Fight A True Battle Of The Heart With "Below The Belt"

Title:  Below The Belt
(Worth The Fight #3)
Author:  Sidney Halston
Format:  ERC
Length:  296 page
Publisher:  Loveswept
Rating:  5 Stars

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.  -Goodreads

My Thoughts
This is a book that you can't help flying through.  The combination of strength, sex appeal, loyalty, and intelligence that is personified by all members of the Worth The Fight cast is enough to make a reader want to stand up and cheer.
When one gets to bask in the spotlight that Below The Belt shines on the dynamic duo that is Francesca Silva and Antonio Marino however; one is truly allowed to witness the spinning of contemporary romantic gold.

Tony's body may grace this book's cover, but it is the story of "pretty as a picture, but tough as nails" boss lady, Francesca Silva that gives this story its fire.

Two things are very clear from the start, when it comes to sizing up things between Marino and Silva.
1.  They are very evenly matched.
2.  Nothing about the two of them together is going to be easy.

Author, Sidney Halston, does a wonderful job at allowing readers to meet the players in the game, before you meet the trouble in their shadows.
So, you meet Tony, the fighter with the "sound bite ready rep" and the "loverboy Latino charm",
long before you find out about his abusive father, his huge heart, or his love for his mother and family.
In the case of leading lady, Francesca, readers become well acquainted with her "large and in charge" business persona, long before the vulnerable lady in need of TLC for a heart never allowed to heal, is allowed to take the foreground.

Because both starring players are of Latin descent, you can rest assured that passions run high both in and out of the sheets.
Be warned however, that the blaze that burns so brightly between these two is often tempered by all the non-coital drama going on within this read.

This is a story for those unafraid to confront the imperfect perfection that can only be found in "real world relationships".  Those where the happily is hard won, and the hearts and lives that are battled for, have proven to be Worth The Fight.

 *Reviewer's Note*
This book is the third in a companion series that made be read in any order, as whole, or in part.

I received a copy of the referenced literary work in exchange for the honest review provided.

About Sidney

USA Today bestselling author, Sidney Halston lives her life with one simple rule: “Just Do It” Nike, and that’s exactly what she did. After working hard as an attorney, Sidney picked up a pen for the first time at thirty years old to begin her dream of writing. Having never written anything other than very exciting legal briefs, she found an outlet for her imaginative romantic side and wrote Seeing Red, among four other novels currently in the works, including the sequel to Seeing Red. That first pen stroke sealed the deal and she fell in love with writing.

Sidney lives in South Florida with her husband and children. She loves her family above all else, and reading follows a close second. When she’s not writing you can find her reading and reading and reading… She’s a reader first and a writer second.

When she’s not writing or reading her life is complete and utter chaos trying to balance family life with work, and writing (and reading). But she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Find Sidney:  Web / Goodreads / Twitter