Hard and Fast

Fortis #2

by Raven Scott

A covert ops specialist, a cyber-surveillance expert, and an unmatched international security and recovery pro. These are the men of Fortis. When money is no object, discretion is essential, and the police are not an option, the wealthy and powerful call on this trio of former government agents with elite military training—not to mention charm and good looks…

With his tech brilliance, lethal physical abilities, and easygoing manner, Lucas Johnson is a triple threat. And that’s exactly what Magnus Motorsport needs to protect their game-changing engine design, and its engineer, Alex Cotts, from hackers and saboteurs. Lucas isn’t expecting any surprises—until he discovers Alex is actually a sexy, irresistible woman…

In a male-dominated industry, Alex has always tried to hide her alluring femininity. But Lucas has no trouble seeing her beauty—or her stubborn streak. Alex is convinced she doesn’t need him to babysit her—or distract her with his sex appeal. Yet when a suspicious fire destroys Alex’s work, she finds herself turning to him. In the face of increasing danger, soon Lucas must keep her alive, as his client—and as the only woman he’s ever truly wanted…

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 29, 2015

Reviews

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.



BASICS

Love triangle? No.
Cheating? No.
HEA? YES.
Any Descriptive Sex w/OW/OM/Ex? No.
Would I read more by this author/or in this series? Yes.
Rating: 4 stars.

Review

Wow, it's been awhile since I've read such an action and mystery packed read. I enjoyed it a lot and couldn't put it down. At first I didn't know what to expect but at the end, I'm really glad I got to read such an amazing book. There is quite some cyber talk, since Lucas is a cyber-surveillance expert and I was surprised by how much I actually understood it. But when it came to the car talk, that's a different story.

The book is told in dual POV, the plot is as described in blurb and I would say that the main part of the story is action/mystery. As far as the romance part goes, there wasn't really much of it there. Yes, there were some sexy scenes here and there but I couldn't quite believe in their love at the end. Since there is sadly no epilogue, I felt like the drama before ruined the ending. The conclusion and confession of their feelings was too abrupt and not believable to me. That's why I gave the story only four stars and not five. That being said, I still liked all the characters. I hope the rest of the guys get their stories.

I loved Alex. She's a strong character, who knows what she wants from live and goes for it. Even life threatening situations won't drive her from her course. Also, she's really stubborn, intelligent and thrives to prove herself as a female engineer. Near the end she does something reckless that brings herself into trouble but in the end it all works out for her.



Now, when it comes to Lucas's character I'm still not fully sure what to think about him. I didn't like him at the end very much, because of how he acted and felt about Alex. He does redeem himself but for me it was all too quick to be believable. He does a good job protecting her and I enjoyed reading about his hacking abilities.



All in all, this is a great read I'd recommend. :)

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC received for review

Me again...didn't read the first book in this series, but didn't need to.

It was slow, so slow and I now know way more about electric cars and their batteries than I wanted to. There was not a lot of chemistry between Lucas and Alex. When they were together they were hot, but in between just blah. Even chasing the bad guys was pretty boring. Plus there are a whole lot of secondary Fortis employees introduced that kept getting in the way of the story. I guess Ms. Scott wants this series to go farther than the three owners.

[Alyse · Rating 2 out of 5]

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I think this book had a lot of potential. I thought the premise sounded good and it seemed well researched ( I only say that because I have NO NOTHING about cars, but it seemed legit lol).

But I had two problems with this book. First, I thought it was kinda drawn out and slow. There seemed to be long periods of time where nothing was happening in both plot and with the characters. Which leads to my second problem with this book: the lead characters.

To me, there was no real character development with Alex and Lucas. They seemed to be the same at the beginning that they were at the end. Not necessarily a problem, but they didn't grow as individuals or as a "couple". (If that makes any sense...) I didn't feel any romance or sexual tension between these two. It was like they were just convenient so why not!? The "romance" of this book just fell so flat for me... but so did the "suspense".

Also, it got rather annoying to be CONSTANTLY reminded that Alex isn't a "typical female" or "feminine" because she works with cars and has more guy friends then girl friends. Umm... I have a lot of guy friends too but I don't define my "femininity" by my friends or anyone else's standards of what "being female/feminine" means. It was a shame to have a strong, capable female character question that because of what a few people have said to her...

Rating: 2 out of 5

**I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.**

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corporate espionage has never been sexier, Hard and Fast brings the steam to this marvelous new romantic suspense.

Alex is the brains behind a technological breakthrough in electric car engines and some will do anything to obtain it.

Lucas’ company is hired as security by Alex’s boss. The count down for the big reveal has upped the stakes and the race is on to take away the prize.

As the danger increases, Alex must rely on Lucas for her survival.

This is a brilliant twisting plot that suck you in and engage you till the very end. With racing, mystery, romance, and lots of twist, Hard and Fast was a win, win for me all the way around.

I received this ARC copy of Hard and Fast from Kensington Books - Dafina in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication Dec. 29, 2015.

[Patsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I somewhat enjoyed parts of the book, I had to skip over several pages at a time because it dwelt too much on the back story and not on Lucas and Alex. There was no developing of the relationship other than having great sex. the technical parts of the story made it boring to me. Even though I give thiis book a 3.5 rating, I would still like to read the next book in the series.

[Juliette Boulware · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action packed I was guessing til the end.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW

Okay so I love Raven Scott. I have read the first book in the Fortis series and this one did not disappoint. It's not necessary to read the first book in the series, each is a stand alone.

I fell in love with Alex, she is a one woman storm, she is an automotive engineer out to design the best most reliable electric production car to use a minimal amount of gas possible. Alex has done it, she has developed the engine she has the batteries all they have to do is reveal the final product. The only problem is the engine is top secret and the computer servers that held all the information was hacked into, luckily Fortis was on the job hacker/computer wiz extraordinaire Lucas has already shut them out once and now the rest of the forces at Fortis is tracking down who was behind the attempt at corporate espionage. The issues slowly escalate from hacking to fire and more.

Lucas definitely wasn't looking for anything more than a good time, but after once kiss with the delectable Alex has him wishing for more and willing to risk his life for her. Alex being in a male dominated career is no stranger to playboys and she didn't want to fall for Lucas but he shows her she can be loved just as she is.

Overall, this was a great read, you can tell Raven Scott put a lot of effort into her research and I for one always appreciate that. This book is great for me I love cars and I love Alex being the engineer behind the electric car. I also am a little bit of a geek and love a big and strong hacker.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! While the title maybe Hard and Fast this is a slow easy read from beginning to end. Seriously, though this is a great book, with alpha male men and a strong woman or two. The main character is the strongest. Nothing hotter than a man who can take care of a woman, even if she's independent!

Lucas and Lex have lots of time to bond after their first meeting doesn't end the way he wanted it to. He cannot forget her and she cannot forget him.

Alex is a woman in a man's sport and is going to unleash the power a woman can bring in just a few short months but someone wants to stop her and wants to steal her project. Lucas and FORTIS have been hired to make sure that doesn't happen.

He doesn't mess around with security and she is not a fan of it. This back and forth goes on and on until she realizes that she is in a very serious life and death situation. Will he be able to keep her safe?

If you love covert/security ops, military, romance, mercenary stuff this is for you. Completely entertaining, always engaging and never a dull moment, this is a fantastic book.

I received an ARC for an honest review.

[Cardyn Brooks]

There's so much to enjoy about Alexandria and Lucas as individuals in addition to their interactions of their way to couplehood. First, everything about Hard and Fast resonates as truly 21st-century contemporary: a diverse cast of characters, backstories, the circumstances of the precipitating events as the source for professional conflict, etc. It's two TSTL moments involving Alex that left me unable to assign a starred rating despite my overall enjoyment of Hard and Fast, and my confidence in recommending it to any reader who enjoys contemporary romance that feels completely present-day.

Hard to Handle can't arrive quickly enough for me.

[a few proofreading oversights in H & F: one sentence where a character named Hernandez is then referred to as Fernandez in the next line; missing articles, and the occasional incorrect verb tense or word derivation]

[Chakeira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I liked this book. It was my first time reading this author. I didn't read the first book in this series. I found this book at a local bookstore for a pretty good price and it sounded interesting. The romance aspect of it was rushed and only got a few glimpses of the attraction between the two main characters. The book was longer than it needed to be I think. The suspense aspect was super slow, not a lot of action or intrigue. I guess this would be a good read for anyone who reads a lot of romance novels but would like to dip their toe into suspense novels as well.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really liked this one. Alex was such a kickass character that didn't pull her punches from the beginning. I guess it comes from being a female mechanical engineer.

And I loved the fact that she was this genius who was designing an electric motor for a racecar. That was just awesome.

The book itself was action packed and moved at such a quick pace, I had a hard time putting it down.

Lucas was also a likeable character. Not like Evan in the last book, who I didn't really warm to.

[Georgina Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The novel was a very engaging. I didn't feel any dragging moments and the characters were believable. There are novels that I have read, where the characters seemed vague and unrelatable. I didn't have this issue. The book read like a movie script that I would enjoy watching on a big screen. Definitely would recommend.

[Cala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really excited about the storyline. Woman auto engineer revolutionizing the industry. But, kinda slow and boring. Skimmed through a lot. Lots of potential just not very exciting.

[Kim Short · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this

I like the characters and how they interact with one another. I like how the story builds and the suspense rises. The romance is very vivid and hot.

[Rhapsody Phoenix · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read (3.5 stars)

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

This book has kept me intrigued from beginning to end. You will not be disappointed reading this!! I would definitely recommend this to others...the whole series.

[Jasmine]

Couldn't get into it, to finish it.

[Stevie Carroll · Rating 2 out of 5]

Previously reviewed on The Good, The Bad, and The Unread:

I’m wary of motorsport romances by new-to-me authors. I don’t tend to follow US motorsport series, and I’m cautious of jumping into series romances partway through. However, I put all my reservations aside when promised a story with an engineer heroine. I even forced myself not to get too cross with the author’s apparent fear of the word ‘said’ and the apparent swallowing of a thesaurus that had been required to fill all those otherwise empty dialogue tags. So was it worth it?

Sadly, for the most part the answer is no. Alex (or Lex, depending on setting) is a very contradictory heroine. She doesn’t want to appear feminine or to hang out with female friends, yet the first time we meet her, she’s wearing thigh boots with uncomfortable heels – while out at her friend’s bachelor party. Why, oh why, if we’re going to have a non-feminine heroine with blokes for friends, can’t we also see her out on the town in jeans and Doc Martens – or chinos and Chelsea boots if something a little more formal is required? She and Lucas, the hero, have an instant attraction, which they fail to act on. Quite fortunate really, since the next day Lucas finds out that the Lex he met socially is actually Alex the engineer and part of the team he’s supposed to be guarding.

Alex and her team have developed a potentially world-changing electric engine and plan to enter a car fitted with the prototype in an upcoming race. Their work is sabotaged, but Alex is convinced she can rebuild the engine – by herself, no less – in time for the race. Alex, as the developer, is obviously the only trustworthy member of the team. She, Lucas and Lucas’ colleagues move to a safe house where Alex can get on with her work and angst over whether or not to act on the attraction we keep being told she and Lucas have for each other. I really didn’t get any impression of where this attraction came from, to be honest.

Alex is convinced that any relationship that might develop with Lucas won’t last, because she’s never met a man who can cope with a woman like her. Lucas, meanwhile, has a whole heap of angst of his own, alongside the occasional lapse of judgement that could almost put him into the ‘Too Stupid To Live’ box if I’d ever seen that used for heroes rather than heroines.

Besides not believing in the protagonists’ feelings for each other, I find it very hard to get a handle on their defining skills. Lucas is supposed to be a brilliant coder as well as a security specialist and fighter, but mostly we see things not going his way. Alex has invented this amazing engine which she can rebuild all by herself away from the car, but I couldn’t get a handle on what aspects it has that are better than or different from either the hybrid engines used in F1 or the all-electric engines used in Formula E. I won’t be picking up any more from this series, I’m afraid.

[Adria's Musings · Rating 2 out of 5]

Originally posted on Adria's Romance Reviews

* A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for the purpose of an honest review.

Engineer Alex Cotts can hold her own in the male dominated motorsports industry but when a new engine design becomes the target hackers and saboteurs, her employers know she and the design need to be protected. Enter Lucas Johnson, brilliant techie, lethal fighter and a seemingly nice guy who thought his client was a man, not an attractive woman. With someone desperate to destroy Alex’s hard work and possibly her in the process, Lucas has to stay as close to her as possible and that brings all kinds of complications.


So Hard and Fast wasn’t really my cup of tea and the problems began very early on.


Alex spent most of the story in the background, only coming forward when it came time to have sex or progress the emotional part of the book. Lucas and his team had all the fun chasing bad guys, fighting, solving puzzles. I wish Alex had had an actual role in solving her own problem rather than just sitting pretty in the background working on her project. Another issue I had with her is that she couldn’t decide who she was outside of her job! Did she want to be feminine? Did she not want to be feminine? I don’t like heroines who are grown but have the identity issues of a teenager which is how I felt about Alex. The constant reminders that Alex wasn’t “feminine” or wasn’t a “typical female” grated a bit because it was repetitive but also because I felt like this character’s femininity was being defined by her job and the fact that most of her friends were male.

Then there was Lucas who seemed to suffer from something similar. He was supposed to be this brilliant coder, security specialist and fighter, yet he never actually proved that to me. So many things backfired or just flat out went wrong that he seemed more like a rookie out on his first job. I also found him to be too detached from Alex. I get that he had to keep his head on straight while trying to protect her from an unknown assailant but when she was in real danger it’s like he didn’t feel too terrified for her. I was more convinced that he didn’t care for her based on his actions. I just didn’t feel, much less believe that there was any kind of romance between him and Alex.

Another big issue was that the author felt the need to detail unimportant happenings which really slowed down the pace of Hard and Fast. There were a lot of scenes that were not important to the overall development of the plot or characters yet those were the scenes that dragged on and on.

Final Verdict: For a romantic suspense Hard and Fast moved at a snail’s pace and had very little in the way of character development and romance. It had a lot of potential but the execution just fell flat.

[Red · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book and here is my review.

Good story, good writing, good book. Raven Scott is a strong writer and I am looking forward to read more of her stories.

I particularly liked that the author seems to have done her research in terms of race/car industry and engineering. I never felt it was just a superficial attribute of the lead female lead character, I always felt that Alex knew what she was doing and was impressed how badass good she was at her job.

What I could totally have done without is the whole "I am SO SO not like other "feminine" girls" thing that went on a little bit with Alex. It was really annoying. I get that Alex felt more at ease with guys cause she grew up with 3 brothers and her career field was mostly male populated, but what does that has to do with being "feminine" or like other girls when it come to relationships? And they may not be as many as men, but there ARE women in engineering jobs and mechanical industries. So that was the one little thing that annoyed me with Alex. I also thought her emotional reaction by the end of the book that lead her be careless was a bit of a cheap move by the writer. Especially seeing as Alex had been quite level headed throughout the whole situation, to have her behave so stupid was disappointing.

I enjoyed learning about more Fortis agent too. Lucas was a very sexy and cool romantic interest.

I liked the pace of the action, and also the way the plot and the romantic relationship developed.

[Amaryllis Turman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for honest review

I thought the story was OK. I cannot complain, but it was a little lackluster for me. Part of the reason is that it was hard for me to get into the story.

The mystery/conflict surrounding the attempted theft of the engine did not impact me because I could not understand the importance of it. I do not know much about racing even though my hubby is a Formula One fan. When they were trying to explain, I found myself more confused because exclamation seem very technical. Even so, bravo for the author doing her research so thoroughly (added a heart for this reason).

As for the main characters, Lucas seemed like a likable enough hero. Alex took a little more for me to warm up to her. She was so resistant to security even when it was evident that her life was in danger. I guess Lucas was so intrigued with her because she turned him down the first time they met. Other than that, there did not seem to be a lot of chemistry.

Should you buy? I am not the person to say. The story was fine but I could not get engaged. I think if you like racing themed stories, you will enjoy this greatly.

Full review posted on blog The Opinionated Woman's Musings http://wp.me/p1P7gt-AA

[Joyce M. H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving these Forties men. Great mystery, love story. Great to get more info of Evan and Nia.
Awesome love story between Lucas and Alex. Alex comes a family of three brothers with her being the baby of the family; her mom died in child birth with her. Alex knows nothing about being a lady until her aunt comes in the picture and shows Alex how to be a lady.
Alex is doing a job that is dominated by males. Automotive Engineer designing engines for cars. Way to go Alex. There was not a problem with the men she worked with just a problem with the men she date.
The Forties are hired to keep someone from stealing Alex's info about a hybrid car and Lucas one of the Owners of Forties is hired to make sure that does not happen. Lucas fails hard for Alex the moment he sees her in hotel bar where she is there for a bachelor party for her best friend Sean is just happens to be a male and she is Sean's best man (woman) at his wedding.

Next in the line up is Samuel (Sam) MacKenzie and Evan's ex fiancee' Mikayla Stone-Clement.
I surely hope that Raven will also be writing about the Forties Agents Lance Campebell, Raymnet Blunt, Michael, Tony, Neb Bushby, Abe Smith and Renee Thomas.

[‘Sup? · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan. Premise sounded interesting and the characters are enjoyable, but the plot plods along until it takes a turn toward completely unbelievable at the end and the writing is bogged down by excruciating minutiae of the characters' day. 'Show, don't tell' is clearly not something Ms. Scott was taught.

Though HARD AND FAST is the second book in the series, it can be read as a standalone without feeling like you're missing anything. I'd actually started reading book #1 (HARD AS ICE) in preparation for this one, but put it down a quarter of the way through because nothing was happening. There is much better romantic suspense out there-- unless you're a diehard Raven Scott or Fortis Security fan, this isn't worth your while.

(ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

[Ishita · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book definitely made me dream about all kinds of spy business. Living upto the title, the book is completely filled with hard and fast action that will not let you have a moment to keep it down. The chemistry of the two lead characters is completely off the page and of-the-scale. What made the book so enjoyable is how the two character played well with each other and complemented the main plot of the book and the underlying theme of mystery and intrigue. There are few grammatical errors that I came across while reading the book, but they didn’t fail from delivering the main plot across.
Read more about it here: https://ishitasmemoir.wordpress.com/2...

[Linda Quick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book two in the Fortis series and it is every bit as good as the first book in the series. I loved the characters that she created, especially Alex, a female automotive engineer that is struggling to fit in in a man's world. Like the men of Fortis, Alex is at the top of her game. She is developing a cutting edge design that makes her a target and Fortis is called in to provide security. Of course, the lead operative is the very same man that tried to pick her up in a bar which leads to all kinds of sexy situations.

The author has mastered fast paced romantic suspense and fans of the genre will love this book.

[Bec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review Posted at HarlequinJunkie.com

Automotive engineer Alexandria ‘Alex’ Cotts is determined to be the best in her career, in an industry heavily dominated by men. Her game-changing engine design could be just what Magnus Motorsports – the company she works for – needs to win the Sea-to-Sky Highway race. However, someone is determined to see her fail, and it’s up to Lucas Johnson and his team of security specialists to find the culprit while endeavoring to keep her safe. Read More

[Katrina Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book 2 of the Fortis Series is a fast-paced suspenseful romance that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Ms. Scott has done her homework and research on the subject matter within her book and it really shows with the fantastic job she did of incorporating the terms relevant to each of her characters. She weaves them in such a way that it is clear and concise. With an original storyline and characters, you are hooked from the get-go and with a steady development and pace of the characters and storyline you are not left disappointed.

[Carol]

When I won the book I was very excited, but I also worried about what I would write if I didn't like the book. I know the contest rules said to be honest, but I wouldn't want to write a bad review. I needn't have worried. I thought the book was great. I love reading romance stories where the plot outside of the romance is as interesting as the romance. Hard and fast had a story line that had twists and turns to keep the reader's attention. Now, I am anxious to read the other books in the series.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book!

This is book 2 in the Fortis series and it was really good! I loved the relationship between Alex and Lucas. She's a woman in a man's world (an automotive engineer) and very good at her job!

Lucas, of course, is the guy that tries to pick her up at a bar. Which makes for an awkward situation between Alex and Lucas. And so, our story begins!!!

This was a very well written book and I enjoyed it! Sex scenes were awesome!!

[James Lynam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it from start to finish.
Was hooked immediately. Great plot with believable
characters. Can not wait until I can pick up book #1
in this series and all new books by Raven Scott.
He is on my list of favorite authors and I recommend
him to all my book loving friends.