FINAL DECISION: I loved the romance between Derek and Emilie. This book has all the time spent between the characters that the prior novel missed. I loved how the two interacted with one another and their intelligence and respect for one another shines through. Derek is especially a sweetheart and I loved how he is uncomfortable with lying to Emilie and insists on telling her the truth. Derek also is sexy and has an optimistic view of life and is funny.
THE STORY: Derek DiMarzio is ex-special forces. While in Afghanistan, he and his team were ambushed and as a result Derek lost the lower half his leg. He survived, but he and the remaining members of his team were drummed out of the army in disgrace. The five men have come together a year later to try and clear their names. Emilie Garza is the sister of a man the Hard Ink team think might be involved in the events which led to their disgrace. Derek approaches Emilie to try and locate her brother but instead begins to fall for the sweet, competent, honest and caring woman. Derek begins to believe that Emilie is not involved in her brother's treachery but then worries that Emilie may not forgive Derek for his lies.
OPINION: This is one of my favorite of the series. There is a great connection between Derek and Emilie from the start and they communicate very well on all levels. Derek is sexy and sweet and incredibly optimistic. He has the kind of personality that just makes people feel good when they are around him. I loved that in this book there was quite a bit of time devoted to developing the relationship between Emilie and Derek. By the time the two get together, they have learned a lot about one another.
Emilie is also a strong woman. A clinical psychologist, she is smart and intelligent and fully embraces here own sexuality. There is a playfulness between Derek and Emilie in their intimate encounters that is different from the others in the series but matches the personality of the main characters well.
For me, this is the best integration of the romance and the overarching storyline in the series. There is a lot of action, but also the romance is allowed to fully develop. The storyline accelerates in this book and there is more action and that is a good thing as well. This was a book that was easy for me to read because I did not want to put it down.
WORTH MENTIONING: The ongoing story is seriously moving now. The danger has increased for all the Hard Ink team.
CONNECTED BOOKS: HARD TO COME BY is the third book in the Hard Ink series. The romance can be read as a standalone although there is an overarching story about the men working to clear their name that continues throughout the series and depends upon the prior books of the series.
STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.
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