Chance for Love

Colorado Blues #1

by Ann B. Harrison

Callie cant resist the advert for a ranch manager in Colorado. Only thing is, it also stipulates marriage. Down on her luck with more debt than she can manage after the death of her parents in a vehicle accident, she takes the plunge and commits.

Chance is sick of the high life he's led for years as a top rodeo rider. The glitz and glamour aren't what he wants. After an accident leaves him unable to return to the circuit, he decides now is the time to do what his heart has been yearning for - marry a down to earth country girl and raise bulls on his ranch, with the hope of bringing his brothers back together. Little did he know that an advert would bring him a sassy talking Australian bride to turn his world up side down.

Genres: Romance, Westerns, Contemporary Romance, Ebooks, Contemporary, Amazon, Fiction

137 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 13, 2015

About the author

I swear I was born with a book in my hand and that is how I spent most of my childhood. That was fine until I got older and the voices in my head demanded to be heard and I started to write.
The voices are no quieter but there are less of them.

Reviews

[Loz · Rating 2 out of 5]

It couldn't be hinted at more in this book, she's Australian; so she tells it like it is.
Guess what? I'm Australian, and I also tell it like it is. And this, this was painful.
Such a great idea for a story, but it seriously didn't make the grade!
Insta-love overload!
Callie responded to Chance's ad, looking for a ranch manager slash wife. After her parents are killed and the bank takes their station, her sisters - who you would think are children the way she talks about them - are moving to Sydney with their grandparents to start uni (they're 18 year old twins). At one point she says she doesn't want her sisters to grow up and think their parents didn't provide well for them - that's why she took a paid-wife gig. They're 18! They're adults. I'm pretty sure they know...!
He's the oldest, with 4(?) younger brothers. He ditched them when their alcohol-abusing father took a swing at him, made something of himself in the rodeo circuit, but now he's injured and forced into retirement.
His brothers don't know he can't bull ride anymore... so there's a heap of secrecy going on. And drama! So much drama! Why did he call his brother when she'd failed to return? Was it because he recognised he shouldn't get on a horse in his injured state to go find her? That right? But didn't the a-hole brother DRIVE to find her?
Something he could have done....

You know that emoji rolling it's eyes? That was me reading this.

[~Mindy Lynn~]

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[Racheli Zusiman · Rating 3 out of 5]

תמיד כיף לחזור ולקרוא ספר המתרחש בעיירה מריאטה. הספר הזה הוא הראשון בסדרה של ארבעה ספרים על ארבעת האחים ווטסון. קראתי בעבר את הספר השלישי בסדרה, The Doctor's Husband, על אוון, האח השלישי. הספר הזה מוקדש לאח הבכור, צ'אנס.
צ'אנס הוא רוכב שוורים ברודיאו, מאוד מאוד מפורסם וחי את חיי הזוהר. פציעה קשה מחסלת לו את הקריירה, והוא מבין שלמעשה כל מה שהוא רוצה זה לפרוש לחווה שירש מסבא שלו, לגדל שוורים ולחיות חיים שקטים. הוא מפרסם מודעה שהוא מחפש אישה למטרת נישואין ושגם תעזור לו לנהל את החווה, כאשר החוזה הוא לשנה בלבד שלאחריה יתגרשו.
קאלי היא אוסטרלית שהוריה נהרגו בתאונת דרכים והשאירו אחריהם חווה ששקועה עמוק בחובות. היא זקוקה לכסף כדי לשלם את החובות לבנקים ומחליטה לענות למודעה של צ'אנס, ולעבור לארה"ב לשנה.
צ'אנס וקאלי נדלקים אחד על השנייה תוך 3 שניות בערך (ולא מפסיקים לממש את נישואיהם...), אבל מסתירים את העובדה שהם נשואים כי צ'אנס חושש לספר למשפחתו ולמנהל שלו שאין לו כוונה לחזור לרודיאו. הסביבה, ובמיוחד אחיו הצעיר של צ'אנס, לא ממש מקבלת את זה שאישה מנהלת את החווה, וגם חברתו לשעבר של צ'אנס מופיעה ועושה צרות. צ'אנס גם רוצה שקאלי תישאר נשואה לו ובארה"ב בתום השנה, והוא חושש שהיא תרצה לחזור לאוסטרליה.
כל הקטע של פרסום מודעה כדי "לשכור" אישה למטרת נישואין (עם תנאי בחוזה שחייב להיות סקס בעסקה) היה די דוחה בעיניי, אבל האמת היא שזה ספר ממש נחמד, וצ'אנס וקאלי נורא מאוהבים, מתאימים ומחוברים מההתחלה, וזה הופך את עניין הנישואין המזויפים לדי שולי. בסך הכל נהניתי לקרוא ואמשיך גם לספר השני בסדרה.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a book about cowboys and this one didn't disappoint. The mail order bride element is another of my favourites and worked beautifully in this book. A great story of an Australian finding herself in a marriage to an ex bull rider overcoming his family and the ranch. Loved Callie's spirit. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

[Denise Vasak · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a lot of bits that felt like the editing was missing, but the spirit of the book was good. Of course I was REALLY concerned about Chance's hip the WHOLE TIME soooo that was a little frustrating.

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started out a decent read, but then it kind of just stopped making sense. It's like everything was on highspeed without a chance to really get to know the characters and I felt things weren't in order. They didn't add up.

[Katzsouza4yahoo.Com · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy the story and starting read book 2 in this series. The person that says she also says she,d Australian and tells it like is, the story isn’t about you, so lose the attitude.

[Shir · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF!

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this free e-book from Amazon and I am voluntarily writing my review. Calle is the oldest of her siblings that is left with overwhelming debt of their cattle station in Australia. In order to pay off the remaining debt after the bank seized the station she answers an ad to be a ranch manager and wife for one year to Chance an injured bull rider. Not even by the wildest stretch of the imagination is this even remotely believable.

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this series of books totally out of order. DON'T DO WHAT I DID! It is a lovely series to read, but makes more sense if you read it in order.
After Chance Watson's mother died, leaving 4 sons behind, their father became a mean drunk, and took most of his anger out on Chance. So, as soon as he could, he left home, guiltily leaving his brothers behind. Working his up in the IBR (International Bull Riders), he had been the champion bull rider for the last 12 years, until his last injury has ending his career. But he had long ago grown weary of the tour circuit, fame, rodeo bunnies and other hanger-ons and had already prepared for his future, breeding bulls on the ranch that his grandfather had left him in Montana, . Along the way, he had been able to amass a fortune, sending money home to his brothers. He needed help at the ranch and also discourage the shallow women who had been using him, he posted an ad in a magazine, looking for a female ranch manager and a wife (for a year). Meanwhile in Australia, Callie Lister not only lost her parents in a car accident, but then she, her younger twin sisters and grandparents found out that the station was in deep debt and the bank took everything. She saw the ad and saw it as the answer to their problems. She could make enough money to restore her parent's reputation and to pay for her sisters' education. From the minute he meets her, Chase knows that this is the woman for him. He'll just have to convince her and his brothers of that.
The plot is strangely quite believable, the way it is written, the scenery beautifully described and the characters engaging. Read the whole series, just try to read them in order to get the most out of the reads.

[Melody Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good read and I enjoyed it a lot. I actually read books one and two in this series yesterday and I'm reading books three and four today.

The storyline was good but I have to be honest and tell you I have a real problem with manwhores and Chance Watson was one. He spent twelve years on the rodeo circuit and he got around plenty. I also struggled with the concept that after Chance finds the love of his life and is settling into marriage an ex comes along with deceit on her mind to steal him away...trap him if you will. I don't feel like there was a solid conclusion to the dilemma which left me wondering, is she or isn't she? That troubled me and I felt I was left drawing my own conclusion. Since this ex didn't show up in book two I am assuming she was lying. Those issues may not bother you but they certainly bug the heck out of me.

The gal he chooses to marry comes from Australia for a two-fold reason. She's going to be the new ranch manager and his wife for one year! I loved how well she did on the ranch. She has chosen to do this because her parents died and left her with an enormous debt even after the bank took everything. First of all that isn't how things are done in the US but maybe so in Australia.

Good read that I definitely recommend.

[Shelagh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chance For Love is a short, sweet cowboy romance that brings readers into the lush pastures of Montana. Answering an ad for a mail order bride and farm manager gives Aussie farm girl Callie the opportunity to clear the crippling debts facing her family farm. For injured bullrider Chance the offer is his way of setting himself up as a full time rancher at the same time as keeping money hungry women from sinking their claws into him. While I enjoyed this story, I wasn't really convinced about the pull between these two nor by the inordinate belligerence shown by Chance's brother. Nonetheless for a quick lunch hour read this was a nice story.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read, with a good premise. I wish we were shown more depth to the characters. All in all a good start to the series.

[MJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok, the basic ideas ok, but it wasn't pulled off at all. The whole book was like a skipping stone that missed HUGE sections of story, and there were heaps of contradictory things.

The sisters she left behind were almost 16, but she seemed to think they would never figure out the money (huge debt her parents left behind) or the marriage (for money so the girls never hear the already spreading rumours that their parents left them in a bad way)? Not to mention the grandparents too. Then she got there and felt superior enough to try and tell the H that he really should just be honest with his brothers because they really should know they are married. And this is after she's taken his first payment and paid it all around the still frothing debtors, and she didn't have enough brains to keep a little bit of money aside for her trip?! No, she rocks up to the hotel and has to tip the bag boy with her last few coins. She doesn't even have enough money to make a phone call or buy a meal if this thing goes sideways. And she's such a good farmer that she ignores his advice about the weather on her first trip out (which is solo, because there's no reason to get a local to show her around the property and explain the systems)... This chick is from Alice Springs... translate, blood hot most of the time. But she rocks up without proper clothes, no mention of checking out any info on how to work in an extremely different weather environment, and then goes out on a horse in the direction pointed, that's nothing like what she's used to, without a guide or any type of phone/radio, stays out for hours knowing he's back there and worried, and then when he asks her if she looked at the sky/weather while she was out there like he advised given the quick changes in weather in the area, she's all 'nah, it wasn't raining, so I didn't think I needed to bother'... And then she's pissed cause he snapped that he was worried about her!

And then the brother! What kind of asshole walks into a room and starts yelling at a stranger that they aren't good enough and he's going to get rid of her? And then does the same shit every time he sees her. And the author wants to make him a H! I don't think so. He's a prick. I can just imagine what he'd say to anyone who walked up and spoke to his daughter (no, he has no kids yet) that way. Then again, maybe he just wouldn't let anyone close to the kitchen where he keeps her locked as is fitting for any human with breasts.

Meanwhile, there's not a word from or to the all important but dump as bricks sisters. Only a basic scene with the brothers as things fall out. No anything with the announcement of his retirement from the IBR. No follow up with the 'I'm pregnant, we are engaged' psycho ex who was after him for money and fame. And no real fallout from town about him hiring a foreign WOMAN instead of the local loser.

[Riet De Bruin-Strijker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read by Ann Harrison and I read it in one go, I loved it! I loved this modern day mail-order bride story! First I had to get used to the detailed story telling, but it had me hooked very quickly and I couldn’t stop reading. I loved Callie’s character, very down to earth, honestly saying what’s on her mind – not mincing her words. Chance, the hero, was the one taking a chance as well. I can’t wait to read the other stories of the Watson Brothers. This is what this story’s about:
Callie can't resist the advertisement for a ranch manager in Montana. Only thing is, it also stipulates marriage. Down on her luck with more debt than she can manage after the death of her parents in a vehicle accident, she takes the plunge and commits for twelve months.

Chance is sick of the high life he's led for years as a top International Bull Rider. The glitz and glamour aren't what he wants. After an accident leaves him unable to return to the tour, he decides now is the time to do what his heart has been yearning for - marry a down to earth country girl and raise bulls on his ranch, with the hope of bringing his brothers back together.

Little did he know that an advertisement would bring him a sassy talking Australian bride to turn his world up side down... Will Callie return home after her contract is up, or can Chance convince her to say I do forever?

[Pratna Imrith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Watson Brothers series as well as the first book that I have read by Ann B Harrison. The book was set in the magical town of Marietta which I always love reading about as it now feels so familiar due to the many books that I have read that was based in the area. For me personally, the idea of a mail order bride who instantly fell in love with her husband was a bit far fetched an unrealistic. I liked Callie's character because she was strong and independent and was straight forward, however I disliked how she instantly fell into bed with Chance as well as forgot about her sisters towards the end of the book. Chance's character was okay, but I felt that we did not get to know him well enough to form a solid opinion of him. The chemistry between Callie and Chance was good, but again it was not realistic especially for someone suffering with an injury. The secondary characters were well written and spiked my interest in the next few books in the series. Overall this was a far fetched story set in the magical town of Marietta, however I am interested to read the next book in the series.

[ReadingInThe6ix · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could've been good, but poorly executed.

Callie takes a paid-wife gig in the US, comes across as a country girl with few experiences...but is open enough on day 1 to agree to sex with Chance? She thinks its a better risk that her sisters find out she's a mail order bride instead of knowing their parents had debts when they died? Really?

Chance is an injured rodeo cowboy that wants a quiet life on a ranch with a 'normal' wife. Yet he flip flops about being mad he can't be in the rodeo, misses the perks (then doesn't!), and can't stand up to some random starlet to say they aren't in a relationship? He keeps his marriage a secret hoping his brothers will get to know Callie, but let's one of them berate her and yell at her every time they meet. I just thought he was a poorly conceived, unlikeable MC.

Together there isn't any chemistry, and the timing seems to make it that they meet, have sex, and fall in love within an extremely short amount of time (maybe 1-2 weeks).

Not for me.

[Bebe20018 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing about this book was believable. Even the insta-luv.
Callie answers an ad for a wife and ranch manager. So she leaves Australia and travels to someplace in the Rocky Mountains. She does this to pay off her parents debt and to help eventually pay for her 16 year old twin sisters college tuition. Her parents died in a car accident and to keep their names from being dragged through the mud she wants to pay off the failing farm. Never mind that everyone in this town has the same problem. Borrowing to keep the drought laden farms afloat.
She meets him they get married she then has doubts about sleeping with him because they have only just met in person. Never mind the fact that sex is stipulated in the contract. I didn't buy that crap about Skyping with grainy pictures, so they didn't get a really good look at each other either.
Flat boring story.

[Bette Stanek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, what the heck. That's pretty much what I said when I read the blurb about this book before I decided to read it. I was looking for something light and quick. That is what I got. Now, mail order bride? Umm, this is the 21st century, right? Anyway, Chance for Love has decided to go back in time with a modern twist. For the most part, Chance's reasons for doing the mail order thing made sense...as long as you didn't think about it very much. What you get is exactly what you'd expect. A woman who is desperate to pay off debt and help her younger siblings out, a guy who had a way out of an abusive situation and left home way too early, leaving his brothers behind, and riddled with guilt for doing it. Everything falls neatly into place and life is grand. As long as you're not looking for anything deep, meaningful, and earth-shattering it's OK.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Callie responds to an advertisement for a ranch manager in Montana. Thought the ad comes with one caveat: she has to get married to the owner of the ranch.

Hoping to clear the debts on her family property after losing her parents in a vehicle accident, Callie decides to take the plunge and moves from her hometown of Alice Springs, Australia to America where she’d be married to a total stranger for twelve months

After a riding accident that left him with a broken hip, Chance Watson, once a top international Bull Rider has decided to give up the glamorous life to settle down. He wants a country girl who will raise bulls with him on his ranch and hopes to bring his brothers back together.

When he finally meets the girl who answered the ad, Chance wonders whether Callie will return home after her contract is up or can Chance convince her to stay?

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to give it a good review but there was a glaring issue with the last chapter. Chance is going to be the headliner at the local rodeo in the fall, but Callie tears up thinking about how her time in Montana will be over by then. ???? I thought they were still having spring storms rolling in when she first arrived on the ranch?
The next issue is why is the series entitled Colorado Blues when absolutely no part of this story takes place in Colorado? But early on at the penthouse suite in Vegas, the poor concierge was having quite the identity crisis - was he Bronson, Branson, or Brandon?
I won’t even mention the grammatical errors throughout!

I don’t fault the author for all of this, I’m sure someone was paid a pretty penny to edit this book!

I enjoyed the story or else I wouldn’t have given it 3 stars!

[Conny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a First Read Winner of this book and I am totally on the fence about this read. There were certain aspects that I really liked and it was an easy and quick read, but my brain kept interrupting and telling me some things just don't make sense. She is either a mail order bride or a ranch hand, it just didn't make sense to be both, especially as sex was part of the contract, and she seemed the only one working, you would have thought that more than one person was needed to take care of this big ranch? And why couldn't he talk to his brothers, they are all adult men? So many little things that kept spoiling the fun of the read for me. Lots of questions unanswered, but maybe they will be addressed in future books to come? Either way it was an entertaining.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weak Plot.
I thought the first third of this book was quite good but then things started to unravel. The reasons for the marriage, then the secrecy, the insta-lust/love, the unexplained venom of the brother. The story became rushed with a strange timeline - ie. she had a 12 month contract and arrived in the spring, but then she wasn’t going to be there for the fall; he wanted time for his brothers to get to know her but they never have a social get together (and she meets only one of them) it just didn’t make sense. There was no sense of time passing, which might have made the story feel more believable, instead she appears to have only been at the ranch for a week.
I would have been unhappy had I paid for this book but it was free at the time I purchased it.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story

I enjoyed this first book. I was looking forward to the others, I even enjoyed the preview of book 2. Callie took a chance with Chance 😊 & it was a great story. Used to working her family farm in Australia, she picks up good working this farm. Tyson was a bit much to deal with & the overpowering ex Libby popping in with her pregnancy bs. I was glad to see thar Chance wanted a down home wife & life. Of course they got their HEA.
After reading the comments, number of pages on the following books in the series, & the price, I chose to finish with just this book.

[Barbi Huhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable book.
I enjoy a book with a handsome lead, if he's a cowboy, even better. Chance was no exception to this rule. Chance is a retiring bull rider who has just gotten over a really bad injury from a bull ride. He places an ad for a bride to come and help him on his ranch. Callie is and Australian woman who is trying to save her family's farm after her parents death. She responds to Chance's ad and marries him in Vegas.
The chemistry between them doesn't take long to develop and they soon settle into their new lives. Chance's brother causes some tension between them but things change when disaster happens.

[Corthel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Australian. Not Montana

Well, the story is ok but there are editing errors galore, especially the one where she takes the saddle into the tack room twice. Added to that, the author needs to study American jargon if she is writing about the American west. We don't swear using the word 'bloody', and our corrals and pastures are not called 'paddocks'. The chauvinism may fit in Australia which is famous for it but it was a little extreme in the way she presents it in the Western US setting. Finally, the backstory trying to explain the hero's reasoning and beliefs just seem a bit forced and shallow.

[Kristie Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice and sweet story. Good for a lazy summer day. When I say "sweet," don't let that full you. There is a bit of hot and steamy sex. The flow of words made it easy to relax and enjoy. I am so glad Ann B. Harrison did not drag out the snooty ex girlfriend that thinks she has the main male character, Chance, nailed hook, line and sinker. I find it frustrating when that's played out for pages and pages. I try very hard not to do spoilers, so if you'd like to know what I'm referring to, then you'll just have to get the book and see. :) I was given a free copy from the author.

[Will Decker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wonder if all Aussies are this easy. Just a thought. I found the story predictable to a fault. Very pretentious. Full of editing errors. At one point the butler was named Bransen, and then he became Branden. Or was Chance's mother killed when he was 6 or 10. And did his dad die and leave him the ranch or is his dad still living in town, and if so, did he buy the ranch from him? Also lots of missing words and extra words, or is it just the author's style? The premise sounded good, but right from the start it began falling apart in the delivery.

[Sarah Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but not gripping, for me.

Well, a good story line, with some good writing. It just wasn't great, and nail biting. I loved that Callie, had a strong personality, but would of loved if there'd just been a little more. As for Chance, not a bad guy, but, I don't know - he just didn't really draw me in too much - he have off a lot of mixed messages, loving Callie's independence, yet, very shout-y when she was out doing her independent work.

Overall, not a bad story, just not a 'grab you all the way through' story, for me.