Reviews

Rock Hard by Nalini Singh

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xxselenaj's review

emotional funny inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really enjoyed Charlotte and Gabriel! Singh is one of my favourite authors but I never branched out of her thrillers / paranormal romances. I love that her sports romances aren’t too technical with the sport and is more on the players developing in life after.

I love how patient and understanding Gabriel was. He never forced Charlotte to give more than she could, but helped her to find her strength. He recognized her talent right away and promoted her. He waited months before romantically pursuing her. And when they did get involved he still cared about her professionally and offered to move her away. I love how possessive he was while also acknowledging how caveman like he got. I think Gabriel was such a well rounded MMC because although he had his faults, he didn’t let it get in the way of what he wanted and when he had to acknowledge it, he always thought it out. When he got mad; he apologized. When he was wrong, he owned it. He was not the regular toxic alpha male. Either the bar is in hell when it comes to men or he is just one of my new favs

I love how much charlotte persevered through her trauma. Arguably she could’ve remained hesitant of relationships and men for life. But she found her inner strength and used it to her advantage. I didn’t love that it only kicked off because of Gabriel’s instances, I wish she made more strides on her own but I’m happy she got her own piece of mind

Loved this scene to describe them!

have I or have I not made it clear that I would like you in my bed?" Teeth sinking into her lower lip, she nodded. "So," he said, folding his arms and leaning his hip against the freestanding counter, "why would you think one hiccup would stop me?" He raised an eyebrow. "Especially since you've been working with me long enough to know that nothing stops me when I have my eye set on a goal." Charlotte drew in a long breath, released it slowly. "I don't know if I can." "If you tell me you don't want me, I'm going to demand you give me your panties to prove they're not damp." Cheeks going bright red, she stamped one dainty foot. "That is totally inappropriate!" “No rules outside the office, Ms. Baird," he said, needling her on purpose because he liked her fiery, hated the defeat he'd seen in her. "Now come here and tell me what I did." It was important she make the decision to stay, to start trusting him.

anthy's review

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dark lighthearted tense medium-paced

2.5

anna_alberda's review

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Bases on the description it had a lot of potential. A fmc with a traumatic past, finding her soulmate who helps her heal. However, I did not like the writing style at all. Especially, parts where there was only a descriptive mention of a situation like: "she called her friend and told her about the problem." This happened for multiple situations and I felt like it was a bit cut short. I also didn't really care for mister T-rex. He tried to help, but at the same time was a grumpy, matcho man of whom I found his inner thoughts cringe/annoying.

lmrivas54's review against another edition

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5.0

Loved this book! Net Galley sent me an ARC in exchange for an honest review, and I loved it. I knew from Rock Addiction that Charlotte (Charlie) had gone through a traumatic experience that made her a scared woman, so I was curious about that. Then it was mentioned that Gabriel Bishop, her new boss, was an ex-rugby star, now financial wizard and new CEO of the company she works in. As soon as I read the first interactions, I knew this book was a winner. Charlotte was traumatized but she had an inner strength that helped her "handle" the T-Rex, as Bishop was jokingly called. He was intrigued by this little mouse of a woman who was, in his words, "small, smart, and sexy". He loved her snark, and they had some very cute dialogues. I loved seeing how they grew from like to lust to love, and how sensitive Gabriel was to Charlie's panic attacks. It was a story of growth, overcoming obstacles and claiming your courage. In Gabriel's case, he also had some demons to overcome, and Charlotte was equally determined to help him deal. A great love story, great pace and great dialogues, totally recommend. I liked it better than Rock Addiction, because the author didn't harp so endlessly over Charlie's trauma, but emphazised Charlie's determination to overcome. Well done!

sara11_reads's review against another edition

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4.0

I'll admit that I generally do not like office romances. I find the power dynamics are too uneven to make them fun or realistic. However, I highly enjoyed this book. I liked that Gabriel is a workaholic (unlike many books about billianaire CEO's that never seem to actually work) and I liked seeing Charlotte's character change and grow.