Irresistible beats and tantalizing bodies heat up the night at South Beach’s most scandalous new club. Alex: I hate doing business in clubs. Especially one like Duality. I’m here to seal a deal, not indulge in whatever hedonistic illusion they’re selling. Until, through all the skin and sex on display, I see her. Helen Blackwood. The girl who once filled my youthful fantasies, whose name is now … youthful fantasies, whose name is now synonymous with pain. Her father’s lies destroyed my family, leaving me with nothing to lose. And yet I can’t deny my electric response to her touch . . . or my urge to protect her when I see the bruise on her face.
Helen: Growing up, life prepared me for society galas and powerful men, not minimum-wage jobs or drunk exes with anger issues. But I’m a survivor. So here I am, practically naked, serving drinks at a Miami nightclub. I don’t mind the stares. Apparently, Alex Archer does. After twelve years, we aren’t exactly friends, but money is something we both understand. Something he knows I need. I’ll be his personal assistant, even if it means working with the man I hate . . . and the man I still want.
No cheating. No cliffhangers. And no dress code.
Don’t miss Sidney Halston’s Panic series:
PULL ME CLOSE | MAKE ME STAY | KISS ME BACK | WHAT ABOUT US
And look for all of her hard-hitting MMA romances:
AGAINST THE CAGE | FULL CONTACT | BELOW THE BELT | LAID OUT | FIGHTING DIRTY | STACKED UP
This ebook includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.
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I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads, here is my review.
Growing up together, Alex and Helen were told by their parents that they would one day be married. But when their worlds come crashing down around them, they lose touch with each other.
Years later Alex finds Helen working in a bar in Miami and he can’t understand why when she has all that money from her family. The hatred he feels is consuming him but the protection he feels towards her is overpowering the hatred.
Helen can’t believe her eyes, after all these years he finally shows up and he wants to take her from her job. Why didn’t he try to protect her when she needed him. Now she doesn’t need him, she can take care of herself. But the feelings she has for him has come back in full force.
Can Alex see the truth about her and how she has lived the last 10 years? Will Helen see the truth about her father? Can Helen and Alex move on from the past and have a future together?
I really liked this series and love Alex and Helen but would have liked more of the others from the past books. This story was really good and you could feel the pain that Alex and Helen were going through and I found myself rooting for them to win in the end. You can read this one without reading the rest in the series but I would suggest reading them all, it is a great series. So sit back and enjoy it, I have.
**Wicked Reads Review Team**
Sidney Halston’s Panic series has long been one of my favorites. While What About Us starts out related to the series with Helen working at Duality, it veers off from the series pretty quickly spinning into its own side story. It still has the classic Panic hallmarks: danger, excitement, sexiness and flawed characters with real-life characteristics and situations that form who they are. In What About Us, Alex’s father is known to have Asperger’s and although it is not stated outright, all of Alex’s quirks and personality traits are hallmarks of Asperger’s. I LOVED how Halston addressed Alex’s idiosyncrasies in subtle ways, alluding to but not outright giving Alex a diagnosis. It was nice to see a main character with these attributes portrayed as successful and strong! And I loved Helen and her resilience when faced with the adversity she experienced. She was strong, determined and fought for everything she wanted. Together, they had a chemistry that only comes from a rich history together.
An enemies-to-lovers tale, What About Us is a story about loss, forgiveness and finding the one person who makes you whole. It’s a quick read that you won’t want to put down. 4 Stars
I love a less than perfect hero and this author created an exciting, sexy hero in Alex. Always a little different and extremely smart he’s captivating and swoon worthy. And then there’s Helen. The beautiful, spoiled princess that’s fallen from grace thanks to her cheating father. But she’s strong and resilient and makes a new life for herself that’s going okay until a chance encounter with her teenage crush, Alex. So much history between the two and misunderstandings. Alex thinks he wants revenge but when he gets Helen under his thumb things change and old feeling resurface. But can he forego his plans of retribution? He’s waiting so long to avenge his father and reek havoc on the ones that ruined his family. Will his passion for Helen wins out? A super sexy romance with some mystery and intrigue that’s wonderfully written with terrific characters. A quick easy read that pulled me in from the beginning and kept me reading all the way to the end. Loved it! 4.5 stars
I kinda loved it. No, I really did love it, but Alex was a hard guy to warm up to. Although I liked his character right from the start, he was an asshole for longer than half of the story. I understood that he couldn’t suddenly get rid of his anger, to which he had held on to for so many years, but this made their situation even harder than it already was. It was already fucked up and I’m positive that both of them wished it to be different because Helen and Alex had always wanted each other but fate had different plans. It sucked balls.
Anyway, I liked the pace of the story and that characters of the previous books were part of it. Closer to the ending though, with all the pent up anger and grudge about the past, I felt that it moved too sudden for how they connected physically. I know they had always been attracted to each other and I suppose they tried to ignore what happened, but come on, all those years of Alex hating and Helen fighting to survive, it was hard for me to understand how they reconnected emotionally. And their sexual encounters – both timings were weird and it felt off and a little out of character.
The Storys:
Helen and Alex grew up together but one fateful night tore them apart. Judgments on both sides grew to anger and hatred for Alex. After years when they stumbled upon each other again, old feelings come to the surface. But Alex can’t forget what the Blackwoods did to his family. Love and hate can go both ways, but eventually one has to move aside. Which one will it be?!
Thoughts:
I devoured this book in a short time. Though a few things just went too fast as Alex and his family held a grudge for so long and the ending was just too rushed considering this. So although I loved it, it was not as loved by me as the other books. I also think it was not such an emotional read and did not have as much depth and width as the previous books in this series. Which doesn’t mean that it was shallow, not in the least. It was a great read but just not as fantastic as the others. I know, I really shouldn’t compare them, but I can’t help how much I loved the first two books and wished the others were as fantastic.
I liked Helen’s strong and independent character and how she managed to adapt to her new lifestyle no matter how hard and struggling it was. Alex’s character needed getting used to, but I warmed up to him eventually because he did have a nice and soft side but he showed it in an uncontroversial way; the Archer way.
These two didn’t have it easy with the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads because their past could not just be ignored and was reason for trouble in paradise.
And now I need Iggy’s book, please! I’ve been so intrigued by him since I first met him and I really need his story! Pretty please!
3.5 stars
Alex and Helen have a history. Partially wonderful, but ending in hate. So when she sees him again for the first time in years while she’s working at the new club, Duality, she seems to be excited to see him. Is Alex as excited to see Helen? Eh not so much. In fact, she’s the last person he’d ever want to see. Why would he want to see one of the people he despises the most in the world? And yet, the two cannot seem to stay away from each other. Their attraction is off the charts hot. But attraction seems to be the only thing they feel for each other than a lot of hate. Will they ever realize that hate is just the flip side of love?
I will be the first to admit I love a good enemies to lovers story. BUT it has to be balanced well with the love that must come, and unfortunately, in this latest book in the Panic series, the balance is a bit skewed. Alex especially, is a hateful character. He’s an absolute dick to Helen for most of the story, even after he found out she didn’t deserve all the contempt he felt for her. Sigh… The other reason for 3.5 stars? I just didn’t really connect with either Alex or Helen or their story. I wanted something more for them and I just didn’t feel it, or perhaps more accurately, they didn’t feel it. Too much negative and not enough positive emotion. Lastly, the ending was all wrapped up way too neatly and quickly. It was rushed and felt like maybe the author just didn’t like the way the story was going and wanted to get it over with. And that is a damn shame, because I’ve loved the rest of this series. I still love it, and I know this author can write amazing characters and amazing love stories, so I will definitely be reading more from her. I’ll just put this one down as a minor blip in her otherwise stellar writing.
Although 4th in the Panic series, this can easily be read as a standalone. Overall, it was an okay read for me. Not my favorite book of the series and not horrible at all, but it didn’t blow me away either. Helen and Alex grew up together and had a history until circumstances ripped them apart. Without rehashing the whole plot, I’ll say that while the story was interesting, I felt as if it were a bit rushed and everything seemed to resolve a little too neatly and quickly for my tastes. And for some reason, I also found it hard to believe that Helen and Alex could be so immediately “connected” after 12 years of essentially hating each other on a visceral level. That being said, I did really like how Helen was portrayed as someone who was knocked down by crummy circumstances but still managed to survive and even put her life back together to some extent.
After years apart and a world of hurt and misconceptions, Alex finds Helen working at a nightclub in Miami. Even after all this time, they still have a connection that neither can deny. Can they forgive each other and gives themselves a chance at happiness?
This was such a good book that really captured my attention and that I feel in love with as the story progressed. I highly recommend that you check it out yourself.
Sidney Halston sure does know how to write a story. Helen and Alex had history that ended with them both only knowing part of each other’s story. Helen blamed Alex for not standing by her in her time of need and Alex blamed Helen for his father’s death. When chance throws them together at the same club the feelings they had for each other come out. Alex becomes protective and alpha male, Helen tried to remain self-reliant and proud. Sparks fly, tempers flare, and feelings are hurt.
I am new to the Panic series but picked up What About Us and didn’t miss a beat. The characters were wonderful, the storyline was amazing, and it all came together perfectly. I loved the second-chance romance, the reliving of the past, and the learning of their future.
This is a book that I recommend picking up. I am excited to read the rest of the series and find out the story behind some of the other characters.
Pulse nightclub books are fun, sexy, and always a good time. I enjoy the idea that the club, Duality, is not exactly innocent. And I love the different depths that gives the stories. I loved that Helen was working in the more “adult” portion of the club, albeit not by choice, and the protective instincts that brings up in Alex…even though he doesn’t want to be protective of her.
Alex and Helen have a history, and there was an attraction between them when they were younger, so seeing one another again, after years and a lot of ugly history, was a shock to both of them. And, they both soon realize that things are not exactly as they thought. Second chance romances have to not only a connection that feels real, but also a reason that they split up, that can be resolved without damage to the couple. This had this…although a lot of their initial interactions were while they still hated one another. That added an interesting element.
I loved that this was a grittier story, one that was about 2 people who were not perfect, who didn’t always do the right things, and who had a lot of flaws.
I enjoyed this story, and I recommend it.
What a totally captivating book from author Sidney Halston. “What About Us” is meaningful right from the gripping prologue, and the impassioned story continues through to the epilogue. The two primary characters, Helen Blackwood and Alex Archer, have excitable chemistry, and their romantic courtship is replete with discovery, desire and love. Ms. Halston is a talented storyteller and her words kept me wanting more. This is the fourth book from the author’s “Panic” series, and it can be thoroughly enjoyed as a standalone.
Helen and Alex grew up together in Seattle, and their families were quite wealthy and very close. In fact, there was even some talk about them marrying someday. During Helen’s 18th birthday party, she received her first romantic kiss ever, and the kisser was Alex. Then the FEDS came in, arrested Helen’s dad for his Ponzi schemes, and Helen and Alex never saw each other again.
Now it is twelve years later, and both Helen and Alex have suffered tremendous personal and financial loses. After overcoming homelessness and poverty, Helen is living in a modest home in Miami. She is a bartender at an upscale strip club and earning money is her only priority. After ten months of blissful solitude, her almost ex husband comes back into her life. He is a violent and deceitful man, and Helen narrowly escapes from his clutches. He takes over their home and cleans out their joint bank account.
Alex’s family’s wealth was a direct result of Helen’s father’s investments, so they lost everything as well. Overtime, Alex has become independently wealthy through hard work and smart acquisition opportunities. He happens to be in Miami on business, and he and his scummy client run into Alex at her place of work. Since Helen knows Alex so well and is in desperate need of money, she reluctantly agrees to be Alex’s assistant while he is in town for the next year. They share an immediate intimacy that cannot be denied. However, in order to forge a future together, they have to understand and forgive the past.
From the very first chapter I was engrossed in Helen’s broken and sad adult life. I connected with her plight immediately, because she, as well as the plot, were so well defined and described. When Helen was upset or embarrassed, my heart was breaking, and as Alex worked through his inability to experience emotion, I felt his despair. Their sexy times are hot, lustful and loving. This story is replete with raw emotional situations from both main characters. Don’t pass on the opportunity to read this book.
Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
A wonderful story about a boy and girl, in the edge of falling in love, who are blasted apart in a swarm of FBI agents and are reunited twelve years later, with different views about their separation, angry and resentful about the other. In spite of their discord, there is still a sense of ownership, protectiveness, closeness and the remnants of a teenage crush.
Helen spent many years homeless, later worked at menial jobs and is now the bartender of a trendsetter nightclub in Miami Beach, far away from her previous home in Seattle. When she encounters Alex, she’s initially overjoyed but then chagrined when he makes his attitude clear; he’s not happy to see her. Eventually they exchange stories, after many fights and name-calling, and discover things were not as they thought and they each failed each other.
When the FBI invaded Helen’s house, they arrested her father for fraud and having a Ponzi scheme, swindling millions of dollars from his clients. He went to jail, all their possessions were auctioned and Helen was left destitute. She moved from Seattle to Miami Beach and little by little picked herself up. She always resented the Archer family for not caring about her and abandoning her. Moreover, she was convinced of her father’s innocence. Alex Archer, whose family was ruined by the Ponzi scheme, were also left destitute but he was brilliant like his father and soon restored and tripled their previous fortune. He was currently in Miami on business and that business was extended, not for business reasons but personal reasons (meaning Helen).
I loved this story because the characters were so brilliant. Helen was feisty and brave, she survived horrible conditions and is still positive, generous and kind. I loved Alex because he seems like a highly functioning autistic guy. He’s brilliant at numbers but stupid at emotions. He’s clueless about feelings but he’s a good person. He doesn’t understand feelings but he’s crushed when Helen cries. He feels protective and jealous but doesn’t understand what he’s feeling, and acts like a caveman regardless. Their encounters are at times, funny, sad, feisty and sexy. Their road to happiness was fraught with many challenges. It was captivating and uplifting and just plain entertaining. Loved it!
With each book from this series I’ve thought, “That was my favorite.” But truly, What About Us is definitely one to beat the others and the reasons are Helen and Alex. They are both so unique and completely developed that I felt like I had known them my whole life.
Helen is sassy and quirky but man can she tell you like it is. She doesn’t take any bull from Alex and let me tell you, he tosses a lot of it her way. With a tough outer shell, inside she’s really all marshmallowy soft despite the past years that have made her walk through fire. I loved her complete dedication to remaining the woman her trials had made her even when Alex is able to give her back the life she once had. She wasn’t going to take the easy way out by relying on him financially. That’s kind of my catnip.
Alex doesn’t like loud groups of people and he struggles to communicate his feelings…all the time. When he does speak he pretty much tells it like it is and in the process projects a real a holery vibe to the one he’s talking to, mainly Helen. But man, when he finally finds it within himself to open up he doesn’t go second rate. I loved watching him react to Helen and then fall in love with her. She was all he needed and sometimes his needs meant taking care of her in ways she didn’t want to accept. I loved every moment of it.
This is a fast paced enemies to lovers romance that knocked my socks off with its heat and intensity between these characters. They argued, they sexed it up and they developed a relationship with so much feeling it permeated every page, every word. Despite being part of a series, this can definitely be read as a standalone and it gives a wonderful epilogue that was absolute perfection. I hated to see this couple’s story come to an official close. I highly recommend this to any and everyone!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and Loveswept. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
5-blueberry-pie covered stars!
Review by Angelique
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog
There is nothing subtle or apologetic about Alex and Helen’s story.
Sidney Halston manages to capture everything from love to hate and everything in between in the 4th installment of the Panic series, What About us.
The night of my eighteenth birthday.
The night of first kisses and broken dreams.
The night i was completely alone as my life turned upside down.
Parting ways at a young age, during what was supposed to be a magical and happy day, things were never quite the same for either Helen or Alex.
We meet strong-willed Helen who survived when the world was unkind and lonely and we learn how she got to where she is today.
Alex, living with resentment about how things turned out for him, stumbles upon a familiar face in the last place he thought he would.
Their lives are significantly different and things are never quite what they appear. As the two work around the proverbial elephant in the room, they find themselves following a path that neither ever thought was possible.
It’s both sad and happy and it sometimes takes just a nudge to push you where you need to be.
What About Us by Sidney Halston is the fourth book in the Panic series, but the first I have read. This was a second chance romance about now enemies-to-lovers. Helen Blackwood and Alex Archer had too much history and most of it bad. When Alex sees Helen at Panic, he thinks this may be the perfect chance for revenge.
Helen broke my heart. She has been through so much, but through it all she was determined to succeed and move forward. Alex is determined to get revenge and was a bit mean and cruel at times. There was so much hurt and anger when Alex and Helen were torn apart when they were younger. Though they want to hate each other, the chemistry and desire they once had is still there.
What About Us by Sidney Halston was an angsty enemies-to-lovers second chance romance with great banter and chemistry. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to going back and reading the others in the series.
Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!
I have loved every book in this series and What About Us is no exception!
Helen and Alex were childhood friends until tragedy tore them apart and sent them on completely different paths. Alex grew up to be a successful businessman while Helen was just getting by on minimum wage. When Alex shows up at Duality and sees Helen there, it’s like the past becomes irrelevant and he can’t leave her there. But their issues are bigger than one finding success and the other struggling to make ends meet.
There were quite a few times in this book that I thought that the problems between Alex and Helen were so big they were insurmountable. The fighting, the hate, the distrust, the resentment were so palpable I could feel it through every word. This book had me glued to the screen all day hoping that these two would be able to find their way back to each other.
This series is one of my favorites. I am keeping my fingers crossed for Iggy to get his HEA too so I can learn about all of that man’s mysteries!!
*This is my voluntary review of an advanced reader copy*
What About Us is kind of a second chance romance for Alex and Helen. They really didn’t get much of a chance twelve years ago before things went sideways in both their lives. When they do find each other again, things get pretty angsty with a lot of misunderstandings and things left unsaid. In fact, so much of the angst relies on what isn’t said that it became a bit frustrating, especially with Helen being so completely oblivious to what’s right in front of her. I completely get that we want to believe the best of our parents, but I found it a little too far-fetched to think that this woman is that gullible after so many years have passed. The story is interesting enough, but I kept waiting, or maybe hoping, for something unexpected, something to set this one apart, but it just didn’t happen. In the end, it’s an okay romance and worth the read, but lacks that wow factor that would pull me back to it later.
WHAT ABOUT US is the fourth instalment in Sidney Halston’s contemporary, adult PANIC erotic, romance series focusing on the men and women who work and own the high-end night club Panic, and its’ subsidiary Club Duality. This is thirty-five year old, billionaire business investor Alex Archer, and thirty-year old, cocktail waitress Helen Blackwood’s story line. WHAT ABOUT US can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Alex and Helen) WHAT ABOUT US focuses on the second chance relationship between thirty-five year old, billionaire business investor Alex Archer, and thirty-year old, cocktail waitress Helen Blackwood. Twelve years earlier on the day of her eighteenth birthday Helen Blackwood’s life imploded –with her father in jail, and our heroine homeless and alone, our heroine made her way to Florida in the hopes of starting over where no one knew about her past. Fast forward to present day wherein Helen, now a cocktail waitress for a high-end night club comes face to face with her past, a past that blames everything on our story line heroine. Enter billionaire Alex Archer, and the man that Helen has never stopped loving. What ensues is the rebuilding but acrimonious relationship between Helen and Alex, and the potential fall-out as Alex struggles to let go of the past.
Helen Blackwood once lived a life of privilege but everything came crashing down the day her father was arrested and charged with fraud. Struggling to survive, Helen would find herself hungry and homeless on more than one occasion. Having never forgotten about the boy who got away, life would come full-circle when said boy, now a man, makes it his mission to destroy everything Helen has struggled to achieve. Alex Archer couldn’t believe that Helen Blackwood had fallen so far. The only friend and girl to give the young socially awkward Alex a second look, Helen’s circumstances had definitely changed, a change Alex didn’t believe no matter how hard he tried.
The relationship between Alex and Helen is one of second chances; a rekindling relationship damaged by the ‘sins of the father’, sins Alex struggles to accept and forgive. Alex’s attitude towards Helen is vindictive and cruel as our heroine struggles not only with her attraction to a man who despises her existence, but battles a personal h*ll back home. The $ex scenes are erotic, passionate and intense.
The colorful secondary and supporting characters include Helen’s best friend Gina, and her father Edward Blackwood; Alex’s best friend and CFO of Archer Technologies Bradley, and his PA Monique Adler , as well as Alex’s mother Doris Archer. We are re-introduced to nightclub owners Nick (Pull Me Close #1) and Matt Moreno (Make Me Stay #2), as well as a number of security and construction crews.
WHAT ABOUT US is a story of family, friendship, betrayal and lies. The premise is emotional, heart breaking and encouraging; the characters are charismatic, but embittered survivors; the romance is a second chance for two people to move on from the past. WHAT ABOUT US is a sexy, energetic and captivating story where the sins of the father destroy everything in its path.
Growing up Alex and Helen were the best of friends, their families often spending time together at social gatherings, and once they hit their teens the friendship started to turn to more. Then tragedy strikes Helen’s family, and it drives a wedge between the once close families, leaving Alex and Helen on opposite sides and Alex full of anger and Helen completely alone. Now twelve years later fate has decided to intervene and reunite them, Helen is working at Duality and Alex happens to spot her there while attending a business meeting. She is thrilled to see him again, but the happy notion isn’t returned, he is cold and closed off and seems to want nothing to do with her, which hurts far more than she’d care to admit.
Alex still carries a lot of hate for Helen’s family, and seeing her again brings it all to the surface, and threatens to disturb the life he has created for himself. But seeing her again has also brought up unresolved feelings and he can’t help but want to save her from the shabby life she is currently living, she deserves far more than that, but he isn’t so sure he is the man to give it to her… or is he?
What About Us is a second chance love story that reunites two childhood sweethearts who were drove apart by their families shady dealings. It has been twelve years of mulling over the wrongs of the past for these two, which means that there is a ton of angst and drama to be sorted out between the pages of this one. From the moment I started it I could feel the tension surrounding these two, but I also could also feel the love too, which made this one lots of fun to devour, it was a slow burning tale that kept me teetering on the edge of my seat with anticipation. It was a delightful addition to the series, and one I think readers will really enjoy! Highly recommend!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from NetGalley, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.