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Ghost of a Chance
Padraig Monaghan has a problem. Most would consider dying in a bar fight ten years ago upsetting, and existing as a ghost wandering the world might be thought a real predicament. They might deem a second chance at life through a chance encounter with a dying man a serious dilemma. But for Padraig, finding himself face to face with the man he'd loved and lost a lifetime ago is the biggest thing on his mind.
Gareth Reilly stops at O'Toole's for a drink before he heads home. Tomorrow's going to be another lonely birthday for him until he's approached by a stranger. There's something about Padraig's bright green eyes and Irish accent that reminds Gareth of a man he once knew. Unable to resist, Gareth breaks his cardinal rule and invites Padraig home. On St. Patrick's Day, when Irish magic is strongest, it'll take a belief in the impossible and help from a grateful elf to give Padraig and Gareth another chance at love.
Gareth Reilly stops at O'Toole's for a drink before he heads home. Tomorrow's going to be another lonely birthday for him until he's approached by a stranger. There's something about Padraig's bright green eyes and Irish accent that reminds Gareth of a man he once knew. Unable to resist, Gareth breaks his cardinal rule and invites Padraig home. On St. Patrick's Day, when Irish magic is strongest, it'll take a belief in the impossible and help from a grateful elf to give Padraig and Gareth another chance at love.
88 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2009
4 people are currently reading
204 people want to read
About the author
T.A. Chase
161 books893 followersThere is beauty in every kind of love, so why not live a life without boundaries? Experiencing everything the world offers fascinates me and writing about the things that make each of us unique is how I share those insights. I live in the Midwest with a wonderful partner of thirteen years. When not writing, I’m watching movies, reading and living life to the fullest.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 30, 2009
I put off reading this book. It has been in my E-Files for a couple of weeks now. Honestly, even though T.A. Chase is one of my favorite authors, I didn’t know if he would be able to tell a ghost romance/story that I found interesting and original. Frankly, when one of the heroes is a ghost, it kind of leaves me flat. I usually steer clear of this for this reason. But, because it is by T.A. Chase, I thought I would give it a shot. I am so glad I did!
This was unlike any ghost romance/story I have ever read. Not only was the storyline addictive, but as usual the characters were very well developed and such likable people, I found myself sucked into the story from the first page. This is a sweet, sexy story about hope and having a second chance at love. I loved it!
Ten years ago Padraig Monagan was killed in a barroom brawl. Because of his unrequited feelings for his lost love, he has been wandering the Earth endlessly and lonely. One night, he comes upon a man being severely beaten up in a dark alley. Feeling and being helpless to help the poor man, he approaches the man after the assailants leave. When the man actually sees him, Padraig is surprised. He does what he can to offer the man comfort before he takes his last breath. But, right before the man takes his last breath, Padraig starts feeling sucked into the dying man’s body and he loses consciousness. One thing leads to another, and Padraig wakes up alive in the body of the man he tried to save.
When a voice suggests he go into a bar up the street, so who is Padraig to argue? He could use a drink after the day he has had! As he sits at the bar, he spots the man he loved all those years ago, looking lonely and drinking alone.
Gareth Reilly was just following his birthday tradition when he stopped into the pub for a drink. He always celebrates it the same way, even if he is by himself year after year. When he is asked by the younger handsome man if he can buy him a drink, Gareth is flattered and surprised. Although, he has never laid eyes on the man before, there is something definitely familiar about his green eyes. Those eyes remind him of the man he loved and lost years ago, because he was too scared to approach the man and make his feelings known. When the man tells him his name is Padraig, Gareth is stunned. How could this beautiful man have the same name as his lost love?
I am not going to get into the storyline too much, because I honestly don’t want to give anything away. You have to read it to find out for yourself.
This was truly a beautiful story. T.A Chase is an awesome storyteller! The intensity of the feelings between Gareth and Padraig was addicting to read about. I loved watching Gareth and Padraig find one another again, and fight for life together. I loved it. From here on out I vow NEVER to put off reading a T.A. Chase book again!!!
Mr. Chase has a great blog, too! Here is the link if y’all are interested:
http://tachase.blogspot.com/
This was unlike any ghost romance/story I have ever read. Not only was the storyline addictive, but as usual the characters were very well developed and such likable people, I found myself sucked into the story from the first page. This is a sweet, sexy story about hope and having a second chance at love. I loved it!
Ten years ago Padraig Monagan was killed in a barroom brawl. Because of his unrequited feelings for his lost love, he has been wandering the Earth endlessly and lonely. One night, he comes upon a man being severely beaten up in a dark alley. Feeling and being helpless to help the poor man, he approaches the man after the assailants leave. When the man actually sees him, Padraig is surprised. He does what he can to offer the man comfort before he takes his last breath. But, right before the man takes his last breath, Padraig starts feeling sucked into the dying man’s body and he loses consciousness. One thing leads to another, and Padraig wakes up alive in the body of the man he tried to save.
When a voice suggests he go into a bar up the street, so who is Padraig to argue? He could use a drink after the day he has had! As he sits at the bar, he spots the man he loved all those years ago, looking lonely and drinking alone.
Gareth Reilly was just following his birthday tradition when he stopped into the pub for a drink. He always celebrates it the same way, even if he is by himself year after year. When he is asked by the younger handsome man if he can buy him a drink, Gareth is flattered and surprised. Although, he has never laid eyes on the man before, there is something definitely familiar about his green eyes. Those eyes remind him of the man he loved and lost years ago, because he was too scared to approach the man and make his feelings known. When the man tells him his name is Padraig, Gareth is stunned. How could this beautiful man have the same name as his lost love?
I am not going to get into the storyline too much, because I honestly don’t want to give anything away. You have to read it to find out for yourself.
This was truly a beautiful story. T.A Chase is an awesome storyteller! The intensity of the feelings between Gareth and Padraig was addicting to read about. I loved watching Gareth and Padraig find one another again, and fight for life together. I loved it. From here on out I vow NEVER to put off reading a T.A. Chase book again!!!
Mr. Chase has a great blog, too! Here is the link if y’all are interested:
http://tachase.blogspot.com/
Read
May 29, 2009I'm a faithful reader of T.A. Chance from the beginning; long or short, with cowboys or sport stars, fantasy, historical or contemporary, a new story by T.A. Chase always climbs the first place in my reading list. They are always different but still there is always this mix of romance and naughty sex that make them so good. And in a way, I can say that T.A. Chase loves everyone of his characters.
Padraig is a ghost; but he is not living in Paradise, he is wandering the earth since when he died, he left too much things behind, above all his unrequited love for Gareth. When he was in life, Padraig was an hot head; he worked in the docks in Belfast and he was not exactly a good boy. And probably he didn't believe he was good enough for Gareth, a shy man who worked as employee in the docks office. Padraig and Gareth exchanged glances but seldom words, and at the moment Padraig died in a fight bar, he had just gathered enough courage to go finally talk to Gareth. Only that he hadn't time to do so.
Gareth is a really nice character, but who came out in full in this novella is Padraig. I can almost see him, always self deprecating himself, always thinking that, someone like him, doesn't deserve anything better than what he gets. As a dead man, he almost arrives to think that, well, maybe it's better that he ended like that, for his mother and Gareth will only be better without him. Even when he has the possibility to come back to life in the body of another man, a dying man, he has still this little doubt that maybe the dying man was better than him, and so he shouldn't deprive him of his life: mind you, Patrick doesn't do nothing to "kill" the man, he only happens to be there at the right moment for him to possess the body of a man that would die in any case.
Ten years for Padraig were without "time". Padraig knew he was a ghost, but for him time means nothing and so, when on St. Patrick's Day he has a second chance with Gareth, for him it's like he left the man only seconds ago. Not the same for Gareth, who is mourning his lost chance with Padraig for years, even more since when Padraig died, he received his last gift, the token which should have marked the beginning of their love together. And so when he is approached in a bar by a man with the same green eyes of Padraig, he does the unthinkable, he brings him home. Probably since so many years ago Gareth hadn't the courage to grasp his chance at love, and he always regretted it, now Gareth gives to this "second" Padraig in his life the chance he didn't give to old Paddy.
This is a novella and so spans only a night and a day in Padraig and Gareth's life. Their present time together is spent practically always in bed, like they have to make up for the lost time; the romanticism and the sugary feelings arrive all from their past together, even in few words, T.A. Chase manages to let you imagine the life of these men, when they were young and full of hope, when they still had all their life ahead of them. From here derives the mix between sex and romance I said before: when the reader is almost to the edge of tears, thinking to all the lost things, then he is plunged in an erotic scene, that even if detailed, it's never vulgar.
And in the end, let me spend few words on the wonderful, beautiful, stunning cover by Anne Cain: this is the classical example of a book I would buy anyway, even if it was not good (and it's, mind you). A cover like this one is a total catch the eyes and put out the money to buy the book. Very happy that it's for a book by T.A. Chase, who deserves it.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0026SCMHI/?...
Padraig is a ghost; but he is not living in Paradise, he is wandering the earth since when he died, he left too much things behind, above all his unrequited love for Gareth. When he was in life, Padraig was an hot head; he worked in the docks in Belfast and he was not exactly a good boy. And probably he didn't believe he was good enough for Gareth, a shy man who worked as employee in the docks office. Padraig and Gareth exchanged glances but seldom words, and at the moment Padraig died in a fight bar, he had just gathered enough courage to go finally talk to Gareth. Only that he hadn't time to do so.
Gareth is a really nice character, but who came out in full in this novella is Padraig. I can almost see him, always self deprecating himself, always thinking that, someone like him, doesn't deserve anything better than what he gets. As a dead man, he almost arrives to think that, well, maybe it's better that he ended like that, for his mother and Gareth will only be better without him. Even when he has the possibility to come back to life in the body of another man, a dying man, he has still this little doubt that maybe the dying man was better than him, and so he shouldn't deprive him of his life: mind you, Patrick doesn't do nothing to "kill" the man, he only happens to be there at the right moment for him to possess the body of a man that would die in any case.
Ten years for Padraig were without "time". Padraig knew he was a ghost, but for him time means nothing and so, when on St. Patrick's Day he has a second chance with Gareth, for him it's like he left the man only seconds ago. Not the same for Gareth, who is mourning his lost chance with Padraig for years, even more since when Padraig died, he received his last gift, the token which should have marked the beginning of their love together. And so when he is approached in a bar by a man with the same green eyes of Padraig, he does the unthinkable, he brings him home. Probably since so many years ago Gareth hadn't the courage to grasp his chance at love, and he always regretted it, now Gareth gives to this "second" Padraig in his life the chance he didn't give to old Paddy.
This is a novella and so spans only a night and a day in Padraig and Gareth's life. Their present time together is spent practically always in bed, like they have to make up for the lost time; the romanticism and the sugary feelings arrive all from their past together, even in few words, T.A. Chase manages to let you imagine the life of these men, when they were young and full of hope, when they still had all their life ahead of them. From here derives the mix between sex and romance I said before: when the reader is almost to the edge of tears, thinking to all the lost things, then he is plunged in an erotic scene, that even if detailed, it's never vulgar.
And in the end, let me spend few words on the wonderful, beautiful, stunning cover by Anne Cain: this is the classical example of a book I would buy anyway, even if it was not good (and it's, mind you). A cover like this one is a total catch the eyes and put out the money to buy the book. Very happy that it's for a book by T.A. Chase, who deserves it.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0026SCMHI/?...
September 1, 2011
It was much better than i was expecting. I rarely like ghost stories but it was TA Chase and was pretty good and sweet but too short IMHO
July 13, 2014
It was a quick read and was enjoyable. I wish that it had been longer. The whole book happened in one magical night.
March 15, 2021
Re-Read Review March 2021:
I've been searching for this book for the past 4 years every St. Patrick's Day. I've asked in FB rec groups and I got nothing, course I had very little to go on: St. Patrick's Day and a ghost, that was all I recalled. This year I finally decided to do the painstaking job of going through my kindle library, well it took awhile as it was nearly 6 years since I had purchased this gem but I finally found it and decided that after that effort I had to re-read it not just post it as part of my St. Patty Day 2021 blog series.
I won't go into any details because as you know this is a spoiler free zone but I'll just say, it was worth the effort to find. Ghost of a Chance by TA Chase was even better than I originally remembered. So I upgraded from 4-1/2 bookmarks to 5. Padraig and Gareth are brilliant and is love worth the wait? You have to read for yourself to find that out but you will enjoy every minute of this novella. Will this be an annual St. Patty Day re-read? Maybe, maybe not, but I'll definitely visit the story again and again.
Original Review September 2015:
This is a beautifully written tale of second chances or more to the point, taking that leap of faith. Padriag and Gareth both wanted each other but never seized the moment, now 10 years later they have a second chance at their moment, too bad Padraig has been dead the past decade. This is a fun read, sexy, loving, and it reminds you to take a chance when your heart speaks to you. You will laugh, you will cry, and if you are like me you will probably grumble a little at the shortness of the story but in the end you won't regret taking a chance because it will warm your heart.
I've been searching for this book for the past 4 years every St. Patrick's Day. I've asked in FB rec groups and I got nothing, course I had very little to go on: St. Patrick's Day and a ghost, that was all I recalled. This year I finally decided to do the painstaking job of going through my kindle library, well it took awhile as it was nearly 6 years since I had purchased this gem but I finally found it and decided that after that effort I had to re-read it not just post it as part of my St. Patty Day 2021 blog series.
I won't go into any details because as you know this is a spoiler free zone but I'll just say, it was worth the effort to find. Ghost of a Chance by TA Chase was even better than I originally remembered. So I upgraded from 4-1/2 bookmarks to 5. Padraig and Gareth are brilliant and is love worth the wait? You have to read for yourself to find that out but you will enjoy every minute of this novella. Will this be an annual St. Patty Day re-read? Maybe, maybe not, but I'll definitely visit the story again and again.
Original Review September 2015:
This is a beautifully written tale of second chances or more to the point, taking that leap of faith. Padriag and Gareth both wanted each other but never seized the moment, now 10 years later they have a second chance at their moment, too bad Padraig has been dead the past decade. This is a fun read, sexy, loving, and it reminds you to take a chance when your heart speaks to you. You will laugh, you will cry, and if you are like me you will probably grumble a little at the shortness of the story but in the end you won't regret taking a chance because it will warm your heart.
July 8, 2017
Paddy & Garreth
Read it to prepare my mind for a trip in Scotland but the MCs are irish in fact 😝
A good enough short story anyway with sweet characters and HEA...
🐇🍀✨💖✨🍀🐇
Read it to prepare my mind for a trip in Scotland but the MCs are irish in fact 😝
A good enough short story anyway with sweet characters and HEA...
🐇🍀✨💖✨🍀🐇
September 15, 2017
How could I have given this book a 3 star 4 years ago. A beautiful heartfelt story.
May 20, 2013
Review written for MM Good Book Reviews
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/
This story comes too close to a fairytale for me.
Paddy has always been a dare-devil, never backing away from trouble. At the tender age of twenty-three a bar fight ends his life and he spends the next ten yours wandering the world. His one and only regret that he didn’t get to tell Gareth how much he liked him.
The moment he sets his foot on Boston though a bit after midnight on St Patrick’s Day Paddy witnesses a murder. There is nothing he can do though but stay there and watch the poor guy die.
At O’Toole’s bar in Boston Gareth has stopped for a drink. It’s that day of the year again, his birthday and this time he doesn’t want to be alone in his apartment. But never did he expect to be approach by a man who wears the most familiar eyes he’s ever seen. Eyes that has followed him in his fantasies for more than ten years.
Two lovers who never had a chance. The feelings and emotions are too strong, too fast in a very acceptable plot. Both men have had ten years to think, want and long for each other. Paddy has been a ghost thus he has been denied feelings such as the feeling of a solid body, taste, smell, and when he gets together with the one he’s loved everything gets more intense. The fact that we don’t know if it’s permanent or he’s going to lose the solid body after the magical day of St. Patrick’s makes it even more desperate.
So ok, there are many things in the plot that don’t really stand and if you want to check every detail then some things and reactions are simply lacking or seemingly left half finished. But all in all everything gets lost in a haze of magic.
So dare you believe in magic? For magic and love is all this story is about. If you are in the right mood for romance and a great deal of lost chances, regrets and a magical, miraculous second chance then this is the book for you.
Thommie
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/
This story comes too close to a fairytale for me.
Paddy has always been a dare-devil, never backing away from trouble. At the tender age of twenty-three a bar fight ends his life and he spends the next ten yours wandering the world. His one and only regret that he didn’t get to tell Gareth how much he liked him.
The moment he sets his foot on Boston though a bit after midnight on St Patrick’s Day Paddy witnesses a murder. There is nothing he can do though but stay there and watch the poor guy die.
At O’Toole’s bar in Boston Gareth has stopped for a drink. It’s that day of the year again, his birthday and this time he doesn’t want to be alone in his apartment. But never did he expect to be approach by a man who wears the most familiar eyes he’s ever seen. Eyes that has followed him in his fantasies for more than ten years.
Two lovers who never had a chance. The feelings and emotions are too strong, too fast in a very acceptable plot. Both men have had ten years to think, want and long for each other. Paddy has been a ghost thus he has been denied feelings such as the feeling of a solid body, taste, smell, and when he gets together with the one he’s loved everything gets more intense. The fact that we don’t know if it’s permanent or he’s going to lose the solid body after the magical day of St. Patrick’s makes it even more desperate.
So ok, there are many things in the plot that don’t really stand and if you want to check every detail then some things and reactions are simply lacking or seemingly left half finished. But all in all everything gets lost in a haze of magic.
So dare you believe in magic? For magic and love is all this story is about. If you are in the right mood for romance and a great deal of lost chances, regrets and a magical, miraculous second chance then this is the book for you.
Thommie
April 1, 2011
This lovely, fluffy romance is a perfect read for a cold night by the fire or a rainy day. Short (I'd have loved it to be longer) but sweet (very sweet!). It's an Irish fairy tale set in modern times.
MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW That said, it was a sweet read, well-written, and it made me smile.
MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW That said, it was a sweet read, well-written, and it made me smile.
June 26, 2009
Padraig Monaghan is a ghost who has been wandering the world for the past ten years since he was killed in a bar fight. The day before St. Patrick's day finds him in Boston witnessing a deadly attack on a stranger. Drawn to the man, even though he knows he can't help in anyway, Paddy finds himself being pulled into the stranger and taking over his body.
In shock over what has happened he makes his way into a nearby bar and while there runs into Gareth Reilly, the man Paddy was in love with before his death. Having never gotten the chance to be with Gareth while alive, he can't resist talking to him now. When Gareth meets Padraig he sees a stranger with eyes that remind him so much of the man he has never been able to forget.
This is a story of Irish magic, with an elf offering a miracle, a second chance at love once lost. The story takes place within a 24 hour period, aside from a bit of remembering the past, and while it's not too long at just about 80 pages it packs quite a bit into those pages. Once again another enjoyable story from a wonderful writer!!!
In shock over what has happened he makes his way into a nearby bar and while there runs into Gareth Reilly, the man Paddy was in love with before his death. Having never gotten the chance to be with Gareth while alive, he can't resist talking to him now. When Gareth meets Padraig he sees a stranger with eyes that remind him so much of the man he has never been able to forget.
This is a story of Irish magic, with an elf offering a miracle, a second chance at love once lost. The story takes place within a 24 hour period, aside from a bit of remembering the past, and while it's not too long at just about 80 pages it packs quite a bit into those pages. Once again another enjoyable story from a wonderful writer!!!
September 17, 2017
I want more! Couple inconsistencies but still really good. I love these characters and their story and the story as a whole. I still find it a bit strange that Paddy went into Steven's body. As interesting as I found it, I couldn't help but get stuck on the fact that the first time they were together intimately, it was with another man's package. What's inside is far more important, I understand that. But I still just wouldn't feel comfortable using someone else's body on the love of my life. That was my biggest issue. Small in the grand scheme of things and didn't really take away from the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2011
Read as part of my QGB Q2 Challenge. This book was recommended to me by Kevin. Most people who know me, know that I am a die-hard romantic. I love romantic stories that make you sigh, laugh, weep, then sigh again at the HEA.
In Ghost of a Chance, Padraig gets a second chance at having his love. While the premise seems convoluted, the reader can suspend belief if they approach the story as a fairytale. I adore fairytales, they are guaranteed happy endings :). I adore T.A. Chase's work and this did not disappoint.
In Ghost of a Chance, Padraig gets a second chance at having his love. While the premise seems convoluted, the reader can suspend belief if they approach the story as a fairytale. I adore fairytales, they are guaranteed happy endings :). I adore T.A. Chase's work and this did not disappoint.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2015
4-1/2 Stars
This is a beautifully written tale of second chances or more to the point, taking that leap of faith. Padriag and Gareth both wanted each other but never seized the moment, now 10 years later they have a second chance at their moment, too bad Padraig has been dead the past decade. This is a fun read, sexy, loving, and it reminds you to take a chance when your heart speaks to you. You will laugh, you will cry, and if you are like me you will probably grumble a little at the shortness of the story but in the end you won't regret taking a chance because it will warm your heart.
This is a beautifully written tale of second chances or more to the point, taking that leap of faith. Padriag and Gareth both wanted each other but never seized the moment, now 10 years later they have a second chance at their moment, too bad Padraig has been dead the past decade. This is a fun read, sexy, loving, and it reminds you to take a chance when your heart speaks to you. You will laugh, you will cry, and if you are like me you will probably grumble a little at the shortness of the story but in the end you won't regret taking a chance because it will warm your heart.
May 23, 2013
This was a nice dose of syrup. It was very sweet and cute and I enjoyed it immensely. There were a few incidents where my eyebrows rose and wondered how that would work
But a very nice quick read when a pick-me-up is needed.
But a very nice quick read when a pick-me-up is needed.
June 5, 2013
The author's writing style is beautifully eloquent, clear, and concise with a blending of Irish magic, ghosts , regret, and a miraculous second chance at true love. I thoroughly enjoyed this little gem with the HEA ending, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick but satisfying tale.
Trish's complete 3 1/2 sweet pea review appears at http://mrsconditreadsbooks.com/index.... on June 5, 2013
Trish's complete 3 1/2 sweet pea review appears at http://mrsconditreadsbooks.com/index.... on June 5, 2013
September 17, 2012
Sweet story about Paddy, a rough dock worker falling in love and dying with Gareth, before he could tell him. Paddy wanders the world as a ghost for ten years til Seamus, an elf he helped as a child works a spell to give Paddy & Gareth another chance a happiness. Would have been a 5* if the story had been longer but very sweet as it is :)
November 28, 2014
Normally when reading a quicky, I'm left with a lot of unanswered questions. That didn't happen with this one, there were a couple of questions I had left, but mostly things got explained which made me happy and really enjoy this book.
October 8, 2011
I f****** love this book!! So sad and lovely at the same time!! Romantic!! I'm gonna read this again!!!
November 15, 2011
Extremely cute, with magical vibe. Love it. But why so short!? That story had so big potential... Argh. I might give 5 stars, if this book was three times longer. Only 4 stars, I guess.
November 2, 2013
Ohh! I love this book. This book was mind-blowingly awesome....
December 15, 2020
Great ghost story for St Patrick's Day. I liked everything about this -- both MCs, the set up, the background, and yes, the fantastic sex scenes. Beautifully done in under 100 pages!
May 4, 2014
Cute but completely unrealistic. So many clichés and typos too. Good for mindless reading tho.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews