Limecello’s review of Hard as Nails by HelenKay Dimon
Contemporary anthology published by Brava on 1 Jul 08

I first discovered HelenKay Dimon in the anthology When Good Things Happen to Bad Boys, with her story Hardhats and Silk Stockings. I really enjoyed it, and was so excited to find out that she had a continuation of sorts on the story coming out. Actually, I didn’t know this was an anthology at first, but this format is perfect.

This Old House

Cole and Aubrey are interesting characters. The story starts out well, but I wasn’t impressed with Aubrey initially. She creates outrageous lies to get her way (ultimately for what she believes is a good cause) – and that annoyed me. Especially when she doesn’t own to them. She causes a lot of costly destruction, that all the characters just ignore. (Maybe I’m just jealous of people, fictional or otherwise who can afford throwing away possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars. I’ll admit that.) Also, when Cole and Aubrey first get, er, friendly, she jokes about Cole taking favors as payment. However, when he says something along the same lines, Aubrey throws a fit, and Cole feels guilty and there is all this drama. What annoyed me, is the fact that Aubrey started it is passed over.

That being said, after that, everything was well written, the story interesting, and the characters entertaining. I loved their personalities and the banter – excellent.

Grade: B

Architect Cole Carruthers’s mission is simple-visit his company’s latest rehab project and cajole the sweet old lady who once owned it into vacating the premises. But the sultry, sledge-hammer-wielding woman he finds is far from old, nor particularly sweet. For reasons she won’t reveal, Aubrey Matheson refuses to leave the house she claims is her birthright. As far as Cole’s concerned, there’s only one thing to do with this squatter: hunker down with her and discover every single one of her sexy secrets…

All About Adam

Both Adam and Becky are sneaky – and keep their emotions to themselves. I love a good story when the hero is pursuing the heroine, and Ms. Dimon does an excellent job of writing one that is believable and engaging. While the characters frustrate each other, the scenes are quite realistic, and the witty repartee is most enjoyable. I liked how Adam went through such a circuitous and elaborate route to get back together with Becky. I also enjoyed how pragmatic Becky was – and that she didn’t go in with rose colored glasses and unrealistic expectations. The fact that everything turned out that way was just the cherry on top. That, and the minor subplot was also interesting and well written.

Grade: A

The last meeting tough-as-nails Becky Carter took with sharp-witted, wicked sexy lawyer and real estate rehabber Adam Thomas culminated in a scorching-hot game of kiss-and-run. Becky was the one running, and she’s regretted it ever since. Now Adam’s back to do some actual business…or so he says. If Becky has her way, this weekend of negotiation will speed from boardroom to bedroom-and stay there…

Man at the Door

Older woman younger man stories can go wrong all too easily, but that definitely didn’t happen here. Erin and Ray obviously have chemistry, and I loved the “role reversal” – where Cole, the frivolous playboy was pushing for a committed relationship, and Erin wanted to be friends with benefits. It was also nice that while they seemed to be so different, their history gave them many commonalities.

Of course, this story was smart, and well written, but I think one of my favorite aspects was how each character stood up for themselves. For better or for worse, I respected both of them throughout. It didn’t feel that either of them just caved and compromised. Of course, there is the happy ending and each character takes steps towards the other, but only because they wanted to and because it was right for them and the right time. Perfect.

Grade: A-

After finding herself famous for all the wrong reasons, artist Erin McHugh just wants to fix up her house, open her art studio, and settle down out of the spotlight. Then job foreman Ray Hammond walks through her door and Erin recognizes broad-shouldered trouble. Hot, young, and always in the news, Ray is everything Erin wanted to avoid. The challenge is how to resist a guy who can build anything, fix anything-and make Erin feel everything…

Each character had a unique personality, and all the stories worked well together. They built on each other, but were also stand-alone. The humor was also constant, I enjoyed the warm feel to the novella, and the characters were all friends with each other. It worked. There were also priceless one-liners and zingers. I recommend reading this book if you’re looking for something quick and fun – especially if you’re already a fan of Ms. Dimon.

Overall Grade: A-

What’s better than a man who’s good with his hands? Try a trio of hard-bodied hunks who’ll be happy to flip your house, your heart…and anything else you have in mind…

Read an excerpt here.