Today is the release day for Hard As You Can by Laura Kaye!! We are all so excited about this amazing series. Today, Amber reviews it, and we have a Q&A with the author.
Be sure to mark March 5th at 8:00pm EST down on your calendars, where we will be hosting a live chat with this amazing author over on our Facebook page (The Geekery Book Review)! We hope to see you there!!
About HARD AS YOU CAN:
Five dishonored soldiers.
Former Special Forces.
One last mission.
These are the men of Hard Ink.
Ever since hard-bodied, drop-dead-charming Shane McCallan strolled into the dance club where Crystal Dean works, he’s shown a knack for getting beneath her defenses. For her little sister’s sake, Crystal can’t get too close. Until her job and Shane’s mission intersect, and he reveals talents that go deeper than she could have guessed.
Shane would never turn his back on a friend in need, especially a former Special Forces teammate running a dangerous, off-the-books operation. Nor can he walk away from Crystal. The gorgeous waitress is hiding secrets she doesn't want him to uncover. Too bad. He’s exactly the man she needs to protect her sister, her life, and her heart. All he has to do is convince her that when something feels this good, you hold on as hard as you can—and never let go
Five dishonored soldiers.
Former Special Forces.
One last mission.
These are the men of Hard Ink.
Ever since hard-bodied, drop-dead-charming Shane McCallan strolled into the dance club where Crystal Dean works, he’s shown a knack for getting beneath her defenses. For her little sister’s sake, Crystal can’t get too close. Until her job and Shane’s mission intersect, and he reveals talents that go deeper than she could have guessed.
Shane would never turn his back on a friend in need, especially a former Special Forces teammate running a dangerous, off-the-books operation. Nor can he walk away from Crystal. The gorgeous waitress is hiding secrets she doesn't want him to uncover. Too bad. He’s exactly the man she needs to protect her sister, her life, and her heart. All he has to do is convince her that when something feels this good, you hold on as hard as you can—and never let go
Amber's review:
Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling
author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing
up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore
involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long
fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her
husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the
Chesapeake Bay every day.
A 5+++++ Star Review by Amber Presley Boyd
Holy freakin wow! Seriously I thought when I read Hard As It
Gets that Laura had blown me away with this new series start but this follow up
is AH-FREAKIN-MAZING!! It starts off right at the climax of the action of the
previous book and never looks back!! I mean Becca and Nick were hot together
but Shane and Crystal/Sara are just smoldering from the start and only get
hotter!!
McCallan is tough and struggling to make amends with his
friends, especially Nick. Shane is still angry with Nick for disappearing after
they returned and it takes a lot for them to come to terms with their fractured
friendship. I love the camaraderie among
these brothers in arms, the loyalty that comes from their bond of battle and
the way that they all are working to restore their honor but also protect those
that are in danger. This is where Crystal, ok I’m just gonna call her Sara from
here on out because that’s who she is and I loved her strength! Shane and Sara
are electric together. There was a trust there that just seemed to be and even
though Sara doesn’t trust easily it was as if she inherently knew that Shane
was true to his word. So even when she tries to convince herself that Shane is
trying to play her, she continues to help him despite the fact that it could
put her in danger. Shane is drawn to her from the first encounter and when he
calls her “Sweetness” for the first time, sigh. . . just love this! He is truly
a Southern gentleman despite his hard lines and tough exterior; Shane falls
fast and falls hard. As for Crystal/Sara, she has had a life that no one should
have to shoulder but she’s done it with her head held high (and at times eyes
down to stay safe). She bears scars both physically and emotionally but she is
determined to make a better life for herself and her sister and will do
anything to make it happen. I think this is both why she helps the guys and why
it scares her to trust that Shane can help her. One of my favorite lines is
when Shane tells her about her scars, “they’re
proof of survival. They’re badges of honor. They’re marks of strength. You
don’t have to show me, but you do need to know there’s nothing on your body I
won’t love and respect. Because it’s you.” I mean could this man be any
more amazing?!
Laura keeps you on
the edge of your seat as the drama heats up in the battle for the guys to take
down these bad guys terrorizing Sara and her sister, finding more heinous
things and new enemies along the way. But amidst the steamy encounters, the
desire to prove love to another, building trust amongst them all there is a
humor present that keeps it all real to me. I had such a hangover finishing
this book that I had to pause before writing this review. But I found there
were so many things that have stayed with me. From Shane sharing the fact that
“the definition of courage is action in
the face of fear; by that definition, Sweetness, you’re the bravest person I
know” to his realization that Sara was “like
a phoenix rising from the flames and somehow this magical creature had pulled
him inside the ring of fire and allowed him to stand witness to the miracle of
her rebirth”. It was really
beautiful to realize that Shane and Sara were teaching each other about
strength, about honor and most importantly about love.
So well done Laura! Keep the boys coming because these Hard
Ink guys are a force of nature for sure and I can’t wait to see where you take
us next! So let’s all go take care of our “swass
and swalls” and raise a glass to Laura, the awesome Hard Ink Crew oh and
someone get Eileen a treat too! (I love that sweet little pup!!)
Read an Extended Excerpt of Book 1, Hard As It Gets
Q&A WITH LAURA KAYE
HARD AS YOU CAN is your second book in the
“Hard Ink” series (after USA Today bestseller, HARD AS IT GETS). What can
readers look forward to?
Readers can look forward to tons of sexy alpha male
goodness, awesome bromance between the Hard Ink men, more antics from the Hard
Ink puppy, and another great love story between Shane and Crystal. But readers
should also be ready for a book that is darker, more intense, and more
emotional. This book pushed me to emotional places that were tough as a writer,
and might be tough for readers, too. But I think that just makes the payoff at
the end so much sweeter!
Describe Shane and Crystal. What are their
best traits? What are their weaknesses?
Shane and Crystal are such an amazing couple to me.
They’re each exactly what the other
needs. Shane’s best traits are his protectiveness, his fundamental kindness,
and his soul-deep loyalty (his southern accent and humor are also right up
there!). His biggest weakness for sure is a tragedy from the past for which he
blames himself—and it’s something that continues to motivate him in Hard As You Can. Crystal’s best traits
are her courage, protectiveness, and selflessness—she’s willing to do anything
to keep her younger sister safe. Her biggest weakness is also that
selflessness, because the sacrifices she’s required to make are getting bigger
and bigger and bigger.
If you could describe your book in a 140
character tweet, what would it be?
When a woman in trouble assists an ex-soldier's covert mission
to regain his team's stolen honor, he finds a new mission to save her, too
What are you most excited about with this
second book release?
I’m really excited to take readers deeper into these
awesome characters and into the mystery behind the Hard Ink team’s ambush and
discharge!
What books are you reading right now?
I’m almost done with Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander (yes, I’m very late to the
party but OMG JAMIE FRASER!!!). And I’ve recently devoured and loved Juliana
Stone’s Offsides and Shelly Thacker’s
time-travel historical romance, Forever
His.
What can fans of your “Hard Ink” series look
forward to next?
There will be two more Hard Ink books in 2014!
Hard to Hold on To
– August 2014
Hard to Come By
– November 2014
About Laura Kaye:
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