I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Rock Hard
by
Nalini Singh
It is part of the Hard Play #3 series and is a contemporary romance in a Kindle edition that was published by TKA Distribution on March 10, 2015 and has 398 pages.
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Other books in this series include [books_series]
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Must Love Hellhounds, Kiss of Snow, An Enchanted Season, Archangel's Blade, Angels of Darkness, Lord of the Abyss, Desert Warrior, Angels' Flight, Tangle of Need, Play of Passion, Archangel's Storm, Wild Invitation, Heart of Obsidian, Archangel's Legion, "Hide and Seek", "Making Dinner", Shield of Winter, "A Conversation", "Home", Angels' Pawn, "New Year's Kisses", Night Shift, "Weapons Training", "Zoë's Workshop", "Wild Night", Archangel's Shadows, Archangel’s Enigma, Shards of Hope, “Fairy Balloons”, “An Unexpected Guest”, Allegiance of Honor, "The Song of the Wolf", Silver Silence, Archangel’s Heart, Archangel’s Viper, Ocean Light, "Elena's School of Horror", Cherish Hard, "Ain’t No Party Like A Bear Party", Archangel's Prophecy, "One Night At The Refuge", "Secret Things", Rebel Hard, Wolf Rain, "Clean and Dirty", "Wolf School", "Naya’s Most Important Visitors", "Grocery Shopping", "The Cannibal Princess", "A Gift for Kit", "Movie Night", "Kaleb and Sahara’s Meeting with Sascha and Lucas", "Housewarming at the Orchard", "Christmas in the Kitchen", "Stalking Hawke", "Romancing Drew", "Sunday Morning", "Rowan", "Baubles & Ben", Wild Embrace, Love Hard, Rock Addiction, "Music Awards", Rock Courtship, "Rock Courtship Memo"s, Rock Redemption, "Sunshine", Rock Wedding, "With This Memo", "That Lip Ring…", A Madness of Sunshine, "Beary Tiny Ghosts", Alpha Night, "A Wedding Breakfast", "Poker Night", "Knives and Sheaths", "Seedlings", "Star Kissed", "A Walk on the Cliffs", "Wild Cat Blues", Slave to Sensation, Caressed by Ice, Visions of Heat, Kiss Hard, Angels' Blood, Archangel's Kiss, Archangel's War, Archangel's Sun, Archangel's Light, Archangel's Resurrection, Last Guard, “A Perfect Moment”, "Music in the Rain", Storm Echo, Resonance Surge, "Mate", “New Year’s Eve”, Archangel's Lineage, Visions of Heat, Mine to Possess, Hostage to Pleasure, Branded by Fire, Blaze of Memory
Second in the Rock Kiss contemporary romance series (and third in the Hard Play series) and set in Auckland, New Zealand. The couple focus is on Gabriel Bishop and Charlotte Baird.
My Take
I did enjoy the evolution of Charlotte’s and Gabriel’s work and love relationship, for which we are up close and personal with that third person dual point-of-view from Charlotte’s and Gabriel’s perspectives. Those snarky text exchanges…lol.
I LOVE that Gabriel prefers a woman with brains and takes the time to see beneath the surface. That he takes the time to very carefully seduce Charlotte in this fairly equal partnership. Sure Charlotte’s his PA, but Charlotte is very good and Gabriel has the brains to appreciate it. I also enjoyed Gabriel tackling the mess of Saxon and Archer. How many times have you wished you had the power to sweep out the useless?? I do suspect part of it is my own obsession with organizing and making my life more efficient…
Singh did a good job of stringing us along as to Charlotte’s trauma. What I wasn’t keen on was the forced feel of Charlotte’s thoughts about it. Yes, I do understand that her problems are genuine, but I wish Singh had incorporated them more naturally.
One HUGE lesson every reader should take from this is: Change your damn locks! If you break up with someone, change the locks, whether you gave him/her a key or not. Being that close to someone means they know where you put (or hide) your keys. They may have duplicated your key. Find a new hiding place. And change those locks!!
It is a sweet and romantic read, and I enjoyed Charlotte’s character arc in the story as she takes her life back. That ending…too cute.
The Story
Gabriel Bishop is as ruthless in the boardroom as he was on the field, going after what he wants with no-holds-barred. Now, what he wants is Charlotte Baird.
Charlotte knows she’s a mouse., she just wants to do her job and remain as invisible as possible. But the new CEO — a brilliant, broad-shouldered T-Rex of a man who growls and storms through the office, leaving carnage in his wake — clearly has other plans. Plans that may be equal parts business and bedroom.
If Charlotte intends to survive this battle of wits and hearts, the mouse will have to learn to wrangle the T-Rex. Game on.
The Characters
Emotionally scarred and painfully shy, the mousy Charlotte Baird works in Records although she works more often as the assistant to the personal assistant to the CEO. Her passion is baking. Ernest is her boyfriend, and he’s obsessed with his model airplanes. Pippa had been her mother and a teacher at an exclusive private school.
Molly, her very best friend since nursery school, hooked up with Zachary Fox in Rock Addiction. Juliet and Aroha are more friends.
Gabriel “The Bishop” Bishop, former star rugby player and decorated captain of the national team, has become a ruthless businessman…known as T-Rex around the office. Bishop Enterprises is his personal company. Alison is his mother, who’s been married to Joseph Esera, his stepfather, for twenty-five years. Sailor is the next oldest, building a chain of gardening stores; he’s married to Ísa (Cherish Hard, 1). I think Emmaline “Sweetiepie” is Sailor and Ísa’s daughter. Jake is in the middle, also a rugby player, and a single father with a five-year-old daughter, Esme “Boo”. Danny is Gabriel’s youngest brother and making himself a name as a halfback to watch. Brian Bishop is Gabriel’s loser father.
Saxon and Archer is…
…a high-end department store struggling to survive. Bernard Hill had been the CEO; Anya had been his personal assistant. Merrill is the CFO. Viv Grimes is the supply manager. Arnett is COO. Tuck is the mail clerk and friends with Charlotte. Mr Varma is Tuck’s boss. Mrs Chang runs/ran the PR department. Brent Sinclair is a very junior staff member. Steven is a security guard. Katherine Newton is in Accounts. Simon Finley.
The quality of McElvoy Shoes is slipping. Negotiations with Khan are underway about land.
Detective Mei Lee was the patrol officer who found Charlotte. Dr Thomas McCauley, a.k.a., Dr Mac, is a psychologist.
Fabiana Flores is a glamorous model. Tiffany Summer is also a model. Richard “the Boy” was Charlotte’s previous boyfriend.
The Cover and Title
The cover is primarily black and white and all the values in between. It’s Gabriel, front and center, in his business suit, his shirt unbuttoned, spread wide to display his well-muscled chest, his tie undone, and his rugby helmet cradled in his right hand. The background is a circular texture of grays. The author’s name is in a sky blue with an info blurb in between in white, spanning Gabriel’s abdomen. The title is in script, white, and crossing his thighs. Beneath that is the series information in the same blue. Beneath that is a testimonial in white.
The title is all about Gabriel, for he’s Rock Hard whether he’s in pursuit on the field, the boardroom, or the woman he wants.
