REVIEW: Hard Justice by Lori Foster

In Hard Justice (Body Armor #2) by Lori Foster, Former MMA fighter Justice Wallington wasn’t sure if becoming a bodyguard for the Body Armor agency was the right move. But now that he’s got a few jobs under his belt, he thinks he’s fitting in okay. Then Justice meets his newest assignment: Fallon Wade, and everything changes. He is more than happy to protect the beautiful young heiress, but it has more to do with his personal feelings than being related to his job. And that’s a conflict of interest Justice isn’t comfortable with. Determined to do the right thing while also helping Fallon safely find her freedom from her meddling parents, he puts his heart and his career on the line, hoping it will all work out in the end.

‘Thanks to Fallon, he had a new outlook on life. Accepting the necessary changes he’d made came easier than expected. Hell, he was starting to feel as if he’d only just discovered what he’d always meant to be.’

For the past few years since tragedy struck her family, Fallon has been protected by her parents and bodyguards alike. But it’s time for this twenty-four year old to live a little. And Justice is the perfect guy to help her. Fallon wants to get out into the world and maybe even have her own apartment eventually, but first she needs to convince her parents that she’ll be fine leaving the confines of the family estate. However, things with Justice become a bit complicated when Fallon can’t seem to get past their attraction. And everyone around them notices it too. So with the easiest way to protect her being to fake a relationship with Justice, she’ll gladly play along. Even if it means she might fall even deeper for the handsome brute.

“Tonight, if anyone asks, you’re with me.”
Going breathless, she repeated, “With you?”
“Yeah. That’s the safest way for us to play it.” He drifted the backs of his knuckles down her throat, then lightly cupped her shoulder. “So we’ll be doing some of this tonight.”
“This…what?”
“Touching. Teasing. Me making it clear to every yahoo out there that you’re mine.”

A thoroughly enjoyable read, Hard Justice was the knockout second installment in Lori Foster’s Body Armor series. She proved that big & bad MMA guys sometimes have a softer side, and that all it takes is a courageous young woman who’s ready to spread her wings a little to bring a fighter to his knees emotionally.

‘Did Fallon understand that for any woman he cared about–any woman he loved–he would do everything in his power to protect her?’

If you’ve read anything by Lori Foster then you know she writes some of the best alpha males in contemporary romance. Period. And after seeing glimpses of former MMA fighter Justice’s charming ways in book one, Under Pressure, I was really looking forward to getting to know him a lot better. I must say that he didn’t disappoint. Justice had such a great “Aw, shucks” attitude and terrific sense of humor. I loved that he was who he was and he didn’t apologize for being rough around the edges. It was part of his charm but it was also genuine. He was raised by some pretty kickass women, who we got to meet, and they made sure Justice was polite and would always protect women. Pretty important for a bodyguard, right?

I was definitely wowed by how sweet and tender–but still very, very passionate–the romance was between Justice and Fallon. And I just admired her so much. She was also a sweet person, like Justice, but she had been sheltered and was naive thanks to her parents’ over-protectiveness after a tragic family event. But Fallon had courage in spades and knew it was her time to break out and live life. Justice helped her earn some freedom while still being protected. And even though their relationship stormed ahead quickly, I thought that there was a strong enough attraction between them to make it seem realistic. What a fun couple, though! Fallon and Justice had some great bantering between them and were simply too cute for words sometimes. There were momentary blips of anger while she tried to gain her independence and he had to step in as her protector, but overall Justice and Fallon had a solid, playful, loving relationship.

With just the right amount of mystery/suspense and a whole lot of crazy chemistry between our hero and heroine, Hard Justice was an absolute winner. Fans of Lori Foster’s Love Undercover and Ultimate series will swoon over having the chance to also catch up with previous characters. Highly recommended.

Book Info:

Publication: March 21st 2017 | by HQN Books | Body Armor #2

Playing it safe has never felt so dangerous…

Justice Wallington knows how to harness his strength and intimidating size—skills he put to good use first in the MMA cage, and now as a bodyguard at the Body Armor agency. But no opponent has ever left him feeling as off balance as his new client, heiress Fallon Wade. Far from a spoiled princess, she’s sweet and intriguingly innocent. It’s a risk-free assignment, until he’s required to fake a relationship with her in order to blend in.

Sheltered from the world after a family tragedy, Fallon longs to experience life—going to bars, dancing, talking to strangers. Not easy with a huge, lethal-looking bodyguard shadowing her every move. Justice seems like her polar opposite, but pretending to be a couple stirs undeniable heat. And when danger strikes again, it’s not just her safety in jeopardy, but a passion that’s real, raw and absolutely against the rules…