From #1 NYT Bestselling author Lauren Blakely, comes a hot and hilarious standalone romance about what happens when you have one week to convince your best friend’s little sister that you’re the one for her. What could possibly go wrong? It looks like things are about to get hard in the woods...Don’t miss the laugh-out-loud and insanely hot story, Hard Wood!
Now available on all retailers! Grab your copy today, and get Hard Wood in your hands!
✮✮✮ Hard Wood is here! Grab your copy today! ✮✮✮
From #1 NYT Bestselling author Lauren Blakely comes a hot & hilarious new standalone romantic comedy...
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.
You can find this sexy standalone romantic comedy available across all retailers now!
iBooks | Kobo | Nook | Google Play
✦ The audiobook is narrated by Sebastian York! Get your copy today! ✦
“Hard Wood is the kind of heart-racing, hope soaring, face-flushing love story that I love to read! It was sexy, romantic, funny and an absolute pleasure to read.” ~ Red Cheeks Reads
"Hard Wood was such an adorable love story! A hot guy and his famous cat looking for their happily ever after ... Perfect #RomCom!"
~Bianca at BJ’s Book Blog
"I never fail to fall in love with Lauren Blakely's stories. Hard Wood is a swoony romance that will warm your heart and possibly other body parts." ~ Peggy Lee, Reading Keeps Me Sane Book Blog
Excerpt
I haven’t seen Mia in almost a month, since the last time she was in town staying with Max. I didn’t realize she’d be back a full week before her other brother Chase’s wedding, and am I ever glad to see her again.
She makes all parts of me quite happy indeed.
By happy, I mean hard as a rock.
Okay, fine. It’s not like I’m operating at full power this second. I’m thirty-three, not fifteen. I have plenty of self-control in the “when and where to pitch a tent” arena. All I’m saying is this woman gets me going, and I feel that zip down my body when I see her.
She’s on the phone, her eyebrows pinched, her expression harried. She drags her hand through her caramel-blond hair. As I walk closer, I hear her say, “I understand. Yes, I understand. Things happen.”
And that’s the sound of someone being disappointed.
Which is a terrible thing for this sexy-as-a-fiery-sunset woman to experience.
When she stops and ends her call, she spots me. She tilts her head, her eyes piercing, her brow furrowed, and her dimples killing me with cuteness. Her eyes roam from me to Zeus, and then she points at my boy. “I don’t know if anyone has told you this . . .”
I raise my eyebrows. “Tell me. What could it possibly be?”
Her eyes drift to the ground then back up. In a deadpan tone, she says, “But there’s a cat in your hat? Well, on your back, actually.”
“There is?” I crane my neck to peer over my shoulder. “You’re right. How did he get there?”
She parks her hands on her hips. “You’re in big trouble.”
“I’ve been bad, have I?”
She pushes my shoulder then wags her finger at me. “How did you keep this from me?”
I quirk an eyebrow. “The fact that there’s an awesome new Italian place down the street? It opened last month, and I planned to tell you.”
She huffs, rolling her eyes. “I’ve known you for months and you didn’t tell me you had a cat. Friends don’t hide pets from friends.”
She’s not in town that often. She hasn’t ever been to my apartment. And I don’t take Zeus upstairs to Max’s. But I’m not going to state the obvious. I’m going to have a little fun with her. Flirt with her. Because . . . that’s what we do.
“There’s a reason for that.”
Her eyes go wide, and she taps her toe, waiting. I drag a hand through my hair. Evie says my light brown hair is floppy, and she tells me this is a good thing. The ladies love floppy hair, she says. She’s been right so far. My hair’s been a big hit with the ladies, and other parts have, too.
“It’s a good reason,” I add.
“I’m waiting, Patrick. This really isn’t the type of intel you should hold back.”
I heave a sigh as if I’m going to make a huge admission, then I park a hand on her shoulder. Because, well, I’m a sneaky bastard and I’ll look for any opening to touch her. “Look, I’m going to be blunt. If I told you I had a hiking cat who rides shotgun in a backpack and can purr like he’s a jazz superstar, you’d have had no choice but to fall in love with me.”
She makes all parts of me quite happy indeed.
By happy, I mean hard as a rock.
Okay, fine. It’s not like I’m operating at full power this second. I’m thirty-three, not fifteen. I have plenty of self-control in the “when and where to pitch a tent” arena. All I’m saying is this woman gets me going, and I feel that zip down my body when I see her.
She’s on the phone, her eyebrows pinched, her expression harried. She drags her hand through her caramel-blond hair. As I walk closer, I hear her say, “I understand. Yes, I understand. Things happen.”
And that’s the sound of someone being disappointed.
Which is a terrible thing for this sexy-as-a-fiery-sunset woman to experience.
When she stops and ends her call, she spots me. She tilts her head, her eyes piercing, her brow furrowed, and her dimples killing me with cuteness. Her eyes roam from me to Zeus, and then she points at my boy. “I don’t know if anyone has told you this . . .”
I raise my eyebrows. “Tell me. What could it possibly be?”
Her eyes drift to the ground then back up. In a deadpan tone, she says, “But there’s a cat in your hat? Well, on your back, actually.”
“There is?” I crane my neck to peer over my shoulder. “You’re right. How did he get there?”
She parks her hands on her hips. “You’re in big trouble.”
“I’ve been bad, have I?”
She pushes my shoulder then wags her finger at me. “How did you keep this from me?”
I quirk an eyebrow. “The fact that there’s an awesome new Italian place down the street? It opened last month, and I planned to tell you.”
She huffs, rolling her eyes. “I’ve known you for months and you didn’t tell me you had a cat. Friends don’t hide pets from friends.”
She’s not in town that often. She hasn’t ever been to my apartment. And I don’t take Zeus upstairs to Max’s. But I’m not going to state the obvious. I’m going to have a little fun with her. Flirt with her. Because . . . that’s what we do.
“There’s a reason for that.”
Her eyes go wide, and she taps her toe, waiting. I drag a hand through my hair. Evie says my light brown hair is floppy, and she tells me this is a good thing. The ladies love floppy hair, she says. She’s been right so far. My hair’s been a big hit with the ladies, and other parts have, too.
“It’s a good reason,” I add.
“I’m waiting, Patrick. This really isn’t the type of intel you should hold back.”
I heave a sigh as if I’m going to make a huge admission, then I park a hand on her shoulder. Because, well, I’m a sneaky bastard and I’ll look for any opening to touch her. “Look, I’m going to be blunt. If I told you I had a hiking cat who rides shotgun in a backpack and can purr like he’s a jazz superstar, you’d have had no choice but to fall in love with me.”
Review
What do you do when the person you've been crushing on and desire to make a move but that person lives on the other side of the continent?
You decide if the person is worth it to make a long distance relationship work no matter how difficult it may be.
Patrick Milligan wants more than friendship with the stunning Mia Summers, but the distance between them seems too daunting for him. But the longer he spends in her company the harder it becomes to keep her in the friend zone.
Mia wants to see where things can go with Patrick but she's scared. Not because of the distance, although that weighs on her mind, but because of a previous experience with guy that used to be her brother's friend.
The sexual tension continues to grow between the two until it combusts into a burning inferno. The sparks fly when these two finally come together. Patrick proves to Mia that being hard is so, so good.
But no matter how great that are in the bedroom, and out of the bedroom, their living arrangements is still substantial. Can they find a way to make this work or will the distance just be too great?
Hard Wood is fun, sexy, sassy read that will keep you entertained from start to finish. Patrick is hero that knows his way around the wilds of the city and of the woods. A guy you want to have around when you get yourself into a jam.
Mia is spunky, hilarious, smart, talented, and a down-to-earth woman. She works hard and dedicated to helping others. There isn't anything she wouldn't do for her family and friends.
The chemistry between Patrick and Mia is electric. I love how they navigate through the bumps to build a strong and lasting relationship.
I loved every second of this friends-to-loves rom-com. It's witty banter, gripping storyline, and sexiness can't be missed. But I would be remised if I didn't mention that start of the show.... Zeus. I promise that if by chance you don't fall in love with Patrick and Mia, you will undoubtedly fall for the most enchanting cat ever.
And don’t miss Lauren Blakely’s other standalone Romantic Comedies!
Big Rock | Mister O | Well Hung | Full Package | Joy Ride
✮✮✮ Enter to win this amazing Hard Wood Giveaway! ✮✮✮
The Hard Wood Urban Adventure Pack ($380 value) is filled with:
✮ A stylish Michael Kors backpack for when a purse is not enough for your shopping adventure
✮ $50 Gift Card to The Body Shop to pamper yourself after a long day
✮ Your very own plush Zeus to snuggle with
✮ A Smores Making Kit for a backyard adventure
About Lauren Blakely
A #1 New York Times Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that's hot, sweet and sexy. She lives in California with her family and has plotted entire novels while walking her dogs. With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than eighty times, and she's sold more than 2 million books. In October, she'll release Hard Wood the final standalone romantic comedy in the Big Rock series. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter!
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