Against the Cage

April 14, 2014
When ditzy doctor Chrissy Martin reluctantly returns to her hometown of Tarpon Springs, Fla., to get her brother, Slade, out of jail, the first thing she does is inadvertently punch a police officer in the family jewels. Worse, the man of the law is none other than the unfortunately named Jack Daniels, Slade’s best friend. Both Slade and Jack are fighters on the mixed martial arts circuit, which becomes a major point of contention between Jack and Chrissy, since her professional ethics clash mightily with the brutal fighting world. Scene-stealer Drogo, the tiny Chihuahua/pit bull terror of the town, adds yet more comic relief to Halston’s naturally humorous writing style. The story straddles the worlds of white picket fences and gritty cage fighting with an interesting blend of explicit sex, profanity, violence, memories of family tragedy, smalltown life, and close character connections. Some stilted dialogue hampers the flow, but the characters’ emotions ring true.

Starred review from June 15, 2014

Chrissy Martin hasn't returned to her hometown of Tarpon Springs, FL, since she left years ago, but she is now forced back to bail her brother Slade out of jail. The very last thing she needs is to run into Jack Daniels, now a sexier-than-ever local cop who happens to be her brother's best friend and who never looked at her as anything more than a bratty kid sister. He is also a mixed martial arts fighter who epitomizes the one thing Chrissy can't handle--violence. VERDICT Having a solid plot with substantial threads to keep the narrative flowing, Halston's new series opener creates an organic and sensual dynamic between Jack and Chrissy that makes an easy buy-in for readers. [Xpress Reviews, 5/2/14.]--Kara Kohn, Plainfield P.L., IL

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