Hard To Come By by Laura Kaye….Blog Tour Stop & ARC Review

About HARD TO COME BY:

Caught between desire and loyalty…

Derek DiMarzio would do anything for the members of his disgraced Special Forces team—sacrifice his body, help a former teammate with a covert operation to restore their honor, and even go behind enemy lines. He just never expected to want the beautiful woman he found there.

When a sexy stranger asks questions about her brother, Emilie Garza is torn between loyalty to the brother she once idolized and fear of the war-changed man he’s become. Derek’s easy smile and quiet strength tempt Emilie to open up, igniting the desire between them and leading Derek to crave a woman he shouldn’t trust.

As the team’s investigation reveals how powerful their enemies are, Derek and Emilie must prove where their loyalties lie before hearts are broken and lives are lost. Because love is too hard to come by to let slip away…

My review:

Hard To Come By is the third book in author Laura Kaye’s Hard Ink Series, a series I have loved from the very beginning. While I love every character in this series, I have to say, Marz and this book are my absolute favorite in the series so far. There is something about this wounded warrior and his very unlikely love interest that pulled me in from the very first chapter and didn’t let go until the very last page. It was phenomenal!

(I do want to make note that I vote reading the series as a whole before digging into this book. The back story and plot are becoming more involved with each book and I would hate for you to miss something…it’s just too good!)

A team of former special forces operators has been working tirelessly on getting to the bottom of the mystery that got them all kicked out of the army and half of their team killed. It’s this situation that has led them to Emilie Garza’s front door.

Her brother was involved somehow in a drug smuggling mess that was plaguing their city and their lives. She had no idea, however. The team had to get to her and hopefully get some answers. This leads Emilie and Derek Marza to cross paths and set off an immediate, and somewhat forbidden, attraction. What started out as a play to get Emilie away from her house so some of the guys can check it out and see if it held any clues to her brother’s whereabouts, turned into a dinner date and opened up all sorts of feelings between Emilie and Derek. Talk about bad timing. Making matters worse was they the team did in fact find some things and they knew Emilie’s brother was a ticking time bomb and she wasn’t safe. Another date later, Derek was a jumble of emotions. Emilie was going to have to know the truth about her brother soon. And the truth about why she and Derek had met in the first place. How was Derek supposed to let her know he had been lying to her from the second they met? Would she ever forgive him? He had to tell her, and soon…because things with her brother and the other dangers were getting worse by the minute. Would she ever be able to overlook his lies? He really hoped so…she ended up becoming a bright spot in his life and he didn’t want to let her go.

Man. I loved this book. While the story line continues and grows with each book, each installment in the series primarily follows one couple. Derek (aka Marz) and Emilie are the main focus in this book and I loved them together from the word “go”.

On paper, they aren’t a good match. She is the sister of one of Marz’s current enemies. Never a good way to start out. But Marz being Marz, he always looks for the good in a situation and immediately finds it in Emilie. She isn’t involved with her brother’s indiscretions and he knows it with deep certainty. One of his best qualities is always looking at the silver lining. He’s one of the most memorable characters I’ve read and stands out in my mind thanks in part to his character and outlook on life. He’s loyal and smart. Never lets life get him down, despite having lost his leg in the battle that killed half of his former teammates. Always trying to lighten the mood and help carry his friend’s emotional burdens. He has a beautiful soul and he will always be a favorite of mine. Emilie is a perfect match for him. Deeply understanding and equally loyal, she stands up for what’s right even if it may hurt her brother and her family. She’s full of integrity and heart and doesn’t flinch when Marz shows her his physical weakness. They had fate on their side when they met, for sure.

As far as the rest of the story, there were three huge “WHOA” moments that I can’t give away but I will tell you that I cried when I read two and cheered for the third. The story took a turn I didn’t see coming and it’s one that I’m glad it did. There may be hope for redemption of these amazing soldiers in the eyes of the government and I couldn’t be happier! But my lips are sealed…

Laura has done it again with Hard To Come By. Packed with emotion, suspense, action, and well-developed characters, this book is the whole package. I cannot WAIT to continue on with this series and see where the Hard Ink gang is going to end up. Thank you, Laura, for a fantastic book!

Five Loves

Hard to Come By on Goodreads

Pre-order or purchase before December 2, and get awesome bonus content!

Praise for Hard to Come By:

“Rough sex and explosive fights power Kaye’s third Hard Ink novel, a thrilling adventure that feels more like an action movie with a romantic subplot than a typical contemporary romance. New readers will head straight for Kaye’s backlist after powering through this installment.” ~Publishers Weekly Starred Review

 ”TOP PICK! If you’re looking for danger, gritty action, and sizzling passion, then Kaye has just the book and the series for you.” ~RT Book Reviews Magazine

And don’t miss the other Hard Ink books, now available:

Hard As It Gets

Hard As You Can

Hard to Hold On To

Giveaway:

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About the author: Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.