Second Chance

Chances Are #2

by P.T. Dilloway

One year ago, Detective Steve Fischer was injected with an experimental drug that turned him into young Stacey Chance. As Stacey struggles with her new life as a woman, a Chinese scientist kidnaps her and Steve's daughter Madison to experiment on them with his own version of the drug. This new version of the drug causes Stacey and Madison to become children again. While they search for a cure, they get a second chance at childhood. But danger lurks just around the corner...

Genres: Science Fiction

428 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2013

About the author

P.T. Dilloway has been a writer for most of his life. He completed his first story in third grade and received an ‘A’ for the assignment. Around that time he also placed in a local writing contest for a television station, receiving an action figure in lieu of a trophy, thus securing his love with the written word.
Two of P.T.'s novels are already indie published. "Where You Belong" is the heartwarming story of a man in search of himself and his place in the world. "Virgin Territory" is a suspenseful tale of a man who finds love from beyond the grave. He’s also indie published a volume of short stories collectively titled "The Carnival Papers". His superhero novel "A Hero's Journey" was published October 2012. He also contributed to the flash fiction anthology "We Are Now" with Neil Vogler and Sean Craven in December 2012.

When not writing, P.T. enjoys reading and photographing Michigan’s many lighthouses. In order to pay the bills, he earned an accounting degree from Saginaw Valley State University in 2000 and for the past ten years has worked as a payroll accountant in Detroit. He lives in suburban Detroit, where he continues to work on new writing projects.

Reviews

[UniquelyDefined · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book suuuuucks! I am calling betrayal on this one. Betrayal! The first book was pretty darn good for what it was, but this book feels like the author went off the deep end. It feels like they didn't want to keep writing this, but they had to, so they just fully jumped the shark and wrote something totally ridiculous that had nothing to do with the themes of the first book and did not deliver on any of what you might be expecting from a continuation of the story. It reads like a prank that the author is playing on the reader. I felt like the book was saying to me: "You want to know what happens next? Well too bad! Check this crap out instead!"

I shit you not, the author actually inserts an honest to God slightly racist asian themed James Bond plot into this one. That is shortly followed by the story transforming into a childhood coming of age story complete with todlers and fourth graders. If you can't imagine how the hell that makes any sense, then boy am I right there with you... If you were expecting this to continue the story of Stacey and friends dealing with her new circumstances, then get ready for that to be blown out of the water by something completely different and tonally jarring when set next to the first story. It litterally has nothing to do with the world or characters that we have been developing up to now. My best guess to explain this disaster is that the author figured the first story hinged on a fantastic change, and didn't think the second book would be interesting enough if it just resolved that story, so they came up with something wacko to shake things up. Classic bad writing error. Just write your story... If you want to write something else, then start a new book.

This is definitely a sequal I'd suggest just skipping. The first book is better on its own.

[Anne Mouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stacey is tough cookie

Following on from the original story Stacey has so much to face and little Maddy to look after too. It is a good story and keeps up a strong pace.

[Amanda Holiday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stacey, once detective Steve, has another run in with fate. The first was a change from a 50+ male to an age 19 (or thereabouts) young lady. In this episode, another creep plays with a chemistry set long enough to make a cocktail that nocks off another decade. The saga sees the even younger Stacey enrolled in a high faluting private academy until caught again by the villain and readied for shipment to China for further experiments. Only thing that saves her and Maddy is an unbelievable act for a psychiatrist that rams the airplane during take off.

It's enough to have me stretching the budget to get #3 in the series.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's my favorite of the series, even if it isn't the most action-oriented.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still my favorite.