Review/Giveaway–Against the Cage (Worth the Fight #1) by Sidney Halston

                                                        Expected publication: May 27th 2014 by Loveswept

In her Loveswept debut, Sidney Halston turns up the heat as a sexy cage fighter shows a former bookworm how delicious a few rounds between the sheets can be.


For Chrissy Martin, returning to her Florida hometown always seems to bring bad luck. The day starts with a breakup text, followed by a jailhouse phone call from her troublemaker brother. Now a routine traffic stop has ended with her accidentally punching an officer . . . in a delicate place. Then Chrissy realizes that the hot cop on the receiving end of her right hook is none other than the man from her teenage fantasies.

Jack Daniels knows how to take a hit. After all, when he’s not chasing reckless drivers, he’s kicking ass in a mixed martial arts ring. So what takes his breath away isn’t the low blow, but the woman who dealt it: a gorgeous knockout with legs Jack wouldn’t mind being pinned under—who just so happens to be his best friend’s nerdy little sister, all grown up. Soon their instant chemistry leads to a sizzling affair, but Jack and Chrissy are fighting an uphill battle if they want to make love last beyond the final bell.


                                                              

Fun, fun, fun, fun book! It starts off with a hilarious situation and just gets better from there. Chrissy was a hoot. The town nerd when she was growing up, she is mortified that the cop who is about to give her a ticket is her childhood crush and also nemesis, Jack Daniels. *snort* I know, right?? Chrissy is also a physician now, but not the oodles of money kind. She's been working off her student loans by serving in the Third World nations. She gets the rare call from her brother to bail him out of jail, for beating down the Mayor's nephew. So, she's not a big proponent of violence, having seen the ravages of war and extreme poverty. Especially not the voluntary, get yourself beat down for moolah, violence. Just the kind Jack and her brother, Slade do as professional cage fighters.

I loved Jack!! He had his head on straight. He had his day job and the fighting was for fun and a little extra cash. He fought in sanctioned bouts, and was a pretty straight arrow. He made no bones about how he was digging on Chrissy. He lived up to his namesake, strong and bracing, warm and relaxing, and best straight up with nothing else. He also has a gangsta chihuahua that hates everyone. Loved this dog!

Against the Cage features one of my all time favorite romantic tropes, attracted to the best friend's sibling. I don't know why this is such a favorite of mine, because all my brother's friends were fungi. Anyway, Jack does take a minute or two to ponder the ramifications of doing the nasty with Chrissy, but passions win out.  Of course, it helps that Slade is a tool most of the book, so Jack is there to smooth ruffled feathers.

There were a few darker moments, and some very touching scenes dealing with abuse and family. Sidney Halston has crafted an extremely well rounded, entertaining book that I give a strong recommendation. It had a perfect combination of heat (Lord, JD does burn going down), humor, romance, and drama. Very well done, Ms. Halston, very well done.

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Sidney Halston lives her life by one simple rule: “The secret of getting ahead is getting started” (Mark Twain). Or even simpler: “Just do it” (Nike). And that’s exactly what she did. At the age of thirty, having never written anything other than a legal brief, she picked up a pen for the first time to pursue her dream of becoming an author. That first stroke sealed the deal, and she fell in love with writing. Halston lives in South Florida with her husband and children.





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