Q&A
WITH LAURA KAYE
HARD
AS YOU CAN is your second book in the “Hard Ink” series (after
USA Today bestseller, HARD AS IT GETS). What can readers look forward
to?
Readers
can look forward to tons of sexy alpha male goodness, awesome
bromance between the Hard Ink men, more antics from the Hard Ink
puppy, and another great love story between Shane and Crystal. But
readers should also be ready for a book that is darker, more intense,
and more emotional. This book pushed me to emotional places that were
tough as a writer, and might be tough for readers, too. But I think
that just makes the payoff at the end so much sweeter!
Describe
Shane and Crystal. What are their best traits? What are their
weaknesses?
Shane
and Crystal are such an amazing couple to me. They’re each exactly
what the other needs. Shane’s best traits are his protectiveness,
his fundamental kindness, and his soul-deep loyalty (his southern
accent and humor are also right up there!). His biggest weakness for
sure is a tragedy from the past for which he blames himself—and
it’s something that continues to motivate him in Hard As You
Can. Crystal’s best traits are her courage, protectiveness, and
selflessness—she’s willing to do anything to keep her younger
sister safe. Her biggest weakness is also that selflessness, because
the sacrifices she’s required to make are getting bigger and bigger
and bigger.
If
you could describe your book in a 140 character tweet, what would it
be?
When
a woman in trouble assists an ex-soldier's covert mission to regain
his team's stolen honor, he finds a new mission to save her, too
What
are you most excited about with this second book release?
I’m
really excited to take readers deeper into these awesome characters
and into the mystery behind the Hard Ink team’s ambush and
discharge!
What
books are you reading right now?
I’m
almost done with Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander (yes, I’m very
late to the party but OMG JAMIE FRASER!!!). And I’ve recently
devoured and loved Juliana Stone’s Offsides and Shelly
Thacker’s time-travel historical romance, Forever His.
What
can fans of your “Hard Ink” series look forward to next?
There
will be two more Hard Ink books in 2014!
Hard
to Hold on To – August 2014
Hard
to Come By – November 2014
About
HARD AS YOU CAN:
Five
dishonored soldiers.
Former
Special Forces.
One
last mission.
These
are the men of Hard Ink.
Ever
since hard-bodied, drop-dead-charming Shane McCallan strolled into
the dance club where Crystal Dean works, he's shown a knack for
getting beneath her defenses. For her little sister's sake, Crystal
can't get too close. Until her job and Shane's mission intersect, and
he reveals talents that go deeper than she could have
guessed.
Shane
would never turn his back on a friend in need, especially a former
Special Forces teammate running a dangerous, off-the-books operation.
Nor can he walk away from Crystal. The gorgeous waitress is hiding
secrets she doesn't want him to uncover. Too bad. He's exactly the
man she needs to protect her sister, her life, and her heart. All he
has to do is convince her that when something feels this good, you
hold on as hard as you can--and never let go.
~ EXCERPT ~
It’s
release day! And I’m so excited to share Hard
As You Can,
the second book in the Hard Ink series, with all of you here today!
Hard
As You Can
follows the surviving members of a disgraced Army Special Forces team
as they fight to regain their stolen honor, and finds their
investigation crossing paths with a waitress willing to do whatever
it takes to stay alive and protect her younger sister. For Shane
McCallan, saving Crystal Dean is a mission he refuses to turn down.
Today,
I’ve got a scene filled with lots of sexual tension and emotion to
share with you, one that I absolutely adored writing! I hope you
enjoy this look into the growing attraction between Shane and Crystal
from Hard
As You Can:
“I
didn’t mean to criticize you, Crystal. I just cannot abide violence
against women. Period. Especially not someone I know.” A long
pause. “And definitely not someone I like.” After everything that
had happened to her, the words were a balm for her psyche.
Footsteps
came up behind her, slowly, cautiously, like she was a wild animal
who would bolt in an instant. And she supposed there was some truth
to that analogy.
Torn
between returning to the danger she knew or staying with the one she
didn’t, Crystal debated. Her heart told her Shane might well be the
most dangerous man she’d ever met because he made her want, wish,
maybe even dream.
Not
at all sure it was a good idea, Crystal slowly turned.
Shane
was right in front of her. A rock in the middle of a raging sea, a
refuge she might claim if she had the strength and the will and the
nerve to fight for it. To believe she deserved it. She hugged
herself.
“Hey,”
he said, cupping her face in his big hands. His fingers slid behind
her neck and gently massaged.
She
shook her head and glanced toward the treetops in an effort to pinch
off the sting building behind her eyes. Why did she have to meet him
now? She’d had a plan, and all she’d needed to do was follow it
for a few more months. “You don’t even know me.”
“No.
Not everything. But I know more than a little. And that much I like
enough to want to know more.” His fingers rubbed her neck, gently,
soothingly.
And
his words, well, his words were perfect. Maybe even too much so. Too
good to be true, she
thought. “I already told you I’d share what I’d learned. You
don’t have to play me.”
His
eyes narrowed, and he frowned. “You listen hard and you listen
good, sweetness,” he said, the words firm but the tone urgent,
almost desperate, and laced with his southern accent. “I’m not
perfect, and God knows I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. But
I would never play with a woman’s emotions to get information out
of her. That kind of manipulation doesn’t hold with me. Ever.”
Sweetness.
She’d
heard everything he’d said. The passion with which he’d said it.
The sincerity that burned from his gaze as the words had poured from
his lips. But it was the term of endearment that reached into her
chest and gripped her heart. For a long moment, they stood there,
bodies touching, faces inches apart, his hands holding her in that
firm-but-gentle way he had.
Thunder
rumbled again, closer this time, and her heart was a drum beat
double-timing inside
her chest. If his hands didn’t feel it racing, he’d have to hear
it, because the sound was a loud rush
rush in
her ears. Beneath the sports bra and tank, her nipples went hard. If
his gaze dropped, she knew he’d see, but she couldn’t bring
herself to feel self-conscious about it. Not when he was looking at
her like he wanted to devour her.
His
gaze dropped to her lips.
She
shuddered, everything inside her but the smallest voice of reason
crying out for him to do it. Just once.
“Tell
me not to,” he said, his voice a raw scrape.
So
that’s Shane and Crystal for you! Did you have a favorite line?
Thanks for reading!
~Laura
“Edgy,
sexy, and full of suspense! A great read from a great new author!”
~J.R.
Ward on Hard
As It Gets
About
Laura Kaye:
Laura
is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a
dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. 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.
~ RELEASE BLITZ GIVEAWAY ~
a Rafflecopter giveaway
.jpg)
