We are beyond thrilled to bring you the Release Day Launch for Laura Kaye’s HARD TO COME BY! HARD TO COME BY is the third full length novel in Laura’s Hard Ink Series, published by Avon Romance.
As a special treat, through December 2, pre-order Hard to Come By or purchase it during release week, and receive exclusive bonus content! Just fill out the quick form here!
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About HARD TO COME BY
Caught between desire and loyalty…
Derek DiMarzio would do anything for the members of his disgraced Special Forces team–sacrifice his body, help a former teammate with a covert operation to restore their honor, and even go behind enemy lines. He just never expected to want the beautiful woman he found there.
When a sexy stranger asks questions about her brother, Emilie Garza is torn between loyalty to the brother she once idolized and fear of the war-changed man he’s become. Derek’s easy smile and quiet strength tempt Emilie to open up, igniting the desire between them and leading Derek to crave a woman he shouldn’t trust.
As the team’s investigation reveals how powerful their enemies are, Derek and Emilie must prove where their loyalties lie before hearts are broken and lives are lost. Because love is too hard to come by to let slip away…
Review
In each book of Laura Kaye’s Hard Ink series, the plot thickens for the ex-Special Forces crew, and as they unravel more clues and secrets, they find themselves more ensconced in turmoil and trying to work out how all of the puzzle pieces fit together. What started as a mission to clear their names and restore their honor as soldiers has turned into so much more; they are saving lives, rescuing women in dire straits, mending their straining relationships, and forming connections with women who have now become their lifeline. One by one, Rixey and his men are repairing their minds as well as their hearts by finding a woman who accepts every twisted and torn part of them, and in book three, Hard to Come By, Derek “Marz” DiMarzio helps unlock necessary information needed to continue their mission, but he also finds someone who might just help him feel like he belongs – that he’s more than the scarred amputee who doesn’t deserve love.
Emilie Garza is only supposed to be a mission asset; she’s Manny Garza’s sister, and Marz and his band of men need to secure Manny’s location and get vital intel from him in order to continue on with their mission. But, quickly, Marz realizes that his feelings for Emilie go way beyond what they should be; of course, he wants to protect her from her out of control brother, but he also wants her for himself because she’s a breath of fresh air in his dark world, and he needs that more than he ever really realized. But Marz is playing a dangerous game because when Emilie learns Marz’s real reasons for striking up a conversation with her, the damage may have already been done, and with the other threats that are circling the ex-Special Forces’ crew, Marz may not be able to protect everyone when his head and heart want to remain with Emile.
I love that there are two storylines simultaneously occurring through each Hard Ink book. The main one, which continues on throughout each new story, is about the ex soldiers finding a way to clear their names and understand the actions that took place that led them to the situation they find themselves in. It’s full of action and mystery, and it all slowly unravels as each story is released. I love how unpredictable it is as well – readers may think they have it all figured out, but then Laura Kaye writes in a twist that no one sees coming, which ups the ante not only for the men but for all the secondary characters involved as well.
The other situation that unfolds is one of the men finds himself drawn to a woman who he shouldn’t want because she’s usually mixed up in some way with a piece of the puzzle surrounding the men’s demise, but he can’t help himself and soon he’ll do anything to claim her and protect her from harm. This is exactly the situation that Marz finds himself in, in Hard to Come By when the plan to find Manny begins with his sister.
Marz and Emilie’s story has the perfect blend of action and romance. The steamy scenes truly show the connection that both of them feel towards each other and the action gives readers some necessary answers to a lot of the questions that have been unfolding throughout the entire series.
Laura Kaye definitely knows how to write strong male and female leads because in each one of the Hark Ink books, readers are given hot alpha males willing to sacrifice themselves for those they love and kickass heroines who may have been dealt a shit hand, but they don’t let it deter them from fighting and enduring regardless of the situation. I’m going to be sad when this series ends, but I can’t wait for Beckett’s story.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 poison apples
Excerpt
Marz was playing with fire. He damn well knew he was. But that didn’t make him want to pull away.
He just wanted more of the heat.
Marz nuzzled the side of Emilie’s face with his nose, his lips. She turned her face toward him and offered her lips. He couldn’t refuse.
Capturing her mouth on a tortured groan, Marz poured every ounce of his longing and confusion and desire into the kiss. They grasped at each other and Emilie turned in his arms. He pinned her against the railing and planted his hands in her hair. She opened to him and accepted his tongue, sucking him in until Marz’s blood ran hot and his hard-on ached. He ground himself against her and devoured every little moan and whimper and gasp she spilled.
Trailing kisses from her mouth to her jaw to her ear, Marz dragged a hand down her body and grasped her breast in his palm. She cried out and her head dropped back, drawing his mouth to her neck, where he licked and sucked and nipped as he kneaded her soft flesh. “You are so damn sexy.”
Her hand flew to his hair and grasped the back of his head. “Touch me,” she said. “Don’t stop touching me.”
Marz pulled away long enough to do a three-sixty scan. The lighthouse cast a dark shadow over them, and the pier was otherwise empty. His heart raced and his pulse hammered. He dove back in, trailing kisses down her neck to her collarbone, which he traced with his tongue. Her nails scratched deliciously at his scalp and her grip urged him down.
Through the thin material of her blouse and bra, he mouthed and flicked at her nipple. He shifted the deep vee of the neckline to reveal a lacy royal blue bra. He tongued her through the lace until she was panting and moaning and writhing against the railing.
“Oh, my God,” she rasped as he shifted her shirt and moved to her other breast. This time, he tugged the lace down to bare the deep pink of her nipple. She tasted and smelled like something fruity and sweet, and it made Marz hunger for more. “Derek,” she gasped. “Yes, yes, yes.”
Her palm cupped and squeezed the bulge of his erection through his jeans. His hips jerked into the touch, craving more of her, all of her. He groaned and it seemed to egg her on, because she pressed and rubbed her hand against his trapped cock until he was panting and imagining taking her down to the ground.
“Jesus, Emilie, you’re driving me fucking crazy,” he said as he worked kisses back up her body to her mouth.
“I know just what you mean,” she said. Her molten hot gaze met his. Eyes hooded, lips shiny and swollen, cheeks flushed, she was a freaking goddess standing under the moonlit sky. He felt the force of her beauty every bit as much in his chest as in his cock.
“You sure about that, babe?” he asked as he took her mouth in a deep, wet kiss. “Because my imagination has me stripping you of those fuck-hot jeans.”
“Yeah?” She rubbed his cock in a long stroke with the heel of her hand. “Mine has us getting a room at the hotel back there. So I’m sure,” she said with a smile.
Marz’s heart hammered against his breastbone and his cock jerked, clearly liking her idea, too. Except, if he took her up on it, he was going to end up buried inside her for as long as she’d have him. And so long as this clusterfuck of a situation defined their relationship, he couldn’t take things that far. Could he?
And don’t miss the other Hard Ink books, now available:
Praise for Hard to Come By:
“Rough sex and explosive fights power Kaye’s third Hard Ink novel, a thrilling adventure that feels more like an action movie with a romantic subplot than a typical contemporary romance. New readers will head straight for Kaye’s backlist after powering through this installment.” ~Publishers Weekly Starred Review
“TOP PICK! If you’re looking for danger, gritty action, and sizzling passion, then Kaye has just the book and the series for you.” ~RT Book Reviews Magazine
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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