2.5-3 stars

***fair warning, this review has a few small spoilers but nothing major***

This was an alright story. TBH, I was enjoying it at first but the ending wasn't to my liking and really brought down the story for me.

Liv is an intern at a newspaper that she's hoping to get a permanent job at. She has always loved writing and it's been her plan to be a writer since she was a kid. Liv used to tutor Vince when they were in high school but for some reason (that never seems well explained to me) Vince left Liv and after recovering from the heartbreak, Liv learned to move on.

Vince is a MMA fighter that's getting ready to fight for the championship title. Vince's mom is a drug addict that couldn't take care of herself, let alone take care of Vince. From a very young age, Vince had to take care of himself and his mom and it was a rough life. Vince has a lot of anger issues and got in fights in high school until one of Vince's teachers got him to start working with Nico in the gym. It helped because it gave Vince a place to work out his aggressions and stay off the streets.

As an intern, Liv is competing against another woman (a spoiled rich skank who only got the intern position because her daddy is rich) for the permanent position at the newspaper. They're both given assignments for articles to write in hopes of doing well enough at them to land the job in the end. Liv is given an assignment to write an article about a fighter that also teaches women's self defense classes and doesn't look at the info before rushing to one of the classes to take part and hopefully speak to her intended interview subject. She's shocked to find that the instructor is her high school crush, Vince. Since he broke her heart back in high school (and he's obviously still a huge man whore) Liv wasn't very thrilled about being near him again and tries to get out of her assignment...not that's she's very successful thanks to Vince.

Vince has slept around a lot and treats women like crap but once he sees Liv again, he can't forget about her. He decides to pursue her and once he makes an effort, Liv has trouble staying away from him. They come together as a couple but there are some issues that make things difficult for them. The main issue is her job because she's put in a horrible position where they want her to use her relationship with Vince to get a story. There's also issues with Vince's mom and her drug problems to deal with and ties into other crap. They deal with those issues and more and end the story with a HEA together.

So...this story wasn't great and I'd already been planning to rate it around 3 stars but it was going to be a high 3 star rating that I was still planning to recommend. But then I hit the 87% mark in the story...Vince and Liv have a big fight and the story makes it seem like he slept with a skank...one that disgusted me so much that I almost DNF the story right then and there. I did continue and Vince later claimed that nothing happened between him and the skank but I don't really know if I believed him or not. Regardless of whether he slept with the skank or not, I just couldn't get into the relationship between Vince and Liv after that. Overall, I ended this story feeling a cross between disappointed and "meh" so I can't recommend it. :P

* note - I listened to the audio version of this story and the narrator did a pretty good job.

I loved how the characters from the last book made appearances in this one. It’s always nice to continue on with their stories even though you’re learning about new characters.

I found Vinny a bit cocky in the last book. I loved how Nico harnessed that negative energy into something good and started to train Vinny from a very young age to be a MMA fighter.

I loved how cute Vinny and Liv were. I loved that they met so young and felt the sparks even then.

The yucky stuff in between all of that was unfortunate but necessary and made the end so much sweeter. Highly recommend. Great book. Great series.

I didn't hate the first book, but I just didn't love it, so it look me awhile to even start reading this one. When I did I couldn't put it down!

Vinnie and Liv are amazing. Vinnie is a sweet sexy guy and Liv is strong and independent. This story had me gripped from the start. Laughing, crying, swooning. Lots of sexy scenes, but also so much story and plot that give the story real heart.

If you didn't like the first as much you may love this one.

The only reason why I didn't give it a 5 star was because I didn't like the way Vinnie controlled certain things in Liv's life, like ordering her food. That put me off to him. I also think it sends the wrong message to women because men who do stuff like that in real life, are controlling dirt bags.

This was a.well written, beautifully detailed and vivid MMA story. The writer uses distinctive, clear descriptions of fighting, work outs, and other details exclusive to the world and lifestyle of MMA, drawing readers seamlessly into Vinny's and Liv's world. The only criticism? An overabundance and use of acronyms, which someone who isn't cognizant of fighting wouldn't understand.

I give this five stars for capturing the essence of two magnetic young characters struggling with their relationship and all its obstacles as well as with the challenges and for of their crazy but dynamic lives.