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    Rock Hard
    Rock Hard
    Rock Hard
    Audiobook10 hours

    Rock Hard

    Written by Nalini Singh

    Narrated by Justine O. Keef

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMay 26, 2015
    ISBN9781494581923
    Rock Hard
    Author

    Nalini Singh

    NALINI SINGHNew York Times and USA TODAY bestselling authorNalini Singh loves writing paranormal romances.Currently working on two ongoing series, she alsohas a passion for travel and has been to places as farafield as Tahiti, Japan, Ireland and Scotland. Shemakes her home in beautiful New Zealand. Tofind out more about Nalini’s books, please visit herwebsite, www.nalinisingh.com.

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    Reviews for Rock Hard

    4.5/5

    37 ratings7 reviews

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    • 4/5
      The second book in the Rock Kiss series features the romance of Charlotte Baird and Gabriel Bishop. Charlotte is Molly, from Rock Addiction's, best friend. Gabriel Bishop is the former rugby star turned wealthy businessman who was hired to turn the company Charlotte works for around. Charlotte is very timid and is still getting over being assaulted and tortured by a former boyfriend. Gabriel terrifies her, at first, because he is big, hard and pretty domineering.Gabriel is fascinated by Charlotte's brains and forces her to be his personal assistant. He would like to have a personal relationship with Charlotte but knows he has to take his time with her. Charlotte soon learns to stand up to Gabriel which gives her more confidence in herself. She is, however, still plagued by flashbacks, panic attacks, and claustrophobia which Gabriel helps her work through.Gabriel has issues too. He is a workaholic in part because his father disappeared on the family when Gabriel was young. He emptied all the bank accounts when he left and left the family destitute. His mother remarried and that is the man that Gabriel calls his father. His birth father has made a reappearance now because he is fighting cancer and wants to try to make it up with his family. Gabriel isn't the forgiving type.When Charlotte's attacker gets out of prison and begins stalking her again, Charlotte learns how far she has come since she was a battered victim.This was a great romance with interesting characters and an interesting storyline. I liked its realistic treatment of the difficulty of getting over traumatic experiences.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Charlie and Gabriel

      When Charlie made the march of doom to the new CEO's office she figured she was being fired. Instead he made her his PA. They work well together, deal with their old issue, learn to love and HEA against the back drop of New Zealand. 4.5 Stars
    • 4/5
      Ex-rugby star and current businessman, Gabriel Bishop, shakes things up as the new CEO of Saxon & Archer. Recognizing the shy Charlotte Baird’s talent, he promotes her to his personal assistant, and he has every intention of getting personal with Ms. Baird.I love how all the Rock Kiss stories take place at the same time and overlap with the other stories.I think it is great that Gabriel sees beyond Charlotte’s baggy clothes and timid personality. He appreciates her for her mind and realizes that she had a troubled past, being cautious when handling her. He is extremely intelligent and perceptive. I think it is impressive that he is successful at business after his career-ending rugby injury. I also, enjoyed his creative gifts.Charlotte is so sweet you can’t help but like her. She struggles with her abusive past but tries to overcome it. I like that she sticks up for herself around Gabriel and doesn’t let him bully her around. I think it is hilarious how CharIotte and Gabriel first meet. She is as good for him as he is for her. I respect her growth and determination throughout the novel. The new contract term emails toward the first half of the story, and the negotiation lists at the end of the novel are priceless. They are very witty and made me laugh.As always, Nalini Singh’s writing style is incredible. Rock Hard has an excellent flow and extraordinary plot that is thought-provoking.Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.
    • 3/5
      It has a few cute touches but is a basic old-style romance with some erotica about a PA with a traumatic experience in her past made whole by an impossibly handsome, rich CEO and ex-athlete. The narrator, Justine O. Keefe, did a good job with the material until near the end when it became stilted and awkward. Hard to tell if it was the material or the narrator or both. Don’t expect exceptional writing. I started skim-listening near the end when I couldn’t stand it anymore.
    • 4/5
      I am trying hard to not spoil this book, but for some readers, there needs to be a possible “trigger warning”, before reading this review and before reading this book.Rock Hard, by Nalini Singh, is unexpected in several ways. The second book in a series, Rock Hard is the contemporary story of an office relationship that expands into private lives, a trope that I LOVE for some weird reason. At first, it seems as if this is a “been there, done that” book of formulaic cliches. But it becomes quickly apparent that several cliched tropes are taken, inverted, recreated, and presented in an entirely fresh take on a relationship built amidst an individual’s ongoing healing from violent trauma.Charlotte “Charlie” Baird is the unappreciated genius behind a slaggy Administrative Assistant, quickly becoming noted for the strength of her intelligence, organizational skills, and fine attention to detail. Elevated to the position of personal admin to Gabriel Bishop, CEO of Saxon and Archer Corp, Charlie finds a calming and enriching challenge to being the right hand to the strong willed, temperamental Boss. He has been brought in as a White Knight to save the floundering company, and it looks like it will be a long and difficult road.Here is where I thought, well, great. Gazillionaire CEO, demure and shy young miss, frumpy till she takes off her glasses and he suddenly says, why Miss Smith! You’re a sex kitten! Let’s have sex on my big CEO desk and I will toss you around a bit and you will discover your inner Goddess, all because of my sculpted pecs! Except…that’s not precisely what happens.Charlie has been recovering from a traumatic event that happened a couple of years ago. The event is graphically described at a point in the book but is signposted well for anyone that may have trouble with the details of the episode. This comment is not important to the plot, but to anyone reading this who has dealt with similar violence and may want a heads up.I am not trying to scare anyone away from this book. On the contrary, I think this particular book could be a good read for anyone who is along a recovery journey because it addresses the difficulty along with the hope of that journey in such a realistic and positive way.While strong in personality, Gabriel is not a Fixer in their relationship. He has his own baggage and they find mutual wisdom and support in each other’s observations about their issues. He is patient, and holy cow he is resolute. He could be maybe a new favorite hero for me in that in telling such a tricky story, Gabriel is never written so that he crosses the line from Alpha to Alphahole.The strength of this story is Charlie. She is the heroine of her own life. It’s pretty rare to find a character who has suffered such damage and manages her own walk back to a new normal. She is, from one moment to the next, strong, frightened, courageous, paralyzed with shock, kind, and angry. I have dealt with a loved one recovering from this situation up close and personal for over a year now and I have never seen this portrayed in fiction so realistically.The timeframe of this story is handled well, too. It’s not instant sex at first sight, but more a steady and natural progression of developed respect, trust, friendship, and love.Rock Hard is a mind-bending read, told with care and unexpected doses of humor and emotion. I have not read the other in the series but will on the strength of this amazing read. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
    • 2/5
      Dnf, i don't know why nalini singh is so hit and miss. About 3/4 of the way through the weird sex talk out of context all the time and the layers on layers of mixed metaphors got to be too much for me. Ugh.
    • 5/5
      I received a ARC copy in exchange for a honest review, Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity.SummaryGabriel Bishop, is a wealthy businessmen, who once played on a rugby team before an injury prevented him from playing. Gabriel is hard, tough and ruthless. He doesn’t allow any laziness from any that work from under him. He is famous for saving companies from crashing. Charlotte Baird, is smart and intelligent, but is intimidated by their new CEO…who has come in like a “T Rex” tearing apart everything, firing her co workers left and right. And she fears that she is next. Her first mistake is throwing a stapler at him, the next is underestimating her worth to Gabriel. From the first moment that Gabriel meets Charlotte, he knows that she is not his “typical” woman that he would ever be attracted to. She is a “mouse”..timid and shy and reserved. Hides her delicious curves behind baggy but professional clothing, and glasses. But he senses something more to her, and he soon can’t resist her…and is determined to have her in his bed and his life forever…HeroGabriel Bishop (T-Rex), is tough as nails, but he has had to learn to be through tough experience. He is hardened by challenges that have made him the gritty man he is today. He has demons, and those demons are haunting him. Gabriel feels a closeness to his family, loves the sport “Rugby”, and can have any woman he wants. He is wealthy and successful, and considered one of the top catches. Gabriel was my type of hero, and you don’t always see this type in contemporary as much. He is one “Alpha Male” and oh man, would I have him. He is an animal in bed, loves taking command and doesn’t take “no” for an answer. Oh did he put my panties in a twist, he is sexy, sensual and has that commanding presence you can’t resist. He is yummy and delicious and most delectable. He breathes mouth-watering sex. What woman could resist that, and he makes the book.HeroineCharlotte Baird (Mouse), is quite the heroine and boy is she a match for Gabriel that you don’t see in the beginning. At first you see her as timid and shy, and terrified of Gabriel. But as the story progresses, you sense that there is something in her past that makes her fear him. When you learn the truth, behind her panic attacks and her fear of Gabriel, you begin to admire Charlotte. She is tough, strong, independent and a tigress beneath her (mouse) exterior. I felt a kinship to her. There were many things about her I felt I could relate with. She isn’t afraid to say things how they are, and she stands up to Gabriel when it matters most. She was such a sweet and charming heroine that I fell in love with. Her character became very real to this reader.Plot and Story LineRock Hard is the second full novel in the series. And even though the series is based on a rock star theme, we don’t see that here. We do see a connection to previous characters though, since Charlotte is best friends with Molly who is the heroine in the first book. I will say if I had to choose a favorite book of the series or even by this author, this book will top my list. I adored every moment of this story, it had its hooks in me from the beginning. And seriously the first scene when these two meet….its priceless. Despite Charlotte’s fear of men really, she isn’t going to back down from a fight either, she has spunk and gumption. She faces things head on despite the fact that she is shaking in fear on the inner part of herself. What I really admired about this story was the growth of the characters…not just to each other but for themselves personally. You see their personalities develop into strong beings. The previous two books in the series, I felt like there was more focus on the sex, but this story seemed more like the rest of Singh’s book….more development on the relationship. The sex scnes….they are scorching hot, and sexy in every way, but that isn’t what the story is about. It does take a while for these two to admit what they feel for each other. I loved seeing Molly involved a bit and I still love her character after all this time. I will admit that Gabriel or T Rex as he is nicknamed….is one sexy hot specimen. Oh he is the center of the book for me, *sigh*…he was so delicious. I just couldn’t get enough of him, and this book just wasn’t long enough, ended way to soon for me…I just wanted more from these two characters. They were so fun together, and I loved how much depth is portrayed in this one. I will warn you, that it is an emotional wringer, and really pulled at those heart strings….a impossible to put down book. So make sure you have some peace, quiet and time to read this with zero interruptions…or you might be tempted to throw your own stapler at the intruder….*giggles*. I loved how you see that these two aren’t perfect at all. They both have pasts, insecurities and struggles. You see them develop and work through them and come together as a couple and work as a team. Loved that. If you are a romance lover of any kind, this is a must read for all.The CoverHow can you not love the cover??? I mean really…it is just amazing!! I adored it. I love a man in a suit…but this just might be one of the hottest covers I have ever seen. The half-open look, with that strong jaw line and those gorgeous manly hands….mmmm HOT!!! Love the color scheme…the black and white with the teal lettering.Overall ViewA sizzling contemporary romance that will have you on edge from page one. A love story of troubled pasts, high sexual tension, and a tender and poignant romance. Rock Hard is a story that gives you that sweet reminder of the true meaning of love and how it can heal and reach the deepest part of ourselves. UTTERLY CAPTIVATING!!