Hard Play, Book #1
Heat Factor: Sailor’s a landscaper who works outside in the dirt and sun…without a shirt. Isa is super duper horny about it.
Character Chemistry: Sailor is competence porn
Plot: Isa’s been neglected by her high-powered parents, like, forever. Sailor’s extremely motivated to make his business a huge success. Isa doesn’t want to come second to her lover.
Overall: I don’t know what magic Singh has that makes such a simple story so full of amazing, thrilling tension, but I want that special sauce in all the books
Sailor saw Isa at a party when he was 16 and she was in college, but he didn’t get to talk to her until 7 years later when she is overcome by lust and jumps his bones while he’s working on landscaping at the school where she teaches.
There’s drama here and drama there, but Sailor is a book boyfriend, so even as Isa fears she’ll come second to his ambitions, and what she’s always wanted her whole life is to come first, she refuses to let him go because even if she’s afraid of the future, things are honestly wonderful right now. It’s a line of thinking that I love because most protagonists in meltdown try to end things before they begin, which is dumb because they’ve already begun, and really, who are we kidding? So Isa’s problem is constantly checking in with herself to make sure that she’s not deluding herself that she’s okay with letting herself be second in Sailor’s heart.
In case you were worried, Sailor realizes early on that he’s head over ears in love, and he’s worried that he’s going to ruin everything and lose the thing he holds most dear. But how does he make everything work!?!?!
Even with the things that crop up, that’s as simple as it is, but with all the wondering how things are going to pan out, the tension is AMAZING. Seriously, it’s like reading some unbelievable high stakes drama. So it’s uber satisfying.
Looking for something similar?
The Smut Report 
I’ve only read Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter series, but I keep meaning to give her other ones a try. Great review!
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Thank you! I just finished binging Guild Hunter and the contemporary romances have a slightly different flair, but her writing is so consistent and full of dramatic tension that I really loved them all. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
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This is one of my favorite books of all time! Sailor is so so swoony! I need more folks to read Nalini’s contemporary romances because they are so underrated!
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They are! I love them so much! When I started reading Singh I didn’t want to jump into really long fantasy series but still wanted to read her and these were just right… And then I just binged ALL her books. 😆 I’ll keep spreading the word with you!
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