The difference between living and existing is up to you. That is the central theme of Sidney Halston's latest novel Fighting Dirty. It also is the point that JL (Jamie Lynn) helps Enzo (Lorenzo) to discover. His happiness rests on himself and not trying to please others. Jamie Lynn is a survivor. Her life is the true testament to the saying of making lemonade out of lemons. Becoming her own person and coming to terms with the anger, heartbreak and tragedy have created a woman with thick skin that looks for the bright side but has endured life's darkest moments. Lorenzo has wealth but is not happy and his fortune has become a noose he wears daily. Sidney Halston via her Worth the Fight series has penned stories that are full of beauty, bravery and characters that capture the imagination and heart. I received an ARC of Fighting Dirty in exchange for an honest review. ( )

4.5 Stars!
Fighting Dirty started slow for me. I was curious about Jamie Lynn and Enzo, but they didn't really catch my attention right away. While the plot is fairly predictable, I still found this enjoyable and loved that Enzo was so dedicated to making things work with Jamie Lynn. JL is the perfect example of a self fulfilling prophecy-she assumes people will treat her different because she is poor, then when they do, she is like "Ha, I knew it". But she assumes that everyone who is different than her will do that and lumps them all together which is unfair. I was glad Enzo was able to make her see her own prejudice in that area. Enzo is super swoon worthy as well. And that ending...MAJOR SWOON ALERT!
Full review will be at The Book Disciple on 1/5/16
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Fighting Dirty by Sidney Halston
Book #5: Worth the Fight Series
Source: Author and Purchase
My Rating: 4½/5 stars
My Review:

I’m just putting this out there right now. I want to hate JL for the simple fact she can eat whatever the hell she wants and never, ever gains a pound. OK, now that I have gotten that out of the way.

Jamie Lynn Calhoun knows exactly who she is and she makes no apologies to anyone. With her twin brother, Travis, JL survived a horrific childhood that involved an often strung-out mother, a brother who had to fight to earn money to feed them, and the requisite crap that comes from asshole teenagers in high school. Not only did JL survive, she learned to deal with adversity with a smile on her face and a positive attitude. Most of the time, the smile and the positive attitude are genuine but everyone has a breaking point.

For JL, her breaking point, the line she won’t cross is to become too attached to a man. Becoming attached leads to feelings and commitment which leads to relying on someone, counting on them which inevitably leads to heartbreak. JL saw enough of that as a kid and has no desire to be nothing more than a cliché like her mother. Oh, there is the occasional fling but serious relationships are something JL wants no part of. She is perfectly happy bartending at the Pier, hanging with her close friends, producing mass quantities of art, eating everything she can get her hands on, and teaching her parrot a slew of strange animal sounds and curse words.

Enzo Silva (Francesca’s cousin BTW) has always done exactly what is expected of him. He went to all the right schools and colleges, he earned exactly the degrees he was expected to earn, he entered into a wholly loveless marriage, and he has performed admirably for his father’s company. The only things Enzo has ever done for himself are practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu, ending his loveless marriage after finding his dirty whore of a wife in bed with his former best-friend, and moving to Tarpon Springs, Florida. Though he is still doing his father’s bidding professionally, Enzo has begun to live more for himself on a personal level. JL is everything his elitist parents would disapprove of and everything Enzo wants and has wanted for more than a year. Trouble is, JL doesn’t do relationships.

On the surface, JL and Enzo make no sense. JL is loud, tatted up, free-spirited, and living paycheck to paycheck while Enzo is buttoned up, conservative, wealthy beyond reason, and relatively quiet. To the outside world, JL and Enzo appear to be oil and water, fire and ice, north and south, well, you get the gist. They just don’t belong together. Below the surface, in all the places that count, JL and Enzo make perfect sense and their sexual chemistry is off the charts but, according to JL, other than the spectacular sex they are just too different in all the surface areas to ever go the distance, to ever find real happiness together. As if to prove her point, Enzo’s dirty whore of an ex makes a horrific public scene, JL’s drug addict mother reappears, JL is arrested, and Enzo’s business dealings which adversely impact JL’s life come to light. Yeah, it’s all sort of a perfect shit-storm.

The Bottom Line: JL and Enzo are really hard to dislike and their radical differences make them all the more likeable as a couple. One of the best aspects of this story are the clearly defined differences between JL and Enzo and how they both eventually pull their heads out of their respective asses so they can have their well-deserved HEA. Make no mistake, this isn’t a light or easy read but one that is fraught with heartbreaking moments and true pain. JL and Enzo are both far deeper and more complex than their public persona would indicate which makes digging into their pasts and understanding them as human beings far, far more interesting. Don’t get me wrong, Fighting Dirty isn’t all doom and gloom there are certainly some excellent moments of pure joy, some really funny moments, and some naughty bits that are somewhat surprising. Who knew Enzo had that in him??? In all, Fighting Dirty is a sweet and sassy, naughty and nice read that fits rather perfectly into the Worth the Fight world. ( )

It's JL's story, the feisty little pixie who has all the confidence in the world. She's only 5ft and a bit but stands out with her great personality, outlandish hairstyles, tattoos and wild outfits. And her job is working in a local bar serving drinks. Enzo has been asking her out for a good year but JL has been turning him down even though she thinks he is hot and sexy as hell, but he always seems to be a little too uptight "he should take the stick out his ass".
When she finally gives in and they do go out, JL shows Enzo how to really relax and to just enjoy life. But will it last, are they to different?

This is a story of two completely different people getting to know one another and then having to adjust. The story is slightly different from the last books, there's less
MMA combat action in the plot but still the gym and past characters working there are featured in the storyline which is always nice. I'm enjoying this series very much, it must be time for Travis to have his story, I can't wait. ( )

Holy hotness, Enzo! It's always the ones that look like they're all straight laced that really knock your socks (and panties) right off. I love that JL got him to loosen up a bit. I'm sooo looking forward to Travis and his romance. I don't want this series to end!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. ( )