Title: Another Chance
Author: Kathy Clark
Series: Austin Heroes #3
Intriguing plot, lovable characters, slow in spots
I’d like to thank Kathy Clark, Loveswept, and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this story. The suspense subplot was intriguing—and somewhat unsettling, because it’s completely plausible and I’d never thought about it before—and wove well into the larger picture, that of Luke and Bella’s rekindled love. I had a tiny bit of trouble with that main romance plot, because they seemed to get back together so easily, when they knew very little about the adults they had become over the last fourteen years. That’s a long time; there had to be more to discuss. Luke and Bella seemed to just reminisce about high school then got busy the moment they were alone and pretty much picked right up where they’d left off. They each harbored a little uncertainty as to what they’d (re)started—was it temporary, was it simply finding closure for the past—but for the most part, they just clicked together and didn’t seem to have much conflict between them, not even that of wading through fourteen years of life experience.
The pace was steady, but—this will seem like a contradiction, but it’s not—some of the scenes dragged, such as the dinner party scene toward the beginning. There wasn’t really anything wrong with it, but it seemed to lack energy, lacked that enigmatic element to keep me riveted. It took me several days to read this book because I kept needing to walk away and move around or else I’d fall asleep.
Everyone was at least likable, if not lovable, even the presumptuous Ed and the faithless judge. I didn’t like the judge at first, but I warmed to him when he was able to humbly admit his mistake and ask for forgiveness. His and Grammy’s involvement was a bit convenient and really took away the drama from the revelation that he’d separated Luke and Bella on purpose. They didn’t have much of a chance to have it out with him. There were a few minutes of awkwardness and resentment, sure, but Bella got over his meddling fast, and Luke folded without much effort, too.
I can’t decide if that lone chapter from Grammy’s point of view was necessary or not. I want to say it wasn’t; I felt the history between the judge and Grammy the moment they saw each other backstage. I think I’d have bought it if I just heard one of them mention their summer together fifty years ago. Although nothing could make it seem like more than a convenient olive branch between the judge and Luke and Bella.
Luke and Bella were cute. I’m not sure they seemed unique or memorable in any way, pretty standard hero and heroine, but I cared about them and wanted to see them end up together. As for the other characters, namely Luke’s brothers Nick and Justin and their girlfriends and children—and Harley!—I was always excited to see them enter the scene. As soon as they were mentioned, though, I thought, This book must be part of a series. Which was fine…until Luke and Bella were talking and he pretty much pitched the premises of those other two books. Subtlety went out the window, and I didn’t care to be beaten over the head with not-so-subliminal advertising.
My biggest complaint was the one thing that was light-years more convenient than the judge and Grammy. The medical chopper toward the end. I have a very, very hard time believing that a hospital would just let some guy, government agent or no, use their chopper as a taxi cab, especially when it wasn’t even used to transport the wounded. Assuming it would actually be possible to get a lift from a medical chopper, there has to be rules and paperwork and all sorts of red tape to go through first, and fact-checking takes time. Even if it was available for emergencies, would they have taken Luke’s word for its necessity? I just can’t swallow it. It seemed like a cool scene out of an action movie when you thought all hope was lost for the damsel in distress—but wait—here comes the hero in a chopper to save the day! Fun to watch, but audience members would be chuckling derisively about it on the way home from the theatre.
Overall, a heart-warming read that will leave you smiling despite its flaws.
