Fast Burn

Fast Burn (Body Armor Series)- Lori Foster
HQN Books
Release Date: March 20, 2018

Rating:
📚📚📚📚

Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead!

Synopsis:  The moment Brand Berry meets beautiful, driven Sahara Silver, the connection between them is electric. It’s also something he can’t pursue. Sahara wants him, sure—to join Body Armor, where his MMA skills, size and cocky attitude make him perfect for her elite crew of bodyguards. For Sahara, the agency always comes first, and Brand needs more. Yet when she’s kidnapped by men searching for her missing brother, he doesn’t hesitate.

Somewhere along the way, flirting with Brand for the sake of business turned very personal. Despite his refusal to join Body Armor, it’s Brand who steps up when Sahara needs him most. Now there’s no more time for games, and no point denying the hunger they both feel. They’ll escape together or not at all. But if they survive, can Sahara finally surrender control to claim this blazing passion?

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Sahara Silver has always been convinced that her brother Scott isn't dead- despite all evidence to the contrary.  She's sure she would feel it if he was gone and has always tried to look at inheriting his Body Armor agency as keeping it in trust until he comes back.  Of course, she doubts he'd agree with some of her decisions- like hiring sexy ex-MMA fighters as body guards.  One particularly sexy, not quite ex-fighter she hasn't succeeded in hiring is Brand Berry.  He's interested, and he likes her, but she hasn't managed to seal the deal.  When she gets kidnapped by men looking for her brother Sahara is thrilled to know someone besides her thinks Scott is still alive- but not so thrilled at the danger she's in now.  Brand and his friends come to the rescue, and now its up to all of them to keep Sahara safe and find out what is going on before it's too late!

Readers of the Body Armor series (Close Contact, Hard Justice, Under Pressure) have been waiting for Sahara and Brand's story for awhile now.  It's obvious where the sparks between the two should lead- but how to get them there?  Sahara is a tough woman who's used to always being in control, Brand's a confident man who uses control to win his fights.  Both have to learn how to give and take to make a relationship work.  I liked how well Foster balanced Sahara's being the boss of a male dominated agency with Brand's convincing her she didn't have to be the boss outside of work as well- and she was allowed to have more of a life than just work!  That she could be a strong woman but still compromise in her private life.  He made it clear to her that he stood behind her when it was work related, and he wouldn't try to take control from her.  It was hard for Sahara to find that balance, and I wish we'd seen a little more of the relationships in her past that made her the way she is now, but by the end we saw enough of her relationship with Scott to make her attitude pretty understandable.  But Foster continues to give us strong, likable female (and male) characters who learn to balance toughness with softer emotions like love and be better for it by the end of the book.

The mystery behind Scott's disappearance and Sahara's kidnapping gets interesting and twisted, and without giving anything away I wonder if we'll be seeing more of Ross- the ringleader behind the kidnapping.  Fast Burn is a fast-paced page turner full of Foster's usual blend of wonderful characters, witty dialogue, and intriguing suspense.  While readers new to the series won't feel lost starting with this book (each in the series is stand alone), long-time readers will be happy to see characters they already know pop up along the way.  

A great book to end the Body Armor series.  Can't wait to see what Lori Foster has in store for us next!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Close Contact

Close Contact (Body Armor series)- Lori Foster
HQN Books
Release Date: November 28, 2017

Rating:
📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: MMA fighter Miles Dartman’s casual arrangement with personal shopper Maxi Nevar would be many men’s fantasy. She seeks him out, they have mindblowing sex, she leaves. Rinse, repeat. Yet lately, Miles wants more. And when Maxi requests his services via the Body Armor security agency, he’s ready to finally break through her defenses—and protect her day and night.

Receiving a large inheritance has brought chaos and uncertainty into Maxi’s life. Her ex has resurfaced, along with lots of former “friends,” and someone is making mysterious threats. Then there’s Miles, who doesn’t ask for anything…except her trust. Pleasure is easy. Now Maxi has to give her heart as well as her body…or risk losing a man who could be everything she needs.

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Maxi Nevar has been spooked since she moved into her late grandmother's farmhouse, but has convinced herself the incidents were nothing.  Until she wakes up outside, clearly having been drugged.  That sends her to Body Armor, where she knows MMA fighter Miles Dartman now works.  What was supposed to be a one night stand left Miles thinking about more- but he couldn't find Maxi until she walked into Body Armor and hired him.  Now he has to juggle his attraction to her with his doubt about her crazy story, and then with trying to protect her from the mysterious threat that is becoming more violent by the day.

Close Contact is a great addition to Lori Foster's Body Armor series (Under Pressure, Hard Justice) of MMA fighters who have made the move into being elite body guards. Miles is the latest fighter to change careers and he meets his match with Maxi Nevar.  After a brief, no-strings attached fling it was Maxi who walked away and Miles who found himself feeling rejected.  As hurt as he feels about that he doesn't think twice about protecting her from whatever is going on at her house. Maxi tried keeping him at a distance because between the craziness in her life and her bad track record with men, she figured this was the wrong time, wrong place.  But Miles is the whole package: smart, strong, brave, loyal, and incredibly good-looking. They have combustible chemistry and Maxi doesn't stand a chance at not falling in love with him. It was fun watching their good intentions (Miles at taking it slow, Maxi at keeping her emotions out of it) fly out the window.  There was just enough history between the two of them that it felt like perfectly picking up an ongoing story, without feeling like we were missing any backstory or getting impossible insta-love. Foster does her usual excellent job of building a relationship based on respect and a developing friendship as well as chemistry.

There's also enough of a suspense story to keep the reader on edge and without it feeling like an afterthought.  I enjoyed how Foster kept us guessing until the very end at who was responsible for the threats against Maxi- and why.  While recurring characters from other books make some cameos, you don't have to have read the other books to thoroughly enjoy Close Contact. Long-time readers will enjoy seeing Leese, Armie, and the regular MMA crew pop up, as well as Foster continuing to set up Brand and Sahara's story (Fast Burn- coming March 2018!).  

Close Contact is everything we've come to expect from a Lori Foster book: fast-paced writing; fun, layered characters; humor; and danger. Add in some sexy fighters and about a million cats and this book will keep you hooked! Warning: plan on reading in one sitting, because you won't be able to put Close Contact down once you start!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Hard Justice

Hard Justice (Body Armor #2) - Lori Foster
HQN Books
Release Date: March 21, 2017

Rating (out of 5):
📚📚📚📚📚

Warning: Possible Spoilers!

Synopsis: Justice Wallington knows how to harness his strength and intimidating size—skills he put to good use first in the MMA cage and now as a bodyguard at the Body Armor agency. But no opponent has ever left him feeling as off balance as his new client, heiress Fallon Wade. Far from a spoiled princess, she's sweet and intriguingly innocent. It's a risk-free assignment, until he's required to fake a relationship with her in order to blend in. 

Sheltered from the world after a family tragedy, Fallon longs to experience life—going to bars, dancing, talking to strangers. Not easy with a huge, lethal-looking bodyguard shadowing her every move. Justice seems like her polar opposite, but pretending to be a couple stirs undeniable heat. And when danger strikes again, it's not just her safety in jeopardy, but a passion that's real, raw and absolutely against the rules…

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Justice Wellington is still figuring out his place at the Body Armor agency when he's assigned to guard Fallon Wade.  Although there are no specific threats against her, her ultra-rich, ultra-protective parents want a body guard with her when she takes some time off work.  Fallon's been mostly hidden from the world after a family tragedy and just wants to experience a little life as a normal young woman: going to bars, dancing, visiting street fairs.  She's not so sure about dragging a heavyweight ex-MMA fighter around with her, but she and Justice hit it off right away.  When seemingly innocent accidents turn into danger impossible to ignore, it will take Justice, Body Armor, and their MMA friends to keep Fallon safe.

Lori Foster hits it out of the park again in her second Body Armor novel.  The attraction between Justice and Fallon is immediate and magnetic.  Fallon is not just sheltered, she has little confidence in herself and it was wonderfully sweet watching Justice help her blossom as a person.  It was also great to get to see Justice in the main role and come into his own.  He tries to learn from watching Leese in Under Pressure and balance to role of body guard with his developing feelings for Fallon, even trying to quit so that he can date her. 

You would think that two such nice and regular people wouldn't have anyone potentially trying to kill them, so the fact that you spend most of the book debating between three or four suspects is a little alarming.  Who's behind the vandalism, Fallon's accidents, and trying to set Justice's car on fire (with him in it)? Should we be worrying about the new MMA fighter that Justice KO'd in his final fight and won't give a rematch?  Fallon's jerk ex-boyfriend?  The jerk ex-boyfriend's creepy "business" partners?  Foster masterfully braids it all together so that any (or all) of them seem like viable suspects until the very end. 

Readers new to the series and Foster's MMA world won't feel lost starting here and Foster devotees will enjoy seeing Leese, Cannon, Armie, and the rest of the fight club again in supporting roles.  From main characters to supporting roles, everyone is believable and multi-layered.  Hard Justice is a wonderfully written, fast-paced mix of romance and adventure that will grab you and not let go until the final page.  

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Under Pressure

Under Pressure- Lori Foster
HQN Books
Release Date: January 24, 2017

Rating (out of 5):
📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Leese Phelps's road hasn't been an easy one, but it's brought him to the perfect job—working for the elite Body Armor security agency. And what his newest assignment lacks in size, she makes up for in fire and backbone. But being drawn to Catalina Nicholson is a dangerous complication, especially since it could be the very man who hired Leese who's threatening her. 

What Catalina knows could get her killed. But who'd believe the sordid truth about her powerful stepfather? Beyond Leese's ripped body and brooding gaze is a man of impeccable honor. He's the last person she expects to trust—and the first who's ever made her feel safe. And he's the only one who can help her expose a deadly secret, if they can just stay alive long enough…

______________________________

Under Pressure is the exciting start of a new Lori Foster series, with some familiar faces for fans of Foster's Ultimate Fighters series.  Leese Phelps has transitioned from being an MMA fighter to bodyguard at the elite Body Armor security agency.  He's calm, cool, and collected but his newest assignment throws him for a loop: protecting Catalina Nicholson from unknown threats.  Cat has been on the run for over a month and is wearing down.  So when an unknown man steps up to defend her against a group of street toughs, she lets him.  Turns out, he's her new bodyguard and has been hired by one of the very men she's trying to run from.  But Cat trusts her instincts, and her instincts say that Leese is one of the good guys.  Soon they are working with Body Armor's boss Sahara Silver and new hire (and former MMA fighter) Justice to not only protect Cat from those out to get her, but to bring down some very powerful men whose secrets are worth killing to protect.

Lori Foster has done it again, creating an exciting plot, a believable romance, and a world we hate to leave.  While it was fun to get to see some of the characters from the Ultimate Fighters series (Leese was always a favorite of mine!) a reader new to Foster's books won't feel like they need to read that series in order to follow this one.  Though they will probably want to read them while waiting for Justice's book to come out in March!  Leese is a great contrast to a stereotypical movie bodyguard- he thinks first, uses a gun only as a last resort.  His sense of humor, calm demeanor, and overall caring (and hotness) make it no surprise that Catalina is instantly drawn to him.  Catalina is the woman we all wish we could be if we ever found ourselves in her position: resourceful, strong, and a survivor.  While running from powerful men she's overheard admitting to murder she sees herself as a coward while everyone else sees her as being both strong and brave enough to even try and get away.  She sees her fear as a weakness while we see it as not only perfectly normal, but are impressed that she has powered through it.  She wants to protect Leese and her new friends at Body Armor, which Leese may see as a lack of confidence in his abilities but is a sign of her strength and love.

Under Pressure is a fast read, well written, and with all of what I've come to expect in a Lori Foster book: humor, witty dialogue, off the charts chemistry, believable relationships, and creepy bad guys.  The twists and turns come as we try to figure out exactly how many bad guys we're up against, who is working with whom, who is not?  Secondary characters like Sahara, Justice, and Enoch are as carefully written as the main characters and readers can be sure that we will continue to see them grow throughout the series.  Tender, quiet moments and sizzlingly sexiness combined with heart-pounding danger led to a story I couldn't wait to get through and was sorry to have to put down when it ended.

Warning: Don't start this book in the evening- you'll stay up all night to find out what happens next!  

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Fighting Dirty- Lori Foster

Fighting Dirty- Lori Foster (Ultimate Fighters series #4)
HQN Books
Release Date: February 23, 2016

Synopsis: With the life he's led and the muscles he's gained, Armie Jacobson isn't afraid of anything. Except maybe Merissa Colter's effect on him. It's not just that she's his best friend's little sister. Fact is, she deserves better. Women pursue him for one night of pleasure, and that's all he wants to offer. Until rescuing Merissa from a robbery leads to the most erotic encounter of his life.  

Good girl meets bad boy. It's a story that rarely ends well. But Merissa is taking matters into her own hands. No matter how he views himself, the Armie she knows is brave, honorable and completely loyal. And as past demons and present-day danger collide, they're both about to learn what's truly worth fighting for…

At long last, the novel Lori Foster Fans have been waiting for: Armie's story.  Readers have watched Armie Jacobsen develop over the last three books and one novella into a character they've wanted badly to get his own book. Not just because it's about time he got his just desserts (in and out of the ring) but to answer the questions that surround him.  Why would such a great fighter not want to move into a professional MMA position? Is the "best friend rule" really the only reason he's stayed clear of Cannon's little sister?  All questions are answered here, and then some.

In my opinion its always more satisfying to start a series with book one and watch characters develop, but those starting the Ultimate Fighters series with Fighting Dirty won't have to worry about missing anything (except three other really good books). Other characters from the Ultimate Fighter, SBC Fighters, and Love Undercover series have cameos but the book is, like most of Foster's series, self-contained if you're crazy enough not to have read her other books yet. 

Armie is a complicated and far from perfect man who manages to be endearing and lovable even when he's a jerk.  He's fought stubbornly against becoming an SBC fighter through the whole series and readers finally find out why.  Learning about his tough childhood helps us understand why he chooses to keep himself at a distance from even his friends, and why he's so good helping protect his friends, family, and neighborhood.  Fortunately, Marissa "Rissy" Colter is almost as stubborn as her big brother Cannon and is finally ready to fight for what she wants- a relationship with Armie.  And she's not above fighting dirty to show him she's the one for him.  Even when he pulls the ultimate dumb protective male routine of trying to stay away in order to protect her from his past, Rissy is strong enough and confident enough that she doesn't let him get away with it.

Fighting Dirty is a fast paced story where Lori Foster continues to prove that blending friends, family, love, mystery, and mixed martial arts works much better than you might imagine.  While the threats and mystery are real and the men react the way you would expect protective alpha males to react, readers new to Foster shouldn't worry about an abundance of violence or glorifying violence.  The distinction between the sport of mixed martial arts and domestic violence is clear without being preachy. Armie and the other men may be fighters but they work hard with teens and younger kids to teach that fighting is for discipline and exercise, not for random violence. The fact that they become role models to the kids was never the intention, but is certainly good for the kids.

Fighting Dirty is a great addition to Foster's works, and a fun must-read for both regular fans and those just being introduced to her, or to contemporary romance in general. It's great to check in with old friends, meet a few newer ones, and discover the mystery that is Armie Jacobsen.  Best of all, at the end Foster promises that Leese (my new personal favorite) and some of the others will get their own series soon. The only down side? Now we have to wait for her to write them!