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READY TO TAKE A CHANCE - Alice Wootson Harlequin Kimani/Arabesque December 2006 |
SYNOPSIS: When Shana catches her cheating husband in bed with another woman, she knows it's time to take out the trash. And no sooner have Elliot's bags hit the curb than Shana vows to never get close to a guy again. Then along comes former pro-basketball star Kyle Rayburn, who is funding the track program at the school where Shana teaches. He can't keep his eyes off this sexy and newly single woman, and heat starts to flare on and off the playing field. But is Kyle just another player who wants to hit the sheets, or is he a serious contender for Shana's heart?
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE |3| Susan Plummer
REVIEW: First love is sweet but sometimes it’s even sweeter the
second time around, as portrayed in author Alice Wootson’s new novel,
READY TO TAKE A CHANCE.
After thirteen years of marriage Shana Garner is aware her marriage bed
is not as hot as it once was but it becomes downright frigid when she
arrives home to find her husband in the very bed with a younger woman.
Devastated but not defeated Shana sheds him like an old coat and
determinedly moves on, abandoning any notion of falling in love again.
Then comes Kyle Rayburn, a retired pro-basketball player who takes an
interest in the kids Shana coaches and more so, an interest in her. Kyle
also has his fair share of baggage having been married and divorced but
despite being bitten, is not too shy to take a chance at loving again.
Shana however, is still dealing with trust issues stemming from her
breakup and is unsure whether Kyle’s feelings come from his heart or
some place much, much lower.
Unfortunately Kyle’s baggage pays a visit to Shana shattering the
delicate bond between them. Like a silken thread, Shane and Kyle’s
relationship, beautiful yet fragile, does not withstand the heavy weight
of his ex’s spiteful words and Shana breaks up with him without waiting
to hear his side of the story.
Kyle, puzzled by her switch from hot to cold, confronts Shana. It will
take Kyle’s patience and Shana’s willingness to take a chance for these
lovers to experience the sweetest love either has ever known.
The story develops over a fairly short period of time and Shana is taken
through a myriad of emotions beginning with despair and heartbreak and
ending with hope and happiness. The characters are realistic enough
although I didn’t feel they were fleshed out sufficiently to develop a
relationship with them. Shana’s pain was perceivable but not enough to
be particular moved by her experience. Likewise Kyle’s character is not
cultivated enough to get a true sense of who he is. There are several
other characters mentioned in the story but none are memorable. Despite
this weakness in character development, I did enjoy the overall novel.
The author uses an interesting sentence structure I found refreshing and
unique. She frequently uses metaphors to describe transitions in time or
the characters’ moods . The story unfolds in Philadelphia which is by
and large not crucial to the story.
READY TO TAKE A CHANCE is not the typical novel I would read only
because I prefer a plot with a few more twists and surprises.
Nonetheless the novel is a good read and I recommend it to readers who
want an easy read.
reviewer@romanceincolor.com |20th January 2007