Seven Nation Army - My Review of HARD AS IT GETS by Laura Kaye

Title: Hard as it Gets
Author: Laura Kaye
Publisher: Avon Books
Publication Date: 11/26/2013

Synopsis: Tall, dark, and lethal...

Trouble just walked into Nicholas Rixey's tattoo parlor. Becca Merritt is warm, sexy, wholesome--pure temptation to a very jaded Nick. He's left his military life behind to become co-owner of Hard Ink Tattoo, but Becca is his ex-commander's daughter. Loyalty won't let him turn her away. Lust has plenty to do with it too.

With her brother presumed kidnapped, Becca needs Nick. She just wasn't expecting to want him so much. As their investigation turns into all-out war with an organized crime ring, only Nick can protect her. And only Becca can heal the scars no one else sees.

Desire is the easy part. Love is as hard as it gets. Good thing Nick is always up for a challenge...

Laura Kaye is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Laura's hot, heartfelt stories are all about the universal desire for a place to belong. Laura grew up amidst family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses, cementing her life-long fascination with storytelling and the supernatural. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

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I really enjoyed this first taste of the Hard Ink crew.  HARD AS IT GETS is a sexy story full of action and mystery.  It's a thrilling ride that leaves you questioning almost to the very end.  Becca is a fantastically strong woman and she handles this rowdy crew and earns the respect of each and every one of them.  Nick is terribly protective and sexy.  Together they heat up the pages and steady each other.

Normally I'm not a fan of stories where the protagonists fall in love within a few days, however Laura Kaye has written this story in such a way that not only did I believe it, I was practically begging for it by the end.  The intense situations and the forced proximity of Becca and Nick fully lends itself to them growing close and forming a fervent attachment to each other.

I loved the way the author touches on the the idea of family. Both Becca and Nick has lost their parents and they are fiercely protective of their siblings.  Throughout the story, they end up forming their own sort of family with each other and end up including Beckett, Easy, Shane, Marz, Miguel, Jeremy and Charlie.  

This was a fantastic introduction to this amazing group and I'm looking forward to getting to know each of them personally.  

5 out of 5 Stars

The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

To me, Seven Nation Army has always been a sort of fight song or call to arms, which is exactly what Nick sends out when he makes contact with the members of his former ops team.