Hard to Be Good: A Hard Ink Novella (Hard Ink Novella, #2) (Hard Ink, #3.5)

by Laura Kaye

• ISBN10: 0062369490
• ISBN13: 9780062369499
• Publish Date: 14 April 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 160
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

Hard to Be Good shares Jeremy Rixey’s story. I have loved Jeremy since the beginning from his witty t-shirt collection to his laid-back attitude. Jeremy is Nick's younger brother and currently housing Nick's Special Force team and others above his tattoo parlor. During the series, we met Charlie Merritt who was a recent kidnap victim and the attraction between them has been hinted at so I was excited to see their relationship develop. At one hundred and sixty five pages, there was not a lot of room for a slow-burning romance and given the circumstances, Kaye made me believe in these two.

The romance was sweet, adorable at times and so heated my Nook caught fire. While admittedly this was virgin territory for me, Kaye made me first connect to the characters and then allowed me to become caught up in their emotions and the passion. I am not going to lie, the tale is detailed and surprisingly very hot. I was swept away and wanted them to find their happy.

We do get a little plot development but the focus was on Jeremy and Charlie. Eileen now has a friend or maybe I should say foe? I will let you decide. This thread added a touch of fun to the overall intensity of the series arc as well as further bonded this motley crew of characters.

Hard to Be Good for the win. Jeremy and Charlie’s story made me smile. While this is part of the Hark Ink series, I think it would work as a standalone but recommend reading them in order. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Cocktails and Books]

Elizabeth's Thoughts

Oh my goshness! I wish I could live inside Laura Kaye’s mind so I can spend every day with these amazing characters!

This is a quick read that will have you BEGGING for more! Jeremy and Charlie are perfect together! I loved watching their friendship blossom into an all-consuming inferno of passion and love.  The story was way too short but it’s filled with sexy men, tattoos and sex scenes so explosive they will set your reading device on fire!

I was so glad to get Charlie’s point of view. It was awesome to learn more about this shy computer genius.  Charlie struggles with being open about his feelings for Jeremy. This stems back from his father’s disapproval and unwillingness to accept Charlie as a gay man. But thankfully Jeremy’s love is able to heal in ways Charlie could never imagine which is reflected in his thoughts here:

“The instant his lips crashed into Jeremy’s, Charlie realized something he’d never known before. Conquering fear didn’t mean not being afraid, it meant being afraid of something and doing it anyway. It meant saying no to fear—no you can’t rule me, no you can’t hold me back, no you can’t keep me from the things I want the most. Not anymore.”

HARD TO BE GOOD is emotional, heart-melting and has the HOTTEST first kiss scene I’ve ever read! It can easily be read as part of the series or as a standalone. I highly recommend this and any of the author’s books!

Most authors give you what you want; Laura Kaye gives you what you need.

10 Stars for Jeremy and Charlie!

This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books.