Fast Burn by Lori Foster (Body Armor #4)
Contemporary Romance
March 20, 2018
Harlequin
Reviewed by Helyce
I have been waiting for what feels like forever to get Sahara Silver’s story. A significant figure in the Body Armor series, Sahara’s intelligent, beautiful and spunky presence was integral to this series. As the owner of Body Armor, she is always on the lookout for a very specific type of man who she could add to her agency. It’s no secret that Sahara’s brand of bodyguard is usually handsome and strong with excellent skills and she’s been finding just these types of men in the form of ex-MMA fighters. But there is one such man that she can’t seem to woo into joining her, but it’s not for the reasons she thinks.
Brand Berry met Sahara through his friends who chose to join her bodyguard firm when they retired from MMA fighting. His attraction to her is immediate and he’s pretty sure that it’s mutual, but Sahara hides behind the fact that she wants Brand to join her firm. He knows he meets every single one of her criteria for a personal bodyguard, but Brand sees more in Sahara and doesn’t really want to be just one of her bodyguards. He wants more. But Brand has family issues that are clouding his judgement and he’s torn between fighting one more time or leaving the MMA altogether. One thing is for sure, he wants Sahara.
When Sahara is taken by a group of men who thinks she knows more than she does about her missing brother, Brand’s protective instincts come through full force. He may not be one of her elite bodyguards, but that doesn’t stop him from jumping into the fray to lead the force and be the one to find her and keep her safe.
The Body Armor series extends Foster’s previous Love Undercover and Ultimate series’, by bringing us more of the MMA characters we’ve met. Sahara Silver has taken over her brother’s company in the wake of his disappearance. Sahara is convinced that he is still alive and will not even entertain the thought that he died in the boating accident that was reported. Try as she might, she is unable to find even the smallest clue to confirm her suspicions. So, she continues doing what she needs to do so that when her brother returns he can regain his position in the company which is even more successful than when he left it.
I was thrilled to finally have Sahara’s story. Her missing brother has been an ongoing element throughout the series but until this book we did not have much information other than the fact that he was missing. Sahara was steadfast in her belief that he was alive and would return to her when he could. In the meantime, she kept the agency running by putting her special spin on the bodyguard offerings.
When Sahara meets Brand through the other ex-MMA fighters she employs, her immediate thought is that she wants him to join her firm. She makes no attempt to hide that or the fact that she finds him attractive. There is a lot of flirting and innuendo, but Brand makes it clear that he’s not interested in becoming a bodyguard and he does his best to show Sahara that his interest is in her, not a new job.
Sahara has been one of my favorite female characters throughout this series. She is smart, beautiful and she knows what she wants and doesn’t take no for an answer. But in her quiet moments, she’s also vulnerable and she misses her brother and is worried about him. She has exhausted all her efforts in trying to figure out what he might have been working on or involved in prior to his disappearance; but she’s sure he’s alive, hiding out until the time he can come forward and explain himself.
Sahara pretty much grew up within the walls of the company her brother built and under his tutelage she learned everything from the ground up. So when he disappears, she steps into his shoes and puts her own stamp on the company and makes it hugely successful. All the while working behind the scenes to find something, anything about her brother. She is unsuccessful until the day she is kidnapped on her way home from work. She’s sure that her being taken has something to do with her brother and she’s determined to find out everything she can.
We see a different side of Sahara after her kidnapping. Always strong and tough, she slowly lets her guard down around Brand when he pretty much moves in and takes it upon himself to be her personal guard. This softer side of Sahara was so nice to see as she also allows herself to be ‘just a girl who likes a boy’ and explore the possibility of a relationship with Brand. With everything going on, she too imposes herself into his life and attempts to help him with his family issues and the decisions he needs to make. Their romance is expected since it’s been simmering for a bit, though they continue to fight it until they find themselves unable to deny it.
Foster drives Sahara’s brother Scott’s mysterious disappearance throughout the course of this series and keeps us interested and invested until this book where she finally reveals the details behind it. Sahara’s kidnapping opens the door to some of these long kept details when she confronts her kidnappers and you begin to realize that she was right and there was definitely foul play. What she learns is only a small part of the very large cover up that travels up the chain to some very powerful people. As the facts are revealed, Sahara remains sure that her brother was a pawn in everything.
Foster ends this series on a high note and all is revealed satisfactorily. Sahara and Brand survive their unique courtship and we also see just a teeny part of theirs and the previous couples futures in the final chapter. I love Foster’s ability to tie in her series from one to the other as she introduces characters who appear on the periphery then become stars of their own stories in separate, new series.
Grade: B
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