Under Pressure

Launching the Body Armor contemporary romantic suspense series, bestseller Foster (Don’t Tempt Me) pulls out all the stops with precise plotting and deep characters. Leese Phelps, a former mixed martial arts fighter turned bodyguard for the Body Armor agency, rescues headstrong art teacher Catalina Nicholson from attackers, who know she’s in possession of a dangerous secret and are trying to silence her. She fears that her stepfather, a wealthy and politically connected CEO, hired Leese to kidnap her, but he soon puts her at ease. Leese takes Cat to Body Armor’s headquarters in Cincinnati, where the firm’s new owner, Sahara Silver, stashes the two in the firm’s luxurious penthouse for safekeeping. As danger grows, so do the passion and affection between Cat and Leese. Teasing and humorous dialogue, sizzling sex scenes, tender moments, and overriding tension show Foster’s skill as a balanced storyteller. She sets up a continuing story line for the series with the mystery of who murdered the firm’s founder, Sahara’s brother, but this thread never overwhelms the gripping main story, which will leave readers breathless. (Jan.)