Cherish Hard (Hard Play, #1)

by Nalini Singh

• ISBN10: 1942356625
• ISBN13: 9781942356622
• Publish Date: 27 October 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Tka Distribution
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 372
• Language: English

Reviews

[Rowena]

Nalini Singh has a new spin-off from her Rock Kiss series called the Hard Play series and Cherish Hard is the first book. It features Gabriel Bishop’s younger brother, Sailor Bishop and Sailor is out to get the girl that got away from him when he was 16 years old and she was running away from a party.

Years later, Sailor runs into that same pretty redhead at her place of employment and a second chance presents itself…he’s not going to let her get away a second time. He’s busy as hell trying to build up his landscaping company but sometimes life hands you a love that you just have to find room in your life for.

Isa is a grown adult these days and a far cry from the humiliated young girl she used to be but when she hears from her ex-boyfriend that did the humiliating back in college, she’s thrown and then she throws herself at the sexy landscaper on her walk to her car after work. Once that happens, her life changes big time.

Nalini Singh really shines at writing paranormal romance and she’s really doing her thing on the contemporary romance front as well. I have enjoyed every single book that I’ve read by this author and after reading this one, I’m super anxious for more. I’m crossing my fingers that we won’t have a long wait for Nanya and Raj’s book and I’m also really excited that we’re going to be getting a diverse romance from Singh. I just know that she’s going to knock their romance out of the park and I’m so here for it.

But back to Sailor and Isa. What a sweet romance theirs turned out to be. I enjoyed getting to know both Isa and Sailor and seeing them overcome their insecurities and finding a way to be together despite their doubts.

Sailor was a great hero who just kept getting better and better as I turned each page. I loved his determination to be better than his father and set his own mark on the world without the help of his friends or family. He had goals and a dream of building something on his own and that was admirable. I loved seeing him try to figure out how to have it all. The business, the family and the love. It wasn’t an easy ride and he spent a lot of time trying to convince Isa that they belonged together and when all was said and done, I was super thrilled that all of his hard work paid off.

Isa had a lot of things that she was dealing with over the course of the book. She had parents who were never really parents to her and she was doing her best to keep her family together by forcing her parents to act like parents to her younger siblings. She was her sibling’s champions and I loved that Sailor saw how she spent so much time taking care of everyone in her world and he wanted to be the one to take care of her.

Nalini Singh wrote another wonderfully entertaining romance about two people who wound their way right into my heart and set up shop. I’m super excited about the next book and am wondering who else will get their stories told. I’m hopeful for the teenagers in this series to grow up and get their stories told because Isa’s sister and Sailor’s brother? I’m low key shipping them.

I seriously want Singh to write forever and ever. She has the writer’s touch and I just love her work to pieces. I definitely recommend this one, it’s a good one.

Grade: 4 out of 5

[EBookObsessed]

I love everything written by Nalini Singh. Her stories are captivating and you just can’t help but fall in love with her characters.

Building his landscaping business is all Sailor Bishop has focused on for the last few years. He has plans and a goal which requires a lot of hard work in a short amount of time. Sailor also needs to succeed all on his own. His father was a taker. Abandoning him, his brother and his mother when he was just a little boy, and leaving them with absolutely nothing and unable to fend for themselves. Sailor refuses to ever be a taker.

So now is not the perfect time to meet the perfect woman. Especially an exquisite, curvy redhead whose parents had no time for her growing up. The first thing Sailor realized about Ísa is…okay to be honest, the first thing he noticed is her knockout curves, and then that gorgeous red hair that he wants to digs his hands into…so the third, yes, third thing that Sailor noticed was that Ísa takes care of everyone. Her younger siblings turn to her, not their parents when something goes wrong. Even Ísa’s mother turns to Ísa when she needs help with her business.

Ísa is always caring for someone, but who is caring for Ísa? Sailor wants to be the one to take care of Ísa. He would give anything to hold onto his spitfire, but in order to have her, he might just have to give up everything.

His business plan will require him to work from dawn to dusk, 7 days a week for the next year in order to have the money to expand. If he doesn’t, he could lose the opportunity of a lifetime. The problem is succeeding in his plans would leave Ísa feeling second best to Sailor’s business success, just like her parents always treated her.

As a gardener, Sailor know how important it is to care for delicate new growth and how easily it can die without constant nourishment. Asking Ísa to sit back and wait for him would kill the new and fragile feelings growing between them before they could truly take root.

To succeed with an opportunity of a lifetime, Sailor might have to give up a love of a lifetime. Which will he walk away from?

I love Nalini Singh’s characters and this story is no exception. The romance is sweet, and the story balances nicely between fun and touching.

If you want a little more of Sailor and Ísa once you are done, they pop up in brother, Gabriel’s story, Rock Hard which was book 2 in the Rock Kiss series.

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

See more at EBookObsessed.com

[llamareads]

There is something just so wonderful about Nalini Singh’s contemporaries. I love that they’re usually set in New Zealand, that rugby usually plays a part, and that both the hero and heroine will be strong and smart. They also have a certain delightful quirky humor that I think of as distinctly Kiwi – think of much of the humor in the latest Thor movie, if you’re not sure what I mean. This book has all of this in spades!

Ísa is wonderful, realistic and just so sweet. I loved “devil Ísa” – especially how much she reminded me of Ísa’s mother, who frequently had me in stitches. I loved how both Sailor and Ísa were career-focused, but they also realized the importance of family. Though they are driven by different things, both see their careers as an opportunity to protect or preserve their families. Both are shaped by childhood hurts, and part of the joy of this book is watching them process and, to some extent, overcome that. Though there is an age difference – Ísa is five years older – it’s not overdone. The main result is reinforcing that they are in different stages of their lives – Ísa is ready to settle down and concentrate on family, while Sailor is concentrating on growing his business.

Another wonderful characteristic of Ms. Singh’s books is the friendships. Some of my favorite parts of the book are Ísa and Neyna’s interactions. The secondary characters aren’t just there to act as a foil for the main characters, but have their own lives and journeys that they’re going on.



I was torn by how Ísa chose to handle the resolution of the final conflict. Without going into spoilers, while her actions were understandable, it was very frustrating as it felt like she was shortchanging herself and her personal growth. It all resolves satisfactorily though, so I’ll categorize that as a minor quibble in the scheme of things. If the end had resulted in a typical romance novel misunderstanding and giant blow-out, I think I wouldn’t have been as willing to overlook it.

My one WTF moment – what are “soda-commercial-worthy abs”? I did some googling and watched a few Kiwi soda commercials, but didn’t see any swoon-worthy abs. Guess it’s just something that got lost crossing the ocean!

Oh, and if you’ve read the Rock Kiss series, you’ll be happy to know that the T-Rex (Gabe Bishop) makes some pre-rugby-injury appearances here.

Overall, sweet and happy! Of course, I’m hoping for many more books in the series, especially Neyna and Raj’s story. Highly recommended!

I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

[stacey_is_sassy]

***IT'S ALIVE***

Haven’t we met before…?

My reading mind (The Book Zone) feels like a Rolodex sometimes. Every book I start, I’m looking through my catalogue for similarities, triggers and a comfy place for my romantic heart to bloom. As soon as I started reading Cherish Hard my Rolodex was activated. This is kind of how it played out…

Nalini Singh, OK, what’s she got for me this time…
I’m expecting a strong, determined and loving hero…check
The heroine will have faced heartache and devastation…check
Ooh, we have Rugby again…check
Strong family values…check
Doesn’t make decisions solely on where his junk is pointing…check
Hero and heroine have brains…check
Work is important, but family comes first…check

WAIT…WAIT…WAIT…this is really familiar. Haven’t we met before? Isn’t this the first book in the series? Why do I feel like I know you already?

Yep, Sassy went in blind. Sassy has a bad habit of being utterly oblivious to stuff. Sassy had a very *DOH!!* moment at the end of the book when it was confirmed by the author that it was connected (siblings) to Rock Hard. Guess what Sassy couldn’t help but re-read after finishing Cherish Hard? (You would think that Sassy would have got that HARD connection…bloody idiot)

Anyways, I loved Cherish Hard. The storyline captured my attention from the very start. The characters are lovable and perfect for each other. It’s one of those stories where certain things or parts would normally have me squinting or scowling, but in this case, it WORKED. I loved that it was set at my next door neighbours place (New Zealand) and I recognised places and names I’ve visited and heard of.

So, I really loved it but the shining light and biggest heart shiver moment happened at the end when our hero put his priorities right without having to be told to. Quite refreshing not to have to witness screaming matches between the hero and heroine when he “does her wrong” or neglects her. I loved that quite a few of the men in this story were manly men who could love and show devotion to the special women in their life. It wasn’t wussy or weak, it was an exhilarating delight from a muscly and gorgeous man with a big heart.

I’m a fan and I will definitely be back for more. Now, I’m going back to visit Gabe and Charlie as they Rock Hard.

Stacey is Sassy, received a complimentary copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.

[Linda]

Cherish Hard brought me some very down-to-earth characters, they were fiercely loyal, had strong hearts, and were willing to take a big chance in order to have love in their lives.