Title: Hard Knocks Series: Ultimate, #0.5
Author: Lori Foster
Format: ebook
Expected publication: August 4th 2014 by Harlequin
ISBN: 1459256220
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | ARe
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Crystal
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses
In the stunning prequel novella to her new mixed martial arts series, New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster brings together an elite fighter and the woman he’s determined to win.
Power. Brute strength. Unforgettable moves. It’s no wonder Harper Gates hasn’t been able to get her fling with Gage “Savage” Ringer out of her head. Months have passed since she laid eyes—or any other body parts—on him. Months without a word of contact… until, sidelined by injury, he comes back to town.
Staying focused on his training seemed like a smart move to Gage, even if he thought about Harper every day. Seeing her again only makes it clear how much is at stake. He’s got one night to earn back her trust. One night to show her that behind his breathtaking skill and ripped body is a man who’ll give her everything she needs.
Don’t miss No Limits, the first novel in Lori Foster’s Ultimate series.
Thought:
A sweet and sexy start to what promises to be a sizzling new series from all-star author, Lori Foster!
Gage “Savage” Ringer is returning home after being disqualified from an upcoming fight due to an injury he obtained while training. Disappointed and more then a little bit resentful, he is at the local rec center where many of his friends and fellow fighters train to watch another friend and fighter headline a fight for the night in Japan. A fight he was suppose to be at. There is only one shiny light in Gage's darkness right now and that is Harper Gates. Hopefully he didn't destroy any chance he had with her though when he left for months to train, months that he didn't exchange one word with her...
I have yet to read Ms. Foster's SBC Fighters but I know that she is a big fan of MMA and so am I, so I was excited when I saw first, No Limits (book #1), and then Hard Knocks pop up on NetGalley. From what I could tell while reading Hard Knocks, Ultimate is a loose spin-off from the SBC and also has threads to the Love Undercover series.
The novella introduces a cast of fighters, giving readers little insights into them and their dynamics, and ultimately setting up the Ultimate series. This is balanced out well with the romantic aspects of the story in which we meet Harper and Gage. Their wasn't a lot of back story given for the couple but we know that they have a past relationship that while it may not have had the chance to develop into anything sexual, the potential and the feelings where there. Harper always knew this but it took Gage being away for a few months for it to sink in with him. Now he has one night to convince Harper that his feelings run deep and as a MMA fighter, giving up is not an option. While short, the story is packed with enough sexual tension and searing passion to curl your toes. I really hope that we get to see how their relationship develops further in future novels.
Bottom-line; Hard Knocks was a great introduction to a series that I expect great things from. I am looking forward to Cannon's story in No Limits and the rest of the crazy and kinky fighters we met in Hard Knocks.
I need to read this one. I loved No Limits and cannot wait for the other MMA fighters's stories.
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