Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: The Harder He Falls
SERIES: Kick #1
AUTHOR: Lynda Aicher
PUBLISHER: Loveswept
LENGTH: 224 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 7th, 2016
BLURB:
Expert whitewater-rafting guide Grady Kelley lives for that rush of adrenaline: at work, as the newest employee of a Portland-based outdoor-adventure sports company, and off the river, where liaisons with anonymous men keep him satisfied. Grady prefers no drama and no strings attached, but when tragedy strikes, fate leads him to Micah Swaine. He’s hot, masculine, distracting—and offers the kind of deeper connection Grady has sworn off, no matter how badly he craves it.
Working at a leather bar, Micah meets a lot of guys, but Grady’s different—and he seems to feel the same way. The trouble is, anything beyond casual sex is too risky for Micah. He’s got secrets he doesn’t know how to share, secrets that would make any relationship a battlefield. No man, even one as compassionate as Grady, would stick around for that kind of trouble. And yet, as physical desire melts the walls they’ve put up, Micah and Grady discover that trusting each other is the most exhilarating adventure of all.
REVIEW:
This book was surprisingly heavy. I wasn’t expecting it to be so drama/angst filled but it was. I didn’t really love this book, to be honest. I think my biggest issues were the characters. I didn’t connect with Micah or Grady and at times I felt Grady was downright unlikeable. The writing was good and the steam factors were off the charts hot!
Kick is an outdoor adventure company for thrill seekers. Grady Kelley, a guide with the adventure company is still reeling from a rafting expedition that went tragically wrong. Wracked with guilt while trying to cope with the aftermath Grady finds himself lost and the last thing he needs or wants is an emotional entanglement.
Micah has some very serious issues of his own but he’s unprepared for how Grady makes him feel. These two meet when they need each other the most.
Some of the sex scenes did make me a little uncomfortable. Micah’s condition really threw me for a loop. This had some mild BDSM elements nothing over the top. I liked the support system that Micah had built for himself. I can’t imagine how scary it must be for him at times.
Overall, this was just ok for me. I think it’s a promising start to a series with lots a potential.
RATING: 
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