Slick's review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews 
 4 STARS 
 Review copy provided for an honest review 
 Warning: During this book there are retellings of child abduction, rape and torture. This book also deals with human trafficking. 
 Laura Kaye offers up another suspenseful story in Hard As You Can so much so that the suspense seemed to overpower the romance. This couldn't have been an easy book to write because the hero and heroine were unable to spend a lot of time together because of her situation which made romance hard to come by. However, despite that I did enjoy this book; the ongoing story arc is intriguing, the characters are extremely interesting, the writing is strong, and the intimate moments steamy. 
 If ever there was a tortured hero Shane McCallan fits the bill; he still blames himself for the sister who disappeared when he was 13 and the men in his unit he was unable to save when they were hit. Now back with the surviving members of the team and trying to find the man who tortured the brother of his best friend's girlfriend, he's enjoying the camaraderie of being part of a team again. During an op he encounters a woman he can't get out of his mind, a woman who he knows isn't in a good situation and he just can't leave it alone. 
 Crystal Dean's life has never been the same since her father's incarceration and death and while she's had to endure some heinous things over the years she sees the light at the end of the tunnel. Eight months until her younger sister graduates college and they can leave and disappear. Then one night at the strip club she waitresses at, her life is changed forever when she unknowingly helps a man who is out to get her boss. 
 I admired Shane for wanting to make sure Crystal was okay and for wanting to protect her after he found out she was in a bad relationship and responsible for her sister, Jenna, who has epilepsy. He really was pretty relentless. Poor Crystal was overwhelmed by Shane, never in her life had she had anyone who put her first, who didn't expect anything for their help, who made her feel special. I enjoyed watching their relationship grow but the fact that their time together was so limited, I really the "I love you" stage came too soon, it was a little unbelievable. 
 The suspense part of the story took on a whole new life as the investigation in the Church organization shows the team they need additional help and it comes from an unlikely source adding a whole new element to this series. They find out more about the organizations illegal activities and find something to possibly help them in an unlikely spot. 
 I did like Hard As You Can but I felt like the romance was a lost in it. I would have loved more alone moments between Crystal and Shane and would have liked to see to really get to know one another. While I was a little disappointed in this installment of the Hard Ink series, I'll continue reading this series; the writing is too strong and the characters to memorable to ever make me stop.