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Hard Core

by Jennifer Lowery (Goodreads Author)

3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 · rating details · 58 ratings · 22 reviews

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He takes lives. She saves them.

A supposedly hassle-free job for mercenary Cristian Slade becomes a mission of mercy when he saves a life instead of taking one. Slade's new mission might be his most dangerous yet, because the danger is to his heart.

Tragedy has sent esteemed surgeon Alana O'Grady to a remote a remote Nicaraguan island where she immerses h...more

ebook, 233 pages

Published October 8th 2012 by Lyrical Press (first published July 7th 2012)

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Oct 11, 2012 Baba ♥♥♥ Marcus, Tyler, Tate, Dan, Ty, & Hunter rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dnf, rolls-eyes

Grit your teeth and get to it…I tried and it didn't work. DNF when I hit the
50 % mark.

Hard Core is another case of “The story and characters did not live up to the really great cover." The story/plot could have been good. However, what was really putting me off is the author’s voice and I had to sustain belief too often. The writing is so stilted, awkward at times and too corny. It feels saccharine to the point where my teeth will start to hurt. And I couldn't bond with the characters either. W...more

20 likes · like · see review

Oct 25, 2012 Catherine rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, dnf

*DNF*

4 likes · like · see review

May 06, 2013 Daryl Devore rated it 4 of 5 stars

"No needles."

That's not the opening line to Jennifer Lowery's romance, HARD CORE, but it is the sentiment. Mercenary Cristian Slade has been shot and beaten. Racked with pain and fever, he stumbles through an escape and collapses at the feet of Alana O'Grady, a doctor.

Desperately trying to save Slade, Alana has to deal with her patient's stubborn refusal to be sedated or be given an injection of penicillin to combat the infection threatening his life. But as strong willed as Slade, Alana refuse...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 24, 2012 Angela rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, read-in-2012, reviewed-for-fiction-vixen

Review originally posted at http://fictionvixen.com/review-hard-c...

Blurb:

He takes lives. She saves them.

A supposedly hassle-free job for mercenary Cristian Slade becomes a mission of mercy when he saves a life instead of taking one. Slade’s new mission might be his most dangerous yet, because the danger is to his heart.

Tragedy has sent esteemed surgeon Alana O’Grady to a remote a remote Nicaraguan island where she immerses herself in the lives of a native American tribe, using her talents for g

...more Review originally posted at http://fictionvixen.com/review-hard-c...

Blurb:

He takes lives. She saves them.

A supposedly hassle-free job for mercenary Cristian Slade becomes a mission of mercy when he saves a life instead of taking one. Slade’s new mission might be his most dangerous yet, because the danger is to his heart.

Tragedy has sent esteemed surgeon Alana O’Grady to a remote a remote Nicaraguan island where she immerses herself in the lives of a native American tribe, using her talents for goodwill instead of wealth and prestige. But life turns upside down when her work requires she protect a rugged mercenary who commands her attention when she’s awake and dominates her dreams while she sleeps.

Doctoring Christian puts her entire tribe in danger from the man who’s hunting him. Is it her professional oath or her unprofessional attraction to him keeping her from sending him away to heal on his own? Alana’s fire warms Christian’s heart, but he’s a hardened assassin and has no business falling for someone like her. Can they fight hard enough to keep what they might have together?

The blurb and cover for Hard Core caught my eye and since I’m always up for a good romantic suspense I thought I would try it out. Unfortunately this one disappointed me.

When the story opens Cristian Slade is moving through the jungle on a mission to kill a man named Gavin Ross. He is ambushed, captured and taken back to Ross where he is “persuaded” to change sides. One of these persuasions is in the form of a beautiful woman, which gives Cristian the chance to escape. During his escape attempt he is shot, although he still manages to get through the jungle until he encounters Alana O’Grady whom is bathing in her favorite watering hole. Alana is a Doctor who is staying in one of the villages on the island with her dying father. I really didn’t understand the deal she made with Ross, but apparently there is a deal that she will become part of his operation if he will give her six months on the island with her father before his death. When Cristian basically crashes into where she is bathing her overwhelming doctor senses take over and she hauls him back to her hut to take care of him. The first 25% of this book is Cristian wavering in and out of consciousness while Alana tries to take care of him, battles with him over whether he is going to let her give him a shot of antibiotics and of course while Alana is deciding that, even though he is a patient in her care, she is hot for him. It took everything I had to get through the first 25%. I had this feeling that I just wanted to move on to something else. Action scenes, sex, good dialogue, bad dialogue.. just something else.

We did eventually move onto something else. Alana is taken from her hut by one of the bad guys working for Ross and we soon learn the job Ross wants her for involves her removing organs from live patients so they can be sold on the black market. This is the part that confused me, at the beginning she talks about this deal she makes with Ross to give her time to spend with her father before she joins his operation, but then when she is taken to the compound and told to perform the illegal surgery she acts shocked. I kept thinking… what did she think she would be doing? Maybe in my haste to finish this one after the boring first part of the book, or because I started skimming , I missed the reasoning. Cristian rescues her and this is where the action picks up and there are a few lukewarm sexy scenes, but I felt that the action was a bit over done and the sexy scenes a bit under cooked. Maybe I’m conditioned to sexy scenes that last more than a page and are a bit more detailed, I don’t know, they just fell flat.

Some of the mercenary friends of Cristian were introduced but, like Cristian himself I felt that they were never really developed. Cristian is cold and indifferent and you never really get to know him at all. I do think I got to know Alana more, but I really didn’t care about her much. Most of the characters in this story were just blah for me. This was a read I finished so I could say I got to the end of the book. I did get to the end of the book, but ended up disappointed.

Rating: D+
(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 10, 2012 Amber rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great read but anybody else think it was like the film Tears of the Sun? Both Hard Core and the film are well worth reading/watching!

1 like · like · see review

Apr 07, 2013 Romancing the Book rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed by: Stacey
Book provided by: Publisher
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

Not all debut novels are created the same. As authors grow and write more books, you can see how they’ve grown and their writing style changes. Jennifer Lowery’s Hard Core does not come off as a debut novel.

While I usually don’t go for the mercenary as a leading man, Ms. Lowery had me changing my mind. Injured and at the mercy of a small village surgeon, Christian’s injuries have his defenses down and dur...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 30, 2012 Kelli rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance, love-and-substance, action-romance

Jennifer Lowery spins a tale that will keep you up all night. Hard Core was non-stop, guns-blazing, pulling-out-all-the-stops, breathless tailspin of a story right from page one. She picks you up and forces you to face strife, natural disasters, evil, duality of man, and ethical dilemna after ethical dilemna. It's unstoppable, and un-put-down-able and sexy and absolutely delicious.
I loved this plot. I loved these characters. I loved these other men that I'm praying she ends up writing their own...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 20, 2012 Tracey Cramer-Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read the first half of this book while in the airport. I was so engrossed I nearly missed my flight call!

I am a total sucker for tough-guy heroes who are hurt...who we get to see a vulnerable side of. And the situation that Cristian was in couldn’t have been more so. I LOVED that his injuries/fever lead to him sharing a lot more of himself than we would otherwise have ever seen. (Great way to get backstory in too.) Little things like the fact that he’s afraid of needles and does not want to be...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Jessi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Every girl deserves an ex-military mercenary on her bookshelf.

Hard Core by Jennifer Lowery had my heart pumping with adrenaline and squeezing with sympathy for her captivating characters. Alana is a doctor who never got her license and practices on a remote island off the coast of Nicaragua. Christian is a killer with no heart, or so he'd like everyone to believe. They both have secrets, and neither of them seem inclined to share, even though the heat between them is enough to cause a forest fir...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 11, 2012 Mandi Schreiner rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: rom-suspense

I’m always in the mood for a romantic suspense book that features a hero who is a mercenary stuck in the jungle somewhere ready to kill some bad guys. I love a sweaty, bug-bitten hero. And by all accounts, Cristian is pretty hot and gruff. He has been assigned to kill Gavin Ross on an island somewhere in the Caribbean Ocean, he doesn’t know much about him except he is the target, and that is his job. As he inches up closer and closer, all of a sudden he hears the click of a dozen guns close to h...more I’m always in the mood for a romantic suspense book that features a hero who is a mercenary stuck in the jungle somewhere ready to kill some bad guys. I love a sweaty, bug-bitten hero. And by all accounts, Cristian is pretty hot and gruff. He has been assigned to kill Gavin Ross on an island somewhere in the Caribbean Ocean, he doesn’t know much about him except he is the target, and that is his job. As he inches up closer and closer, all of a sudden he hears the click of a dozen guns close to his head. Captured by the man he is suppose to kill, Cristian gets dragged in for interrogation and gets roughed up. Gavin, who is in the business of selling organs, wants Cristian to switch sides and come work for him and tries to woo him by throwing him into a bedroom with a beautiful woman. This provides an excellent opportunity for Cristian to escape, and while he does he is shot in the process. Which leads us to the heroine.

Alana, a doctor, is on this island because Gavin Ross demanded she be there to help him with his operation. With her father dying from cancer, she makes a deal with him to wait for six months before she joins his team. During this time she resides with her father and the local tribe, giving them care. As she is bathing one night she hears thrashing in the woods only to discover Cristian about ready to pass out from his bullet wound. Although he could be working for Gavin, Alana has the strong urge to save everyone and drags him back to her camp to care for him. He is delirious for days, and as he recovers, she starts to learn who he is, and just how dangerous and what bad deeds Gavin Ross can do.

I was disappointed with this book. There are times with some good action scenes and crazy, over the top jungle moments, but overall it just didn’t do it for me. The beginning of the book drags along as Cristian is recovering from his injury and goes back and forth escaping from Alana, and then coming back for different reasons. Action does pick up in the second half, but even then the story feels uneven. We go from jungle action, to back in the US on a ranch with horse injuries. It didn’t feel like a smooth transition. We meet some of Cristian’s fellow mercenaries, but we really don’t get to know them that well. Even more frustrating, Cristian remains a mystery through most of the book. Even at the end, when I think back I don’t know that much about him. His personality is forgettable and his background is never gone into with much detail. We do get a much better grasp on the heroine, and I did enjoy her. While she is tough (I think you have to be living on a pretty much deserted island) she is not stupid and doesn’t try to fight the baddies on her own.

Another disappointment I had is with the sex scenes. With a book full of action, and a hero who kills for a living, I think you need the down and dirty sex scenes to match the tone. Unfortunately, we get very rushed, glossed over sex scenes that barely last a page. We needed a lot more detail.

The romance develops pretty well, but because I didn’t connect with the hero it was hard to root for them. It almost felt as if this was Alana’s story and Cristian is in the background. Too uneven and a disappointing romance to recommend this one.

Rating: C-
(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 12, 2012 Michelle (MsRomanticReads) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-keeper, worth-re-reading, 2012, book-cover-stud, contemporary, favorites, hh-on-the-run, hitman-assassins-mercenaries, romance, suspense, undercover-ops, november-2012, contest-prize

This review can also be found on my blog.

Hard Core is Jennifer's debut novel, and she didn't disappoint. The story begins with a bang, literally. Cristian is badly wounded while he claws his way through the jungle. Enter the good Doctor, Alana. Even though she suspects him to be a henchman of her enemy, Gavin Ross, her stubborn moral compass won't let her leave him to die. Within the first few pages we get a very clear picture of the type of woman she is. She's kind-hearted, gifted, dedicated, a...more This review can also be found on my blog.

Hard Core is Jennifer's debut novel, and she didn't disappoint. The story begins with a bang, literally. Cristian is badly wounded while he claws his way through the jungle. Enter the good Doctor, Alana. Even though she suspects him to be a henchman of her enemy, Gavin Ross, her stubborn moral compass won't let her leave him to die. Within the first few pages we get a very clear picture of the type of woman she is. She's kind-hearted, gifted, dedicated, a loving daughter, stubborn and a bit naive. Warming up to Cristian took a little longer, at least until he recovered from the delirium brought around by his fever. Going by Slade, he's mysterious, has an air of danger about him, closed off, comes off as emotionless ... in short he's a tough nut to crack.

I liked the chemistry between Alana and Cristian. No matter how often he tells himself he doesn't care, Alana manages to poke holes in his barriers. The irony of their professions made them more interesting. I love the fact that the author chose such a stark contrast. As a reader, before I pick up the book and while I'm reading the book, I'm wondering how these two can possibly become more. Is what Cristian does really all black and white? Can a doctor who has taken the oath ever be put in a situation that would make her renege on her promise? Those are questions that draw me to a book like this.

It doesn't take long before we get to the drama portion, and it made quite an impact. The villain really was a despicable creature, so I was fully on Cristian's side. Team Slade 1, Team Alana 0. I'm not sure I liked Alana in that particular situation. Even now I'm not even sure how I would have answered the question she asked herself in that critical moment. Kudos to the author for choosing a frightening and gritty plot point, and you know that stuff does happen!
The highlight for me was the appearance of the rest of Slade's "team". They didn't get much face time, and we don't get to know them except for what Alana observes on the surface. But it was enough to make not only the hero and heroine realize they were surrounded by people who had their backs. I have it on good authority that the other mercenaries will get their stories as well, and I look forward to reading more about each one.

Those were the hits, and I'm about to get into the misses. They might be a little spoilerish, so read on at your own risk.

I've read some other reviews on Hard Core, and I skipped the good ones and went straight for the not so good. I wanted to see what others have said, and whether or not they had a point or perhaps I missed something. There was one rev that mentioned the fact that there's no way that Cristian could have pulled off some of the stunts he did while badly wounded. So I asked my hubby who underwent SEAL training if it was theoretically possible to run around with a couple of bad bruises and a stab/gunshot wounds. Depending on the training, willpower and how bad of a bad-ass the guy is, it is possible. He said it's amazing what you'll do when you feel cornered or when you have to succeed in your mission no matter the cost. Okay, so perhaps you'll have to suspend your disbelief somewhat, but I didn't bat an eyelash. Slade is supposed to be a bit larger than life. My issue was with Alana. She is an extremely dedicated doctor, almost to a fault. Therefore, I couldn't believe she'd risk him aggravating his multiple injuries further just to have sex with him. That was the only thing that didn't add up for me character wise.

The sex scenes didn't have the sizzle factor I had come to anticipate. They were hot but they could have used a little more … oomph. Since this was my first read by this author, I have nothing to compare it to. Perhaps wild monkey sex isn't in the cards, but that's okay. I have read books before where there was no sex and it was still a great read.
No protection. A lot of readers have a love or hate relationship with this issue. Me? I don't care. First and foremost, we readers all have a brain and (hopefully) common sense. If anyone out there decides that the risk of pregnancy or contracting STDs is of no concern to them because the (fictional) heroine in a book got away unscathed, then honestly that person deserves the consequences of their irresponsible actions. With that said, Alana addresses her fear of such consequences after her first time with Christian, yet their continual sexual encounters occur without protection. Odd? Or did I miss something?

Despite those few oddities, I really enjoyed this book. This was definitely right up my alley and I can't wait to read about the other fellas. I highly recommend it if you love romantic suspense, a brooding, tortured hero, a plucky heroine and danger nipping at their heels at every turn.

Disclaimer: I won my copy during the Hard Core Blog Tour contest.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 20, 2012 Toni Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book. Cristian is drool-worthy mercenary out to fufill a contract. He is a tortured soul who meets his mate in the deserted jungles of an island off the coast of Nicaragua. Alana, is a on surgeon with more than a few secrets. She is a strong and good person which makes her off limits in Cristian's mind. This book had it all, action, a great hero and heroine, romance and an exotic setting. The chemistry between the two stars was great. The only thing I can ask for at this point is mo...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 07, 2013 nelda munoz rated it 2 of 5 stars

Ok, I give this book 2 1/2 stars only because the ending felt rushed. The suspense and action in the book made me feel like I was watching a movie. But towards the end it felt as though she needed to rush it to end. Cristian is so tramatized from his past, that he feels he is a bad person. Alana is trying to save the world, but ends up paying a high price with her life. There were so many characters from Cristian team, that I can't wait to hear the story line of them. Please!!! Sam, Mercer... ne...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Michel Reinhard rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow...what a great debut for new author Jennifer Lowery. Hard Core keeps the reader on the edge of their seats....rooting for Cristian and Alana to find their happily ever after. The author steps outside of the box on what is the norm for romantic suspense and creates scenes that are unlike other books in this genre. I highly recommend this book. I can't wait for the next book in the series to be released.

1 like · like · see review

Nov 08, 2012 Jessie rated it 5 of 5 stars

For this being a debut book by this author, she nailed it! I enjoyed this book & cannot wait for the next book. This book had suspense, a bad guy, a hero & heroine & romance. It was a well written story of two people who's work are total opposites. Cristian tries to keep to himself because of his occupation & not let anyone get close to him. He also didn't have the best childhood memories, but Alana brings out his caring, protective side & makes him think twice about them ha...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Elizabeth marked it as to-read

omg!!
i need to reed it because I'm from Nicaragua and I love when Books/movies talk about my beautiful little country

1 like · like · see review

Jan 16, 2013 Joanne Wadsworth rated it 4 of 5 stars

A remote island. A skilled doctor with a soft heart, and a mercenary with a hard shield. Jennifer Lowery brings an intriguing mix of suspense, action and romance into play within her debut novel. You'll be wishing for Alana and Cristian to figure each other out, and to beat the odds stacked against them. I would have liked a little more in the romance department as those scenes sped by too quickly. Although this is an author to watch out for. Jennifer's delivered a wonderful debut, and I'm certa...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Alisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

4.5 Stars :0)

1 like · like · see review

Oct 19, 2012 Nikki rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

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Feb 12, 2013 Limor moyal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-4-star-choices

Loved the characters especially Alana ... Strong woman . All in all good read

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Nov 01, 2012 Avery Flynn marked it as to-read

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May 17, 2013 Janine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: romantic-suspense

I found this a bit disjointed and didn't really relate to the main characters

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May 20, 2013 Kristina marked it as to-read

May 10, 2013 Legato Darksummers added it

Shelves: daddy-dark-s-baby-warrior-list

May 05, 2013 Karen Lopp rated it 5 of 5 stars

Apr 21, 2013 Amee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Apr 21, 2013 Ad Hoc rated it 4 of 5 stars

Apr 18, 2013 Zoe marked it as to-read

Shelves: to-read-contemporary-romance

Apr 15, 2013 Niina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Apr 07, 2013 Hayley marked it as to-read

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About Jennifer Lowery

Action, adventure, romance writer from Michigan! I realize my books aren't for everyone and I respect that. My hope is that readers will treat authors fairly and leave reviews/ratings that aren't hurtful or harmful to the author. We put our heart and soul into our books and hope you enjoy them. The old adage sets a good moral standard: If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all. A...more

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Quotes from Hard Core

“He was too explosive for her to touch him so intimately. It would lead to the wrong things. And places he'd banned himself from. As her protector, he had to stay away from her. That was how it worked. This, he could not stray from. Not again.
Even if it killed him.” — 4 people liked it

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