Nalini Singh does not disappoint!! This is a sweet story about Nayna,whose parents are arranging her marriage for her. She is compliant with tbis arrangement as her sister ran away to get married and brought shame to the family.
Nayna decides to have one wild night & "hooks up" with Raj at a party. The night ends badly.
Shortly after another husband candidate arrives at Nayna' s parents house to meet her & its Raj.
This book was full of great characters, including Nayna's grandmother who is dating the gentleman next door. There are also many Hindi words used, which was fun.

I am not sure if I have the words to adequately express how much I loved Rebel Hard, but I am going to try. I’m still not over this book. I read this book in one amazing day and resented each and every time I needed to stop for things like food. It is absolutely one of my favorite romances of the year, hands down, and is my new favorite Nalini contemporary romance. If I had all the money in the world, I would buy this book for everyone I know.

I feel a little helpless as a reviewer in the face of such a gorgeous and rich story. Nayna Sharma and Raj Sen agreed to the arranged marriage process for different reasons. Nayna feels pressure to be the perfect daughter after her family was hurt by a previous scandal. Raj has always valued family and stability and an arranged marriage seems practical. When the two meet by chance at a party, neither one is expecting their explosive chemistry. When they meet later as potential spouses, the situation gets even more complicated.

A testament to Nalini’s writing, I want to reread this book as I type. Raj and Nayna are undeniable. Nayna is a woman finally coming into her own and not letting anything get in her way. She loves her family, but her need to spread her wings was exciting and exhilarating to follow along with as a reader. The way Raj supports Nayna unconditionally is one of the best parts of an exceptional novel. Raj is my new dream man. His quiet confidence and willingness to fight for what he wants and what Nayna needs is wonderful.

A stunning cast of supporting, characters and multiple, complete sub story arcs weaved through Raj and Nayna’s journey to happily ever after kept me captivated until the last page. Ms. Singh, seemingly effortlessly, combines family obligation, professional passion, and true love. FYI – I plan on recommending this book to everyone I know.

**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**

I loved this book. The romance was so, well, romantic. It wasn't too cheesy or cliche, just enough to make my romantic side very happy.

I really loved how the Indian culture of the characters was portrayed. It was very real but not too exaggerated. I liked how both, young and older, generations had their say in a way, but specially how Nayna and Raj fought to have their future their own way.

Nalini's writing as always was on point and I just love how it makes me actually forget about everything around me and just be immersed in the story.

This book was everything I wanted it to be, and then some. There’s family drama, an arranged marriage, meddlesome in-laws, massive OTT weddings, fledgling flirtation, super-sexy selfies and a hero who is just amazing. Seriously. Raj is amazing, that is all you need to know.

But if you want more… Well, in bare facts, Raj possibly shouldn’t have been as amazing as he is. He works extremely hard, doesn’t have much time or even the inclination to play, he is very serious and very old-fashioned. He wants a wife who will stay at home and raise the kids, which is why he’s contemplating an arranged marriage. He is definitely all of that, but he loves his family, is willing to do anything for those he cares about, he listens to Nayna and tries so hard to give her what she wants, while also learning how to flirt and take delicious ab-selfies to keep her interested in his body. And at no point does he ever even think about trying to turn Nayna into his stay-at-home-wife fantasy. He sees her exactly as she is and he loves her for all that she is.

He’s gorgeous, in every way, and I loved reading about him.

I liked Nayna too, even if she has no idea what she wants and is in the middle of a bit of an identity crisis. I did like how she judged Raj on his actions instead of some of the nonsense he said (such as romance being for children – after he’s met her for a midnight walk and pushed her on the swings and been completely adorable). And when he needs her, she’s right there, loyal and steadfast and loving, just as he is.

The rest of the stuff around the romance is equally as wonderful, throwing in a lot of Bollywood style and life and colour and incredible weddings. The Indian-Fijian-New Zealand cultural mix made for an excellent backdrop to all the drama and romance, treating traditions with respect while also maintaining a modern outlook. The secondary characters are great too, especially Nayna’s fabulous grandmother. The whole book is enormous fun, sexy, romantic and just enjoyable all the way through. Nalini Singh never lets me down and I cannot wait to see where this series heads next.

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Original First Impressions Review

Raj. Oh my goodness. Raj is amazing.

I'm going to have to read this again before I can review it because right now I'm just in a Raj-haze and my review is basically, Raj is amazing. That is all.

Which, to be honest, is all anyone should need to know about this book in order to read it. Nevertheless, more coherence to come later.

ETA: And it turns out I haven't actually read the final book yet. Which... if Raj gets any more adorable, I may squish my Kindle to death.
(And by adorable I mean sexy and amazing and, yeah, adorable too.)

Okay so if you've been following my posts or tweets, then you'll probably know that Nalini Singh is a new-to-me author I've started reading early this year, and I've been a huge fan ever since. After devouring her paranormal works and loving her angels, vampires, and changelings, it's only right that I venture into her contemporary works as well.

Rebel Hard is my first, and holy shit it's SO GOOD. I basically said that about almost every Nalini book I've read so who's surprised? Not me, obviously.

The plot of Rebel Hard revolved around arranged marriage, something that is not unsual in brown cultures. Malays* have done it too, though not so much in the recent years. I love Nayna with all my heart, and it's so easy to root for her happiness. Her parents have been working hard to find a suitable husband for her, and while she was okay with it in the beginning, Nayna is feeling more and more suffocated by it all lately. She has always been the Good Girl in the family. She keeps her head down, always plays by the rules, and never does anything that could bring shame to her parents, not after how her older sister Madhuri ruined the family's good name a decade or so ago.

I totally get why Nayna wanted to rebel. I relate to her struggles to be the perfect daughter to her parents versus her wanting to carve her own path and live her life for her, not for family. Luckily her one night of rebel led her to Raj, who turned out to be another one of her parents' prospects for her. <i>The</i> prospect.

My one night of rebel? Hasn't happened yet, and I doubt that it would lead me to a Raj so what's even the point?

Moving on.

Raj is a dreamboat, by the way. I fell for him so hard, and so did Nayna though she sort of struggled with it in the beginning. Raj is described as a serious and traditional guy. He wants the whole package: a loving wife, kids, white picket fence, so much that he agreed to his parents' matchmaking efforts. He and Nayna hit it off right away the night they made, and although that night didn't end well, the thoughts of Nayna kept haunting him until they met again, this time as each other's match.

Raj knew instantly that he wanted her for keeps this time.

Their relationship development is my favourite thing about this book. Raj decided to court Nayna while he waited for her to make a decision, and I appreciated that he wasn't pushy about the whole marriage thing. He didn't play fair, though; Raj fully capitalized on the intense attraction between him and Nayna, and he basically seduced her all the time, LOL. They just have so much chemistry and fun together. I love the shirtless selfies Raj sent to Nayna (he knew he had a great body and made use of it, smart man), and how he made an effort to read Pride and Prejudice because it was Nayna's favourite book. He was also so good with Nayna's family, especially Nayna's grandmother.

Dream. Fucking. Boat.

Nayna grew so much in her relationship with Raj. She's had a moment of reckoning with her parents in which she explained her need to break away from the path she has been in, and I was so proud of her. I love that Raj understood her fears and did his best to alleviate them, and made an effort to show that she could trust him with her dreams. He was so understanding of Nayna's need to fly, and he was careful not to chain her.

Nayna's inability to make a decision, though, is so understandable. She knew she was attracted to Raj, wanted him more than her next breath, but she also wasn't sure about marriage as a whole. She wanted to do so many more things, and she was scared that her dreams would take the backseat to Raj's wants after she married him.

A lot of those fears actually resonated with me, I highlighted so many of Nayna's thoughts re: marriage because wow, somebody actually put my feelings into coherent words??? Amazing.

Not gonna lie, I cried after that bit because SAME.

I also love the secondary characters in Rebel Hard. Nayna's Aji was a riot, I want to be her when I grow up. I even ended up liking Madhuri and rooting for her happiness. I also love Raj's sister Aditi and Nayna's best friend Isa.

Overall, Rebel Hard is such an amazing ride! It's a whole new experience for me, and I totally recommend this book to everyone.

*Now, if my mother could take a cue from the Sharmas and find me a Raj Sen instead of some randos she's been showing me pictures of, that would be great.

Captivating and Intriguing! This story was so mesmerizing and captivating taking the reader on a journey through the custom of arranged marriages in the Indian Culture. Beautifully written, full of family, traditions, culture, respect and love. I loved every minute of it.
Nayna Sharma has been paying for the sins of her older sister, Madhuri, who had brought shame and scandal to her family. So Nayna did everything absolutely right, or the way her family wanted. She received a good education, obtained a good job after college and now it was time to find a suitable match so that she could get married. She had convinced herself that this was okay because she didn’t know how to flirt, but when you are twenty-eight and you haven’t even been kissed that sucked. So she had decided she needed to be bad if it killed her.
Raj ran his family business and wanted that traditional Indian family upbringing for his children. But he also didn’t just want to be an acceptable choice. He wanted someone with whom he could create a family of their own. That she wouldn’t mind dedicating herself to loving and raising.
When these two meet at a party their chemistry and attraction is intense, but overcome by too much too soon Nayna runs away. Neither knows how to contact the other. But as fate should have it. Raj shows up at Nayna’s as a possible match for an arranged marriage. But Raj has his work cut out for him. As he will have to give and take bit by bit to capture the most fascinating woman he has ever met. Will they get their HEA? You will want to read this to find out. Don’t let this story pass you by. Highly Recommended!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I mentioned many times now things that I love generally in Nalini Singh's writing style, for example the detailed descriptions about the scenery, the environment, and also the characters, which brings them closer to us. How every book has its unique qualities, and even if it seems like one will be very similar to another one, Nalini finds a way to prove that assumption wrong. I could go on and on with the positives of this author's stories that don't change from book to book, no matter if we read a Psy-Changeling book, a Guild Hunter book or one of the Rock Kiss / Play Hard books. But there are shades of them, and that can depend for example on the genre, and within the genre, the specialities like the main characters and the actual plot. So henceforth I would like to highlight the things that made Rebel Hard its own original story for me, the thing that stood out maybe more in this book than other ones.

Firstly, I cannot not mention the characters complexity. It usually shows in every Nalini book, but not more than here. What I am talking about is that these players in the story can't be labeled, can't be put in categories, they aren't wholly good or wholly evil beings like in the books from romanticism. As life itself isn't black and white, the people in it aren't either. Nalini Singh masterfully makes it possible to love to hate or hate to love someone.

For example, there is heroine, Nayna. Though she is a generally likeable character, who everyone can simpathize with if they have ever been in a situation where they felt like they didn't have control over their own life. But that didn't stop me from feeling like shaking her or even shouting at her to stop hurting Raj, even if inadvertently. Or there is Komal, who really is a cruel b***h slash soon to be sister-in-law, like in the soap operas. But there are reasons why she is that way, which makes us understand. (I say understand, not agree with her.) Or there is Madhuri, who I think could be the most divisive person in the book. On one hand, she is just a pretty girl who likes to live the life fully and cheerfully, but it turns out she has serious problems. I wouldn't like to say more about her, because I think that hers is one of the most surprising and this way spoilery plotline.

So all in all. this book is the typical instance of complex characters, and it shows that you don't have to be an archangel or a cardinal spy to have the power to cause grand change, be it good or bad, in others. Simple human psyche can be as complicated as any other.

This bring me to the next thing, the development of the characters. I liked how Nayna and Raj were willing to compromise and fight for each other. Though at first glance it seemed like their relationship was doomed with Nayna's newly found rebel streak and Raj's traditionality, they understood in time that they could have everything they wanted with a little change or expansion of views, and compromise. It also became obvious that they cpuld bring things out of each other that maybe no one else could, for example serious and solid Raj vould got sometimes playful and even smiled and laughed. (Not to mention that certain office scene that was seriously smokin' hot.)

As for Raj, I think he is gong to be a next all-time favorite book boyfriend for me and for a lot of other readers. Enough said.

It is known that Nalini Singh has characters from different cultures, but this was one that described in detail one, namely the Indian culture. (Of course, this adds up to the distinctiveness of the book, too.) We could see some components that got modernized somewhat, and some that stayed the same, very likely for centuries. I was always amazed by special cultures like the Indian, so I just drank up every information, customs and expressions as a sponge does water.

At times it really got like we read a Bollywood story, but as this was a contemporary romance book mainly with characters of Indian anchestry, it was fine by me. Of course, I would like to add that I do think that if Nalini could write a whole series with just these people, their problems wouldn't be concentrated in just so many pages, everyone could solve them in his or her own book, and that would make it seem less like a drama movie where every kind of trouble can happen in a short time, seemingly out of the blue. But I also think that that is what brought the plotline and the story forward at times, so for example Nayna could decide that being a wife doesn't necessarily mean giving up all freedom and wishes.

The only negative for me was the little tardiness after the MC started a relationship, there I think the plot got a little repetitive, but maybe it is just me, and overall it was a small thing in comparison to the general easy flow.

It was a sweet, sexy read with enough drama for it to make us sit up on that certain roller coaster at times.



Copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

I loved this story!! Nayna and Raj were the most adorable couple ever! I just loved Nayan’s grandma she always had love and word of wisdom when needed! When Nayna wanted to find herself and Raj just wanted her to be happy even though he really wanted her to be his wife really made me love him more. This was a great book and I dedicate recommend it!

Nalini Singh's contemporary romances are delightful. Great characters, banter, heat and plot. I recommend them to patrons who only think she writes paranormal romance.

AHHHHHHHH!

This book! Raj *heart eyes* I think I’m in love with Raj. We met Raj Sen and Nayna Sharma in Cherish Hard where they met at a party and shared a few rebellious touches and then Nayna bricked it – which is fine because this is where Rebel Hard kind of opens. It opens pretty much where Nayna and Raj’s original meeting ends in Cherish Hard which is something I love about Nalini’s books: they always follow on from the previous book so you never really miss anything.

Rebel Hard is a story of an arranged marriage that Nayna doesn’t really want to be a part of and Raj doesn’t want to force his future bride into something she doesn’t want to do – he wants her (eventually Nayna) to come willingly to him.

I really enjoyed the character dynamic between Nayna and Raj – both traditional but also modern in their own little ways and it brings a neat line to the story. They both have their own twists and turns to how they want to live their lives and it’s beautiful.

Nalini’s writing style is always on point and she doesn’t scrimp on the humour and the flirtations in this book. I can’t specify how many times I smiled and laughed throughout Rebel Hard and I could get the same smiles and laughs the next time I read it.

There were weddings aplenty in Rebel Hard and god some sounded so gorgeous it’s unreal. Humour, drama, romance and a bit of grandma wisdom and this book needs nothing to get any better. I can’t wait to read the next one.

I loved this book so much! You know how they say that its important for people to see themselves in literature? I've never felt the rightness of that as much as I did reading this book. I enjoyed Nayna and Raj's love story immensely, but more than that, I could see myself in so many parts of this book - the relationships, the pressure to get married (oh, to be single at 28, the horrors!), the food, the colors!

I loved Aji - her sensibility, sense of humor, and adventurousness (is that a word, even?). But I cried to know she also got her happily ever after, after having seen how widowhood can isolate a woman in Indian society. And, in some ways, she reminded me of my own wonderful grandmothers - how awesome is that!

One thing I've always loved about Nalini's books is the sheer loyalty the main couple has for each other - no big misunderstandings. It was wonderful to see showcased love, loyalty, friendship, laughter and understanding between all of the characters here (even the evil sister-in-law). I think the world needs to see so many more books and characters like this, to see that we are more alike than different.

I read and love all of Nalini's books, but this one I'll keep close to my Indian heart ❤

Now, I'm off to have some chai and samosas 😉😀

Nalini Singh has constructed the perfect Indian drama in Rebel Hard. I went in expecting something romantic but I got drama, I got secrets, loyalty, love, family, so much adoration and a perfect HEA that didn't have to compromise any of the MCs' wishes. Perfection.

Nayna is on the Marriage-Mart, as she is from a traditional Indian family . She is twenty eight and her family believes it is time that she is married. She thinks she must do everything to please her parents as they were severely disappointed by her older sister. Several men have been brought before her for prospects. None have been someone she could see herself married to. She and her friend decide to go out for one wild fling before settling down. She meets a tall, dark stranger that she is very attracted to. Nothing happens and she goes home but doesn't forget about him. She doesn't want a "cage", but to travel and have adventures. Marriage would mean that she would never have this. The next man that comes in as a possible husband is Raj, the man who could have been her fling. She can see herself with him, but she is just not ready for a husband and family. Raj, wants Nayna, but he also, wants a traditional wife. Will this couple be able to work out their differences? Some scenes are very sexy. I enjoyed reading this book of love, romance and misunderstandings. I received this book from Net Galley and INscribe Digital for a honest review and no compensation otherwise.

THIS WAS SO GOOD. dzjghjdxhbli I cannot handle my love for this book.

I really liked Cherish Hard. Wasn't my absolute favourite by Nalini Singh but I've never been disappointed in a book by her, from the Rock series to the Psy-Changeling series - I've not gotten started on the other series yet. So anyway, I expected to enjoy this one as she's never let me down.

And I did enjoy this book! More than enjoyed! Every single thing about it worked for me. Though it can be read as a standalone or out of order, I'm a series purist and I really think that reading Cherish Hard first will set you up nicely for this one. Introduce you to the characters and of course fall in love with Isa and Sailor.

I love a good marriage of convenience trope but I'll be honest and say I don't read too many arranged marriage tropes, especially contemporary. I really did not know how this was going to go but ungghh so good!!!!

I almost highlighted so many lines in this book - but I don't highlight or keep ARCs, so naturally I am going to have to buy this when it is released so I can re-read and highlight to my heart's content. The things that come out of Raj's mouth, swoon so freaking hard. And can we talk about all the Austen mentions? Sense and Shampoo! HA! I laughed so so hard at all the Darcy and Wickham commentary as well.

I had a sneaking suspicion about Raj and I was right and I LOVED IT SO MUCH.

So obviously, I loved Raj. So much. He was fantastic. But Nayna - man, she just... so fabulous. Hugs. Loved her. I loved them both, she was such a well developed realistic character. They were both such easy to like characters. I highly, highly, highly recommend all of Nalini's books. They just work. Everything about them, contemporary or paranormal. Love. Love.

This was a quite interesting read. It was my first book from the author and I have a couple of mixed feelings. I loved both characters: Nayna and Raj. Their passions, their uptake in life, their chemistry and everything in between. This book has some of the best and swoon worthy lines I've ever read, such as "Don't end us before we begin".
Things I love about this book:
- how both characters had great communication even though words didn't come easy to Raj, they both made an effort to talk to each other and understand each other
- how characters met in the middle, working hard to figure out what worked for *them* instead of family mandates
- the cultural aspect around their families, tradition, clothes and food
- the fact that sometimes, people fall in love and live happily ever after

What I wish would have been a little different
- There was some unbalance in the PoV from the characters. I'm ok with stories being told from just one character's pov, but in this case, having two and relying heavily on one (Nayna) over the other (Raj) felt unbalanced to me. This also taints a little bit the vision of the relationship the first 2/3 of the book, in which is all about Nayna's feelings, hopes and dreams while Raj's take a backseat. It balances out towards the end, but I would have loved to read more about Raj's from the beginning
- Given this, the actual romance/conflict around romance takes a little of backstage against Nayna's own family conflicts and her search for her own persona. While this is not a bad thing at all, I would have loved the romance to take more of a front stage.
- Raj's backstory is so powerful and it could have taken more time and space to develop (his feelings, his fears, how this shapes his entire being), instead of just going back and again to Nayna's family dynamics.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and the author's narrative style and look forward to see what else she's working on!
*I received an ARC on NetGalley*

Nalini nevers disappoints and once again she has delivered. I loved this story line and all the great places mentioned really made me homesick. Well done Nalini.

What a refreshing story! I loved Raj and Nayna. Rebel Hard was sweet, sexy, well written. I really enjoyed it.

***5 ‘You’re Mine’ Stars***

The whole cheeks hurting because I couldn’t stop doing the dopey grinning thing was real. Even now, after a team workout session that handed me my ass, I’m grinning like a loon as I think about how hard I swooned and laughed over Rebel Hard and how I failed miserably at #multitasking because I couldn’t put the book down. It was all kinds of fun, sweet and filled with a huge dose of family and heart that was like a drug for me and I was addicted from the very first page.

I adored Nayna and Raj. Nayna was something of an enigma. There was a sweet and alluring goodness to her that wasn’t an affectation, but something ingrained into her every cell. And yet in the midst of that was a sassy and fiery woman who wanted to live a life as blinding bright as a Bollywood movie.Raj was gruff, broody and blunt and had moments of ‘insert foot into mouth’ disease that had me sighing in frustration and yet there was an honesty to him, a vulnerable sincerity beneath all of it that had me wanting to hug him and never let him go.

I thoroughly enjoyed Raj and Nayna’s opposites attract romance. While they grew up with a strong love and respect of family and tradition, their views of what they want their futures to be don’t fall on the same continuum and it was a lot of fun to watch as they gave into the pull between them while struggling with their very opposite wants and if they could find a common ground. Their interactions had me laughing and swooning in equal measure and the fact that both were so honest and earnest in their wants and needs and respected them had me rooting for them to find that common ground and loved when they did.

After finishing Cherish Hard, I was one of those who really wanted to know what was going on with Nayna and Raj and was all kinds of excited when it was announced that their story would be told and I can honestly say, I wasn’t disappointed in any way. It was fun, sweet, smexy and swoon worthy and while there was drama, it wasn’t anything OTT angsty and Iloved learning about the Hindi culture and traditions and just how deeply woven they are into everyday life. But as always, it was the family dynamic that really did it for me. I loved all the meddling characters in this one, but Aji and Aditi are my ultimate favs, especially Aji ~ I want to be her when I grow up.

Rebel Hard can be read as a standalone since it runs concurrent with Cherish Hard and though there are some situations that crossover, it is very much Raj and Nayna’s story. But I have no doubt that you’ll want to read Cherish Hard after to see all that happens with Isa and Sailor’s own journey to their HEA. Rock Hard (Rock Kiss #2) is loosely connected to this series since Gabriel is Sailor’s brother, but it takes place a few years after the end of Cherish Hard. As for the next in the series?? Well, there are now more options and I cannot wait to see who will be next up on the chopping block!

~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~

Fans of Nalini Singh’s contemporary romances with no doubt feel as if they have died and gone to Singh heaven. Rebel Hard is classic Nalini Singh romance. The tradition, the personal angst, the desire for more out of life is all here. It starts out as a story where one is willing to sacrifice for the good of the family but turns into the importance of finding one’s personal fulfillment in life too.

The characters are great. The plot has the romance quickly building but with plenty of resistance too. It is not long before you have fingers on both hands crossed hoping this couple can work through the pitfalls of romance in general and arranged marriages in particular. Part of a series but read quite well as a stand-alone.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rebel Hard was such a feel-good story! I loved Nayna and Raj so much - how they did their best to keep up with their families' and culture's tradition, while still trying to have the freedom to just be themselves.