Review - Cherish Hard by Nalini Singh
I continue my existence as a hardcore Nalinian and also, my participation in the blog tour with the promised review of her newest book, Cherish Hard. It is also starts her newest series, Hard Play, which is kind of a spin-off of her Rock Kiss series. Because we already met Gabriel Bishop, aka The Bishop, aka T-Rex in Rock Hard. And not only met, but also fell in love with him in a way the title describes.
Now, with these books, it is time for his brothers to show us the goods, and let us get to know them better, as they took place in some scenes in their eldest brother's story. First in line is Sailor Bishop. In Rock Hard, we see him with a wife and a daughter in row, so we actually have to go back in time for this one, to see how he got his HEA with Ísa.
It is really a sweet, sexy and funny read, as the author promised. Sexy, because the sparks are there right from the start, and our main couple can't seem to keep their hands - and mouths - off of each other. This way, some scenes are hot like the sun itself. But I think they are all neatly and tastily written, so it doesn't overwhelm the plot. Funny, because there are lines that makes readers laugh, even in some surprising ways, in an otherwise serious context, or simply because the silliness of the young ones. Nalini Singh has a distinct humor sense, and she is not afraid to use it. She gets the know-how, too, which saves the stories from being overwrought and artificial in my eyes. And last, but not least, sweet, because there are not only smexy scenes, but also ones with so much tenderness in them that they are heartmelting.
As a result, the feels are really strong throughout the book, but this time not in a roller-coaster way. It is simply that you can almost experience what the characters feel, how they go from desire and passion to deeper and deeper affection and love - and passion, because that is there until the end and after. As I see, it is a slightly diverse story from the author's latest ones in that it is steamier, with more sensual and sexual scenes than them, and also lighter a bit. I don't say this because there aren't any serious, sad or even dark fates and cases in it, but because of the overall sweetness.
The main couple is really likeable for me. Ísa is a headstrong and caring heroine, who is very relatable in her choices and problems. And Sailor, he is just plainly the best type of heroes - good-looking as much on the inside as on the outside, with enough badness to him that makes us want to have one like him for our own. The way he treats his spitfire redhead is nearly fabular.
They are different in almost every way they can - appearance, background, past, etc. and it causes some hurdles in their road to happiness. But I deliberately use this word, and not some other one like problems. Because Sailor and Ísa actually talk. There are a little bit of drama, but before long, they always talk it out solve their issues together. To be honest, I have to mention here something I didn't like in the story - I think the age gap thing was a little bit overdramatized. But fortunatley, by the time I felt like shouting at Ísa's head, like 'We only speak about five years, for God's sake!', she got over it.
Not only because Sailor is a very mature and determined man for his younger age, the features like his playfulness gave Ísa what I think she desperately needed - times to feel young herself, to step out a little from her caring provider and sustainer role in her family, in which she was since her childhood. I say this while I understand where she came from, whyshe thought that at twentythree, not every man is ready to settle down. But it turns out, the different pasts make ones the perfect mates for others.
The other characters are also well-defined. I have got to mention yet again that I love how Nalini can create complex persons, like Ísa's mom - she is a real Dragon with some very nasty acts, and still she is respectably strong, and even funny at times.
It was good to see a younger version of the Bishop-Esera clan, with a Gabriel in his rugby-playing time. I liked to read about Nayna and her own cultural and familial problems, including Raj with his lickable abs. I hope we'll be able to read their story sometime in the near future in detail. This stands for Ísa's siblings, mainly Catie, as well. If she is paired with Danny, I won't complain. They, and all the others make this a story that emphasizes important values like family, friends, love, care, and so on.
All in all, I think Nalini Singh is a genius in that she can always pair the right characters together, with the right personalities that complement each other. There are some ideas which seem strange or even wrong at first, but if we trust in Nalini and get to know every important facets of them better, we get a good result.
Thank you to the publisher and the author for the ARC copy. :)
Now, with these books, it is time for his brothers to show us the goods, and let us get to know them better, as they took place in some scenes in their eldest brother's story. First in line is Sailor Bishop. In Rock Hard, we see him with a wife and a daughter in row, so we actually have to go back in time for this one, to see how he got his HEA with Ísa.
It is really a sweet, sexy and funny read, as the author promised. Sexy, because the sparks are there right from the start, and our main couple can't seem to keep their hands - and mouths - off of each other. This way, some scenes are hot like the sun itself. But I think they are all neatly and tastily written, so it doesn't overwhelm the plot. Funny, because there are lines that makes readers laugh, even in some surprising ways, in an otherwise serious context, or simply because the silliness of the young ones. Nalini Singh has a distinct humor sense, and she is not afraid to use it. She gets the know-how, too, which saves the stories from being overwrought and artificial in my eyes. And last, but not least, sweet, because there are not only smexy scenes, but also ones with so much tenderness in them that they are heartmelting.
As a result, the feels are really strong throughout the book, but this time not in a roller-coaster way. It is simply that you can almost experience what the characters feel, how they go from desire and passion to deeper and deeper affection and love - and passion, because that is there until the end and after. As I see, it is a slightly diverse story from the author's latest ones in that it is steamier, with more sensual and sexual scenes than them, and also lighter a bit. I don't say this because there aren't any serious, sad or even dark fates and cases in it, but because of the overall sweetness.
The main couple is really likeable for me. Ísa is a headstrong and caring heroine, who is very relatable in her choices and problems. And Sailor, he is just plainly the best type of heroes - good-looking as much on the inside as on the outside, with enough badness to him that makes us want to have one like him for our own. The way he treats his spitfire redhead is nearly fabular.
They are different in almost every way they can - appearance, background, past, etc. and it causes some hurdles in their road to happiness. But I deliberately use this word, and not some other one like problems. Because Sailor and Ísa actually talk. There are a little bit of drama, but before long, they always talk it out solve their issues together. To be honest, I have to mention here something I didn't like in the story - I think the age gap thing was a little bit overdramatized. But fortunatley, by the time I felt like shouting at Ísa's head, like 'We only speak about five years, for God's sake!', she got over it.
Not only because Sailor is a very mature and determined man for his younger age, the features like his playfulness gave Ísa what I think she desperately needed - times to feel young herself, to step out a little from her caring provider and sustainer role in her family, in which she was since her childhood. I say this while I understand where she came from, whyshe thought that at twentythree, not every man is ready to settle down. But it turns out, the different pasts make ones the perfect mates for others.
The other characters are also well-defined. I have got to mention yet again that I love how Nalini can create complex persons, like Ísa's mom - she is a real Dragon with some very nasty acts, and still she is respectably strong, and even funny at times.
It was good to see a younger version of the Bishop-Esera clan, with a Gabriel in his rugby-playing time. I liked to read about Nayna and her own cultural and familial problems, including Raj with his lickable abs. I hope we'll be able to read their story sometime in the near future in detail. This stands for Ísa's siblings, mainly Catie, as well. If she is paired with Danny, I won't complain. They, and all the others make this a story that emphasizes important values like family, friends, love, care, and so on.
All in all, I think Nalini Singh is a genius in that she can always pair the right characters together, with the right personalities that complement each other. There are some ideas which seem strange or even wrong at first, but if we trust in Nalini and get to know every important facets of them better, we get a good result.
Thank you to the publisher and the author for the ARC copy. :)
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