Sidney Halston
LAID OUT (Worth the Fight #4)Release Date: August 18, 2015
Blurb
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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About Author
USA Today bestselling author, Sidney Halston lives her life by 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. 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.
Excerpt
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.”
“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.
My Review
I signed up to do this review and tour before I realized this book was the fourth in a series. I was worried that I would be lost, but I didn't have time to read the first three to catch up. I just jumped in and I wasn't lost at all. In fact I would say that this book could be read as a stand alone. I could tell that there were other stories from the couples in the book but I didn't feel like I was missing out on something.
Violet has been friends with Cain for a long time. He was her first kiss and she never forgot that. Now they live in the same town, they're still friends but Vi can't get it out of her head that she's attracted to him. He obviously doesn't feel the same way so she's got to get past it. So she goes on the date her best friend, JL set up. Cain left town and didn't tell her where he was going and of course he's back the night she's on this date. He looks as good as ever.. This resolution to get over Cain might be harder than it seems. So she asks him to help her be less awkward, and weird on dates.
Cain has been in love with Violet for as long as he can remember, but he can't be with her. He believes he's the cause of their friend, Jeremy's death. He can't move past it and he can't share his feelings with Violet. He agrees to help her hoping that she'll find someone that will make her heart happy and then he'll be able to move on. Life isn't always easy that way.
I can't even tell you all how much I enjoyed this book. It was funny and sexy. I mean Cain is a MMA fighter and he is a man of few words but the words he uses *fans self* Lordy! Violet was a little oblivious to things. She really had a hard life with her military father. He told her every chance he got how disappointing she was. Cain worked with her to show her that she wasn't anything her father had said. I may go back at some point and read the first ones in this series but honestly I don't think I want to. I do know I'll be reading the next one. I am looking forward to JL getting her happily ever after! Have you read the others in this series? Should I read them? Let me know! As always leave the author love in the form of a review!
“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.
My Review
Violet has been friends with Cain for a long time. He was her first kiss and she never forgot that. Now they live in the same town, they're still friends but Vi can't get it out of her head that she's attracted to him. He obviously doesn't feel the same way so she's got to get past it. So she goes on the date her best friend, JL set up. Cain left town and didn't tell her where he was going and of course he's back the night she's on this date. He looks as good as ever.. This resolution to get over Cain might be harder than it seems. So she asks him to help her be less awkward, and weird on dates.
Cain has been in love with Violet for as long as he can remember, but he can't be with her. He believes he's the cause of their friend, Jeremy's death. He can't move past it and he can't share his feelings with Violet. He agrees to help her hoping that she'll find someone that will make her heart happy and then he'll be able to move on. Life isn't always easy that way.
I can't even tell you all how much I enjoyed this book. It was funny and sexy. I mean Cain is a MMA fighter and he is a man of few words but the words he uses *fans self* Lordy! Violet was a little oblivious to things. She really had a hard life with her military father. He told her every chance he got how disappointing she was. Cain worked with her to show her that she wasn't anything her father had said. I may go back at some point and read the first ones in this series but honestly I don't think I want to. I do know I'll be reading the next one. I am looking forward to JL getting her happily ever after! Have you read the others in this series? Should I read them? Let me know! As always leave the author love in the form of a review!
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