About TOUGH LOVE: 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 REVIEW:

Tough Love by Lori Foster
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tough Love by Lori Foster is a 2015 HQN publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This third book in the Ultimate fighter series is focused on Vanity and Stack. If you read the previous installment you will remember Vanity made Stack an offer he couldn't refuse in order to get him to be her date for their friends, Cannon and Yvette, wedding.

Well, the time has come for Vanity to make good on the deal and hopefully she will win big on the gamble of a lifetime. Will the notorious commitment shy, Stack, gamble on the roulette wheel of love or will he cash in his chips once Vanity makes good on her promise?

Immediately, the author whips us up into a frenzy then slowly takes her foot off the petal leaving readers cooling their heels for awhile. But, the suspense was just getting started because it didn't take me long to figure out what Vanity had in mind for Stack. I was on pins and needles because it seemed like he fell into her web just a little to easily and was a bit too happy to have been ensnared. It was like watching a ticking time bomb and I wanted to cover my eyes before the thing detonated.

But, if that set up weren't enough, it seems Stack's family life is complicated and Vanity starts to become emotionally invested in their lives, befriending his mother and sister, to the point of making a grave error.

While Stack was the usual alpha male MMA fighter, and he was over the top macho, occasionally crossing over into being a borderline sexist, his character wasn't quite a bad as some of the guys preceding him in the series. Being alpha is one thing, sexism is another and the latter really turns me off. He still has preconceived notions about women, still tries to control not only Vanity, but his mother and sister too, even though he has their best interest at heart and feels protective of the women in his life.
You have all encountered, in one way or another, a woman like Stack's sister, and while terribly frustrating for Stack, he does try to help her and keep her from making the same mistakes over and over, which is what family does, no matter how badly we wish we could get that person to wake up and smell the coffee. I thought this was a very thought provoking story line and hopefully one that made a difference for people on both sides of the spectrum.

Vanity has her own money, is free and independent, clever and goes for what she wants... which is Stack, but surprisingly she gets more than she bargained for by meeting Stack's family which by extension, became her own, especially in light of the fact she didn't have a family of her own, which gave this story an edge depth wise , over the last two books in the series.

Overall, this story was my favorite one in the series to date, and makes for a great lead in to the one we have all been breathlessly awaiting. Overall this one gets 4 stars

View all my reviews

About Lori Foster: 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/