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A Rare Chance
Gabriella Starr has silk suits, champagne tastes, and a great new career. She also has a strange man following her around Boston. Two of them, actually. When she tries to chase down the first, she encounters the second -- ex-cop and new D.A. Cam Yaeger. He's sure she's in trouble, but Gabriella bristles when he offers to help. She's way too attracted to him, and it's not like her to go for law-enforcement types anyway. She's far too independent, too naturally defiant. And she's spent too many nights in jail....
Cam Yeager likes cold beer, his Bruins sweatshirt, and shaving every other day. He knows all about Gabriella Starr, her eccentric father, and their years rescuing rare, endangered orchids no matter the stakes. Now something shady is going on in Boston. And something explosive is hovering on the horizon as the wild fireworks of two intense opposites falling in love....
Cam Yeager likes cold beer, his Bruins sweatshirt, and shaving every other day. He knows all about Gabriella Starr, her eccentric father, and their years rescuing rare, endangered orchids no matter the stakes. Now something shady is going on in Boston. And something explosive is hovering on the horizon as the wild fireworks of two intense opposites falling in love....
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1996
41 people are currently reading
198 people want to read
About the author
Carla Neggers
143 books1,608 followersCarla Neggers is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sharpe & Donovan series featuring Boston-based FBI agents Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan, and the popular Swift River Valley series set in the small, fictional New England town of Knights Bridge. With many bestsellers to her credit, Carla loves to write now as much as she did when she climbed a tree at age eleven with a pad and pen and spun stories perched on her favorite branch.
A native New Englander, Carla and her husband divide their time between their hilltop home in Vermont, a sofa bed at their kids' places in Boston and various inns, hotels and hideaways on their travels, frequently to Ireland.
Find out more and sign up for Carla's newsletter at CarlaNeggers.com.
A native New Englander, Carla and her husband divide their time between their hilltop home in Vermont, a sofa bed at their kids' places in Boston and various inns, hotels and hideaways on their travels, frequently to Ireland.
Find out more and sign up for Carla's newsletter at CarlaNeggers.com.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 26, 2023
Gabriella Starr has left her rambling lifestyle with her orchid obsessed father to work as an MBA in a Boston firm run by brothers Joshua and Titus Reading. When her injured father and her best friend, Lizzie turn up in Boston, Gabriella is happy to see them, but also suspects that their visit may turn into trouble. After discovering that her bosses are having her followed by former police detective, Pete Darrow, who is being followed by his former partner and new D. A. Cameron Yeager, Gabriella turns to Cam in hopes of figuring out what is going on in her firm. As soon as Lizzie begins a relationship with Joshua Reading, Gabriella and Cam can't seem to get away from one another.
A Rare Chance is a ridiculously over the top drama that makes no sense, but still managed to maintain my interest right to the end. The characters in this story make absurd choices and seemingly unrelated plot lines are forced to connect in pointless ways. Even though Gabriella is the protagonist of the story, most of the problems she faces are dealing with things other people in the story have done. Overall, A Rare Chance is a farcical story that I regret reading.
A Rare Chance is a ridiculously over the top drama that makes no sense, but still managed to maintain my interest right to the end. The characters in this story make absurd choices and seemingly unrelated plot lines are forced to connect in pointless ways. Even though Gabriella is the protagonist of the story, most of the problems she faces are dealing with things other people in the story have done. Overall, A Rare Chance is a farcical story that I regret reading.
September 29, 2024
Carla Neggers Delivers!
What a glorious thrill ride among the orchids! And of course, there are the usual love interests, blackmail plans, strong characters, and adventures, that one can expect from a Carla Neggers story!
What a glorious thrill ride among the orchids! And of course, there are the usual love interests, blackmail plans, strong characters, and adventures, that one can expect from a Carla Neggers story!
January 24, 2020
awesome book I expect no less from Carla Neggers but I like her Sharpe and Donovan series better.
June 13, 2020
Boston in the spring: exciting close calls, romance, and some info about orchids.
December 21, 2021
It was a good read for entertaining myself on the road trip to see my sister. Nothing spectacular, nothing that stands out. A story that I read once.
February 2, 2022
2.5 stars. the last few chapters were the best part of the book.
February 7, 2021
It was ok kinda boring nothing exciting really, I didn't care about the characters or their story. I just finished it caused I started it and I was glad it was free. I am going to try other books by Ms Neggers to see if it is just this one, I'm willing to give her a fair shot.
April 24, 2010
Gabriella is a woman who will not settle for any less in a man then the one who understand both sides of her personality...the adventurer and the straightlaced businesswoman. After leaving her father to his orchid adventures for stability in Boston, she unwittingly becomes a target of animosity from her employer's brother, Joshua Reading. Having noticed she is being followed by not one by two ex-cops she confronts cop-turned-lawyer Cam Yeager and demands answers. When he refuses to give them, Gaby determines to investigate for herself exactly what is going on with the people she works for.
Complicating events further, her nomadic father and her long-time friend Lizzie show up at her apartment after having not seen each other for more than a year. In a so-called whirlwind romance, Lizzie and Joshua become involved, making Gabriella's decisions murky and actions weighty with consequence.
A Rare Chance has some great characters and an interesting story. The book cover does not really fit the storyline...I hate that! An orchid greenhouse attached to Garbriella's apartment happens to be a setting where a lot of the character interactions takes place. I thought all the details about orchids and their care provided an additional element of interest. A few plots elements were unnecessary or contrived and detracted from the story.
I appreciated how Neggers dealt with and provided a comparison of different types intimate and familial relationships and the types of people who get involved in each. Those that are healthy where the individual keeps their identity and those that are unhealthy, obsessive, dominating, and emotionally damaging.
I think I like romantic suspense so much because I am a proble
m-solver. Regular romance stories are mainly about the character's issues and how the characters find resolution together for the HEA. But romantic suspense provides more dimension, threatening situations, hopefully thrilling plot and an added layer of tension. Originally published in 1996, A Rare Chance is a solid romantic suspense novel that fans of Carla Neggers will enjoy. The romantic side of the story is not very involved but this is typical of Negger's novels...more of a sideline really with suspense front and center.
My Rating: 3.5
http://myobsessionwithbooks.blogspot....
Complicating events further, her nomadic father and her long-time friend Lizzie show up at her apartment after having not seen each other for more than a year. In a so-called whirlwind romance, Lizzie and Joshua become involved, making Gabriella's decisions murky and actions weighty with consequence.
A Rare Chance has some great characters and an interesting story. The book cover does not really fit the storyline...I hate that! An orchid greenhouse attached to Garbriella's apartment happens to be a setting where a lot of the character interactions takes place. I thought all the details about orchids and their care provided an additional element of interest. A few plots elements were unnecessary or contrived and detracted from the story.
I appreciated how Neggers dealt with and provided a comparison of different types intimate and familial relationships and the types of people who get involved in each. Those that are healthy where the individual keeps their identity and those that are unhealthy, obsessive, dominating, and emotionally damaging.
I think I like romantic suspense so much because I am a proble
m-solver. Regular romance stories are mainly about the character's issues and how the characters find resolution together for the HEA. But romantic suspense provides more dimension, threatening situations, hopefully thrilling plot and an added layer of tension. Originally published in 1996, A Rare Chance is a solid romantic suspense novel that fans of Carla Neggers will enjoy. The romantic side of the story is not very involved but this is typical of Negger's novels...more of a sideline really with suspense front and center.
My Rating: 3.5
http://myobsessionwithbooks.blogspot....
November 29, 2013
Good book. I have read better. To much independence, not enough working together by Cam and Gabrallia. As with a lot of Carla Neggers books, this one is thin on plot and the characters motivations and tough to get into. Cam leaves the police force after getting his law degree. His partner also leaves and take a job as private security. Pete is following Gabrilla and Cam hooks up with her.
August 14, 2015
I have never read a Carla Neggers book I didn't like...honest! I love her books. When the story line ends you get that "turn the last page to see if that's REALLY the end of the book" reaction....I will not put any spoilers here. But If you are looking for a good mystery/suspense, strong characters that will keep you wanting more>>> Carla Neggers is the author you want to be reading. 'Nuff said.
May 8, 2017
This is one of my all time favorite books and I read it about twice a year. I've worn out a couple of paperback copies and now have it in e-book. The two main characters are just the best. They are so different and shoot sparks off each other right from the start and all the way through to the end.
January 15, 2014
I love romance books but even more when it has some suspense. . I enjoyed the story since it wasn't a typical romance story. I enjoyed the characters in the book. And the chemistry between Gabriella Starr and Cam Yeager was intense :).
August 18, 2008
This is a great book. It had just the right amoung of suspense and romance in it.
November 12, 2017
Suspense
August 12, 2012
I THOUGHT AND STILL THINK THIS BOOK IS AMAZING. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LLLLLLLLLLLLL.......OOOOOO......VVVVVVVVV.....EEEEEEEEEE IT.
December 20, 2013
Like the author.
March 22, 2013
Was ok, I liked it. The writing style more than the plot on this one
June 23, 2017
again, another good book by this author!
July 22, 2014
Ehhh... dragged a bit.
December 28, 2009
so far so good
April 6, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. Gabrielle gets followed by two men and she needs to figure out why?
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews