*I received a free copy of Fast Burn from Harlequin HQN via Netgalley. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *
Fast Burn by Lori Foster Series: Body Armor #4
Published by Harlequin HQN on 20 March 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
For the woman who’s his perfect match, he’s willing to break the rules…
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?
Fast Burn was an utterly satisfying end to the Body Armor series, and I absolutely loved Brand and Sahara.
Story:
Fast Burn had everything I love in a romantic suspense story! There was heat, of course. But there was also a lot of chemistry. And quite a bit of reluctance. Brand didn’t want to work for Sahara, he wanted to date her. And Sahara wanted Brand any way she could get him – and she really wanted him for Body Armor. As they are both very strong characters, that made for some great dialogues with a repartee that made me both laugh and smile at times.
The suspense was palpable, especially because Sahara was kidnapped at the very beginning of Fast Burn! And it appeared that she wasn’t the only one thinking her brother, Scott, hadn’t really died when his boat was found capsized with his blood on it. With every page, the suspense got more tense, and so did the protective streak Brand was feeling for Sahara. Of course, Sahara knew how to take care of herself, and she really wasn’t used to leaning on anyone. But Brand would not leave her alone.
The added mystery with Scott possible being alive made the suspense even better here, because Sahara had a personal stake in the case. Not only did someone want to kidnap her again to see what she knew, but she was so sure Scott would appear and then her life would be back to normal.
Fast Burn also included some very nice family moments with Brand’s parents, and I loved getting that peak into his past, which had shaped him into the amazing man he was today. This is a series I’m getting the audiobooks for, because I know I will want to visit these hot bodyguards again in the future!
Characters:
Sahara is the boss of Body Armor, and since her brother’s death, she has changed things around drastically. She has gotten hot, former MMA fighters to work for her. And they are all amazing. But the one she really want’s seems to be able to resist everything she throws at him.
Brand is still in the MMA, and while he thinks Body Armor is a great place to work, he doesn’t think he’ll join. He’d much rather have Sahara join him outside of the office.
Justice, Leese, Miles and their significant others are also a part of the story, and I loved seeing how their relationships have developed since the end of their own stoires.
Writing style :
Fast Burn is written in third person perspective, past tense. The narration follows Brand and Sahara closely, so the readers also see what they see, and know what they think. The dialogues and descriptions made me feel like I was right there with them, and my heart skipped more than a few beats!
Feels :
Oh my, the suspense almost killed me! And the hotness made me melt and curl my toes at the same time. Plus there were all the other feels as well, anguish, hope, love, strength… It was a fireworks of feels.
“I like you,” he confirmed, but then added, “because you’re not my boss.” He surprised her by mimicking her position until their noses almost touched over the middle of her desk. She didn’t know where to look. His eyes drew her, so dark they were almost black, and always filled with wickedness.
Hmm… There was an odd gallantness to their behavior in direct conflict with hardened criminals. Testing that, she sat on the side of the cot and tried to look dejected.
As if he didn’t already know it, she heaved a heavy sigh and said, “It’s been a trying day.”
What an understatement.
And what a woman. Sahara would always be a handful… but then, Brand had very big hands.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.
Gah. There is a new Lori Foster on NG and I’m so freaking tempted but my April and May are pretty full. One of these days I’m going to read LF, your review definitely makes me want that even more.
Go for it, Astrid!! You don’t have to read the books before the release date. And one of the Foster books on NetGalley is a re-release 😉 *see how good I am at influencing people in a good way?*
I absolutely love this sentence: “Sahara would always be a handful… but then, Brand had very big hands.” It made me laugh quite a bit. 😀
That one made me laugh, too, Stephanie! And there are more like that one 🙂 I love how Foster manages to mix the romance with a little suspense and mystery, while still having very realistic characters. The addition of humor just makes everything even better.
love strong female characters that can take care of themselves, great review
Female characters who have a good head on their shoulders are important! And Sahara is one of the few I really, really loved. Thanks, Lily!
I’ve been seriously considering this series this week – in audio. 😉 I’m so happy the finale was so satisfying, wifey. The suspense seems well done and I love that Brand and Sahara are such strong characters…that does make for some sparks! 😉
I hope you’ve had a great week, my dear. I’m sorry for comment-bombing you over a couple of days. I’m having trouble keeping up. LOL
{{{BIG HUGS}}} & LOTS OF LOVE!!!
I have no idea who the narrator(s) is/are, but I’m pretty sure this series is great in audio as well, wifey.
The sparks here are delicious, and I think you’ll fall for both Brand and Sahara!
{{{BIG HUGS AND LOVE}}}