Meet Gabriel (sexy rugby player turned CEO) & Charlotte in this fantastic addition to the Rock Kiss Series!
Published March 10th 2015
Source: Author
Purchase this book: Goodreads | Amazon
Shel: I went into this one blind and I expected it to be about one of the other boys in the band, but I quickly realized that it wasn't; it's about Molly's best friend Charlie and her T-Rex, Gabriel. And in case you aren't following us on Twitter (btw, you totes should), let me tell you right here and right now that Gabriel is my favorite man of this series--he's officially taken the #1 spot. He's snarky, observant, has a strong personality and completely adores Charlie. I love that he respects her (even when he wants to dirty her up), he encourages her, and despite her timid ways he sees the spark of her wit and sass and strength and he works subtly and slowly to encourage her to let that part of her shine. Seriously, I could go basically make a modern day version of "How Do I Love Thee" when it comes to Gabriel but that's just nuts so I'll stop now. Court: First of all, as I was bringing my computer up just now, I was going to say...Gabriel Bishop, "how do I love thee? Let me count the ways..." And then...Shelley, at a completely different time and space beat me to it. BOOK SOULMATE, people. BUT Truthfully, that is the #truth...because...I remembered T-Rex being bossy in the first book, and making Charlie insane. But to witness it first hand was FA-REAK-ING EPIC.
Shel: When it comes to Charlie, I thought Nalini did a great job creating the frustration Charlie felt--she so badly wanted to be strong and yet her past and natural shyness seem to stymie her. Her inner monologues captured this so well--she was hilarious and snarky and frightened and angry with herself. As she became more comfortable with Gabriel, we saw her more openly who she was: a strong, funny, smart woman. And as much as I loved Gabriel for all he was in relation to her, I loved Charlie for who she was to him. She knew when to push and how and as she was healing from her past, she helped him alleviate some demons too. Court: Yes. Completely. Absolutely. This was a book about searching for their soul mate, finding it accidentally, and both working on some major things in their lives together. Neither wanted to willingly, for sure, but as they did...and were like magnets...just whoa. And the sexual tension. Whoa.
Shel: Without getting too spoilery, I'll say that the major conflict was not what you'd initially expect and I am so grateful that Nalini didn't make this about the usual boy + girl issues you'd expect with a famous rugby player. I also appreciated that this didn't really feel like instalove; sure they were both infatuated with each other, but the development of their relationship unfurled slowly and naturally. Court: NO! This was for sure friends to lovers, and when done right it is so beautiful. And this was beautiful. It was beautifully written, it had hope and tears, and sadness and perseverance and all of the things we want in a heroine and hero for sure. They frustrated me, made me laugh so many times, and made me want to yell at them to just do it already! But good things come to those who wait, and they definitely came. (That's what she said..heh)
Shel: Each novel in this series seems to leapfrog over the one before it for favorite status; with tons of funny lines, hot fantasies + dirty talk, and two very compatible characters, we think Rock Hard is a must read. Court: Shel took the words right out of my mouth. Rock Hard is a brilliant addition to this series, and even without the band we all know and love...it is my favorite of the series thus far.
Blurb
In New York Times Bestselling author Nalini Singh’s newest contemporary romance, passion ignites between a gorgeous, sinfully sexy man who built himself up from nothing and a shy woman who has a terrible secret in her past…
Wealthy businessman Gabriel Bishop rules the boardroom with the same determination and ruthlessness that made him a rock star on the rugby field. He knows what he wants, and he’ll go after it no-holds-barred.
And what he wants is Charlotte Baird.
Charlotte knows she’s a mouse. Emotionally scarred and painfully shy, she just wants to do her job and remain as invisible as possible. But the new CEO—a brilliant, broad-shouldered T-Rex of a man who growls and storms through the office, leaving carnage in his wake—clearly has other plans. Plans that may be equal parts business and bedroom.
If Charlotte intends to survive this battle of wits and hearts, the mouse will have to learn to wrangle the T-Rex. Game on.
NOW AVAILABLE!
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Nook: http://bit.ly/1KEyBIx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1APyqnU
EXCERPT
Charlotte arrived at work at seven thirty the next morning to find Gabriel Bishop’s office door open, but no carnivorous predator inside. A fresh suit was hanging on the back of his door, however, which meant he’d been in already.
Deciding to catch up on e-mails that had come in overnight from international suppliers as well as stores involved in a stock take, she was typing a reply when a sweaty Gabriel arrived fifteen minutes later. He was dressed in black running shorts and a faded University of Auckland T-shirt that was currently sticking to his body.
She’d known he was in shape, but now she realized none of it was an illusion created by his well-cut suits. Okay, she’d already known that, but seeing his muscled body in the flesh was a whole different ball game. He was built like a tank, hard and powerful.
Each of his thighs was thicker than both of hers put together, his biceps toned, his shoulders appearing even wider than usual. Everything about him was big. Civilized clothing didn’t make him look better, she realized—it toned down his intense masculinity. Out of his suits, with the ink on the upper part of his left arm exposed, as well as that on his opposing thigh and…
Her skin hot and lower body clenching, she just nodded in response to his “Good morning.”
Disappearing into his office, he returned with his suit pants and a fresh shirt slung over his arm, along with a sports bag. “Push the meeting with Sales to nine, will you, Ms. Baird? I need to talk to HR about something before then.”
“Yes, sir,” Charlotte said almost soundlessly, but he was already gone, heading toward the employee shower one floor down.
The thigh tattoo went all the way around, the design intricate.
Heart rate a rapid stutter, Charlotte got up after he disappeared and decided to go grab him a coffee. He’d bought her one yesterday after all. She was just being nice. “Oh, shut up, Charlotte,” she muttered once she was in the elevator, and slumped her face into an upraised hand.
The truth was she was running away. Only for a few minutes, but that’s what this was: strategic retreat. Gabriel Bishop was overwhelming. Once, before she’d ever met him and under the influence of cocktails, she’d told Molly she wanted to rip off his shirt and sink her teeth into his pecs.
That desire hadn’t waned even now that she knew he was a T-Rex. Of course, the desire was all strictly in her imagination. The idea of actually handling him in real life? So impossible as to be laughable. Charlie-mouse was not about to play with a predator who could eat her alive and not even notice the bones. The good news was that she could admire him in relative safety—there was no chance in hell he’d ever notice her as a woman.
Getting the coffee from a nearby café, she took it back upstairs. He was in his office when she entered, the striped dark gray of his tie hanging around his neck and his damp hair roughly combed. The scent of clean, fresh soap over warm skin permeated the office. Shooting her a smile that turned him from gorgeous to flat-out devastating, he flipped up the collar of his white shirt to get the tie in place. “Thank you, Ms. Baird.”
Nodding, Charlotte escaped, though she really wanted to stay. She’d never realized how erotic it was to watch a man dress until this precise moment. And she shouldn’t be having these thoughts about her boss—especially since she couldn’t keep from quivering like a rabbit in his presence. Sometimes she just annoyed herself.
“Get to work,” she muttered and knuckled down.
Gabriel was fine for the first hour, but then he began barking orders even a six-armed woman with a split personality would have had trouble handling.
Finally, pushed to the edge, Charlotte snapped. “I’m going as fast as I can!” she yelled when he asked her for something a minute after he’d asked her to complete another task.
He scowled and held out a file. “This is a priority.”
Grabbing it from his hand, she said, “Fine,” and slapped it down on her desk.
It was over an hour later that he disappeared for ten minutes. When he returned, it was to put a small bakery box on her desk. “I think you need something to sweeten your mood today, Ms. Baird.”
What she needed was for the T-Rex who was her boss to stop snarling and growling, she thought as he returned to his office. Not opening the box until her curiosity had almost killed her, she found it held a slice of decadent chocolate cake with a white-chocolate ganache topped with curls of both white and milk chocolate. “I cannot be bribed with cake,” she muttered, eating a bite nonetheless.
Full two-chapter excerpt available on Nalini’s Website: http://nalinisingh.com/rockhard.php
The Rock Kiss Series
Rock Addiction (Book One) Rock Kiss Series
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/WqA2rj
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1G9piir
Nook: http://bit.ly/1t5T7Zt
iTunes: http://bit.ly/1ng9zE9
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1lPqB19
Rock Courtship (bk 1.5) A Rock Kiss Novel:
- Amazon US: http://amzn.to/XXjjxG
- Nook: http://bit.ly/1COgaC6
- Kobo: http://bit.ly/1pEeCy6
Rock Hard (Book Two) Rock Kiss Series- Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1BXhHWB
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1G9oslz
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1utQDee
Nook: http://bit.ly/1KEyBIx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1APyqnU
Author Information
NEW YORK TIMES AND USA Today bestselling author of the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series Nalini Singh usually writes about hot shapeshifters and dangerous angels. This time around, she decided to write about hot and wickedly tempting rock stars (and one gorgeous ex-rugby player). If you’re seeing a theme here, you’re not wrong.
Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand, and is passionate about writing. If you’d like to explore her other books, you can find lots of excerpts on her website. Slave to Sensation is the first book in the Psy-Changeling series, while Angels’ Blood is the first book in the Guild Hunter series. Also, don't forget to swing by the site to check out the special behind-the-scenes page for the Rock Kiss series, complete with photos of many of the locations used in the books.
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