Happy Release Day! In Her Wake (Ten Tiny Breaths 0.5) by K.A. Tucker

In Her Wake

Synopsis-

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…

MrsNorthman's Review-

"I destroyed her life and then got caught in her wake.  And I realize now that it's exactly where I'm meant to be."

We all make mistakes. Sometimes we don't stop to consider the consequences and easily brush things off thinking, it won't happen to me. That's exactly what happened to Cole Reynolds.

One night at a college party, he makes the mistake of believing his best friend is sober enough to drive. Cole was supposed to be the DD, but he was too drunk and handed the keys to Sasha. That mistake cost him his best friend and a very close friend. It also robbed a stranger of her parents, her best friend and her boyfriend. Cole is wracked with guilt and utterly broken. He can't get past the grief and it destroys his parents. Cole realizes he will never be the same person that he was before the accident, so he becomes Trent Emerson.

Trent doesn't feel connected to anyone. Anyone but the girl whose life was shattered in the crash. Like him, she will never be the same person. She's drinking, partying and sleeping with random guys. He wants to be the one to pick up the pieces and make her life better.  So he ends up following her and her little sister to Miami.

Cole's/Trent's story was heartbreaking and really emotional.  I loved getting to see what happened before they met. It just made Trent and Kacey's story so much more. This is the prequel to Ten Tiny Breaths, but I would recommend reading TTB first.  In TTB you get to discover how amazing Trent and Kacey are together. Before seeing Trent's stalkerish behavior in this novella.  K.A. Tucker's writing is great, so you can't go wrong with this series.

4/5 Fangs

MrsLeif's Review-

The novella deals with the circumstances which made Cole become Trent. It tells us what happened to him after the car crash where he lost his best friends and discovers that a teenager lost her parents, best friend and boyfriend.

It's so sad to read everything that goes through Cole's mind but it also sheds a light onto how much he had a hand is starting to save Kacey from her downward spiral. 

Cole feels survivor's guilt, he pushes his family away, pushes his career away, he pushes his girlfriend away, the only one he feels connected to is Kacey and he wants to help her in any way he can. But, before he can help others he must help himself.

I fell in love with Cole/Trent all over again. It broke my heart what he was feeling. He was so lost until he found Dr. Stayner who helped him figure out what he could do to make amends with all the guilt he feels. 

To me the novella adds more meaning to the series. 

4/5 Fangs