Tough Love by Lori Foster
4.5 Stars - Loved it! Tough Love by Lori Foster is the 3rd book in the Ultimate series. I have thoroughly enjoyed each book in this MMA series and this one is no exception. Tough Love focuses on Stack and Vanity. I have been looking forward to their story since the tension ramped up between them in the last book. In Tough Love we see that tension come to fruition. Vanity propositioned Stack in, Holding Strong, getting his attention and his agreement to be her date to Cannon & Yvette’s wedding, with the promise of no strings sex afterwards. This is all a ploy on her part to get him interested in her since she’s wanted him from the moment she met him and not just for sex, she has happily ever after in mind. Tough Love starts off with a sizzle and captured my heart from the very first page. I loved Stack and Vanity together. Their romance was a perfect combination of sexy, endearing and sweet. This one takes a step back from the MMA scene and focuses more on family and personal connections with a touch of danger mixed in. Vanity is a character who on the surface has it all but what she truly longs for is love, acceptance and family. She’s a wonderful heroine who’s not afraid to go after what she wants with everything in her arsenal. I really liked her and admired her determination. She’s warmhearted, independent and strong. Stack didn’t stand a chance once she set her sights on him. Not that he really wanted to resist. Stack is a great hero, one that endeared me from the very first page. He’s an Alpha male that manages to be sweet, protective and endearing. Vanity snuck up under his defenses and burrowed her way into his heart as he did to hers. Their romance is a wonderful tale from beginning to end. It’s steamy, romantic and funny. I loved it and I look forward to the next book. Holding Strong and the Ultimate series is highly recommended to fans of contemporary romance. For the best enjoyment I would advise reading this series in order, starting with the first book, No Limits.
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*ARC (Advanced Review Copy) received from the publisher, HQN Books, via NetGalley.