Synopsis

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.

 Excerpt

 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.”

My Review

4 Stars

Hard As You Can is filled with action, intrigue, and suspense.  I could not stop turning the pages to see what would happen next.  This story tackles some very sensitive issues and is not for the faint of heart.

Shane McCallan is a smoking hot Military Alpha Hero.  When he busts into Confessions to save a friends brother he never expected to run right into the most delicate and beautiful woman he had ever seen.  Crystal freaked when she accidentally ran directly into Shane.  Shane saw a sexy, scared, and skittish little beauty and was shocked when Crystal asked that he hit her.  From that moment Shane knew that he would never forget Crystal and would do anything to get her out of there.

“There was a call.  They’ll be coming”, she whispered… “I have to scream now, and you have to hit me.”

“What?”

“If you don’t. they’ll know that I helped you.  And I can’t…” What am I doing?  Jesus, what am I doing?  “You have to.  Please.”

The reason I say that this story is not for the faint of heart is because it deals with sexual abuse, torture, and sex trafficking.  Eventually it is revealed that Crystal has been tortured and raped in order to pay off her fathers debt and to protect her sister Jenna.  Bruno Ashe, the man that saved Crystal from the beatings is a monster himself.  He is rough and uses her like she is nothing but a rag doll.

“What? What’s the matter?”

“He hit you.  Again.”

Damn.  The mark was so much lighter this morning.  Crystal had hoped Jenna wouldn’t notice..

Can Shane rescue Crystal and Jenna or is Crystal in way too deep?  This suspenseful and dark romance will have you sitting on the edge of your seat hoping and praying that Shane and his team are successful.  I fell in love with Shane  McCallan with his need to protect Crystal and keep her safe.  The only reason I gave this read a 4 star instead of 5 star review is that the ending was really abrupt.  I would have liked to have seen a little bit more closure.  I am very excited about Hard to Hold On To.  Jenna needs a happily ever after.

“Edgy, sexy, and full of suspense! A great read from a great new author!”

~J.R. Ward on Hard As It Gets

 Read an Extended Excerpt of Book One As Hard As It Gets

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Author Bio

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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