearly shows she’s his ‘type’, and then try to get the information out of him though their relationship. While Rain may not be her real name, it’s certainly fitting…

It’s not so much that I love rain. I just have a healthy respect for what it does. People hate it, but the world needs rain.”

Luke is not at all what he appears to be, and it’s not long before Rain begins to discover the amazing man that he is and feelings begin to enter the picture. The relationship is definitely a slow burn, considering the forbidden element of it. As Rain begins to see the true man beneath, her focus begins to shift and she lines begin to get crossed. Can she still bring his uncle and his organization down, even at the cost of Luke?

Guilt and happiness go to war inside of me as I fall.
I wonder which one will win.

The developing relationship between Luke and Rain was probably my favorite part of the story, even if it wasn’t quite the main focus of it.

I found the real focus of this story to be more on the plot more so than the romance. Don’t get me wrong, the romance, while slow building, was certainly still there. But I didn’t find that the story centered around it. There is that element of suspense and the additional key players of Elmira, the Russians, and Warner.

While I was questioning Luke in the previous book, I completely fell for him in this one. There was so much depth to his character, and the author did a fantastic job in truly bringing that out.

She’s everything I’m used to and yet she’s completely new.

I also really loved Rain’s character. She was a tough girl without coming off too harsh. It’s refreshing to read about a female officer, and an undercover one at that. She was driven and good at her job, and though she was focused on her goal, her feelings for Luke began to shift her focus.

I give in. He’s not ready to divulge everything to me. This is just the beginning.
The beginning of a true “us” in his eyes.
And the beginning of the end for Luke Boon

Her internal struggle with her decisions while seeing Luke fall more and more for her was almost bittersweet to read, because you just know that it will not end well.

…I’ve broken one of the most basic rules of undercover work: don’t get emotionally attached to your targets.

This was another engrossing installment for the series and one I thoroughly enjoyed. I do wish that we got perhaps an epilogue at the end of it, but at the same time the ending was extremely fitting. I loved how their ending fit in with how they first met. I did find myself wishing for just a little more romance, but at the same time I really enjoyed the suspense and the story, so it never really took away from my enjoyment of the overall book.

There are quite a few loose ends that I’m thinking will be addressed in the next book and I’m really hoping to get a book for 2 particular characters since they really grabbed my attention in this one (view spoiler)[Warner and Elmira (hide spoiler)]. I also really loved being able to catch up with Jesse and Alex and get a few more peaks at their HEA continuation.

The top-selling, beloved indie author of Ten Tiny Breaths returns with a new romance about a young woman who loses her memory—and the man who knows that the only way to protect her is to stay away.Left for dead in the fields of rural Oregon, a young woman defies all odds and survives—but she awakens with no idea who she is, or what happened to her. Refusing to answer to “Jane Doe” for another day, the woman renames herself “Water” for the tiny, hidden marking on her body—the only clue to her past. Taken in by old Ginny Fitzgerald, a crotchety but kind lady living on a nearby horse farm, Water slowly begins building a new life. But as she attempts to piece together the fleeting slivers of her memory, more questions emerge: Who is the next-door neighbor, quietly toiling under the hood of his Barracuda? Why won’t Ginny let him step foot on her property? And why does Water feel she recognizes him?

Twenty-four-year-old Jesse Welles doesn’t know how long it will be before Water gets her memory back. For her sake, Jesse hopes the answer is never. He knows that she’ll stay so much safer—and happier—that way. And that’s why, as hard as it is, he needs to keep his distance. Because getting too close could flood her with realities better left buried.

The trouble is, water always seems to find its way to the surface.

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

 

 

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