Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Hard to Hold on to by Laura Kaye - #BLOGTOUR #BOOKREVIEW #GIVEAWAY #DEPRESSION @laurakayeauthor

Title: Hard To Hold On To
Series: Hard Ink #2.5
Author: Laura Kaye
Release Date: August 19, 2014


Edward "Easy" Cantrell knows better than most the pain of not being able to save those he loves—which is why he is not going to let Jenna Dean out of his sight.  He may have just met her, but Jenna's the first person to make him feel alive since that devastating day in the desert more than a year ago. 

Jenna has never met anyone like Easy. She can't describe how he makes her feel--and not just because he saved her life. No, the stirrings inside her reach far beyond gratitude.

As the pair are thrust together while chaos reigns around them, they both know one thing: the things in life most worth having are the hardest to hold on to. 





  
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Hard to Come By (11/25/14)
Hard to Be Good (3/10/15)
Untitled (7/28/15)

Did you know Laura is donating the proceeds of all the sales from the first two weeks to a national non-profit that assists wounded veterans?




For Hard As You Can:
"TOP PICK! There is a sinister and desperate edge to this tale that will keep readers glued to their seats. Kaye has dark romantic suspense nailed!" ~ RT Book Reviews Magazine

"Hard As You Can is another five star read. The characters Ms. Kaye has created are wonderfully broken and the drama is gritty, but the burgeoning romance and the tight-knitted relationship of the team leaves you with a sense of redemption. A must read series!" ~San Francisco Book Review

For Hard As It Gets:
"Edgy, sexy and full of suspense!  A great read from a great new author!" ~ #1 NYT Bestselling Author J.R. Ward

"Sizzling romance... The intriguing tattoo parlor and military background will appeal to fans of Suzanne Brockmann and Lindsay McKenna." ~Publishers Weekly Review

"Kaye's depiction of sexual tension and her sex scenes are masterful and this will appeal to fans of Maya Banks' KGI and Julia Ann Walker's Black Knight's series." ~Booklist

 Laura Kaye
Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.






  
I love all of Laura Kaye's books and have been so into the Hard Ink Series from the start.  I love all the guys and want my own little Eileen puppy.  "Hard To Hold On To" is a shorter novella than the other Hard Ink books, but it was very powerful.  For me, personally, it hit very close to home (see below).  

The characters of Easy and Jenna were introduced in "Hard As It Gets" and "Hard As You Can" and we saw the beginnings of their relationship in "Hard As You Can."  Easy showed up in the first two books as quiet and unassuming.  In "Hard To Hold On To" we find out why he's so quiet.  He suffers from PTSD in the form of depression.  He doesn't feel worthy and at times wants to just give up. 

Jenna has suffered her whole life with epilepsy and is just getting over a brutal abduction in which she was hurt.  Jenna is very young and has been sheltered by her sister for years, but after everything she goes through she grows up fast. 

Easy is the only person Jenna will turn to.  She forms a bond with him and trusts him above all others.  They connected in the last book and their connection grows here.  Jenna's trust in Easy helps him to cope with issues and the bond is powerful.

This is a must read for all fans of military men, Laura Kaye, romance, or anyone.  November 25th and the release of "Hard To Come By" can't come soon enough!

4.5 STARS!



I debated about whether to write this, but with Robin William's death depression seems to be out in the open so I thought I'd share my own experience. 

While not in the military my husband suffers from depression.  There were a lot of factors that led to this (the deaths of both his parents, loss of his job a few years ago, medical issues, and other issues I won't get into).  And just this past June my 13 year old son was diagnosed with fairly severe depression.  My husband is now doing well and my son is on the mend, but I can say that it is scary to watch.  

Depression really does affect everyone.  We live in an upper middle class neighborhood.  My husband is a professional with degrees from some of the top schools in the country.  He went to a start up company and it failed.  He then tried to start his own company, but he was struggling with depression and couldn't motivate.  The cycle repeated itself.  Since he couldn't motivate he wasn't making money which caused the depression to get worse.  He's been in treatment now for two years and his business is now booming.  

My son is the top of his class (he is the very top student in his grade and if this continues he will be valedictorian).  My son is also a great athlete and musician.  He's very popular (the girls have been calling for a few years now) and he's friends with everyone.  He's stopped kids from bullying others and takes some of the less popular kids under his wing.  Everyone always tells me how "put together" he seems and how great a kid he is.  Did I mention that he's also tall, fit,  blond and blue-eyed?

He is a great kid, but what he shows the outside world is not what he shows his family and what he has going on inside him.  Last year was real tough year for him.  He puts on a great act, but inside he was hurting.  We struggled through a very hard year with tears, tantrums, and scary thoughts.  We tried to take pressures off of him and decrease his stress, but nothing worked.  I quit my job so that I could give him a relaxing summer doing nothing.  That, medication, and counseling have helped.  My son is now being treated for his depression and seems to be in a much better place.  We start school this week so we'll see.  

The past couple of years have been a bit of a rollercoaster for my family.  My husband and I have two other kids and even though they don't have depression and neither do I it has affected all of us in different ways.

I strongly urge anyone with depression, whether military or not, to seek help.  It is real.  There is nothing to be ashamed of, and there are people who can help you!







 

1 comment:

  1. Depression is a very real and scary thing. So glad that your hubby and son are doing well!

    ReplyDelete