Review: Full Contact by Sidney Halston (Worth the Fight #2)
He's been chasing her for quite a while, but after suffering injuries at the hands of her abusive now-ex-boyfriend, Slade Martin is trying to be a gentleman and taking things slow with Jessica Cross. She's not intimidated by his bulk or the fact that he's a former professional mixed martial arts fighter turned gym co-owner. He wants to treat and care for her the way he knows she deserves to be treated and cared for, but Jessica is a survivor and a woman who knows what she wants--and right now, it's to be with Slade. As their relationship progresses, it's clear to everyone around them that they belong together. But someone has other plans for Jessica and he'll do anything to make sure she doesn't get her happy ending with Slade.
Full Contact is book number two in the Worth the Fight series from author Sidney Halston and turns the spotlight on Slade Martin, a professional MMA fighter who now co-owns Worth the Fight Academy--a gym known for training fighters like him--and older brother and best friend to Chrissy Martin and Jack Daniels, respectively, from book one, and Jessica Cross, a bartender whose dream is to open her own yoga studio and whose last relationship resulted in her now-ex-boyfriend going to jail and having a case filed against him. Their love story may have been brought about by violence but there's a lot of romance and tenderness, and yes, also a lot of steam, that these two share, making it a great follow-up to the first book.
Slade was already a character whose story was waiting to be told and the fact that he's paired up with the woman who he's had his eye on and who he now feels responsible for provides him with an opportunity to show that he isn't simply some musclebound cage fighter. Readers already get a hint of the tender side of Slade when his sister becomes involved in a car accident in the first book, but it's his desire to take care of Jessica and protect her in this second book that makes him swoon-worthy. There are a few chapters in the book where my heart breaks for the guy because of what happens to his relationship with Jessica, especially since what these two needed was a good dose of open communication instead of all the secrecy.
There did come a point in the story where I felt frustrated with the turn of events and how Jessica was handling it all. I understand why she felt her initial actions were necessary, but I don't think the whole going out with other people made much sense, especially since her feelings for Slade were quite deep. Don't get me wrong; Slade wasn't a picture of perfection, but his were more reactions to whatever he was getting on Jessica's end. Of course, I get that this was all part and parcel of creating tension in the story, something that's necessary if an author wants to keep things interesting for readers. Overall, I enjoyed Slade and Jessica's story and that ending was really quite cute. Full Contact receives four out of five stars. ♥
Date Read: 16 August 2015
Learn more about Sidney Halston here.
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