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.
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Review
***ARC was provided by HarperCollins Publisher in exchange for an honest review***
Hard as You Can, Book Two in the Hard Ink Series, picks up right where Hard as It Gets left off. The team is recovering from the successful extraction of Charlie Merritt from the hands of criminals, but their mission is not over. There are still a ton of questions that need answering about Merritt’s deception as well as who is still coming after his kids, Charlie and Becca. While Nick and his team work all angles to solve the mystery, Shane’s goal is to get close to the waitress who allowed them to rescue Charlie. He believes Crystal can help them get intel on the illegal businesses that are being run out of Confessions, which are in some way connected to their own case, but what Shane doesn’t see coming is the desperate need he feels to help Crystal out of her own dangerous situation and perhaps make amends for an incident that has haunted him for years. The fight is on for the Hark Ink Men to clear their good names and for Crystal to find a way out of a life that she was never supposed to lead.
I could tell in book one that Shane had a life altering back story; he is tormented with guilt, which explains his need to right all the wrongs that he can. Shane is a southern boy, and he has the accent and the charm that go with it. He holds himself up to high standards, so when he sees Crystal in a dangerous situation, he wants to help – at first because he sees the bruises and the fear on her face, but soon after, because he wants to protect her and call her his. If he can save Crystal and her sister perhaps some of the guilt he feels will dissipate, and he can allow himself to be happy.
Crystal Dean is just as strong as Becca Merritt. She’s a fantastic heroine because she has the guts to keep fighting and the brains to ask for help. Crystal’s job at Confessions is not by choice neither is the man who controls her. She’s forced to remain where she is due to her father’s mistakes. Her sister, Jenna, is her first priority; she’ll do anything to make sure Jenna gets the help she needs even if it means suffering every step of the way. Crystal has had to endure so much at such a young age that the physical and mental scars cut deep, but she’s determined to overcome any obstacle in her way to break free of the life she never wanted. Shane and Crystal are two tortured souls who may just find what they need and deserve in each other.
The Hard Ink Series is a definite must read. There’s action, suspense, and romance every step of the way. Book Two delves a bit deeper into sensitive issues – abuse, kidnapping, and the slave trade, but it’s not over the top. They are necessary storylines that help move the plot along and shed light on how deep the deception runs. A great thing about this series is that Rixey’s team keeps growing stronger, and the bond they once had is being remade. They understand what’s at stake, and it’s clearly shown by how far they are all willing to go for each other. Nick and Shane’s relationship is mended at the end of the book, and the Hard Ink Men have added a few helpers to the team. I love romantic suspense novels because there’s never a lull…the need to keep reading is always there because there are some many pieces of the puzzle that need to be solved. For me, the romance is secondary…don’t get me wrong, I’m glad these courageously strong men get their women, but the dominant plot is not so much how they get together, it’s how the problems are resolved. Laura Kaye gives that to readers in this series, and it makes it so worth the read.
4/4.5 poison apples
Blitz Excerpt
It’s release day! And I’m thrilled to share Hard As You Can, the second book in the Hard Ink series, with all of you here today! Hard As You Can follows the surviving members of a disgraced Army Special Forces team as they fight to regain their stolen honor, and finds their investigation crossing paths with a waitress willing to do whatever it takes to stay alive and protect her younger sister. For Shane McCallan, saving Crystal Dean is a mission he refuses to turn down.
Today, I’m excited to share Shane and Crystal’s first kiss! Don’t you love first kiss scenes? Gah! I so do. *grins* Here we go:
“Tell me not to,” Shane said, his voice a raw scrape.
“I can’t,” Crystal whispered in a shaky voice. “I don’t want to.”
Shane’s body took over then, all urgent need and basic instinct. The rest of the world be damned. He pulled her in and kissed her, his lips devouring, his tongue exploring deep. Nothing held back. Nothing denied. Not even as her lips reawakened the sting from the cut on his lip. Totally worth it.
Crystal’s arms came up around him. She trembled against him, and Shane wasn’t sure if it was caused by adrenaline or fear. Unable to tolerate the thought that she might feel forced, he eased off.
She moaned and held him tighter, like his retreat had made something snap within her. Their kisses deepened, and her body moved against his, sinuously, maddeningly, desperately.
They tasted one another again and again, giving in to the heat that had sparked between them from the moment Crystal had collided with him at Confessions. Little nips and bites of lips and teeth warred with long, sensual strokes of tongue that stole his breath and made him instantly hard. The sting in his lip, the throb of his GSW, the aches from Nick’s asskicking, every bit of it faded away—no, her touch made it all go away.
The few times they’d spoken, Crystal had most often been guarded, tentative, fearful. Just as she’d been when he first kissed her. But, now, she was revealing a passionate woman who could be fearless, giving and receiving openly and without hesitation. Christ, the thought that this fierceness was the real Crystal slayed him because it meant she was burying and denying her true self, not because she wanted to, but because she had to.
No, because someone forced her to.
The thought reminded him of the bruises on her arm. Shane had known this woman for three days, and twice in that time she’d been hurt by another man. And both as a consequence for things Shane had done.
A crack of thunder echoed from the heavens, making Crystal jump and gasp into his mouth.
“I’ve got you,” he rasped around a kiss.
Part of him wanted to say more, to tell her he had her and he’d keep her safe. But he couldn’t make himself give up her heat, her sweetness, her obvious hunger—for him.
So he made her a silent promise instead.
Never again, Crystal. He’ll never hurt you again. Not on my watch.
Because Shane McCallan had made a mistake like that once. And, as bad as his sister’s disappearance had been, something’s happening to Crystal would actually be worse because Shane knew it was coming. The one break he’d ever given himself over Molly was that he’d had no way to know she’d be abducted. Didn’t excuse the role he played in allowing it to happen, but he couldn’t have known. But with Crystal, while he might not know when or how this Bruno asshole would strike out to do the ultimate damage, it was all but a done deal at this point. Always was with guys like him. And Shane would go to the grave before he let it happen, before he failed another female for whom he cared.
Because he did care. Made no damn sense given how long he’d known her. And the timing was beyond piss-poor. But there it was all the same.
So that’s Shane and Crystal starting to give in to what they feel for one another – I hope you enjoyed! Did you have a favorite line? Thanks for reading!
~Laura
“Edgy, sexy, and full of suspense! A great read from a great new author!”
~J.R. Ward on Hard As It Gets
Read an Extended Excerpt of Book 1, Hard As It Gets
Buy Hard As You Can at Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo
About Laura Kaye:
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.
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