Crystal Dean is working hard as a waitress to pay off her
father's debt. Despite his death, his problems are still
very much haunting Crystal's life and it seems that nothing
will ever get her out of this mess.
Shane McCallan first met Crystal on another operation where
she risked her life to help them. Unable to forget the
fearless woman, Shane is now returning the favour when
trouble finds Crystal and she needs someone to rescue her.
As the second book in the Hard Ink series, Laura Kaye
plays
up the suspense to sky-rocketing levels. Intense situations
and plenty of action keep this story moving swiftly.
However, I found the actual characters in this book to be a
little difficult to connect to, which in turn affected how
invested I was in the romance. Crystal and Shane are nice
characters, but that intense level of connection just didn't
come across on the page as much as I would have liked. When
put in danger, Crystal was strong and brave, but her
personality just didn't shine through. Similarly, Shane is a
great hero but didn't come off as alpha as I thought he
would be. As a result, the romance didn't soar, especially
since there is a case of instalove again in this series.
Kaye has done her research though! With plenty of technical
talk to woo and impress Romantic Suspense readers, there is
a great amount of expertise when it comes to the Hard Ink
crew. Furthermore, Kaye's writing style is cleverly styled
and works well for the series.
HARD AS YOU CAN possesses the level of suspense that you
expect from Laura Kaye, but perhaps didn't entirely win me
over with its romance.
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.