Chance

by Grace Lennox

Book Overview

At 26, Chance Delaney decides her life isn't working so she swaps it for a different one. On a quest for adventure, meaning & a girlfriend, she finds herself transported from her safe job in a San... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1933110317
• ISBN13: 9781933110318
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
• Length: 203 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Not To Be Missed, A Delightful Gem

I'm beginning to wonder if Jennifer Fulton has a personality complex. She writes under her name and two pen names; Grace Lennox being one of them, Rose Beecham is the other. Regardless of which name she uses, she's one of the premiere authors of lesbian fiction today. `Chance' is a delight that shouldn't be missed. Chance Delaney decides her life isn't working. She's been living the life of a typical 20-something, but is ready to settle down with a permanent partner. She meets many women while working in a GLBT bookstore, but the "plain Jane" can't seem to capture anyone's eye. Ready to make a change, she quits the bookstore and gets a job grooming dogs. In the meantime, she meets Eric. Eric is an androgynous gay man with a family problem. His father is in a coma and is expected to die. Eric tricks Chance into helping him by posing as his fiancée. While visiting his parents, Chance meets and is seduced by Eric's attractive cousin, songwriter Layla Wilde. Layla and Chance have one passionate night and Chance thinks she's in love. However, Layla isn't interested in anything more. When Chance returns to her regularly-scheduled life, she finds herself being asked to audition for and become the lead singer in a new band. The band is extremely successful and Chance finds herself finally surrounded by and indulging in willing women. However, her heart longs for Layla so Chance doesn't see the love right in front of her face by the name of Lucrezia, the band's bass guitarist. There is a large supporting cast in this book and many of the characters are only lightly developed. The author didn't need to do more with these characters because the book is all about the trials of the title character. Chance is an extremely dimensional character with a heavily developed past. The book follows what seems like a few years of her life, so the reader gets to know her very well. To accomplish this time frame, the author seems to "fast forward" frequently. Although the approach can sometimes be distracting, Fulton / Lennox pulls it off with grace. A great read that should not be missed, `Chance' will remain a part of my personal collection for the foreseeable future.

Laugh Out Loud

Unlike a lot of romance fiction, this quirky tale is full of laugh out loud passages and charming twists. Our heroine is wittier than most and the story enjoys breaking the more staid rules of lesbian romance fiction. Another great read from the mind and pen of Jennifer Fulton (aka Rose Beecham).

Laugh Out Loud Funny

Unsatisfied with her life, Chance Delaney sets out to change things. She leaves her safe bookstore job to pursue a career as a dog-groomer, which ultimately takes her to number one on the music charts as lead singer for the all-women band Virgin Blessing. Told with humor through the keen observational skills of a twenty-six year old lesbian, Chance is a story of a woman seeking more out of life. She attempts to satisfy this yearning through personal ads, online conversations, and blind dates. During her quest, Chance meets the woman of her dreams, songwriter Layla Wilde. A night of passion followed by a morning of heartbreak leads this reader to understand why Chance agrees that "Intimacy is the casualty of our times" (pg. 44). Then there's Lucrezia, the band's charismatic playgirl. In Lucrezia, Chance finds a friend and maybe even an unexpected romance. Through Chance and a cast of unforgettable characters, Grace Lennox takes the reader on a ride of self-discovery. Lennox teases the reader with a hint of what may be then slowly reveals a stunning surprise. Although this reader found the ending quite satisfying, the ache for more is undeniable. The message in Chance, "What you want is not always what you need," rings true on every page. Chance is laugh out loud funny and just like life filled with unexplained possibilities and mysterious solutions.

Original, Memorable, and Hysterically Funny!

Chance Delaney becomes a celebrity practically overnight as often happens in the music industry. She is at the right place at the right time. Who would have thought that grooming dogs for the mother of a record industry mogul would lead to fame as the lead singer of Virgin Blessing? Certainly not Chance who is na?ve to the business but goes along for the ride. All the while, Chance is searching for what's most important in life--that someone special. Convinced she needs to change herself to attract the kind of woman she dreams of, Chance quits her job in a San Francisco gay and lesbian bookstore to work as a dog groomer before being catapulted into stardom by a twist of fate. In "Chance," Grace Lennox has created a realistic inner world centered on her character's quest for a meaningful relationship and her need to know who her birth mother is and why she gave her up. Is Chance desperate when she resorts to on-line dating and chatting in order to hook up with a suitable woman? Is she willing to settle for consoling the women her friend, fellow band partner Luke, rejects? Chance writes one of the funniest personal ads I ever read but you're not going to hear it from me. You have to read it and be prepared to crack up. After a tantalizing on-line friendship with a woman by the screen name Reverie, who refuses to get together for more than a quick cyber chat, Chance meets and ultimately falls in love with a stunning, elusive, yet irresistible songwriter named Layla. The two women clearly connect but secret pasts seem to get in the way. "Chance" is refreshing because Lennox doesn't offer over-written details in her prose. By not spoon-feeding information or over-exposing the characters or plot, Lennox respects the intelligence of her readers. Every nuance is powerful and succinct. Grace Lennox, aka Jennifer Fulton and Rose Beecham, shows her muscle in the masterful way she knows her characters and stays true to their personalities. "Chance" is not a novel about the music industry; it is about a woman discovering herself as she muddles through all the trappings of fame. Chance underrates her own talents and charm, and moves from low self-esteem to new self-respect in a first person narrative that is expertly done and flawless in the intimacy it creates between the character and the reader. Once you get inside Chance's head, Lennox makes sure you stay there and feel the myriad of her emotions. What I like best about "Chance" is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Lennox's keen sense of humor is not only hilarious but her observations are a cause for reflection. Sometimes the obvious is the funniest and Lennox's wit did not escape this reviewer's notice. "Chance" packs emotional punches when warranted, and delivers an interesting plot where one could dream that an all-woman rock band could become an instant success. Lennox doesn't leave any stone unturned in this original, satisfying romance with surprising outcomes. The stone I am referri

Funny, dramatic, sexy - this story is a gem

Excellent writing that pulls you in and will not let you stop reading until you finish. This novel is a real delight. I one point in the novel I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes. The characters that populate it are wonderfully endearing. Layla, Luke, Susie, Mrs. Goldman, Mr. Goldman, and Chance's parents were fully fleshed out and become very real to the reader. I liked Chance tremendously. I found the side story about her birth mother fascinating. How she got into the rock band was a terrific story and you can easily see it happening in real life. The storyline flowed readily and stretches over 2 years so it doesn't seem unreasonable for so much to happen. The entire time the focus is on Chance so that you thoroughly know her by the end of the novel. There is not a wasted word or paragraph in the story so savour the reading and don't rush to the end to find out how the story ends.