• Home
  • About
  • Policies
    • Privacy Policy
    • Copyright
    • Disclosure Policy
    • Republication Policy
    • Review Policy
  • Reviews
    • Sortable Archive
    • Reviews by Author
    • Reviews by Narrator
    • Reviews by SubGenre
    • Reviews by Series
    • Reviews by Year
  • Challenges
    • 2024 FINISHING THE SERIES READING CHALLENGE (Archived)
    • In Death Read-A-Long Challenge
  • Giveaways
  • Author Interviews & Guest Posts

A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog

ARC Review: ‘Hard as You Can’ by Laura Kaye

February 24, 2014

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog earns a small commission at no extra cost to you from any purchases made through these links. You can read the full disclosure underneath the Privacy Policy.

ARC Review: ‘Hard as You Can’ by Laura Kaye

Hard as You Can

by Laura Kaye
Series: Hard Ink #2
Published by HarperCollins Publishers on February 25, 2014
SubGenres: Romantic Suspense
Format: eArc
Pages: 384
Source: the publisher
Add to Goodreads
Purchase at Amazon | Apple
four-stars

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.

My Review

Hard as You Can is the second installment to the Hark Ink series by Laura Kaye, and it had the suspense and twists from the first book but add on the way more.

First off, I highly recommend reading Hard as it Gets first before diving into Hard as You Can. You will never know what happened in the first book if you try to read the second book first. (Believe me, you will want to know about Nick) =) Laura Kaye picks up the dilemma of the first book in Hard as You Can, but with different characters playing the principal part in the book. We are introduced to Shane and Crystal in this book, and they were meant to meet each other at the right time.

What can I say about the characters before going into what I loved most about the book? I was not fond of Crystal due to her staying with a guy that continuously hurt her physically. She kept coming up saying why she needed to stay with him, and then she had her sister who had no clue what was going on. Crystal finally won me over a bit when she was there to help her sister and then at the end of the book. She finally realized what she needed to do to get away.

The minute Shane is introduced, he’s actually in disguise, but he had already won my heart. He’s the gentleman of the bunch who doesn’t handle well with women and children getting hurt. He has a past he’s trying to get over on what happened with his little sister, so he’s got a soft side. He also is scary to mess with when it comes to loved ones getting hurt. I loved how he was there always for Crystal, even when she gave him such a hard time. He was persistent…and he had ways of charming a girl. =)

I loved the suspense of Hard as You Can and how Laura Kaye answered some questions from this book, but of course, opened up new ones. She gripped in from the first page due to what as happening to the characters. She’s continuing with what happened to Becca and her brother from the first book into this one. There’s some closure in this book, but Hard as You Can make you want more of the Hard Ink guys.

I give this book 4 full moons and recommend it to romantic suspense readers out there, and readers that enjoy sexy ex-military members who are out for vengeance.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
FranJessca
FranJessca
Owner/Reviewer at A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog
I guess I should type a bio here. I'm FranJessca, or Fran for short. I'm the owner/reviewer behind A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog. I've been reading and reviewing books on my blog since leaving the Navy in 2011, and I will keep doing it as long as possible. My favorite genres will always be Romance & Fantasy, and I read every subgenre underneath those two genres. (Sorry, not a fan of nonfiction, so don't try to convince me to read it.)
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
FranJessca
Latest posts by FranJessca (see all)
  • Book Blitz + Giveaway: ‘Finding Charlie’ by Jess Allen - May 9, 2025
  • Book Blitz + Giveaway: ‘Intimate Secret’ by D.C. Stone - May 8, 2025
  • ARC Review: ‘Shield of Sparrows’ by Devney Perry - May 7, 2025

Share this post:

Share on X (Twitter) Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on Email
4 Star ReviewsBook Read 2014Book Reviews 2014

About the Blogger

About the Blogger

My name is FranJessca. I wear many hats: I'm a Wife, Mom, Navy Veteran, Shy Introvert, Tattooed, Romance and Fantasy Reader, and Book Blogger.

Follow FranJessca

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Bloglovin'
  • Amazon
  • Instagram
  • Goodreads

Currently Reading

Review: ‘Rebel Hawke’ by Gwyn McNamee

Books Reviewed in 2025

A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog has reviewed 53 books this year.

42%

May Reviews

  • Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
  • Archangel's Ascension by Nalini Singh
  • Wild Invitation by Nalini Singh
  • The Wind Weaver by Julie Johnson
  • Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh

FTC Disclosure/Info

In accordance with the current FTC disclosure rules for bloggers & reviewers, the books you see reviewed on A Book Lovin’ Mama’s Blog are either purchased by me or procured from NetGalley, Edelweiss, directly from the author or publisher or PR company in an exchange for an honest review. I do not receive compensation of any kind for the reviews.

Purchases made through buy links (Amazon specifically) may result in a small commission, which helps support the blog and fund giveaways.

Please review the Policies above on the Menu Bar.

© 2012- 2025 A Book Lovin Mama's Blog, All Rights Reserved.

Site Design by JennJ Designs