Take a Chance on Me

Take a Chance on Me
Susan May Warren
Tyndale Publishing
April 2013
Fiction, Romance.


Ivy Madison is the new assistant county attorney in Deep Haven, Minnesota. Her goal is to make a difference and find a place to belong in the tiny little town. She has no idea when she  goes to a charity bachelor auction that the last person she should bid on is Derek Christiansen.

Derek is angry and embarrassed at having to fill in at the auction for his hockey star brother. And that's not all he's angry at. He's been brooding for years after the tragic death of his wife. Angry and bitter the town knows to stay away from Derek.

When Ivy bids on Derek she has no idea what the implications will be. Little does she know that when she crafted a plea bargain to keep Jensen Atwood out of jail 3 years ago she was keeping the man responsible for the death of Derek's wife free. What she does know is that getting to know the large Christiansen family feels like home for the first time in her life. Having grown up in the foster care system she's been looking for a place to belong her whole life. The Christiansens own the historic Evergreen Lake resort and she'd like to stay forever.

Derek and Ivy can't deny the fact that they're drawn to each other. As they try to form a relationship they, and the people around them, have to begin to deal with their pasts and issues of forgiveness. No chance can really be taken until healing begins.

Warren dives deep into heavy issues such as forgiveness, the love of God, bitterness, and more. She does so with finesse and proves once again that fiction can cover the deep issues of life in an approachable way. This book is a book of healing and second chances. It's not your typical fluff novel, this is hard hitting and effective. This book is gripping and you'll read it through quickly.

The characters are real people and very endearing. I wanted to become a part of the Christiansen family and be invited over to the lake for the weekend. Derek and Ivy have an undeniable chemistry that is sweet to read. You'll agonize alongside them as they fall in love with each other and in their woundedness and humanity they continue to fumble.

Warren always includes humor in her books which is much appreciated when dealing with a heavy story. You'll find yourself chuckling as you turn the pages.

My only critique of the book is I felt there were too many perspectives the story was told from. At one point 4 different characters tell the story. I prefer to stick to one or two otherwise I find myself feeling muddled. It's a long book and I think the number of story lines may have been more effective as a couple of books instead of just one.

I can report that this is the start of a new spin-off series taking place in Deep Haven. This series will follow the Christiansen family. I can promise you that's a good thing. Warren has proven through the years that she can handle spin off series with ease. I, for one, can't wait to grab the next book in the series.

I love visiting Deep Haven and the people there. Do yourself a favor this summer, grab this book, find a sunny spot with some lemonade, and dive deep into all it has to offer. You'll be glad you did.

My thanks to Tyndale Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book for my real and honest review. 

Baroness by Susan May Warren

Baroness
Author:  Susan May Warren
Publisher: Summerside Press
Genre: Fiction, Historical, Romance
Date: March 2012


Lily and cousin Rosie are coming of age in the Roaring Twenties. Both belong to families of great wealth the world is their oyster. The beginning of a summer in Paris opens their eyes and ultimately alters their lives. Lily discovers her love for flying and the interest of a man and Rosie discovers what she believes to be love. Before they can both blink they find themselves whisked back stateside and their lives part for a number of years.

Lily returns home to a dying mother and a step-father she wants nothing to do with. She sneaks away without telling anyone and heads as far west as the money in her pocket will take her. It doesn't take her very far west but it does take her to an airshow. Her love of flying reigns supreme and eventually she becomes a wing walker. She also takes great notice of her pilot, a handsome man named Truman.

Rosie enters New York and sets out to see her name in lights. She unknowingly gets into a relationship with a mob boss that will prove to be deadly. In her haste to escape his hold she runs away with a baseball player who turns out to be the love of her life. They settle in Chicago and make a home for themselves.

4 years pass.

Lily is divorced and working for her mother's newspaper. Rosie is married and pregnant and moving back to New York with her husband. Lily's "ex"-husband is on his way to New York and Rosie's ex-boyfriend the mob boss knows she's back in town. Drama and tragedy are on the horizon. Great healing and beauty are also very near.

I have to stop with my synopsis there are I might give the whole plot away. Just when I think I have  Susan May Warren all figured out she surprises me. Taking a giant step away from the familiarity of the other books from her I have reviewed she plunges her readers into a entirely different age. This is not your run of the mill romance book. Watching Lily and Rosie for this span of years is both enlightening and painful. You feel all of their angst right along with them. I applaud Warren for her superb character development. I also thoroughly enjoyed her handling of the time period down to the clothes worn, current events, and trends of that era. The wing walking aspect terrified me and intrigued me.

What I always love about Susan May Warren is her ability to reveal healing and God's hand in each of her books. I found the path that Lily took to healing and reconciliation with her step-father to be truly beautiful. It perfectly rounded out this book for me. 

I had a hard time getting into the first couple of chapters but once I was in, I was all in. This one definitely had me reading late into the night. This is the second book in the Daughters of Fortune series and I'm not sure how I missed the first one. I plan on remedying that immediately. You can read it as a standalone but why would you want to? I am anxious to read the one that follows Baroness because it ended on a bit of a cliff-hanger.

An excellent read I highly recommend!

Rated Pg-13 for adult content. 

Thank you to Summerside Press and my friends at Radiant Lit for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Shadow of Your Smile- Susan May Warren

Title: The Shadow of Your Smile
Author: Susan May Warren
Publisher: Tyndale House
Date: 1-1-12
Genre: Modern Fiction

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After 25 years of marriage Eli and Noelle Hueston are contemplating divorce. Their only daughter was murdered three years before they can no longer seem to find a way to belong together. Their last son is about to graduate from high school and Eli is finding himself draw to the widow of one of his former deputies. On a cold dark night in northern Minnesota everything changes for them. While witnessing a hold-up Noelle hits her head and wakes up with no memory of the last 25 years of her life. Thinking she is 21 she's shocked to find she has a husband, two sons, and the life she thought she'd always have looked nothing like what she expected.

As Eli helps Noelle begin to heal physically he realizes it's time for himself to start healing emotionally. He's shocked to find secrets out about the wife he thought he knew so well. He's also ashamed to find he's draw to the pretty widow Lee. As Noelle and Eli begin to find a common ground and healing they start falling in love with each other all over again. However, when their problems and secrets come to life it seems as though they'll never truly be able to make their crippled marriage work...or will they?

Set in the familiar town of Deep Haven, MN Susan May Warren has once again written an engaging novel. Neither Eli or Noelle are likeable characters until they begin to give up control, surrender to God, and start trusting in his plans for them. The loss they experienced with their daughter is tragic indeed but joy and life are found in loving and appreciating the memory of all she was. Noelle will make you laugh as she looks in the mirror and finds herself 25 years older than she remembered with wrinkles and sags in all the wrong places. You'll quickly find yourself drawn into this book. With just enough mystery and just the right touch of romance Warren will delight you. And one of the reasons I like Warren so much is her ability to write healing through a fictional story. Her love of the Lord is evident and spills through each of her books. Find a fireplace, put on your mittens, and get ready for a heartwarming read.

Thank you to Tyndale House for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My Foolish Heart

My Foolish Heart

By: Susan May Warren

After the last Susan May Warren book I read I have to admit I was not as excited to receive this book in order to review. However, I had no need to worry. Warren is back and she's better than ever!

Isadora Presley runs a late night talk radio show called “Miss Foolish Heart” and dishes out sage advice on falling in love and dating. The only problem? She’s never actually done either. Traumatized by a tragic accident two years before that left her mother dead in her arms and her football coach father in a nursing home, Issy is bound by fear and is trapped in her own home and garden. She’s afraid to push her boundaries and venture out into the world. Her best friend Lucy (the local donut shop girl), who always does the right thing, helps to take care of her. Lucy’s own life is predictable and slightly monotonous, until the boy who broke her heart in high school comes back to town to try to earn his right to coach the hometown football team. With Seb’s reappearance, Lucy’s life becomes a little more complicated as she battles regrets from the past with her hope to rekindle a relationship with Seb in the future.

Enter BoyNextDoor, a caller on Issy's show and coincidentally enough her new neighbor. Caleb is the new football coach in town and he's also hiding a secret of his own. His visible scars don't begin to show the extent of his inner scars. Bonding over a naughty dog, a fence, and spaghetti Caleb begins to reach out to Issy. Unbeknownst to Issy the advice she's giving to caller BoyNextDoor is all intended for her. 

Caleb and Seb are both given a chance at coaching the football team, all leading up to a scrimmage. The football side of the story is just as fun as the romantic side. Who will end up coaching? Will Issy ever be able to break free? And what's going to happen to World's Best Donuts? So many questions that you'll just have to read the book to answer. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Warren writes with the charm that first won me over years ago. Her idyllic setting in a lake town in northern Minnesota will almost make you forget the massive mosquitoes, the eight months of winter, and the cold in July that is authentic Minnesota.  The characters are engaging and relateable. At times the story seems a bit contrived but let's face it, sometimes that's exactly what makes a story oh so good. 

Thank you to Tyndale Publishing House for sending me a copy of this book for review purposes. 

Licensed for Trouble

PJ Sugar is trouble with a capital “T”. Her whole life has seemed to be a series of mishaps and disasters. When she finds out she has inherited the Kellogg family fortune she can’t imagine why. The sole beneficiary of Kellogg’s wealthiest widow PJ is baffled why a woman she hardly knew would leave everything to her. The inheritance turns out to be the Kellogg family mansion that is in complete shambles. Charming with an idyllic setting the mansion is nonetheless in serious need of remodeling. Handyman help comes in the form of Max Smith, a man without a past. Private Investigator in training, PJ takes on Max’s case with no idea where it might lead.

Licensed for Trouble is the third installment in Susan Warren’s PJ Sugar series. This book picks up a few weeks after “the kiss” in book two between PJ and her boss, Jeremy Kane. While PJ can’t deny the chemistry she has with Jeremy she also can’t put former love, Boone, out of her mind. Jeremy remains distant and PJ remains confused. As PJ tries to figure out her love life she also stays busy, and in trouble, trying to find Max’s past, chasing a bail jumper, and discovering secrets about her own past.

PJ’s character development in this book is wonderful and completely relatable. Feeling doomed to always live up to her moniker “nothing but trouble” PJ slowly but surely begins to experience God’s grace and redemption. With the help of the dashing and romantic Jeremy PJ finds the fresh start she’s been longing for. She turns to God and allows him to name her, define her, and love her.

Susan May Warren is a favorite author of mine. Although there are plenty of page turning moments in this book I also found sections that seemed to drag. However, PJ is a delight to get to know and while I would recommend reading the first two books before this book, this one can be read as a standalone. Warren keeps the reader guessing as PJ’s heart pulls her in different directions. You’ll find yourself gasping as PJ is rescued time and time again by one or more of the handsome men in her life. The mystery will keep you guessing and the ending will….well I’m not going to tell you everything. Enjoyable and a great end to this series!

Rated PG- for violence

Thanks to Tyndale Fiction for providing a copy of this book for review!