CHANCES TAKEN by J. Paulette Forshey

Publisher: Whispers Publishing
Published by: June 2011
ISBN: 830603201102
Ebook
Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by Tammy
Obtained via: publisher


CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE! J. Paulette Forshey takes readers on a romantic trip to Ireland where two lives intersect and anything is possible.

When millionaire Ian Cathmor tries to help his cousin with her Irish B&B by sponsoring a contest through his company with an Irish retreat as the prize, no one is more surprised than Ian when he is drawn to the winner, Jacquelyn Tracer, from the moment he first lays eyes on her. But when she doesn’t recognize him as her boss, maybe letting her think he is a local farmer isn’t the best of plans.

This reader firmly believes that writing a really good short story (and at under sixty pages, CHANCES TAKEN, certainly qualifies) is probably far harder to accomplish than writing a 300-page novel. The reason is that the author must grab readers’ interest immediately, create a connection between readers and characters and tell an interesting story in only a few short chapters. Writing good short stories is a niche and very few authors can really pull it off. Unfortunately, J. Paulette Forshey took a chance with CHANCES TAKEN and it simply doesn’t pay off for her.

The story reads like it follows a recipe for what a good story should be. It has a rich man who wants a woman to love him for him and not his money. Check. It has the young, naïve virgin who mistakes him for a local farmer. Check. The two meet and instantly fall for each other and fall into bed. Check. A conflict inevitably arises. Again check. Our heroine flees, our hero gives chase, misunderstandings are explained and they end up living happily ever after. Check. In theory it should have worked. It doesn’t. It is all too pat. It is all too expected. It is all too flat.

On the positive side, this reader is not ready to give up on this author just yet. As stated earlier in this review, it is difficult to succeed at writing a good short story. This reader truly hopes that J. Paulette Forshey gives a longer story that has the time and opportunity to develop and flesh out the characters a try. Just because short stories aren’t her forte, doesn’t mean she doesn’t show promise.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.