An epic and addictive roller coaster ride of a romance that’s unforgettably heart-wrenching and jaw-dropping, brought to you by Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author, Willow Winters. Our love story isn’t a tragedy but it sure as hell started out like one.I grew up in the life, and learned to hate everything in this town. Everything but her. She was my constant through it all.Just … her. She was my constant through it all.
Just a look would tempt and torment.
Just a touch would singe and soothe.
I only survived because she was by my side.
I feared the danger would bleed into what we had.
After all, she was too good for this world. But I was too far gone to push her away.
I was Laura’s downfall.
Problem was, she was mine too.
Hard to Love is book 1 of the Hard to Love, romantic suspense, series.
“This highly addictive read had me glued to its pages, and unable to put it down. This story will have you jaw-dropping, gasping for breath, and begging for more!” Sarah, SWBR Book Blog & Reviews
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This book is part of a series. Book(s) can be read as a stand-a-lone, but if read in order you will get the full Carter Brothers experience. Seth and Laura’s love story begins her Sophomore year. She losses her father and Seth steps up to be her savior. Seth is building a name for himself and his crew. Laura is also focusing on her future as a nurse. As Seth gets more involved in the underworld, Laura grows more concerned. She wants him to get out. It’s the only life he has ever known. The story Willow weaves is sweet, tragic, heartbreaking, and courageous. This book does end in a cliffhanger.
Laura:
From this angle, he’s even more handsome, which doesn’t make any sense. He’s just towering over me. Maybe it’s the rough stubble, the way he smiles, or the lust in his eyes. But my heart does that little pitter-patter, the beat that’s out of rhythm. Maybe it really is all because of him. He makes my heart skip a beat.
This book is edgy, and sexy and all the things a good dark romance book should be. I really enjoyed it!
See where it all began for Seth and get immersed into another character from the Merciless world. Seth was somewhat a mystery for me when reading the Irresistible Attraction trilogy. I couldn’t decide if I liked him or not. Towards the end of the series I also wasn’t sure how I felt about Laura, another side character. Both of them seemed to hover over the line of are they really good friends/people or not.
Fast forward to the Hard to Love series and I am enjoying their back stories. It turns out Seth & Laura share a history I never saw coming. Getting immersed back into the Merciless world with all their dark twisted stories is a great distraction from reality and I’m loving every word of it. Find out where Seth and Laura began in life and enjoy the ride of learning their future.
Hard To Love by Willow Winters is a romantic suspense that I listened to on audio narrated by Samantha Cook and Joe Arden.
Willow does an amazing job pulling you into the story. I absolutely love the chemistry between Seth and Laura. The book does end on a cliffhanger but that was not a surprise since its part of a series. I cannot wait to dive into the next book in the series Desperate To Touch.
Joe and Samantha did an amazing job on the narration. They really brought the story to life.
I would recommend this book if you love romantic suspense.
*****Spoilers*****
Seth and Babygirl really spoke to me. I felt so happy that they found a love so strong for each other but then also so sad, because what they each wanted in life differed so much. Seth felt like this was his life and Laura would accept it one day and Laura always thought things would calm down and they would live a quiet and lawful life… Their love for each other is so strong, that it really is the greatest and the worst thing to happen to them both.
Cant wait to continue their story in ‘Desperate to Touch’.
Let me start off by saying this is my first book by this author. I had a few issues with the writing but I’m not sure if it was just this book or maybe that’s her style? I struggled with the flow of writing. It was harder for me to read because I kept having to stop and try to figure out what the author was saying over and over. Also a lot of the sentences were too descriptive and repetitive. I will say that as the story continued these issues tapered off significantly.
Story wise, I loved the steaminess to it. Grade A plus on the hot factor. The author had me fanning myself more than once haha. Character wise….my heart really went out to Laura Roth. I felt she could do so much better and deserved so much more. Seth King was selfish in my eyes. I feel he had this empire and was loving the feeling of being boss man that he couldn’t leave it behind…..even for the love of his life, Laura.
Overall, the story had lots of twists and turns. The drama was great and kept me guessing. However, it just wasn’t a favorite for me. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series to see how their story plays out. I will also be checking out other books by this author in the future.
Wow can I just say wow. Seth and Laura took my breath away. My heart broke as I read their story both falling for the wrong type of person, both trying be better than the card they were dealt. Both knowing they are inevitable. Passion, danger, deceit and loss are the beginning of this journey that had my heart racing at the end and me craving for the next book. The addiction that is Seth and Laur’s Story had me craving for the next thrilling chapter in their dangerous love story.
The power of guilt and love that drives Seth to be closer to Laura is so powerful that it leaps off the pages and into your heart.
Can love over come the ost dangerous of lies? Can you run from a love that grabs your whole heart?
This is just the beginning!
We would have met Seth in the Irresistible Attraction series and I was so excited to know that he got his own series. Hard To Love was an engrossing read and I’m amazed at how easily Willow Winters got me hooked on the plot. I could not put this book down.
This novel gave us Seth and Laura’s history and made me fall in love with Seth even more. The story was steamy and passionate, suspenseful and mysterious with some twists and turns I did not see coming. These characters were complex yet were so perfect for each other, that I was consumed with their story which gave me all the feels. It was the perfect blend of love, loss, hope, fear, anger and hate and it all ends in a cliffhanger that will leave you anxious for more. Hard To Love was a fantastic read and I would highly recommend it to all lovers of romantic suspense.
The audiobook version was narrated by Joe Arden and Samantha Cook. They were perfect choices for these characters and they really brought the story to life. Their voices were clear and understandable and they gave the varying characters their own personalities. It was a pleasure listening to them narrate this novel.
This Story has all the emotions man. I waited so long to read it and was not disappointed. Well written, great characters, lots of intrigue.Willow Winters I can’t wait to read Book 2.
Definitely recommend.
Willow Winters
“Regret is my enemy. Guilt its friend.”
Hard To Love is the first book in this series and my first ever read from the author. I have heard so much ravings about her book and now, I wanted to hit myself for waiting such a long time doing so. Why? Because this book just about killed me! Seriously, wow!
Since this is just the first one, I don’t know how I’m going to survive the angst of Laura and Seth’s love story. This series is everything I love in a mafia/ outfit trope- the suspense, the way of life, passion, angst, and action- all rolled into sensational read you will not be able to put down. The ending positively gut me and I’m thankful that most of the books in the series are out now. Loved it and highly recommend to those who love dark romance!
What happened between longing to Hold and the start of this story? What did Seth do? Why did things change? Wow, the things that happened in this story, finding out what happened between Seth and Lara made my heart weep along with my eyes. At the same time, I was so proud of Laura’s strength. Read and see what I am talking about!
RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS A GIFT FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin’ With M. Brennan.
Hard to Love #1 is told in dual pov and is not a standalone audio and should be listened to in order. There is a prequel to this audio that should be listened to first. Being I was unaware of that I missed the prequel and missed the history of the characters.
As I listened to this I felt like I was missing something as the beginning was a bit confusing as I was unaware of their pasts. This audio is a mixture of angst, betrayal, drama, lust, revenge and suspense. With bloodshed, broken hearts and plot twists, a explosive listen.
This does end in a cliffhanger and I hope I get a chance to listen to the other audio’s in this series
Narators Joe Arden, Samantha Cook dual narration brought the characters and story to reality.
I’m having a hard time putting my thoughts and feelings into words for a review right now.
Did I enjoy it? Yes.
Did it piss me off? Yes!
Did it leave me wanting more?! YES!!
But I can’t even really tell you what this book is about…
It’s marked as book 1 in a series but it reads as if you just picked up book 2 or 3. Up until about 40%, I was confused and frustrated…I kept feeling like I was missing something. Now, I’m used to reading books with alternating timelines and flashback chapters, but for some reason this one threw me off. Majority of the book details the end of their relationship and it’s set up as one big flashback. So you don’t get how they met, just pick up in the middle/end.
Despite all that, I still really liked this one! It was short and sweet. Quick and steamy with some small details on their past and the criminal organization that Seth is involved in. The characters and their emotions still felt strong and vivid.
I mean, Laura and Seth’s relationship just felt EPIC.
I’m so glad I reached out to one of my booksta friends because she let me know that there IS a prequel with them in highschool and I wish I would’ve read that one first. I hear this series just gets better and more emotional as it goes along so might squeeze in book 2 tonight or tomorrow, we’ll see!
Lovely narrators as well! Enjoyed listening to them and didn’t have any problems following along, felt they suited the characters well.
*Audio Arc kindle provided in exchange for an honest review*
Seth and Laura show up several times in Willow Winter’s Irresistible Attraction; and while I did enjoy Ava Erickson and Sebastian York’s performance in that series, I’m glad that this one is performed by different narrators.
It’s a credit not just to Joe Arden and Samantha Cook’s wonderful performance but also to Willow Winters’s excellent writing skills that the tension, passion, and suspense had me at the edge of my seat! Unfortunately for me, this book ends with a cliffhanger and it might be a while before I find out what happens next. Nevertheless, I highly recommend it!
Hard to Love is a contemporary romantic suspense written in dual first-person POV and performed in dual narration. It’s the first part of a series and ends with a cliffhanger. No cheating.
I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review.
4.5 Riveting and Steamy Stars!
I was so excited for Seth and Laura’s story after being introduced to them in Irresistible Attraction. I was completely captivated by their intriguing, suspenseful, and sexy romance. Laura grew up in a dangerous world, thanks to her dad. Seth has always taken care of and protected her. Laura also has helped him trough some dark times, and he feels so complete and at peace because of her. Their friendship grew into a deep love and fiery passion. He made promises that he wasn’t able to keep and Laura wanted to believe in him. But when danger knocked on her door, taking away the things she loved most, could she hold on, hoping for Seth to keep his promises before she lost her life as well? This was a fast paced, and breathtaking start to the Hard to Love series. Narrators Joe Arden, and Samantha Cook were amazing as they brought this story to life. Arden’s husky voice was perfect for the powerful, dangerous, yet vulnerable Seth. Cook nailed Laura’s hopeful, loving and naive character with a hidden strength perfectly. I loved listening to them both as they drew me in and made this story even more sizzling and exciting. I can’t wait to find out what happens next!
This is a romantic suspense/second-chance romance. It is a mind-blowing, edge-of-your-seat, gut-wrenching, gripping romance with jaw-dropping twists and turns, mystery, passion, and action. You get all of the feels and action and a sexy as sin, badass, alpha male. What more could you ask for? The plot was well-written and had me in a trance. I could not put it down! It is gritty, raw, and addicting with characters I couldn’t get enough of!
****ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest review.****
I have no idea how any of ya’ll started the epic journey of Seth and Laura like 8 months ago and didn’t go bonkers waiting on each layer of their story to release. So, I consider myself lucky because I just #binged Hard to Love, Desperate to Touch and Tempted to Kiss last week in preparation for Easy to Fall coming in just a little over a week! But I’m only lucky because I just discovered W. Winters / Willow Winters recently. Had I known her greatness back in the day, I’d be bonkers right along with you guys waiting for her words to release because I would have #one-clicked as they released!!
As I always do when I #binge (after the fact/release) I’m reviewing it all in one sitting so here goes ….
As far as beginnings go for a journey, Hard to Love was pretty epic. My heart was trippin guys! Like full on palpitations thru the entire read! I was always feeling , sometimes happy sometimes not, but always passionate ! This author is addictive. Her style and voice gripped me. The storyline gripped me. I felt like I was chasing a high at every turn of the page and I could not wait to find out how every little thing would unfold!
As the journey of Laura and Seth continues in Desperate to Touch , the depth of the story blew me away. We were only in book two of a four book journey, so I expected a lot things to happen (maybe?) but the level of depth and growth the author builds with both Laura and Seth and their story is awe-inspiring! I became even more invested in this story. The tangled web of electrifying skeletons, both in their past and in their present, were starting to clash and I felt I was in the eye of the storm as a reader. It has been a really long time since a fictional couple has gripped me this way. Seriously, where has Willow Winters been my whole life?!?!
That takes us to Tempted to Kiss and what I can only describe as a full-on heart attack! #holdme (if you follow me or even just know me, this would be the part where I tell the author to FUCKTHEFUCKOFF mostly because she/he made me feel too much or they just epically blew me out of the water.) I seriously have never been this alive thru a story of this proportion. Four books so far (if you count the prelude, Longing to Hold) and I am still jonesing for more like a thirsty addict! Exhilarating beyond reason with unimaginable plot twist and turns and that will leave you staring into space long after you finish …. #JesusSaveMeFromThisStory
I know countless people have said this but since I was one who did not heed the warnings, I’m gonna repeat it for those of you in the back … You’re not ready for this. You’ll never be ready for this. You know nothing. You will feel everything. It’s gonna hurt … in the best possible way. #TRUST
Emotionally gripping full of romance and suspense. I was immediately drawn in! Laura and Seth are brought together by pain and despair. They have chemistry, passion, love and mystery surrounding this story. They’re night and day yet drawn to each but there is a need between them that is hard to deny. The twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat. I can’t wait to see where Willow Winters will take me on this amazing journey.
Hard to Love was easy to love. Within pages I was pulled into the emotional ups and downs as Laura and Seth fell in love at a young age then as young adults as they learned the hard way that sometimes love just isn’t enough. I’m excited to jump directly into book 2
Ms. Winters has done it again – another dark masterpiece – a roller coaster of emotions and plot twists I didn’t see coming. I’m still trying to recover from everything that transpired throughout this book. She continues to blow me away with each book that releases. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
#MSBB