Kelsey's Corner Time: HARD AS STEEL by LAURA KAYE - #BOOKREVIEW #BLOGTOUR #EXCERPT #GIVEAWAY @InkSlingerPR @LauraKayeAuthor

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We so excited to be able to bring you the Review & Excerpt Tour for Laura Kaye's HARD AS STEEL!! HARD AS STEEL is a Hard Ink/Raven Riders Crossover Series Novella brought to you by 1001 Dark Nights. It is due to be released on September 22, 2015! Grab your copy of this sexy novella today!

Title: Hard as Steel

Series: A Hard Ink/Raven Riders Crossover Novella

Author: Laura Kaye

Release Date: September 22, 2015

After identifying her employer's dangerous enemies, Jessica Jakes takes refuge at the compound of the Raven Riders Motorcycle Club. Fellow Hard Ink tattooist and Raven leader Ike Young promises to keep Jess safe for as long as it takes, which would be perfect if his close, personal, round-the-clock protection didn't make it so hard to hide just how much she wants him—and always has.

Ike Young loved and lost a woman in trouble once before. The last thing he needs is alone time with the sexiest and feistiest woman he's ever known, one he's purposely kept at a distance for years. Now, Ike's not sure he can keep his hands or his heart to himself—or that he even wants to anymore. And that means he has to do whatever it takes to hold on to Jess forever.

Fashinable muscular man with tattooes on grey background

I’m thrilled to be here celebrating the release of my 21^st book, HARD AS STEEL! After a midnight break-in at her apartment, close friends and Hard Ink Tattoo co-workers Ike Young and Jessica Jakes are forced into hiding—and forced to confront the feelings they’ve always denied for one another. I have always adored friends-to-lovers and forced proximity stories, and HARD AS STEEL delivers that and more, including a taste of both my award-winning and best-selling Hard Ink and upcoming Raven Riders series! Check out this excerpt:

“Night,” she said, heading up the steps.

“Night,” he replied, watching her hips sway in a pair of silky black shorts. Combined with the form-fitting black tank top and those perfect-for-grabbing pigtails, she was going to make it damn hard for him to fall asleep tonight.

Damn hard, indeed.

He turned out the light and went horizontal, the soft couch so comfortable against his sore back even though it was a little too short to fit his whole body. He adjusted his erection, willing it to get with the no-sex-with-Jess program. Problem was, in the quiet darkness, Ike could hear her moving around in the loft. Soft footsteps on the wood floor. The shifting of covers. The squeaking of the box spring. And all that did was invite his imagination out to play. Easy since he had so much material to work with after sleeping with Jess wrapped around him the past two nights.

His shoulders and chest knew what the silk of her hair felt like when it skimmed over his skin. His hip knew the heat of her core when she slept with her knee across his thighs. His hands had memorized the curve of her lower back and the shape of her biceps and just how much of her luscious ass he could fit in his palms.

Ike knew what her mouth tasted like, how tight her legs could wrap around his waist, and how fucking beautiful the combination of ink and steel was on her skin.

Jesus, his cock was never going to let him go to sleep at this rate.

And was it fucking hot in here or what? He tossed the cover off, wishing he had a ceiling fan downstairs, too. Something for the to-do list around this place.

Ike sighed and flung his hand over his head. And wondered why the hell he was torturing himself this way.

He could just go up there and get in the bed—and take what he wanted, and what he knew Jess would be only too happy to give. Neither of them was immune to the mutual attraction that had always been there between them. And her reaction to his kiss the other day made it crystal fucking clear that she was waiting for him to make his move.

Jess had plenty of one-night stands and casual hook-ups. Ike knew she was perfectly capable of handling that kind of relationship.

Except.

Except Ike wasn’t a clueless idiot, and he wasn’t in the habit of doing things he knew damn right well would hurt someone he cared about. Jess wore her emotions like she wore her ink—out loud and unapologetically. He had a pretty good idea that she was rocking some more-than-friendly and more-than-physical feelings for him. Right now, she thought them unrequited, and that kept a kind of sexually tense equilibrium between them. But if he let himself off the leash—even just once—he’d very likely raise and dash her hopes, give her all kinds of mixed signals, and screw things up royally between them.

He shook his head and heaved a deep breath. If he wasn’t going to go the distance with her, he had no business taking the first step.

I was sad when I finished the last book in the Hard Ink Series. If you look through my reviews you'll know that I loved all of those books. Then I read Laura Kaye's announcement that she was going to be starting a new series with the Raven Riders. And I was happy again!

Hard as Steel is similar to the Hard Ink books in that some of the same characters appear (i.e., Ike and Jess). It takes place at the same time as the Hard Ink Books so we get to see different points of view on what happens. But these characters are just little bit edgier than the Hard Ink Characters. While the Hard Ink boys had some bad boy, they were all pretty tame.

Ike is a member of the Raven Riders Motorcycle Club. He's tatted and tough. He has a criminal background and he skirts the law. Jess is also tough and tatted. She is not your typical girl next door. While she had a fairly happy childhood, she has never been one to conform to society. I had thought (early on when reading the Hard Ink books) that Jess and Jeremy had something going on, but after reading Hard as Steel it's obvious, that while Jess loves Jeremy has a friend, she is in love with Ike.

It's as though the two are meant for each other. They share the same goals and ideas. They love tattoos and don't want to be like everyone else. I've read lots of books about tattooed guys and while I don't have tattoos I do find them sexy. I haven't read many books about tattooed women so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about Jess. I can say now that I loved her. She's tough but sensitive. She's edgy but girly. She many not look like a typical heroine, but she's tender and sweet. Ike, too, is adorable. He has a vibe of a bad guy, but underneath he really cares and proves it.

This was a quick read (or at least it was for me in that I couldn't put it down) and a definite great start to a new series. Bring on the Raven Riders! I give Hard as Steel FIVE STARS!

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Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense. 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.