Scan barcode
A review by thebritishbibliophile
Hard Lover by Deborah Garland
5.0
Deliciously dark, sexy, steamy and a definite page-turner you won't be putting down till the last page
Thank you to Deborah for offering me this read as an ebook Advanced Readers Copy for me to read and leave an honest review.
Hard Lover is book two in Deborah's Houston After Dark series, a series so far which has heralded the sensuous, steamy, kinky and everything in between. Book one, Rough Lover , a Romantic Suspense, New Adult, College, Age-Gap, Workplace, Boss's Daughter, Father's Client novel kicked things off with Grant and Avery. Now things are being taken up a notch.
This is what you're in for, trope-wise, with Hard Lover:
-Best Friend's Little Sister
-Afraid To Comit
-Protective Posessive
-Age Gap
-College
-New Adult
-Damaged Heroine
Whereas some of the tropes are the same as in Rough Lover because of the setting both of the novels in the series so far take place in, Hard Lover most definitely takes the crown and runs with the baton. You'll see why when you read it, too.
Everything about Hard Lover for me was just so beyond amazing, as I knew it would be as I stated in my review for Rough Lover. There was just something enticing about this novel that from the moment I finished Rough Lover, I KNEW I was going to love Hard Lover and I'm very pleased to have confirmed my own prior notions about the novel.
Deborah has definitely at least to my knowledge from what I've read in this novel, worked on the feedback myself and other ARC readers have given her for Rough Lover, and she has run with that feedback and given us something absolutely amazing to read. Not that Rough Lover wasn't, but out of the two novels in the series so far (to which at this point in time, there will be three), this one is by far and large my favourite. I have no doubt that it will be others' as well.
Without diving into the unwelcome realm of spoilers, let me tell you what you're in for with Hard Lover. First of all, the story. Where to begin? This story took so many twists and turns, it was impossible for me to do what I usually do and guess where things were going or who was behind the devious actions going on. Which is a good thing. It means the author has really put their all into crafting a good story to keep us as readers guessing, and Deborah has certainly done that. Second, the steam level. Rough Lover touched upon the aspect of steamy, but Hard Lover went there . Literally. Right from the outset, no holes were barred and we were in the thick of it, getting a taste of what could possibly continue or get hotter, later on. I could not get enough of the sexy and steamy moments within Hard Lover, no lie. I might have even gone back to the beginning of some scenes and read them a few times over before moving on. Those intense moments were coupled with tenderness, which is greatly appreciated as a reader to see. It's not all wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am and that's it. Noah is as much a gentleman as he is a badass in bed.
Noah and Callie were a joy to read in their own independent novel within this series, and I truly hope that more people give them a chance and read their story. The road from friends to lovers was not one of an easy path, and the journey to get to their destination (Happily Ever After) is one I definitely recommend to anyone looking for a must read novel.
Thank you, Deborah, for a truly wonderfully enjoyable read. I can't wait to dive into book three, Untamed Lover!
4.75 stars.
Thank you to Deborah for offering me this read as an ebook Advanced Readers Copy for me to read and leave an honest review.
Hard Lover is book two in Deborah's Houston After Dark series, a series so far which has heralded the sensuous, steamy, kinky and everything in between. Book one, Rough Lover , a Romantic Suspense, New Adult, College, Age-Gap, Workplace, Boss's Daughter, Father's Client novel kicked things off with Grant and Avery. Now things are being taken up a notch.
This is what you're in for, trope-wise, with Hard Lover:
-Best Friend's Little Sister
-Afraid To Comit
-Protective Posessive
-Age Gap
-College
-New Adult
-Damaged Heroine
Whereas some of the tropes are the same as in Rough Lover because of the setting both of the novels in the series so far take place in, Hard Lover most definitely takes the crown and runs with the baton. You'll see why when you read it, too.
Everything about Hard Lover for me was just so beyond amazing, as I knew it would be as I stated in my review for Rough Lover. There was just something enticing about this novel that from the moment I finished Rough Lover, I KNEW I was going to love Hard Lover and I'm very pleased to have confirmed my own prior notions about the novel.
Deborah has definitely at least to my knowledge from what I've read in this novel, worked on the feedback myself and other ARC readers have given her for Rough Lover, and she has run with that feedback and given us something absolutely amazing to read. Not that Rough Lover wasn't, but out of the two novels in the series so far (to which at this point in time, there will be three), this one is by far and large my favourite. I have no doubt that it will be others' as well.
Without diving into the unwelcome realm of spoilers, let me tell you what you're in for with Hard Lover. First of all, the story. Where to begin? This story took so many twists and turns, it was impossible for me to do what I usually do and guess where things were going or who was behind the devious actions going on. Which is a good thing. It means the author has really put their all into crafting a good story to keep us as readers guessing, and Deborah has certainly done that. Second, the steam level. Rough Lover touched upon the aspect of steamy, but Hard Lover went there . Literally. Right from the outset, no holes were barred and we were in the thick of it, getting a taste of what could possibly continue or get hotter, later on. I could not get enough of the sexy and steamy moments within Hard Lover, no lie. I might have even gone back to the beginning of some scenes and read them a few times over before moving on. Those intense moments were coupled with tenderness, which is greatly appreciated as a reader to see. It's not all wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am and that's it. Noah is as much a gentleman as he is a badass in bed.
Noah and Callie were a joy to read in their own independent novel within this series, and I truly hope that more people give them a chance and read their story. The road from friends to lovers was not one of an easy path, and the journey to get to their destination (Happily Ever After) is one I definitely recommend to anyone looking for a must read novel.
Thank you, Deborah, for a truly wonderfully enjoyable read. I can't wait to dive into book three, Untamed Lover!
4.75 stars.