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ashkwtf's review against another edition
I'm having a hard time with this. The narration from Nick/Rixey's POV is just weird. It switches back and forth between his first and last name randomly and uses it when a pronoun would feel less awkward. I've already put this book down twice to read another book, so it's not looking good.
teresajluvs2read's review against another edition
5.0
Hard Ink completely rocks
I have found a new series to get immersed into and for the first book in the series, it's fantastic. Becca receives a cryptic message from her brother, Charlie, to find Rixsey should he go missing. Nick works as a tattoo artist after receiving a other than honorable discharge from the Army after his special forces team were ambushed. It's takes Charlie's disappearance to get the team back together, find Charlie, and discover everything is not what it seems. All of clues lead back to their father who may have been involved in black ops and drug smuggling.
I have found a new series to get immersed into and for the first book in the series, it's fantastic. Becca receives a cryptic message from her brother, Charlie, to find Rixsey should he go missing. Nick works as a tattoo artist after receiving a other than honorable discharge from the Army after his special forces team were ambushed. It's takes Charlie's disappearance to get the team back together, find Charlie, and discover everything is not what it seems. All of clues lead back to their father who may have been involved in black ops and drug smuggling.
bookloverchelle's review against another edition
4.0
Becca isn't quite sure what's happened but she knows that something has happened to her brother and she knows that somehow Nick will be able to help her. The last thing Nick wants is to remember his former commander, the man who ruined his military career, and having that man's daughter show up on his doorstep is not what he needs. But something about Becca is calling to him and if she can provide answers he's ready to help. The only problem is that to find Becca's brother Nick needs help from his former team members, the men he's ignored for the past year. As Nick reestablishes his connection with his former teammates, his bond with Becca grows but can he trust his feelings when he blames her family for so much. Becca knows that she needs Nick and his team to help find her brother and that she's asking a lot from them but she finds comfort with Nick that she never thought possible. But finding her brother is just the start and Becca has no idea the tidal wave she has unleashed. Can Becca and Nick find happiness as their reality begins to unravel? Fun, suspenseful, sexy read. I'm excited to continue the series, Great read!
jen286's review against another edition
4.0
This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland
Hard as it Gets was an odd read for me. It is one where I am not quite sure why I loved it as much as I did (and why I am writing this review quickly so I can get on to book #2!). If I think about it the story has a lot of things I normally don't like, but somehow I didn't care or they worked in this context. So it was a strange read for me.
Nick is a former Army Special Forces guy. He loved what he did, he was good at it, and the men he served with were like brothers to him. Until everything went wrong and he was not so honorably discharged in a big cover-up. Since then he has not been able to shake that it is all his fault he and the remaining men on his team's reputations were tarnished. That he failed them. Plus he doesn't know what to do with his life now that the only thing he did know has been taken away. So he is hanging out with his brother, doing some tattooing on the side and just floating.
Becca needs help. Her recluse of a brother has disappeared and she can't get the police to take her seriously. The last time she talked to him they argued and she can't stand the way they left things. What if something happened to him and she will never get to see him again and tell him how much she loves him? He is the only family she has left and she won't stop until she finds him.
Luckily for Becca her brother left her one last message before he disappeared - find Rixey and he can help. Now things don't start off very well between them because of some things between Nick and her father, but luckily Nick is a great guy and can't just blow her off completely. Especially since she pretty quickly gets into trouble and could have easily been kidnapped or killed had he left her high and dry. Of course this means they have to stay somewhere safe and that leads to them falling for each other. Really the events in this book only take place over a couple of days and even though I didn't really feel like they were in love I was all too happy to go along with it. I couldn't stop reading and wanting them to work things out. Nick doesn't think he is a good person and so he runs a bit hot and cold, but I really enjoyed watching him figure everything out. Watching him come out of his shell and relax a bit thanks to Becca.
I also loved Becca. She is so strong and resilient. She will do whatever it takes to get her brother back. No matter how scared she is or tired or whatever she steps up every time. She fights back when needed and doesn't let anyone push her around. She was fun to read.
Oh, one thing I really loved about this story was that there was something that you knew would cause a bit of drama when it came out, something Nick wasn't able to talk about, and I adored how the author handled it. I love when people can be adults and think before lashing out and trashing everything. It was great.
Now going in I thought this was a series of standalone stories and I got to where I had about a half hour left in the book and thought how in the world is the author going to tie everything up in that amount of time? Luckily she didn't as I think that would have dragged down the ending for me. It is a series about different couples in each book, and their storyline gets tied up at the end, but the overarching storyline continues between them. I was very glad to see that as the overarching storyline is a bit complicated and I can't wait to read on and see what happens next.
Hard as it Gets was an odd read for me. It is one where I am not quite sure why I loved it as much as I did (and why I am writing this review quickly so I can get on to book #2!). If I think about it the story has a lot of things I normally don't like, but somehow I didn't care or they worked in this context. So it was a strange read for me.
Nick is a former Army Special Forces guy. He loved what he did, he was good at it, and the men he served with were like brothers to him. Until everything went wrong and he was not so honorably discharged in a big cover-up. Since then he has not been able to shake that it is all his fault he and the remaining men on his team's reputations were tarnished. That he failed them. Plus he doesn't know what to do with his life now that the only thing he did know has been taken away. So he is hanging out with his brother, doing some tattooing on the side and just floating.
Becca needs help. Her recluse of a brother has disappeared and she can't get the police to take her seriously. The last time she talked to him they argued and she can't stand the way they left things. What if something happened to him and she will never get to see him again and tell him how much she loves him? He is the only family she has left and she won't stop until she finds him.
Luckily for Becca her brother left her one last message before he disappeared - find Rixey and he can help. Now things don't start off very well between them because of some things between Nick and her father, but luckily Nick is a great guy and can't just blow her off completely. Especially since she pretty quickly gets into trouble and could have easily been kidnapped or killed had he left her high and dry. Of course this means they have to stay somewhere safe and that leads to them falling for each other. Really the events in this book only take place over a couple of days and even though I didn't really feel like they were in love I was all too happy to go along with it. I couldn't stop reading and wanting them to work things out. Nick doesn't think he is a good person and so he runs a bit hot and cold, but I really enjoyed watching him figure everything out. Watching him come out of his shell and relax a bit thanks to Becca.
I also loved Becca. She is so strong and resilient. She will do whatever it takes to get her brother back. No matter how scared she is or tired or whatever she steps up every time. She fights back when needed and doesn't let anyone push her around. She was fun to read.
Oh, one thing I really loved about this story was that there was something that you knew would cause a bit of drama when it came out, something Nick wasn't able to talk about, and I adored how the author handled it. I love when people can be adults and think before lashing out and trashing everything. It was great.
Now going in I thought this was a series of standalone stories and I got to where I had about a half hour left in the book and thought how in the world is the author going to tie everything up in that amount of time? Luckily she didn't as I think that would have dragged down the ending for me. It is a series about different couples in each book, and their storyline gets tied up at the end, but the overarching storyline continues between them. I was very glad to see that as the overarching storyline is a bit complicated and I can't wait to read on and see what happens next.
erinnicole28's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars!
Why didn't I read this sooner..? Oh yea, it must be because I'm an idiot. This book has tons of reviews so there is no need to go into detail with this one. Plus, it's like midnight. I'll just say this book had EVERYTHING: heartbreak, friendship, hot military guys, drama, suspense, mystery, hot sex, and a beautiful romance!
I'm hooked on this author and hooked on the series. From the first chapter. Now... let's just hope the rest of the books are as equally amazing!
Why didn't I read this sooner..? Oh yea, it must be because I'm an idiot. This book has tons of reviews so there is no need to go into detail with this one. Plus, it's like midnight. I'll just say this book had EVERYTHING: heartbreak, friendship, hot military guys, drama, suspense, mystery, hot sex, and a beautiful romance!
I'm hooked on this author and hooked on the series. From the first chapter. Now... let's just hope the rest of the books are as equally amazing!
christihay's review against another edition
5.0
Really good...one of the better books I have read lately!!!
thebooktrollop's review against another edition
5.0
Dear Alpha Gods everywhere!!!
This book was exciting, mysterious, not so much edge of your seat but there were WTF moments and OMG where the Hell is Laura going with this moments, that left me turning the pages trying to figure out what was going to happen.
Becca Merritt thinks her brother is in trouble and the last message she received from him was to go find Nick Rixey. When Nick turns her away, there is something in his gut telling him he made a mistake so he does what any (in)sane person would do and stalks her to see if anything is out of ordinary. What he expects to find is Becca being overly cautious but what happens is far beyond what his mind could conjure up.
Now there is a chase, close calls, and a mystery that is so deep, he needs help to figure out the pieces of the puzzle.
He enlists the help of his old Green Beret team and can we say HOLY Alpha-Male ORGY?? Oh, maybe that is what my brain was conjuring while reading this?...
Every man in this group was what most woman picture when thinking about Army men. Strong, moody, determined, kind, intelligent, and panty drenching sexy.
I loved the camaraderie between the brothers. They faced some crazy shit together while over in Afghanistan and now they all have a mutual goal to be accomplished. Even though it was a rough start for them in the beginning, they buried the issues and worked together.
I did feel the reason Nick stopped talking to all of them and the fact they were so pissed off was a little overdramatic but it didn't deter me from the story. I was just expecting Nick to have done something a little more than what he did.
(And yes I know I am vague. I can't help it, I don't want to over share)
I loved the building relationship with Nick and Becca. I am kind of back and forth on whether I thought this relationship was a little too fast but I can say that they are explosive together, and Becca knows how to handle him and his boys (both sets HA). She is a tough chick and she didn't let the pain and worry drown her. She stood tall and she was an equal instead of the damsel in distress. I liked that about about her. I hate whiney, stick your head in the sand type characters and all of these characters were far from that. They took shit head on and devoured it. Found solutions and pursued them.
I guess that is what you can expect from soldiers though ;).
The steam action in this book was OMG HOT.
God, when Nick talked dirty... I stood up, paid attention and kept rereading the parts over and over again. He made my heart race, have butterflies, and become horny all at the same time...
Wooo baby. *fans self*
This is book 1 in the Hard Ink Series so it does not answer all the questions, if anything there were more questions than answers but it did not end in a cliffhanger. Everything is just left open so I am anticipating, waiting, and salivating to get my hands on the next book in the series; Hard As You Can.
I like that each book is a different member of the team so we get to experience each one through each book.
I can't wait to be inside their Alpha heads'.
I give this book a 4.5/5 and can't wait to see what happens next.
Here is the series in order:
Hard As It Gets (Hard Ink, 1)
Hard As You Can (Hard Ink, 2)
Hard to Hold Onto (Hard Ink, 2.5)
Hard to Come By (Hard Ink, 3)
Untitled (Hard Ink, 4)
This book was exciting, mysterious, not so much edge of your seat but there were WTF moments and OMG where the Hell is Laura going with this moments, that left me turning the pages trying to figure out what was going to happen.
Becca Merritt thinks her brother is in trouble and the last message she received from him was to go find Nick Rixey. When Nick turns her away, there is something in his gut telling him he made a mistake so he does what any (in)sane person would do and stalks her to see if anything is out of ordinary. What he expects to find is Becca being overly cautious but what happens is far beyond what his mind could conjure up.
Now there is a chase, close calls, and a mystery that is so deep, he needs help to figure out the pieces of the puzzle.
He enlists the help of his old Green Beret team and can we say HOLY Alpha-Male ORGY?? Oh, maybe that is what my brain was conjuring while reading this?...
Every man in this group was what most woman picture when thinking about Army men. Strong, moody, determined, kind, intelligent, and panty drenching sexy.
I loved the camaraderie between the brothers. They faced some crazy shit together while over in Afghanistan and now they all have a mutual goal to be accomplished. Even though it was a rough start for them in the beginning, they buried the issues and worked together.
I did feel the reason Nick stopped talking to all of them and the fact they were so pissed off was a little overdramatic but it didn't deter me from the story. I was just expecting Nick to have done something a little more than what he did.
(And yes I know I am vague. I can't help it, I don't want to over share)
I loved the building relationship with Nick and Becca. I am kind of back and forth on whether I thought this relationship was a little too fast but I can say that they are explosive together, and Becca knows how to handle him and his boys (both sets HA). She is a tough chick and she didn't let the pain and worry drown her. She stood tall and she was an equal instead of the damsel in distress. I liked that about about her. I hate whiney, stick your head in the sand type characters and all of these characters were far from that. They took shit head on and devoured it. Found solutions and pursued them.
I guess that is what you can expect from soldiers though ;).
The steam action in this book was OMG HOT.
God, when Nick talked dirty... I stood up, paid attention and kept rereading the parts over and over again. He made my heart race, have butterflies, and become horny all at the same time...
Wooo baby. *fans self*
This is book 1 in the Hard Ink Series so it does not answer all the questions, if anything there were more questions than answers but it did not end in a cliffhanger. Everything is just left open so I am anticipating, waiting, and salivating to get my hands on the next book in the series; Hard As You Can.
I like that each book is a different member of the team so we get to experience each one through each book.
I can't wait to be inside their Alpha heads'.
I give this book a 4.5/5 and can't wait to see what happens next.
Here is the series in order:
Hard As It Gets (Hard Ink, 1)
Hard As You Can (Hard Ink, 2)
Hard to Hold Onto (Hard Ink, 2.5)
Hard to Come By (Hard Ink, 3)
Untitled (Hard Ink, 4)
naomilane's review against another edition
3.0
Can I just say that I love the cover? Yes? Okay. I love the cover!!!
Hard As It Gets is my first full length novel by Laura Kaye. It was a good book, with a nice and solid story but it wasn't extraordinary. The plot in itself was good, even at the end of the book, there are still lots of questions unanswered, lots of things to discover and I am actually really excited for the other books.
Nick is really tough, really "hard" and I can totally understand that due to his past in the army. At the beginning of the book he's very cold and unfriendly with Becca but throughout the book you understand why he is actually like that, what really happened in his past and why "everything" is linked to Becca. Even though all of this, deep down, Nick is still a very loyal man and when Becca asks for his help and he realizes that this is actually a serious situation he goes and helps her because he's just awesome.
Just a thing, to understand my review a bit better read the synopsis before but I'll tell you something that is not mentioned in it: keep in mind that Nick and the rest of his team "left" the army because of something Becca's father (he was their commander) did and, of course, Becca is completely unaware of all of this.
Becca is a good heroine. She loves her brother fiercely, she lost a lot of people in her life, her mother, her older brother and her father. Her only family is Charlie and well... now he's been kidnapped. She's ready to do anything to find him. Becca is a brave heroine, she still is very afraid and new to this world of kidnapping and stuff but like I said before, she loves her brother, she wants him back and she will do anything to get him.
Nick and Becca are attracted to each other right away. She finds him hot and he finds her hot. You know, the usual. But it's not that easy... First of all, Becca is not there for that. She wants Nick's help, she's not ready for anything else, she actually feels kinda guilty about feeling this way for someone when her brother might well be dead and Nick doesn't want anything to do with Becca because of her father, it feels wrong for him. But as the story evolves, they spend a lot of time together, they learn to know each other and well... you know, one thing leads to another and SEX happens. And SEX is hot. Laura knows how to make SEX works in her books!
We also meet Nick's ex-team: Marz (my love), Shane, Easy and Beckett. Nick calls them at some point in the book because he realizes that the situation is more dangerous and serious than he first thought and he needs their help. I loved them all, they worked well together and I cannot wait to read their stories.
They were some really funny moments too. The dog for example. Becca finds this little three-legged German shepherd puppy and throughout the book they're all searching a name for her. This was just hilarious. There is a scene in particular that made me laugh pretty hard!
So, like I said, it is a good book but I don't know, something was missing for me. I wasn't completely hooked. Personally, I found some scenes too fast, at times I didn't have time to get into the story and this was frustrating. I also would have loved more action/suspense. But I'm hoping we'll have more of that in Hard As You Can.
Laura is a good writer, I loved the sex scenes, there aren't many but they were hot and she wrote a book with a nice HEA but she left us with plenty of questions for the next ones!
Hard As It Gets is my first full length novel by Laura Kaye. It was a good book, with a nice and solid story but it wasn't extraordinary. The plot in itself was good, even at the end of the book, there are still lots of questions unanswered, lots of things to discover and I am actually really excited for the other books.
Nick is really tough, really "hard" and I can totally understand that due to his past in the army. At the beginning of the book he's very cold and unfriendly with Becca but throughout the book you understand why he is actually like that, what really happened in his past and why "everything" is linked to Becca. Even though all of this, deep down, Nick is still a very loyal man and when Becca asks for his help and he realizes that this is actually a serious situation he goes and helps her because he's just awesome.
Just a thing, to understand my review a bit better read the synopsis before but I'll tell you something that is not mentioned in it: keep in mind that Nick and the rest of his team "left" the army because of something Becca's father (he was their commander) did and, of course, Becca is completely unaware of all of this.
Becca is a good heroine. She loves her brother fiercely, she lost a lot of people in her life, her mother, her older brother and her father. Her only family is Charlie and well... now he's been kidnapped. She's ready to do anything to find him. Becca is a brave heroine, she still is very afraid and new to this world of kidnapping and stuff but like I said before, she loves her brother, she wants him back and she will do anything to get him.
Nick and Becca are attracted to each other right away. She finds him hot and he finds her hot. You know, the usual. But it's not that easy... First of all, Becca is not there for that. She wants Nick's help, she's not ready for anything else, she actually feels kinda guilty about feeling this way for someone when her brother might well be dead and Nick doesn't want anything to do with Becca because of her father, it feels wrong for him. But as the story evolves, they spend a lot of time together, they learn to know each other and well... you know, one thing leads to another and SEX happens. And SEX is hot. Laura knows how to make SEX works in her books!
We also meet Nick's ex-team: Marz (my love), Shane, Easy and Beckett. Nick calls them at some point in the book because he realizes that the situation is more dangerous and serious than he first thought and he needs their help. I loved them all, they worked well together and I cannot wait to read their stories.
They were some really funny moments too. The dog for example. Becca finds this little three-legged German shepherd puppy and throughout the book they're all searching a name for her. This was just hilarious. There is a scene in particular that made me laugh pretty hard!
So, like I said, it is a good book but I don't know, something was missing for me. I wasn't completely hooked. Personally, I found some scenes too fast, at times I didn't have time to get into the story and this was frustrating. I also would have loved more action/suspense. But I'm hoping we'll have more of that in Hard As You Can.
Laura is a good writer, I loved the sex scenes, there aren't many but they were hot and she wrote a book with a nice HEA but she left us with plenty of questions for the next ones!