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Laid OutWorth the Fight # 4
Releasing August 18th, 2015
Loveswept
Perfect for fans of Monica Murphy and Cecy Robson, Sidney Halston’s scorching new MMA romance proves there are no holds barred when it comes to seduction.
Growing up an Army brat, Violet Channing could never meet her dad’s high expectations. But in the eyes of her best friend, she could do no wrong. He even insisted that he should be her first kiss. Now Cain Sorensen is all grown up, hardened by years in special ops and always looking for a good fight. Tall, with striking blue eyes and impossibly blond hair, he’s a modern-day Viking warrior. Of course, Violet’s all grown up, too, and she’s ready to surrender to his every command.
Cain knows he’s bad for Violet. His work is dangerous, and his hobbies are downright deadly. As a private mercenary and a mixed martial arts fighter, he could never let such an innocent soul into his world. And yet his most grueling combat training is no match for Violet’s killer curves, hot touch, and suggestive glances. Now all of Cain’s most explosive fantasies are coming true—but once they cross the line between friends and lovers, there’s no turning back.
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Cain hadn’t left Tarpon Springs, Florida, for this long since he’d moved there four years ago. He’d grown up on an army base, then served in the military for eight years before retiring, and this was the first time in his adult life that he felt he had a home. After one too many fights in school, his father had forced him to enlist, to follow the path of his father and his father’s father. The Sorensons bred military men. Then his second tour ended and he didn’t want the army to be a career, so he’d gotten out, much to his father’s dismay. Right now, if someone asked him why he had signed up with IMC, International Military Coalition, as a contractor, he couldn’t answer. At the time he’d only seen the dollar bills. The pay was amazing compared to what the U.S. government had paid him for risking his life for years as an Army Ranger, and signing up to make four times the amount with a private company seemed like the obvious next step.
As soon as Cain walked out of the airport, he hailed a taxi to take him straight to the Pier. It was Friday night, and his friends would undoubtedly be there. Plus, he needed a beer . . . or seven. On the ride over, he received a text from Iggy Mitchell, another mercenary he’d met overseas. Iggy had lost a leg in a tour in Iraq a couple of years ago, and when he wasn’t on a mission for IMC, he worked as a consultant in Tampa specializing in testing firewalls and other online security threats. In other words, he was a professional hacker. The two men had quickly hit it off and sparred together during their free time. Iggy’s hard work and zest for life made the prosthetic leg a nonissue. One evening Iggy had mentioned how he loved to gamble on a series of underground fights put together by some Russians. The text Cain was currently reading was the address of a fight happening in a few days. But Cain wasn’t a gambling man, so he wasn’t interested. He slid the phone back into his pocket and settled in for the forty-five-minute cab ride to the Pier.
It was raining when the taxi arrived. He swung the big duffle bag over his shoulder and looked around the familiar town before he reached to open the front door. A hand on his shoulder stopped him. “Hey, man! You’re back.” It was Tony, his friend, sparring partner, and professional mixed martial arts fighter, whom he had helped train a few months ago.
“Cain, honey, so glad you’re home!” Tony’s wife, Francesca, threw her arms around him for a big hug. He wasn’t big on contact, and he awkwardly put his arm around her waist and patted her back.
“Come on, let’s go inside,” Tony said. “The rest of the guys are on their way. Do they know you’re back? Where were you, by the way?”
“Libya. Just arrived. No one knows,” Cain replied.
Francesca hissed. “Libya. Fuck. That’s not safe.”
“No.”
“Still quite the conversationalist, I see.” Tony patted Cain roughly on the back.
“Leave the man alone. He just came back from hell, he doesn’t need that attitude tonight. By the way . . .” She poked Cain in the shoulder. “Don’t you ever fuckin’ leave again without letting us know you’re leaving or where you’re going. We were worried.” She reached in and hugged him again.
“Violet?” Cain asked when she released him.
“What about her?” Francesca asked.
“She okay?”
“Ask her yourself—she’s here.”
Cain tried not to smile, but his lips seemed to curl upward all on their own. He hadn’t seen Violet for years until a few months ago, when she’d moved to town. He was happy he’d get to see her tonight. As had always been the case, her warm smile was the perfect salve for his shitty mood.
Cain put a hand on Francesca’s upper arm. “Wait—before we go in, are there any fights coming up? Sign me up for something. Soon.” Francesca was co-owner of Worth the Fight Academy, a mixed martial arts gym that trained professional cage fighters, which was what Cain had been doing before heading off a few months earlier.
“You just got into town. You need to take a breather. We can talk about it when you’re settled back.”
“I’m settled. I’m back. Sign me up.”
“Fine. But tonight, relax, at least for a few hours. Come have a drink and say hello to everyone. We’ll find you something tomorrow,” Francesca said.
As soon as he opened the door to the familiar laughter and smell he started to feel better.
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW
Violet and Cain have known each other since they were children. They have been best friends this whole time, along with Violet's late fiance. They are attracted to one another and they both fight it to preserve the friendship they have. When it comes to family, they are all each other has left.
Cain has known he was in love with her since they were teenagers. He gave her the very first kiss from a boy she ever had. Then he tore her heart open with a letter that nearly killed her.
Violet started seeing their other best friend instead. He eventually asked her to marry him and all of it was witnessed by Cain. How much pain would he have to endure? When her fiance died, she turned even more to Cain - only to see a cold shoulder.
Cain blames himself for her fiance's death. The problem he has now, besides guilt, is that he is love with a woman who will never want him. But she turns to him for help anyway.
Together they have a strong friendship when they work at it. Violet is feeling alone and unwanted. Cain has so much to tell her that he keeps to himself. They must learn to fight for what matters before its too late. I found this to be a genuine romance book! It has everything for you. I give it a 4/5 Kitty's Paws UP!
***This ARC copy was given for review purposes only.
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Getting to know the AUTHOR: Interview with Sidney Halston
Kitty's Q&A QUESTIONS:
1. You have been writing about a lot of hunky MMA fighters. Are you a fan of the MMA? Do you have a favorite that you follow?
Admittedly, I am not a die hard fan but I do watch it and I do have a favorite. My husband is a fighter, so I watch him, which is how I got into the sport in the first place. I follow Randy Couture on Twitter/Facebook long before he was on The Expendables movie. I used to love watching him fight. He's older now, but to me he is still the best (and oh so sexy). My husband doesn't miss a single bout, so I do watch and lately I've been watching some of the women. I love Rhonda Rousy and she was the inspiration behind Francesca, the heroine in Below the Belt (Worth the Fight #4).
2. Our readers love getting to know authors. Will you share with us a secret about yourself that no one knows?
Hmmm....I'm so open I feel everyone knows everything about me. I'm a lawyer. Is that a secret? Oh, I know. I'm terrified of flying. Things shouldn't be hanging willy nilly from the sky!
3. Do you listen to music as you write? Is there a playlist for any of your books you would care to share with your readers?
I do listen to music when I write. In fact, I can't write without music blaring. I don't necessarily have a playlist. I am one of those people that when I like something, I hear it (or watch it, or read it) over and over again. I listened to Sam Hunt, "Take Your Time" and Hozier "Take Me to Church" a zillion times while writing LAID OUT.
4. You’re an admitted reader. Do you have a favorite book of all time? What genres do you like to read in your spare time? (Assuming, you have any…)
I love to read! My favorite non-romance book is The Count of Monte Cristo. I think I've read it ten times. My favorite romance book used to be Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon. He was my favorite romance author forever. But, since discovering Kristen Ashley, I may have to switch my answer to Sweet Dreams. One word: Tate!
5. Your books are always so good and filled with strong characters, even female. Is there anything you look to for inspiration that influences this?
Oh thank you, that's a great compliment! Like I said, Rhonda Rousey was my inspiration for Francesca. In general, I'm surrounded by strong women—my mom, friends, etc. I wouldn't know how to write a weak woman, I think.
6. Silly question just to please the readers. If you could be any animal for a day - what would you be?
Ha! Okay, let me think about this. A dude lion. He sits around all day with his long mane doing nothing but screwing and eating. I have one or two people I'd like to literally bite their head off and I think I could get away with it if I were a lion, right? Seems like a good life. All those lioness fighting for his attention as he watches from his throne. Nice question!
Thank you so much for having me. It was lots of fun. Xoxo
Sidney Halston lives her life by one simple rule: “Just do it.” 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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