Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: Hard As You Can – Laura Kaye

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.

Series: Hard Ink #2
Release Date: February 25th 2014
Publisher: Avon
Source: Edelweiss
Reviewer: Sheri
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

Sometimes you live in hell for the ones you love, both Shane and Crystal are living in their own versions of hell and together they can learn to live again.

I really loved this story, I enjoyed the first book but I definitely loved Shane and Crystal way more. Shane has a lot of guilt on his shoulders and is willing and ready to help Crystal even more so when he starts to fall for her and her inner strength.

Crystal is a very strong heroine and one I really liked. Yes, she’s allowing herself to be in a bad relationship but she’ll do anything and everything for her younger sister. I loved that even though Crystal has lost a big chunk of her identity she is willing to open herself up to love and the possibility of a future with Shane.

Full of action, suspense and a continuing story arc from the first book, this is a great addition to what I can easily see becoming a favorite new series of mine. I look forward to the rest of the crew finding love and solving the mystery that brought them all back together. Ms. Kaye is doing a beautiful job of building up the suspense and I look forward to the completion of that story arc.

I highly recommend this book and while I think a reader can enjoy this story as a standalone I recommend reading the first one since it sets up the story very well.

Release week is finally here! And I’m thrilled to share Hard As You Can, the second book in my 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 a peek at a moment when Shane’s protective—and possessive—instincts are thrown into high gear! Here we go:

With one last deep breath, Crystal pulled the dressing room door open. And walked right into a big, male body.

 

Crystal gasped. “You can’t be back here!” She grabbed Shane’s shirt with both hands and hauled him into the dressing room, then locked the door. “What the hell are you doing? You’re going to get me killed.” She’d meant the words figuratively, of course, but in point of fact, they possessed some literal truth.

 

His gaze was hard and lethal as steel. “I saw you run past the door.”

 

“And?” she said, exasperation using up every bit of her patience.

 

“I was worried.”

 

He was . . . worried? Even after he saw me . . . ?

 

“Why?” she said.

 

He muttered under his breath, his fists clenching and unclenching. “I take it that was Bruno?”

 

Crystal’s gaze dropped to the floor, the one she wished would open up and swallow her. She nodded.

 

“Well, I saw him grab you, Crystal. He might as well have mauled you—” Shane raked his fingers through his hair, messing up the neatly combed style that highlighted the blond.

 

Crystal grabbed his hands. “Don’t do that. You’re messing up your comb-over disguise,” she said. Using her own fingers, she straightened his hair, all the while the realization sank in that he wasn’t mad because she’d kissed Bruno, he was mad because Bruno had kissed her. Shane went still under her touch. Her face heated and, sure enough, his gaze blazed at her. She yanked her hands away. “You have to leave—”

 

“Not yet.” A raw, aggressive masculinity poured off him, and Shane shook his head. “Not until you hear what I have to say.” He stepped closer.

 

“But, Shane—”

 

“No. What he did out there, that wasn’t okay with you. Jesus. I could see it in your eyes, your body, the way your fucking hands shook.” He heaved a deep breath, like he was attempting to calm himself. “And if it wasn’t okay with you, it’s sure as hell not okay with me.” Closer, yet. So close his chest brushed hers. “In point of fact, I have a major fucking problem with a male forcing a woman to do anything,” he said, his eyes burning with molten silver. “But let me be clear, Crystal. Seeing him all over you like that would do bad things to me even if you wanted his attention. So my intentions here”—he pursed his lips and shook his head—“they’re not all honorable. Because I want you. I want you so bad I can hardly breathe.”

 

The room spun around Crystal, and butterflies looped within her belly. “Shane,” she whispered, dumbstruck by his declaration. Nervous energy exploded within her until she thought she might burst into a thousand pieces. “Please. We can talk later,” she rushed. “You have to go.”

 

“You promise? Because I’m not done here. Not by a long shot.”

Eep! Can I just tell you how fun it was to write that little monologue??? So that’s Shane telling it like it is – now the question is what will happen when they talk again? For that, please check out the book! *winks* Now, did you have a favorite line? Thanks for reading!

~Laura

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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