Publication date: 6th November 2014 (UK pub date)
Paperback edition: 304 pages
Source: Kindle
Rating: 4 stars
Synopsis: In this all-new novel from the author of After Hours and Unbound, a woman with a rocky past finds romance in the last place she'd ever expect . . .
Annie Goodhouse doesn't need to be warned about bad boys; good sense and an abusive ex have given her plenty of reasons to play it safe. But when she steps into her new role as outreach librarian for Cousins Correctional Facility, no amount of good sense can keep her mind - or eyes - off inmate Eric Collier.
Eric doesn't claim to be innocent of the crime that landed him in prison. In fact, he'd do it again if that's what it took to keep his family safe. Loyalty and force are what he knows. But meeting Annie makes him want to know more.
When Eric begins courting Annie through letters, they embark on a reckless, secret romance - a forbidden fantasy that neither imagines could ever be real... until early parole for Eric changes everything, and forces them both to face a past they can't forget, and a desire they can't deny.
I was really excited about this book when the UK publisher emailed me about reviewing it! I haven't read any of this author's other books, but this book sounded like an amazing and slightly different contemporary book, so I couldn't wait to read it! I started this book as soon as I received my hard bound copy from the publisher too lol! I really enjoyed this book, but while I enjoyed it, I had a few minor problems with it too! I felt like some of the conversations between the two main characters were a little static! It's hard to explain, but this made it harder for me to believe what they were saying in a weird way! It made me lose a bit of a connection with the characters too! Apart from these problems, the plot was hot and had plenty of steaminess in it! I loved the sexual tension between the main character and her love interest too! I also loved the prison aspect of the plot, even though it didn't last for even half the book lol! I liked that it didn't last the whole book though! I loved the letter aspect of this book too, as the letters were seriously hot! Overall, I really enjoyed the plot and also the direction it went in! It was different to what I was expecting, but I liked it! The characters were awesome! Annie was the main character and she was just a normal, everyday person doing good in the world! She goes to get experience working at a prison helping prisoners with reading, writing, filling in forms etc, which told me a lot about the kind of person she was! Annie wasn't afraid to speak her mind in this book and tell people how she really felt about them! She stood up for the people she loved too! I liked Annie, but there was something about her that made it a bit hard for me to connect with her! I'm not sure what it was! I connected more with her as this book her relationship with her love interest progressed though, which I liked! Eric was the love interest of Annie and he was so freaking hot! I had my own idea about the way he was maybe going to be in this book after the impression he gave me in the synopsis! It tells you that he's in prison, so you expect him to be quite violent and not really care, but Eric was pretty forward about what he did and he was honest about the fact that he didn't regret it! I loved how honest Eric was and I adored him and his personality! Plus, that guy could write some seriously hot letters ;) I can completely understand why this book is a standalone! The plot was resolved and the ending summed up the characters story! While I loved the ending though, I would have loved an epilogue maybe a few years down the line to show me where the characters were and whether they got married and had children etc! The UK cover for this book suits this book perfectly! I actually prefer it to the US cover, even though the US cover has a seriously hot body on the front lol! I feel like the UK cover represents the book better than the US cover though with the prison bars, the writing and the couple! Big thank you to Piatkus for sending me an early e-ARC copy of Hard Time for review!
Check it out on Goodreads!
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Author bio:
Cara McKenna writes smart erotica - sexy stories with depth. A little dark, a little funny, always emotional. She also writes red-hot romance under the name Meg Maguire. She loves writing sexy, character-driven stories about strong-willed men and women who keep each other on their toes, and bring one another to their knees. Before becoming a purveyor of red-hot romance and smart erotica, Cara was a record store bitch, a lousy barista, a decent designer and an over-enthusiastic penguin handler. Cara now writes full-time and lives north of Boston with her bearded husband. When she's not trapped in her own head she can usually be found in the kitchen, the coffee shop or jogging around the nearest duck-filled pond.
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