Tough Love: Back to Buckhorn

Written by Lori Foster

Narrated by Jim Frangione

She's playing hard to get.to win the MMA fighter of her ultimate fantasies in a sultry new novel from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster Vanity Baker loves a good, clean match, but she's not above playing a little dirty. She's wanted Stack "The Wolf" Hannigan from day one. Seems as though the best way to corral the famously commitment-phobic fighter is to insist on keeping it casual. And her plan works-deliciously well-until Stack's past steps out of the shadows. Raised rough, Stack learned early to stay free of attachments. But with sexy, forthright Vanity, he's the one always left wanting more. Then his troublemaking family arrives, threatening everything Stack cares about-Vanity included. Suddenly he realizes they're much more than friends with benefits. He's ready to go to the mat for her.but will it be in time to protect the woman who's tamed him for good?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 25, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490673851

Lori Foster

Lori Foster is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author with books from a variety of publishers, including Berkley/Jove, Kensington, St. Martin's, Harlequin and Silhouette. Lori has been a recipient of the prestigious RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award for Series Romantic Fantasy, and for Contemporary Romance. For more about Lori, visit her Web site at www.lorifoster.com.

Reviews for Tough Love

[rolsjunie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Foster's heroine, Vanity, is an intelligent woman who realizes she must be careful in order to get what she wants: a relationship with Stack. She turns the tables on him, telling him what he wants to hear in order to get her chance. The theme of turned tables is reinforced with Vanity's declaration that women appreciate a hot guy as much as men appreciate a hot woman. Stack's hang up on honesty feels a little over done but otherwise this is a solid installment in the series.

[scoutmomskf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very good book. This one picks up where Holding Strong left off, at the wedding of Cannon and Yvette (No Limits). In the previous book, Vanity, who wants Stack for her own, had made him a bargain if he would attend the wedding as her date. Now it's time to follow through, and she's really hoping it will pay off.I really liked Vanity. She's beautiful but doesn't flaunt it, she's rich but doesn't advertise it, and she's just an all-around nice person. I loved the way that she fell for Stack right off, but also knew him enough not to tell him that right away. She comes up with the idea to make her pursuit of him be casual so that she doesn't scare him off, but hopes that once they're involved he'll want more. Most of the time Vanity gives the impression of self-confidence, but deep down she has some insecurities. She has no family and has made the fighters and their friends her family, but she still worries that she isn't good enough.Stack is terrific. On the surface he is a tough alpha fighter, a bit of a player, and avoids commitment. But underneath he is caring, sweet, and very protective of those he cares about. He avoids commitments because he has a rather crazy family that tends to drive away anyone he gets involved with. He also has some trust issues, thanks to an earlier relationship gone wrong. I loved the development of their relationship. They were friends first, as Vanity got to know all the fighters through her friend Yvette. But there was something more between the two of them - a heat that couldn't be denied. For Vanity, it was more than just attraction and she was determined to find a way to make him want more too. Her method of offering a night of sex for a date to the wedding was unique, but it got his attention, as did her flirting and teasing up until the date itself. As hot as they were for each other, it was fun to see all the things that conspired to delay their gratification. But once they did - whew! Those same events showed Stack a different side of Vanity, one that appealed to him like no other had. He decided he wanted more than just the one night that she promised. Because that's what she'd wanted all along, of course she went along with it. Besides the smoking chemistry between them, Stack also found Vanity becoming an even bigger part of his life. He was stunned that she took to his crazy family, bonding with his mother and sister. The more time they spend together, the more he pictures something permanent.Not to say there aren't some bumps in the road. Because of his trust issues, Stack has some problems with jealousy over Vanity's friendships with the other fighters. In his heart he knows she's his, but he has a few instances of unreasonableness. It was fun to see the other guys give him a hard time about it. Vanity also makes a few errors. She knows that Stack has issues with people who lie, and she is afraid that her initial proposition to him will be seen that way. She also omits telling him about a few things that happen, which he considers just as bad as lying. When it all comes out, there is quite a blow up, and Stack says some pretty hard things. With her insecurities, Vanity is devastated, believing that they are through. I loved the ending, as Stack works through his anger and realizes his true feelings. He has some help from some of the guys and one of the ladies, who point out what an idiot he is. I loved his reunion with Vanity, as he gets more help from his sister, but it's Vanity's reaction that I enjoyed the most.There was a bit of suspense dealing with the husband of Stack's sister. Phil is a good for nothing jerk, who has cheated on Tabby, is lazy, jobless and does drugs. Stack can't stand him and makes no bones about it. Someone hires some thugs to beat Stack up (like that's even possible), and the guys are determined to find out who and why. Phil also plans to con money from Vanity after he finds out she's wealthy. Worried about Stack, Vanity takes some steps of her own that backfire on her. A final confrontation reveals an interesting twist.The secondary characters all add to the fun and depth of the story. The fighters, who are present in all the books, have a fantastic relationship. There is a lot of teasing and macho posturing, but there is no question that they are there for each other when needed. I especially loved the scene when Vanity and the other ladies pointed out that the rec center needs a ladies' locker room, and states that they will just have to use the men's locker room for now. I loved seeing them all scramble, each of their possessiveness running up against each other. Seeing Armie step in was especially amusing, especially once Merissa arrived. The inclusion of some of the newer fighters was a nice touch and perhaps an indicator for the future. I liked seeing the wives and girlfriends from earlier books, and how all of them have made Vanity part of their group. Stack's mom and sister were also loads of fun. His sister is such a drama queen, though a fun one who isn't overly annoying. It was sweet to see the way they both connected with Vanity and how much she loved them right from the start. I really enjoyed seeing Tabby go through the changes she did, thanks in big part to Vanity's example. Now I can't wait for the next book, to see Armie and Merissa finally get together.

[dpappas_25 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was definitely my least favorite book of this series. Certain events and characters were just a bit too over the top for me. I initially did like the main characters, Stack and Vanity, but they ended up having some big blowup over something really stupid. That has happened before in this series and it is getting old. The random drama is just getting old.The bright spot for this book was definitely how much it mentioned Armie and Rissy. I have been dying for Armie's story and dying for him to be with Rissy so I was ecstatic that they have finally kissed and that Armie's story is next.

[dearheart_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Vanity is in love with Stack, one of the MMA fighters, but he hadn’t even noticed her until she propositioned him; a night of sex in exchange for being her date at Cannon & Yvette’s wedding. She feels that the only way to reel him in is to not let him know she loves him and let Stack grow to understand how good they’d be together. But he hates lies and she fears he’ll have an issue with this one.It’s really easy to like Vanity; she’s independent, compassionate and capable. And while both great looking and rich, neither one holds much importance to her. It’s easy to get in her head and feel her emotions. Many of the characters met in prior books are on hand and that’s one of the things I like so much about these books; it feels like catching up with friends. Love Stack’s family and I enjoyed disliking his brother-in-law.Each of these stories has some kind of big threat in them, but for some reason the threat didn’t seem nearly as big as others, perhaps because the threat was against Stack and not Vanity.The sex is written well, but for me there’s just too much of it with each scene going on and on. I’d have enjoyed it more if there was only a couple of detailed scenes and the rest left to the imagination.The book also contains the novella, Back to Buckhorn.

[azprettygrl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tough Love is a hilarious and sexy read. Lori Foster’s latest installment in her Ultimate series is jammed packed with action, humor and seriously make-my-kindle-melt love scenes. Vanity Baker is a take control of the situation and run with it kind of woman. She’s tired of waiting for Stack Hannigan to make the first move and decides to give him an outrageous proposition. Vanity plans to reel Stack in with no-strings-attached sex and her calm carefree demeanor. Stack is kept completely off kilter with Vanity’s lack of demands for an exclusive relationship and demands more. Stack makes it immediately clear he won’t forgive any form of deceit. Will he forgive Vanity’s manipulations to get him to commit or will Vanity lose Stack forever?In the beginning, it seemed like anything and everything was set to keep Vanity and Stack from coming together. These two faced so many obstacles just to spend a few minutes in peace without interruption. It was hilarious, but I couldn’t help but feel bad for poor Stack. He seemed destined to not have any relief from sexual frustrations. When the two finally come together the chemistry was downright explosive. Sex wasn’t the only action in this book though, there were some fight scenes mixed in as well. I really enjoyed the action-driven plot, it made it really hard to put down the book.Vanity is a spitfire. She’s very independent and not afraid to speak her mind. She’s assertive with definite control issues. I like that she isn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with the MMA fighters. Vanity has a softer side as well, which comes out when it comes to the people she loves. I loved how complex her character is, she’s not just this sexy woman. She’s smart, and creative. Heck, she has to be to keep Stack on his toes. Vanity also has this amazing heart that I think just yearns to be loved and accepted for who she is, exactly the way she is, unconditionally. I can totally relate to that.Ah, Stack will you be my new book boyfriend? I absolutely adored Stack. Yeah he’s overprotective, it’s okay I can overlook that for him. Alright, so he has some baggage and a crazy family, but dammit who doesn’t? I’m sure I could eventually learn to tune out his sister’s tendency to over dramatize everything. Hmm…maybe…let me just stare at the cover again for a bit.All fangirling aside, I really enjoyed watching the commitment-phobe Stack fall in love. It wasn’t effortless by any means, refer back to the whole baggage thing, but it was kind of sweet. Hot? Yes, definitely and yet still sweet. Underneath all those muscles and his alpha-male personality, Stack really is just a big softy. By the end, I really just wanted to give him a hug…um among other things.Overall, I really enjoyed reading Tough Love by Lori Foster. I think it’s a great addition to her Ultimate series. It was a definite page-turner for me, I could not put it down. I think I finished it in about four hours or so. Read it all in one sitting, and then kicked myself when I woke up the next morning with a book hangover. Tough Love is a fun read, and I loved getting to spend more time with some of my favorite characters from this series. I read somewhere that Armie’s book is next. I seriously hope so! I will be waiting impatiently for it to come out. If you have not read the Ultimate series yet, I highly recommend it to anyone that likes contemporary romance with a bit of humor and action thrown in the mix.

[amdrane2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ms. Foster has officially done it again. I can't stand to read the books in this series because if I start it it means that at some point in the near future it will end. Most of the time I'm just not ready to say bye to these fantastic couples or they're ridiculously hot friends. It just isn't fair. I think I'm almost finished with my book hangover, thankfully now I can reread some of her other series. Can't wait to read more.Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

[gpangel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tough Love by Lori Foster is a 2015 HQN publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This third book in the Ultimate fighter series is focused on Vanity and Stack. If you read the previous installment you will remember Vanity made Stack an offer he couldn't refuse in order to get him to be her date for their friends, Cannon and Yvette, wedding. Well, the time has come for Vanity to make good on the deal and hopefully she will win big on the gamble of a lifetime. Will the notorious commitment shy, Stack, gamble on the roulette wheel of love or will he cash in his chips once Vanity makes good on her promise? Immediately, the author whips us up into a frenzy then slowly takes her foot off the petal leaving readers cooling their heels for awhile. But, the suspense was just getting started because it didn't take me long to figure out what Vanity had in mind for Stack. I was on pins and needles because it seemed like he fell into her web just a little to easily and was a bit too happy to have been ensnared. It was like watching a ticking time bomb and I wanted to cover my eyes before the thing detonated. But, if that set up weren't enough, it seems Stack's family life is complicated and Vanity starts to become emotionally invested in their lives, befriending his mother and sister, to the point of making a grave error. While Stack was the usual alpha male MMA fighter, and he was over the top macho, occasionally crossing over into being a borderline sexist, his character wasn't quite a bad as some of the guys preceding him in the series. Being alpha is one thing, sexism is another and the latter really turns me off. He still has preconceived notions about women, still tries to control not only Vanity, but his mother and sister too, even though he has their best interest at heart and feels protective of the women in his life. You have all encountered, in one way or another, a woman like Stack's sister, and while terribly frustrating for Stack, he does try to help her and keep her from making the same mistakes over and over, which is what family does, no matter how badly we wish we could get that person to wake up and smell the coffee. I thought this was a very thought provoking story line and hopefully one that made a difference for people on both sides of the spectrum. Vanity has her own money, is free and independent, clever and goes for what she wants... which is Stack, but surprisingly she gets more than she bargained for by meeting Stack's family which by extension, became her own, especially in light of the fact she didn't have a family of her own, which gave this story an edge depth wise , over the last two books in the series. Overall, this story was my favorite one in the series to date, and makes for a great lead in to the one we have all been breathlessly awaiting. Overall this one gets 4 stars