Veena’s review of Cherish Hard (Hard Play, Book 1) by Nalini Singh
Contemporary Romance published by TKA Distribution 14 Nov 17
Gabriel Bishop, Mr. T-Rex himself, is hands down one of my favorite contemporary heroes. Does his brother Sailor measure up? Read this book to find out how he and Isa compare to T-Rex and Little Mouse.
Sailor is sixteen when he meets and falls in love with Isa. Did I say that she’s in college while he is still sixteen? Isa does not want to remember any part of the evening that Sailor has such cherished memories of. It’s not pretty when she remembers him from that night. The next time they meet, he’s standing beside his car while she kisses him silly. He’s a man and he can go along with it, but Isa dashes his subsequent hopes. Clearly the kickoff to this romance is chaotic. She’s scared and in retreat with Sailor aggressively in pursuit.
Isa has a lot of baggage, the most of which is she was born in an extremely wealthy household where her parents put family and children very low on their priority list. Having spent her happiest years with her grandmother, Isa longs to re-create the same sense of safety for her half siblings. Sailor, with his long hours and soaring ambition, does not fit into her long-term plans at all. It’s quite disconcerting that Isa continually waits for the other shoe to drop and her heart to be broken because Sailor won’t be able to give her what she needs.
Sailor is a sweetheart. Despite his punishing schedule, he makes time for Isa and her siblings. He arranges picnics, takes her on a family camping trip, and in general is there like a solid support wall in her moments of crisis. Sailor has his own share of baggage. Abandoned as a child by his father, he feels like he has a lot to prove. Will Sailor’s crazy work schedule and his creativity in carving out Isa time be enough to win the fair lady? Can he balance his ambition with his love?
Isa’s Indian friend and her challenges with the arranged marriage she’s signed up for add a nice touch of humor as well as provide a nice secondary romance. Gabriel’s book set the bar so high that Sailor and Isa have a challenge in coming close, but all the same, other than some tiresome moments, this is a great story.
Grade: B
Summary:
Sailor Bishop has only one goal for his future – to create a successful landscaping business. No distractions allowed. Then he comes face-to-face and lips-to-lips with a woman who blushes like an innocent… and kisses like pure sin.
Ísa Rain craves a man who will cherish her, aches to create a loving family of her own. Trading steamy kisses with a hot gardener in a parking lot? Not the way to true love. Then a deal with the devil (aka her CEO-mother) makes Ísa a corporate VP for the summer. Her main task? Working closely with a certain hot gardener.
And Sailor Bishop has wickedness on his mind.
As Ísa starts to fall for a man who makes her want to throttle and pounce on him at the same time, she knows she has to choose – play it safe and steady, or risk all her dreams and hope Sailor doesn’t destroy her heart.
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