Romance

Lori Foster does it again with this great addition to the Body Armor series. Who can resist handsome MMA fighters turned bodyguards who are gentle giants to their women and dangerous weapons to bad guys.
This is a great series mixing romance with suspense as the bodyguards are forced to do their jobs to protect the women they love. ( )

The final installment of The Body Armor series is here! That's right people! Fast Burn is finally here! And if you have ever read any Lori Foster books, you know that this is the book where all the questions are answered, and I have to say, as a long time Lori Foster fan, I did not see some of that coming!!

Some of you may remember Brand Berry The Ultimate Series, well, if you remember Close Contact, you were left wondering if Brand was going to leave the MMA behind and finally give in to Sahara Silvers wish to have him join Body Armor Inc! And I'm not going to reveal that detail here, but what I will say, is that while investigating the her missing brother, Sahara is kidnapped, and it left to Brand and the guy to get her back, to uncover whom has taken her, to find her brother, be it dead or alive and to bring people to justice!

Oh my goodness! This book is everything I hoped it to be...with a twist, that I didn't see coming! And I have to say that this book gave me "all the feelings" (as my niece would say) I was surprised, happy, confused, and thrilled, and I have to say that the author gave me food for thought! You truly never know who is the bad guy!

Fast Burn is the perfect ending to the Body Armor series! All loose ends tied up, and you are just left with that warm and fuzzy feeling you get, when two of your favorite characters, finally find their Happy Ever After.

I give Fast Burn 5 stars ( )

Good conclusion to this series. Though it can be read as a stand-alone, the experience is richer if the previous books are read first. From the moment that Brand and Sahara met in the first book, there has been an undeniable connection that is more than just physical attraction. However, both resist it. Sahara wants Brand to join the team at Body Armor and she pulls out all the stops to make it happen, but Brand isn't having it. He knows he couldn't work for her, as that would cause too many problems in the workplace, as the heat between them wouldn't be contained for long. Besides, she is bossy. Good in a boss, not so much in a relationship. So he keeps turning her down, and she keeps pushing for him to say yes. But things change the night she is kidnapped.

I liked both Sahara and Brand. Sahara is a strong, intelligent, sassy, and dedicated to the business. She inherited Body Armor when her brother disappeared and was presumed dead. She's certain he's still alive and is determined to make the business bigger and better while she tries to find out what happened to him. I loved her interactions with all the fighters. She's a little over the top at times, but it's obvious that she respects their abilities. She also appears supremely confident at all times, though occasionally there is the smallest hint of vulnerability, which she immediately hides with attitude. And though she would never admit it, she was also a bit lonely, at least until the fighters came into her life. I loved seeing the friendships that developed, not just with them, but also with their ladies. There were some really terrific scenes that took place outside of work, where Sahara discovers that she doesn't always have to be the strong one.

Brand is an MMA fighter at the top of his game. He is honest, protective, and honorable. He isn't going to put himself in a position where he will have to compromise his values, so he keeps his distance from Sahara and her wiles. There are times when he isn't sure if she just wants him for the agency, or if she is interested in him for himself. Brand also has some things going on in his personal life that are a bit of a distraction for him. He needs to make a decision about his fight career - is he going to keep fighting, or move on to something else? Fighting gives him the money he needs for his other problem - taking care of the woman who gave birth to him, then dumped him with her sister to raise. There's a bit of resentment and bitterness there that eats away at him.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Brand and Sahara. Throughout the series I have laughed at seeing Sahara work so hard and get nowhere with him, and at Brand's amusement as he resists all her ploys. I liked his honesty as he made it plain to her that he wants her, but not as a boss. As much as he's determined to stay away from the agency, he wastes no time stepping up when Sahara gets kidnapped. I loved seeing him stand up to his friends and insist on being involved. I loved his controlled determination to get to her, and his care for her once he did. With the threat still out there, there was no way he was going to leave her unprotected. I liked the push and pull between them, as Brand insisted on having his way, and Sahara equally insistent that she could take care of herself. Being together 24/7 brings their attraction front and center and giving into it is just as incendiary as they expected. It is also much deeper than just physical. It was fun to see the two of them as they adjusted to both of them wanting to be in charge. Their time together also gave them time to really get to know each other. I liked how Brand appreciated Sahara's strengths, but he also saw past those to her vulnerabilities. I especially liked his attitude toward the things he learned about her brother. Sahara employed her usual tactics as a way to get past some of Brand's walls. Her methods of trying to make things easier for him with his mother were not exactly appreciated by Brand, and I wanted to smack him for not seeing what she tried to do. With both of them being such strong personalities, learning how to compromise was not an easy road, but it was a fun one to observe. I loved the ending as they both gave a little to get a lot.

The suspense of the story was really good. The mystery of her brother's disappearance was on Sahara's mind throughout the series. She was the only one who believed that he was still alive. When she is kidnapped, it is because the kidnappers believe that she knows something. The kidnapping and rescue scenes are very intense. I loved Sahara's attitude throughout, even though she puts herself at risk. There is also something very creepy about the boss of the kidnappers. His apparent obsession with Sahara adds an extra layer of intensity to the situation, as do the scenes from his point of view. The attempts on Sahara continue to escalate and she becomes more convinced that Scott is alive. The final confrontation was a real page-turner as I waited to see just how it was going to play out. There were some very interesting twists, turns, and revelations before it was all over. I loved the last scene at Body Armor. ( )

Lori Foster is known for her strong, sexy, alpha males and her strong, smart, beautiful female characters. Fast Burn has all that plus the bonus storyline of Sahara’s brother, Scott, and his adventures.

I love in this book that the main characters, Sahara and Brand, were hot for each other but they also respect each other’s beliefs, thoughts, and dreams. They want to be together but know that working together is not the best option at this time. Together they work through what the other one is looking for in a relationship while not giving up what is important to them. In any relationship it is important for both people to compromise; Sahara and Brand prove it many times.

Fast Burn is the first book in the Body Armor series that I have read but I’d imagine that the glimpses of life that we get at the employees of Body Armor is a chance for those that have read the first books in this series to catch up and see what their favorite characters are currently up to. Having this in a book is one of my favorite things about a series and I now am excited to go back and check out their stories.

If you are a fan of alpha males, strong females, and twists and turns Fast Burn is the story for you. I recommend picking up your own copy. ( )