Take a Chance on Me

a good read

Thanks to Netgally and Choc lit for letting me review this fantastic book. Loved, loved all the characters except the villain and the easy relationship that quickly developed between Sadie and Mac. There were times that I thought now it is the end for Sadie and Mac but Debbie Flint brings them together again and again. The mysterious person at the beginning had me a bit worried. Loved the accidental meeting of Sadie and Mac and that Sadie will do everything in her power to provide for her family. This book had me up half the night as I just could not put it down. If you are after a good romance and an easy read this is the story for you. I would highly recommend Take a Chance on Me to all the romance lovers out there

I was provided this book for my honest review via NetGalley. Take a Chance on Me is a romantic novel by Debbie Flint. Sadie is a single mom, scientist, store owner, businesswoman, and on a man ban. Mac is a billionaire investor, has a playboy history, and is an extreme sport junkie. Sadie is chasing a deal that will finally put her family and business back on track. Mac is hiding from emotions and using extreme sports and risk taking business deals to fill the void. Fates align and Mac and Sadie meet on accident. Neither presents their true self to the other thinking that they are protecting themselves. Then they meet in the business setting and things get dicey.
Will Sadie be able to get the deal of a lifetime to help her family? Will Mac realize that sometimes people are more than the surface? And will they act on their chemistry? Debbie Flint provides the reader a book that immerses you into the lives of Sadie and Mac. Eloquently written with well-developed characters, fantastic imagery, beautiful locations, a strong story line and some good sparing banter between the characters. The storyline pushes and pulls the reading through various emotions to include hope, anger, empathy, enmity, intrigue, difficult choices, and how to make things best for those you love. Debbie keeps you on your toes. A good read that will have you wanting more.
My only reason for not giving the book 5 stars was at times I felt that the author was repeating some of the story and wasn’t needed. But if you put the book down and come back to read it this would be helpful.

I was browsing Netgalley one day, and saw that the publisher Choc Lit had finally joined, so decided to see what they had to offer. One title up for grabs was a novel by Debbie Flint, someone I know better as presenter on the shopping channel QVC. I didn't know she had written books, so after a brief flit to Amazon to see the general consensus on her books, it seemed positive so I just had to request it. I didn't realise at the time it was part of the 'Hot Choc Lit' range - books a little bit saucier than normal but not enough to be classified erotica. Either way, I began the story and thoroughly enjoyed it! As the synopsis is at the top of the post, I won't bore you with another retelling. First of all, I want to mention that this has previously been published as an eBook under the title Hawaiian Affair, but has been edited and re-released by Choc Lit. This is the version I am therefore reviewing, and I can't comment on any differences between this and the original. I want to quickly mention the cover too - it's very striking, with the muted colours of the main picture contrasted with the bright red of the title streaked across the middle. It's very eye-catching and suits the book really well I feel. I'm glad publishers realise the importance of book covers for eBook too - it can mean the difference between me reading one or passing it by - I'm not ashamed to say I do judge books by covers! The leading lady of this book is called Sadie Turner - she's a clever girl with a PhD, runs her own business, she's a single mum of 2 daughters, and has travelled a long way to get a new investment in her business - and only has one chance to get it right. I really liked Sadie straight away. She was very hard-working, determined not to be thrown off by the small odds of her actually getting the investment she needs. She's hot-headed, can hold her own in a boardroom full of men, but can't resist the handsome deck hand she meets on a boat called Mac. You could see why she fell for him straight away - he seemed handsome, happy and kind, it's not surprising she decided to have some fun while on holiday in Monaco! Mac was indeed the perfect leading man for the story, but all was not as it seems! While Mac turned out to be someone quite different than what Sadie had originally thought, perhaps she wasn't as truthful as she might have thought too. I loved the relationship between the pair, from the beginning when they were chatting as friends on the dock, even to things hotting up between them as they get to know each other better. Some of these scenes really are steamy, but are very well written. It doesn't feel like it's being smutty or trying to get attention, it's simply part of the story and is quite fun to read! Debbie Flint does really well handling these scenes, and I thought it was a good reflection of her writing too that these scenes were enjoyable to read. The book felt quite long as I was reading, but it didn't drag at all which was good. It moved from Monaco in the first part of the book, and eventually to the beautiful island of Hawaii, my dream holiday destination! Although most of the book is taken up with the business deal and things going on between Sadie and Mac, we do get to see a bit of the island and it sounds every bit as beautiful as I imagine it to! I enjoyed how it flitted between the professional business persona of Sadie, and the frustrated and besotted single mum who just wants to find some happiness with ease, there was always some drama and emotion in this book! I didn't get some of the science part of the book to do with the product Sadie was selling, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book, I sort of skimmed those parts without feeling like I was missing out too much! It was a very enjoyable read from start to finish, had me involved the whole way through, and Debbie Flint's writing was fantastic - really drawing me into the story and making me want to keep reading from start to finish. I hope I'll be reading more from Debbie Flint - this was a great book!

A great read that I hated to see end. May Debbie Flint continue to write books like this, it's a real winner..

This book from publisher 'Choc Lit' is very good. It is well written and has a great storyline which kept my interest. I would say this book was quite raunchy but not explicitly sexy. Sadie is a divorced working mother of two. She is given the chance to pitch a sales deal to billionaire Mac, not realising that she has already met and slept with him. When she is about to do her sales pitch, both she and Mac get a shock finding out who each other is. We follow their adventures, as they both find love.

Take A Chance On Me is a sexy, funny, realistic feeling story of a single mom who wears many hats (as most moms do), doing the best she can to survive and provide for her two girls and herself. She has no need for a man in her life – well at least until her girls are grown and on their own… why complicate everyone’s life with the trouble and work a man involves. No, they’re just fine on their own. Now she just needs to land this investor and they all will be so much better off.

Great plan. Too bad it got changed a bit by an oops and one strong minded, sexy as sin billionaire with plans of his own.

I enjoyed Take A Chance on Me very much – and on several levels. Sadie is a strong character, she’s a realistic character – single mom, super smart, curvy in all the right places, loves and helps her mom and she doesn’t need a man to make her life complete. Heck, where would she even fit in time for the maintenance of a guy in her hectic schedule.

But… there’s that saying about best laid plans…turns out, it’s very true indeed.

Mac is a complex and complicated character. I want to say that he grows on you as the story develops, but the truth is that Mac changes as the story moves forward mostly through his relationship with Sadie. So while at first he comes off as an arrogant cuss, give him a chance and you’ll see the potential there for an amazing man.

Told from alternating points of view, we get a better feel for what each character is experiencing and thinking. Listening to their inner dialogue is part of the fun of Take A Chance On Me, in my opinion. The story is gripping, emotional and yes, sexy and steamy. Not too much, but more than most of the Choc Lit stories we’re used to. Honestly, I’m very pleased to see Choc Lit come out with their Dark Choc Lit and Hot Choc Lit lines – because readers enjoy different things (stories) at different times of their lives. This is a good mix, again my opinion, in order to let more readers in on the excellent stories that Choc Lit publishes.

As usual, I’m not going to give much of the story away. But if you enjoy a realistic feeling story (okay, we won’t all meet billionaires, but you know what I mean) that brings all aspects of a woman’s life into play, and love to see a stubborn, sexy male fall to the charms that he believed he never needed in his life — then this is a story that you’ll want to pick up. It’s funny, sad, hot, and yes even charming.

*I received an e-ARC of Take A Chance On Me from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*

Debbie Flint writes a strong story. I really enjoyed my time with the characters in Take a Chance on Me. I think that what I appreciated most was the glimpses we get inside the character's heads through their inner dialogues. The story is told from alternating points of view, both the hero and heroine have vibrant clear voices. This is more than just the typical millionaire/single mom story, it has meat to it. I see that is is number 2 in a trilogy, but it stood alone well and seemed to be a very complete story. I will definitely be on the look out for the other books.
*I received my copy through NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.