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The highly anticipated start of a new romantic suspense series from the beloved, USA Today bestselling author of Ten Tiny Breaths.
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.
Burying Water
ALEX
IN BETWEEN
A fire.
The fragrance calls to me.
I cannot see, for my eyes are sealed shut against the wicked glow in his stare.
I cannot hear, for my ears have blocked out his appalling promises.
I cannot feel, for my body has long since shattered.
But, as I lie in the cool stillness of the night, waiting for my final peace, that comforting waft of burning bark and twigs and crispy leaves encases me.
It whispers to me that everything will be okay.
And I so desperately long to believe it.
Beep . . .
“. . . basilar skull fracture . . .”
Beep . . .
“. . . collapsed lung . . .”
Beep . . .
“. . . ruptured spleen . . .”
Beep . . .
“. . . frostbite . . .”
Beep . . .
Beep . . .
“Will she live?”
Beep . . .
“I honestly don’t know how she has survived this long.”
Beep . . .
“We need to keep this quiet for now.”
“Gabe, you just showed up on the doorstep of my hospital with a half-dead girl. How am I supposed to do that?”
“You just do. Call me if she wakes up. No one questions her but me. No one, Meredith.”
“Don’t try to talk yet,” someone—a woman—warns softly. I can’t see her. I can’t see anything; my lids open to mere slits, enough to admit a haze of light and a flurry of activity around me—gentle fingertips, low murmurs, papers rustling.
And then that rhythmic beep serenades me back into oblivion.
JSotelo9182
Posted Tue Oct 07 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Wow. Wow. Wow. Burying Water may just be the best book I've read in 2014.
I've been a fan of K.A. Tucker for quite some time, her Ten Tiny Breaths series being some of my favorite books of all time. It turns out Ms Tucker was holding out on me.... on all of us! She has a few more tricks up her sleeve, and with her delivery of Burying Water comes my increased excitement as to what else she could possibly have in store.
Burying Water is so different from anything this author has published before. Yes, Tucker consistently weaves serious drama alongside her compelling romances. Her characters are flawed and damaged personalities, struggling under the weight of tragic histories, battling internal demons or some external conflict. Burying Water maintains those themes, but in such a fresh, new way. Alternating between Water's present first person point of view and Jesse's past first person point of view, we know where this story began and we know how it ended... what we don't know is everything that's transpired in between... or where it could possibly go from here. Burying Water is everything I've come to love from K.A. Tucker... heartbreak, loss, love, hope and an epic emotional journey. But It's so much more. It's... dare I say it... BETTER. I hesitate to use the word "better" because I'd hate to diminish the gravity of my love of every previous Tucker story. But in fairness, I shouldn't even compare. Burying Water is it's own story, a new original story nothing like anything I've read before. It's more. It's everything. It's better. The best.
"He said the truth is like that water: it doesn't matter how hard you try to bury it; it'll always find some way back to the surface. It's resilient."
This story is magnetic. These characters and their circumstances draw in the reader with their addictive story. I was consumed... Consumed by the forbidden attraction between Alex and Jesse, by the depths of the the unknown of Water's forgotten life, by the frightening situation they're all trapped in, by the unpredictability of this story, by the absorbing writing of this author, by the layers and diversity of these characters, by everything. I was completely consumed by ever facet of this story. I was dying to know how this could all play out, yet dreading the story ending at all. The timing in this book is stellar. Weaving between the past and the present, tiny clues are unearthed ever so slowly as to what happened in the lives of these characters over the last several months. Their story is so compelling, it was so hard to pull myself away.
This, in so many ways, is a story of second chances. Despite a horrific tragedy she has no memory of, Water is given a second chance at a life she was resigned to never having... a family, a life, a love... none of which was a possibility in the life she left behind. The web of secrecy and mystery and lost memories weaves together by K.A. Tucker in this story is nothing less than perfection. The involvement of secondary characters, all that they bring to the table, to Water's new life despite what they may or may not know of her past, the family and friends she never had before... it all comes together to make for such an unforgettable story.
"Am I happy?
I am lost and yet somehow found.
I am afraid and yet somehow comforted.
I am drifting and yet somehow... home."
This story is sad. Sad in the level of horror that Water had to endure in order to come out of it on the other side. Sad in how much loss Water had to suffer in order to gain so much. Sad in how many painful truths Water had to face in order to heal. Sad in the tragic story Water had to hear in order to learn from and choose another path. Sad that not everyone gets a second chance.
Burying Water is K.A. Tucker's masterpiece. I read this story in complete awe... in awe of the placement of every single word, of the timing and flow of every miniscule detail, of every facet of every character, of how unpredictable, unputdownable, unforgettable this story truly is.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Lisa-LostInLiterature
Posted Fri Oct 10 00:00:00 EDT 2014
THE STORY:
Becca: KA Tucker has amazed me again! This book was so so so so good! It was very different from the TTB series, but in such a good way. This book had it all romance, action, suspense and mystery. It is told in a dual POV. We flash back to the past with Jesse and then to the present with Water. Tucker seamlessly makes this transition and the book is amazing from start to finish. I loved the different road that Tucker took with this one, I was literally cringing and gripping my kindle in some parts! Others I was eaten up be the chemistry and electric romance! KA Tucker uses her trademark brilliance to blend romance, suspense and pain all into one amazing heart stopping story!
Lisa: We are definitely HUGE K.A. Tucker fans over here. In my eyes, she can do no wrong. I was so excited to try Burying Water after loving the Ten Tiny Breaths series so much. She definitely took a completely different angle with this series though. It’s more NA/adult romantic suspense, which I really enjoy as well! I was so happy to see that she could do romantic suspense just as flawlessly as she wrote her other NA series.
“He said the truth is like that water: it doesn’t matter how hard you try to bury it; it’ll always find some way back to the surface. It’s resilient.”
THE CHARACTERS:
Lisa: Man, I loved these characters. Water was the type of character I love the most. Her strength, resilience, and willingness to fight for her life had me routing for her from page one. Jesse and his rough and tough exterior hiding the emotional mess that he was on the inside is the type of guy I always fall for. He was definitely hiding quite a bit, but as the story progressed we were able to see more and more into the life of Jesse and why he was acting the way he was. Water was much more of a mystery as she didn’t have a single recollection of her life for most of the story. I can’t imagine waking up with no memory whatsoever, knowing that my mind was keeping the details from me to protect myself. Purely psychological. This story really messed with my mind!
The secondary characters were easily as important to this story as Water and Jesse. Though some of these characters I wanted to strangle or kick in the crotch (I won’t go into details… we don’t want any spoilers up in here!) they all played an important role in this strong and intense story. There was a strong family bond aspect, which always seems to give me a warm and fuzzy feeling when I find that in books. I love a good family or group of friends sticking together when times get tough, and this was definitely that type of family. Add in a little drama from the rickety old neighbor next door and you’ve got yourself a fabulous cast!
Becca: I could not agree with Lisa more (even about the ones that I wanted to knee below the belt as well). I loved each of these characters, from the MC’s Jesse and Water and then to the secondary characters. Tucker has a talent for making each of her characters valid and essential to her story.
Lisa and I have a love for flawed characters and this book definitely had that. Jesse was so closed off and even a little dark. Water was so helpless and lost, but strong at the same time. I loved how the story progressed in a way that we learned so much about them and grew to love them more and more by the end. Lisa is also spot on about the family aspect of this book, the farm was such a warm and cozy place and I loved Jesse’s family and Ginny too of course!
OVERALL:
Becca: KA Tucker is so talented and brilliant! She can do absolutely no wrong in my eyes! Even with her leap into this world of romantic suspense, she still pulled me in and wouldn’t let me go! There are so many things I loved about this novel, the writing, the characters, the strength of the female lead, the bond of family, the mystery and even a good dose of Karma it was just perfect for me. As if Tucker hadn’t already… she has solidified her spot on my roster of MUST READ authors!
Lisa: I couldn’t be happier with K.A. Tucker’s new work. Like Becca, I’m a total KAT fan girl. I was so excited when I saw this was actually the first book in a series. I was under the impression this was a standalone, and honestly, the way it ended left me completely satisfied. But some things, I have a feeling, may come back in the second book. I’m so curious to see if it’s going to be a continuation of these characters, or more of a companion novel like her other series.
If you’re not a huge fan of NA because you often see the same type of stories over and over again, I totally know where you’re coming from, and I’m so excited to tell you this one is very different. Much more of a romantic suspense. Yes, we still get a dose of our NA drama and tortured characters that we all love so much, but we also get many other suspenseful and intense scenes that made this story a real home run. I would most definitely recommend this book to… well, anyone that will listen to me. ;)
psee
Posted Wed Oct 08 00:00:00 EDT 2014
4 Solid Stars Review
This is a completely new story line for Tucker. Told not only in alternating POV but also in a past/present format, we get the story of Jesse and Water. Jesse has found himself entangled in something way deeper than he intended, but when you feel yourself falling for someone it is hard not to. Alex/Jane/Water is the interesting other half to the story. From the past we get the story of an abused wife struggling in her existence, and in the present we get a young girl who survived a horrible beating without any recollection of her past. The two parts work together to tell their story.
For me, the book was enjoyable but it wasn't one where I couldn't put it down. Jesse as a hero was pretty likable. He messed up as a kid but is looking not to make the same mistakes twice. I love how he puts that all at risk for someone he loves. The hard part was understanding what it was about Alex/Water that Jesse loved so much. I didn't quite connect with her as a heroine, particularly as Alex. Water seemed to be a much better person and I loved her interactions with Ginny and her acceptance of others. But was that the real person or the one who resorted to that because she was scarred and all alone.
Overall, it was an entertaining read and I applaud Tucker's writing as it had to be rather difficult. I just loved the other books so much that perhaps I was expecting too much from this one.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
When a young woman is left for dead, she wakes up from a coma that has wiped her memory clean. With no recollection of who she once was or even a name, she is given the chance to start over. To some this would be a small miracle. But to Jane Doe, she would just like some answers to the many questions plaguing her damaged and broken mind. Overtime she hopes that something, a whisper of a memory, anything...will come back to her.
I was terribly excited to dive into BURYING WATER. It sounded completely unique and I just had to know what it was all about. When you begin you are transported back and forth between the present and how is started. I wasn't sure I liked this at first. But soon realized I did and it plays a pivotal role in helping the story along. We learn who Jane Doe, who later picks the name Water, was. We see the events that lead up to her should be demise.
I wholeheartedly enjoyed these characters of Water and Jesse. No matter the situation I loved them. I wanted them to be happy and find a way. I rooted for them. And even though I know how some things were going to play out, I still held out hope that some parts would magically change for them. That fate would shift its plans for them and rearrange. No such luck. So when the secrets revealed themselves, I held out hope yet again that happily ever after would sneak its way in. Would I be holding my breath for something that could never happen? Just read and see for yourself.
BURYING WATER is one of those stories that each time I laid it down I had to immediately pick it right back up so I could just get a few more tiny moments with it again before I crashed for the night. It definitely called to me. It wasn’t real flashy…just a really good book! Did I love this story? Absolutely. Would I recommend it to everyone I know. Yes, yes, yes!
5 Intriguing Stars!
SantanaBlair_TheBookNerd
Posted Tue Oct 07 00:00:00 EDT 2014
I mean, if you could just start over fresh...
free yourself from all the bad decisions you've made...
would you do it?
Gosh I have wanting to talk about this book with the world for so long now. If you follow me on twitter you've undoubtedly seen the teasers I was able to share and now I am free to tell you all even more about how much I loved this book!
I was a huge fan of Tucker's Ten Tiny Breaths series so I was absolutely thrilled to get the chance to read an advanced copy of Burying Water. I started reading it knowing that it would be a departure from her beloved TTB (and subsequent books in the group) but I don't know that I was completely prepared to be so quickly enraptured by the story.
~***~
Jane Doe (soon to become Water) wakes up in the hospital one day with no idea about who she is or how she got there. All she knows is that someone viciously beat her and left her to die in the Oregon woods. As she heals she meets a woman named Ginny, who keeps most people at a distance, but seems to find a kindred soul in Water. Leaving the hospital Ginny gives Water a place to stay as she builds her new life.
While Water can't remember her past, she certainly doesn't understand the constant draw to one of her neighbors, Jesse. Everyone seems wary of them spending time together but after everything that's happened, being around Jesse is the one thing that just feels right.
The mind, it can be a deceitful thing. But it is no match for the heart.
~***~
By the time I finished chapter five my mind was already completely blown. BLOWN AWAY.
It's darker and twistier with a villain far more ominous than just the memory of a bad past.
I was completely wrapped up in the story from the very beginning... the alternating time points of THEN and NOW were so perfectly executed, it wasn't a distracting/confusing factor rather it built the suspense to the climax we as the reader knew was coming.
The story was already solid with it's tragic and sweet elements all working together perfectly, but then Tucker went and gave us the especially beautiful characters. The Alwoods and Ginny, each of them did a phenomenal job of building the story around Water. They all helped her come into her own strength as she struggled with not knowing her life before, fitting into her life now... and eventually choosing her own future.
I carefully writing this review because I don't want any snippet to spoil the first time you read this amazing (also see: phenomenal, remarkable, extraordinary) story for yourself.
Trust me... 5 STARS.
I absolutely cannot wait for the next book.
5 Stars
I love everything that K.A. Tucker writes. Burying Water is very different than what she normally writes. This book is dark, suspenseful and absolutely heart wrenching. Imagine waking up in a hospital bed and having no idea who you are or how you ended up in the there. How do you even begin to try and understand what has happened with your life.
After a horrible beating sends "Water" to the hospital with amnesia she wakes up having no idea who she is or how she ended up in the hospital. As time goes on she begins to build a trusting relationship with her doctor. When Water is finally able to be discharged she has no where to go so her doctor suggests that she go and live with her neighbor. Water is slightly hesitant but doesn't have many other options. Ginny the crabby old neighbor and Water get along pretty well. You will understand why when you read the story. Will Water ever be able to figure out where she is from or what happened to her?
Jesse is the son of Water's doctor and is known as the town bad boy. Water feels very connected to Jesse but doesn't understand why. Everyone that Water has gotten close to has warned her to stay away from Jesse. He is tough on the outside but very soft and caring on the inside. Will Jesse be able to help Water figure out her past and will Water ever understand why she feels such a deep connection to Jesse?
I loved that the story is told in dual POV. Jesse's chapters focus on the past and Water's focus on the present. This story pulled every emotion out of me. I love how K.A. can weave such an amazing story that you feel like you are experiencing all the emotions right along with the characters. I laughed with them, got upset with them and cried for Water and what she went through. The secondary characters play such an important part in this emotionally gut-wrenching story. This is a definite must read book by K.A. and I can't wait to read the next one.
Scrapingirl
Posted Tue Oct 07 00:00:00 EDT 2014
“And the truth pushed to the surface. Like water, buried.”
I have read, and loved, all of K.A.Tucker’s Ten Tiny Breaths series and was very curious as to how this one was going to be. From the very beginning, I was hooked. The prologue snagged me and made my nerves a wreck. I knew this was going to be good. I stayed up all night reading. I couldn’t put it down. Speechless. Sorry, I’m rambling. I’m just wowed.
“Jane Doe” wakes up in a hospital room, with no memory of who she is or how she got there. She is battered and bruised from head to toe, but has no clue who would do this to her. But after staying months in the hospital, she no longer wants to remain a Jane Doe and decides upon Water, after the tattoo that she finds on her person.
After meeting a cranky old Ginny Fitzgerald, she is welcomed into her home for her recuperation. Water is hoping that with time her memory will return and things can go back to the way they were.
Jesse Welles, is trying to stay away from Water. Part of him doesn’t want her to remember who she is, but yet part of him does. He knows she’ll be happier and safer without those memories, but the more he comes around the better chance she will remember. So he tries to stay away, but that only lasts for so long.
The longer Water stays with Ginny, the more she is feeling comfortable. She finds a job, in the small town, and is slowly trying to piece together the flashes she sees. She is also drawn to the neighbor next door and feels a sense of recognition, and possibly trust.
I am lost and yet somehow found.
I am afraid and yet somehow comforted.
I am drifting and yet somehow…home.
This book made me all twisty as parts of Water started coming to the surface. I was devastated and my heart was racing like crazy. My emotions were all over the place. I can’t imagine waking up in a hospital, and having no memory of how you got there. I doubt I would handle it as well as Water did.
The characters were so welcoming and loving. Ginny was the best!! She was rough, but you knew there had to be a reason why. You just had to be patient. The entire Welles’ family was the perfect family to live next door to. They cared for her in the hospital, and continued to do so, even after she was released. being surrounded by such loving and caring people made her journey even more heartbreaking. But it was so worth it, in the end.
"The truth is like water: it doesn’t matter how hard you try and bury it; it’ll always find some way back to the surface."
K.A.Tucker is an autobuy for me. I am so very excited to see the next book!!
JezzaBelle
Posted Tue Oct 07 00:00:00 EDT 2014
So, I have decided that I suck at summarizing books. Add to the fact there there is mystery and secrets
and things that are slowly revealed throughout the story, I am absolutely terrified that I will spoil something
so I'm going to play it safe. Part of me just wants to say, "Go read it. You'll thank me."
When I first heard that K.A. Tucker was starting a new series and then that it would be a Romantic
Suspense novel, I was completely floored. At the time, I had just finished reading FIVE WAYS TO FALL
and I just couldn't wrap my head around the idea of her switching to something different. I was also so
extremely excited to see her spreading her creative wings and broadening her horizons, and possibly
her readership.
Burying Water is an emotional roller coaster. 'Water' has obviously been through a traumatic experience,
but Tucker only leaks the information to us in a slow trickle, leaving the reader thirsty for more. (See
what I did there?)
Water is staying next door to Jesse Welles and his family as she recovers and attempts to put her life
back together. Through her point of view you can see that Jesse seems to avoid her and appears to
work hard to stay out of her way. When you read his point of view, you can feel how hard it is for him to
keep his distance. Jesse obviously has his reasons for staying away, but the first few interactions
between these two made me want to lock them in a room together and just sit back watch what would
happen.
Tucker did a phenomenal job with her first foray into the land of Romantic Suspense. Jesse and 'Water'
have a combustible chemistry that Tucker is known for, combined with the thrill of the unknown that
makes BURYING WATER an irresistible page-turner.
Overview
The highly anticipated start of a new romantic suspense series from the beloved, USA Today bestselling author of Ten Tiny Breaths.
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 ...