We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Review & Excerpt Tour for Lori Foster's TOUGH LOVE! TOUGH LOVE is the next novel in her Ultimate Series published by Harlequin HQN. This amazing book releases on August 25th! You can pre-order from your favorite book seller by following on of these links:
Amazon ** Barnes and Noble **iBooks ** Kobo ** GooglePlay ** Booksamillion
She's playing hard to get…to win the MMA fighter of her ultimate fantasies in a sultry new novel from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster Vanity Baker loves a good, clean match, but she's not above playing a little dirty. She's wanted Stack "The Wolf" Hannigan from day one. Seems as though the best way to corral the famously commitment-phobic fighter is to insist on keeping it casual. And her plan works—deliciously well—until Stack's past steps out of the shadows.
Stack learned early to stay free of attachments. But with sexy, forthright Vanity, he's the one always left wanting more. Then his troublemaking family comes back into the picture, threatening everything Stack cares about—Vanity included. Suddenly he realizes they're much more than friends with benefits. He's ready to go to the mat for her…but will it be in time to protect the woman who's tamed him for good?
Praise for TOUGH LOVE: “Foster brings her signature blend of heat and sweet to her addictive third Ultimate martial arts contemporary. Foster ably tosses out red herrings and also seamlessly lays the foundation for the next book in this series. This luscious tale will appeal to Foster’s legion of fans and attract new ones—even those who aren’t fans of professional fighting.”- Publishers Weekly
My thoughts:
I know when I read one of Ms. Foster's books, I am going to get sucked in and not be able to come up for air until I have read every last word. Tough Love, book 3 in the Ultimate series, was no exception. So, I took this book with me on vacation, sat on the deck of our rental cabin with a glass of wine and devoured it! I loved Stack and Vanity's story.
It is always hard to review a book I love without giving away any secrets or spoilers. I just want to share the story with everyone. Let's just say that Stack has a past that keep him from really trusting and opening himself up for a relationship. The last woman he trusted screwed him over. Vanity has no family and the one she did have never really embraced her. So, she takes any kind of personal relationship seriously. I loved her openness to make and embrace new friends.
The thing about this couple is that they are so perfect for each other, but neither is willing to admit their feelings for fear that the other will run away. I just loved how Vanity kept inserting herself into Stack's life. I also loved the way his family welcomed her into the family without a second thought. I was rooting for them the entire book. This book isn't just about romance. It has a little mystery to it and I liked the resolution in the end. I love it when I think one thing and it ends up being something completely different.
While I loved Tough Love, I am just shaking with excitement and anticipation for Fighting Dirty. I have been waiting for Armie and Merissa's story for ages! After reading Tough Love, I am even more impatient for it's release! There is one scene that was brief but so hot, I just know the next book is going to be amazing!
If you haven't read any of this series, each can pretty much be read as a stand alone. So why not start with Tough Love, or back at the beginning with Hard Knocks? You won't regret it.
She softened. Harking back to the idiotic joke
about him being a wolf and how ladies reacted, she said, “At least I didn’t
howl, right?”
Mocking her, he said, “Little bit.”
She laughed. “Well, I wouldn’t want to ruin your
rep.” Now decently covered, she sat on the bed beside him and pulled on socks. “So
what’s happening? A street light go out? Lady’s cat stuck in a tree? Somebody
have a flat tire?”
“No, smart-ass.” Is that really what she thought
they did? If so, he wouldn’t correct her. Soon enough she’d find out that, with
Cannon’s leadership, they’d become watchdogs for the neighborhood. Together
they’d run off drug dealers, stopped extortion, helped family-run businesses
stay open, and secured the safety of the young and the elderly. Being honest,
Stack told her, “But if that happened, we’d help if we could.”
“Of course you would.” She looked beneath the bed,
found ankle boots and, sitting on the floor, pulled them on. “So what’s going
on then?”
He eyed the boots with curiosity. Why the hell was she getting dressed? “My mom collapsed.”
Her face fell. “Oh, God, Stack.” Scrambling back
to her feet, she said, “I’m so sorry!”
She looked sincerely, deeply sorry. Huh. They hadn’t
yet slept together, she’d never met his mom, but she cared all the same. “My
sister called while we were in the shower. When she couldn’t reach me, she
called Armie.”
“She knows him?”
“They’ve met. In case of an emergency she has his
number along with a few others.”
Her small hand covered her mouth. “So this is an
emergency?”
“Hard to say.” He stood and buttoned up his tux
shirt, leaving it untucked. “Tabby’s all into drama, so if Mom stubbed her toe,
she’d be as likely to call it life and death.”
Gasping, Vanity whispered, “Life and death? That
was her message?”
He had to grin at her horrified expression. “No,
she just told Armie that Mom collapsed. I’ll call her on my way out to find out
the details.”
Nodding, Vanity rushed to her closet and withdrew
a dark poncho. She snagged his hand and started out of the room. “Come on.”
When Stack didn’t budge, she pulled up short.
They stared at each other.
“Why are you waiting? You need to make that call!”
Stack nodded. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“With you.”
She said that so matter-of-factly that he frowned
in suspicion. “Why would you—”
Exasperated, she hooked her arm through his and
tried to get him moving. “You haven’t yet met your obligations. Until you do, I’m
not giving you a chance to back out.”
“Believe me, I’ll be back as soon as possible.” He
allowed her to drag him to the front door. This time, knowing sex wasn’t on the
agenda, he looked around with more interest.
“I’m going with you.”
“Not to a hospital to meet my family.”
“Yes.”
Giving up his perusal of her interesting artwork, he
turned to her. The innocence in her face amped up his suspicions even more. “That
makes zero sense, darlin’, and you know it.”
TOUGH LOVE is part of the Ultimate series. If you haven't before, make sure you grab the other books in this fantastic series today!
Hard Knocks No Limits Holding Strong
Tough Love Fighting Dirty
Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has become a USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. Lori has published through a variety of houses, including Kensington, St. Martin’s, Harlequin, Silhouette, Samhain, and Berkley/Jove. She is currently published with HQN.
Lori hosts a very special annual “Reader & Author” event in West Chester, Ohio. Proceeds from the event have benefited many worthy causes, including the Hamilton County YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter, the Animal Adoption Foundation, The Conductive Learning Center for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy, and The One Way Farm, Children’s Home.
Each year Lori donates all proceeds from one book to charity. You can see the benefit romance books here: http://lorifoster.com/benefit-books/
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Thank you so much!
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