Quick Pick: Four Seconds to Lose, by K.A. Tucker

• Opening line: (10 Years Ago) "Blood drops decorate the dusty gray concrete like an abstract piece of art."
• Reason I picked up the book: Back in February, I read and reviewed Ten Tiny Breaths and One Tiny Lie, also by K.A. Tucker, and they were great. This is the third book in that series, and some of the characters from the past novels have cameos here, too. 
• And what's this book about?
When a gorgeous young dancer walks through his door, a strip club owner must decide whether to follow his rules or his heart in the third novel by the author of One Tiny Lie and Ten Tiny Breaths.

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 can't get distracted by romance.

Unfortunately, Charlie soon discovers that developing feelings for Cain is inevitable, and 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.

• Favorite paragraph: 

He's made no effort to speak to me since hiring me. The few times i've crossed paths with him in the back hallways, I've gotten nothing more than a nod.

But when I'm on that stage, I feel those dark eyes on me, like those of a predator stalking his prey, while the music vibrates through my body, and my limbs coil around the cool brass, and my hips swirl and curl and dip and bend.  

I really am a fantastic actress. 

And Cain is an even more fantastic distraction. 

• Recommended for: Anyone who likes a good story OR anyone who has read the previous novels. It's a stand-alone novel, but it was fun to see the previous characters pop up now and then.
• Something to know: The next book in the series, Five Ways to Fall, focuses on Ben, Cain's bouncer friend from the club, and a girl he falls for. I just received an e-galley from NetGalley, so check back soon from that review. 
• What I would have changed: The only thing I didn't entirely like was the ending - it almost seemed too perfect, because the main character gets everything she wants (whereas her life in the rest of the book is NOT perfect by any means).
• Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.