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whatkireads's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
badianjanihai's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rillaarcania's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
chelsiemarie1218's review
2.0
Audiobook - story line just isn’t one I am into, writing was good though.
lamlab's review
2.0
Sorry Nalini, but your contemporary romances are so not my thing :( I'll just stick to your urban fantasies from now on..
andromeda_books's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
amym84's review
5.0
4.5
I think I was in the majority of people who were immediately intrigued by Nayna and Raj when they were secondary characters in Cherish Hard, so I was super excited that Nalini Singh did decide to give them their own story. It turned into something much more than what I expected.
When Nayna and Raj first meet at a party, Nayna is looking for a night of uninhibited fun. She's tired of living the "good girl" rule-following life her parents have enforced upon her since her older sister ran off with a man and created scandal for their family. Even though she's reluctantly agreed to follow the traditional Indian ways and have her parents find her a husband, Nayna wants just one night of fun before she has to choose the man she'll be married to for the rest of her life.
Raj, on the other hand, is pretty much in the same boat as Nayna. His parents, too, are arranging a marriage for him, but Raj is on board. He likes the traditional ways and he looks forward to marrying and starting a family.
So when Raj and Nayna's parents happen to set them up for a meet, it should be a dream come true for Nayna. I mean, she's definitely attracted to Raj, and in turn Raj is definitely attracted to her. But Nayna fears the constrictions marriage will place on her dreams. She doesn't want to just marry and have children and cook and clean house. She wants to travel and experience life, see new places. Plus, the demolition of her sister's marriage showed Nayna that happily-ever-afters aren't always achieved after one marries. Nayna and Raj will have to determine between following tradition and dreams, and where that leaves each of their happiness in the end.
I had thought that Rebel Hard would be a pretty straight-forward romance. But it ended up being so much more about the value of tradition versus the modern way of things and whether or not you can have both. And honestly, where better to bring up this contrast than when talking about weddings which are pretty much a universal concept, yet each culture (and even each family) has their own traditions they follow in regards to the wedding ceremony and dating.
It was interesting to see the divide between Nayna and Raj with Raj ready to "settle down" and Nayna wanting to find out who she is and what she wants as an individual without the influence of Raj or her family. It's difficult because when her older sister ran away and shamed the family, it made their parents protect and shelter Nayne all the more. Beyond just wanting to break away and have some experiences, she also sees how her sister's first marriage continues to effect her (not in a good way). Raj, too, sees the potential negative side to marriage in the form of his younger brother and sister-in-law who fight constantly and make the household extremely uncomfortable.
Bracketing these relationships of unhappiness you also have the enduring love of both Nayna and Raj's parents who form a more traditional outlook on relationships yet still manage to be progressive. Then of course there's Nayna's delightful Aji (grandmother) who talks sense into both sides when it seems like their hold-ups are getting the better of them.
Really what it comes down to is: Rebel Hard is a sweet romance with a hero to die for who isn't afraid to say he's ready to settle down yet still listens and understands Nayna's wants and desires (even if they somewhat clash with his own), and a heroine who knows what she wants and is determined not to be defined by her status as a wife, yet understands Raj's desire for a family.
I was surprised at all the development that took place from the beginning to the end. It's not a simple A to Z kind of story, but Nalini Singh keeps the complications from feeling overwhelming or repetitive, instead the story flows nicely and each issue that comes up is valid and something that should be taken into consideration.
This is another good one from an author who can always be counted on to deliver.
I think I was in the majority of people who were immediately intrigued by Nayna and Raj when they were secondary characters in Cherish Hard, so I was super excited that Nalini Singh did decide to give them their own story. It turned into something much more than what I expected.
When Nayna and Raj first meet at a party, Nayna is looking for a night of uninhibited fun. She's tired of living the "good girl" rule-following life her parents have enforced upon her since her older sister ran off with a man and created scandal for their family. Even though she's reluctantly agreed to follow the traditional Indian ways and have her parents find her a husband, Nayna wants just one night of fun before she has to choose the man she'll be married to for the rest of her life.
Raj, on the other hand, is pretty much in the same boat as Nayna. His parents, too, are arranging a marriage for him, but Raj is on board. He likes the traditional ways and he looks forward to marrying and starting a family.
So when Raj and Nayna's parents happen to set them up for a meet, it should be a dream come true for Nayna. I mean, she's definitely attracted to Raj, and in turn Raj is definitely attracted to her. But Nayna fears the constrictions marriage will place on her dreams. She doesn't want to just marry and have children and cook and clean house. She wants to travel and experience life, see new places. Plus, the demolition of her sister's marriage showed Nayna that happily-ever-afters aren't always achieved after one marries. Nayna and Raj will have to determine between following tradition and dreams, and where that leaves each of their happiness in the end.
I had thought that Rebel Hard would be a pretty straight-forward romance. But it ended up being so much more about the value of tradition versus the modern way of things and whether or not you can have both. And honestly, where better to bring up this contrast than when talking about weddings which are pretty much a universal concept, yet each culture (and even each family) has their own traditions they follow in regards to the wedding ceremony and dating.
It was interesting to see the divide between Nayna and Raj with Raj ready to "settle down" and Nayna wanting to find out who she is and what she wants as an individual without the influence of Raj or her family. It's difficult because when her older sister ran away and shamed the family, it made their parents protect and shelter Nayne all the more. Beyond just wanting to break away and have some experiences, she also sees how her sister's first marriage continues to effect her (not in a good way). Raj, too, sees the potential negative side to marriage in the form of his younger brother and sister-in-law who fight constantly and make the household extremely uncomfortable.
Bracketing these relationships of unhappiness you also have the enduring love of both Nayna and Raj's parents who form a more traditional outlook on relationships yet still manage to be progressive. Then of course there's Nayna's delightful Aji (grandmother) who talks sense into both sides when it seems like their hold-ups are getting the better of them.
Really what it comes down to is: Rebel Hard is a sweet romance with a hero to die for who isn't afraid to say he's ready to settle down yet still listens and understands Nayna's wants and desires (even if they somewhat clash with his own), and a heroine who knows what she wants and is determined not to be defined by her status as a wife, yet understands Raj's desire for a family.
I was surprised at all the development that took place from the beginning to the end. It's not a simple A to Z kind of story, but Nalini Singh keeps the complications from feeling overwhelming or repetitive, instead the story flows nicely and each issue that comes up is valid and something that should be taken into consideration.
This is another good one from an author who can always be counted on to deliver.
amym84's review against another edition
5.0
4.5
I think I was in the majority of people who were immediately intrigued by Nayna and Raj when they were secondary characters in [b:Cherish Hard|36390029|Cherish Hard (Hard Play, #1)|Nalini Singh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1507687179s/36390029.jpg|58081345], so I was super excited that Nalini Singh did decide to give them their own story. It turned into something much more than what I expected.
When Nayna and Raj first meet at a party, Nayna is looking for a night of uninhibited fun. She's tired of living the "good girl" rule-following life her parents have enforced upon her since her older sister ran off with a man and created scandal for their family. Even though she's reluctantly agreed to follow the traditional Indian ways and have her parents find her a husband, Nayna wants just one night of fun before she has to choose the man she'll be married to for the rest of her life.
Raj, on the other hand, is pretty much in the same boat as Nayna. His parents, too, are arranging a marriage for him, but Raj is on board. He likes the traditional ways and he looks forward to marrying and starting a family.
So when Raj and Nayna's parents happen to set them up for a meet, it should be a dream come true for Nayna. I mean, she's definitely attracted to Raj, and in turn Raj is definitely attracted to her. But Nayna fears the constrictions marriage will place on her dreams. She doesn't want to just marry and have children and cook and clean house. She wants to travel and experience life, see new places. Plus, the demolition of her sister's marriage showed Nayna that happily-ever-afters aren't always achieved after one marries. Nayna and Raj will have to determine between following tradition and dreams, and where that leaves each of their happiness in the end.
I had thought that Rebel Hard would be a pretty straight-forward romance. But it ended up being so much more about the value of tradition versus the modern way of things and whether or not you can have both. And honestly, where better to bring up this contrast than when talking about weddings which are pretty much a universal concept, yet each culture (and even each family) has their own traditions they follow in regards to the wedding ceremony and dating.
It was interesting to see the divide between Nayna and Raj with Raj ready to "settle down" and Nayna wanting to find out who she is and what she wants as an individual without the influence of Raj or her family. It's difficult because when her older sister ran away and shamed the family, it made their parents protect and shelter Nayne all the more. Beyond just wanting to break away and have some experiences, she also sees how her sister's first marriage continues to effect her (not in a good way). Raj, too, sees the potential negative side to marriage in the form of his younger brother and sister-in-law who fight constantly and make the household extremely uncomfortable.
Bracketing these relationships of unhappiness you also have the enduring love of both Nayna and Raj's parents who form a more traditional outlook on relationships yet still manage to be progressive. Then of course there's Nayna's delightful Aji (grandmother) who talks sense into both sides when it seems like their hold-ups are getting the better of them.
Really what it comes down to is: Rebel Hard is a sweet romance with a hero to die for who isn't afraid to say he's ready to settle down yet still listens and understands Nayna's wants and desires (even if they somewhat clash with his own), and a heroine who knows what she wants and is determined not to be defined by her status as a wife, yet understands Raj's desire for a family.
I was surprised at all the development that took place from the beginning to the end. It's not a simple A to Z kind of story, but Nalini Singh keeps the complications from feeling overwhelming or repetitive, instead the story flows nicely and each issue that comes up is valid and something that should be taken into consideration.
This is another good one from an author who can always be counted on to deliver.
*Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I think I was in the majority of people who were immediately intrigued by Nayna and Raj when they were secondary characters in [b:Cherish Hard|36390029|Cherish Hard (Hard Play, #1)|Nalini Singh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1507687179s/36390029.jpg|58081345], so I was super excited that Nalini Singh did decide to give them their own story. It turned into something much more than what I expected.
When Nayna and Raj first meet at a party, Nayna is looking for a night of uninhibited fun. She's tired of living the "good girl" rule-following life her parents have enforced upon her since her older sister ran off with a man and created scandal for their family. Even though she's reluctantly agreed to follow the traditional Indian ways and have her parents find her a husband, Nayna wants just one night of fun before she has to choose the man she'll be married to for the rest of her life.
Raj, on the other hand, is pretty much in the same boat as Nayna. His parents, too, are arranging a marriage for him, but Raj is on board. He likes the traditional ways and he looks forward to marrying and starting a family.
So when Raj and Nayna's parents happen to set them up for a meet, it should be a dream come true for Nayna. I mean, she's definitely attracted to Raj, and in turn Raj is definitely attracted to her. But Nayna fears the constrictions marriage will place on her dreams. She doesn't want to just marry and have children and cook and clean house. She wants to travel and experience life, see new places. Plus, the demolition of her sister's marriage showed Nayna that happily-ever-afters aren't always achieved after one marries. Nayna and Raj will have to determine between following tradition and dreams, and where that leaves each of their happiness in the end.
I had thought that Rebel Hard would be a pretty straight-forward romance. But it ended up being so much more about the value of tradition versus the modern way of things and whether or not you can have both. And honestly, where better to bring up this contrast than when talking about weddings which are pretty much a universal concept, yet each culture (and even each family) has their own traditions they follow in regards to the wedding ceremony and dating.
It was interesting to see the divide between Nayna and Raj with Raj ready to "settle down" and Nayna wanting to find out who she is and what she wants as an individual without the influence of Raj or her family. It's difficult because when her older sister ran away and shamed the family, it made their parents protect and shelter Nayne all the more. Beyond just wanting to break away and have some experiences, she also sees how her sister's first marriage continues to effect her (not in a good way). Raj, too, sees the potential negative side to marriage in the form of his younger brother and sister-in-law who fight constantly and make the household extremely uncomfortable.
Bracketing these relationships of unhappiness you also have the enduring love of both Nayna and Raj's parents who form a more traditional outlook on relationships yet still manage to be progressive. Then of course there's Nayna's delightful Aji (grandmother) who talks sense into both sides when it seems like their hold-ups are getting the better of them.
Really what it comes down to is: Rebel Hard is a sweet romance with a hero to die for who isn't afraid to say he's ready to settle down yet still listens and understands Nayna's wants and desires (even if they somewhat clash with his own), and a heroine who knows what she wants and is determined not to be defined by her status as a wife, yet understands Raj's desire for a family.
I was surprised at all the development that took place from the beginning to the end. It's not a simple A to Z kind of story, but Nalini Singh keeps the complications from feeling overwhelming or repetitive, instead the story flows nicely and each issue that comes up is valid and something that should be taken into consideration.
This is another good one from an author who can always be counted on to deliver.
*Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.