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Perfect Chance
Take a chance on love....
Mary Newman -- her life was safe, predictable and reasonably happy. Until the day he walked in!
Chance Armstrong -- he had no respect for rules and regulations and cozy life-styles. But he was offering Mary the perfect chance for a lot of excitement, and she was tempted -- oh, so tempted....Until Chance offered the most tempting challenge of all...He asked Mary to marry him!
Mary Newman -- her life was safe, predictable and reasonably happy. Until the day he walked in!
Chance Armstrong -- he had no respect for rules and regulations and cozy life-styles. But he was offering Mary the perfect chance for a lot of excitement, and she was tempted -- oh, so tempted....Until Chance offered the most tempting challenge of all...He asked Mary to marry him!
187 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1996
About the author
Amanda Carpenter
37 books43 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Amanda Carpenter (aka Thea Harrison) resides in northern California. She wrote her first book, a romance, when she was nineteen and had sixteen romances published under the name Amanda Carpenter.
She took a break from writing to collect a couple of graduate degrees and a grown child. Her graduate degrees are in Philanthropic Studies and Library Information Science, but her first love has always been writing fiction. She's back with her paranormal Elder Races series under the pseudonym Thea Harrison.
Amanda Carpenter (aka Thea Harrison) resides in northern California. She wrote her first book, a romance, when she was nineteen and had sixteen romances published under the name Amanda Carpenter.
She took a break from writing to collect a couple of graduate degrees and a grown child. Her graduate degrees are in Philanthropic Studies and Library Information Science, but her first love has always been writing fiction. She's back with her paranormal Elder Races series under the pseudonym Thea Harrison.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 9, 2018
Re Perfect Chance - Amanda Carpenter's last HP outing is a perfectly sweet, almost real world romance that really probably shouldn't be in HPlandia at all, these characters are just too nice to really get into the whacktastic spirit of HPness.
Which is kinda a problem when you are trying to spoilerize this, cause nothing major really happens. Even the evil OM is just plain stupid and the most angst I got out of it was a few pages of waiting for the h to open her eyes and see how the OM really was.
This one starts with a local boating accident. The 26 yr old very cuddlesome h is doing her residency in the local ER, she is a doctor with a dubious vocation.
The H, a 38 yr old war reporter turned journalism professor, comes rushing into the ER with an injured little girl - they were all on the boat when two drunk teenagers driving a speedboat ran into them.
The H is trying to order the h about, cause she looks about 17 and not like a doctor. The h puts the brakes on that right away and soon has the little girl sorted out and safe. Then the H decides that he really likes this h, so the H pursuit is on.
(Which was pretty fast, but the only really grating note was that he kept calling the h 'precious' and I kept seeing Gollum standing in for the big manly H.)
The h is kinda sorta dating another doctor, who is really a social climbing fortune hunter because the h's family is well known locally and rich - at least what is left of her family is. She has an 80 yr old grandfather and a 14 yr old brother, both of the h's parents were tragically killed.
The h has spent years working towards becoming a doctor, she likes helping people, but she isn't sure that the medical profession is where she wants to be. She wants a nice, faithful hubby and a few kids and time for herself to do herself.
The h realizes that with medical school, an elderly grandad and a little brother, she just doesn't seem to have any time for anything else. Except occasional country club dates with her social climbing, patronizing doctor sorta boyfriend.
The H changes all that. He takes her home when she is really tired after a 24 hour shift, he roofie kisses her on the front porch, which makes her insides melt, then he befriends her little brother and her grandfather too.
When the H's fiery, but very nice half sister sadly tells the h that the OM has been dating her even as he proposed to the h, the h finally tells the OM off and it is full on roofie kissing with the H from then on out.
The H was a little wilder in his younger days, but now he claims he wants to settle down with the h and start on those babies she is wanting.
The only big drawback, (and it was a bigger concern fro me on the reread than it was the first time I read it,) was that the H wants the h to toss her career and cling to him like a limpet.
There is a magickal unicorn banishing moment and a few more days of the h contemplating things, then the h is all in like Flynn to marry the H and set up the baby production factory. But then the H gets a call and it is off to cover a war he goes, the h doesn't like that one bit.
She doesn't want to be married and worrying at home, she doesn't want kids that she raises while the H travels the world and the H doesn't seem to get that he asked her to change her entire life for him and the h did.
But the h changed her life because the H indicated that he was going to change his roving ways too, now it seems like he is backing out on his end of the deal. There is a little verbal battle and the H takes off, the h dumps the engagement ring and goes and cries on her grandpa's shoulder.
This lasts for about 12 hours and then the H comes back, he did not know what he was thinking really. He got the call and muscle memory switched on and before he knew it, he found himself at the airport wondering why in the heck he was leaving the h.
The H decides to be a journalism professor and maybe a news consultant for TV, but he won't be traveling and he and the h are getting married cause they love each other madly.
We leave them with a mini epilogue where the H and h are hitched, everybody is happy except the dumped two timing OM, who is green with envy. The H is repairing the original boat that was wrecked at the start of the book and the h has just found out she is expecting, for a very sweet, pink sparkly HEA and very just visiting HP outing.
We bid a fond farewell to AC, as she leaves HPlandia to go do things as Thea Harrison with dragons, about five years after this book was published, in her excellent PNR Dragon Bound.
Which is kinda a problem when you are trying to spoilerize this, cause nothing major really happens. Even the evil OM is just plain stupid and the most angst I got out of it was a few pages of waiting for the h to open her eyes and see how the OM really was.
This one starts with a local boating accident. The 26 yr old very cuddlesome h is doing her residency in the local ER, she is a doctor with a dubious vocation.
The H, a 38 yr old war reporter turned journalism professor, comes rushing into the ER with an injured little girl - they were all on the boat when two drunk teenagers driving a speedboat ran into them.
The H is trying to order the h about, cause she looks about 17 and not like a doctor. The h puts the brakes on that right away and soon has the little girl sorted out and safe. Then the H decides that he really likes this h, so the H pursuit is on.
(Which was pretty fast, but the only really grating note was that he kept calling the h 'precious' and I kept seeing Gollum standing in for the big manly H.)
The h is kinda sorta dating another doctor, who is really a social climbing fortune hunter because the h's family is well known locally and rich - at least what is left of her family is. She has an 80 yr old grandfather and a 14 yr old brother, both of the h's parents were tragically killed.
The h has spent years working towards becoming a doctor, she likes helping people, but she isn't sure that the medical profession is where she wants to be. She wants a nice, faithful hubby and a few kids and time for herself to do herself.
The h realizes that with medical school, an elderly grandad and a little brother, she just doesn't seem to have any time for anything else. Except occasional country club dates with her social climbing, patronizing doctor sorta boyfriend.
The H changes all that. He takes her home when she is really tired after a 24 hour shift, he roofie kisses her on the front porch, which makes her insides melt, then he befriends her little brother and her grandfather too.
When the H's fiery, but very nice half sister sadly tells the h that the OM has been dating her even as he proposed to the h, the h finally tells the OM off and it is full on roofie kissing with the H from then on out.
The H was a little wilder in his younger days, but now he claims he wants to settle down with the h and start on those babies she is wanting.
The only big drawback, (and it was a bigger concern fro me on the reread than it was the first time I read it,) was that the H wants the h to toss her career and cling to him like a limpet.
There is a magickal unicorn banishing moment and a few more days of the h contemplating things, then the h is all in like Flynn to marry the H and set up the baby production factory. But then the H gets a call and it is off to cover a war he goes, the h doesn't like that one bit.
She doesn't want to be married and worrying at home, she doesn't want kids that she raises while the H travels the world and the H doesn't seem to get that he asked her to change her entire life for him and the h did.
But the h changed her life because the H indicated that he was going to change his roving ways too, now it seems like he is backing out on his end of the deal. There is a little verbal battle and the H takes off, the h dumps the engagement ring and goes and cries on her grandpa's shoulder.
This lasts for about 12 hours and then the H comes back, he did not know what he was thinking really. He got the call and muscle memory switched on and before he knew it, he found himself at the airport wondering why in the heck he was leaving the h.
The H decides to be a journalism professor and maybe a news consultant for TV, but he won't be traveling and he and the h are getting married cause they love each other madly.
We leave them with a mini epilogue where the H and h are hitched, everybody is happy except the dumped two timing OM, who is green with envy. The H is repairing the original boat that was wrecked at the start of the book and the h has just found out she is expecting, for a very sweet, pink sparkly HEA and very just visiting HP outing.
We bid a fond farewell to AC, as she leaves HPlandia to go do things as Thea Harrison with dragons, about five years after this book was published, in her excellent PNR Dragon Bound.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 10, 2025
The heroine is an idjeet who "drifted" into a medical career because she thought it would please her grandfather (who never ever exerted any pressure on her, all he ever wanted was for her to be happy!) Who the hell just drifts into becoming an ER doctor? Idjeet!
Idjeet has been dating a slimy, social-climbing doctor who obviously only wants her for social connections. There are huge red flags suggesting that he cheats on her left and right but naturally, Idjeet is totally oblivious. For two years????? Idjeet!
One day, Idjeet meets the big, tall, manly Alpha Hero, who immediately goes into “hot pursuit” mode. When she hesitates to get involved with him, he uses his sexy redheaded half-sister to make Idjeet jealous eeeeeewwwwww who does that? It works of course! Idjeet falls in love with Mr. Alpha. As you do. When you're an idjeet.
Within one week, Idjeet has dumped the OM, quit her job, declared her ILY, given up her V-card and got herself engaged to this total stranger. Then she is shocked, SHOCKED, when the morning after, he turns into the coldest, cruellest rude pig and dumps her. What did she expect? Idjeet :(
By the end of the day, Mr. Alpha has had a change of heart and decided to settle down with an Idjeet after all. It is insta-forgiveness and a huge grovel........from the heroine to the hero for making too many demands on him!
Idjeet.
Idjeet has been dating a slimy, social-climbing doctor who obviously only wants her for social connections. There are huge red flags suggesting that he cheats on her left and right but naturally, Idjeet is totally oblivious. For two years????? Idjeet!
One day, Idjeet meets the big, tall, manly Alpha Hero, who immediately goes into “hot pursuit” mode. When she hesitates to get involved with him, he uses his sexy redheaded half-sister to make Idjeet jealous eeeeeewwwwww who does that? It works of course! Idjeet falls in love with Mr. Alpha. As you do. When you're an idjeet.
Within one week, Idjeet has dumped the OM, quit her job, declared her ILY, given up her V-card and got herself engaged to this total stranger. Then she is shocked, SHOCKED, when the morning after, he turns into the coldest, cruellest rude pig and dumps her. What did she expect? Idjeet :(
By the end of the day, Mr. Alpha has had a change of heart and decided to settle down with an Idjeet after all. It is insta-forgiveness and a huge grovel........from the heroine to the hero for making too many demands on him!
Idjeet.
September 16, 2018
"Perfect Chance" is the story of Mary and Chance.
So, many years ago I had read a random Amanda Carpenter novel, loved it to pieces, but somehow the author got lost in my never ending tbr list. I'm so glad I found her again.
The heroine is an ER Physician who ends up meeting the hero during a hectic shift. She is in a two year stale relationship with OM (douchebag), however, finds herself intensely attracted to the hero in the first meeting itself.
Soon she finds herself being relentlessly pursued by the reporter hero, and as flames of attraction and sparks of love ignite, she falls for the charming rogue.
She also finds approval in her son like sibling, support in the hero and his family, and soon learns the real truth about dbag.
It's a bed of roses romance with a minor hiccup followed by a HEA. I really enjoyed this low angst love story (yup, shocking!) and I adored how trusting both the hero and heroine were.
Great read!
Safe
4/5
So, many years ago I had read a random Amanda Carpenter novel, loved it to pieces, but somehow the author got lost in my never ending tbr list. I'm so glad I found her again.
The heroine is an ER Physician who ends up meeting the hero during a hectic shift. She is in a two year stale relationship with OM (douchebag), however, finds herself intensely attracted to the hero in the first meeting itself.
Soon she finds herself being relentlessly pursued by the reporter hero, and as flames of attraction and sparks of love ignite, she falls for the charming rogue.
She also finds approval in her son like sibling, support in the hero and his family, and soon learns the real truth about dbag.
It's a bed of roses romance with a minor hiccup followed by a HEA. I really enjoyed this low angst love story (yup, shocking!) and I adored how trusting both the hero and heroine were.
Great read!
Safe
4/5
December 30, 2010
One of things that attracted me about ths book was the fact that I could put myself in the heroine's place which meant that the whole story had a very personable feel to it. It moved quite naturally although the 'hitch' came a little too late, was too hurried and was over before you knew it.
It still was quite humorous in places. The story felt like a real-life encounter of a couple which I like....
Still, just for the sheer sexiness of the hero (for some reason, he's more real than the other harlequin heroes and sexier!) - wins me over!
I'd read it again!
It still was quite humorous in places. The story felt like a real-life encounter of a couple which I like....
Still, just for the sheer sexiness of the hero (for some reason, he's more real than the other harlequin heroes and sexier!) - wins me over!
I'd read it again!
June 18, 2023
Drawn in by the tight jeans. Got to the halfway point and decided I'd leave Chance and the virginal dr Mary at the state fair with the caramel corn. Not my scene.
April 29, 2019
I love the older Harlequins. I want to read every single one written. Amanda Carpenter is an author I wasn't familiar with, but when I requested a couple of books from another Book Mooch member, she threw in several Carpenter books. So I picked this one up one night to read at bedtime.
Forty pages in I had already put little sticky flags on three different passages that I wanted to go back to later, and I was already a fan of Ms. Carpenter. She reminds me a little of Lucy Walker. The story is in third person POV, yet it still feels as if Mary is confiding in the reader. The narration is breezy, casual, and at times amusing.
Mary has been dating Victor, another doctor at the hospital, for two years. When Chance meets her, he pursues her, even though he knows about Victor. Mary is torn between the two, yet she continues to see Victor, and doesn't tell him about Chance, even though Victor saw her leave the hospital arm in arm with Chance. Another book, another author, and I might've been put off at a heroine stringing along one man while kissing another. Rather than facing the truth and owning up to her actions and her feelings, Mary ran and hid from confrontation. Literally, in one scene, when Chance comes to the home she shares with her brother and grandfather, and Mary bolts into the house and up to her room to hide from him. But she's young and naive, definitely not worldly, and the confrontations catch up with her, causing her all kinds of anguish.
Chance is a journalist, a war correspondent. He's taken a temporary teaching position at the local college in order to spend some time near his family. He's started thinking about slowing down, settling down. And then he gets a call from a White House source and quickly begins packing to rush to D.C. To cover a conference. And Mary's reaction made me angry. Made me want to shake some sense into her and tell her for Pete's sake, grow up already!
And of course it all worked out in the end, cuz, you know, it's a Harlequin. And the journey from page 1 to page 187 was just absolutely delightful.
Review first posted on my blog.
Forty pages in I had already put little sticky flags on three different passages that I wanted to go back to later, and I was already a fan of Ms. Carpenter. She reminds me a little of Lucy Walker. The story is in third person POV, yet it still feels as if Mary is confiding in the reader. The narration is breezy, casual, and at times amusing.
If he was in his late thirties, he could have three or four marriages by now, and any number of kids. Mary could just picture them, blond hair dripping into their sad eyes, wanting their daddy to stop flirting with her and come home to them.
Mary has been dating Victor, another doctor at the hospital, for two years. When Chance meets her, he pursues her, even though he knows about Victor. Mary is torn between the two, yet she continues to see Victor, and doesn't tell him about Chance, even though Victor saw her leave the hospital arm in arm with Chance. Another book, another author, and I might've been put off at a heroine stringing along one man while kissing another. Rather than facing the truth and owning up to her actions and her feelings, Mary ran and hid from confrontation. Literally, in one scene, when Chance comes to the home she shares with her brother and grandfather, and Mary bolts into the house and up to her room to hide from him. But she's young and naive, definitely not worldly, and the confrontations catch up with her, causing her all kinds of anguish.
What kind of a kiss was that anyway? It was the kind that sucked your soul out of your body.
Hey, she wanted to call to the man who'd just left. You forgot to give my soul back.You can't help but empathize with her and feel for her. What chance (no pun intended) does she have up against a soul sucker?
Chance is a journalist, a war correspondent. He's taken a temporary teaching position at the local college in order to spend some time near his family. He's started thinking about slowing down, settling down. And then he gets a call from a White House source and quickly begins packing to rush to D.C. To cover a conference. And Mary's reaction made me angry. Made me want to shake some sense into her and tell her for Pete's sake, grow up already!
And of course it all worked out in the end, cuz, you know, it's a Harlequin. And the journey from page 1 to page 187 was just absolutely delightful.
Review first posted on my blog.
June 27, 2012
This was probably more like 3.5 stars. This story flowed differently from most HPs -- the characters said "I love you" far earlier in the novel than they usually do. Then a cloud of an eventual conflict kind of sat over the novel, because you knew they couldn't just spend the entire last 1/2 of the book saying "I love you" over and over (they did say it A LOT, it was a little jarring). But the final conflict seemed pretty lame to me -- the heroine having a silly freakout over the hero's business trip to Washington D.C. on some baseless theory that he'd be in danger there, and the hero having a giant pout and refusing to speak with her before he left. Of course they made up, but I wasn't sure I was thrilled with the sacrifices they were each making so overall I didn't think the ending was great. Definitely a readable story, and different from the norm, but just not entirely satisfying.
July 28, 2018
Published 1996 - on the cusp of the more sexy/sexier/sexiest Presents, but this should have been a HQ Romance, it was so seriously sweet and goodie. Not that there's anything wrong with sweet, but I don't want that in a Presents. If the rest of the book had been arousing I would have rated it higher (see below).
Over and above the "sweet" thing, the plot was plodding. I couldn't warm up to the characters (except for the hero's step-sister, Cassie, who was a pistol). And the hero kept calling the heroine "precious" - ugh. If he said it once he said it a hundred times. Quite a limited vocabulary for a journalist. "I love you" was exchanged to the point of skipping it when I came to it in the book.
However, points to the author for giving us "the other man" instead of "the other woman" troublemaker/creep factor.
Over and above the "sweet" thing, the plot was plodding. I couldn't warm up to the characters (except for the hero's step-sister, Cassie, who was a pistol). And the hero kept calling the heroine "precious" - ugh. If he said it once he said it a hundred times. Quite a limited vocabulary for a journalist. "I love you" was exchanged to the point of skipping it when I came to it in the book.
However, points to the author for giving us "the other man" instead of "the other woman" troublemaker/creep factor.
abrierto-to-read-hr-other
November 12, 2022Take a chance on love....
Mary Newman -- her life was safe, predictable and reasonably happy. Until the day he walked in!
Chance Armstrong -- he had no respect for rules and regulations and cozy life-styles. But he was offering Mary the perfect chance for a lot of excitement, and she was tempted -- oh, so tempted....Until Chance offered the most tempting challenge of all...He asked Mary to marry him!
Mary Newman -- her life was safe, predictable and reasonably happy. Until the day he walked in!
Chance Armstrong -- he had no respect for rules and regulations and cozy life-styles. But he was offering Mary the perfect chance for a lot of excitement, and she was tempted -- oh, so tempted....Until Chance offered the most tempting challenge of all...He asked Mary to marry him!
November 21, 2025
Incredibly slow and boring. I struggled through a couple of chapters and cared nothing about any of the characters. Skipped to end and it was dull too
Tried again, same. Bored out of my head.
Tried again, same. Bored out of my head.
August 19, 2010
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews