Reviewed by: Julie-Allyson Ieron, Author—Bible Teacher—Worship Leader

Introduction

Title: Chance of Loving You

Authors: Terri Blackstock, Candace Calvert, Susan May Warren

Publisher: Tyndale Fiction

Publication Date: May 2015

Format: Paperback

Length: 374 Pages

OVERVIEW

When I received this book for review, I was looking forward to three easy-read novellas from authors I enjoy. The premise was fun—namely, take a long-shot first encounter and build a romance around it. For Blackstock, the encounter happens when a down-and-out inventor leaves half a sweepstakes ticket for a waitress late one Valentine’s night. For Calvert, the encounter comes in a nursing home between a dietary assistant (and aspiring chef) and the handsome grandson of one of her patients. For Warren, it’s a college classmate duo with a sad history thrown together one last time at a fishing derby.

In a novella format with its severely limited word count, authors don’t get an opportunity to develop characters fully. So, I wasn’t expecting a deep, meaningful foray into circumstances, situations and psyches. That said, though, I felt like the quality and plausibility was inconsistent between the three stories. Calvert’s characters were the best developed, acted the most plausibly, and yet ended their story with the most pleasing twist. Conversely, I’ve read better stories from Blackstock and Warren, whose characters weren’t as multi-faceted and whose storylines I predicted from early on.

If you’re looking for a fun vacation read that won’t challenge you much but will entertain, this is a perfect collection. (I’ll be passing my copy along to my mom.) But if you’re looking for meaningful characters and challenging story development, it wouldn’t be your first choice.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5)

3.5 out of 5 Stars

Suggested Audience

Light reading, bring it along to the pool or beach

Christian Impact

Light, but present. Nothing offensive; nothing overtly evangelical, either.

Other Notes

Calvert’s story, The Recipe, is new. Blackstock’s For the Love of Money was published earlier in an anthology in 2000; Warren’s Hook, Line & Sinker, was an ebook first published in 2011.

Julie-Allyson Ieron has published 37 books. Among her newest are, The GOD Interviews: Questions You Would Ask; Answers God Gives and an emotion-laced devotional written while her dad was battling pancreatic cancer: Comforting Words for Caregivers … and those they love. She and her mom are instrumentalists and worship leaders for a congregation outside Chicago, Ill.

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