Jacqueline's Reads: Hard Beat (Driven #7) by K. Bromberg [Review + Giveaway]

Foreign war correspondent Tanner Thomas is addicted to living on the edge. Needing the adrenaline rush of his job to help him cope with a personal loss, he throws himself back into the game, concentrating all his energy on getting the next big story.

But when he meets his new photojournalist, Beaux Croslyn, he can’t help but feel like he’s losing his focus—and maybe risking more…

With secrets she won’t address, Beaux is far from your ordinary woman. Determined to keep her distance, she’s willing to pull Tanner in closer and hide behind the sparks flying between them. But as Beaux’s past begins to put their relationship—and their lives—at risk, Tanner’s determination to find the truth puts them both in jeopardy.

He's ready to chase her to the ends of the earth to find out if what they had was real, or if the danger surrounding them was just an exquisite heat fated to burn out…

4 Chasing the “Buzz” Stars

Hard Beat is a standalone and is part of the Driven series. This one is definitely my favorite! For super fans, you will be happily shocked with the direction the author went with this one.

Tanner is a journalist. He goes to war-torn countries and reports in extreme conditions. Tanner is dealing with some past pains and you feel for him. I love Tanner and the complex layers Bromberg created for his character. Tanner’s troubling past reflects how he currently sees life. He chases the buzz and thrives off in catching the latest story. He pushes people away, drowns in work and doesn’t want any romantic relationships.

BJ / Beaux is the newest photographer and has caught Tanner’s eye. BJ and Tanner have steamy chemistry and the love / hate relationship is addictive to read. BJ loves taking photos, but as she gets in Tanner’s way, Tanner doesn’t hold back his feelings or dominating personality.

Bromberg has a way in creating super charge tension between the two main characters and it just gets you sucked into the story. As BJ tries to get Tanner to tone down his alpha male tendencies, he realizes he’s not the only one holding secrets. I loved reading Tanner and his issues, I really enjoyed watching him grow from a brute to something more with BJ. I also enjoyed reading about BJ and what her story is. Like, where did she come from and why is she so private towards Tanner?

The thing that really worked for me in Hard Beat was the setting. I really enjoyed the pace and that the setting was in another country. I liked that Tanner and BJ were kind of forced to eat, sleep and breathe together. It made everything just more potent.

“There’s something between us. You can’t deny that, Tanner – a blind man would be able to sense it… You’re so quick to accuse me of playing games, yet you’re calling more shots than a bartender”

Bromberg is a descriptive writer and Hard Beat is suspenseful, steamy, action pack, full of surprises and a little different from the previous books.

If you are a fan of the series, you will not be disappointed.

An Arc was provided.

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I got to meet Kristy at RT and I could have talked to her all day! She's so easy to talk to and so warm. It was such a treat to meet her. More book signing photos - HERE

She pulls me from my lewd but damn fine thoughts when she tries to jerk her arm from my hold. My spine stiffens some because hell if I’m up for resistance right now. I’m emotionally drained, exhausted, and as much as I don’t want to feel that grenade of desire sitting low in my belly, I still want to pull its pin so I can lose myself for a bit in the soft curves and sweet taste of a gorgeous woman no matter how fucking insolent she is.

I clench my jaw. A fleeting show of resistance before I give in to my need and the sexual tension. She gasps when I release her arm only to bring it up to her neck at the same time I crash my lips to hers.
And fuck yes I’m a dick for not letting her push me away, for letting my own need for this woman who will most likely move on by the week’s end control my actions, for taking without asking, but goddamn her small display of independence turns me on something fierce.
I brand my mouth to hers, press my tongue between her lips as she parts them. Her hands push me away, but the movement of her tongue tells me she wants more. She’s a clear contradiction in all meanings of the word. Soft and supple body, but I can feel the toned muscle beneath. Between kisses she tries to pull back, but a soft moan in the back of her throat when my free hand cups her ass tells me how much she wants this.
Her hands fist in my shirt at the same time my hand takes hold of the loose bun at the nape of her neck to tilt her head back and look into her eyes. But her mouth stays right where I want it because I’m nowhere near done with her yet.
“I don’t like you,” she claims through gritted teeth. Our hands run possessively over each other, but derision laced with defiance glimmers in her eyes.
“I beg to differ.” I laugh at the ludicrousness of her statement, considering the predicament we’re in. She tries to step back, but when she doesn’t release my shirt, I know she still wants more.
And fuck, I’m definitely all in. I need this outlet more than I ever realized until I was in the thick of it. I’ve kept to myself at home, fought with my sister when she attempted to fix me up with one of her friends, punished myself, and now with the heat of a woman’s body pressed up against me and the taste of her kiss seared in my goddamn brain, there is no way in hell I’m walking away now.
“I don’t like you,” she reiterates.
“Too bad,” I tell her as I go in for the next kiss. One that’s full of angry desperation and irresistible need with teeth nipping and tongues meeting and that ache deep in my balls taking hold of me. My hips pin her against the cold cinder-block wall behind her.
Her fingers dig into my shoulders as she tears her mouth from mine, our chests heaving. And then just when her protests stop and her tongue starts to dance with mine again, I pull back.
“You’re arrogant and—”
“You don’t have to like me to fuck me,” I say, cutting her off. “You just have to want me.”
She protests, and I cut her words off with my mouth on hers at the same time my hands grab her wrists. Even as I gain the advantage, I feel like she’s pulling out the ground from beneath my feet. “Fuck you!” She manages to get the words out between fervent kisses.
I chuckle against her lips before pulling back and looking straight into her desire-laden eyes. “That’s the plan.”

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author K. Bromberg is that reserved woman sitting in the corner who has you all fooled about the wild child inside of her—the one she lets out every time her fingertips touch the computer keyboard.

K. lives in Southern California with her husband and three children. When she needs a break from the daily chaos of her life, you can most likely find her on the treadmill or with Kindle in hand, devouring the pages of a good, saucy book.

On a whim, K. Bromberg decided to try her hand at this writing thing. Her debut novels, Driven, Fueled, and Crashed of The Driven Trilogy were well received and went on to become multi-platform bestsellers as well as landing on the New York Times and USA Today lists. Her other works include a short story, UnRaveled, and a companion piece to The Driven Trilogy titled Raced. She is currently working on three stand alone Driven novels, Slow Burn, Sweet Ache, and Hard Beat. She also plans to release a novel addressing the 10 year gap at the ending of Crashed in late fall 2015

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