Only a Chapter: A bisexual sci-fi romance

by Heather Tracy

A call to change a lifetime…

Clare O’Donnell is in a dead-end relationship with her girlfriend, until she receives a phone call that changes her life—literally. In one timeline, her biopsy results are positive for cancer. In another timeline, her results are benign. In one timeline, the faceless person she has romantic dreams of becomes masculine. In the other timeline, they become feminine.

Her world begins to diverge, sending Clare on differing journeys of self-discovery and romance. In both, her dreams seem to show what might happen, and she realizes they all started after she survived the fatal car crash that took her parents. There is one that no matter the challenges she faces, this is only a chapter of her life.

Explore how one phone call could change your life forever.

Romance / Science Fiction / LGBT / Bisexual / Gay / Lesbian

New Adult and Adult


Praise for Only a Chapter
"Only A Chapter is unique, fresh, and crafted with a deft hand. This book will make you believe in the parts of love that can't be explained or rationalized. It's a confident exploration of what-could-be, of what it means to dream of love."
-Cara Bastone, USA Today bestselling author

321 pages, Paperback

Published April 22, 2025

About the author

Heather Tracy (she/her) is a travel agent by day, and a masked copy editor and writer by night. As a travel agent, she plans Nerdventures—travel for the nerd in all of us. These can be anything from visiting New Zealand to see as many Lord of the Rings filming locations as you can to visiting castles in Europe to following in the footsteps of your favorite author.
As a copy editor, she’s found hundreds of typos, comma splices, and other grammatical nitpicks for Space Wizard Science Fantasy since before 2016. With over 30 titles copyedited, she’s now turned her hand to her first published short story in Fiery Deeps, and her first novel, Only a Chapter, which features some of her personal journey surviving breast cancer.
Heather lives in Raleigh with her husband of over twenty years, William C. Tracy, where they have two rambunctious cats and several beehives. They enjoy taking their own Nerdventures—as much as they can be away from their small businesses—and cosplaying at various markets and cons throughout the year.
You can find her on Facebook as @heathertracyauthor, on Bluesky as @heathertracyauthor.bsky.social and on Instagram as @hunnyjar319. For her travel agency, Melvin’s Travel Adventures, you can find her on Facebook and Instagram as @melvinstraveladventures or on Bluesky as @melvinsta.bsky.social.

Reviews

[Glendyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC, but this is my unbiased opinion of "Only a Chapter".

Even though sci-fi is not my preferred genre, I enjoyed this book a lot! It's rooted enough in the real world and it had enough of a romance angle (a genre I prefer) that it held and kept my interest. Since Clare is a travel agent, I also enjoyed the travel aspects in the novel. I enjoy traveling as well so this was also another element I could relate to.

The characters are believable, relatable, and well rounded. I found myself hoping everyone is as lucky to have such a great tribe of supportive and caring friends as Clare. While really liking and rooting for the protagonists, the author also does a great job of crafting the antagonists which had me cheering on the protagonists even more. I got quite invested in the timeline with the male character. The dreams Clare has throughout the book and how they keep building as the story develops was also one of my favorite aspects.

This book is a roller coaster of emotions that will make you laugh, cry, swoon, and have you rooting for the characters to succeed and overcome all of their struggles and obstacles to live their best life.

You can tell a lot of thought went into crafting this novel. Congratulations to the author on writing such a great first book!

[Brian Busby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book , it's not my normal genre of read.
The storyline is superb and the characters are well appointed.
This is a difficult book to review without giving spoilers so all I am going to say is I totally recommend this splendid book to read I don't think you will be disappointed.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this modern take on split timelines. Both versions of the main character are well thought out and someone I’d be friends with. I went to college where it takes place so it was really fun to imagine it as a movie. This will be a great summer beach read, but with some more moving deeper aspects than your run of the mill rom-com or suspense.

I received an ARC, but my opinion is my own.

[William Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

With two romances happening side by side, Heather Tracy spins a intriguing romance that gives some good contemplation for sci-fi fans, as well as a fun story for the contemporary romance crowd. It's hard to pick a favorite storyline!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Side by side realities are fun and I enjoy learning about Clare. Dreams always have a funny way of intertwining with reality

[Betsy Strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heather Tracy’s book is a tale of two lives. Very well written. Fascinating concept. Loved that it was set in Raleigh!! An intimate look at successful cancer treatment. I highly recommend this book!!

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was quite an enjoyable read! The two timelines created a lot of fun putting the pieces together and comparing the shared events. The sci-fi element was woven into the story believably and beautifully, and it culminated in a satisfying way that I didn't see coming. The characters are relatable, and it is a lovely picture of a found family of friends who truly support each other no matter what. The romance is strong in this story, and while two very different love stories emerge, Roddy and Abby both seem perfect for Clare in their own way.

I loved the reminder that no matter what we are going through, it is indeed "only a chapter."

Looking forward to what comes next from this author!