Review: Hard to Be Good by Laura Kaye (Hard Ink #3.5)


Hard Ink Tattoo owner Jeremy Rixey wishes he could be of more help to his brother Nick and his former Special Forces teammates. With the attack on their building and too many lives lost, Jeremy is laden with guilt, but Charlie Merritt reminds him that there's nothing he should feel guilty for. Jeremy has quickly become Charlie's closest friend, but he wants Jeremy to be more than that. Charlie wants to take a risk and see if Jeremy feels the same way, but the lack of acceptance he got from his late father still overshadows him. Jeremy wants him to believe they should be together but will Charlie be able to overcome his doubts?

Hard to Be Good is the second novella and the fifth release in Laura Kaye's addictive Hard Ink series. While the love story between Jeremy Rixey and Charlie Merritt doesn't directly affect the overall story arc involving what happened to Charlie's father and Jeremy's brother in Afghanistan, it does satisfy a fan's curiosity as to the closeness that was already happening between the two. They're both such opposites--Jeremy is more easy-going and flirtatious while Charlie is reserved and is used to keeping to himself--but there's a connection between them that goes beyond the fact that their siblings are in love with each other.

If you're a fan of the series, Charlie's being gay and Jeremy's bisexuality aren't a secret and I think that this pairing doesn't really come as a surprise but it is a great addition to the couples that have already been formed. One of the best things about this novella is that it wasn't merely about two men falling in love but it had to do with acceptance, not just from other people but of who you truly are. Jeremy is comfortable in his own skin while Charlie still feels the need to hide certain things, and the fact that the rest of the characters encouraged and didn't question them being a couple makes me give Hard to Be Good five stars. ♥

Date Read: 22 September 2015

Learn more about Laura Kaye here.

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