Meh. Sadly, this was not my cup of tea.
The characters were so and so, but mostly just boring...
Not much chemistry either

Love Hard
Hard Play, Book 3

I Picked Up This Book Because: #NetgalleyNovember.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: Scribd
Dates Read: 11/21/2022 - 11/24/2022
Stars: 4 Stars
Narrator(s): Justine O. Keef

The Characters:

Juliet Nelisi:
Jacob Esera:
Esme Esera,

The Story:

Writing: Super cute enemies to lovers type story. I really liked how the MCs liked to argue with each other. I hate real arguing but picking with that right person can be so much fun.
Forward Motion: Very good. In fact I didn’t even see the end coming. Literally it surprised me when it was over. .
Overall Interest:I was all in. These characters were great, the family aspect was so cute and the chemistry between the MCs was so good.
Length of Reading Time: Great.
Re-read-ability: Yes I would visit this world again.

The Random Thoughts:

To be clear I have a netgalley copy but I’m doing much better with audiobooks these days so I listened to this via audiobook on Scribd.

I love everything Nalini Singh writes, be that paranormal or contemporary romance. I love how she describes the different worlds and characters, I think they are all well-detailed, so there are no two identical ones. Everyone has their own personalities, their own lives with the additional highs and lows.
That is not different with Juliet and Jake. For example, with the latter, we see how he was shaped by certain significant events when he was only a teenager. After that, he is not only a professional athlete, he is also a single father, and both also define his personality and life.
Without giving away anything major, this is a love story of two very likeable characters, who had a lot of struggles and hardships, but also happiness and success. As always in this series, there are also the families and friends, who are not only great in support, but also interesting themselves - it is good to glimpse into their lives even after their own HEA's, if we have already read them.
All in all, be prepared for an emotional roller-coaster, tears, angst, but also passion, laughter and love. Another sweet and sexy story in the Hard Play series.

This book pulls you in and it's very hard to pull yourself away from the unfurling of the romance between Jacob and Juliet. What I loved about these two characters is the way that they both have to struggle through the the scars of past relationships in order to allow themselves to be loved and supported in the way that they have always deserved. The contrast between Juliet and Jacob's personalities is also a beautiful illustration of how seemingly opposite personalities can help each other grow in unexpected ways. This book is definitely going on my comfort reads shelf.

I have been loving my introduction to Nalini Singh's romances via the Hard Play series. Love Hard is the third book in the series and it follows rugby player and single father Jacob Esera and Juliet Nelisi, his late wife's childhood best friend.

Singh built the romance between these two characters in such a beautiful way. In high school, Jacob and Juliet got along for Calypso's sake. Years later when they reunite, they realize the ways they may have misjudged each other in the past, as well as how they've each grown. It was also really nice to read about them reminiscing about Calypso together and how their memories of her helped to bring them together rather than being a reason to keep them apart.

Family is a huge component of this book—from Jacob's relationship with his daughter to the role Juliet comes to play in their lives to Jacob's extended family. It was especially poignant since Juliet didn't have family support growing up and it comes to mean everything to her to be welcomed into his family.

While the other two books can be easily read on their own, I wouldn't recommend this book as a standalone. In addition to featuring characters from past books, it also opens with the wedding of two characters from a separate series (Rock Kiss, which I hope to read next!). The other books in this series are a treat, so start there! I happened to pick the ideal time to start this series because the fourth book (Kiss Hard) is coming out on May 3 and I can't wait to read it.

Love Hard is book three in the Hard Play series and it has just become my favourite!

Jake is a famous rugby player who does't have time for relationships. After long his wife not long after they married, Esme his young daughter is his main focus in life. Juliet has a complicated family, she was passed around a lot and never felt like she belonged, what she lacked in family life she had in her best friend Callie, Callie her best friend and Jake's wife.

Jake and Esme meet at a wedding and sparks just fly, this was part enemies to lovers and part second chance romance. I couldn't stop reading this the second I started it. As with all of Nalini's books they just consume you and leave you with so many feelings!

Single, rugby playing dad steals the show in Love Hard. Juliet is a great heroine. I am 100% in the minority in not loving this book. I think I just prefer Singh's paranormal stories more. Jake, Juliet, and Esme were all great, the plot was solid, and I enjoyed it. It's not one I thought about long after finishing or would read again. The narrator is great and that is one thing common in all of Singh's books. She snags the best narrators.

I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining.

I received this free eARC novel from the author and NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This was a cute novel. I haven't read the previous novels in the series, which isn't required, but I feel like it would have helped figure out what characters were who in this dynamic family.

I love Jules and how she has a take no prisoners attitude. She is down to earth and real and I loved it. She got along so well with Esme and the tension between her and Jake was off the charts crazy intense.

I'm glad I got the chance to read this and maybe one day I will read the other books in this series!

Nalini Singh books are always so steamy and delightful. This novel doesn't disappoint and I know my readers of erotic literature will be happy to see this!

Singh's contemporary novels are always something to look forward to. They are refreshing and fun to read. I always have a great time with them.

This was my first book by Nalini Singh. I was super excited because I've heard so many great things about her.

I should have read the first 2 books in the series to understand things a bit better. It's probably me, as I prefer to read a series in order. It took me a while to get into this book.

I liked the banter, Jake as a dad (Esme was super adorable) and Jake and Juliet were hot together. They just needed to deal with their hard pasts in order to be together.

I loved this book! A sexy and sweet story with electrifying chemistry and amazing banter! Love Juliet and Jake, their connection is everything!!! Jake and Juliet know each other as teenagers, they are not friends but they share a bond because they both lost someone significant in their life, but when they meet again years later, sparks fly between them and Jake can't stop thinking about her.
This story is so amazing ! Was so sexy, sweet and emotional, I loved this couple and how they they complement each other, definitely a must read!

I love a good single parent romance, and Love Hard hit all the right spots for me! It's got a single father, an adorable daughter, a former classmate turned adult crush. Jake and Juliet had the sweetest romance ever, and Jake's daughter Esme made me smile every time! I loved that the main characters were former high school classmates, and were connected through Juliet's best friend/Jake's former first love and late mother of his daughter. Years late, they reunite, though it's not the warmest reunion. Both are hesitant to act on their insane chemistry, but Jake soon realizes that Juliet is IT for him. He does the absolute most to make Juliet swoon and make her heart fall for him, which made ME swoon and fall in love with him. Juliet was a fantastic heroine, so tough and intelligent. I just loved how the three of them were together as a family. Love Hard is yet another great contemporary romance from one of my favorite authors and I already can't wait to read about the next brother!

I adored Rock Hard, Gabriel Esera and Charlotte Baird’s story, and was delighted to find the opening scene to Love Hard was their wedding day. By the time I tapped the final page, I realized it was the novel’s best, most vibrant one, with droll moments and full of affection, fun, and family high-jinks. The Eseras are QUITE the clan. We are introduced to hero and heroine as they take their places as groomsman and one of many maidens of honour. They are Jacob Esera, Gabriel’s rugby-star younger brother, and Juliet Nelisi, E. E. Designs’ manager. They are also former HS antagonists and there’s a lovely dose of banter when they reunite. Not all is light and fluffy, however; they share a great sadness. Juliet’s best friend and Jacob’s HS sweetheart, Calypso “Callie,” died of meningitis soon after giving birth to their daughter. Callie and Jacob were teen parents. Jacob has been a single-dad to Esme going for six years.

While Jacob and Juliet aka “Jules” start out with snarky banter, contrasting his serious bent to her wild-child, this fun soon peters out. With Jacob’s superstar profile and Juliet’s working in design, she and Jacob are brought together as he signs on for promotional work. Their interactions, except for the love scenes, are punctuated with the lispy adorableness of Jacob’s daughter. Esme’s relentlessly cuddly adorableness wore thin and was one of the reasons, among others, I didn’t enjoy Love Hard.

Singh has tried to add depth to Juliet and Jacob, but they still turn out one-note wonders. Jacob is “overprotective” because of the way he lost Callie, which is VERY sad, and Juliet has had to live with an evil EX and a loveless childhood, also VERY sad. I can’t say I didn’t feel for them. Their stories did pull at the heartstrings, but their romance was strangely flat. Oh, there were sexy times, not terribly interesting ones, but plentiful and raw. As we know, they do not a romance make. Jacob and Juliet play an initial fun little banter dance, indulge in mental lusting and soon fall into bed and into time with Esme and Jacob’s admittedly likeable family. Because there’s not much keeping them apart, Singh develops an external conflict involving Juliet’s ex. Which brings out the protectiveness in Jacob and his family. Starved-for-love Juliet is touched, moved, wary at first, but sinks into their care and affection. She deserves it. Jacob’s a great dad, a great dude. What the novel lacks in tension, it makes up for in niceness. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but it has its moments, just not enough of them. With Miss Austen, we’d say Love Hard offers “tolerable comfort,” Mansfield Park.

Nalini Singh’s Love Hard is self-published. It was released in March and may be found at your preferred vendor. I received an e-galley on Netgalley.

I love Nalini Singh’s PNR and fantasy series, unfortunately I don’t think I love her contemporary romances I’ve tried as much. I have read this series out of order and I think I would have liked it more if I started from the first book. Love Hard has great representation and a diverse set of characters (one of my favorite things Singh does), but I struggled to feel engaged with the plot. Contemporaries are hard for me to read since the pandemic started, I think that really affected my enjoyment of this story. 3 stars

This was actually my first book by Nalini Singh. I know she's uber popular in the fantasy/PNR genre..A genre I LOVE so I don't know why I decided to start with a sports romance of all books....maybe because that is another trope I love?
Anyway, Love Hard wasn't my favourite sports romance to be honest but I like the way Singh write so I will definitely be checking out her PNR books for sure.

I've been itching to read a Nalini Singh contemporary romance for quite a while now. She's one of those authors whose books I always hear other readers rave about, but I've not made the effort to really explore for myself. Well, no more! I'm ready to explore. Especially if the others are anything like Love Hard. 

There isn't much that can make walking in the summer heat and humidity enjoyable, but the Love Hard audiobook did just that. I actually looked forward to my daily walks so I could spend more time with Juliet and Jake. I absolutely adored them and this book was flat-out delightful. It could've been an angsty and overwhelming story because of their history and the loss of Callie, Juliet's best friend and Jake's wife. It wasn't. It had a series tone at times, but it was also fun, flirty and sexy. Plus it gets all kinds of bonus points for having one of the cutest book kids ever in it. Jake's daughter Esme was absolutely adorable. The family they formed with each other totally tugged at my heartstrings. 

There were a million little things to love about Love Hard. Of course the romance — and smoking hot sexy times — were at the top of my list, but they weren't the only things I enjoyed. The family dynamic was fantastic. I need to go back and binge the other Eseras' stories ASAP. Thankfully this book was excellent on audio, so I feel good about bingeing the rest this way.

This was a joy to read. I've read a few of this author and I truly enjoy her style. The setting in New Zealand and how she weaves in the culture and heritage of the country and ancestors it's beautiful. I was drawn to Jake (widowed hot daddy is my undoing) and Juliet and I truly enjoyed how they bonded over how much they both loved Callie. I also liked that Jake wasn't carrying a torch for his dead girlfriend and that he and Juliet made an effort to communicate.
Love Love LOVED this iteration

Nalini Singh proves time and time again that she can write any genre. I loved this book and this series! I can’t read to what she writes next.