Below the Belt by Sidney Halston Series: Worth the Fight #3
Genres: Contemporary, Contemporary Women, Fiction, General, Romance
Published by Random House Publishing Group Publication Date: February 10th 2015
Pages: 296
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In Sidney Halston’s latest sizzling MMA romance, a former title contender turns the tables on his knockout trainer with a lesson in seduction. Once one of the most sought-after names on the mixed martial arts circuit, Antonio “Scarface” Marino watched his career go down for the count as he chased skirts and made tabloid headlines. Now he’s finally making a comeback, and it’s all thanks to Francesca Silva, a Brazilian bombshell as tough as any of her fighters. But who’s the real Francesca: the trash-talking trainer who rides him hard, or the vulnerable woman who blushes at his touch? Francesca went to the mat to sign Tony because she believes he still has the potential to bring big success to her gym—if she can keep his head in the cage and out of her personal life. After a short-lived marriage soured her on love, a one-night stand is all she can handle. Now Tony’s kisses are stirring up complicated feelings—especially when he agrees to face her ex in the ring. Francesca’s used to freezing guys out. But Tony’s tempting her to give in to the heat. Praise for Sidney Halston’s Against the Cage “Against the Cage is funny, steamy, scorching—and holy hot MMA fighter, I wanted more! Five stars all the way!”—New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Toni Aleo “A steamy and fun romance that will leave readers begging for more! Sidney Halston is an author to watch!”—New York Times bestselling author Cherry Adair “Halston’s new series opener creates an organic and sensual dynamic between Jack and Chrissy that makes an easy buy-in for readers. And if the story isn’t endearing enough, Jack’s feisty Chihuahua/pit bull mix will have readers instantly hooked and eagerly awaiting the second series installment.”—Library Journal Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.
Karen’s Thoughts
Sidney Halston writes a fun and entertaining story about two strong, stubborn people with lots of sparks flying between them. Bad boy, cage fighter Tony Marino’s career is suffering from all his antics outside of the ring. He spends more time partying and womanizing than he does training and his escapades have been highly publicized in the press. Tony has been trying to get Francesca, his new manager, to go out with him for months, but she keeps refusing. Francesca is an opinionated woman and never shies away from telling Tony what’s on her mind. Francesca is all business and gives the impression of being confident, but she’s hiding her insecurities behind her business suits. She’s been hurt in the past and has commitment issues. Tony sees through Francesca’s act and takes his time trying to gain her trust and help her confidence.
At the beginning of the story Tony seems like a jerk, but as the story unfolds, it becomes obvious he has a big heart. I love how patient and kind he is with Francesca. Tony has anger issues and is constantly getting mad and jealous of any man who even looks Francesca’s way. It’s funny when Tony loses him temper. He’s Hispanic and every time he gets upset his accent becomes more pronounced and it’s hard to understand what he’s saying. Tony has never been interested in spending more than one night with any woman, but that all changes once he meets Francesca. Even though he has some issues he’s dealing with, Tony won my heart and I love all the Spanish endearments he whispers to Francesca. Francesca on the other hand, drove me a little crazy. She’s afraid to let her guard down and continually pushes Tony away. I just wanted to shake some sense into her so she would put Tony out his misery and give the poor guy a chance. This is the third book in the Worth the Fight series and each one is a stand-alone. I enjoyed the combination of a feisty female and an alpha male, who for the first time ever, has to chase after a woman.
