The Harder He Falls

Lynda Aicher

Jun 2016 · Loveswept

About this ebook

RITA Award finalist Lynda Aicher fires up a thrilling series featuring rugged men who play hard for a living. When it comes to one another’s hearts, they never back down—because behind closed doors, the games they play are very different.
 
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.
 
The Harder He Falls is intended for mature audiences.

Praise for The Harder He Falls
 
“[Lynda] Aicher’s character development is really excellent. . . .  This is a nice start to what looks to be an engaging series.”—Joyfully Jay

“A sizzling, insightful romance with two powerful, wonderfully human protagonists.”—RT Book Reviews 

“The Harder He Falls is sexy, angsty, and features two wonderfully flawed heroes.”—Wit and Sin

“Smoking hot.”—Gay Book Reviews

“A solid read . . . The story kept me engaged the entire time, and I was completely invested in these guys and their journey.”—The Novel Approach

“A highly fulfilling read.”—Queserasera Book Blog

This ebook includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

Ratings and reviews

Two wounded men = one emotional story. This is the first book I’ve read by Lynda Aicher but it won’t be the last. The Harder He Falls contains some BDSM elements but that is not exactly the main focus of the story. While working as a whitewater-rafting guide, Grady Kelley was involved in a tragic accident which left his cousin in a coma. While Grady walked away unharmed he was not left undamaged – he is filled with guilt. Micah Swaine works as a bartender at a local leather bar. On the surface he appears to have it all together but all is not as it seems. Micah was in a coma five years ago and it left him with problems not readily visible to other people. He visits coma patients in the hospital and reads to them. Grady meets Micah when he stops to visit his cousin and hears someone reading an erotic story. Grady’s taken aback by what he hears – it brings back memories he’d rather forget – and he’s pretty much a dick to Micah. Once Micah explains Grady backs down a bit and Micah tells him that he was once in a coma and agrees to answer question if Grady will come visit him where he works. This was a very emotional read for me. I cried for both Grady and Micah; both of them have suffered so much and Grady has so much to figure out about himself. Ms. Aicher’s writing was very compelling; once I started reading The Harder He Falls I didn’t want to quit. Micah and Grady both have huge obstacles to overcome if they are to have any kind of relationship and she tells their story with compassion and a lot of heat. I can’t wait to find out who the next book will be about. ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my review. Review will be posted to Xtreme-Delusions dot com on or after release date.

A seriously hot m/m read and the start to what should be a great series. Grady Kelley likes his adventures fast and furious and his men hot and temporary. Life is going great with Grady working as a whitewater rafting guide for Kick until a terrible accident has his life spinning out of control. That's when he meets Micah Swaine. Micah touches something deep in Grady's soul and offers the very thing Grady has been running from. Real relationships aren't for him. Not anymore. Staying away doesn't seem to be an option though. There is something about Micah that says he needs Grady as much as Grady needs him. A fabulous read with just a hint of bdsm. I definitely recommend this one.

About the author

Lynda Aicher is a RITA Award finalist who loves to write emotionally charged romances. She spent years traveling as a consultant, implementing computer software into global companies, until she opted to end her nomadic lifestyle to raise her two children. Now her imagination is the only limitation on where she can go, and writing lets her escape from the daily duties of being a mom, wife, chauffeur, scheduler, cook, teacher, cleaner, and mediator.