Take A Chance on Me by Susan Donovan

Hero: Thomas Tobin
Heroine: Emma Jenkins
Category: Contemporary Romance
Page Count: 337 pages
Grade: B+

My Favorite Quote: "Lord Almighty son. That little thing looks like it fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down."

From the Back Cover:

They've got nothing in common...

For animal behaviorist Emma Jenkins, romance has been at the bottom of her daily "to do" list since making it through a messy divorce. But everything changes the day six-feet-of-gorgeous Thomas Tobin walks into her office with a quivering Chinese Crested named Hairy, a canine that looks more like an underfed rodent than a dog. And that charming smile of his just sent Emma's dormant sex drive through the roof...

But animal attraction...

Thomas isn't look for a fling. In fact, he wants nothing to do with women. He just needs to know if Hairy witnessed his owner's murder. But something tells him that asking Emma to help him with the case will spell nothing but trouble--trouble in the form of serious temptation. Especially when this sexy lady makes him want to believe that anything is possible--even true love.

Fast paced, witty and uproariously funny.

That's this book wrapped up in five words. The pace of the book runs on the fast side, but that doesn't take away from the goodness of the story, the storyline is simple enough but not boring. The characters are wonderful and the story is told with such ease that it was simple enough to fall in love with this book....ya'll know that I'm a sucker for character's and this one is ripe with one winner of a character after another.

Starting with Thomas Tobin, ya'll also know that I was going to love the hero, right? haha...Thomas Tobin is a rugby playet...so he's already a winner for me, but he was so much more than "Rugby Boy" as Emma Jenkins liked to call him. He was insecure in himself after the last relationship he was in and he was left from that relationship not feeling whole and undeserving of a shot at true happiness....he learned better when he met, wholesome and prettyful, Emma Jenkins.

Emma Jenkins, was a divorcee who inherits her best friend's 12 year daughter after her best friend dies in a car accident, leaving little Elizabeth Weaverton orphaned, Emma struggles with learning to do right by Leelee and she struggles to try to keep her vetinerary practice afloat after the mountain of debt, her ex husband, Aaron leaves her with. She doesn't think that she has time to date or even wants to date, but one look at Thomas Tobin and she can't stop thinking about him...in between the sheets, and really, with a fine ass rugby player like that with washboard abs and thighs of thunder, can you really blame her?

*sigh*

Then there's little Leelee...who is left all alone in the world until she's turned over to her Mom, Becca Weaverton's best friend to raise. Her Mom wasn't the best of Mothers, with all the men she paraded around, young Leelee, she's scarred from her experiences with her Mom, all of the moving, all of the men coming before her and what not and so between Emma Jenkins her new "Mom" and Emma's laugh out loud father, Beckett Jenkins, her new "Grandfather", Leelee struggles to find a place for herself in a new town and with a new family.

The story between the three people is one that makes me all oozing with gooey tenderness. It was wonderful to read and like always, Holly struck gold for me with this book because I just loved it to pieces. My favorite character was surprisingly, Emma's laugh a minute, father, Beckett Jenkins. He had me rollin' throughout the whole book, from the beginning up until the very end. He was just one of the funniest people I've read about in a long time and I'm so glad that I read this book. I even loved, little disco dancing, fruit flying, Hairy. It was just too hot damn funny when he called, Thomas "Big Alpha" and when he "talked" to them, his thoughts on everything was a joy to read and I'm sure that you'll enjoy this book, immensely.

I'm sure that whoever reads this book will enjoy it like I did...I promise it even. This book was just the bomb diggity and I totally recommend it to all who want to read a light, funny and really really good book.

READ IT!

Oh gosh, a big I'M SORRY to my bestest blog bud, Ames for leaving her out of this book review, because it WAS Ames that told me to read this book, just last week when I was trying to decide whether or not to read this book or another book that I started, so I want to send a great big shout out to AMES and an even bigger THANK YOU for pimping this book to me last week and making sure that I read it...THANK YOU AMES! =)

Take A Chance on Me by Susan Donovan

They've Got Nothing In Common...

For animal behaviorist Emma Jenkins, romance has been at the bottom of her daily "to do" list since making it through a messy divorce. But everything changes the day six-feet-of-gorgeous Thomas Tobin walks into her office with a quivering Chinese Crested named Hairy, a canine that looks more like an underfed rodent than a dog. Sure Thomas is sending her mixed signals-but that charming smile just sent Emma's dormant sex drive through the roof...

But Animal Attraction-

Thomas isn't looking for a fling. In fact, he wants nothing to do with women. He just wants to know if Hairy witnessed his owner's murder. But something tells him that asking Emma to help him with the case will spell nothing but trouble-trouble in the form of serious temptation.

And the Willingness To Take A Chance On Love

Thomas knows that relying on Emma's expertise-and her soft touch with a weird dog that has somehow become his-may be a crazy way to track a killer. Especially when Emma's down-home warmth makes him want to believe that anything is possible-even true love.

My first Susan Donovan, on the recommendation of one of my dearest friends - and my favorite book pimp - was He Loves Lucy. I absolutely ADORE that book. I loved reading about Lucy's struggle to lose weight, my heart hurt for her when she as forced to put herself on display for the entire world to see. My pulse raced when she lusted after her OH-SO-HOT instructor, Theo. All in all, it was a fabulous book.

Then I read Public Displays of Affection. Which was...WONDERFUL. I loved the hero. I love the heroine. Basically, I loved everything about the entire book.

And Susan Donovan became and automatic buy for me.

Then I started reading Knock Me Off My Feet. Ugh. I was just not captured. I still haven't finished it. So I was a little leary about trying anything else by her. But Take a Chance on Me was sitting on my shelf and I was in the mood, so I picked it up.

We meet Thomas Tobin, hardass undercover-like cop, Rugby player, all around jaded, cynical, I've-Seen-the-worst-and-want-none-of-it type. And he's at the Vet's office with a little hairless dog. That shakes a lot. And yelps and whines. And pees all over the place.

Yeah, not exactly what I had in mind, either. I mean, could there possibly be a more mismatched pair? And it gets better...the little dog - the hairless wonder? - has to wear maxi-pads while potty training, and sweaters to keep warm and...well the list goes on.

So I'm looking at the back of this book and thinking..."Yeah, not really my thing" but decide to try it anyway. I'm sure it'll be a disaster and I'll have to set it aside like I did KMOFMF, but whatever, I might as well say I tried, right?

Oh.My.Gosh

I couldn't have been more wrong. I loved this book. I abso-freaking-lutely loved it! I loved the Vet, Emma, her young charge, LeeLee, her pops, Becks, and most of all, I loved Thomas and Hairy (that would be the dog).

I laughed out loud. I cried a little. I was a bit shocked (in a good way..hehe). I can't say enough good about it!

An absolute MUST read! Like...yesterday.

5 out of 5

He Loves Lucy by Susan Donovan

Marketing exec Lucy Cunningham is thrilled when her firm lands The Palm Club account. The campaign concept for Miami's hottest fitness club was Lucy's idea: take one fitness-challenged woman, put her in front of TV cameras, and into the hands of the club's top personal trainer, Theo Redmond. And there's a big cash reward for each pound shed. It seems like a brilliant idea-until Lucy gets picked to be the guinea pig. It's obvious she needs to drop the pounds, but the idea of letting it all hang out in front of some Malibu Ken jock has her choking on her Milk Duds before she even begins!

After one meeting, Theo knows Lucy will be his toughest client and one of the most unforgettable women he'll ever meet. Smart-mouthed and stubborn, it's clear she isn't fond of marching to anyone's drumbeat but her own. But she shocks Theo by rising to the challenge like a pro. And he finds his heart in jeopardy long before Lucy starts to slim down and turn heads.

As Lucy sweats her way into a whole new life, things start to heat up between her and Theo. But trust doesn't come easy for either of them. They've both been burned by romance in the past. Now Lucy and Theo are about to discover that appearances can be deceiving-and in the end, true love lies somewhere between pizza and Pilates...

This was a good story. I cheering Lucy on and I was bummed when she had her relaspe. My heart broke when she told the story how she was the slump buster in college. And I cheered for her at her last weigh in.

Grade: B