I'm not familiar with any of the books Tara Sheets has previously written, but I've been a fan of Jude Deveraux's for many years. She was one of the first authors I read when I was a young teenager secretly borrowing copies of my mom's romance novels, and "A Knight in Shining Armor" remains one of my favorite books of all time. When I learned that Ms. Deveraux was going back to her roots and co-authoring a story with paranormal/time travel elements, I was incredibly excited. The resulting book, "Chance of a Lifetime," wasn't exactly what I expected, but it was enjoyable nonetheless, and I am happy to recommend it for all fans of contemporary and paranormal romance.
A word of caution, however: while the book's ending didn't precisely feel like a cliffhanger to me, it was definitely incomplete, and I was disappointed not to know in advance that the main characters' story would not be wrapped up in this book. If that sort of thing is bothersome to you as a reader, you may wish to hold off on picking this one up until the entire series is complete so that you can read all of the books back-to-back.
About "Chance of a Lifetime"
In one century she loved him madly, and in another she wants nothing to do with him
In 1844 Ireland, Liam O’Connor, a rogue and a thief, fell madly in love with a squire’s daughter and unwittingly altered the future. Shy and naive Cora McLeod thought Liam was the answer to her prayers. But the angels disagreed and they’ve been waiting for the right moment in time to step in.
Now Liam finds himself reunited with his beloved Cora in Providence Falls, North Carolina. The angels have given Liam a task. He must make sure Cora falls in love with another man—the one she was supposed to marry before Liam interfered. But this Cora is very different from the innocent girl who fell for Liam in the past. She’s a cop and has a confidence and independence he wasn’t expecting. She doesn’t remember Liam or their past lives, nor is she impressed with his attempts to guide her in any way.
Liam wants Cora for himself, but with his soul hanging in the balance, he must choose between a stolen moment in time or an eternity of damnation.
Check out an excerpt from "Chance of a Lifetime" here!
My Review
I enjoyed "Chance of a Lifetime" by Jude Deveraux and Tara Sheets, an interesting and unique blend of paranormal romance and mystery that featured likeable, complex characters and a compelling plot. Male lead Liam was a
charming rogue, and it was easy to see why the female lead, Cora, would be drawn to him regardless of the time period in which they found themselves.
I really liked the story's structure, which featured flashbacks to Cora and Liam's earlier lives in 19th century Ireland and explained how they met and got to know each other. I was particularly struck by the differences between past Cora and present-day Cora; past Cora was a sheltered, sweetly awkward, and talkative young girl who longed for adventure, while present-day Cora was a tough, independent, and capable police investigator. Present-day Cora didn't remember anything about her past life, but it seems that her soul managed to find adventure after all! By contrast, Liam retained his 19th century memories but only had the limited knowledge of the present granted to him by the angels who sent him back to Earth. There were several times I had to laugh as he struggled to make sense of how things such as technology and fashion had changed.
The task assigned to Liam by the angels was to make sure that Cora fell in love with another man, Finn. Even though he struggled to do so because he still loved Cora himself, Liam tried to follow the angels' instructions in order to save his soul from eternal damnation. Finn seemed to be a good guy and to genuinely care about Cora, but IMO the romantic elements in the present-day storyline were rather weak. It's still unclear to me if I was supposed to be rooting for Liam to fulfill his task or for him to find a way to outwit the angels so that he and Cora could be together. The mystery elements of the plot were much stronger, and I look forward to learning more about what the angels are hiding from Liam as well as the resolution of the murder plot that was introduced here.
While I wouldn't exactly describe the book's ending as a cliffhanger,
it was definitely incomplete, and I was disappointed not to know in
advance that Liam and Cora's story would not be wrapped up in this
book. That said, I
really did like the story and characters, and I'm invested enough to continue on with the series.
Overall, I recommend "Chance of a Lifetime" for all fans of contemporary and paranormal romance. I hope it won't be long before the next book is released!
Overall, I recommend "Chance of a Lifetime" for all fans of contemporary and paranormal romance. I hope it won't be long before the next book is released!
*Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments make my day! While I do not expect everyone to agree with my point of view, please note that I reserve the right to delete any nasty or uncharitable messages, as well as spam. Open discussion is welcome and appreciated, but personal attacks are not. Thanks for understanding and have a nice day. :-)