Feature and Giveaway: Pull Me Close by Sidney Halston

Welcome to Panic, a sultry Miami nightclub where bodies and hearts move to a beat that doesn’t stop at sunrise—the setting for an emotionally charged series from the bestselling author of the Worth the Fight novels.

When Katherine Wilson passes out in the arms of the hottest man she’s ever seen, it’s not because of the lights, the pulsating music, or the crowded dance floor. It’s because she can’t enjoy a night out like a normal person, not with her debilitating anxieties. These panic attacks are going to destroy her life unless she takes control—or gets a helping hand. So after the club’s bad-boy owner personally escorts her home, Katherine feels something urgent and primal awaken inside of her.

Nick Moreno doesn’t need a headache like Katherine. A drug bust has put his father behind bars and forced Nick to take over the daily business of his family’s South Beach nightclub. His head tells him to walk away—but his body has other ideas. Katherine’s vulnerability, her grace and courage, compel him to reach out. And when they kiss, Nick is overcome by desire: to pull her close, and promise that his embrace will always be the safest place on earth.

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ARC Review: Pull Me Closer by Sidney Halston

Pull Me Close is a book that I think you readers who love romance and emotion will truly appreciate.  This is the story of Katherine and Nico. The author spends quality time in this book building these characters and drawing you into what makes each of them unique. Nico has a history of being betrayed by a woman with some serious issues. He figures that the last thing he needs in his life is a woman with issues. Enter Katherine who has more issues than Vogue magazine.

I have to say, when you think of 'how I met your mother' type stories, the first thing that comes to mind is not 'I met your Mom when she was losing her shit in the middle of a panic attack.' That's how Katherine and Nico meet. I was fascinated by the whole thing because I was wondering how the author was going to build a love story from the hot mess that was Katherine and Nico. Nico thinks Katherine is a druggie, Katherine thinks Nico is an a-hole (which he was at first) then BAM, love starts to grow.

Katherine has a serious issue with anxiety.  She is basically scared of everything and lives in a self imposed prison. When you find out why she has the fears she has you will have to say 'ok, yeah, that totally makes sense.' This is the first book I've read about a survivor of the crisis Katherine went through.  When dealing with a topic that so many people are familiar with, the author could have easily gone wrong but she didn't.  I felt like this book was really believable in terms of what happened to Katherine and how she responded.  I really felt her agony and her struggle to reconnect with the world. It was deep.

In his own way Nico has also locked himself off because of fear. He, like Katherine, found himself the victim of a situation over which he had no control. As a result, he tries to control everything and just winds up making himself and the people around him miserable. You wouldn't think Katherine and Nico would be a good match. They were both a little dysfunctional. But, I love a story about how two people can offset each others crazy. That is what happened in this book. Katherine was honest and non-judgmental because of all that she had been through. Nico needed that more than anything.

The falling in love part of this book is so sweet. These are two characters you really want to see happy and you feel good when things work out for them. The only reason this book is a 3 star and not higher for me is because there just isn't any edge to it. I just need a little more steam and grit to keep me into the story. But if you just like a good romance story, this book is a 4 or a 5 for you easily.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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Feature and Giveaway: Stacked Up by Sidney Halston

Opposites attract in this seductive novel from the author of Against the Cage (“Funny, steamy, scorching.”—Toni Aleo), with a chiseled MMA fighter falling for a single mom who could use a real man in her corner.

Working two jobs to support her infant daughter is harder than anything Penny Richards has ever done, but it sure beats living under the rules of her stepfather, a television preacher who demands a picture-perfect family. And if Penny hadn’t struck out on her own, she never would have met Travis Calhoun. The intensely physical heavyweight brawler has a way of drawing out her wild side. But Travis lives fast, with no responsibilities—and that just isn’t for Penny.

Most of the women in Travis’s circle wear tight clothes, high heels, and tons of makeup—not pearls or plaid headbands. But once he works past Penny’s inhibitions, Travis discovers a kindred spirit who longs to trust someone with her body, and her secrets. Still, Travis can’t help but wonder if this rich girl is just slumming it before she returns to her privileged life. Now it’s up to Penny to prove that she wants her hard-edged, hard-loving fighter just the way he is.

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ARC Review: Stacked Up by Sidney Halston

I have to start this review off with a bit of a disclaimer. You may have a different impression of this book if you either have no legal training or experience with the legal system. Because I am a lawyer by trade some of the family law issues that are addressed in this book were extremely far-fetched and distracted me from the plot in a way that made it far less enjoyable. For anyone who does not have legal experience and reads this book please take heart in knowing that the legal issue in the book would never turn out the way that it is depicted in the book in real life. Now after that long disclaimer, carry on.

Stacked Up is my first book in the series and I think my second book by this author. In general I like the MMA fighter books and I think that this author is definitely one worth reading. I give this book three stars because I think that overall it is an enjoyable read with well-developed characters and a relationship between Travis and Penny that most readers will root for and like.

Penny moves to Travis' rather small town with her 2 day old infant. Penny has left her hyper conservative home where she became pregnant as an 18 year old unwed mother. Penny knows that she won't be accepted at home and wants to go somewhere where she can raise her daughter in a more open environment. Travis is a local MMA fighter and celebrity in the Texas town Penny moves to. Over the course of a year Travis gets to know Penny while she is bartending and waitressing at a local restaurant.

Travis wants Penny almost from the first time that he meets her but of course Penny is focused on being a mother and thinks that the last thing she needs is a relationship. I was happy to see Travis and Penny finally get together but some of Travis' behavior is a bit annoying. Sometimes Travis seemed to have dual personalities. He was positive that he was not the domestic type and wasn't cut out to be a father but he really wanted to be with Penny just as bad. I didn't like his reaction to finding out that Penny had a child, I thought it was extremely immature and diminished him a little bit in my eyes. I also was a little bit confused by the transition between Travis' original aversion to a relationship with Penny and his rapid change of heart.

The part of the book that was most difficult for me to deal with was when Penny's past came back to haunt her and she was threatened with losing her daughter. I just felt like the author did too much to make Penny a damsel in distress character. At one point I was just like goodness grief this poor girl cannot catch a break. Of course, Penny's vulnerable life situation provided the perfect opportunity for Travis to come in and play the hero. I just wish that a few things could have gone Penny's way without so much intervention by Travis.

This book has a pretty good Supporting Cast, a decent plot and moves at a good pace. There are also some pretty good sex scenes here so all in all I feel like this is a win for you contemporary romance fans who like the MMA subgenre.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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Guest Post with Author Sidney Halston and Giveaway

Meet Sidney Halston author of Fighting Dirty.

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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ARC Review: Laid Out by Sidney Halston

*This is a standalone, you don't need to read the other books in the series first

I can give you my honest opinion that this is a good read but with one major qualifier.I feel like I've read a variation on this exact book several times. It's a hybrid between forbidden love and a second chance romance. Violet grew up with Jeremy and Cain. Cain liked Violet first but was to slow on declaring his feelings, his best friend Jeremy was quicker on the trigger and wound up with Violet. In part because Violet didn't realize Cain had feelings for her, she was willing to choose Jeremy. Jeremy meets an untimely end while enlisted in the army. Cain returns home to find Violet 6 years out from her relationship with Jeremy and struggling to find new love.

The story is about Cain battling his feelings for Violet and mostly doing a very poor job. For example, he pushes her away and is cold but the minute he sees her with another guy proceeds to lose his mind. As a result, Violet spends the majority of the book in a state of confusion about what it is Cain wants from her. Cain is clearly attracted to her but he's holding back.

I guess, at some point I started to feel like Violet. I just wanted to yank Cain by the collar and scream WHAT THE HELL MAN? I mean his mood changes and indecision just got to be overwhelming. At one point he is telling Violet to strip, the next minute he remembers he wants to keep his hands off her and he is telling her to get dressed so he can go for a jog. At another minute, he is sweeping in to rescue Violet from an awkward situation, in another breath he's telling her he's just doing it because it's what Jeremy would have wanted. I get it, I really do. It must be heard to date you dead best friend's ex-fiance but at some point we really needed Cain to pick a plan and stick to it.

For Violet's part, she was a pretty decent character. She was just as frustrated with Cain as I was. The connection between the couple was clear. The sexual chemistry was off the charts. The problem I had with Violet is that she didn't seem to be able to figure out what Cain's issue was so she could just sit him down and hash it out.

I have to say, it wasn't the fact of the barriers between the couple that got to me. What made this book just good but not great for me was the length of the angst and the back and forth that Cain was going through. When I got past the 50% mark and all the sexual tension between the couple had not turned into actual sex, my patience started to really wear down.

At the end of the day I can tell you that this was a good book but it's not going to be an unfamiliar theme or story line. While the main couple is intriguing and well depicted, the internal struggle over whether they should be together drags on for a few too many pages. Oh and if you're reading this book because you're into MMA books, I have to tell you that I didn't really see this as being an MMA book. There is some fighting but of the MMA books I've read, this was really light on the MMA stuff.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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Feature and Giveaway: Laid Out by Sidney Halston

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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Guest Post with Author Sidney Halston and Giveaway

Meet Sidney Halston, author of Below the Belt.

Sidney Halston lives her life with 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. 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.

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