In Her Wake (Ten Tiny Breaths #0.5)
by K.A. Tucker
Summary: Before you knew him as Trent in Ten Tiny Breaths, he was Cole Reynolds—and he had it all. Until one night when he makes a fatal, wrong decision…and loses everything.
When a drunken night out at a Michigan State college party results in the death of six people, Cole must come to terms with his part in the tragedy. Normally, he’d be able to lean on his best friends—the ones who have been in his life since he could barely walk. Only, they’re gone. Worse, there’s the shattered body of a sixteen-year-old girl lying somewhere in a hospital bed, her entire life ripped from her because of a case of beer and a set of keys.
Everyone assures him that they know it wasn’t intentional, and yet he can’t ignore the weight of their gazes, the whispers behind his back. Nor can he shake the all-consuming guilt he feels every time he thinks of that girl who won’t so much as allow him near her hospital room to apologize. As the months go by and the shame and loneliness festers, Cole begins to lose his grip on what once was important—college, his girlfriend, his future. His life. It’s not until Cole hits rock-bottom that he can begin to see another way out of his personal hell: forgiveness.
And there’s only one person who can give that to him…
Source: I purchased a Kindle copy.
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Review:
When I read Ten Tiny Breaths a couple of years ago, I just stopped reading the series after I finished, even though I really liked it. After devouring K.A. Tucker’s newer series, I felt the urge to go back and reread Ten Tiny Breaths and continue the series like I should have done a long time ago.
In Her Wake is a novella that serves as a prequel to Ten Tiny Breaths, but should be read after it. It’s from Trent’s point of view before betting Kacey in Miami. In the first book of the this series, Kacey and Trent cross paths and fall in love, but not without difficulties. Their meeting in Miami wasn’t the first time their paths crossed and In Her Wake goes over what was going through Trent’s mind when he first found out about her and how his life had an impact on hers.
I enjoyed In Her Wake. It was tough to get into at first because I liked the Trent of Ten Tiny Breaths and I wasn’t sure what to make of this pre-Kacey Trent person. But he was broken, struggling, and hurt. After a few pages, I was sucked in and I think I didn’t look up until it was over. I could have read In Her Wake as a full novel if it went over all of the events of Ten Tiny Breaths from Trent’s point of view if it was an option. I was that engrossed. I liked how he saw her.
In Her Wake isn’t an absolute necessity to read, as is the case with most novellas, but it’s a great addition to the series and I’m glad I read it.
Labels: contemporary, New Adult, novella, Review
