What do you think?
Rate this book
Chance of the Heart #1
Chance of the Heart
The path to happiness isn't always the easiest.
Chance Becket's life was mapped out. He'd one day own the ranch he grew up on, have a family, and be the son he was raised to be, like all good boys in Small Town, U.S.A.
When his high school sweetheart calls for a break during her last semester of college, the last place Chance thought he'd end up was in his old friend Bradley's bed.
Bradley Heart blasted out of the closet before his family could name him heir apparent to his father's church. After six years away, a job layoff has him coming home to work behind the scenes. He and his father have little interaction and he's fine with it staying that way when he returns home. Going back into the closet, for any reason, is not on his list of things to do. But Chance may prove too much a temptation, especially with the simmering feelings they’ve had for one another since they were teens.
Confused over his sexuality, Chance has to decide what’s more important -- loyalty to his family and the path set forth, or the promise of happiness with not just the only man, but the only person, he's ever really wanted.
Includes a very toppy accountant, a cowboy who'd rather be in the kitchen, porn positions, some spanking, and absolutely zero religion other than worshipping... You know.
Chance Becket's life was mapped out. He'd one day own the ranch he grew up on, have a family, and be the son he was raised to be, like all good boys in Small Town, U.S.A.
When his high school sweetheart calls for a break during her last semester of college, the last place Chance thought he'd end up was in his old friend Bradley's bed.
Bradley Heart blasted out of the closet before his family could name him heir apparent to his father's church. After six years away, a job layoff has him coming home to work behind the scenes. He and his father have little interaction and he's fine with it staying that way when he returns home. Going back into the closet, for any reason, is not on his list of things to do. But Chance may prove too much a temptation, especially with the simmering feelings they’ve had for one another since they were teens.
Confused over his sexuality, Chance has to decide what’s more important -- loyalty to his family and the path set forth, or the promise of happiness with not just the only man, but the only person, he's ever really wanted.
Includes a very toppy accountant, a cowboy who'd rather be in the kitchen, porn positions, some spanking, and absolutely zero religion other than worshipping... You know.
254 pages, ebook
First published January 22, 2015
41 people are currently reading
747 people want to read
About the author
Kade Boehme
37 books1,046 followersKade Boehme is the epitome of dorkdom, only watching TV when Rachel Maddow or one of his sports teams is on. Most of his free time is spent dancing, arguing politics or with his nose in a book. He is also a hardcore Britney Spears fangirl and has an addiction to glitter.
It was after writing a short story about boys who loved each other for a less than reputable adult website that he found his true calling, and hopefully a bit more class. He hopes to write about all the romance that he personally finds himself allergic to but that others can fall in love with. He maintains that life is real and the stories should be, as well.
It was after writing a short story about boys who loved each other for a less than reputable adult website that he found his true calling, and hopefully a bit more class. He hopes to write about all the romance that he personally finds himself allergic to but that others can fall in love with. He maintains that life is real and the stories should be, as well.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews
January 27, 2015
4.5 Stars!
Kade...
I think this might be my favorite Kade Boehme yet!!!
Chance and Bradley were just....
Oh and let's not forget the dirty...
Bradley you dirty dog. Spanking! What a pleasant little surprise that was. Kind of made me chuckle! I loved Toppy Bradley!
But beyond that, the way the characters and the relationship grew...it was perfect.
The whole in-the-closet storyline....
....yeah, makes me nervous as hell.
And Chance had a girlfriend almost the first half of the book.
But it didn't bother me like I thought it would.
I just wanted to hug Chance. He was so darn sweet!
This one had the potential for lots of angst, but overall there was very little.
Definitely recommend this one!!!
Kade...
I think this might be my favorite Kade Boehme yet!!!
Chance and Bradley were just....
Oh and let's not forget the dirty...
Bradley you dirty dog. Spanking! What a pleasant little surprise that was. Kind of made me chuckle! I loved Toppy Bradley!
But beyond that, the way the characters and the relationship grew...it was perfect.
The whole in-the-closet storyline....
....yeah, makes me nervous as hell.
And Chance had a girlfriend almost the first half of the book.
But it didn't bother me like I thought it would.
I just wanted to hug Chance. He was so darn sweet!
This one had the potential for lots of angst, but overall there was very little.
Definitely recommend this one!!!
April 20, 2021
I. Loved. This. Book.
There's nothing quite like books where the MC's have know one another since they were kids, actually growing up together, getting to know one another through the years.
I love the kind of shared history and experiences, which we see in this book with Chance and Bradley, having grown up together.
The mentality of the people in their hometown of Red River, TX sounded very much like that of my own tiny hometown of 500 people in East Tennessee.
It was expected that you think what everyone else thought. Feel how everyone else felt. Be what everyone else was. Believe what everyone else believed. And want what everyone else wanted.
And growing up as a young gay man amidst all of those expectations? It. Was. Awful.
And like Boehme's main character, Chance, I didn't come out until my early/mid-20's. However, unlike Chance, I avoided girls like flesh eating zombies (with lady bits, *cringe*), but can completely relate to *wanting* to give in and doing what's expected.
Fortunately for me, though, I was a strong-willed little bastard and stuck to my little pre-gay guns, biding my time. (For those who know me, I know what a shock that is.) hehe ;- )
So MC #1, Chance, tows the line, following the beaten path, until his collegiate soon-to-be fiancé imposes a semester-long break on their relationship, to allow Chance time to make sure that committing to a life with her is genuinely what he wants.
Then faster than you can say "assless chaps", Chance somehow finds himself an hour and a half from home and in a gay bar. He supposedly doesn't know why he's drawn there, but I believe that, like the saying says, the heart wants what it wants.
And, luckily for Chance, he runs into his life-long crush, Bradley Heart, who fled their hometown during college, after being rejected by his wealthy televangelist father when he came out.
After a night of passion that finally helps Chance realize what he's wanted all these years, he freaks out and returns to Red River, but can't stop thinking about Bradley and the night when they connected so deeply, both emotionally and physically.
But Bradley, being recently laid off, ended it with a cheating ex and losing his lux apartment, moves back to Red River to lick his wounds and regroup.
This gives our two heroes another bite at the apple. And bite they do. Repeatedly and with gusto, while our voyeuristic little hearts get to watch all that steamy, sexy action. And let me tell you. SO. HOT.
So the girlfriend returns for good from college, but one thing that completely shocked me about this story was that,
Bradley is in the loop as to what's going on, but that still doesn't make it any easier for him to sit back and watch until Chance can set everything to rights in his life and they can begin a real life together.
Insecurities run rampant, mistakes are made, we see the requisite break up, then apologies and reconciliations are made. [Insert HEA here.] :- )
This was definitely one of my favorite books that Kade has written to date, with two very deeply-connected characters, zero cheating, it's BDSM-free (but a tiny bit-o'-spanking), with a lot of (GODDAMN) hot times as these hunky cowboys burn up the sheets.
If I had to list any shortcoming of this story-centric, yet sexy book, I'd probably say that the one thing that I would have loved to see was for toppy Bradley to roll over and hand the reigns to Chance. My pervy little brain would have *LOVED* to see that. Just once. Mental camcorder rolling, of course. H.O.T.
But I digress. 4 1/2 *touch-my-heart-and-my-no-no* stars for this damn good read.
------------------------------------------------
** This was my own copy of the book and was not provided by the publisher.
January 30, 2015
4.5 STARS
Chance is a 23 years old young man who lived all his life in a small town named Hope Springs. He’s a good man with a simple life, he works hard and he respect his parents. He goes to church on Sundays and he never cheated on his girlfriend, Caitlin. Chance and Caitlin decided they need a break to find themselves when Caitlin went to college.
Bradley is gay and he’s out and proud. He just lost his accountant job, so he decides to move back in his hometown, Hope Springs even if his relationship with his father is on the rocks. Chance and Bradley meet each other at a bar. They had known each other growing up, competing many times in the rodeo together. After a drink, Bradley takes Chance home, spending a hot night together. Bradley regrets a little their night together, thinking he made a mistake. When he made the assumption Chance is gay, Chance never confirm it.
Chance had never kissed a man, he never thought that he is bi or gay, but he has always been attracted to Bradley. The night Chance spend with the other man was like nothing he had experienced before. He felt alive for the first time in his life, even if it was scary. He feels guilty because he didn’t feel guilty, not because he was with someone else than Caitlin. Time passes and Chance realize that he is gay, but he wants to stay a little longer in the closet fearing he will be rejected by his religious family. Bradley doesn’t want to be involved with another man who’s in the closet. Things get complicated when Caitlin comes home. What will happened next?
I really enjoyed this one and I think this is my fav book by this author so far. Chance is such an endearing character. Poor Chance! He just wanted to find himself. I really felt for him. I liked that he didn’t freak out about his first night with Bradley. Bradley was great too. He is sweet with Chance and I loved his relationship with his sister.
Both Chance and Bradley felt real and relatable and I loved them together. I enjoyed how their relationship progressed and both of them are great developed. The sex scenes were off the charts hot and the sexual tension palpable. I really liked the angst and drama were low and I enjoyed the epilogue.
Overall, a fantastic read!
Chance is a 23 years old young man who lived all his life in a small town named Hope Springs. He’s a good man with a simple life, he works hard and he respect his parents. He goes to church on Sundays and he never cheated on his girlfriend, Caitlin. Chance and Caitlin decided they need a break to find themselves when Caitlin went to college.
Bradley is gay and he’s out and proud. He just lost his accountant job, so he decides to move back in his hometown, Hope Springs even if his relationship with his father is on the rocks. Chance and Bradley meet each other at a bar. They had known each other growing up, competing many times in the rodeo together. After a drink, Bradley takes Chance home, spending a hot night together. Bradley regrets a little their night together, thinking he made a mistake. When he made the assumption Chance is gay, Chance never confirm it.
Chance had never kissed a man, he never thought that he is bi or gay, but he has always been attracted to Bradley. The night Chance spend with the other man was like nothing he had experienced before. He felt alive for the first time in his life, even if it was scary. He feels guilty because he didn’t feel guilty, not because he was with someone else than Caitlin. Time passes and Chance realize that he is gay, but he wants to stay a little longer in the closet fearing he will be rejected by his religious family. Bradley doesn’t want to be involved with another man who’s in the closet. Things get complicated when Caitlin comes home. What will happened next?
I really enjoyed this one and I think this is my fav book by this author so far. Chance is such an endearing character. Poor Chance! He just wanted to find himself. I really felt for him. I liked that he didn’t freak out about his first night with Bradley. Bradley was great too. He is sweet with Chance and I loved his relationship with his sister.
Both Chance and Bradley felt real and relatable and I loved them together. I enjoyed how their relationship progressed and both of them are great developed. The sex scenes were off the charts hot and the sexual tension palpable. I really liked the angst and drama were low and I enjoyed the epilogue.
Overall, a fantastic read!
January 24, 2015
It's LIVE!!!!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00SM60...
Kade Boehme,
This book was so freaking good! I loved everything about it. In this story we have Chance- who has always done as he's been told and followed the path expected of him. Then we have Bradley- who is just trying to stay afloat after a bout of bad luck.
What I loved:
*Great character development.
*Awesome relationship build up- the way he developed their friendship I should say.
*Story was very smooth. There weren't any slow moments.
*Steam-
*Low angst.
*Feel good story.
What I didn't like:
There wasn't anything I didn't care for.
This book pretty much had everything I love in it. I can't recommend it enough. It's great story of family, friendship, self discovery, and of learning to stand up for yourself. Just lovely. 5 Stars! ♥
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00SM60...
Kade Boehme,
This book was so freaking good! I loved everything about it. In this story we have Chance- who has always done as he's been told and followed the path expected of him. Then we have Bradley- who is just trying to stay afloat after a bout of bad luck.
What I loved:
*Great character development.
*Awesome relationship build up- the way he developed their friendship I should say.
*Story was very smooth. There weren't any slow moments.
*Steam-
*Low angst.
*Feel good story.
What I didn't like:
There wasn't anything I didn't care for.
This book pretty much had everything I love in it. I can't recommend it enough. It's great story of family, friendship, self discovery, and of learning to stand up for yourself. Just lovely. 5 Stars! ♥
March 12, 2015
Thanks!
The reviews have sold me, hook line and sinker!
Loved it!
February 4, 2015
5 sweet dirty-talking amazing stars
And it was definitely not an easy path for Chance and Bradley.
I loved this book. Loved, loved, loved. Chance of the Heart is a story of these two men finding each other, falling in love and fighting against their own fears, and for each other is beautiful. Low angst, but full of emotion. Watching them both change and become more together than they could ever be separately was just perfection.
Chance is wonderful - realising he has more choices in life than just marrying his high school girlfriend because it's expected, and following in his dad's footsteps with the family ranch. Discovering what he needs as a man both in life and sexually.
And Bradley - scorching sexy but insecure, he's been thrust back into a town and closet he had moved on from, needing work and taking it with his overbearing anti-gay preacher fathers church. Yes it was not easy...
And Chance and Bradley together...sizzling hot!
Loved the dirty talk and the tenderness... *sigh* for me it was a perfect combination of raunchy fucking, sweet love making, dirty talking and plenty of amazing feelings and emotions.
Highly, highly recommended!
BR with my ladies here
The path to happiness isn't always the easiest.
And it was definitely not an easy path for Chance and Bradley.
I loved this book. Loved, loved, loved. Chance of the Heart is a story of these two men finding each other, falling in love and fighting against their own fears, and for each other is beautiful. Low angst, but full of emotion. Watching them both change and become more together than they could ever be separately was just perfection.
Chance is wonderful - realising he has more choices in life than just marrying his high school girlfriend because it's expected, and following in his dad's footsteps with the family ranch. Discovering what he needs as a man both in life and sexually.
And Bradley - scorching sexy but insecure, he's been thrust back into a town and closet he had moved on from, needing work and taking it with his overbearing anti-gay preacher fathers church. Yes it was not easy...
“If he cried like the biggest idiot that ever lived, it was just between him and the stars."
And Chance and Bradley together...sizzling hot!
“It scares me how much I want you to own me"
Loved the dirty talk and the tenderness... *sigh* for me it was a perfect combination of raunchy fucking, sweet love making, dirty talking and plenty of amazing feelings and emotions.
Highly, highly recommended!
BR with my ladies here
June 6, 2016
***4 Stars***
This was a low-angst, heartwarming and steamy read that I really liked.
Chance and Bradley both had their faults, but they fit together perfectly. I really loved them together and their chemistry and connection was apparent from the beginning.
Chance has his whole life in Hope Springs mapped out for him.....work his father's ranch, marry his high school sweetheart, raise a family on the ranch and live happily ever after. Too bad Chance doesn't want most of those things. He's confused, frustrated and feels the weight of the world on his shoulders. He loves his girlfriend, but he doesn't feel any of the passion, attraction and romance that his friends have with their significant others.
While on a break with his girlfriend, he decides to see where the wind takes him....and he somehow lands right in front of Bradley. Running into Bradley six years after he's last seen him has got Chance's mind buzzing, his heart racing and his blood pumping....and he realizes that maybe his issues stem from the fact that he's been batting for the wrong team.
Bradley left Hope Springs six years ago. He came out to his father, who's a local reverend and celebrity, and hightailed it out of town when he realized the town and his father would stifle him. However, now he's back....under less than ideal circumstances. His boyfriend cheated on him, his company is downsizing and eliminated his accounting department and he's lost his apartment. He's living in a cottage on his father's property, working temporarily at his father's church and trying to figure out what to do about Chance...the guy he's always been drawn to, the guy he feels at peace with and the guy buried deep in the closet. Bradley vowed never to be someone's dirty secret ever again.
Can Bradley find the patience to let Chance navigate this new path on his timeline? And what happens when Chance's girlfriend comes home from college and isn't ready to break their parents' heart with Chance's revelation?
Even though Chance's epiphanies came a little too quickly for my tastes, I found him completely endearing and unbelievably sweet. He was trying to do right by everyone, while finding a way to grab his own piece of happiness. And I loved seeing him grow and evolve over the course of the book....little by little Chance's backbone grew and got stronger.
On the flip side, I liked seeing the vulnerable side of Bradley. He started off so confident and sure of himself, but the deeper things got with Chance and the more he fell in love with the man, you saw his insecurities creep in. His impatience and frustrations got the better of him sometimes, and he made mistakes along the way, but it only proved how much he wanted a relationship with Chance.
And the chemistry between these two....HOT!! Chance and Bradley were burning up the sheets...and my kindle!! A toppy top and a bottomy bottom...what's not to love!?!?! All I'm gonna say is.....we've got spanking and a hot cowboy in chaps....
Overall, this was a great read that gave me two lovable MC's that I was rooting for from the beginning. Their journey wasn't always easy, but you never doubted how they felt about each other.
Read
January 24, 2015Woohoo! It's out, it's out!
July 13, 2015
It's been a minute since I've actually sat and read a book straight thru. My mind hasn't let me do that as of late. But this book sucked me in and had me forgetting all my real life shit. I even burned the lunch I attempted to make while reading. OH well...who needs food when there's a nawty boy standing there in nothin but cowboy boots and a stetson?! I LOVED every second of this one and would recommend to everyone!
There is definite naughty sexy times but there is also loads of real life feels!
Kudos Kade for another fantastic read!
There is definite naughty sexy times but there is also loads of real life feels!
Kudos Kade for another fantastic read!
August 5, 2015
The path to true love or happiness certainly doesn't run smoothly for Chance Becket or Bradley Heart. They have many obstacles to overcome, not least of which is the fact that Chance doesn't even know that he's gay (although he has his suspicions), is engaged to his childhood sweetheart, in line to take over the family ranch and is just doing what his family expect of him UNTIL he meets old school friend and former fellow barrel racer Bradley in a gay bar in a nearby town one night. What happens between them blows Chance's mind, and sets him on the path of self-awareness and discovery, oh and very much liking the fact that Bradley is toppy in the bedroom, hehe.
Bradley meanwhile, always swore that he would not go back into that 'Narnian' closet after a really bad experience at Uni, but understands that he needs to give Chance time to come to terms with who he is and where he goes from here. Of course, the fact that Bradley's father is a famous Televangelist who is as bigoted as he is bossy, is certainly not helpful to Bradley's peace of mind.
Will our guys win their battles with prejudice, families AND friends and find twu love?? 4.5 stars from me.
*** update. A few editing niggles which hopefully Tina has now sorted out, and the phrase 'If wishes were fishes' is not as I originally thought 'If wishes were horses, beggars would ride' but the title of a Rick Springfield song in the 80's...so my author tells me. :D (Here in the UK, Rick Springfield is not that popular I have to say, hehe). ***
Bradley meanwhile, always swore that he would not go back into that 'Narnian' closet after a really bad experience at Uni, but understands that he needs to give Chance time to come to terms with who he is and where he goes from here. Of course, the fact that Bradley's father is a famous Televangelist who is as bigoted as he is bossy, is certainly not helpful to Bradley's peace of mind.
Will our guys win their battles with prejudice, families AND friends and find twu love?? 4.5 stars from me.
*** update. A few editing niggles which hopefully Tina has now sorted out, and the phrase 'If wishes were fishes' is not as I originally thought 'If wishes were horses, beggars would ride' but the title of a Rick Springfield song in the 80's...so my author tells me. :D (Here in the UK, Rick Springfield is not that popular I have to say, hehe). ***
February 15, 2015
This book is absolutely perfection! I love cowboys, I love friends to lovers stories and I love Kade Boehme's books! So this book has the perfect ingredients to be loved!
Chance and Bradley are friends, but they have been apart for some time... Chance lives trying to please everyone and doing what's expected from him... and he actually created those expectations... Bradley did what he had to do, to be who he is, leaving his religious father, his family, friends, and the city where he have grown... But what it's meant to be, will happen... and this perfect love will grow and grow, and there will be no hypothetical expectations, no religion, no families , that will stop these men from being together! It's destiny! It's Love and it's beautiful!
After reading this book I was really pleased that religion is not a heavy issue in the story... religion usually leaves me very upset...
P.S.: They are so HOT together!!!
February 2nd another BR with friends
Chance and Bradley are friends, but they have been apart for some time... Chance lives trying to please everyone and doing what's expected from him... and he actually created those expectations... Bradley did what he had to do, to be who he is, leaving his religious father, his family, friends, and the city where he have grown... But what it's meant to be, will happen... and this perfect love will grow and grow, and there will be no hypothetical expectations, no religion, no families , that will stop these men from being together! It's destiny! It's Love and it's beautiful!
After reading this book I was really pleased that religion is not a heavy issue in the story... religion usually leaves me very upset...
P.S.: They are so HOT together!!!
February 2nd another BR with friends
February 4, 2015
BR with my Girls!
This is such a beautiful MM story of love, family, the battles that gay men find themselves and the future. Kade Boehme did an amazing job in this novel, he does na amazing job writing books that makes you "feel". The book was well written and flowed very well. It held me dazzled from page one, I could spend forever reading about these guys and still never get enough.
Don’t miss this one if you enjoy reading a love story that will put a goofy smile on your face,.
A Must Read!
I truly hope there is more to come from these two in the future!
February 28, 2017
Really enjoyed it. Loved the love story. I liked that it wasn't instant love and the relationship had time to grow into what it was. It needs some editing though. The names being mixed up could be a bit confusing at times. There were a few moments I thought I had some how skipped pages and was reading in the others POV. It really didn't take away from the story but it was distracting. Still one I would recommend to those who enjoy a good love story and who don't mind a few editing issues. :]
December 28, 2021
Reread 6/28/15
4.5 stars!! I LOVE Chance and Bradley! This is my fav of the Kade Boehme books I've read so far. I was completely immersed in their story. Everything was perfectly proportional (get your mind outta the gutter!). The perfect amount of character development, the perfect amount of UST, the perfect amount of smexy scenes, the perfect amount of happy, and the perfect amount of angst. I was so invested in these two. My 0.5 off was a small thing, but the book would've been 5 stars otherwise. These two were affectionate with each other, but I didn't completely feel that affection bleed over into the bedroom. The smexy times were HAWT, but I would've liked one "making love" scene too. The slow, sensual, lovey-dovey kind. Just personal preference.
But go read this book. Very highly recommend!
4.5 stars!! I LOVE Chance and Bradley! This is my fav of the Kade Boehme books I've read so far. I was completely immersed in their story. Everything was perfectly proportional (get your mind outta the gutter!). The perfect amount of character development, the perfect amount of UST, the perfect amount of smexy scenes, the perfect amount of happy, and the perfect amount of angst. I was so invested in these two. My 0.5 off was a small thing, but the book would've been 5 stars otherwise. These two were affectionate with each other, but I didn't completely feel that affection bleed over into the bedroom. The smexy times were HAWT, but I would've liked one "making love" scene too. The slow, sensual, lovey-dovey kind. Just personal preference.
But go read this book. Very highly recommend!
January 31, 2015
4.5 stars
Maybe it's just me but i feel Kade Boehme's books are getting better and better.Not just the writing but the plot and the character development as well.Anyway...
This was me favourite book of the author.I liked both MCs but Chance...oh Chance, you stole my heart.I would still like this book the same even if we had only his POV. To me, this story was the journey of a man towards self-discovery.In the beginning we see a man who doesn't stand up for himself, works hard to please others and doesn't have a clue about his sexuality.This man blossoms into a beautiful person who fights and bleeds to earn his HEA.It all happens gradually and that is what makes it so beleivable.
I loved how honest and vocal he was about his needs
“It scares me how much I want you to own me"
Yeah, this honest.
But all this does not mean that the steam and the romance take a back seat.Not at all.And the sex...holly cow, every sex scene is unique and smoky hot.
But then again, there is spanking and a cowboy with just his hat and boots involved...what else would it be
Maybe it's just me but i feel Kade Boehme's books are getting better and better.Not just the writing but the plot and the character development as well.Anyway...
This was me favourite book of the author.I liked both MCs but Chance...oh Chance, you stole my heart.I would still like this book the same even if we had only his POV. To me, this story was the journey of a man towards self-discovery.In the beginning we see a man who doesn't stand up for himself, works hard to please others and doesn't have a clue about his sexuality.This man blossoms into a beautiful person who fights and bleeds to earn his HEA.It all happens gradually and that is what makes it so beleivable.
I loved how honest and vocal he was about his needs
“It scares me how much I want you to own me"
Yeah, this honest.
But all this does not mean that the steam and the romance take a back seat.Not at all.And the sex...holly cow, every sex scene is unique and smoky hot.
But then again, there is spanking and a cowboy with just his hat and boots involved...what else would it be
April 20, 2021
I give up after chapters. Writing is un-engaging and simple. I give up.
DNF 13%
DNF 13%
July 8, 2019
This wasn't the worst thing I've ever read, but I just could not connect with these characters or their relationship with each other. And, throughout at least 80% of the book, I found myself editing it in my head - fixing typos and incorrect character names, imagining sentences to insert between jarring transitions or just to give a particular paragraph a little "oomph!", and removing unnecessary details. Since that's obviously not the ideal reading experience, I'm going to have to say that this book was just okay.
January 27, 2015
4.5 Stars
May 23, 2015
Oh my, this was just such an easy breezy beautiful romance. I totally enjoyed it and am so happy I read it. Fucking cowboys falling in love. Big, strong cowboys. In hats. With horses. But sweet. Love.
July 12, 2015
I just realized that I never posted my review for this book. Bad Jewel! Well, better late than never, yeah? I LOVED this book! Chance of the Heart is the best book by this author that I have read. Both MC's really captured my heart and I felt emotionally invested in them getting their HEA.
Chance is a young man that never really had the opportunity to spread his wings. He runs his parent's ranch, but that isn't something he really wants to do. He feels resigned to it. He watched his friends either get married or go off to university and Chance just feels stagnant. What he really wants to do is be a chef. Maybe run his own restaurant, someday. But all that seems like a pipe-dream. He has a girlfriend, the same girlfriend he has had since he was a teenager, but even with her, he doesn't feel passion. She's made a request, for her last semester of university - that they take a break and maybe figure out if what they really want is each other. And that, along with some prodding from his best friend, takes Chance to a neighboring town and to a bar where maybe he can hook up. Chance chose a gay bar, ostensibly to prove to himself that he isn't gay (and if you think you have to prove that to yourself...you might want to consider that you are actually gay. Just sayin'.). He never expected, in a million years, to run into Bradley Heart, his boyhood crush.
Bradley is the out and proud son of a televangelist. I'm sure family reunions aren't awkward at all. He promised himself that after he moved out of his father's house that he would live his life out in the open. He's an accountant and recently out of a bad relationship and he lost his job because of downsizing. Going out with friends seemed like the thing to do to take his mind off the downward turn of his life. Seeing Chance Beckett seemed too good to be true. And in a gay bar, no less! Bradley takes that to be a sign and takes Chance home to show him the wonders of gay sex. It was just supposed to be a one night stand.
But when Bradley finds himself back in his hometown, working for his father, fate seems fit to throw them together again. Navigating their relationship, when neither one of them are out in their hometown is a challenge. Plus, the super big monkey wrench that is Chance’s girlfriend is coming back where everyone expects them to get married and start a family. No pressure.
The only thing that I didn't enjoy about this story was the near constant presence of Chance's "girlfriend" when she came back. That charade went on way too long. But it didn't go on for so long that I would count points off. Chance and Bradley were amazingly hot even with all that pressure and uncertainty. When everything finally comes out and the dust settles, I actually felt giddy. Damn, I love these boys.
Chance is a young man that never really had the opportunity to spread his wings. He runs his parent's ranch, but that isn't something he really wants to do. He feels resigned to it. He watched his friends either get married or go off to university and Chance just feels stagnant. What he really wants to do is be a chef. Maybe run his own restaurant, someday. But all that seems like a pipe-dream. He has a girlfriend, the same girlfriend he has had since he was a teenager, but even with her, he doesn't feel passion. She's made a request, for her last semester of university - that they take a break and maybe figure out if what they really want is each other. And that, along with some prodding from his best friend, takes Chance to a neighboring town and to a bar where maybe he can hook up. Chance chose a gay bar, ostensibly to prove to himself that he isn't gay (and if you think you have to prove that to yourself...you might want to consider that you are actually gay. Just sayin'.). He never expected, in a million years, to run into Bradley Heart, his boyhood crush.
Bradley is the out and proud son of a televangelist. I'm sure family reunions aren't awkward at all. He promised himself that after he moved out of his father's house that he would live his life out in the open. He's an accountant and recently out of a bad relationship and he lost his job because of downsizing. Going out with friends seemed like the thing to do to take his mind off the downward turn of his life. Seeing Chance Beckett seemed too good to be true. And in a gay bar, no less! Bradley takes that to be a sign and takes Chance home to show him the wonders of gay sex. It was just supposed to be a one night stand.
But when Bradley finds himself back in his hometown, working for his father, fate seems fit to throw them together again. Navigating their relationship, when neither one of them are out in their hometown is a challenge. Plus, the super big monkey wrench that is Chance’s girlfriend is coming back where everyone expects them to get married and start a family. No pressure.
The only thing that I didn't enjoy about this story was the near constant presence of Chance's "girlfriend" when she came back. That charade went on way too long. But it didn't go on for so long that I would count points off. Chance and Bradley were amazingly hot even with all that pressure and uncertainty. When everything finally comes out and the dust settles, I actually felt giddy. Damn, I love these boys.
May 7, 2015
Good friends (childhood crushes) to lovers story. With all the touchy subjects of coming out in a small town, meddling families, religious families, and parental expectations, not to mention the expectations of marriage to a long time girlfriend that is still in the picture, this book did not get overly angsty. I loved both MC's and was really invested in them working everything out.
With a great blend of drama, romance, sexy times with dirty talking and sweetness this was another winner from Kade Boehme.
One thing I encountered that drove my nuts had nothing to do with the story. Roman numeral page numbering in the paperback! I have trouble enough with math but throw in roman numerals? Evil! :)
With a great blend of drama, romance, sexy times with dirty talking and sweetness this was another winner from Kade Boehme.
One thing I encountered that drove my nuts had nothing to do with the story. Roman numeral page numbering in the paperback! I have trouble enough with math but throw in roman numerals? Evil! :)
October 10, 2019
I think I read this book at the right time because it had just enough drama without a whole ton of internal angst. And I was relieved that the religious aspects really didn't have much weight in the story; very little by way of characters trying to proselytize, no moral lecturing - and considering that Bradley took a temp job to work for a Mega Church where his dad is the preacher, well I expected a lot more judgmental assholery.
Mostly, though, I loved how Chance was basically a stand-in for a lot of people who are expected to follow in their parents' footsteps, are expected to take over a family business, are expected to marry, have children etc. Chance was ready to do all that, despite knowing it wasn't what he really wanted, and realizing that he would have been settling for less. Luckily his long-time girlfriend figured out that his heart might not have been in it, and yeah it hurt her to some extent, but loved him enough to let him go. And I can't help but wonder how many other people distance themselves from - or lie to - their families fearing rejection...whether that's because they're queer or have different plans for their own lives or whatever. It's heart-breaking.
Also, I had to check Kade's author page because he's so damned good at getting these characters' phrasing, colloquialisms and pronunciation right. Yep, a Southerner. (Sometimes I run across awkward-sounding/reading "Southern" dialogue in other books and I can't help but think, "Bless their heart. They tried.")
Mostly, though, I loved how Chance was basically a stand-in for a lot of people who are expected to follow in their parents' footsteps, are expected to take over a family business, are expected to marry, have children etc. Chance was ready to do all that, despite knowing it wasn't what he really wanted, and realizing that he would have been settling for less. Luckily his long-time girlfriend figured out that his heart might not have been in it, and yeah it hurt her to some extent, but loved him enough to let him go. And I can't help but wonder how many other people distance themselves from - or lie to - their families fearing rejection...whether that's because they're queer or have different plans for their own lives or whatever. It's heart-breaking.
Also, I had to check Kade's author page because he's so damned good at getting these characters' phrasing, colloquialisms and pronunciation right. Yep, a Southerner. (Sometimes I run across awkward-sounding/reading "Southern" dialogue in other books and I can't help but think, "Bless their heart. They tried.")
May 9, 2021
2.5 stars
I liked the first half better than the second half. It's a new-to-me author, and there's a lot of potential, but there's also a lot of wonkiness with the sentence structures and comma usage that drove my long-dormant editor brain a little crazy. I'll probably try another one from him eventually, but I'm not in a rush.
My favorite part was this acknowledgment at the beginning:
And yeah...if cowboys don't automatically appeal to you, I would probably skip this one!
I liked the first half better than the second half. It's a new-to-me author, and there's a lot of potential, but there's also a lot of wonkiness with the sentence structures and comma usage that drove my long-dormant editor brain a little crazy. I'll probably try another one from him eventually, but I'm not in a rush.
My favorite part was this acknowledgment at the beginning:
"Just when I needed inspiration Chance's hand popped up in a sea of characters floating in my head and when I asked him what I should do he said 'just give me a horse and a Stetson and we'll rock this shit.' "
And yeah...if cowboys don't automatically appeal to you, I would probably skip this one!
December 25, 2015
BR with my partner in crime Elsbeth.
A great first half with a disappointing last part.
We have sweet cowboy Chance who is just going through the motions in life. He has a steady girlfriend and he is supposed to take over the ranch of his parents. But he’s not really happy.
When his girlfriend suggests they take a break to figure things out before they get married, Chance has no idea what to do.
When he goes out, he ends up in a gay bar. It is there that he meets Bradley, an old high school friend. They end up in bed and have a great time together. They both want to continue seeing each other, but Chance is struggling with being gay/bi/straight and Bradley has sworn he would never date another closet case. But Chance just needs to figure out what the deal it with himself before coming out in any way.
I adored Chance, he was so sweet. And the fact he never realized he was gay, so naive, but cute! The fact that he almost never had sex with his girlfriend of 8 years never seemed weird to him. And when he did find out he was gay…
"He couldn’t remember a time kissing or being intimate with this girl that he didn’t feel just like he did now. Wrong. Dirty. It didn’t fit. He set her down, blinking at her. She tilted her head in confusion.
“Oh my God, I’m gay.”
Bradley was a bit more distant. I was having a hard time forming an opinion about him.
There are not a lot of hiccups in their way at first. The guys become friends and lovers. And the sex… hot damn!
“Damn,” he said, voice husky as he took in the sight of his lover. Chance was naked as the day he w as born, save for a pair of his fancy boots and his black Stetson.
(..)
Bradley growled as he took the first swing, smacking first one cheek, then the other. Chance groaned loudly and fell forward, head to Bradley ’s shoulder.
“Oh. Mother. Fuck. Shit.”
But I do hate it when books
Nice cowboy read with some angst at the end.
A great first half with a disappointing last part.
We have sweet cowboy Chance who is just going through the motions in life. He has a steady girlfriend and he is supposed to take over the ranch of his parents. But he’s not really happy.
When his girlfriend suggests they take a break to figure things out before they get married, Chance has no idea what to do.
When he goes out, he ends up in a gay bar. It is there that he meets Bradley, an old high school friend. They end up in bed and have a great time together. They both want to continue seeing each other, but Chance is struggling with being gay/bi/straight and Bradley has sworn he would never date another closet case. But Chance just needs to figure out what the deal it with himself before coming out in any way.
I adored Chance, he was so sweet. And the fact he never realized he was gay, so naive, but cute! The fact that he almost never had sex with his girlfriend of 8 years never seemed weird to him. And when he did find out he was gay…
"He couldn’t remember a time kissing or being intimate with this girl that he didn’t feel just like he did now. Wrong. Dirty. It didn’t fit. He set her down, blinking at her. She tilted her head in confusion.
“Oh my God, I’m gay.”
Bradley was a bit more distant. I was having a hard time forming an opinion about him.
There are not a lot of hiccups in their way at first. The guys become friends and lovers. And the sex… hot damn!
“Damn,” he said, voice husky as he took in the sight of his lover. Chance was naked as the day he w as born, save for a pair of his fancy boots and his black Stetson.
(..)
Bradley growled as he took the first swing, smacking first one cheek, then the other. Chance groaned loudly and fell forward, head to Bradley ’s shoulder.
“Oh. Mother. Fuck. Shit.”
But I do hate it when books
Nice cowboy read with some angst at the end.
February 4, 2015
Antother BR, February 1st with Sweet Susan
I wanted to give this 5 stars!! Dammmmnnn...
The first 75%, this was me:
The last 25%, this was me:
That disappoints me so much…
I was rooting for Chance. Chance was struggling with his being straight/bi/gay. After he and his girlfriend Caitlin agreed to take a break from their relationship, he meets Bradley. There was always this connection between these guys and man, the book was sizzling!!
And when everything was going hunky-dory, the girl friend returns and acts stupid, Chance takes so much time making his mind up and Bradley is feeling insecure and acts stupid…..
Yeah, well it could be me and not the book so I’ll end with this:
Feeling better already… :)
For a far more better review you should read Susan's review
June 13, 2015
Sweet fluffy romance about two hot men. One so deep in the closet..he doesn't even know he's gay. I always love the gay virgin stories ;) This one is low on angst and high on sexy. Some drama going on about family and coming out, but nothing that will have you biting your nails and grinding your teeth. I really liked it, especially after reading some more actionfilled books. It was very relaxend. I do have to say that once Chance figures out he is gay..he really tries to go for it. Good for him !! He was a real sweetie.
And we all know how much I love them cowboy hats
And we all know how much I love them cowboy hats
February 12, 2015
This wasn't my first Kade Boehme book, but it was the first one I've read of him that isn't co-written. Aside from a few things that didn't have me entirely convinced, I really enjoyed the book.
The beginning felt a bit rushed for me, and while I fell for Chance almost immediately, this was a bit of a turn off, and I was afraid that the book would keep that pace. However, as the story went by, I understood that it was supposed to be like that, and then slow down so we could get to see the couple working on their relationship. So the fact that it started "backwards" relationship-wise, really ended up working okay for me. Also, it's pretty common to see that in RL, so there's that.
Chance is running his parents' ranch, and while he likes it, he's not really satisfied with it. There are other things in Chance's life that are not very satisfactory, and one of those things is his relationship with his girlfriend, Caitlin. When Caitlin tells Chance that she thinks that they need a break and a sort of "free pass" so they can be sure that what they want is really each other, Chance is taken out of base, but in the end he goes with it, and in a night out, he finds his high school crush, Bradley. Now, the thing here is that Chance is aware but not of his crush on the guy.. I found this endearing, but also, wondered if it actually was possible to be so... oblivious. Maybe it is...
Anyway. This is how Chance and Bradley's relationship start.
Bradley is the son of one of those tv evangelists. When he came out when he was young, his father got very angry, and was disappointed in him. After Bradley left for college, he started his out of the closet life, and practically didn't come back home for years, but now he's lost his job, and he will be working in the financial area of his dad's business. This means coming back home, and meeting Chance again, for the first time, after their hot encounter in that bar.
Time passes by, the passion is still there, but we get to see more of the characters, as well. The girlfriend comes back, and while I wanted to smack her more often than not, I think she was a good girl. There's a bit of angst in the end, but things work out pretty well.
The only think I wish we'd seen more of are the topics that, in my opinion, could have been more exploited in this book. There was a good deal of family issues, and some of those were tightly linked to religion, and I wished we'd seen a bit more of that. There's also the "expectations" part of it. Chance lived up to people's expectations, and I believe that doing that is the key to unhappiness - I also wish we'd seen more of that.
All in all, the plot is good, and the characters are likable. I enjoyed the writing style. The sex scenes were hot, and I appreciated that Chance embraced his curiosity and acted on it without much fuss, but at the same time I wondered if most guys would have been so okay with it, at least in the beginning. His sudden realization of "shit, i'm gay" was hilarious - And I liked how his girlfriend reacted to it. I always appreciate a realistic take on women who are/were dating the men in the book. And by realistic I mean that not every women in town who's dated a gay/bi man is a raging bitch, and I'm glad Kade worked it out in a way that seem fairly real to me. Her struggle seemed real, though not fair, but in the end she was just a girl trying to understand and let it go. The only complaint I have in this department is
This was a good book, and my only real "problem" with it is that I think that it needed a bit more of editing. There are occasions where you find the wrong name in a paragraph, and I would have appreciated a closer look to the punctuation in general.. God knows that it could have used some extra commas. I'm by no means an expert, but that's the shocking part... If I spotted it, I'm pretty sure that someone with more knowledge and experience would, too.
The beginning felt a bit rushed for me, and while I fell for Chance almost immediately, this was a bit of a turn off, and I was afraid that the book would keep that pace. However, as the story went by, I understood that it was supposed to be like that, and then slow down so we could get to see the couple working on their relationship. So the fact that it started "backwards" relationship-wise, really ended up working okay for me. Also, it's pretty common to see that in RL, so there's that.
Chance is running his parents' ranch, and while he likes it, he's not really satisfied with it. There are other things in Chance's life that are not very satisfactory, and one of those things is his relationship with his girlfriend, Caitlin. When Caitlin tells Chance that she thinks that they need a break and a sort of "free pass" so they can be sure that what they want is really each other, Chance is taken out of base, but in the end he goes with it, and in a night out, he finds his high school crush, Bradley. Now, the thing here is that Chance is aware but not of his crush on the guy.. I found this endearing, but also, wondered if it actually was possible to be so... oblivious. Maybe it is...
Anyway. This is how Chance and Bradley's relationship start.
Bradley is the son of one of those tv evangelists. When he came out when he was young, his father got very angry, and was disappointed in him. After Bradley left for college, he started his out of the closet life, and practically didn't come back home for years, but now he's lost his job, and he will be working in the financial area of his dad's business. This means coming back home, and meeting Chance again, for the first time, after their hot encounter in that bar.
Time passes by, the passion is still there, but we get to see more of the characters, as well. The girlfriend comes back, and while I wanted to smack her more often than not, I think she was a good girl. There's a bit of angst in the end, but things work out pretty well.
The only think I wish we'd seen more of are the topics that, in my opinion, could have been more exploited in this book. There was a good deal of family issues, and some of those were tightly linked to religion, and I wished we'd seen a bit more of that. There's also the "expectations" part of it. Chance lived up to people's expectations, and I believe that doing that is the key to unhappiness - I also wish we'd seen more of that.
All in all, the plot is good, and the characters are likable. I enjoyed the writing style. The sex scenes were hot, and I appreciated that Chance embraced his curiosity and acted on it without much fuss, but at the same time I wondered if most guys would have been so okay with it, at least in the beginning. His sudden realization of "shit, i'm gay" was hilarious - And I liked how his girlfriend reacted to it. I always appreciate a realistic take on women who are/were dating the men in the book. And by realistic I mean that not every women in town who's dated a gay/bi man is a raging bitch, and I'm glad Kade worked it out in a way that seem fairly real to me. Her struggle seemed real, though not fair, but in the end she was just a girl trying to understand and let it go. The only complaint I have in this department is
This was a good book, and my only real "problem" with it is that I think that it needed a bit more of editing. There are occasions where you find the wrong name in a paragraph, and I would have appreciated a closer look to the punctuation in general.. God knows that it could have used some extra commas. I'm by no means an expert, but that's the shocking part... If I spotted it, I'm pretty sure that someone with more knowledge and experience would, too.
February 4, 2015
Such a disappointment. I have read other Kade Boehme novels before and found them to be easy, enjoyable reads. This story had a great deal of potential for exploring topics of family expectations, religion, self-awareness and self acceptance. However, none of that exploration happened beyond a slight scratching of the surface. I didn't feel any chemistry between the MCs at all. I wasn't sold on their relationship as friends or lovers -- none of it worked for me. As a reader, I am very sensitive to the "show vs. tell" concept. This book was all telling, no showing and the resulting story fell flatter than the Texas landscape. (Note: The very creative Texas landscape where the author chose to move the Red River to the Hill Country outside of Austin instead of up between Texas and Oklahoma where it belongs).
The book is overflowing with errors. Not just simple grammatical errors, but instances where the wrong name was used for a character performing an action, two partial sentences of unrelated content put together as one, inconsistent transitions in POV, an re-use of the same phrase multiple times. It was a complete mess. These sloppy errors completely pull the reader out of the story and if the story is already sub-par to begin with, it just makes it worse.
The book is overflowing with errors. Not just simple grammatical errors, but instances where the wrong name was used for a character performing an action, two partial sentences of unrelated content put together as one, inconsistent transitions in POV, an re-use of the same phrase multiple times. It was a complete mess. These sloppy errors completely pull the reader out of the story and if the story is already sub-par to begin with, it just makes it worse.
October 25, 2016
I feel a bit bad...I skimmed the last 20% of this book because Preppy came out and I am so anxious to start it!
Thoughts:
-I felt like for all the confusion Chance was having in his head that he fell into bed extremely quick (like full on fucking) with Bradley. I would have liked a little more...apprehension?? I don't know, to me it felt forced and not so much like chemistry.
-I LOVED the Texas cowboy theme! Being from Texas I could definitely appreciate all the nods to our culture like the ranching, rodeo's and super-size mega churches :)
-I had a love/hate relationship with Bradley. I love that he pushed Chance to finally admit he was gay, but I hated that he pushed Chance to tell everyone else that he was gay. Coming out is extremely personal and shouldn't be forced on anyone. So while I loved that Bradley helped Chance discover himself...I felt really annoyed by how he reacted to Chance needing time to tell his family.
-It was a feel good romance between two cowboys and it made me smile. I just didn't love it because I felt a few areas were rushed for my liking....I like a bit more build up to the romances I read and it was giving me the full-monty-on-the-first-night kind of vibe.
On to the next!
January 27, 2015
Loved this book, loved these two guys. Poor walled up Chance. He was going through the motions of life until he saw Bradley, and all the feelings he had for him as a young man coalesced and he finally saw the light. And Bradley whose father rejected him, and who for years lived in the shadows as boyfriend of a closeted man, wasn't about to settle for second best any longer.
This is a wonderful story of acceptance, coming to terms with who you are and learning to let go of what you can't change. The sex was hot, and the love story believable. Its books like this that make you want to go and buy the author's backlist.I loved it
This is a wonderful story of acceptance, coming to terms with who you are and learning to let go of what you can't change. The sex was hot, and the love story believable. Its books like this that make you want to go and buy the author's backlist.I loved it
Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews