Best Chance

Best Chance

A second chance book between the two main characters Vinnie and Chance. They were each others firsts in High school until Chance decided he "wasn't gay" and ended up dating and then marrying the high school cheerleader. Vinnie and Chance meet up years later in the bar Vinnie is working at. Chance isn't sure about giving Vinnie a second chance once he finds out Vinnie isn't sure about having kids. Vinnie has no clue why Chance wont give him another chance. Once they actually communicate with each other it all comes together. It seems like Communication was the key in making their relationship work. This book was good. I like when the characters have a chance to get back together after a time away from each other for whatever reason.
Narration - Michael did a good job for each character and used enough emotion to make this story sound believable and keep you interested in it.

Chance - chance. The characters name should not be Chance in a second chance type book.. LOL.. My review sounds kind of ridiculous when I read it back to myself.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Vinnie Takes a Chance

Best Chance is another book by Aria Grace in the More Than Friends series. Excellent series and an excellent book. This time Ms. Grace takes on gay couples and parenting.

Chance and Vinnie are old school friends who experimented with sex. Vinnie discovered his sexuality earlier whilst Chance went on to marry a woman and had a child. After Chance' wife passes he meets up with his old flame again.

Once the two of them work out their issues their flame burns even higher. I think that it is wonderful that Chance' and his toddler son Carter both want Vinnie to join their family. Vinnie, a reluctant parent finds having them both in his life is with it. I'm glad Vinnie took a chance on Chance.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

M/m contemporary

I've read many of this authors books before as well as audiobooks. This was an audiobook. It's was a m/m contemporary story. Old school friends find each other again, miscommunication nearly ends their relationship before it can re kindle. I'll be reading more from this series.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Swoon

Swoooooon. I can't get over this series. Although I hate to see each book end, I'm always so anxious to get to the next. This is the story of Vinnie, the bartender, and Chance, the recently back in town father.

Vinnie and Chance were teenage lovers but neither one was ready to be out of the closet so they go their separate ways. Now they are reunited but in very different places in life.

I loved the sweet, tender story between these 2 men. I literally melted listening to their story. However when they were alone... It went from sweet to steamy.

The narrator was good. I had a little bit of a hard time following between characters because there wasn't a huge difference in tone. However, I didn't mind too much because there was nothing else that pulled me away from the story.

I was given a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good story about second chance romance

Where does Best Chance rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I enjoyed it although it probably wasn't my favorite in the series, it was cute and sexy story about young love revisited

Who was your favorite character and why?

I really like Vinnie. He knew who he was and what he wanted

What about Michael Ferraiuolo’s performance did you like?

I enjoyed the personality he put in his characters. Tony's heavy accent really gave you the idea of what he may look like!

If you could rename Best Chance, what would you call it?

If not Best Chance, maybe Second Chances

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Sweet romance about second chances

Any additional comments?

Note: I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author in return for an honest review.

I’ve read or listened to all of the More than Friends books so I went into this knowing what type of story I could expect. I enjoyed the audiobook and would recommend it easily to someone in the mood for a sweet romance about two men given a second chance at making their relationship work.

Story Pros:
This is a novella, so the events have to happen quickly and insta-love is a regular theme in similar books. What I loved about Best Chance is that the characters already knew each other, though it had been years since they’d seen each other. Because there had already been a relationship of sorts prior to the start of the book, the speed at which they fall, both into bed and in love, didn’t feel forced at all.

I really enjoy the secondary characters and their relationships with Vinnie and Chance. The small sub-plot about the two supporting characters fit well into the overall arch of the story and added a bit more depth to the novella.

Story Cons:
Ok, so I only have one but it’s kind of major. Without giving away spoilers, the big secret that Chance keeps from Vinnie didn’t sit right with me. Not that it didn’t work for Chance’s character, but I felt like most people in his position wouldn’t have omitted it when telling someone they used to know about their current life. Though I understand why after a comment from Vinnie, Chance would pull back from a relationship with him, I was put off by the fact that Chance wasn’t honest from the start about it. Because of this, the major conflict is only a slightly different take on the dreaded miscommunication situation. It doesn’t ruin the story but it definitely let me feeling a little off about it.

Narration:
Michael Ferraiuolo hits it out of the park with this one. I loved his voices and found that I could tell which character was speaking just by his voice. Though he’s not the best narrator out there with the sexy scenes, there was definitely enough heat in his voice to keep me in the moment. Plus, at no point did I cringe at his pronunciation of a word, which has become a huge issue for me with other audiobooks.

All in all, I’d give Best Chance in audio a 3.75 rating. The store is a solid 3, good and solid but not mind blowing or something I’ll listen to again and again. The narration is a 4.75, not perfect but pretty close.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A story about second chances.

Would you listen to Best Chance again? Why?

Probably. It was a fast, fun read.

What other book might you compare Best Chance to and why?

Any of the other books in this series, they all run on the same thread.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Vinnie goes to the pharmacy for Chance, and what happens at Chance's house afterward.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, not really. I just quite liked it.

Any additional comments?

You never forget your first love. That saying rings true for Vinnie and Chance, though neither of them have ever voiced the words out loud. They shared a lot of firsts one summer in high school and while Vinnie thought it might lead to more, Chance grabbed the first girl he could find and married her in an attempt to hide how he truly felt.

Years later Chance is a single dad after his wife was killed in a car accident and living back in the town he left behind. When he runs into Vinnie at a local bar, Chance thinks he is getting a second chance at happiness. But miscommunication and misunderstandings hinder the possibility of either man getting their long awaited happy ever after.

I really love this series of short stories by Aria Grace. Each book is a stand-alone story, and yet all the books are tied to each other in one way or another. This book explores the reality of being given that second chance at the one you thought got away, but in this instance, both men have always considered the other the one that got away. Several years have passed and both Chance and Vinnie are at different places in their lives, but the fire still burns. They will have to learn how to communicate with each other, and not jump to conclusions though if they stand a chance at life together.

The story is short, steamy, angsty and driven. And I have to say, Chance’s little boy damn near stole the show. He is just too cute! My only issue with the story was the angst was too much at times, and I really would like to have seen this particular story be a bit longer. The content and the characters begged for more. Overall though, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. A must read for my fellow hopeless romantics.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Sometimes your second chance is your Best Chance

Two guys, Vinnie and Chance who'd fooled around one summer when they were in high school meet up again after 8 years. Chance is a widower with a kid. Chance's marriage had been falling apart before the kid due to his innate but unaccepted homosexuality. Vinnie is a bartender that's never met anyone who's measured up to his high school lover.

When they get back together after all that time it's like Kismet. Chance is finally willing to admit who he really is and Vinnie is thrilled to get a second chance at Chance but an almost laughable miscommunication derails their relationship.

While I liked the characters and enjoyed their dynamic together, the trite miscommunication that provides the main dramatic tension was ridiculous. I hate it when TV writers over-use this "If only they'd talk" style of tension to seemingly endlessly delay the reveal and the happy ending. In print it's even worse.

The story is satisfying and has several charming scenes that make it a worthwhile read but I do wish more art and thought had gone into the construction of a more reasonable main plot line conflict.

Michael Ferraiuolo does a good job in his narration giving distinctive voices to the various characters and he even manages to keep his women's and children's voices from reaching a level that bothered me.

*** Note: I received a copy of this audio book for free in exchange for an honest and impartial review as part of a GoodReads M/M Romance groups Don't Buy My Love event***

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Take a chance! :-)

What a lovely sweet, short romance!!! It’s the story of Chance and Vinnie. Chance had been in love with Vinnie since high school while Vinnie was enjoying his single life as a bartender. He was jes’ fine enjoying bar hookups as he had missed out on an opportunity for a steady relationship with Chance, the guy who he had liked and messed around with in high school who disappeared after they fooled around. But guess who reappeared and was at Vinnie’s bar years after? Need I say? Well, I’ll tell you anyway: Chance.

Soon we learn that even though Chance had been in love with Vinnie since high school, he was too afraid to act on the attraction, and went on to marrying a woman and having a child – a cozy arrangement that doesn’t interest Vinnie.

There’s some angst and misunderstandings, then they finally communicate – which leads to their delicious, wonderful HEA. These guys are sexy! And Michael Ferraiuolo, the narrator, did a wonderful job with the audiobook.

4.5 stars, Baby! 4.5!

Kudos to you, Ms. Grace. These stories get better and better.

***This audiobook was provided to me by the author through the DBML Program in exchange for an honest review. ***

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Very Enjoyable

Would you try another book from Aria Grace and/or Michael Ferraiuolo?

Yes to both

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Sweetly perfect

What three words best describe Michael Ferraiuolo’s performance?

Nice, enjoyable, good

Could you see Best Chance being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I could totally see a tv series or movie about a gay couple raising a baby. I'd watch it!

Any additional comments?

I haven't read all the books in this series but I've enjoyed the ones I've read so far. This was Chance and Vinnie's story. They had a short fling back in high school then Chance freaked out so he ended his friendship with Vinnie and immediately started dating a cheerleader. Fast forward 8 years and Chance is a widower with a baby and he runs into Vinnie at the bar Vinnie is a bartender at. They hook up then Chance is an idiot and doesn't mention he has a kid so Vinnie unknowingly puts his foot in his mouth by saying he never wants kids. So Chance assumes he has no future with Vinnie after that and once again drops him like a hot potato. Vinnie is left hurt and confused wondering wtf he did wrong. Luckily everything comes out and all is forgiven by the end of the book and there is a sweet HEA. Fun, low angst, cute, and quick. Just how I like it.

**A free copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review**

1 of 1 people found this review helpful