Sledgehammer

by P. Dangelico
Publication Date: September 11, 2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks

Amber Jones is in a pickle. And when I say pickle, I mean deep do-do. She knew she shouldn’t have gone to her ex’s New Year’s Eve party. And she reeeaally didn’t mean to almost burn down his house. It was the chafing dish’s fault, dang it! Now she needs a good lawyer, stat. But where to find one?

All work and no play make Ethan Vaughn a very sad and lonely lawyer. Not to mention horny. He really shouldn’t have agreed to help his best friend’s wife’s bestie with her imbroglio. Now she’s remanded on bail––and living in his house. The woman is a walking, talking category five hurricane. And considering his track record with women, he needs to stay as far away from this one as possible. Problem is, he just can’t seem to make himself.

 

Stephanie’s 4.5 Blush Review

Sledgehammer is book #2 in the Hard to Love series. It can be read as a standalone but reading book one will give you a great background of the main characters. Amber Jones and Camilla Shaw are best friends. Respectively Ethan Vaughn and Calvin Shaw and also best friends.

Amber Jones is like a tornado! She is strong willed and at times, unpredictable. She often annihilates everything in her path when she is wronged. However she is also a loyal friend and a “fixer”. She has not had much luck with love. Camilla is Amber’s best friend and the closest thing to family that she has.

Ethan is a smart and successful lawyer. He is intense but also laid back. Ethan Vaughn is, well… perfect.

At least in Amber’s eyes….

He’s perfect….too perfect.

…A face and a body that would make Adonis bristle in envy, successful, impeccably dressed.

So, Amber finds herself in a situation and is in way over her head. She calls her best friend Camilla to help her. Camilla sends Ethan to get things sorted out. But of course with Amber, nothing is that simple. Did I mention she has poor impulse control…

No spoilers here! This was a great read! Amber is hilarious. A no-filter, tell-you-like-it-is kind of girl! She is a force to be reckoned with! I love her spunk and her loyalty.

Ethan is hot! He is quiet and thoughtful. There is a spark between Amber and Ethan that will not go out. A slow burn that will have you yelling “come on!” But it is well worth the wait.

The banter between Amber & Ethan is great. And their chemistry is off the hook! Their story also has drama, heartbreak and angst. I really enjoyed it. The one liner’s and “did I say that out loud” moments – priceless.

“You’re like this sledgehammer.”

“Loud and destructive. And here I was thinking you liked me.”

“A force to reckon with. The type of woman a man holds onto with both hands and never lets go.”

 

 

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Cam DeSantis’ life is a hot, steaming pile. How else would you describe losing your husband, your job, and your money all at once? Desperate times call for desperate measures, so when salvation comes in the form of one intolerable a-hole, who just happens to be the starting quarterback for the vaunted NY Titans, she has no choice but to accept his offer as a live-in nanny slash teacher for his eight year old nephew. Now all she has to do is find a safe place in her mind to hide whenever she feels the need to throat punch him into tomorrow…which is often.

Calvin Shaw has zero interest in women. Wait, wait––let me rephrase that. He loves women, he just doesn’t want anything to do with ‘um. Not since his wife, presently ex-wife, got knocked up by the guy she was cheating on him with. Problem is––there’s one living in his house. And he doesn’t know what’s worse, that he promised to be civil, or that he’s attracted to her.

Stephanie’s 4 Blush Review

Wrecking Ball is the first book in the Hard to Love series. It is a slow burn filled with angst and lots of “feels”. Camilla DeSantos has basically lost everything including her husband. She finds herself living at home with her parents while trying to get her life back. She is desperate for a job.

I mourned not only the loss of my lover and best friend, but also the death of everything I believed to be true.

Calvin Shaw is a moody, quiet, enormous man. As the quarterback for the NY Titans he is strong, sexy and popular. He has had to overcome many things in life. And he has been burned by his ex-wife. This leaves him untrusting of most, except those in his small circle. Calvin is also caring for his eight year old nephew Sam while his sister, Sam’s mom, is in rehab. Let’s just say that Calvin is known to be “difficult” and is unable to find a nanny/teacher for Sam.

“I hear through the grapevine that they haven’t been able to keep anyone for very long, the client is a difficult man to work for. Thus the salary.”

Camilla gets the call to interview for the position. Sam and Camilla make a connection. Unfortunately, she over hears Calvin insult her and high tails it out of there. She may not have much, but still has her dignity.

Calvin realizes that Camilla is the only person who connected with Sam and sets out to hire her. She doesn’t come quietly or cheaply. They tip toe around each other and then the slow burn starts…..

Camilla has had so much to deal with. Yet she remains strong, compassionate and caring. She literally lost everything because of things that her husband did before he died. She is a fighter. I thought her character was well developed. I loved her honesty and compassion.

Calvin Calvin Calvin! What can I say… Sex on a stick? Athletic, moody, sexy! He has many many layers to him. He is very honest and straight forward about what he wants in life and why. He has had so much heart ache and disappointment but he channeled all of that into his career.

Both Camilla and Calvin learn big lessons about love and trust. I also loved the side characters. Amber, Camilla’s best friend is hilarious! And Camilla’s parents – classic! The burn was slow and then the sex was H.O.T.

Can’t wait to read Amber’s story next!

About P. Dangelico

P. Dangelico loves romance in all forms, shapes, and sizes, cuddly creatures (four legged and two), really bloody sexy pulp, the
NY Jets (although she’s reconsidering after this season), and to while away the day at the barn (apparently she does her best thinking shoveling horse crap). What she’s not enamored with is referring to herself in the third person and social media so don’t expect her to get on Twitter anytime soon. Oh, and although she was born in Italy, she’s been Jersey Strong since she turned six.

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