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A review by kfriend
Hard to Handle by K. Bromberg
4.0
K Bromberg has delivered an exciting first chapter in a steamy and emotionally riveting new series with Hard to Handle- a second chance, enemies to lovers romance chock full of complex characters and sizzling chemistry. This exciting new Play Hard series centers on four sports agent sisters- LOVE that angle- as their father plays a little client-matchmaker under the guise of helping them take over the family business with some calculated client poaching.
In Hard to Handle, the story focuses on Dekker and Hunter. Hunter is a hotshot (see what I did there?) hockey player in the NHL, putting a lot of pressure on himself and his team to win the Stanley Cup- an accomplishment that he has a lot of professional and emotional investment in. He’s got some major attitude issues and is notoriously hard for his agent to wrangle, but Dekker’s father charges her with coaching him to their firm. But his attitude isn’t the biggest issue, because Hunter is also her ex, and he broke her heart. Can they stay professional? Can Dekker get through to him? Can she protect her heart?
I loved Dekker straight away- I always love when authors create powerful, accomplished women who can still be nurturing and kind- they don’t have to be crass ball busters to be strong and liberated. Hunter, I’ll admit, I didn’t like him at first- we got such a limited window into his behavior and attitude early on, and his interactions with others didn’t sell me on him at all. I could tell he was committed and passionate, but beyond that, I wasn’t sure he had much depth or heart. I was wrong- so wrong.
The chemistry didn’t land for me right away, nor did I feel super connected to the characters early on either - in part, because I really didn’t like Hunter at first, and in part because of the pacing- we had some world building to do early on. The banter was cute at first, but I wanted to move past that phase to real connection, and I was beginning to feel frustrated by our characters for not evolving. The storyline really pivoted for me, though,once our two characters started to connect more authentically, as we see them start to reconnect as professionals, as friends, and ultimately as lovers. I felt like I could finally see the true Hunter as both Dekker and Hunter started to open up to one another- we learn just what has contributed to the Hunter we see now, about Dekker’s holdbacks. At this point, I could not turn the pages fast enough! As the rest of the story unfolds, I was struck by what second chance really meant in this story- this romance isn’t about giving the other person another chance- it's about giving yourself one. Dekker and Hunter are standing in their own way- Hunter so terrified of someone seeing his true self, and Dekker so terrified of the feelings that make her vulnerable. After being so closed off for much of the exposition, KB just cracks her characters wide open- and then I really felt with and for them.
And, just when I was all comfortable in my feelings, K Bromberg delivers an emotional powerhouse of a conclusion. My heart felt like it was cracking in places, but at this point our characters have done the work with each other- and they are able to show up for each other emotionally. After my more lukewarm feelings about the early story, I wasn’t expecting to feel so emotional about the end of this journey, particularly Hunter’s arc, nor was I expecting the bittersweet aspects of the epilogue paired so affectionately with a super dreamy and adorable culminating scene to leave me feeling all the warm fuzziness and tenderness for these characters. Slow start aside, the ending was pure magic- and made be go and one-click the next in the series. Looking forward to the next sister to poach her man!
In Hard to Handle, the story focuses on Dekker and Hunter. Hunter is a hotshot (see what I did there?) hockey player in the NHL, putting a lot of pressure on himself and his team to win the Stanley Cup- an accomplishment that he has a lot of professional and emotional investment in. He’s got some major attitude issues and is notoriously hard for his agent to wrangle, but Dekker’s father charges her with coaching him to their firm. But his attitude isn’t the biggest issue, because Hunter is also her ex, and he broke her heart. Can they stay professional? Can Dekker get through to him? Can she protect her heart?
I loved Dekker straight away- I always love when authors create powerful, accomplished women who can still be nurturing and kind- they don’t have to be crass ball busters to be strong and liberated. Hunter, I’ll admit, I didn’t like him at first- we got such a limited window into his behavior and attitude early on, and his interactions with others didn’t sell me on him at all. I could tell he was committed and passionate, but beyond that, I wasn’t sure he had much depth or heart. I was wrong- so wrong.
The chemistry didn’t land for me right away, nor did I feel super connected to the characters early on either - in part, because I really didn’t like Hunter at first, and in part because of the pacing- we had some world building to do early on. The banter was cute at first, but I wanted to move past that phase to real connection, and I was beginning to feel frustrated by our characters for not evolving. The storyline really pivoted for me, though,once our two characters started to connect more authentically, as we see them start to reconnect as professionals, as friends, and ultimately as lovers. I felt like I could finally see the true Hunter as both Dekker and Hunter started to open up to one another- we learn just what has contributed to the Hunter we see now, about Dekker’s holdbacks. At this point, I could not turn the pages fast enough! As the rest of the story unfolds, I was struck by what second chance really meant in this story- this romance isn’t about giving the other person another chance- it's about giving yourself one. Dekker and Hunter are standing in their own way- Hunter so terrified of someone seeing his true self, and Dekker so terrified of the feelings that make her vulnerable. After being so closed off for much of the exposition, KB just cracks her characters wide open- and then I really felt with and for them.
And, just when I was all comfortable in my feelings, K Bromberg delivers an emotional powerhouse of a conclusion. My heart felt like it was cracking in places, but at this point our characters have done the work with each other- and they are able to show up for each other emotionally. After my more lukewarm feelings about the early story, I wasn’t expecting to feel so emotional about the end of this journey, particularly Hunter’s arc, nor was I expecting the bittersweet aspects of the epilogue paired so affectionately with a super dreamy and adorable culminating scene to leave me feeling all the warm fuzziness and tenderness for these characters. Slow start aside, the ending was pure magic- and made be go and one-click the next in the series. Looking forward to the next sister to poach her man!