Release Day Launch & Giveaway: Worth The Chance (MMA #2) by Vi Keeland

Title: Worth the Chance 

Author: Vi Keeland 

Release date: February 17th 2013 

Age Group: Adult 

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

Tour organized by: AToMR TOURS

Meet Liv Michaels It may have been seven years, but I'd know him anywhere. Sure, he’s grown, filled out in all the right places, but his captivating blue eyes and cocky grin are exactly the way I remember. Even though I’d much rather forget. Liv Michaels is almost there. She’s smart, determined and weeks away from landing the job she’s dreamed about for years. Time healed old wounds, even her broken heart from the devastation of being crushed by her first love. Meet Vince Stone Women love a fighter, especially a good one. Lucky for me, I’m damn good. But there’s one woman that isn’t interested. Not again, anyway. Vince ‘The Invincible’ Stone is every woman’s fantasy…strong, sexy, confident and completely in control. Growing up surrounded by chaos, he’s learned never to get too attached. Love will drag you down. He adores women, treats them well, puts their own needs before his own…for the night anyway. With the biggest fight of his life coming up, his focus should be on training. When fate brings Vince & Liv back together again, there’s no denying the chemistry is still there. But can Vince erase the old scars their past left behind? Or will Liv hurt him instead?

      

My Review:

After reading Worth The Fight I was really excited to get Vince's story. He was just a young boy throughout that book after Nico took him in off the streets and I just knew he would be an interesting character with an equally interesting set of circumstances. What I didn't expect with this book was the back story that comes with getting to know Vinny and everything he's been through.

So...Vinny's life hasn't been easy by any means. Growing up his mother was a junkie and he was basically on his own caring for himself. He was a little bit of a troublemaker from what we saw of him in the first book until Nico got ahold of him and refocused his energy with Mixed Martial Arts and training in his gym. Fast forward a few years to when Vinny comes face to face with a woman from his past and Olivia is introduced. The story with these two was pretty cut and dry...well sort of. Olivia was the shy quiet girl who tutored Vinny when they were in high school. She harboured an unrequited crush on him but he was too busy banging out his teenage lust with girls totally opposite from Liv. There were a couple of chapters that gave a look back at the two during those days that highlighted the ups and downs of their hit and miss relationship that seemed to end with Liv's heart broken.

The story between them in the present day was much more interesting with Liv on the cusp of having her dream job in the palm of her hand. She's wanted to work as a writer for the Daily Sun Times, a local newspaper she has an internship with. She never thought she would see Vinny again after he hurt her in high school but when she's given an assignment to cover his upcoming fight all those old feelings smack her right in the face. I have to say I loved and hated certain aspects of both characters. With Liv, I loved how independent she was at first. She knew what she wanted in her career and was willing to fight to get herself there. She was always the smart but shy and quiet type of girl and seeing how she transitioned out of that made me like her even more. Seeing Vinny again was a shock to her but I loved how she didn't let him see how visibly shaken she was. What I didn't love was how easily she let Vinny in no matter how many times he hurt her. I admire strong women and she was strong in most other areas in her life but when it came to Vinny she was a wet noodle. I got why she couldn't resist, because she loved him, I just wish she would have been a little bit more firm and made him work for it a little harder.

On the other hand Vinny is a force to be reckoned with both in the ring and out of it. Growing up the way he did he had to be tough and fend for himself so that has made him cocky and self assured. He gets what he wants but he did have to fight for it so it's easy to understand the why's behind his personality. Going into this I thought I was going to fall ass over elbows for Vinny but in all honesty he was a bit of a dog. Think Lady and the Tramp but with killer biceps and gorgeous eyes. And you know... not an ACTUAL dog. He knows his way around the ladies having his share of any of the groupies that hang around the gym so it was no surprise he could get in Liv's panties but he was so cocky and so self assured that it was a little off putting to me. His personality grated on me, mainly his attitude towards women in general. That is to be expected with a cocky man such as Vinny but I never really felt like he had significant character growth as the story progressed. That's not to say he didn't have some sweet moments between his love for Liv and his affection for a junkie mother who never did much for him but I just felt too mixed between love and hate with him.

One of my favorite aspects of the story was the conflict that nestled itself directly between Vinny and Liv. The fluff piece she's given to cover Vinny's fight is turned into something that will rock his life's foundation. Liv has to choose her dream job over the love of her life when Vinny's past becomes the story. All the snooping around she had to do to dig up dirt on him was exciting and ultimately brought one of my favorite characters into the spotlight. Jackson Knight may have been a supporting character but he was enough of a presence to intrigue the hell out of me for more of him. I loved that he got a little flirty with Liv which in turn drove Vinny bonkers with jealousy because he had a tendency to be a Neanderthal meat head. With all the Revelations that came out of this story I can't wait to see how Jackson's story pans out! I have my theories and I can't wait to see if I'm right! Nico and Elle being so close to Vinny in the first book wasn't a surprise to see more of them in this one. I actually enjoyed seeing Elle and Liv bond and form a friendship. of course seeing the love between Nico and Elle still going strong was such a great addition to the story and I loved every minute they were involved.

Worth The Chance was a mixed bag for me but even though the main characters had traits that irked me from time to time I did enjoy their love story. Getting a look back at their history was a good thing to see since their experiences shaped their personalities as they got older. Keeland has a way of making you sweat in this one and at one point I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room in a fit of anger. It seemed like both Liv and Vinny had more of a fight on their hands to keep their relationship on track whereas Elle and Nico's seemed a little bit easier going for them. That's one of the things I admire about Keeland's stories, all her characters bring with them different feelings and backgrounds that come together for an interesting read. Although his story was tough in some spots and he was an arrogant S.O.B. 75% of the time, I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on Vinny's story and you seriously shouldn't either.

Quotes:

"Trust me about one thing, Liv...whatever is going on between us, it's going to happen. You can make it as difficult as you want, but we, Liv, are going to happen. Neither one of us can stop it." ARC 22%

"I don't think it matters what we plan for ourselves. Some things in life are just too powerful to change." ARC 80%

Giveaway:

(8) Sets of "Bookchick glasses" and 5 custom wine charms, one of each of Vi Keeland's book covers – International

a Rafflecopter giveaway

    About the Author:

 Vi Keeland is a native New Yorker with three children that occupy most of her free time, which she complains about often, but wouldn't change for the world. She is a bookworm and has been known to read her kindle at stop lights, while styling her hair, cleaning, walking, during sporting events, and frequently while pretending to work. She is a boring attorney by day, and an exciting New York Times & USA Today Bestselling smut author by night! Email: vikeeland@gmail.com 

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