Cindy J. (cindyj) - reviewed on 4/1/2016 + 62 more book reviews

Novella collection by three popular authors

Terri Blackstock pens a winner titled For Love of Money. Blake Adcock spends a rainy Valentine's Day sitting in a restaurant in the section Julie Sheffield is waitressing. Blake doesn't have enough money for Julie's tip, so he leaves an IOU written on half of a sweepstakes ticket with the drawing to be held the next day. Their ticket is the winning ticket.

Ms. Blackstock packed a lot into a short 138-page novella. During the first part of the story, I felt it was a bit unrealistic and overblown, and I didn't really like Blake. I was tempted to stop reading. But if I had, I would have missed some very thought-provoking messages in this story. What would I do with a large windfall of money? How would my life and attitudes change? Would my spending habits and philosophies change? I was very impressed with how the story wrapped up, and I'm glad I finished the story instead of just skipping ahead to the next novella.

Candace Calvert stirs up love in The Recipe. Aimee Curran works in the hospital dietary department but dreams of enrolling in a culinary institute. Utilizing a recipe she inherited from her mother, she hopes to win a bake-off competition with the prize of full tuition to the institute. Lucas Marchal visits his grandmother daily at the hospital, trying to coax her to eat so she can regain her health. Following an unfortunate accident with another hospital worker, Aimee "volunteers" an hour each evening to "relieve" the other worker in aiding hospital patients with their meals.

This is a fun story with gentle reminders to look beneath the surface others present to the world and find the value within. Also, health isn't just about the physical condition, it also encompasses a person's emotional and mental state.

Susan May Warren reels us in with Hook, Line & Sinker. Abigail Cushman and Scotty Springer were fellow classmates and friends. Over the years, Abby hung out at Scotty's house with him and his younger brother Ross. Now Ross is a college senior in danger of failing class, Abby is a graduate student noted as an all-brains-no-fun girl, and Scotty is dead. Both Abby and Ross are active in college campus ministry clubs, so when an opportunity to raise funds is announced, they both sign up. Unfortunately for Abby, it is a fishing contest and she knows nothing about fishing.

This short tale of missed opportunities and resulting regrets will leave you pondering. What could I have done differently? Is this information accurate, or is it just someone's opinion or assumption? It's also a great reminder that life is short so you should make the most of the time you have.

Chance of Loving You is an enjoyable collection of sweet, romantic, short stories. Each short story is followed by a delicious-looking recipe. Try this book (and the recipes)!

I received a copy of this book through The Book Club Network in exchange for my honest review.

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