Chance of a Lifetime by Jude Deveraux, Tara Sheets

 

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I was so excited to get to read this first book. As a huge Jude Deveraux fan for 25+ years, I was ready to dive in. 

Book Description

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.

About Jude Deveraux andTara Sheets 

Jude Deveraux is the author of historical and contemporary women's fiction featuring women of strong character and gorgeous, exciting men. Jude has had more than thirty books on the New York Times bestsellers list, 60 million copies in print, and has been translated into 18 languages. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading murder mysteries, working in her garden, and in boxing class, she likes to show much younger males that she can throw a mean right cross.

Tara Sheets is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. Her debut novel Don’t Call Me Cupcake received the 2016 Golden Heart® sponsored by Romance Writers of America. It is the first book in the award-winning Holloway Girls series. Tara began her career as an author in the Pacific Northwest, inspired by the rain and the misty mountains and the rivers of Starbucks coffee. She now lives in the warm, wonderful South where she can stand outside with no coat on, and she finds that pretty inspiring too. When not writing, Tara enjoys life with her book-loving family and a book-eating dog named Merlin.

My Thoughts

Let me start this review by saying I am a huge fan of Jude Deveraux. I have devoured everyone book she has ever written since I first picked my first book by her at 16. I can still remember that sunny afternoon reading Velvet Promise. Jude has a unique way of creating characters I want to revisit over and over. 

With that said I went into this book with high expectations knowing I would once again fall instantly in love with Liam and Cora. That did not happen. 

This story flip flops between past and present which was easy enough to follow and there were many moments when I would find myself caught up n the story and I would think this is the writing I know. Then it would change and I would find myself disconnected from the story and characters.  I am not sure if it was due to the book been written by two authors or if it was just a fluke that this book didn't hit home for me. 

Either I did finish it and the story is a good one and the characters had a long-standing connection. I just felt like the flow of the book was off. It did not speak to me like Jude's past books where I wanted to go back again and again to visit old friends. 

Overall it was a good book but not one of my favorites.