Review: An Enjoyable Book That Needs Some Polish
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 10, 2014
Books featuring hotties dabbling in the MMA arena are becoming all the rage and with Against the Cage Ms. Halston has joined in the fun.  With this debut release the action is fast-paced, the sexual encounters steamy, and the characters are at times likable and at other times annoying.  On a whole though I found this an enjoyable read with just a few quibbles that kept me from falling in love with it completely.Growing up Chrissy was a studious nerd who yearned for adventure.  She knew just where to find it by following her troublemaking brother and his best friend Jack as they went from one drunken sex party to another.  Unfortunately her fun always ended before it started as Jack saw it as his duty to protect her and always kept her out of harm's way which enforced her belief that he saw her as a child.  As she saw him as something much more she became bitter and disillusioned and ultimately moved on.  This led to a tragic event that saw her bruised inside and out, her father dead, and her brother full of anger at her.  For years she ran away from the pain of the past until her brother's trouble had her coming home and dealing with her past head-on.  Chrissy's no longer the doormat she once was but she hasn't grown up completely either as she occasionally pouted when she didn't get her way, jumped to conclusions, and still held grudges over things that happened when they were young.  She's definitely a woman when it comes to her sexual desires for Jack but her actions at times were childish.  She insisted she didn't need a keeper but Jack was always there as she repeatedly stumbled into danger.  Chrissy may have left me frustrated more often than not but she was memorable and left a lasting impression everywhere she went throughout the story.Jack has always cared for Chrissy and was caught off guard by his ever deepening feelings for her.  He missed her all the years she was gone and doesn't want to waste any more time dwelling on the past.  There's a big barrier to their burgeoning relationship though as she detests fighting and he loves his time in the cage when he's not on duty as a policeman.  Her past has her terrified of the violence and it takes a lot for him to convince her that what he does isn't who he is.  He's still the man who goes out of his way to keep her safe as he's very much an Alpha Male.  That doesn't mean he's afraid to show his softer more romantic side as he's the first to admit his feelings for her and his hopes for their future.  Combine this sweet and sexy side with his gritty demeanor in the cage and you have a very drool-worthy hero.  Throw in his dirty sex-talk and I was left practically panting!Along with Chrissy and Jack, a lot of time is spent on her brother Slade and the dangerous underground fighting he does that's leading to permanent physical damage.  Chrissy became hysterical over this issue often and I felt like it got swept under the table as the story progressed.  I would've liked to see it dealt with more as the possible outcomes had me on the edge of my seat.  Slade is a cocky character who's extremely protective of women since the issue of violence against women affected his family years ago.  This issue permeates the entire story in fact and is the catalyst for Chrissy's return to town and sets up a possible romance for Slade.  The issue is dealt with in a realistic and respectful way without being too heavy-handed but also felt rushed amongst the overall storyline.From start to finish I found this to be an engaging and energetic read with its vivid detailing of MMA fighting where blood copiously flows and you can almost hear bones snap.  The dangers are apparent and the strain this puts on Chrissy and Jack's relationship is obvious and hangs over them until almost the end.  Along with the intensity of these fights there's super steamy sexual interludes and equally hot foreplay.  Once they're reunited these two have trouble keeping their hands off each other even when they're arguing.  The sexual tension is unrelenting and you anticipate them jumping each other every minute.  The overall story though needs a bit of polish as the flow felt jumpy, going from one event to another at the drop of a hat.  Too many characters were introduced throughout the story which was overwhelming at times.  The conclusion of the story was a bit rushed which led to the author telling us instead of showing us how Chrissy and Jack ended up after an out of the blue event put their HEA in jeopardy.  Barring those issues this is a good debut for Ms. Halston and has me wanting to read more of her in the future, particularly this group of friends and family as some of them captured my attention.  Readers who enjoy a steamy read with rapid-fire dialogue will definitely get all that and more with Against the Cage.