I received this book for free from HQN in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Fighting Dirty by Lori FosterAlso in this series: No Limits, Holding Strong, Tough Love
Series: Ultimate #4
Published by HQN Books on February 23rd 2016
Genres: Contemporary Romance, MMA Fighters
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: HQN
ISBN: 0373789173
He's the hottest MMA fighter in the game, but one woman is ready to try out a few steamy moves of her own in an unforgettable new novel from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster...
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…
Summary
Armie Jacobson, has no fear of anything or anyone that crosses his path except for one woman….Merissa Colter. Armie knows that he will never be good enough for her, even though its plainly obvious how he feels but he refuses to touch. Merissa is done waiting for Armie to decide she is worthy of his attention, but whenever she has tried to date other men, it never feels right because there is only one man that she loves. Armie. But danger to Merissa is kicked up a notch, and after a few scary moments, Merissa knows that she is in danger. Armie and Merissa come together through it all, and start to embrace what they both have been feeling. But Armie is insinsent on keeping their relationship under wraps. Both Armie and Merissa will have to come to terms with their new relationship and certain bounderies they set for each other and deal with the ongoing threat to Merissa, and Armie’s past that might come down around them if they aren’t careful.
Plot and Story Line
What a fabulous addition to the Ultimate series we have here and I can’t say how thrilled I was to finally have Armie and Merissa’s story. It was so fabulous to see these two together finally, and to see them finally embrace what they both have been feeling for years. What I truly found most interesting was seeing the way they come together. Over the space of the previous books, we have seen the building of the chemistry between these two, and in this story we finally see them embrace what has been between them for quite a few years. There is quite a bit of sexual tension in this story, but from the beginning we see that the emotional intimacy has always been there.
What was also very intriguing was seeing more depth between both Armie and Merissa. We get to see the history between them and their pasts. Armie is struggling with dealing with a new change for his future, which means more publicity and his painful past comes back to haunt him and he only seeks to protect Merissa from learning the truth because he fears he will lose her forever. However Merissa…she has balls!!! Her reaction to learning about his past is utterly brilliant and I just wanted to jump up and down in happiness. What was also refreshing was Merissa’s brother. I love how encouraging he is of their relationship…I mean he practically pushes Armie to Merissa. Which was entertaining in the least since Armie tended to need a kick in the behind to get his act together when it came to Merissa. What I love about Armie is what a truly good human he is to the core. He has one of the worst fathers imaginable….but despite his upbringing, he turns out to be honest, good and loyal. He is a keeper and definitely tops my list for book boyfriends…heck I would marry him hehe I just couldn’t get enough of this story, and I am excited to see the bodyguard series that connects to this series come out soon!!
The Cover
What a cover….I Love the GREEN!! It works so well.
Overall View
Fighting Dirty is full of rich characters, a vividly pictured romance and some fabulous mystery and suspense moments to keep you on your toes!! Definitely you don’t want to miss out on Armie’s story….TRULY MAGNIFICENT.
I was so excited for Armie and Merissa’s story too, although I didn’t love it as much as I was expecting. I had an issue with Armie’s big secret. I just didn’t like that plot line. The whole false accusation thing. But I did like Armie and Merissa and they are awesome together. I can’t wait for Lori Foster’s spin off series.
oh really? I really really loved this one. I didn’t mind the false accusation angle….it added a bit more conflict to the story that worked for me. I am also excited for her spin off bodyguard series though. That should be fun. But I do have a weakness for the mma fighters.
I did like the one I read by her
she is a wonderful author to read!! I have enjoyed everything I have read from her.
I have yet to read a Lori Foster and each time I see one reviewed, I feel that I would love her books. This one sounds so good with her accepting his tough past and them finally getting a chance.
oh really? she is amazing. Everything I have read from her has been fantastic!! She is very engaging. You should definitely pick this series up.
I haven’t read anything by her in a while but I’ve always enjoyed her writing.
Karen @For What It’s Worth
Yay, I adored this installment. It was worth the wait for Armie’s story. I am of course excited about the spin-off.
Oh I love her books! My ARC never arrived for this one. Bummer! I can’t wait to grab a copy of it. Glad it was such a good one! (though really with hers that’s nearly always the case)
This is one series that I plan to read this year. I’ve read nothing but great things about it.
I still need to try Lori Foster. I keep seeing great reviews of her work, but I’ve never tried one. I need to remedy that soon. Great review.
Melanie @ Hot Listens & Rabid Reads