#Review: Hard to Be Good by Laura Kaye - 3.5 Wine Glasses

Title: Hard To Be Good 
Series: Hard Ink #3.5
Author: Laura Kaye 
Format: ebook
Publication: April 14th 2015 by Avon Impulse
ISBN: 0062369490 
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Crystal
Source: Edelweiss
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Hard Ink Tattoo owner Jeremy Rixey has taken on his brother’s stateside fight against the forces that nearly killed Nick and his Special Forces team a year before. Now, Jeremy’s whole world has been turned upside down—not the least of which by a brilliant, quiet blond man who tempts Jeremy to settle down for the first time ever.

Recent kidnapping victim Charlie Merritt has always been better with computers than people, so when he’s drawn into the SF team’s investigation of his army colonel father’s corruption, he’s surprised to find acceptance and friendship—especially since his father never accepted who Charlie was. Even more surprising is the heated tension Charlie feels with sexy, tattooed Jeremy, Charlie’s opposite in almost every way.

With tragedy and chaos all around them, temptation flashes hot, and Jeremy and Charlie can’t help but wonder why they’re trying so hard to be good... 

Crystal's Thoughts:
Hard To Be Good is a story I have been dying for since Jeremy first walked onto the pages of Hard As It Gets! Nick Rixey's brother and owner of Hard Ink Tattoo, Jeremy has housed his brother's former teammates and weathered the chaos and destruction as they search for answers. Following the events of Hard To Come By though, we know that half of Jeremy's building has been destroyed and he barely made it out with his life. Not everyone did and Jeremy can't help but feel guilty for that fact. If he had only done more, been more... 

Becca's brother, computer savvy Charlie Merritt, see's Jeremy's struggle and offers a listening ear. But Jeremy wants far more then just a sounding board from Charlie. Some bucu sexual tension has been building between them for a while now and it has finally reached it's head. Jeremy knows that Charlie is interested and despite the fact that he has never discriminated against gender or quantity in the past, he wants something more from Charlie. Jeremy wants something he has never had before, a lasting relationship. But thanks to Charlie's bigot of a father, he is worried about judgement from the rest of the Hard Ink crew if he comes out as openly gay. Can Jeremy convince Charlie that he's a risk worth taking? 

I enjoyed Hard To Be Good. However, I wasn't blown away by the story like I had so hoped I would be and like the rest of the series has affected me. My  biggest issue with this novella was the length and amount of content vs. progression in the series. There was no forward momentum and while Charlie and Jeremy's romance has been building in the background of previous books I didn't get that happy, complete feeling when all that yearning finally came to a climax. I think this would have worked better as a short story from the author or as bonus content in the back of Hard To Come By. I would honestly be upset, no matter how much I adore this author's work, if I paid more then 99 cents for this story. I was still left wanting by the end. Thankfully, Murda’s book Hard To Let Go is releasing soon, June 30th, and I am hoping to find that happy, content feeling with that final book. 

Now this is an M/M romance, so there is some sexual , shall we say explorations? This is not Laura Kaye's first venture into this sensual territory. As anyone whose read Just Gotta Say knows, Ms. Kaye has no problem creating some sizzling hot sex scenes, whether they're between a boy and a girl, two boys, or four...Yeah, you really should read that book. *fans self* (If you need more convincing, check out my REVIEW.) Back to Hard To Be Good, the intimate moments between Jeremy and Charlie were beyond hot and I was easily drawn into the scenes. Which saved this novella for me. All in all, it it didn't quite meet my expectations but I was still happy to get the story. ☺


Suggested Reading Order:
Hard As It Gets (Hard Ink #1) - Review | Purchase
Hard As You Can (Hard Ink #2) - Review | Purchase
Hard to Hold on To (Hard Ink #2.5) - Review | Purchase
Hard to Come By (Hard Ink #3) - Review | Purchase 
Hard to Be Good (Hard Ink #3.5) - Review | Purchase
Hard to Let Go (Hard Ink #4) - Purchase