Hardcore

Talk about a rollercoaster ride. This is Duke's book. This is truly a standalone. I read Perv, Book #1, but I don't think you would miss anything much if you started with Hardcore. I wanted to dislike Duke, but I just could not. The title is perfect for Duke's personality. The romance comes in while watching Duke get to the soft center of his hardcore nature. Kennedy is just the woman strong enough to help him get there. In all honesty, a number of other people also helped him get there. His best friends, Nate and Tarek; his secretary, Gwen; his pro bono Gabriel; and his mom. This was not a "sweet" romance, but it grabbed my from page one and kept me until the very end. You absolutely do get your HEA. I voluntarily read and reviewed this Advanced Reader Copy.

Hardcore was everything I'd hoped it would be and more. I have been dying for Duke's story since Dakota introduced him in Perv. And I still want more! Duke is unshakable, regimented, and all about control until he meets Kennedy. She wormed her way into his heart, though he would deny it, from the moment he met her. Somehow she was just different from all the other women. And in one moment, she was able to rip away everything he knew and break his hold on his carefully crafted world. He was quite literally brought to his knees by her. Then she walked away. And that was just the prologue! Duke spends the next few years doggedly trying to avoid his feelings and need to be near Kennedy, but she doesn't make it easy. She's a constant flirt and likes to test his control. Duke can see that Kennedy wants the good guy she believes is buried beneath the hard shell he's forged, but he's not sure one exists. He can't help but want her and will take her any way he can, even if it means lying to himself that she accepts the bad guy. Their journey was passionate, breathtakingly erotic, and heartbreaking. I devoured it! I was sucked in by the way they challenged each other, their constant need to push buttons, their visceral connection, and the heat that consumed them. I hated when they struggled, and my heart broke for Duke when he felt rejected. I wanted him to see that he could be that guy she knew he had inside him, and at the same time, I wanted Kennedy to fight for HIM not the man he could be. I sort of felt like she gave up too easily. Couldn't she see how broken he was? Thank goodness for his peers! He would have wasted away to nothing if not for their support. Finally, I loved the ending. His profession of love was sweet and achingly beautiful; it brought me to tears. As a side note, I loved how the author incorporated Gabriel's case into the story. I'm always up for a good who-done-it. Not that there's much focus on it, but it gave an added element to the story outside of the romance. And Duke's relationship with Gabriel was essential to his emotional growth and how he viewed himself. I can't wait to see what Dakota brings us next! She is a gifted new author and one I will be following as long as she has the will to write. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Readers Copy of this book.