Becoming Rain - Review

Becoming Rain (Burying Water, # 2)

By: KA Tucker

Expected Publication: March 3rd 2015 by Atria Books

320 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--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.

I’m a big KA Tucker fan. Ten Tiny Breaths blew me away. It’s one of the few books that I’ve actually made time to re-read in the last year. The other books in her Ten Tiny Breaths series were good, but not AS good to me. Then KA Tucker comes out with a new series, right? I thought Burying Water was just going to be released as a standalone initially, but I was immediately drawn to Luke from that book, and so I was excited to hear that he was getting his own book. Burying Water was actually a bit of a letdown for me. My issue wasn’t that Burying Water was so different from the Ten Tiny Breaths series but that one of the major plot points came up against something I just have a hard time getting behind. I didn’t feel like I could root for the characters like I wanted to. And that’s one thing I was worried about when I read the description of Becoming Rain as well.

Even though I was drawn to Luke from Burying Water, it was easy to see that Luke was way too comfortable with the world that he was getting pulled into. Despite it not being specifically stated that his uncle’s other businesses were illegal, Luke’s not an idiot. He knew that Rust was dealing with some bad people. Luke was involved with everything that went down with Alex and Jesse in Burying Water. He knows that although the garage and Rust’s other legit businesses are doing really well they don’t make Porche-911-kinds of money.

And here’s where I struggled with Becoming Rain, how can an undercover agent respect someone who is eyes open walking into this world? And that’s where I get frustrated with this book. Sure, Luke has a soft spot for animals, family, and the elderly/homeless. But does that equal enough reason for a police officer to fall in love with a criminal? And “fall in love” is the key there. Sure they spend time together, but more than anything, I just felt like Clara was attracted to Luke physically and she closed her eyes to everything else. I hoped Luke wouldn’t get drawn into Rust’s side businesses, but then that wouldn’t have made for much of a story would it?

When I try to look past my small issue of whether or not this relationship could actually work given the circumstances and whether or not these two could overcome the lies their relationship is built upon (IRL I think the answer to that would be a big fat “no”) then I found myself enjoying this book. I read it in one sitting. I pretty much made up my mind that I was going to read until I was done, and I did. The writing style was easy to read and flowed from one event to the next nicely. I highlighted a good bit, but most of that included notes like “idiot” and “I’m only going to back this relationship if she can respect him,” etc.

All in all (without spoiling as much as I can), Becoming Rain was also a letdown for me. Again, I felt like even though I liked the characters individually, I just couldn’t back their decisions. I couldn’t see why they were in love. And I don’t think a relationship built like this and lacking such a necessary component as respect could really stand the test of time. I enjoyed the story, but it didn’t feel realistic in these areas. I feel like there’s more to say, but that’s the gist of it. Becoming Rain gets 3.5 Stars from me. Here’s hoping that Chasing River will be about some characters I can fully get behind. Have you read Becoming Rain? What did you think? Let me know!