The Harder He Falls by Lynda Aicher

Title: The Harder He Falls (Kick, #1)
Author: Lynda Aicher
Publisher: Loveswept
Release Date: June 7, 2016
Genre(s): Contemporary/BDSM
Page Length: 224 pages
Reviewed by: Renée
Heat Level:  3.5 flames out of 5
Rating:  2.5 stars out of 5

Blurb:

Expert whitewater-rafting guide Grady Kelley lives for that rush of adrenaline: at work, as the newest employee of a Portland-based outdoor-adventure sports company, and off the river, where liaisons with anonymous men keep him satisfied. Grady prefers no drama and no strings attached, but when tragedy strikes, fate leads him to Micah Swaine. He’s hot, masculine, distracting—and offers the kind of deeper connection Grady has sworn off, no matter how badly he craves it.

Working at a leather bar, Micah meets a lot of guys, but Grady’s different—and he seems to feel the same way. The trouble is, anything beyond casual sex is too risky for Micah. He’s got secrets he doesn’t know how to share, secrets that would make any relationship a battlefield. No man, even one as compassionate as Grady, would stick around for that kind of trouble. And yet, as physical desire melts the walls they’ve put up, Micah and Grady discover that trusting each other is the most exhilarating adventure of all.

This was my first time reading this author. And, I have to say, I truly enjoyed her writing style. It flowed smoothly, and I found myself very caught up in the world she created.

Where this book fell apart for me came down to the characters. Specifically Grady. He is an MC that made impossible to like him. He’s feeling an extreme case of survivor’s remorse, but he takes it to every extreme. He’s volatile, snarky (and not in a good way), and downright asshole-y. I couldn’t, for the life of me, understand what Micah saw in him.

Because of that, I never felt their connection. I was told of it, and, again, it was written well. But I couldn’t ever figure out the attraction, not to mention love, for these two characters.

And in the end, Grady has his epiphany of how he treats others because of the big ole chip on his shoulder. What follows is the mother of all personality transplants. SO NOT BELIEVABLE. TO me at least.

Good writing, but terrible MCs, and a storyline I just couldn’t get invested in. I’ll go with 2.5 stars. But – Gay Marine Doms. Some of you may salivate.

 

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