It’s been awhile since I have read a book written by Deveraux and 📚🎧Chance of a Lifetime reminded me of the reason I enjoyed her books. Narrated by Susan Bennett 📚🎧Chance of a Lifetime is the first book in the Providence Falls series which tells the story of Liam, a rogue, thief and a charmer who faced the challenge of righting a wrong which occurred almost two centuries ago.
Title: Chance of a Lifetime
Author(s): Jude Deveraux, Tara Sheets
Series: Providence Falls #1
Narrator(s): Susan Bennett
Published by Harlequin Audio on September 15, 2020
Length: 10hrs 11mins
Genre(s): Historical Romance, Time Travel Romance
Source: Any Play, Netgalley
Format: Audiobook, eArc
Purchase: Amazon|Audible
Rating:
Series Rating:
In one century she loved him madly, and in another she wants nothing to do with him
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.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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Its 1844 in Ireland and Liam O’Connor’s focus is on robbing the wealthy and charming his way into the ladies’ beds. But then he met the squire’s daughter, Cora McLeod, a meeting which would change the course of both their destinies. Cora was engaged to Finn Walsh and falling in love with Liam led to a broken engagement. This went against the plans the angels of destiny had for the world and, since that time, things have never been the same. Cora’s life ended in tragedy in each of her lifetimes, and Liam’s soul hangs in the balance.
Fast forward almost two hundred years later, to Providence, North Carolina. Liam got a second chance by the angels to get Cora to fall in love with Finn. A task which would prove a challenge as Liam’s love for Cora did not fade with time. However, failure to complete his task placed his soul at risk of eternal damnation.
📚🎧Chance of a Lifetime was told in two timelines, with the majority of the story occurring in the present. I enjoyed both timelines. Liam possesses the same personality in both timelines, but Cora was different. She was no longer the demure young lady Liam knew from his years in Ireland. Now she was a no nonsense police officer who do not wish to have her decisions influenced by anyone.
I had fun watching Liam trying to navigate the modern world where he was a police officer and Cora’s partner. Liam’s friends and acquaintances from the past are present in the current timeline. He remembers each and everyone of them, but they have no recollection of him. They played different roles in both timelines. The ever present angels monitor his every move to ensure he sticks to the plan.
We also got a murder to solve. I am not sure how what connection it has to the story overall. Hopefully, the book two would provide further details in this regard. Not everyone will be pleased with the ending, which left the overall story arc unresolved. Again, hopefully, the second book will provide the answers.
Narration
This was my first experience with Susan Bennett, and she did a wonderful job with the narration. She pulled me into the story with how she brought the characters to life. She captured their emotions, and I loved the authenticity of her Irish accent.
Conclusion/Recommendation
Overall, I found 📚🎧Chance of a Lifetime to be a wonderful introduction to the Providence Fall series. A fun read which will keep you entertained.
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About Jude Deveraux
Jude Gilliam was born September 20, 1947 in Fairdale, Kentucky. She has a large extended family and is the elder sister of four brothers. She attended Murray State University and received a degree in Art. In 1967, Jude married and took her husband’s surname of White, but four years later they divorced. For years, she worked as 5th-grade teacher. She began writing in 1976, and published her first book, The Enchanted Land (1977) under the name Jude Deveraux. Following the publication of her first novel, she resigned her teaching position. Now, she is the author of 31 New York Times bestsellers. Jude won readers’ hearts with the epic Velvet series, which revolves around the lives of the Montgomery family’s irresistible men. Jude’s early books are set largely in 15th- and 16th-century England; in them her fierce, impassioned protagonists find themselves in the midst of blood feuds and wars. Her heroines are equally scrappy — medieval Scarlett O’Haras who often have a low regard for the men who eventually win them over. They’re fighters, certainly, but they’re also beauties who are preoccupied with survival and family preservation. Jude has also stepped outside her milieu, with mixed results. Her James River trilogy (River Lady, Lost Lady, and Counterfeit Lady) is set mostly in post-Revolution America; the popular, softer-edged Twin of Fire/Twin of Ice moves to 19th-century Colorado and introduces another hunky-man clan, the Taggerts. Deveraux manages to evoke a strong and convincing atmosphere for each of her books, but her dialogue and characters are as familiar as a modern-day soap opera’s. “Historicals seem to be all I’m capable of,” Jude once said in an interview, referring to a now out-of-print attempt at contemporary fiction, 1982’s Casa Grande. “I don’t want to write family sagas or occult books, and I have no intention of again trying to ruin the contemporary market.” Still, Jude did later attempt modern-day romances, such as the lighthearted High Tide (her first murder caper), the contemporary female friendship story The Summerhouse, and the time-traveling Knight in Shining Armor. In fact, with 2002’s The Mulberry Tree, Deveraux seems to be getting more comfortable setting stories in the present, which is a good thing, since the fans she won with her historical books are eager to follow her into the future. Jude married Claude White, who she later divorced in 1993. Around the same time she met Mohammed Montassir with whom she had a son, Sam Alexander Montassir, in 1997. On Oct. 6th, 2005, Sam died at the age of eight in a motorcycle accident. Jude has lived in several countries and all over the United States. She currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and has an additional home in the medieval city of Badolato, Italy.
About Tara Sheets
Tara Sheets is the USA Today bestselling author of romance and women’s fiction. 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. She is represented by Sarah Phair at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.
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Oh wow first I didn’t know that Jude co-authored and second what a fab premise. I am checking this one out. Thanks Nadene for the super review
Wow, that is really different! It mixes some genres that I’ve never seen mixed before with the reincarnation and police procedural. I’m curious enough to pick these up.
It’s always interesting to see how authors write the two timelines. I find this one to be very interesting sounding. I need to read more of this author. Glad you had a good time with this one here.
Great review.
I’ve never heard of the book before, sounds intriguing. Great review.
That sounds like such a fun storyline.