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kathydavie's review
4.0
Third in the Hard Play cozy romance series and revolving around the Bishop-Esera family of rugby athletes. The couple focus is on Jacob Esera and Juliet Nelisi and is set in Auckland, New Zealand.
My Take
Sweet! I adore the Bishop-Esera family. They're raised with fabulous values and care about each other, respectful of their stepfather's culture. Wait'll you read about Gabe and Charlie's wedding! Such a beautiful blend of who they are. And I just love how the whole family got around that jerk Reid.
It's a cute conflict with Jake hating Juliet and vice versa. She's too wild for him and he's too staid for her, going back to their high school days. But Singh uses those wedding "hormones" to incite their interest in each other. It was too easy. Sweet, but, oy, I do wish there'd been more resistance at the start to make it more believable. Singh did try but all it did was annoy the heck out of me.
What makes it up for me is Jacob, so determined to raise his daughter well, to be with her, and make her happy. It's too bad he's so paranoid about the safety of everyone he loves. That's what Callie's death did to him. Made him so incredibly responsible. Cooking right for himself and for Esme. Hmmm, wonder if he'll cook for me...? How he is, is how his parents raised him. You can see it when Esme talks about Uncle Danny and his friends having to plant new flowers, lol. It's about taking responsibility, and you can see how well it works for all of them in all aspects of their lives.
Poor Juliet. It takes a bit before we learn her back history. Jeez. It takes the difference in how Juliet is treated by E.E. Designs and Reid that sparks her courage. It's sure a contrast with all the support Jake comes to realize he had. I am curious about Callie's family. Where are they in all this?
Ohhh, the paper roses in Charlotte's bouquet sound gorgeous, but I am conflicted about it. Pages from romance books, which means tearing apart a book! Ack. I also love that Juliet had taken welding in high school. Lucky girl.
I love, too, that the Kiwi media leave Esme alone, partly because the family (full of athletes!) and their teammates will boycott anyone who breaches that privacy. Too bad more journalists haven't that decency.
I hadda laugh about the underwear commercial. The actual shoot sounds like it was a lot of fun, the way the boys were interacting. More laughter ensues as Jake brags about Esme's relationship with the team: "She'll sit with the nutritionist and the physio and discuss plays like she's sixty, not six."
Singh uses a third person dual protagonist point-of-view, so we get to hear Jake's and Juliet's thoughts about what's happening. I do wish Singh had done more with showing us rather than telling us so much.
Hmm, I wonder how many coaches realize that overtraining is stupid? I do love Gabe's counsel to his brothers, to "play for the love of the game."
Aha, Singh is prepping us for Ahora's and Catie's future romances ... *eyebrow waggle* ...
It's definitely a character-driven tale, based on the upbringing Alison and Joseph gave the boys, which isn't to say there's no action. It's there, but the focus is on family support, loyalty, and caring.
This is such an incredibly sweet story! So positive and wonderful. It turns into such a life of laughing and success.
The Story
It's Gabriel and Charlotte's wedding day!
Floor it, baby!
The Characters
Juliet "Jules" Nelisi, former wild child classmate, scandal magnet, is a friend of Charlotte's from their shared pastry class. And she'd been Callie's best friend in high school. She's been divorced for the past six months. Aleki is a cousin who now runs a legit security company.
The strait-laced twenty-four-year-old Jacob "Gearhead" Esera, a.k.a., the Saint, star rugby player for the Harriers and squeaky clean single father, has a six-year-old daughter, Esme, a.k.a., Boo, who used to be enthralled with cars. Calypso "Callie" Simpson had been Jake's girlfriend in high school and had been Esme's mom. Rachel, a hard-driving investigative reporter, was his last girlfriend.
The Bishop-Eseras are...
Jacob's blended family, his and Danny's father and Gabe and Sailor's stepfather, Joseph Eseras, is Samoan. Alison is their mom. Danny is the youngest and on the same team as Jacob. It seems Danny's interested in sports psychology as well as law.
Sailor Bishop and Ísa Rain (Cherish Hard, 1) have been married for eight years now. Eight!?! Emmaline is their daughter and Esme's best friend. Harlow and Catie (she of the prosthetic legs) are Ísa's siblings. Joseph Connor is Sailor and Ísa's newborn.
Gabriel "the Bishop" Bishop, a.k.a., Gabe and T-Rex, and Charlotte "Charlie" Baird (Rock Hard, 3) are getting married. Uncle Tama has a car that won't start. "Trixi Kitten" is Jake's great-aunt's cat.
Aroha is another of Charlotte's friends from pastry class and a bridesmaid. As is Detective Mei Lee. Molly, Charlotte's best friend, is the matron of honor (Rock Addiction). Fox is Molly's rock-star husband. Thea Arsana is Molly's sister and a brilliant publicist who represents Fox's band.
Nayna Sharma and Raj Sen (he'll be an usher at the wedding; Rebel Hard, 2). They have a little boy. Harry is Gabe's best friend from his pro-athlete days, although he's a pilot now. And he seems to be falling for Aroha.
E.E. Designs is...
...where Juliet works as their new vice-president of Operations and Supply, and Everett Echert is Juliet's boss; Rufus is his lifelong partner. Iris Truett, the chief operations officer, is Juliet's immediate boss who intends to retire in three years.
Kalia Nguyen is the photographer. Wesley is the CEO of a company that owns half the billboards in Auckland. Kseniya is the model in New York. Zuli is a lawyer with Jin, Beckstead, and Partners in London. She's also Oliver's fiancée.
The Harriers are...
...the rugby team of which Jacob and Danny are members, Gabe's old team. Lincoln Graves is the coach. Other rugby players who signed the same underwear commercial deal include Leopold "Leo" Naughton who drives a yellow Porsche 911 and is with a new woman every night of the week; Viliame "Vili", a Fijian-Kiwi winger who drives a Ferrari F8 Tributo; and, Christian "the Viking". I think Christian is on the Southern Blizzard team. More teammates include Ambrose (Bria is his pregnant girlfriend), Piri, and Oliver, who is the team captain.
Darren, a former lawyer, is Jacob's agent. The Southern Blizzard are the Harriers arch-rivals.
Reid Mescall, Juliet's cheating sports-star ex, had been a control freak. Lisa Swan is the girl with whom he'd been cheating.
Back in high school
Mr Boucher, a.k.a., Mr Bozo, is a bully of a teacher. Paul Sweeney, a fellow student, had been a bully. Jiro got the same treatment as Sweeney.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a black-and-white photograph of Jake in faded blue jeans and no shirt — the better to show off that intricate tribal tattoo on his right bicep, shoulders, and upper chest. He's plunging forward with two hands on the oval rugby ball against a dew-dropped and hazy background. A great way to indicate effort without sweating, lol. The title is in white distressed script across Jake's lower chest with the series info in white over his left front pocket. The author's name is in violet across his legs with a testimonial in black between her first and last name.
The title is what Esme, Jacob, and Juliet do, Love Hard. As does every other member of the Bishop-Esmera family!
My Take
Sweet! I adore the Bishop-Esera family. They're raised with fabulous values and care about each other, respectful of their stepfather's culture. Wait'll you read about Gabe and Charlie's wedding! Such a beautiful blend of who they are. And I just love how the whole family got around that jerk Reid.
It's a cute conflict with Jake hating Juliet and vice versa. She's too wild for him and he's too staid for her, going back to their high school days. But Singh uses those wedding "hormones" to incite their interest in each other. It was too easy. Sweet, but, oy, I do wish there'd been more resistance at the start to make it more believable. Singh did try but all it did was annoy the heck out of me.
What makes it up for me is Jacob, so determined to raise his daughter well, to be with her, and make her happy. It's too bad he's so paranoid about the safety of everyone he loves. That's what Callie's death did to him. Made him so incredibly responsible. Cooking right for himself and for Esme. Hmmm, wonder if he'll cook for me...? How he is, is how his parents raised him. You can see it when Esme talks about Uncle Danny and his friends having to plant new flowers, lol. It's about taking responsibility, and you can see how well it works for all of them in all aspects of their lives.
Poor Juliet. It takes a bit before we learn her back history. Jeez. It takes the difference in how Juliet is treated by E.E. Designs and Reid that sparks her courage. It's sure a contrast with all the support Jake comes to realize he had. I am curious about Callie's family. Where are they in all this?
Ohhh, the paper roses in Charlotte's bouquet sound gorgeous, but I am conflicted about it. Pages from romance books, which means tearing apart a book! Ack. I also love that Juliet had taken welding in high school. Lucky girl.
I love, too, that the Kiwi media leave Esme alone, partly because the family (full of athletes!) and their teammates will boycott anyone who breaches that privacy. Too bad more journalists haven't that decency.
I hadda laugh about the underwear commercial. The actual shoot sounds like it was a lot of fun, the way the boys were interacting. More laughter ensues as Jake brags about Esme's relationship with the team: "She'll sit with the nutritionist and the physio and discuss plays like she's sixty, not six."
Singh uses a third person dual protagonist point-of-view, so we get to hear Jake's and Juliet's thoughts about what's happening. I do wish Singh had done more with showing us rather than telling us so much.
Hmm, I wonder how many coaches realize that overtraining is stupid? I do love Gabe's counsel to his brothers, to "play for the love of the game."
Aha, Singh is prepping us for Ahora's and Catie's future romances ... *eyebrow waggle* ...
It's definitely a character-driven tale, based on the upbringing Alison and Joseph gave the boys, which isn't to say there's no action. It's there, but the focus is on family support, loyalty, and caring.
This is such an incredibly sweet story! So positive and wonderful. It turns into such a life of laughing and success.
The Story
It's Gabriel and Charlotte's wedding day!
T-Rex vs Mouse. They both won.It certainly brings Jake and Juliet back into each other's orbit, giving them each the chance to see the person behind what they each remember.
Floor it, baby!
The Characters
Juliet "Jules" Nelisi, former wild child classmate, scandal magnet, is a friend of Charlotte's from their shared pastry class. And she'd been Callie's best friend in high school. She's been divorced for the past six months. Aleki is a cousin who now runs a legit security company.
The strait-laced twenty-four-year-old Jacob "Gearhead" Esera, a.k.a., the Saint, star rugby player for the Harriers and squeaky clean single father, has a six-year-old daughter, Esme, a.k.a., Boo, who used to be enthralled with cars. Calypso "Callie" Simpson had been Jake's girlfriend in high school and had been Esme's mom. Rachel, a hard-driving investigative reporter, was his last girlfriend.
The Bishop-Eseras are...
Jacob's blended family, his and Danny's father and Gabe and Sailor's stepfather, Joseph Eseras, is Samoan. Alison is their mom. Danny is the youngest and on the same team as Jacob. It seems Danny's interested in sports psychology as well as law.
Sailor Bishop and Ísa Rain (Cherish Hard, 1) have been married for eight years now. Eight!?! Emmaline is their daughter and Esme's best friend. Harlow and Catie (she of the prosthetic legs) are Ísa's siblings. Joseph Connor is Sailor and Ísa's newborn.
Gabriel "the Bishop" Bishop, a.k.a., Gabe and T-Rex, and Charlotte "Charlie" Baird (Rock Hard, 3) are getting married. Uncle Tama has a car that won't start. "Trixi Kitten" is Jake's great-aunt's cat.
Aroha is another of Charlotte's friends from pastry class and a bridesmaid. As is Detective Mei Lee. Molly, Charlotte's best friend, is the matron of honor (Rock Addiction). Fox is Molly's rock-star husband. Thea Arsana is Molly's sister and a brilliant publicist who represents Fox's band.
Nayna Sharma and Raj Sen (he'll be an usher at the wedding; Rebel Hard, 2). They have a little boy. Harry is Gabe's best friend from his pro-athlete days, although he's a pilot now. And he seems to be falling for Aroha.
E.E. Designs is...
...where Juliet works as their new vice-president of Operations and Supply, and Everett Echert is Juliet's boss; Rufus is his lifelong partner. Iris Truett, the chief operations officer, is Juliet's immediate boss who intends to retire in three years.
Kalia Nguyen is the photographer. Wesley is the CEO of a company that owns half the billboards in Auckland. Kseniya is the model in New York. Zuli is a lawyer with Jin, Beckstead, and Partners in London. She's also Oliver's fiancée.
The Harriers are...
...the rugby team of which Jacob and Danny are members, Gabe's old team. Lincoln Graves is the coach. Other rugby players who signed the same underwear commercial deal include Leopold "Leo" Naughton who drives a yellow Porsche 911 and is with a new woman every night of the week; Viliame "Vili", a Fijian-Kiwi winger who drives a Ferrari F8 Tributo; and, Christian "the Viking". I think Christian is on the Southern Blizzard team. More teammates include Ambrose (Bria is his pregnant girlfriend), Piri, and Oliver, who is the team captain.
Darren, a former lawyer, is Jacob's agent. The Southern Blizzard are the Harriers arch-rivals.
Reid Mescall, Juliet's cheating sports-star ex, had been a control freak. Lisa Swan is the girl with whom he'd been cheating.
Back in high school
Mr Boucher, a.k.a., Mr Bozo, is a bully of a teacher. Paul Sweeney, a fellow student, had been a bully. Jiro got the same treatment as Sweeney.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a black-and-white photograph of Jake in faded blue jeans and no shirt — the better to show off that intricate tribal tattoo on his right bicep, shoulders, and upper chest. He's plunging forward with two hands on the oval rugby ball against a dew-dropped and hazy background. A great way to indicate effort without sweating, lol. The title is in white distressed script across Jake's lower chest with the series info in white over his left front pocket. The author's name is in violet across his legs with a testimonial in black between her first and last name.
The title is what Esme, Jacob, and Juliet do, Love Hard. As does every other member of the Bishop-Esmera family!
whatkireads's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
While Juliet and Jake weren't really my favourite couple amongst the series (probably has to do with the fact that I read this while I was on a road-trip and fighting off motion sickness), I still loved and adored them and this book was a big reunion. We got to see Fox and Molly, Gabe and Charlie, Isa and Sailor, Raj and Nayna, Mei, Harlow, Catie and Danny (wink wink)!!
BIIIIG points to how cute Esme was but again, I wish she had more of a stronger presence in the story and we got to see a lot more of Jake and Juliet taking care of Esme and just falling into a comfortable routine together (MORE!! I love seeing this)
It's a messy situation to fall in love with your deceased girlfriend's best friend, but Nalini Singh has a way of making the healthiest relationships and situations and the fact that this was the cleanest established relationship considering the context.
BIIIIG points to how cute Esme was but again, I wish she had more of a stronger presence in the story and we got to see a lot more of Jake and Juliet taking care of Esme and just falling into a comfortable routine together (MORE!! I love seeing this)
It's a messy situation to fall in love with your deceased girlfriend's best friend, but Nalini Singh has a way of making the healthiest relationships and situations and the fact that this was the cleanest established relationship considering the context.
franb_42's review
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
jax10124's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I liked that we finally got a rugby one! But there are some minor in this book that niggled at me. Namely, that a 6yo girl is highly unlikely to still be napping lol - but otherwise it was cute!
amym84's review against another edition
4.0
Jake Esera was a teenage father, and in practically the same breath his childhood sweetheart, and mother of his daughter, died. Since then, he's worked hard to create and safe and stable life for himself and his daughter getting support from his family. So when his high school nemesis Juliet Nelisi walks back into his life, he's prepared for trouble to come following. What he isn't prepared for is the attraction. Not only did Jake and Juliet not get along in high school, but she was also best friends with his aforementioned girlfriend.
Juliet Nelisi likes her life being a little wild. Maybe not getting in trouble, going to detention everyday kind of wild anymore, but she loves life, and is fiercely loyal to those she calls friends. Running into Jake brought back a lot of memories, but mainly she's thrown by the zing of chemistry between them. But Juliet knows that despite being a famous rugby player, Jake doesn't court fame. Unfortunately, Juliet's ex-husband continually draws her back into the spotlight in order to remain relevant himself, and Juliet can't imaging dragging Jake and his daughter into the media frenzy as well. But sometimes attraction is too strong to hold off.
When we first encountered Jake way back when in his brother Gabriel's story [b:Rock Hard|23514316|Rock Hard (Rock Kiss, #2)|Nalini Singh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1423588812l/23514316._SX50_.jpg|43117391], I was interested in this young, single father's story, and wanted to see him get his HEA. The beginning of the book starts out with Gabriel and Charlotte's wedding, and with a cameo from Molly and Fox from [b:Rock Addiction|22839846|Rock Addiction (Rock Kiss, #1)|Nalini Singh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1408109387l/22839846._SX50_.jpg|42396239], I was thrown by how far we've come in this series and it's technical spin-offs. I like that Nalini Singh worked in various cameos in a nod to where we've been in the series, but only the ones that made sense of course.
I've really enjoyed seeing the Bishop-Esera family. Seeing their closeness and their family dynamic throughout the various books has definitely been a highlight. This time around it's contrasted with Juliet's lack of family. When she was younger her parents died in an accident and she was raised (begrudgingly) by her aunt, and then later by her grandparents who weren't ones to show open affection. So to be thrown into the Esera clan was very eye-opening for her. I loved seeing the moments where she was caught off guard with their kindness and acceptance.
I also liked the fact that this isn't a simple enemies-to-lovers story. It's not a my best friend's ex story either. It kind of blends aspects of those two together, but I feel like it's certainly it's own kind of love story. Because Jake's life was undeniably altered the day Callie - his girlfriend and mother of his child - died. He knows that they were young and he doesn't make any declarations about how they were meant to be together forever, he doesn't put her on a pedestal except for the fact that he doesn't ever want to lose someone he cares about ever again. So he becomes serious and staid. He keeps things close to his chest and while not pushing people away he doesn't let them in either. Then Juliet comes along a link to his past, yet they've both grown enough that it's like a new adventure being with her. I love the acknowledgement of the past, but the fact that his heart isn't clinging to what once was, more he tries to control aspects of his life to guarantee good outcomes.
Both Juliet and Jake are loyal to their people. But, especially in Juliet's case, it's like they don't expect people to be loyal back. So I loved seeing Juliet learn that Jake is someone that she can count on, someone who will be there for her. Not because a woman necessarily can't get things done on their own, Juliet has made her own successes for sure, but because inherently we, as people, all need that connection with others. I think it's a really sweet and beautiful aspect to their story.
I will always read a Nalini Singh, no questions, no hesitations. There's just one more Esera brother left, the youngest Danny. I know who I'm hoping Nalini pairs him with, but regardless I'll be there all the same whenever it's released.
Juliet Nelisi likes her life being a little wild. Maybe not getting in trouble, going to detention everyday kind of wild anymore, but she loves life, and is fiercely loyal to those she calls friends. Running into Jake brought back a lot of memories, but mainly she's thrown by the zing of chemistry between them. But Juliet knows that despite being a famous rugby player, Jake doesn't court fame. Unfortunately, Juliet's ex-husband continually draws her back into the spotlight in order to remain relevant himself, and Juliet can't imaging dragging Jake and his daughter into the media frenzy as well. But sometimes attraction is too strong to hold off.
When we first encountered Jake way back when in his brother Gabriel's story [b:Rock Hard|23514316|Rock Hard (Rock Kiss, #2)|Nalini Singh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1423588812l/23514316._SX50_.jpg|43117391], I was interested in this young, single father's story, and wanted to see him get his HEA. The beginning of the book starts out with Gabriel and Charlotte's wedding, and with a cameo from Molly and Fox from [b:Rock Addiction|22839846|Rock Addiction (Rock Kiss, #1)|Nalini Singh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1408109387l/22839846._SX50_.jpg|42396239], I was thrown by how far we've come in this series and it's technical spin-offs. I like that Nalini Singh worked in various cameos in a nod to where we've been in the series, but only the ones that made sense of course.
I've really enjoyed seeing the Bishop-Esera family. Seeing their closeness and their family dynamic throughout the various books has definitely been a highlight. This time around it's contrasted with Juliet's lack of family. When she was younger her parents died in an accident and she was raised (begrudgingly) by her aunt, and then later by her grandparents who weren't ones to show open affection. So to be thrown into the Esera clan was very eye-opening for her. I loved seeing the moments where she was caught off guard with their kindness and acceptance.
I also liked the fact that this isn't a simple enemies-to-lovers story. It's not a my best friend's ex story either. It kind of blends aspects of those two together, but I feel like it's certainly it's own kind of love story. Because Jake's life was undeniably altered the day Callie - his girlfriend and mother of his child - died. He knows that they were young and he doesn't make any declarations about how they were meant to be together forever, he doesn't put her on a pedestal except for the fact that he doesn't ever want to lose someone he cares about ever again. So he becomes serious and staid. He keeps things close to his chest and while not pushing people away he doesn't let them in either. Then Juliet comes along a link to his past, yet they've both grown enough that it's like a new adventure being with her. I love the acknowledgement of the past, but the fact that his heart isn't clinging to what once was, more he tries to control aspects of his life to guarantee good outcomes.
Both Juliet and Jake are loyal to their people. But, especially in Juliet's case, it's like they don't expect people to be loyal back. So I loved seeing Juliet learn that Jake is someone that she can count on, someone who will be there for her. Not because a woman necessarily can't get things done on their own, Juliet has made her own successes for sure, but because inherently we, as people, all need that connection with others. I think it's a really sweet and beautiful aspect to their story.
I will always read a Nalini Singh, no questions, no hesitations. There's just one more Esera brother left, the youngest Danny. I know who I'm hoping Nalini pairs him with, but regardless I'll be there all the same whenever it's released.
deevee_sunflower's review against another edition
I just didn't find it engaging from the outset. I may return back to this with a different mindset and will enjoy it then.
fhicks's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
indecisivesailorscout's review against another edition
5.0
UGH THIS WAS SO PERFECT AND SWEET AND I TOTALLY TEARED UP MORE THAN ONCE I LOVE THESE BOOOYYYYSSSS