Leave It to Chance

by Sherri Sand

In the last two years, Paris Montgomery has survived a cheating husband, a divorce, an overbearing mother, and single motherhood. Her oldest, Braden, misses his dad, money is tight, and she has a

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Ebooks

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Sherri Sand is an author and speaker. She has a love for all things chocolate and enjoys running and hiking to elude the calorie consumption. She has been married to a fabulous guy for over twenty years and has four amazing children. She graduated cum laude from the University of Oregon and resides in beautiful northeastern Oregon.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, I was expecting not to like this book very much. I'm an atheist, and while pretty easy-going about religious themes in general, I don't particularly enjoy novels that incorporate religion in a shove-it-down-your-throat manner and I thought this might be one of those. This book didn't do that at all - the religious themes and journeys were IMO clearly connected to and crucial to the growth and development of the main character and to the understanding of other characters and their opinions and attitudes. The story itself was lovely, well-written and didn't go the way I was expecting it to at more than a few stages! Actually quite enjoyed this read and really came to like the characters. Would recommend others gave it a go too even if not keen on books with religious themes generally as they aren't suffocating in this one and are only evident when necessary for the plot.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet, clean, fun family story with lots of great characters - cantankerous Sid, controlling Abbey, coy Sierra, cute Trevor, curious Emory, cranky Braden, cunning Kyle, craving Ross and the star of the show. challenging Chance. Ok, it was hard to come up with all c descriptions, but the author did a perfect job of setting the background for life with broken families and troubled teens.

I would recommend this book for all ages from pre-teen to seniors. It is interesting and fun to read, and perfect for putting a smile on your face. This was my first read by author, Sherri Sand. I was lucky to pick this book up at a book sale table.

[J. A. Lewis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an ok book. When a single mother of three ends up with a horse named Chance, she has to decide whether or not to sell it immediately or give in to her children's desires to keep it. This character has an overwhelming fear of horses to the point of becoming almost ridiculous. Of course enter handsome man who happens to have a barn and pastures. No surprise endings. Just a light story of overcoming fears and finding the perfect man.

[Dee Renee Chesnut · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ebook has been in my Nook library since 2012 when I downloaded it for free from Barnes and Noble.
It is an entertaining romance in the Christian fiction genre. I recommend it to readers who prefer this type of book.

[Rhoda Mukasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good storytelling!

Love how the author showcases God's love for us. Such a steady building of characters,so natural and humanly flawed you can't help but relate and root for them to succeed.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sierra Montgomery, divorced mother of three, has just inherited a 22-year-old horse named Chance. Her kids are ecstatic; Sierra, not so much. She has been terrified of horses since a childhood friend died as a result of a riding accident. Can Sierra let go of her fear and learn to trust again?

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. Just about everyone learned some patience, and the power of forgiveness.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

great novel fast-paced but an easy read. It is a novel about choices, forgiveness, letting go(of fear, pain, bitterness and pride, just to name a few) and letting god take the reins.

[Kimberly Westrope · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a sweet story with lovable, endearing characters. The story develops at a good, steady pace, building on all of the relationships. The romance develops slowly, as it should, when there is a divorced mom and children involved. I even like the ex-husband once he straightens up his act with his children. A good story about redemption, forgiveness, healing, and moving on.

[Tamara Tilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

LEAVE IT TO CHANCE is a delightful read. Though it follows a typical formula: a boy, a girl, and a horse, Sands does well in updating the formula with the modern day trails of a messy divorce, a rebellious teen, and a frazzled single mom.

Sierra Montgomery is doing her best to make ends meet after losing her job and having her child support checks bounce. Then, out of nowhere, she inherits a horse, an animal she is deathly afraid of. Knowing she has no intentions of keeping the horse, she runs an ad and hopes to make enough money to pay the next month’s rent. When her three kids find out she is selling the horse, they are devastated. When the deal falls through, and her ex-husband sloughs off just one more weekend with his kids, Sierra realizes her kids cannot face another disappointment, and against her better judgment, decides to keep the horse. Her take charge mother arranges to have Chance boarded with Ross Morgan, a landscaper that happens to be single and gorgeous. There is an immediate attraction between Ross and Sierra, but she has no room in her life for more complications . . . or so she says.

I enjoyed LEAVE IT TO CHANCE enough to ignore the predictability of it. Sands creates some wonderful characters in Sierra’s best friend, Elise and Ross’ father figure, Sid. Ross is your typical good guy hero that you can’t help but fall in love with. LEAVE IT TO CHANCE is a quick read that keeps you turning pages, waiting for the time that Sierra will finally admit her feelings for Ross.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life hasn't been that good as of late to Sierra Montgomery. She is struggling to find a job and pay the bills while taking care of her kids. It doesn't help that her ex-husband is not doing his share of watching the kids or even paying formchild support. To top it off, she inherits a horse--and she is terrified of horses because of a childhood incident.
It would have been all right except that, once again, the story jumped around in too many heads, without changing much in terms of patterns of speech or thought. In short, almost everyone thought and sounded the same. While the characters are okay--not perfect, each go through ups and downs and encounter some trials and troubles--I can't really relate to them at the deeper level.

[Rachelle Sperling · Rating 2 out of 5]

Leave it to Chance was a quick read. I enjoyed the characters, even if the story was a little bit predictable. The thing I liked best was the aspect of learning to trust God and live in relationship to him (not just following a religious set of rules) even though he isn't a safe God. (Of course, for the sake of the story - all was well and ended well)

See my profile for my star rating system.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only Cute

Only Cute

So when I'm reading an adult novel, whether it be Christian or not, I expect it to be more than cute. Although it was a touching story with a happy ending, I think the writer played it too safe. There was no depth to the characters and it was predictable from the beginning. I'm going to stick to my crime novels.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had seen this book advertised on the MOPS online newsletter and thought I'd give it a try. It was a great read and a wonderful feel-good love story. I have been looking for more books by this author, but this appears to be the only one thus far...

[Janie Buckley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was not next on my list or even on my radar but I happened to meet the author last week and this book became next on my list. I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to telling more of my friends about it. I look forward to hearing more from this author in the future. :-)

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy read, I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started the book. A lot of struggle with faith and life choices. I found the characters interesting as they each had their own take on faith and everyone shared their opinions.

[Meredith Resce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. The characters were beautifully flawed, and the plot was refreshingly real. No pat answers and cliche solutions to some very difficult life challenges. I'd probably give it a 4.5. Really worth a read.

[cathy neiswonger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming

this book was hard to put down even when the kindle died. good life lessons from beginning to end. made me think about the God in my life and how I have ignored him at times.

[Pat Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ebook

A story about a mother with 3 kids, an ex and a lot of fear. She needs a job, has to move home with Mom and has to deal with a gift of a horse. But the horse leads to healing and love!

[Della Raines · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is so hard to be sure that a relationship is what you think it is

The characters in this story were really characters. There were checks and balances in each relationship. The power of prayer and each personality made for an excellent and believable theme.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful...A fun read

[Alison]

kindle chick lit

[Natalya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinda cute, but it was full of weak writing,sub par story-telling, and oversimplified characters.

[Poonam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and cute story!! I like Ross and the way he tried to help Sierra and her three kids. Loved the sweet ending.

[Camiba · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book boring. The dullness made it hard to get through. The author did, include a couple of nice anologies about God's love, however.

[Chandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute...and a Eugene author to boot!

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet, clean romance. A quick read I found for my kindle app.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather boring story and characters. The same fears rehashed over and over ad nauseum.

[Carman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this. I look forward to more from Sherri.

[Ruthe Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review

I really enjoyed reading this book. The story was realistic and believable. There was no profanity and no sexual content.