A Perfect Storm

Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor #4

by Lori Foster

He never saw her coming...
Spencer Lark already knows too many secrets about Arizona Storm, including the nightmare she survived and her resulting trust issues. But in order to expose a smuggling ring--and continue avenging his own tragic past--the bounty hunter reluctantly agrees to make Arizona a decoy. Yet nothing has equipped him for her hypnotic blend of fragility and bravery, or for the protective instincts she stirs in him.
Arizona wants to reclaim her life, which means acting as bait to lure the enemy into a trap. Sure it's dangerous, especially with a partner as distractingly appealing as Spencer. But as their plan--and their chemistry--shifts into high gear, Arizona may discover there's an even greater risk in surrendering her heart to a hero....

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Suspense, Adult, Fiction

442 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 27, 2012

About the author

Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has become a USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. Lori has published through a variety of houses, including Kensington, St. Martin’s, Harlequin, Silhouette, Samhain, and Berkley/Jove. She is currently published with HQN.

Lori hosts a very special annual “Reader & Author” event in West Chester, Ohio. Proceeds from the event have benefited many worthy causes, including the Hamilton County YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter, the Animal Adoption Foundation, The Conductive Learning Center for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy, and The One Way Farm, Children’s Home.

Each year Lori donates all proceeds from one book to charity. You can see the benefit romance books here: http://lorifoster.com/benefit-books/

Career Highlights
•In 2001, Lori received the prestigious Romantic Times “Career Achievement Award” for Series Romantic Fantasy.

•In 2002, Lori’s book Too Much Temptation was the top-selling romance title for Amazon books.

•In 2003, Say No To Joe was the second “Bestselling Original Contemporary” romance title for Waldenbooks.

•In 2004, Lori Foster was a clue in the New York Times crossword puzzle.

•In 2004, The Secret Life of Bryan was the “Bestselling Original Contemporary” romance title for the BGI group.

•In 2005, Lori received the prestigious Romantic Times “Career Achievement Award” for Contemporary Romance.

•In 2006, Jude’s Law was the “Bestselling Romantic Comedy” romance title for the BGI group.

•In 2007, Lori launched a new “urban fantasy” series under the name L.L. Foster. See more on her “dark side” at www.llfoster.com.

•In 2007, Causing Havoc was among Amazon’s Top Ten Editor’s picks in Romance.

•In 2008, Hard to Handle made #2 on The New York Times.

•In 2009, Servant: The Acceptance was Amazon’s #1 Editors’ Pick in Romance.

•In 2010, Lori was a clue in the USA Today Quick Cross puzzle.

Reviews

[UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Perfect Storm is the fourth book in the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series and, if you’ve read the first three books, you know the nightmare that Arizona Storm survived. Well, she’s back with a vengeance and she’s going to make sure that no one else has to live through the hell that she did.

Spencer Lark knows what Arizona suffered at the hands of the human traffickers, and so despite his attraction to her, he keeps her at arm’s length… until she shows up at his place looking for help taking down a local trafficking operation. Spencer doesn’t have much of a choice because, with or without him, she’s going in, and he’s not about to let her go in alone.

With A Perfect Storm, Lori Foster tackled a difficult subject and handled with the compassion and respect women who have suffered as Arizona did are so deserving of. While we didn’t get a lot of the details about what happened during her captivity, we were given a close look into Arizona’s heart and soul, and saw how deeply she was affected. And though she has every right to be frightened or timid, she’s anything but! Her actions, her fears, her demeanor… who's to say how a woman in her shoes should or should not act? But wow, her strength, her integrity… her refusal to allow herself to remain a victim, made this not merely an emotional read, but an inspiring one.

And the men… those hot, sexy, alpha males. Spencer, Dare, Trace, and Jackson… I thought they were great before, but now? I absolutely, without a doubt, adore them... and not just for the men they are, but for the woman they accepted, and encouraged Arizona to be; herself.

The bottom line – This isn’t your typical romantic suspense. Oh, it’s a very passionate, sexy read, but more than that, A Perfect Storm is powerful, heartbreaking, inspiring… an emotional roller coaster… but in the end, one of the most wonderful romances I’ve ever read. It’s not sweetly poetic or all sunshine and happiness, but sometimes, for some people, real life doesn’t give them that. So why is this love story so special? Because Spencer and Arizona earned it. Through their blood, their tears, their honesty and faith… without even realizing they were doing it, they fought for a chance at love with everything they had in them – and that is what makes their happily ever after so beautiful.

My sincerest thanks to netgalley.com and Harlequin HQN for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

And most importantly, thank you, Ms. Foster, for writing this book because for some women, this isn't fiction, and they deserve to have stories... happily ever afters that they can believe in... that they can hope for, too.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG OMG OMG OMG. YUM. SIGH. THUD. This cover...



UPDATE

4.5 Stars.

Good Gawd, was there anything I didn't like about this book? Nope, not really.
Lori Foster has met all my high expectations for this book.

I loved Spencer and Arizona so much. I didn't expect to love a heroine as much as I did. She totally kicked ass and took names. Seriously awesome. Oh, and it was sex-ay. Heh.

More in depth review to come as the publication date draws nearer!



UPDATE... Yet again

This won’t be your typical one-person review. We decided to switch things up a bit due to the massive love of this book by Autumn and myself. It will be a combined effort between the two of us. It was that or fight to the death over a book review. I really didn’t want to have to kill Lisa, she’s my partner in crime.

I mean, good Lord, was there anything I didn’t like about this book? Nope, not really. Lori Foster has met all my high expectations for this book, and more.

I loved Spencer and Arizona so much. I didn’t expect to love a heroine as much as I did. She totally kicked ass and took names.
Seriously awesome. Oh, and it was sex-ay. Not even sexy is good enough to express how amazingly sensual and deep, and hot it was.

And that, my friends, was just the tip of the iceberg.

In this final installment of The Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series, we delve into the lives of Arizona Storm and
Spencer Lark. After finishing Savor The Danger and knowing finding out that Spencer and Arizona’s book was next, we were both already so excited to read this and once it popped up on Netgalley, we both immediately put in our requests and thanks to Harlequin for accepting our requests for such a great book.

Besides the fact that Autumn and I both thought Spencer was hot and Arizona was a respectable and strong female lead character,
we get to the heart of the story – and the series itself – which deals with a very sensitive topics. The main one would be Human Trafficking. Lori Foster deals with this horrid – but realistic – issue with class and grace and ease that comes from her many years of writing experience that shows, because not many authors can pull off dealing with issues this huge.

In the previous books the female characters all had very minor brushes with human trafficking. And I say minor because they were never subjected to the kind of abuse and degradation that Arizona had to deal with. Her father sold her while her mother stood by. Yeah, they wouldn’t win any parent of the year award in my book either.

Again, I commend Lori for how she so beautifully dealt with this matter. I was a little worried about whether she’d be too graphic and go to in depth with it, but to be honest, she didn’t. I appreciated that. And don’t get me wrong, she didn’t just gloss over Arizona’s experiences. She just handled it very well. She gave us just enough to feel for Arizona and what she’d been through and how that whole thing didn’t just break her. Arizona had been through hell, but lived to tell the tale.

From the glimpse of Arizona that we got in Savor the Danger I was skeptical about her character. I was so glad that my first instinct about her was wrong. She is probably one of my favorite heroines of the year. Her Strength and resilience and no-bullshit attitude really comes through to the reader. I loved how real she was. Her bluntness to certain situations and her honesty with Spencer. They all just floored me and rang true.

Spencer is a great male lead. He was willing to help Arizona, but ready to give her up in the end because he felt that he needed to. He didn’t count on falling in love with her or her reciprocating those feelings.

In a series such as this I always have the fear of falling in love with characters and then never “seeing” them again. Oh, their names are mentioned once or twice, but there’s never any actual intervention with the characters. Besides Arizona’s straight shooter bluntness and ability to kick some serious ass I loved that we saw the guys and gals from the past books. Not just name dropping either – some real hardcore interaction time.

I highly suggest A Perfect Storm if you’ve read the other books in the series or want a great romance book with some action, honesty and humor. You will not be disappointed and I look forward to reading more of Lori’s stories.


Review also posted here - Fic-Talk

[Stoli · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, I was going to give this book 3 stars, thought about it and figured no, 2 stars, thought about it some more and realized it was a terrible book...1star. Lori Foster made the female character in this story so pathetic and annoying its a wonder if she even likes her own gender. Not only is Arizona Storm a damaged misfit, she acts like a cross between a rebellious teenage daughter and a bratty little kid, no way in hell would she attract an older male lead character like Spencer...oh, except for the obvious- her smoking hot body and biracial beauty which all the male characters drooled over, really?!? Arizona tries to prove she's a 21 yr old "woman" the entire book, but comes off like a 15 year old instead. At one point, her height of immaturity, she accuses Spencer of being a "chubby chaser" over his relationship with his NORMAL body type neighbor- an independent business woman- because the author thought, "hey, not enough pressure is put on woman to be a size zero in the media, let's add it to my books as well," furthering the idea she must have little respect for other women out there. Instead of allowing the main character to grow emotionally, ie. be forced to get a job in the real world and learn how to appropriately interact in social settings with others, the authors solution is to exchange one sexual prison for another; having her live at a secluded secret compound with minimal contact to others and marry a man 11 years her senior. Um, did the author not see the bigger picture here?? It really read like a case of abuse and molestation because the character was so compromised she had the mind of child.

[~ Becs ~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

We first met Arizona and Spencer back in Savor the Danger. Arizona had been sold to human traffickers as a sex slave by her father and, when she attempted to escape, her ‘owners’ recaptured her, bound her hands and threw her into a stormy river to drown as a lesson to the rest of the slaves. Jackson, having been tracking them, saw this and rescued her. Arizona turned vigilante which is how she met Spencer – he is a bounty hunter and he was tracking the same traffickers.

We start this one with Arizona still hot on the trail of human traffickers and asking Spencer to help her. Arizona wants to use herself as bait and wants Spencer to watch her back – of course, Dare, Trace and Jackson are involved too and this is how the suspense story pretty much goes down.

Arizona is turning 21 in the first chapter of the book and Spencer is a widower in his early thirties and this is where I started to feel a little uncomfortable. He is very attracted to her and she, despite everything that has happened, also feels the same way about Spencer. BUT – I know that she is an adult, a sexy, sensual adult but, as the result of her experiences, Arizona has the emotional maturity of an early teen and actually came over much younger than her years in the narrative and it started to feel a little creepy that Spencer was so into her. I know they both have difficult pasts – Spencer’s wife was murdered after all – but it still just felt wrong.

Arizona lacks self-worth on a big scale and it’s understandable. Sex for her has never been consensual, never been pleasurable – it’s all about men having control over women and it was quite sweet that she started to ask Spencer questions about why people liked it so much and he tried to tell her how men like to pleasure women but, again, Arizona felt child-like. She’s like a wounded, starving, wild animal – will come only so far to get something she needs and then will scurry back in terror. It’s very sad.

I really loved Spencer – he was everything you’d expect in a Lori Foster hero. To be fair to him, he was infinitely patient with Arizona, treated her well and certainly taught her how good sex can be but it never quite sat right with me. If I had been able to get over this, I think I would have really enjoyed the story. I love Lori Foster’s books and Dare is one of my all-time favourite heroes but I just couldn’t get past it. The age gap didn’t bother me per se – it was the fact that Arizona just felt so child-like despite her obvious sexuality.

It was nice to catch up with Dare, Trace and Jackson and Tai, Sargie, Liger and Grim.

3 stars contemporary romantic suspense due to my own hang ups :-(

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fourth installment of the Men Who Walk The Edge Of Honor series which is not due for release for until April but viewed an ARC from the publisher Harlequin HQN via Netgalley.

I loved this book and thought it deserved it's 5 star rating!

We met Spencer & Arizona at the end of Jackson & Alani's story. Arizona didn't have the best of upbringings and then at the age of 17 she was sold to a human trafficking ring by her father as he needed money for drink/drugs. After enduring a couple of months of sexual abuse she managed to escape but was caught again and they nearly killed her but was saved by Jackson (Hero from previous book). Jackson treated her like a younger sister and over the next few years helped her to sort her life out and paid for her to attend school to get a decent education.

After such a harrowing ordeal most young women would have crumbled but Arizona was determined that she would not live her life as a victim and she would do whatever she could to ensure that others did not suffer what she had gone through. She had tracked a suspected ring of traffickers but realised that she needed help so turns to Spencer. Spencer is a bounty hunter and is obviously used to tracking and taking down scumbags and soon realised that with or without his help Arizona was going to go ahead with her plan. Spencer is a widower as his wife was murdered several years before. For the first time since he lost his wife he truely finds himself drawn to another woman but despite convincing himself that he still loved his dead wife and that she was far too young for him he couldn't stop the attraction. Together and with help from our other 3 heroes - Dare, Trace & Jackson they successfully take out the trafficking ring. By the end Spencer obviously realises that he loves Arizona and cannot let her go and Arizona feels the same.

I thought that Arizona was amazing. She was strong and determined and came across as a tough cookie but at times we saw vulnerabilities and signs of her trauma which made her character believable. I really liked Spencer too, because he had known what she had gone through he understood those vulnerabilities and was careful with her and taught her to trust again and be able to have a 'normal' physical relationship. I am pleased to say that we also got to see a fair amount of other characters in the series - Dare & Molly, Trace & Priss, Jackson & Alani and of course Chris.

I really like Lori Foster's style of writing and have read her books for a good few years and will continue to do so. This has been an amazing series and I can only hope that there is more to come!

[♥ WishfulMiss ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a re-read for a book I added when I first joined GR but never reviewed. Waaay back in high school :/ And I'm so bummed I didn't love as much as I did before :(

Arizona is still a total bad ass and I love her character. Like Jackson and the rest of the gang, I felt for what she went through and yeah, it would be tough to find a way to help her. The struggle they go through to make Arizona feel loved and prove she belongs to their make-shift family was a really sweet part of the book. I loved the friendships and the hopefulness of it all. Arizona and Spencer still have crazy good chemistry and their banter was still a highlight of their relationship.

But Spencer! Oh, Spencer! I remember loving this character. LF writes some sexy alpha males and Spencer was a big hulking walking talking sex on a stick male. But this time around, I found his misguided intentions to "help" Arizona with her sexual hang-ups annoying! And tbh, offensive.

It also pissed me off to no end how he subconsciously acknowledged he had deeper feelings for Arizona, early on, but still manages to flat out refuse to admit it to himself. Every. Single. Time. It got old real quick. He kept saying Arizona deserved better than what he could give her and had the gall to assume Arizona would get attached to him because she wouldn't know the difference between a fling and a real relationship and he would have to gently push her away.

It was frustrating and I must be picker now than I was then because I felt Arizona deserved some groveling from this guy. Every time she realizes that he was pushing her away, it hurt her feelings and he knew about it. So yes, a bit of groveling was definitely needed. The ending needed more one on one time with Arizona and Spencer hashing out their feelings for each other. Instead she's placed in danger and he has an epiphany that he loves her and that's it. He states his ILY and Arizona is so happy she recipricates and it's over. They don't even get a HEA! It ends on a HFN. Boo!

Three stars because well, I think I just have a soft spot for Arizona and I liked the rag tag team she has at her back. Especially Jackson and Chris. Spencer, sadly, didn't live up to my past infatuation with him. He definitely had potential but I wasn't 100% convinced about his last minute change of mind when it came to Arizona. I prefer a more determined Hero. And definitely one that goes all out to prove himself to his heroine.

SAFETY INFO:

Ages : Arizona is 21 and Spencer is 32.

Cheating : None.

OM/OW drama : Yes. I honestly can't believe the senseless OW drama in this book. Spencer has a neighbor, Marla, who he has slept with in the past (a total of 4 times) and she is the cliche clingy neighbor who tries to stake her claim on him - even though Spencer made it clear he wasn't interested in a relationship and she agrees. It was weird because she starts off as catty, then ditzy and finally wise by realizing she never had a chance and advising Spencer to wake up and admit he loves Arizona. *smh* I'm not sure what the purpose was of having her appear so much in their story, other than to cause Arizona jealousy. But even that didn't work out because Arizona feels jealous but always pushes it away or something comes up immediately after that pushes this under the rug. Spencer tries to let her down gently *eye roll* but still manages to be a jerk about it. I felt bad Marla, for Arizona and for myself because I liked Spencer less and less each time she was brought up. Granted she wasn't a booty call and Spencer wasn't portrayed as a manwhore but still the fact that his sexual past is so present was not cool. If there is gonna be OW drama, I need definitive closure that she is in the past and Spencer never provides this for Arizona. This was the main reason I knocked stars off from my original rating.

Separation : None.

Push/Pull : Yes, Spencer pushes Arizona away emotionally for the majority of the book.

Main Pursuer of relationship : Its mutual. They both have hang ups but both acknowledge and pursue a physical relationship mutually.

Possible Triggers : Sex trafficking (on and off page), rape (off page, heroine's past, through flash backs), vigilante heroine, emotional trauma (on and off page, heroine) and a widowed Hero.

HEA/HFN : Ends on HFN with an epilogue a few months later. It was sweet and I loved Arizona with Jackson and Alaina's baby but I needed more. I wish we'd gotten something maybe a year or two down the road that shows Arizona and Spencer in a more serious relationship. She deserved a more concrete HEA, imo.

[Floripiquita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Para ser el último libro de la saga Mercenarios de Lori Foster, que recomiendo mucho, podría haber sido mejor. De todas maneras, se trata de una historia entretenida y de fácil lectura.

[Luli · Rating 1 out of 5]

You can read my thoughts in English below.

Esta historia es muy desagradable. No especialmente por el tema que trata, que también, sino por cómo lo trata. La autora no termina de entender, por más que lo intente, que las mujeres no somos seres indefensos ni tenemos que avergonzarnos de nuestra sexualidad. Después de tener que soportar cómo convierte a su heroína en un trozo de carne de primera rozando la perfección física pero dotándola de estupidez y tozudez (creo que lo confunde con valentía y honradez, vete tú a saber), además hay que tragarse que todos los demás personajes femeninos de la historia son «desagradables, repulsivos o simplemente por debajo del nivel moral o intelectual de los protagonistas». Es por boca de su propia heroína que intenta dibujar a la amante del héroe, una mujer real, independiente y segura de sí misma, como una arpía dependiente de un hombre y con un físico lejos del ideal irreal del género.

*inspirar (…) espirar*

Los héroes de esta historia, al igual que las heroínas, son seres físicamente perfectos. Pero su comportamiento hacia otras mujeres que no sean «las suyas» es repulsivo.

Y otro aspecto problemático es que la heroína es una joven de 21 años que ha sido abusada y víctima de la trata desde los 17. Es lo único que conoce de relaciones íntimas. Y la autora la empareja con un tío de 32 años que sufre una erección cada vez que la ve. Sé que estoy usando un lenguaje muy crudo pero, de verdad, no sé de qué otra manera decirlo. Ha sido muy incómodo y desagradable de leer.

Enhorabuena, Ms. Foster, ha dibujado usted perfectamente el machismo en todo su esplendor. Y lo peor es que lo intenta disfrazar de romance. Que esto siga pasando en pleno s. XXI...

*inspirar (…) espirar*

Y ahora viene la parte irrealista: cuatro civiles “super cachas y perfectos” y sus «diosas perfectas y puras casi que de otro mundo» haciendo de justicieros sin antifaz. Matando a malos a diestro y siniestro y felicitándose por un trabajo bien hecho. ¡Venga ya! Eso no hay quién se lo trague y además es repulsivo. Creerse juez y parte es algo muy peligroso...

Lo único real de esta historia ha sido la trata de seres humanos y la escoria que se dedica a ello, ahí lo ha clavado. Aunque sin algo que contrarreste toda esa maldad humana, la historia es intolerable.

***

This story has been disgusting. Not only because of the subject it deals with, but also because of how it is addressed. The author does not fully understand, no matter how hard she tries, that women are not helpless little things and neither we should to be ashamed of our sexuality. After having to put up with how she turns her heroine into a piece of prime meat bordering on physical perfection but endowing her with stupidity and stubbornness (I think the author confuses it with courage and honesty, beats me!), it is also necessary to endure that every other female character in the story is "unpleasant, repulsive or below the moral or intellectual level of the protagonists." Through her own heroine the author tries to draw the hero´s lover, a real woman, independent and self-confident and with a real job, as a harpy and clingy woman with a physique far from the unreal ideal of the genre.

*inhale (...) exhale*

The heroes of this story, like the heroines, are physically perfect beings. But their behavior towards other women that are not "theirs" is repulsive.

And another problematic aspect is that the heroine is a 21-year-old girl who has been abused since she was 17. It's the only thing she knows about intimate relationships. And the author pairs her with a 32-year-old guy who gets an erection every time he sees her. I know I'm using a very crude language but, really, I do not know how else to say it. It has been very uncomfortable and unpleasant to read.

Congratulations, Ms. Foster, you have perfectly drawn sexism in all its splendor. And the worst thing is that she tries to disguise it as romance. And all this is still happening right in the 21st Century...

*inhale (...) exhale*

And now it´s the turn for the unrealistic part: four civilians men “super hunky and perfect” and their "otherworldly goddesses, pure and perfect” acting as Vigilantes without a mask. Killing bad guys right and left and congratulating themselves on a job well done. Come on! That´s unrealistic and unbelievable and it is also repulsive. Believing yourself judge and party is something very dangerous ...

The only thing that felt real in this story was the human trafficking and the scum who does it, that was right on the mark. Although without anything to counteract all that human evil, the story is unpalatable.

[Daphne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gone Pecan

Favorite Quote: “You are so impressive in so many ways.”

He didn’t want her under some misplaced delusion that he was more than himself, more than a hardworking guy, trying to do the right thing whenever he could. Especially with her. “I’m just a man.”

“Not even close.”

Arizona Storm is a victim of human traffickers. She was traded when she was seventeen years old and endured years of sexual slavery, being sold again and again, until one day she is rescued by Jackson, the hero in Savor the Danger, and her surrogate big brother. So, she understandably has a lot of trust issues. Jackson, Dare and Trace do a sort of vigilante justice work, mostly in the area of human trafficking.

Being around Jackson and his cronies, as well as her background, has made Arizona want to be in on their little gang, righting wrongs, kicking butt, that kinda thing. And she seems to be good at it, but, duh, she’s a WOMAN (oh, fragile creatures that are we), so the guys are hesitant to really let her get involved, especially if it means using herself and her body as a decoy.

On the fringes of their group is Spencer Lark. Spencer is very attracted to Arizona, but is cognizant of her past and the psychological/emotional toll she must be under because of it, so he tries not to get too close to her. Plus, at 21, she’s a little young for him and he may not quite be over the death of his wife. When she proposes they team up to check out a bar that may be in the human trafficking trade, with herself as bait, he’s kind of wary, but agrees because she’s gonna do it anyway.

This whole series has been dedicated to the subject of human trafficking (well, that and big, hunky alpha guys falling head over heels). Granted, not really what you want to read about to escape from everyday life, but Ms. Foster did an excellent job of handling such a delicate subject without going into the particulars of what Arizona and the others actually had to endure, which I don’t think I could have read about.

Spencer is my favorite hero in the series. What that man does to my imagination is…well, let’s just say that if you knew, you’d be blushing. He was very honorable and quietly delicate with Arizona, respecting her hang-ups and letting her set the pace. And he could not keep his hands off her. I loved that he never forced his attraction on her, because you would think that even an assessing glance would be innocuous, but coming from where Arizona did, even that could be considered a threat. He carried the burden of his lust for her without being obvious to her about it (but it didn’t escape the attention of the rest of the characters in the story).

Arizona is just something else, entirely. In a lot of romantic suspense books where the woman is in danger in some way, these crazy women will often be the one putting themselves in it, or, maybe more accurately, not turning away from it. This was true, too, of Arizona. However, I can understand it in this case. The past is a difficult hurdle to jump, and I’m glad her emotional recovery was not easily achieved in the matter of a few pages. She needed to be the one kicking the butts. She didn’t play the victim.

Arizona is probably one of my absolute favorite heroines. She was tough and vulnerable. Not only did she want to be in the middle of the fight, she could actually stand on her own. I loved that in the end, she was the one who saved the day. Sure, I wanted to throw a book at her or tie her to a chair, but she couldn’t be contained. She delivered on all her promises, she wasn’t comfortable letting the guys do all the work.

Overall, the book was funny and sad and thrilling. And the love story was believable and inspiring. Everything I was hoping for. I’m going to miss these characters.

5/5

[Kerry sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It grabbed me round the throat from the very first page and dragged me kicking and screaming to the very last page. Arizona fascinated me when she appeared in Savor the Danger and Spencer even then seem like the perfect man for her. I really liked that Arizona was a tough cookie and didn't let anyone or thing stand in her way. It really pulled on my heart strings the way she saw herself and I liked that Spencer was patient in trying to get her to see her value. But what I liked the most was this was her story of how she get those around her to accept her for who is was rather then who they wanted he to be.

This really was a story of acceptance, not just of self but of the past and how that shapes who we become. It was believable and the characters had real depth. it felt like there was real history there and that there lives would continue after you closed the book. Although this is the fourth book in a series I don't think it is necessary to have read any others to understand all the plot nuances and love this one and love it I did!!

This book was reviewed for Musings of a bookworm

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot, edgy and surprisingly good. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Nσҽɱí · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5☆
No puedo ponerle más estrellas y no por que la historia sea mala, por que la trama es entretenida. Es por la protagonista, no he podido conectar con ella, entiendo que a pesar del pasado que tiene y lo que ha sufrido, sea de cierta manera, pero para mi, habido momentos que no la entendía, parecía una cria y siempre tenía que salirse con la suya y la verdad que no me ha terminado de gustar. Tampoco he visto tanta química como han querido hacer ver entre los protagonistas. Él no ha estado mal, pero de los protas anteriores es el que menos me ha gustado.
De momento daré un descanso de esta serie.

[Kimberly Rocha~ Book Obsessed Chicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arizona Storm is a bit of a conundrum to Bounty Hunter, Spencer Lark. She is young, beautiful and determined to play vigilante. After her near death experience where human traffickers threw her off a bridge into water where they fully expected her to drown, Arizona was saved by Jackson Savor. Jackson quickly claimed Arizona as a sister of sorts and attempts to make up for the awful life she had up to her near-drowning. Arizona tries to acclimate herself to Jackson and his cohorts, but after all the horror and abuse she has been through in her young life, she has many issues, trust being a big one. For some reason, Arizona has taken to Spencer and trusts him.

Later, Arizona, now 21, breaks into Spencer Lark's home while he is sleeping He wakes to find her in his bedroom watching him sleep. Arizona has a proposition for Spencer. She has been investigating a bar and grill that she believes is heavily involved with the trafficking of humans and she wants to shut them down, and she needs Spencer's help, without Jackson finding out what she is up to. Spencer, knowing the danger Arizona will be putting herself in makes an agreement with Arizona and in a round about way includes Jackson and the other men with this task.

Spencer's attraction to the beautiful Arizona is obvious, but he keeps pushing it aside with the excuse that Arizona is too young for him. He also uses the fact that he lost his wife to the same human trafficking organization three years prior as a big stumbling block to move on. Out of everyone Arizona knows, Spencer is the only one who truly understands her issues and her motivations. With Spencer's sense of humor and understanding of Arizona, she begins to come out of her emotional shell and experience feelings a normal young female should feel. Spencer is also in awe of Arizona's strength and determination to squash these human traffickers while coming into her own.

I have to say it, this was my favorite book in the series so far. First I love Arizona. She is gritty and honest while at the same time completely vulnerable. Spencer and Arizona have this steamy chemistry throughout that just makes for an amazing ride. Both characters, come together so well to overcome their pasts. Lori Foster has such a way of making a couple just mesh that I am in awe of her. An awesome MUST read!!!


~KIMBERLY~

[Jess M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this review and enter the GIVEAWAY on my blog! --> A Perfect Storm by Lori Foster

TENSION!! Of the sexy kind. That’s what this book was. I loved it.

I just couldn’t get enough of Spencer Lark. I thought Trace (from Trace of Fever) would forever be my favorite in this series, but Spencer kind of knocked him off the pedestal! Sorry, Trace! I still love you…second. Trace of Fever is still my favorite BOOK in the series though.

I loved Spencer’s compassion, his loyalty, his competence. I loved that he was an Alpha male without being stubborn or controlling. Yeah, he was a true hero. And he was exactly the perfect person for Arizona.

I liked Arizona…though sometimes I wanted her to talk differently. That’s really my only complaint. Other than that, I enjoyed her character a lot. She’s a true survivor and I was so glad that she was open to get over her weaknesses without changing who she was. I really admired that.

I loved that A Perfect Storm centered so much of its story on Spencer and Arizona themselves. Their chemistry was great and I just wanted them to GET TOGETHER ALREADY! But I tamped down my impatience and the pay-off of when they do is glorious! They were just great together.

We also get a good dose of Dare, Trace, and Jackson working together with Spencer and Arizona, which was AWESOME! Anytime they were all together on the page, made it impossible to put this book down.

While the enemy in this book was another human trafficker, they didn’t seem as threatening as others in this series. All the fight scenes were kick-ass though. And that bar scene! Omg…as the guys say, it was a true “cluster-f***” Haha. Some hilarious moments, along with some definite intense ones.

The story had a great pace to it, especially considering so much of it was just Spencer and Arizona together. Sometimes when that happens it can me the book drag but it never got to that point in A Perfect Storm.
I’ve really enjoyed this series. It’s really fantastic. I really hope Lori Foster will have more books for us, but if not, I’ll be happy with these. :)

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderfully yummy Alpha hero from Lori Foster! I can't thank her enough!

For anyone who has read any of my previous reviews on this wonderful series that showcase the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor know how much I absolutely love these delicious Alpha Male good guys!

We briefly met both Spencer and Arizona in the previous book and I was incredibly happy to hear that Ms. Foster was planning to give them a story of their own, and what a story it was! Spencer Lark is not officially a member of the 'dynamic trio' that is Dare, Trace and Jackson, but is a bounty hunter who was tracking the head of the human trafficking ring that the trio has been working on destroying. That's how he came into the story.

Jackson saved Arizona form the same bad guys some time back and has had her firmly under his wing, or as firmly as Arizona will allow, which is not much. This story opens with Arizona having broke into Spencer's house and is admiring watching him sleep. She needs his help, she wants him to partner up with her to take down business that is suspected forced labor at the very least. This is where the fun begins! There is definitely chemistry from the moment they met, but they both fight it at every turn.

The entire first half of the book felt like foreplay, hell even my temperature was spiking at times! I finished this book is almost one sitting, very compelling, super sexy and lots of fun!! If you have not read this series I highly recommend! Especially if you are a fan of major yummy Alpha good guys!!


My Spencer:




My Arizona:




****This book was provided to me as an ARC by Netgalley

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely 4 stars

Well, 'A Perfect Storm' doesn't get any points for original title, but it sure does deliver a great story (not too mention a rowr-a-licious cover... hot guy in a white wet T-shirt?? Definite rowr-factor going on).

The 'Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor' series started off very promising. The prequel, 'Ready, Set, Jett' was hot and sweet and 'When You Dare' was hot, sweet, and gritty with a totally swoon-worthy hero - and I've reread it several times. Sadly, however, the following books IMO were pretty dull and disappointing. But, I'm glad to report this one was just as good as 'When You Dare' and I'm actually sorry I put it off so long.

What I liked:
1) Spencer!!! Loved him! He was gentle, caring, but still a total badass and his careful handling of Arizona had me all atwitter.

2)Arizona. I was concerned after having "met" Arizona in 'Savor the Danger' that she would prove abrasively annoying... but she really wasn't. Arizona was a vulnerable package encased in a hard, but beautiful veneer. And I loved how she blossomed under Spencer's special care.

What I didn't like:
1) Trace. I really didn't enjoy his book and even though he only made relatively small cameo's in this one I still can't stand him! I would have appreciated more cameo's of Dare, dammit!

2) The whole Marla situation. I get why Ms. Foster had a Marla in this book - to make Arizona curious about being intimate with Spencer - but I think there were many more routes she could have taken. Thankfully, Spencer didn't play the Marla card to make Arizona jealous, but it still made for some awkward moments in an otherwise comfortable book.

All in all, it's too bad the whole series wasn't as strong as the first and last books, but at least it went out with a bang!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spencer and Arizona? Just…WOW. They have such insane chemistry, I couldn’t put it down. For real. I read it straight through, in a single day.

Arizona is sharp, feisty, loyal. But she doesn’t understand relationships – both friendly and romantic. And it was wonderful seeing how all of her friends support her, give her the space she needs, and constantly draw her back in.

Spencer is in love with her. But he won’t admit it’s love, because the woman he loved is dead. But he is drawn to her, on a physical and mental level. I loved how he’s always one step ahead of her, and gives her room to push herself and him, but won’t let her leave him.

Arizona might be the strongest heroine that I’ve read. She is comfortable with herself and the decisions she’s made, does her best to deal with her nightmares, and is loyal and works hard to destroy the human trafficking rings that continue to grow. Spencer shows a great respect for her work and her skills, even when the others still treat her a little like a pesky sister.

While they make great partners on a work level, their sexual chemistry was kick-ass. It does take a little while for things to steam up, but (1) it makes sense, given her seriously unhealthy past and (2) it was so worth the wait. The plot really helps set up the romantic development between them, and had enough surprises to keep me engaged. It was also great to revisit characters from the earlier stories, although you don’t have to read them to follow this story. Definitely one of my favorite reads so far this year!

[Fanny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Perfect Storm es el cuarto libro de la saga Mercenarios de Lori Foster y tiene como protagonistas a Spencer y Arizona, personajes que conocemos brevemente en el tercer libro, Savor The Danger.
Desde que Spencer aparecio en el libro anterior me causo mucha curiosidad, principalmente porque era cazarecompensas, ademas cuando descubri que su pareja seria Arizona casi salto de la emocion.
En el libro anterior la autora ya nos da una breve mirada a lo que sera su historia, lo que solo aumento mis ganas de poder leer esta historia.
La forma de ser de la protagonista femenina era lo que mas me llamaba la atencion de esta lectura, no porque las protagonistas anteriores hubieran sido malas, solo que el caracter de Arizona ( y su pasado ) era distinto a lo que ya habia leido con los libros anteriores, aunque reconozco que al principio me costo bastante cogerle cariño, su forma de actuar tan fria y calculadora no me gusto al inicio pero luego se va " ablandando " y consegui llegar a entenderla, ademas que la autora decidiera crear un personaje como ella fue un soplo de aire fresco despues de haber leido sobre tantas protagonistas que actuan como damiselas en apuros.
En conclusion, si te gusta este genero estoy segura de que disfrutaras con A Perfect Storm.

3 Estrellas!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was really well done. As a rule, I don’t generally enjoy reading romance novels about heroines who have been sexually assaulted. I read to be entertained and don’t find it fun to read about that kind of trauma. Plus it’s rare to find a book where the author handles the subject well, giving it enough weight to pay tribute to it as a significant event in the heroine’s life, but not having it be so all-consuming that the heroine is still an emotional wreck whom I can’t believe would be in a position to actually form a relationship with the hero.

So I was pretty nervous about reading this book when the heroine didn’t just survive a rape, but had actually been held by human traffickers for over a month, during which she was repeatedly abused. But I was happily surprised to find that LF managed to thread the needle with Arizona’s past, and her present behavior. The mental scars left by the abuse were present throughout the book, manifesting in several believable hang ups that Arizona and Spencer had to work past in order to have a relationship, but Arizona was also not just a perpetual victim. Since she’d been rescued, she’d taken steps to get training in how to defend herself. She had a collection of weapons. And she’d dedicated her life to seeking out human traffickers and helping to bring their organizations down. And she wasn’t just suicidally determined to put herself in danger because of some deep-seated shame, etc. She was smart, careful and professional about her pursuits. It all came together to make Arizona an interesting, multilayered character who was believably strong, yet also vulnerable. Gold star, Lori!


The story opens with Arizona having broken into the house of one Spencer Lark. She’s watching him sleep and likes what she sees. He wakes up and isn’t particularly surprised to see Arizona.

The backstory is that, after she was held by the traffickers, she managed to escape and was on the run for a while. The traffickers had eventually caught up to her and, after beating her up, had tied her hands and thrown her off a bridge into freezing water to kill her. This was meant to be a message they could use to keep the other girls in line so they wouldn’t try to escape. Jackson, the hero of the previous book, had saved her. Spencer is a bounty hunter who became involved with the case in the previous book and that’s how he and Arizona met. Spencer has been wildly attracted to her from the start, but feels like he’s too old for her (she’s 21 and he’s 32) and he’s also got a dead wife in his past, whom he loved dearly and thus feels like he can never love again. With all that Arizona has been through in her young life, he feels like she deserves better than what he can offer her, but he cares about her and wants her to be happy.

Spencer asks why Arizona is there and she says that she’s just realized it’s her birthday. She’s 21 now, and that makes her “legal.” Arizona is attracted to Spencer too, though she doesn’t really want to have sex with anyone ever again. Her only experience with it was horrific, so she doesn’t understand why anyone would ever want to have sex. Still, she’s drawn to Spencer and likes being around him, but he’s always avoided her in the past because she was too young, hence her wanting to assure him that she’s officially “legal.”

Arizona’s manner of speech is deliberately blunt to the point of crudity. It’s one of her defense mechanisms, to try to show that she knows what’s what. For example, when Spencer first wakes up, he’s got morning wood and she asks him if he’s planning to jerk off and if so, she’ll just step out of the room for a minute. Where another heroine might have turned this scenario into a hot little flirtation, or be blushingly mortified by it, Arizona is frank and it’s meant to show that she knows all about men and their habits so nothing will shock her now. It was a little strange to read at first, but ultimately I thought it was a good choice for Arizona’s character because it showed more about her than she realized. That yes, she knew what parts men had and what they do with them, but in so many ways she was still an innocent. She’d see the darkest, most base and impersonal side of sex, but she’d never experienced love, passion, pleasure, etc.

Spencer was a good match for Arizona throughout the book. He was patient with her, admiring of her spirit, and willing to let things be her way. But at the same time, he still displayed all the usual qualities you’d expect to see in a romance novel hero. He was protective of her and ready to jump in and pummel anyone who tried to hurt her. He burned for her whenever they were close, even when he was determined not to cross that line with her, and jealous whenever she said something that made him suspect she had feelings for someone else. So he wasn’t just a beta hero being dragged around by the heroine. He was a well-rounded character who came across as strong enough to let her have her way, because that’s what she needed in order to feel safe.

Aside from telling him it was her birthday, Arizona is also there to ask for Spencer’s help. She’s identified a certain bar as a likely front for human trafficking and she wants to investigate, but she’s not stupid enough to try to do it on her own. Spencer agrees to help her, but she makes him promise not to tell Jackson. Ever since Jackson saved Arizona from drowning, he’s been like a protective older brother to her. And she knows that if he finds out, he’ll want to cut her out of the operation.

Spencer asks Arizona to stay at his house with him for the duration of the operation, so that he can protect her. She doesn’t agree at first but does eventually end up staying with him. Spencer tells Dare and Trace about the operation because he wants to be sure he and Arizona have the backup they need. Arizona’s big plan is to use herself as bait to lure in the traffickers, and there’s no way Spencer wants to take any chances of her being taken for real. Arizona reluctantly agrees to having Trace and Dare involved.

While she’s staying with Spencer, they start inching closer to each other. Spencer tries to hold himself back but when it becomes clear that he’s the only man Arizona has felt comfortable enough with that she’s become interested in kissing and such, his desire to help her get past her demons overrides his feelings that he shouldn’t touch her. He still thinks he’s too old for her and that his heart is unavailable because of his dead wife, so he thinks of it as helping her heal so that she can go on to have a real relationship with someone else…even as he rebels against the idea of anyone else ever touching her.

There’s also some business with Spencer’s next door neighbor. An older woman with whom Spencer has slept with on occasion but isn’t interested in having a relationship. She’s not ready to give up, though. Spencer is apparently a god in bed and she’d had marriage on her mind. So when the young and exceedingly beautiful Arizona suddenly turns up, she’s pissed. The neighbor keeps trying to manufacture reasons for Spencer to need to come over to her house, leaks in the roof, a tree branch down in her driveway, etc. Spencer finds this awkward but Arizona just speaks frankly to the neighbor and offers to help remove the tree branch for her.

Spencer and Arizona go to the bar and Arizona dolls herself up and wears an outfit meant to catch the male gaze. Trace and Dare watch from the outside as backup. Arizona sits at the bar getting ogled by everyone and says she needs a job. The seedy bartender and other employees immediately take notice of her and start trying to get her drunk, while invading her space and touching her unnecessarily. She plays along, while Spencer watches from a booth on the other side of the bar, itching with the need to pummel these guys. There’s also a particular waiter there, Quin, who looks about 16 and Arizona suspects that he’s an immigrant who’s being forced to work for free. He’s too terrified to answer any of her questions so she slips her phone number into his pocket and says to call her if he needs help.

The head sleazebag takes Arizona to a table and while she’s there, another guy comes up to her. He’s quiet and unassuming and he has drawn some pictures of her. He tries to warn her that she doesn’t want to work there, that it’s dangerous, but the sleazebag chases him off. Then he tries to force Arizona out the back door. She knows she can’t go with him, both because it’s dangerous and because Spencer will go berserk and end up blowing her cover. But then the timid guy runs up to them with more pictures he’s drawn and trips the sleazebag, who falls into someone else. This caps off a bar fight and in the ensuing chaos, Arizona runs outside but gets waylaid by one of the other bad guys, who pulls her into a room down the alley. She pretends to be drunker than she is and offers to show him a good time in exchange for not being hurt, then she breaks his fingers. Spencer arrives in time to hear her apparently bartering herself in exchange for safety and sees red. He beats the bad guy unconscious, then he and Arizona go back to his house.

She’s exhilarated by the whole thing. She feels great for having broken that guy’s fingers, and all the bad guys ended up getting arrested. Spencer isn’t as happy. Arizona had gotten backhanded during the bar fight, which he doesn’t like, and he was terrified when he’d come out of the bar and not found her, worried that she’d been spirited away to be abused. Arizona comes onto Spencer but he refuses her, since she’s been drinking. Next day they finally have sex for real. Here Arizona explains that she needs to be on top because being on her back with a man looming over her caused a panicked reaction for her. He agrees and they both enjoy the sex immensely. They end up doing it multiple times after that. Then when Spencer is in the shower, Arizona gets a call from Quin asking for help and saying that he needs to meet with her. They arrange a meeting and Arizona doesn’t tell Spencer about it.

They go to a party with Trace, Dare, Jackson and their wives, as well as the one gay guy in the group, Matt. It’s a birthday party for Arizona and they all give her gifts of things they think she should want if she was “normal.” But Matt gives her a particular knife that she’d gushed about earlier in the book and she’s ecstatic. Spencer is a bit jealous that she wasn’t as enthusiastic about his gift, but even more angry because Matt gave her a gift that is associated with danger, when he and all the other men have been trying to keep Arizona away from danger, to protect her.

Spencer is called away to look at some computer program and while he’s gone Arizona and the other men engage in a sparring session. They’re actually impressed with how well she does. But then, just as Spencer is coming back, Jackson tackles Arizona so that she ends up on her back, with him between her legs. She starts to panic and Spencer hauls Jackson off of her and then goes over the top yelling at him, trying to keep the attention focused on him, so that Arizona has time to compose herself because he knows she’d hate for everyone to see her freaking out. Everyone else figures out what he’s doing, so they play along. Arizona then heads into the house to change clothes.

After she’s gone, everyone in the group expresses regret for what just happened. Jackson most especially feels guilty and wants to apologize, but Spencer points out that it would just make it worse. That she’d hate for them to look at her like she’s weak. Matt then reams them all out, saying that they all still treat her like she’s weak. That they’re trying to force her to be what they want her to be, and to be safe, but that’s not who she is. She wants to help bring down human traffickers, just like the men do, and they’re trying to hold her back. That the gifts they’d given her today just prove that they want to change her instead of respecting who she is. Everyone feels uncomfortable and realizes that it’s true.

Back home Spencer and Arizona have another sex-filled night and then they fall asleep. When Spencer wakes up the next day, he finds that Arizona is gone. His neighbor comes by and gives him an envelope. She says that Arizona left it with her and told her to give it to him in a few hours, but she’d read it and felt he should have it now. In it Arizona explains about her meeting with Quin and that she can totally handle it on her own, but she know he’ll insist on being there as her backup so her only request is that he follow her lead and not just run in guns blazing. Spencer is terrified that she went in alone and calls the other men.

Meanwhile Arizona has gone to the meeting spot with Quin, knowing that it was a trap. Quin apologizes and says that the bad guys have his sister so he didn’t have a choice. Then she’s pulled into an abandoned pawn shop. The timid guy who’d given her the drawings the night of the bar fight is there. He’s got a split personality and planned to take her to his remote farm to be his personal sex slave forever. Apparently it’s something he’s done with other girls, after the traffickers got done with them. By then they’re so broken and beaten down that when he shows them a little kindness, they’re just SO grateful to him. He expects Arizona to be grateful too, because he “saved” her from a similar fate by starting that bar fight.

Arizona’s got the whole situation under control, and she even knows when Spencer and the other men arrive and gives them the “don’t come in yet” signal. They’re all impressed and stay outside. While they wait, the men talk about how they don’t understand why she did things this way, instead of calling them in from the start. Spencer explains that it was the only way they’d ever respect her for her own skills. That they were so busy trying to keep her safe, that they never acknowledged that she can take care of herself. They all reluctantly admit this is true and that her pulling this off her way actually HAS garnered their respect.

The bad guys ultimately get defeated and Trace and Dare agree to having Arizona work with them, as an equal partner. Spencer also accepts their invitation to work with them. Spencer and Arizona exchange ILYs and they sell his house and move into a place of their own. HEA.

All in all I was pretty happy with this one. Arizona’s behavior was believable and she and Spencer worked through her issues in a realistic way. I was irritated at the end when she ran off to the meeting with the bad guys on her own, thinking that she’d suddenly become TSTL, but then I realized, along with the other characters, why she’d done it and that it actually HAD been the only way for her to get them to take her seriously. Plus she actually DID have everything under control. She hadn’t just been recklessly rushing in with no plan and ultimately needing to be rescued. Just a solidly written story all round.

[Anna's Herding Cats · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for herding cats & burning soup.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2iehLgm

When I need a guaranteed good read Lori Foster is one of my go to authors and she so did it again with A Perfect Storm. Oh I had a good time as Arizona and Spencer's paths, once again, cross and they end up working together--no matter the dangers--to expose a human smuggling ring. Something they both desperately need before they can move on with their lives. It was an exciting ride and one that had me easily falling for both Arizona and Spencer before I realized.

Arizona's a young heroine that just tugged at my heart. She cares so strongly for others that sometimes she forgets her own safety and has 'oh-what-were-you-thinking'? moments but I still really liked her. She's alone in the world and dealing with a past trauma of falling into the hands of sex traffickers and gah she just about did me in with all she's been through. And that she's survived. She's got a tremendous strength about her and is way too old for her years in some ways but in others she's very innocent and curious about life and relationships. I loved the different sides of her and seeing them come out with Spencer. She definitely gave the older man a run for his money and kept him on his toes.

Yes. Spencer. Oh he was yummy. Spencer was a calming influence for Arizona. He's a good bit older and one that never reacted how she thought he would. He's not one to rile or anger easily and just accepts her for who she is. He had his own demons but he was there for Arizona and wanted to help her through her issues and curiosities. And oh how I loved that. There were some rather entertaining moments like when he'd try to answer her questions about sex and wind up getting himself all worked up instead which just tickled me something fierce.

While the bad guy was pretty obvious it was still a fun ride watching things play out. Not everything turned out quite like I was expecting which made for a good time. There was enough danger and conflict to keep things interesting and that provided a nice backdrop for the romance unfolding.

All in all, A Perfect Storm was a very nice romantic suspense that balanced both elements nicely and kept me excited and ready for more. I loved the romance, the characters and watching them find what they were looking for and never realized.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of my reviews @ www.obsessionwithbooks.blogspot.com

ARC kindly received by Netgalley.

A Perfect Storm is the fourth book in the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series by Lori Foster

Arizona Storm at the age of 17 was sold to traffickers by her own flesh and blood and after a harrowing ordeal managed to escape but not unscathed.

We learn bits about feisty Arizona, her past and her quest for vengeance in Book 3 Savor the Danger where she was rescued and protected by Jackson Savor as well as given a proper education. Arizona is tortured, unpredictable and ready to bolt when things get tough but there was also vulnerability about her and all she seemed to want was acceptance and to belong, I really felt for her as a character and the life she has had to live, it was heart wrenching to read her story but also nice seeing the progress she was making to reclaim her life.

Bounty Hunter Spencer Lark has spent 3 years grieving his murdered wife but since meeting Arizona has had a soft spot for her fragility and yearns to protect her, it didn’t hurt that he was also fiercely attracted to her not only for her stunning looks but also for her bravery but their age difference played on his mind (she is 21, he is 32) as did his need for no commitment.

As with each of the books in this series, we see the team tracking down those who deal in human trafficking and putting a stop to their illegal operations but this time we see Arizona put herself in direct danger by using herself as a lure to bring the bad guys out.

A Perfect Storm moved at a quick and even pace, with an interesting and enjoyable plot and characters you can’t help but love. I thoroughly enjoy the action scenes and the romance is so sweet and progressed at a realistic pace.

The characters from each of the other books in the series played an important role; Trace and Priss, Dare and Molly, Jackson and Alani as well as Chris are a great supporting cast and it’s always nice to read updates on each of them.

I really enjoy Lori Foster’s writing style and the sexy alpha men she writes about, she writes romance and action in a way that holds my attention and keeps me wanting more.

All in all, Lori Foster ticks all the boxes for me with A Perfect Storm - a wonderful sexy Alpha, a feisty yet loveable heroine, an interesting cast of secondary characters and a storyline that keeps me wanting more from this wonderful series.

Books in order:

1. When You Dare
2. Trace of Fever
3. Savor the Danger
4. The Perfect Storm

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This latest book in the series is to me more of a character driven story than action and suspense. Now I am not saying there is anything wrong with that because I think it was the best way to write Arizona's story. I think Ms Foster did an outstanding job with Arizona and Spencer's story.

Arizona was sold by her father to a human trafficking ring. She endured many horrors during this time and after months managed to escape only to be caught again and thrown off a bridge to die. She was saved by Jackson who took her in and sent her off to school to try not only giving her an education but also some lessons on how to be a young lady.

In Jackson's book all she wanted was to kill the woman who took her all those years ago. But Spencer had his own plans for revenge as she was also remotely responsible for his wife's death. He was the one to kill her in the end and Arizona felt he robbed her of the revenge that she felt she needed to bring closure to that part of her life.

We find Arizona sitting on Spencer's bed watching him sleep after breaking into his place. She is so full of conflicted emotions. It’s her birthday and she is physically 21 but we the reader can see that in some ways she is very much older than that and in others can see that she still has all the insecure thinking of a young lady with the added confusion on relationships and sex of someone that was sexual abused.

She has come to Spence because she thinks she has found another human trafficking ring and she wants Spence to be her back up. This is a huge step for Arizona to ask for help and to even share her feelings.

Spencer struggles with his feelings for Arizona. One the one hand he finds her extremely attractive but he also knows she is 11 years younger than him and he still thinks he isn’t over his wife. But he also knows that she doesn’t give trust easy and she always seems to have her nose in trouble and needs someone watching her back.

From here we get to watch as Spence tries to get Arizona comfortable with intimacy but always with the understanding that he was not the long term man for her. It was very amusing to watch Spence squirm with the sex questions Arizona would ask - she is very blunt and to the point :)

It was a great emotion journey we took with Arizona as she faced alot of her fears not only in having sex with Spence but also with the team and their wives on building a family bond.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been waiting for this book to come out since the character of Arizona Storm was introduced. I was really excited to read it and also a little nervous that she would get the book that she deserved. I should be ashamed of myself for not having more faith in Foster's abilities.

Arizona Storm has had a really tough life and knows that the one thing that will her to move on with her life is to make sure that what happened to her doesn't happen to anyone else. So despite the men in her life's (Trace, Dare and Jackson from the previous three books) desire to keep her safe and protected, Arizona goes out to stop human traffickers. When she finds a potential trafficking ring, she decides to find someone who can help her take them down. Enter Spencer (Spence) Lark. He's a bounty hunter that has loose connections with the alpha trio. He also is having a hard time controlling himself when around Arizona and when she asks him to partner with her he can't do anything except yes. Especially since whenever he's around her, his brain turns to mush. Spencer also takes it upon himself to help Arizona become more comfortable around men and this leads to some really great scenes.

I really admire Foster for putting this story out and doing such a great job of addressing some serious issues. Some authors might have just glossed over Arizona's past and made her just "be happy". However, Foster took the time to think about how an abused and mistreated woman would go about trying to move on with her life and regain her sexuality and trust in people again. I'm really glad she did so because otherwise the book wouldn't have felt genuine.

Also great was seeing the alpha male trio again. It was like meeting an old friend for drinks and catching up on their lives. I loved seeing them with their other halves and getting a glimpse at their happiness. Chris was also a nice male specimen and I only wish that he could have his own book. Maybe even a short story in an anthology or something, but I think he deserves a happily ever after. Especially after all the help he gave to the men and women in the book.

Great series, and I definitely suggest reading it if you enjoy romantic suspense. This book gets a double thumbs up and 5 stars from me!

Thanks to netgalley for giving me this copy to read and review, compliments of Harlequin

[E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars!
“A Perfect Storm” by Lori Foster is the latest in her enjoyable series about the mercenaries (Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor) who have taken on those who perpetrate the heinous crimes of sex trafficking. Arizona is a young woman who was rescued from one such horrible situation by Jackson Savor but has never really had a normal life. She has been gathered into the family consisting of Jackson, his partners and their respective mates but still feels the burning need to avenge herself as well free other victims caught in the same horrific trap. Spencer Lark is a bounty hunter who has crossed paths with the tight-knit group and Arizona feels that he stole her revenge away when he dealt with the woman in charge of one of the horrible organizations. Spencer is startled to discover that the emotionally damaged young woman has blossomed into an adult who has honed her skills with all manner of lethal weapons but hasn’t quite healed from the damages to her psyche. His protective instincts war with his attraction to the female that he feels is too young and fragile for his own self-protective style of personal relationships. Spencer has his own demons to fight and scars of his own to deal with but Arizona just might force them to find a way to heal each other even as they search for a comfortable working relationship with Jackson and and his colleagues.

A great addition to a very entertaining series about extremely competent mercenary men who have made it their mission to free as many victims and destroy as many sex and forced labor trafficking rings as possible. Arizona is an enchanting mixture of competent self-confident fighter (I thought I had a lot of things necessary for being prepared in my car trunk!) and insecure damaged former victim. Spencer is a rough-edged protector who wants to compensate for some of the horrors that she has experienced yet has his own issues, not least of which is dealing with Arizona’s self-appointed guardian and colleagues. A testament to the healing power of taking action to combat or eliminate past traumas and the importance of a good support group. A sizzling and heart-warming read that also gives cameos of favorites from the previous stories in the series (2- and 4-footed) while drawing a beautiful portrait of courage.

[Paranormal Kiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Perfect Storm is the fourth book in the “Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor” series by Lori Foster. My favorite of the series, hands down.

A Perfect Storm focuses on Arizona and Spencer, characters that were first introduced in the previous book, Savor the Danger. If you’ve read the series you will be familiar with both Arizona and Spencer.
Arizona is an awesome character. She broke my heart and her courage and strength made me cheer her on. She’s had a difficult childhood and a horrible experience with abuse, yet nothing could beat down her spirit. She is so strong but has moments of vulnerability that will break your heart. Lori Foster really took the time to breathe life into her character and she jumps off the page.

Arizona's love interest is Spencer and what a hero he is! If you’re like me you’ll fall in love with him and wish for a Spencer of your very own. He is so perfect for Arizona and so good to her. Their romance was a true joy to read.

Lori Foster really nailed it with this one. It’s been awhile since I rated a book 5 stars but for me this one hit all the right buttons. I absolutely loved it. It has everything you could ask for in a romantic suspense and more. It is touching at times and heart wrenching at others. The suspense blends seamlessly with the romance and keeps you glued to the pages. It is exciting, fast paced and completely engrossing. You’ll be hard-pressed to put this book down once you start. I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning to finish it and it was well worth the lack of sleep.

The Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series would be best enjoyed if you read them in order. This book and the entire series is highly recommended for fans of Romantic Suspense.

*ARC provided for review purposes.

[Valia Lind · Rating 5 out of 5]

*SQUEEE*
Full review to come :)

A Perfect Storm is the fourth book in Lori's Men Who Walk on the Edge of Honor series. This is the story of Arizona and Spencer. Can I just say I've been antsy to get my hands on this book? So very excited.
Now, the story follows Arizona as she is struggling to live a life without fear. Imprisoned by human traffickers she trusts no one and fends for herself. However, with Spencer things are different. He pushes past her limits, forcing her to learn how to live again. The growing attraction between them is ever present, but Spencer fights tooth and nail against acting on it. Arizona insists on putting herself in danger and Spencer dubs himself her knight in shining armor.
One of the things I adore about this book is the personal growth both of the characters go through. Arizona needs to learn how to trust and love, but she also doesn't need protection from the bad man of the world. She's a fighter. Spencer, oh Spencer, the gorgeous perfection of male existence. *fans self* He must learn how to love and trust as well, allowing the woman he's falling for to make her own decisions. The partnership these two develop is strong and true. I loved watching them bicker and fight, while struggling not to fall in love.
Once again, Lori creates a couple that is envied and adored. She takes real problems, creates real characters and makes you fall in love with every page.
A Perfect Storm comes out March 27! If you're looking for romance, adventure, and amazing writing, this books is for you.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sigh…I can remember the very first Lori Foster book I read: Simon Says. That book hooked me to all things Lori Foster. I loved her writing style, her passionate characters, her descriptive words; the way she created such an amazing story had me spellbound.

Nothing has changed. Lori Foster still has it. She has created a favorite series that screams ALPHA male and her books are addictive.

These men are not just hot bodies who carry guns, kick ass when necessary, and have mad skills in the bedroom (or elsewhere…). But they have a sense of humor, loyalty, and mad skills in the bedroom (AND elsewhere, lol).


They fight to protect their women-no matter what. And their women are heroines worthy of their men.


Arizona has survived kidnapping, abuse above our imaginations, and has such an emotional strength that is phenomenal. She is a born survivor intent on making those responsible for their terrible sins pay dearly.

Spencer Lark is determined to show Arizona how not to fear a man’s touch. HIS TOUCH. But finds himself not wanting to let her go.

From page one, with Spencer lying in bed and Arizona sitting in the dark watching him…you can feel their connection. Lori has uber skills at providing the reader with a palpable sexual spark and weaves humor in the most surprising ways.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fans of the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series you will not be disappointed in this latest installment. It might be my favorite so far.

Arizona got a story? Oh ya I loved Arizona when we met her in Savor the Danger. Jackson rescued her when human trafficiers threw her over a bridge so she would drown to death but I never thought she would get her own story. I am so glad she did. Dare, Trace, and Jackson treat her like a troublesome but loved little sister but Spencer doesn’t. He may believe he is too old for her but that does not stop his thoughts about her sexually.

Spencer wants to help heal Arizona’s emotional scars. She is unable to think that sex or anything in a relationship can be good or pleasurable. Spencer is determined to change her mind. I loved the bet he made with her. It was brilliant. Everytime Arizona cursed, she owned him a kiss. Arizona is determined not to curse but she is not perfect. It’s great.

This book had the two main characters grow emotionally while trying to end another human trafficking ring that Arizona uncovered. She wants Spencer as a partner to take them down because she sees him as an equal. Now all the boys need to realize what the fabulous Chris already knew. Arizona is capable of protecting herself and how her life has shaped her into a strong woman. It is a fun to see Jackson and Spencer squirm until they do.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm really surprised people liked this book as much as they did. I just found it creepy. The heroine (Arizona) is barely 21, but acts 13 (to give her credit, she does have a reason to). Her horrific past is the main topic of the book, so it is obviously mentioned often, but that just made it all the more uncomfortable to read. Especially when she is having sex with someone who is more than 10 years older than her. I just can't believe that someone who was recently raped repeatedly would find it that easy to jump into a healthy, adult relationship. The whole book felt inappropriate and bordered on incestuous. I give it 2.5 stars only because I really liked Spencer as the hero. I wish the author would have given him an actual healthy adult to have a real relationship with.

[Tabatha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another huge hit for me with this last installment of the series! I know everyone is swooning over Spencer, but what made this book so great for me was hands down Arizona. I had really high expectations for the conclusion of the series, and Foster didn't disappoint me in the least. The only thing I wanted that I didn't get in the end, was the name of Alani and Jackson's baby! lol I don't know why it mattered to me not knowing the name, but it did!