Reading Infection: "Raid" by Kristen Ashley ~ Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway

Title: Raid (Unfinished Hero #3)
Author: Kristen Ashley
Release date: February 28th 2013.
Genre: Contemporary Romance

~ Book Description ~

Hanna Boudreaux has lived in the small town of Willow, Colorado all her life. The great-granddaughter of the town matriarch, she's sweet, cute and quiet.

Too quiet.

Hanna has a moment of epiphany when she realizes her crush for forever, Raiden Ulysses Miller, is not ever going to be hers. She sees her life as narrow and decides to do something about it.

Raiden Miller is the town of Willow's local hero. An ex-marine with the medal to prove his hero status, he comes home, shrouded in mystery. It takes a while but, eventually, Hanna catches his eye.

But after all these years of Raid and Hanna living in the same town, the question is, why? Is Raid interested in Hanna because she's sweet and cute? Or does Raid have something else going on?

~ Giveaway ~

During the Tour, there's a huge Giveaway going on - five e-copies of Raid and these awesome prize packs:

First prize pack:
Signed Copy of Raid (when it's available in print)
Amazon or BN.com $25 gift card
Raid, Knight and Creed E-books

Second prize pack:
Amazon or BN.com $10 gift card
Raid, Knight and Creed E-books

Third prize pack:
Amazon or BN.com $5 Gift card
Raid, Knight and Creed E-books

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Another (very) important thing: Knight and Creed will be on sale during the Tour. Readers who have not read either book will be able to pick them up at a really cool price of $.99 each!

And, now...

~ My review ~

“I told you I didn’t dream as a kid of bein’ a cop or an astronaut, but I gave a lot of thought to the woman I’d want in my bed. I grew older and gave more thought to that woman, but it was also about the woman I wanted in my life. And she was you. Then I met you. And now, every day I wake up I cannot believe my luck because you’re here.”

Hanna Boudreaux's had a crush on Raiden Ulysses Miller since she was six years old. He was nine at the time, and came to her great-grandmother's annual picnic. He was also beautiful. Twenty two years later, he's even more beautiful - and Hanna's still waiting for him to notice her. But, a lot of things happened in the meantime. The boy Hanna fell in love with is now a man. Ex-marine, with a lot of baggage, and a lot of mystery surrounding him. What she doesn't know is Raiden noticed her just when she accepted the fact she'll never have him, and decided to turn her narrow life upside down.

Months later, GI Joe, and the girl that looks straight out of a chick flick, finally have a date. And, yes, this is one of those 'expect trouble immediately' kind of things. And, yes, this is also one of the reasons I absolutely adore Raid. He's gonna come out and say it - whatever it is he wants to say. Hell, he'll even pick a lock, so he can come in and say it. But, he will definitely not allow anything to stop him from finally claiming his reward. Because that's the most important thing of all. That's the reason to fight. That's the reason to survive it all. His reward. Hanna.

“Now, I can share what came before you, and I had fun, Hanna. I make no apologies. But I think it’s best we leave it where it lies. ‘Cause all you gotta know is it’s gonna be you—and only you—until the day I die, because life did not lead me down the wrong path when I fell in love with a girl who had the sun shining in her hair who would eventually not do it for me. You’re not just enough for me. You’re everything I want. So that works for me.”

I probably don't even have to mention the fact there were times when Raid managed to make me so mad I could scream - in many ways, he's a typical KA macho, alpha, bossy, badass guy. He's gonna say (and do) some seriously shitty things. But, when the good times come - when he's talking, sharing, and rocking your world over and over again - honestly, there's nothing sweeter than that.
Raid is quite straightforward. He reminds me of Knight - he even has that kinky/slightly dominant side. Nothing OTT, just enough to make a girl (me) happy. He's also got that anti-hero quality, that I've come to appreciate. What I'm trying to say is - strictly speaking, he's a criminal. Not that I'd care...

“You good?”
“Um… they haven’t measured this level of good thus it has as yet gone undefined so the answer is yes but the word is wrong.”
His arms tightened and his body started shaking.
Idiotically, I kept talking. “I’ll be contacting Webster tomorrow. My suggestion will be absofuckingmazing.”

Hanna is such a sweet, lovely, goofy girl. In a way, she's perfect for Raid. Actually, they are perfect for each other. After all those years of crushing on him, she got her guy because she was brave enough to play with fire, and risk her heart along the way. She reminds me of Lexie, and that can never, ever be a bad thing. All the goofy/sweet things aside, Hanna is smart, and extremely devoted to her loved ones - Spot (the fat cat) included.
Which brings me to another favorite character of mine here - Miss Mildred, Hanna's great-grandmother. I wish I had someone just like her by my side, to push me when needed, to tell the stories of her life, and to show me how to enjoy every single day. We all need Miss Mildred. We should at least try to be like her. This world would definitely be a better place that way.

So, Raid is (yet another) awesome KA story. It's got it all - alpha, badass hero, lovely heroine, amazing side characters, hot scenes, great dialogues, and a wonderful HEA. Everything you could possibly need is right there. And, after months of not having a new KA book to lose myself in, I've missed it a lot, and hoped Raid will be enough to keep me going (though re-reading does help a bit). I only wish it were (much, much) longer, as it seems way too short for my taste. Still, it packs quite a punch, and I'm glad I got to enjoy this story, meet another awesome guy, see some of my favorite characters once again, and laugh/sigh/giggle/drool for hours.
If you've somehow managed to miss Unfinished Hero series, be sure to give it a try. Knight was my very first KA read, and he's one of my all time favorite guys. And, there's no way you'll be able to resist Raid. Trust me on that one!