Welcome to our stop on the HARD AS IT GETS by Laura Kaye Blog Tour! We have an excerpt to share along with my review and tour wide giveaway.
Title – Hard As It Gets (Hard Ink #1)
Author – Laura Kaye
Genre – Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Release Date – November 26, 2013
“Edgy, sexy, and full of suspense! A great read from a great new author!”
~J.R. Ward on Hard As It Gets
About Hard As It Gets:
Five dishonored soldiers.
Former Special Forces.
One last mission.
These are the men of Hard Ink.
Tall, dark, and lethal… Trouble just walked into Nicholas Rixey’s tattoo parlor. Becca Merritt is warm, sexy, wholesome–pure temptation to a very jaded Nick. He’s left his military life behind to become co-owner of Hard Ink Tattoo, but Becca is his ex-commander’s daughter. Loyalty won’t let him turn her away. Lust has plenty to do with it too. With her brother presumed kidnapped, Becca needs Nick. She just wasn’t expecting to want him so much. As their investigation turns into all-out war with an organized crime ring, only Nick can protect her. And only Becca can heal the scars no one else sees. Desire is the easy part. Love is as hard as it gets. Good thing Nick is always up for a challenge…
Read an Extended Excerpt of Hard As It Gets
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ELLEN’S REVIEW:
Hard As It Gets not only hooked me in from the first page, it actually had me at the cover. Whoa! The publisher was kind enough to send me a paperback and it is stunning. Now, on to the novel. I absolutely loved this very suspenseful and totally HOT story of Becca and Nick and the introduction into the Hard Ink world. Becca is frantically searching for her missing brother, and her search leads her to Nicholas Bixey and Hard Ink, the tattoo parlor he co-owns with his brother. Nick resists her at first but then is drawn into helping her, due to the deep ties he had with her military father and because he is completely attracted to her. The action begins and doesn’t let up until the last page. There are some loose ends left (NOT a cliffhanger though!) and I can’t wait to see where the author takes us with the underlying mystery.
One of the reasons why I loved this romantic suspense story is because the relationship between Becca and Nick builds nicely and is very believable. Yes, their chemistry is off the charts but they both treat each other with respect and Becca could have been a pushover but she’s actually a very strong character.
Hard As It Gets is a tough, sexy, action-filled mystery filled with well-written, fantastic characters. I’m eager to read more about each and every one. Nick is one hot Alpha male and I loved the VERY steamy sexy times between Nick and Becca. Wowza! Ms. Kaye really knows how to turn up the heat! This was my very first Laura Kaye novel and I’m hooked! I’m looking forward to reading more books in this series.
(ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review)
Laura Kaye Excerpt Post for Hard As It Gets Blog Tour
Hey everyone! I’m soooo excited to be celebrating my release of Hard As It Gets, the first book in my new Hard Ink series that follows the surviving members of a disgraced Army Special Forces unit as they follow new leads to uncover the conspiracy that saw them discharged from the military. Running their covert operation out of the back of Nick Rixey’s tattoo parlor, their mission brings them into all-out war against an organized crime ring. Along the way, the team finds love and support in unexpected places—but will they be able to regain their stolen honor?
Today, I wanted to share a sexy excerpt from the book that introduces you to hero and heroine Nick Rixey and Becca Merritt – enjoy!
Excerpt:
Nick sniffed and murmured, and his breathing slowly changed from the slow, shallow draws of sleep to the deeper pattern of wakefulness. “What are you thinking so hard about?” he said, his voice a seductive, raw gravel.
“Nothing,” Becca whispered.
“Bad liar, remember?”
She smiled. Not even awake and he was already a smart-ass. “You’re laying on me.”
He lifted his head, eyes still soft with sleep and oh so bright. “Er, oh, God, Bec—”
“Don’t move, please? I wasn’t complaining.”
“Then what—”
“It’s just…” The way he was looking at her, half concerned, half like he might make her every dream come true, had her spilling a fast stream of honesty that was about five point two light-years beyond oversharing. “I’m horny. And you’re hot as hell. And we’re clearly trying to be good. Although, I’m not sure why, exactly. And, anyway, I don’t want you to move. Because I like the feel of you. And I—”
His mouth swallowed the rest of the nonsense spilling from her lips. The kiss was aggressive and needful, his tongue twining with hers, his hands in her hair, his chest atop her breasts. For a long moment, she was so stunned by the kiss that all she could do was give in to the sensual assault. His leg pressed between her legs, hard against her clit, the bunching and shifting of his muscles shoving her step by step closer to the edge of restraint. A stream of moans and whimpers worked their way up her throat until finally she couldn’t stop her hips from dancing against his thigh.
“Nick,” she rasped around the edge of a kiss. “Oh, God.”
“What?” he said, pulling back. He stroked his nose over her cheek to her ear. “What’s the matter?” He eased his thigh away.
Her whimper was full of protest for the loss of him. The sexy bastard chuckled. “Don’t stop,” she managed.
Tracing his tongue around the shell of her ear, he rocked his hips against her nice and slow. “Don’t’ stop what?”
Becca swallowed roughly, arousal making it hard to breathe, hard to think. “You’re teasing me.”
He chuffed out another small laugh in her ear, casting shivers over her skin. “I am.”
Digging her fingers into his hair, she grasped tow handfuls and held tight. “Well don’t. I want…”
Nick’s tongue was in her mouth again, exploring every wet corner and stealing her breath. He pulled back, panting. “What? What do you want, sunshine?”
The nickname tugged her heart into the action, too. Did he realize he said it? “I like when you call me that.”
He bit her bottom lip and tugged, his gaze boring into hers, one eyebrow arched. “What do you want?”
Did you have a favorite line from the excerpt?
Thanks for reading! ~Laura
About Laura Kaye:
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.
GIVEAWAY:
Terms & Conditions:
The Kindle Paperwhite 3G giveaway is international unless excluded. If your country is not on the list that Amazon delivers to, you will not be eligible win this prize.
Author Laura Kaye is not responsible for damage to the Kindle in transit. All issues regarding this must be addressed to Amazon.
All accessories for the Kindle Paperwhite 3G must be purchased by the winner – the prize is the Kindle Paperwhite 3G only.
Entrants must be 18 or over.
