I have chosen not to finish this book. I was not all that fond of the first in the series, but I wanted to give them another chance, as I have heard great things about them. However, this one did not work for me.

I look forward to the next book by your publishing company!

Thanks,
Laura

DNF. I could only read about 35% of this book before I finally gave up. The plot was too slow to pick up. The characters were poor. I was hoping for a little more action between the main characters. With the cover photo I had high expectations. I was looking for more sexual encounters between Rush and Ava and it wasn't there. Not enough steam early enough in this story to keep my attention. This was just not a good read for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

I was given ARC copy in exchange for an honest review by Netgalley and Loveswept.
Jackie Ashenden will bring you into the world of bounty hunting and more.
Rush Redmond spent eight years in jail doing time for someone else. When he first see Ava St. George as a woman and not the child he remembered.
Ava needs Rush to find out who killed her mother but got more than ever she thought .

This is the first book of this series that I have read and I thought that it was an okay read. The chemistry and tension between the characters, Rush and Ava was off the charts but I thought that there were pieces missing. I enjoyed the characters inner struggles with their feelings for each other as well as how the story was told from duel POV. The plot was suspenseful but I thought that the ending was rushed as it lead up to this one point and then ended with a small mention in the epilogue. Overall, the book had me interested from page one and I would recommend it to others as it can be read as a standalone.

The biggest draw for me with this book was the pairing of an ex-con and a cop. I love when unlikely pairs are matched in books and they usually end up being very entertaining for me. I read and loved book 2 in this series so I was excited to dive right in for Rush and Ava's story.

With book 3 we have the same town, same characters and a smooth flow from book 2 to 3 with the focus switched to Rush and Ava. As much as I loved book 2, this book was a bit of a struggle for me. The jerk Hero's are not my favorite but can still be a good read for me as long as they treat the heroine right. Unfortunately, we don't get that with Rush. He was rightfully angry with the world. He took the fall for his dad and brother for a manslaughter charge and spent 8 years in prison. When Rush was finally released, he lashed out at everyone, including Ava.

I think what made his treatment of her worse for me was that she was young, naive and had the memories of a man that was the only one that had been there for her growing up. You wonder how a cop can be naive? She has only been on the force for one year and you learn how she never got to bond with anyone in the academy because her father was the sheriff. You realize how isolated she was and always has been. He knew she had no one but him before he went to prison and her life wasn't easy.

I actually really liked how she handled Rush in the beginning. He justified his jerk behavior trying to get her to leave him alone and her reaction to him kept throwing him off. There was no game playing with Ava. You got what you saw with her and if he had just treated her even a little bit better, I would have enjoyed this story so much more.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

What a Rush! And I mean that in ALL ways! From the opening scene when Ava asks Rush for help to find her mother's killer you will be on the emotional high, where you find yourself giggling or gasping, wanting to punch the big, arrogant, sexy hero....or maybe just melt. And of course Ava pulls the emotions too with her juxtaposition of toughness and vulnerability. Two amazing characters! Thank you, Jackie Ashenden, for giving us another can-put-it-down read!

Take Me Harder by Jackie Ashenden
Texas Bounty #3

Bounty hunter series with standalone stories and this being the third in the series but my first read I have mixed feelings. I liked the idea that there was a HFN ending and at times liked the relationship between Ava and Rush. I liked Ava’s father being willing to help Rush out. I liked the whore with a heart of gold. I didn’t like the fact that Rush seemed to have nobody in his corner – ever – even though Ava tried from time to time. I didn’t like the way Rush’s family treated him. I didn’t like the fact that Rush seemed more interested in being angry than moving on. I didn’t like the idea that nobody, not even Rush, tried to clear his name.

Rush had definitely been dealt a bad hand, spent 8 years in jail for something he did not do and came home with a grudge on his shoulders and anger in his belly. His surly talk, drinking and other indulgences might be due to being deprived while behind bars but every once in a while his true once kinder nature tried to peek out. I never saw Ava as a “strong” person though she was empathetic, kind and eager to please. I felt more like she was a teenager than a grown woman and whether that was due to her crush on Rush when she was a teenager seeping over into the present or if it was just her in general I still don’t know. I found it hard to believe some of the things Ava was willing to do at various times in the book. Anyway…This was an easy at times predictable read with the surly ex-con and the good girl from his past finding a way to move forward together into the future by the end of the book. I would like to know more about Quinn and Rhys and wonder if they will show up at some point later in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept for the ARC. This is my honest review.

3 Stars

I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't. Rush is a complete jerk and that's putting it nicely. I get prison hardened him and he thought no one cared about him but the broody, self-pity was annoying. He was so into booze and strippers throughout the story that him falling in love with Ava at the end just felt far fetched. Ava was basically a doormat for Rush and the whole virgin thing was way overdone and unrealistic for me. Honestly, the best the thing about this book was the cover. I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My review is live on Goodreads and I will post my review on Amazon when the book is published.

Wow! I loved this book! You want action, suspense, hot guy, which leads to an incredible love scene between Rush and Ava, and then there's the emotional side of things, this book has it all. Loved the authors writing in this book, it's my first book from this author, and if all of the others are like this one, I'm hooked. The complete angst that Rush felt because of his past could be felt through the entire story. Ava had her own demons, but nothing what Rush had gone through. Really enjoyed the interaction between Ava and Candy, and Rush's brothers were interesting, really ended up liking Zane a lot. The whole Bounty hunting theme really worked for me. Loved the ending! This is definitely worth the read, a real page turner!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book.

3.5 stars - This was an okay read, but not quite my speed. You get a fair amount of angry hero with some glimpses of the genuine guy he was before he sacrificed his freedom for his brother and father. As for the heroine, she's had a crush on the hero since forever and bends a lot to accommodate his mood swings and brashness. You do get a HEA in the end, but I don't know that I ever felt a genuine affection between the two characters. Lust, yes. Compassion, sure. Love, not so much.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGallery, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Rush and Ava have a complicated past. Rush was there as a friend to Ava after her mother died and their father's bonded of the loss of their wives and becoming widows. Ava really had no one but Rush and was able to unload her sense of loss and devastation onto him since her father walled himself off to any emotions. Rush then goes into the army and then does an 8-year prison stint for a crime he didn't commit but instead covered for his father and brother.

When Rush gets out of prison he has a chip on his shoulder and projects an I don't give an eff about anything attitude to everyone. Rush has been burned by his family and Ava, who he told not to visit him in prison, let him down when she didn't bother to come see him when he got out of prison. Rush has a parole condition of working for his family's bounty hunter business for a year. As far as Rush is concerned that year can't be up soon enough. All of the Redmond siblings have issues a mile wide and Rush was no different. It was interesting to see him try to come to grips with their dynamic.

Ava receives a tip that her mother's murder wasn't totally solved and the person who ordered this hit is still walking free. She tries to enlist Rush's help with apprehending the person responsible but goes about it the wrong way at first. Ava was hard to like for some of this book. Although I understood her emotions had been stunted by the death of her mother and her father's general lack of emotion, but she really did need to grow up at points in this book. She was a cop, obtained her dream and thought she was well adjusted. She was not. She did feel guilty for not contacting Rush upon his release, but her reasons were selfish. When she needed help from Rush she used her badge to try and get what she wanted out of him. I didn't blame him for not giving her a second thought. She was a crappy friend to him when he was in prison and was no better to him when he got out until she needed to call in a favor. Going to the strip club to find him and then flashing her badge around was grating.

Rush finally decides to help Ava in her scheme to find out if the what the tipster said was true. Ava decides to overstep her bounds and wants in on the action. Rush has an ulterior motive in wanting to find out about this man also. When Rush discovers a secret that devastates him, Ava tried to be there for him, but it was just platitudes in the end. Ava, again was selfish and ran when she figured out that she loved Rush and didn't want to not be enough for him since she wasn't enough for anyone else. Her father basically abandoned her and she felt Rush was incapable of finding her to be enough. It was juvenile and her behavior, especially in light of what she knew Rush was feeling and dealing with was not acceptable to me. I could not wrap my head around her being such a selfish person and lashing out at him. She could have lashed out at her father at any point, yet directed her rage at Rush. Not a fan at all of that. When Rush tries to go back to his old ways, he brother, Zane, sets him on the right path. I did like how Zane helped him to put his life into perspective and to fight for what would make him happy. Ava did own her appalling behavior and I was glad to see that. Overall, the ending was nicely done for this couple. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I didn't write a review because I couldn't finish this book. I tried multiple times. I wouldn't it 3 stars and didn't want to post a negative review. Sorry

I always enjoy Jackie Ashenden’s books and Take Me Harder is no exception. The men of Texas Bounty are hard. Learning to love them is a challenge. Opening up to allow a woman in is a monumental task for these men. Rush has it harder than the others because of his time in prison, the circumstances that sent him there and the rift with his family.

It was refreshing that Ava is a virgin. She’s so focused on reaching her goals, she hasn’t taken time for boys. Well, that and an ages old crush on Rush. Ava is a bit of a saint to put up with the chip Rush wears on his shoulder. He vacillates between being a jokester and being an outright ass to everyone around him, Ava included. Ava certainly uses her knowledge of the man Rush was before prison to deal with the unpleasantness that is Rush now. If she hadn’t know the kind, caring Rush, she’d no doubt give up on his after the first time he’s says anything nasty to her. She had faith that Rush hasn’t lost himself, just misplaced his true personality.

Rush needs Ava. He doesn’t even realize it let alone how much he needs her. Eventually, he realizes he can be the man she needs but damn it takes him a long to get there!

What’s difficult for these two is good for the reader. There’s lots of tension in these complex characters and the story is full of intrigue. Ava and Rush solve the mystery of her mother’s murder and finally work through building a relationship in a way that kept me turning pages

reviewed by Jem Stone

Loved this!! This is Rush Redmond's story. He's a character that has you hating him and loving him at the same time. After spending 8 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit he's back in town with a bad attitude and determined not to care about anything or anyone. The only person that seems to be able to get through to him is the one woman he should want no part of. Rush remembers Ava St. George as the little girl he befriended when they were younger but she's not that little girl anymore. Now sweet sheriff's daughter is all grown up and a deputy working for her father. When she starts poking her nose into some very dangerous territory Rush knows he has to help her. And while he doesn't think she should be anywhere near the dangerous people she's hunting, these same people hold some answers that Rush needs as well. Will spending so much time with Ava be Rush's undoing??

This is the third in the series but each of these books can be read on their own. I definitely recommend this one.

Rush Redmond is every girls bad boy they love and Ava st George has only had a thing for him and needs his help to find her mothers killer. They go on a man hunt which turns into both of them putting there hearts on the line while chasing a killer down. I would recommend this book an I just love Jackie ashenden books always a fantastic read.

Review Take me Harder

PAC in exchange for an honest review

Take me Harder is the 3rd installment of the Bounty Hunter series by Jackie Ashenden.
Rush & Ava could not be more different having known each other for years - but their relationship is complicated - what ensues is a book that has a very intriguing plot based on Ava's attempt to avenge the death of her mother. Smart - sharp funny dialog & totally hot chemistry on the way eventually to one of the best HEA!! Highly recommend this book & series.

Even when real life kept interrupting my reading, I kept thinking about this book in between long reading gaps, which is a sign of a great, interesting book! Really enjoyed this one.

The continuing aaga in this series did not disappoint. it was hot, steamy and totally badass. I can't wait to see what Jackie does with Quinn in the next book.

When I read the first book of this series I was captured by the raw, gritty vibe the author portrayed and eager to see Zane’s brothers, Quinn and Rush and fall to their ultimate fates.

With book two, straying away from the brothers to tell the story of Nora (a fellow bounty hunter for a rival firm), I was excited to find that book three would take readers back to the Redmond boys, with their intense alpha personas and their mysterious pasts.

Unfortunately the series hasn’t quite lived up to what I had hoped and Rush’s story was good, but definitely not great. I struggled to warm to Ava and spent most of my time wishing Rush would find someone else. I’m not sure if I’ll continue the series, but I never say never.

Wow this book was intense but so good..2 people totally different yet so much alike. Rush spent time in prison for a crime everyone knew he didn't do but was protecting his father and his brother, except one betrayed him so he told himself he didn't care anymore and came across hard and mean. Ava grew up the better half of her life wanting to be validated after her mom was killed and her father shut down. After so many yrs loving rush they finally came together and admitted the past and the present