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A supposedly hassle-free job for mercenary Cristian Slade becomes a mission of mercy when he saves a life instead of taking one. Slade's new mission might be his most dangerous yet, because the danger is to his heart.
Tragedy has sent esteemed surgeon Alana O'Grady to a remote a remote Nicaraguan island where she immerses herself in the lives of a native American tribe, using her talents for goodwill instead of wealth and prestige. But life turns upside down when her work requires she protect a rugged mercenary who commands her attention when she's awake and dominates her dreams while she sleeps.
Doctoring Christian puts her entire tribe in danger from the man who's hunting him. Is it her professional oath or her unprofessional attraction to him keeping her from sending him away to heal on his own? Alana's fire warms Christian's heart, but he's a hardened assassin and has no business falling for someone like her. Can they fight hard enough to keep what they might have together?
Content Warning: Sexual content.
A Lyrical Press Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by: Stacey
Book provided by: Publisher
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
Not all debut novels are created the same. As authors grow and write more books, you can see how they’ve grown and their writing style changes. Jennifer Lowery’s Hard Core does not come off as a debut novel.
While I usually don’t go for the mercenary as a leading man, Ms. Lowery had me changing my mind. Injured and at the mercy of a small village surgeon, Christian’s injuries have his defenses down and during this time, we learn that he is not just some hard-hearted killer; he has a human side and it’s nice to see his vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, kind hearted surgeon Alana, who herself has some demons that she’s fighting, finds herself attracted to a man that she should totally avoid.
Gotta love the opposites attract when it’s so blazingly clear how opposite they are: killer vs. healer.
There was so much action and drama and to see these two having to work together against such a vile enemy had my heart leaping off the page a time or two. And when Christian’s team shows up to help, it added more hero power to a group and had me hoping that Jennifer Lowery would use them in future books!
JoanneWadsworth
Posted January 16, 2013
A remote island. A skilled doctor with a soft heart, and a mercenary with a hard shield. Jennifer Lowery brings an intriguing mix of suspense, action and romance into play within her debut novel. You'll be wishing for Alana and Cristian to figure each other out, and to beat the odds stacked against them. I would have liked a little more in the romance department as those scenes sped by too quickly. Although this is an author to watch out for. Jennifer's delivered a wonderful debut, and I'm certainly looking forward to reading her second book.
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Posted December 19, 2012
I loved this book! Christian was fantastic! He is a mercenary with a hidden heart of gold. I will definitely get the next book by this author.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Hard Core is Jennifer's debut novel, and she didn't disappoint. The story begins with a bang, literally. Cristian is badly wounded while he claws his way through the jungle. Enter the good Doctor, Alana. Even though she suspects him to be a henchman of her enemy, Gavin Ross, her stubborn moral compass won't let her leave him to die. Within the first few pages we get a very clear picture of the type of woman she is. She's kind-hearted, gifted, dedicated, a loving daughter, stubborn and a bit naive. Warming up to Cristian took a little longer, at least until he recovered from the delirium brought around by his fever. Going by Slade, he's mysterious, has an air of danger about him, closed off, comes off as emotionless ... in short he's a tough nut to crack.
I liked the chemistry between Alana and Cristian. No matter how often he tells himself he doesn't care, Alana manages to poke holes in his barriers. The irony of their professions made them more interesting. I love the fact that the author chose such a stark contrast. As a reader, before I pick up the book and while I'm reading the book, I'm wondering how these two can possibly become more. Is what Cristian does really all black and white? Can a doctor who has taken the oath ever be put in a situation that would make her renege on her promise? Those are questions that draw me to a book like this.
It doesn't take long before we get to the drama portion, and it made quite an impact. The villain really was a despicable creature, so I was fully on Cristian's side. Team Slade 1, Team Alana 0. I'm not sure I liked Alana in that particular situation. Even now I'm not even sure how I would have answered the question she asked herself in that critical moment. Kudos to the author for choosing a frightening and gritty plot point, and you know that stuff does happen!
The highlight for me was the appearance of the rest of Slade's "team". They didn't get much face time, and we don't get to know them except for what Alana observes on the surface. But it was enough to make not only the hero and heroine realize they were surrounded by people who had their backs. I have it on good authority that the other mercenaries will get their stories as well, and I look forward to reading more about each one.
The sex scenes didn't have the sizzle factor I had come to anticipate. They were hot but they could have used a little more … oomph. Since this was my first read by this author, I have nothing to compare it to. Perhaps wild monkey sex isn't in the cards, but that's okay. I have read books before where there was no sex and it was still a great read.
This was definitely right up my alley and I can't wait to read about the other fellas. I highly recommend it if you love romantic suspense, a brooding, tortured hero, a plucky heroine and danger nipping at their heels at every turn.
Disclaimer: I won my copy during the Hard Core Blog Tour contest. Full FTC disclaimer can be found on my blog.
Anonymous
Posted October 12, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
A supposedly hassle-free job for mercenary Cristian Slade becomes a mission of mercy when he saves a life instead of taking one. Slade's new mission might be his most dangerous yet, because the danger is to his heart.
Tragedy has sent esteemed surgeon Alana O'Grady to a remote a remote Nicaraguan island where she immerses herself in the lives of a native American tribe, using her talents for goodwill instead of ...