Hard Wood by Lauren Blakely

Women often say a good man is hard to find. And a hard man is even better.

That's why I'm quite a catch—good, hard, loaded, and wait for it... I'm ready to settle down too. But the woman I want to pitch my tent with lives clear across the country. Neither of us wants to get lost in those woods. All I have to do is resist her for the week she's in town.

I try. I swear I try. But yeah, that doesn't work out. 

And after one fantastic night with my good friend Mia, I'm ready to give her years of nights under the stars. What's a few thousand miles when love's involved? But there's a hitch in my plans—she just hired my adventure tour company. If there's one thing I'm committed to, it's running a squeaky clean business. Number one on my list of iron-clad rules?

Don't screw your customers.

But what's a guy to do when she's so hard to resist? How hard can it be to keep our hands off each other for a quick group tour down the hills and over the trails? I'm about to find out, and I have a feeling I'm going to need a new badge of honor because things are about to get very hard in the woods.

Series: Big Rock #6 | Publisher: Lauren Blakely Books  | Narrator: Sebastian York  | Length: 5 hrs and 16 mins |  Genre: Contemporary Romance  | Source: Publisher | Rating: 3.5 Cups

Challenges Read For:  -  Blogger Shame -  Literary Pickers  - Picnic Food

 

I’m slowly cleaning up my blogger shame list and this one was up next. I’d met Patrick and Mia in Joy Ride and knew their story would be a fun one and, I wasn’t wrong.

 

Here’s what’s going on: Mia and Patrick have been dancing around each other for a bit before finally taking the plunge at her brother’s wedding. Things are starting to fall into place for them until Mia hires Patrick’s adventure company to host her company’s group retreat and Patrick’s their guide. He has one rule: don’t sleep with clients—not only could things get messy, they could get dangerous too. Now Patrick must figure out how to keep Mia at a distance without harming their new relationship.

 

This was a cute little falling for your best friend’s sister who is off limits romance. I was expecting this one to be a little on the steamy side, but it turned out to be rather light.

 

Patrick and Mia made a cute couple. They’re both successful business owners ready to settle down. It was refreshing to see adults actually acting like adults for once. They also have a nice, playful banter between them.

 

As with most of Blakely’s books, there’s no major obstacles the characters have to get through to be together. It was rather light and fun from start to finish.

 

There are adorable sections in the book from Zeus, the cat’s, POV and it just gave the book that extra charm and entertainment.

 

I really enjoyed Sebastian York’s narration; he even brought the cat to life. I also like how this one started off with nature sounds in the background.

 

Overall, this was the book I needed at the time. It was light and adorable but having just listening to a string of thrillers, this book just what I needed. If you’re looking for a quick Summer listen, pick this one up.

Big Rock Series

.5 A Little Big Rock

1. Big Rock

2. Mister O

3. Well Hung

4. Full Package

5. Joy Ride

6. Hard Wood