Hard As You Can:
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.
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.
It’s
release day! And I’m thrilled to share Hard
As You Can, the second book in the Hard Ink series, with all of you here
today! Hard As You Can follows the
surviving members of a disgraced Army Special Forces team as they fight to
regain their stolen honor, and finds their investigation crossing paths with a
waitress willing to do whatever it takes to stay alive and protect her younger
sister. For Shane McCallan, saving Crystal Dean is a mission he refuses to turn
down.
Today,
I’m excited to share Shane and Crystal’s first kiss! Don’t you love first kiss
scenes? Gah! I so do. *grins* Here we go:
“Tell
me not to,” Shane said, his voice a raw scrape.
“I
can’t,” Crystal whispered in a shaky voice. “I don’t want to.”
Shane’s
body took over then, all urgent need and basic instinct. The rest of the world
be damned. He pulled her in and kissed her, his lips devouring, his tongue
exploring deep. Nothing held back. Nothing denied. Not even as her lips reawakened
the sting from the cut on his lip. Totally worth it.
Crystal’s
arms came up around him. She trembled against him, and Shane wasn’t sure if it
was caused by adrenaline or fear. Unable to tolerate the thought that she might
feel forced, he eased off.
She
moaned and held him tighter, like his retreat had made something snap within
her. Their kisses deepened, and her body moved against his, sinuously,
maddeningly, desperately.
They
tasted one another again and again, giving in to the heat that had sparked
between them from the moment Crystal had collided with him at Confessions.
Little nips and bites of lips and teeth warred with long, sensual strokes of
tongue that stole his breath and made him instantly hard. The sting in his lip,
the throb of his GSW, the aches from Nick’s asskicking, every bit of it faded
away—no, her touch made it all go away.
The
few times they’d spoken, Crystal had most often been guarded, tentative, fearful.
Just as she’d been when he first kissed her. But, now, she was revealing a
passionate woman who could be fearless, giving and receiving openly and without
hesitation. Christ, the thought that this fierceness was the real Crystal
slayed him because it meant she was burying and denying her true self, not because
she wanted to, but because she had to.
No,
because someone forced her to.
The
thought reminded him of the bruises on her arm. Shane had known this woman for
three days, and twice in that time she’d been hurt by another man. And both as
a consequence for things Shane had done.
A
crack of thunder echoed from the heavens, making Crystal jump and gasp into his
mouth.
“I’ve
got you,” he rasped around a kiss.
Part
of him wanted to say more, to tell her he had her and he’d keep her safe. But
he couldn’t make himself give up her heat, her sweetness, her obvious
hunger—for him.
So
he made her a silent promise instead.
Never
again, Crystal. He’ll never hurt you again. Not on my watch.
Because
Shane McCallan had made a mistake like that once. And, as bad as his sister’s
disappearance had been, something’s happening to Crystal would actually be
worse because Shane knew it was coming. The one break he’d ever given himself
over Molly was that he’d had no way to know she’d be abducted. Didn’t excuse
the role he played in allowing it to happen, but he couldn’t have known. But
with Crystal, while he might not know when or how this Bruno asshole would
strike out to do the ultimate damage, it was all but a done deal at this point.
Always was with guys like him. And Shane would go to the grave before he let it
happen, before he failed another female for whom he cared.
Because
he did care. Made no damn sense given how long he’d known her. And the timing
was beyond piss-poor. But there it was all the same.
So that’s Shane
and Crystal starting to give in to what they feel for one another – I hope you
enjoyed! Did you have a favorite line? Thanks for reading!
~Laura
“Edgy, sexy, and
full of suspense! A great read from a great new author!”
~J.R. Ward on Hard As It Gets
Q&A WITH LAURA KAYE
HARD AS YOU CAN is your second book in the
“Hard Ink” series (after USA Today bestseller, HARD AS IT GETS). What can
readers look forward to?
Readers can look forward to tons of sexy alpha male
goodness, awesome bromance between the Hard Ink men, more antics from the Hard
Ink puppy, and another great love story between Shane and Crystal. But readers
should also be ready for a book that is darker, more intense, and more
emotional. This book pushed me to emotional places that were tough as a writer,
and might be tough for readers, too. But I think that just makes the payoff at
the end so much sweeter!
Describe Shane and Crystal. What are their
best traits? What are their weaknesses?
Shane and Crystal are such an amazing couple to me.
They’re each exactly what the other
needs. Shane’s best traits are his protectiveness, his fundamental kindness,
and his soul-deep loyalty (his southern accent and humor are also right up
there!). His biggest weakness for sure is a tragedy from the past for which he
blames himself—and it’s something that continues to motivate him in Hard As You Can. Crystal’s best traits
are her courage, protectiveness, and selflessness—she’s willing to do anything
to keep her younger sister safe. Her biggest weakness is also that
selflessness, because the sacrifices she’s required to make are getting bigger
and bigger and bigger.
If you could describe your book in a 140
character tweet, what would it be?
When a woman in trouble assists an ex-soldier's covert mission
to regain his team's stolen honor, he finds a new mission to save her, too
What are you most excited about with this
second book release?
I’m really excited to take readers deeper into these
awesome characters and into the mystery behind the Hard Ink team’s ambush and
discharge!
What books are you reading right now?
I’m almost done with Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander (yes, I’m very late to the
party but OMG JAMIE FRASER!!!). And I’ve recently devoured and loved Juliana
Stone’s Offsides and Shelly Thacker’s
time-travel historical romance, Forever
His.
What can fans of your “Hard Ink” series look
forward to next?
There will be two more Hard Ink books in 2014!
Hard to Hold on To
– August 2014
Hard to Come By
– November 2014
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Laura will also be hosting a Facebook party for HARD AS YOU CAN on 2/25 from
12-9pm EST if you want to help spread the word, that’d be great:
https://www.facebook.com/events/416084181828110
Sarah's Review:
Thanks to Laura Kaye and Avon Books for the opportunity to read and review this amazing story so that we could be part of the release blitz! I have been so excited about this story since I finished the first book. As soon as I saw Laura post the signup, I pounced! I knew it was going to be a good one. This one blew my mind in great way.
This story picks up almost where the first one ends. So if you haven't read Hard As It Gets, go buy it and read it! This review *WILL* contain spoilers if you haven't read the first book. This is your warning.
As I said above, this story picks up so close to the ending of the first one, but for this story it was necessary to go back and read what happened through Shane and Crystal's eyes. We see how Charlie's rescue happened and why Shane reacted the way he did.
Shane is Nick's best friend and brother in arms. The team is still together as this story takes place at the same time and after Charlie's rescue. We were able to see the team rebuild their relationship, find out more information about Col. Merritt's treasonous acts and how Charlie is doing after his rescue. We get to know a little more about Shane and why Crystal becomes important to him.
Crystal is the waitress that helped the team get Charlie out of Confessions and even though she isn't sure why, she knew she was doing the right thing. She has her own history that can cause her problems if she is made on helping Charlie escape and the help she provides Shane and the team. We find out why she is working at Confessions and why she works as hard as she does.
Jenna, Crystal's sister is one of those characters that I adored because of her courage and her strength. When Jenna is at the wrong place at the wrong time, you find out just how far Crystal and Shane will go to get Jenna back. It might help that Easy is a little forceful about making sure Jenna is safe. I wonder if Jenna and Easy are going to become a couple.
