Meet Carmen, Polly and Dana - all happy and successful women, with very different views on relationships.
Carmen has made a life with Elliot for the past eight years. She's ready for the next step but a proposal seems to be as far away as ever.
Polly is devoted to her family. But after her parents' bitter divorce, she's wary of marriage - even after sharing twenty years and one son with Fraser.
Single mother Dana longs for companionship, despite her dedication to raising her son Luke. Finding the right person to bring into their lives feels impossible - until a unique way to select a potential Mr Right comes along.
With 29th February fast approaching, will they each take the chance this Leap Year to take control of their fates?
I really enjoyed this exploration into the idea of turning tradition on its head when it comes to marriage proposals and a leap year. However, with the three characters, I think that Green should have made this into a series because I wanted to find out more about the individual characters.
First time for me to read a book by Erin Green. "Taking a chance on love" is a pretty big book but the writing style is nice so you can read it easily. You follow 3 different women living in the same city and working in the same area. They have all different types of love life but they all interested in "taking a chance on love". I really enjoyed reading this book. I gave this book a 4 stars out of 5 but to be honest I hesitated to give it a 3,5 stars because i would say 3 quarter of the book is amazing and totally addictive but some parts of the book is to my point of view a bit boring and slow and i saw myself reading these parts really really quickly so that i could go to a part more exciting. But all in all this book is very good and the end is incredible! I recommend this book by Erin Green!
I loved this one. It's centres around three women, Carmen, Dana and Polly, with the significance of a leap year looming for each of them. I loved the way the storyline develops over the course of the book, showing how the lives are linked. The characters are well drawn and you feel for each of them- life has many hurdles and obstacles and they have to work through them. I was really engrossed in the book, eagerly turning the pages to see whether life was going to be nice and rosy, or whether there are rainclouds ahead.
So, it’s a leap year and we’ve been given an extra day to play with. What an earth should we do with it? Well, tradition dictates that this is the one day every four years where women can propose to the man in their lives. The Irishman keeps dropping hints that he has certain expectations of me on Saturday, but let’s gloss over that for now and concentrate on a book which has this tradition at its heart.
This book follows the story of three different women living in the same small town who are all at different stages of their lives and relationships, but for each of whom February 29th is going to be a day that alters their futures forever. It’s amazing what a difference a single day can make.
This book is a fun but thoughtful read that weaves together the lives of three diverse characters which touch each other lightly at various points in the book and offer us a myriad of individual issues to consider. Polly has been with Fraser for twenty years but it still scared of marriage, having see how her parents ended up. But as the birthday of her almost-grown son approaches and she watches him dealing with relationships in his own life and how it affects them all, it makes her take stock. Dana hasn’t had time for love between juggling her floristry business and being a single mum to her son, but decides it is time to take a risk and put herself out there again, but chooses a very unusual way of doing it. Carmen is desperate for the fairytale wedding and future and decides to take matters in to her own hands in the face of her boyfriend’s apathy.
The author draws some beautiful and believable characters to carry us through the book and then uses them cleverly to explore many facets of love and relationships, from romantic love to parental and filial relationships, and the special bond between parent and child. Everyone will be able to find one of the ladies, and some aspect of the challenges they face, to relate to and make the book pertinent to them. I felt most keenly for Polly, because of my current situation in life, and I am sure the author would be as interested as I am to find out which of the characters spoke most to other readers of the book.
I found the book very touching in places, particularly the relationship between Dana and Luke and Dana’s parents, and also the situation that Carmen finds herself in towards the end of the book. I found myself staying up very late one night in order to finish the story, desperate to know what the outcome was going to be for each of the ladies, always the sign of a great book that has managed to bring a story and characters to life and make them important to the reader.
I always enjoy Erin’s novels, they are consistently approachable, honest and full of warmth and this was no exception. I would highly recommend this book to all lovers of romantic fiction, and, you never know, it might give some ladies out there some ideas (although, not me, sorry to disappoint, N!)
A really happy, fun, heartwarming and true feel good story. It’s emotional but also very funny. The characters are so well written and relatable, it’s like you know them a few pages in. It’s a great read with a wonderful ending, it’s my first book by the author but it definitely won’t be my last
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
The perfect feel-good book for a Leap-Year; albeit, with a twist.
This is the tale of three women, Carmen, Polly and Dana, all with different expectations on their relationships with their men. We are taken on a roller-coaster of a ride with all having to endure unexpected complications along their journeys.
Erin weaves a story that never lets up with literally a scene per a character, told in the first person. This could have got confusing, however each main character's story is more than different enough for this not to be a problem. Drama is weaved with comedy, to equal effect and the only disappointment was, it ended!
I cannot recommend this book highly enough and if you are knew to this author, then search out her previous releases, I am envious of you.
My thanks to both Headline and Netgalley for the ARC copy.
Taking A Chance On Love is a contemporary novel following three women and their different views on relationships.
Polly lives with her partner Fraser and their grown-up son Cody; she works part-time in a travel agency and strongly believes in supporting her extended family.
Carmen owns a wedding dress boutique; she has been Elliot’s partner for eight years and dreams about his marriage proposal.
Dana is a single mum who wants to return to dating. She applies to a new television reality show about finding the perfect partner. See here for full review https://wp.me/p2Eu3u-fir
Erin Green has done it again - Taking a Chance on Love is wonderful book. Full of love and laughter from the moment you start you will follow Polly, Carmen and Dana on their adventures as they follow their paths to love. And by the end you will be making sure that the 29th February becomes a special day for whatever reason is important to you!
I received an early review copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review ,All thoughts expressed are my own and freely given.
It took a little while for me to get into the storyline but I was hooked after a few chapters. The story revolves around three women , Carmen, Dana and Polly and the upcoming leap year date 29th February and what it means for each individual . It's well written ,with such likeable characters ,you have to keep reading to find out if they get their happily ever after. It's a heartwarming story that has all the feels and the epilogue had me in tears , especially for Dana. I really recommend this book and will definitely read more by this author in the future.
This book features three Women Dana, Carmen and Polly and the lead up to 29th February, which they hope will bring a landmark change to their lives. The storyline focuses on their family and friends and the improvements that they want to make to their lives. In the beginning of the book, I didn't warm to some of the characters, and it seemed like I was reading three different stories, as the links between the women was tenuous. However the storyline was easy to follow and understand which characters the chapters were about. As the book moves on there is more of a connection, and the last few chapters had twists that I didn't expect. The ending was good, and wrapped up the story very well, without leaving any loose ends. I had read some of the Author's previous books, and I will definitely recommend reading this book, and her previous works. Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.
What a gorgeous book this was to read. A first for me by this author and I am so glad to see there are some earlier books that I can read.
This is the story of three women. Polly Dana and Carmen. One has been with her boyfriend for 8 years with no sign of a marriage proposal from him, which is a shame as she owns a bridal shop so knows exactly what she wants. The other a single mum with a home floristry business that caters for weddings, bouquets, buttonholes, table displays and the like. She has just signed up for a show about finding love. The final woman is a Mum, in a stable long term relationship and works in travel agents and is juggling her time between her divorced parents and trying to organise a last-minute birthday party.
Each of them is busy, they have their own priorities and appear very stable but looking for a little something else. The story flits between each of the women in several subchapters. This is great as it gives the reader a chance to get to know the women and what is going on in each of their lives.
While this is a romance, it is not heavily romantic more contemporary fiction with a dash of romance later on in the story. I really enjoyed getting to know women and also their families. It was a gentle introduction that gathered momentum the further the story went.
There are connections that are made, brief pasts mentioned and always the look towards the future and what it may hold. The latter section of the book had me absolutely riveted to every word, I was already pretty addicted in the earlier stages as well. But the ending was just... well I will let you find out for yourselves.
This is a fabulous read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked the way the author tackled various subjects through her story. This is such a lovely read and one that readers of contemporary fiction, family life and romance will enjoy. I would definitely recommend it.
Meet Carmen, Polly and Dana - all happy and successful women, with very different views on relationships.
Carmen has made a life with Elliot for the past eight years. She's ready for the next step but a proposal seems to be as far away as ever.
Polly is devoted to her family. But after her parents' bitter divorce, she's wary of marriage - even after sharing twenty years and one son with Fraser.
Single mother Dana longs for companionship, despite her dedication to raising her son Luke. Finding the right person to bring into their lives feels impossible - until a unique way to select a potential Mr Right comes along.
With 29th February fast approaching, will they each take the chance this Leap Year to take control of their fates?
My Opinion
Erin Green has yet to let me down with a book so I will always grab any chance I can to read another of her books. In Taking a Chance on Love we follow three different women who all live and work in the same area. Some parts are a bit slow but overall this book was very enjoyable. Another great book from Erin Green!
This was quite a sweet read. Three women with different lives have their views on marriage. Polly and Frazer have been together for nearly a quarter of a century, but have never tied the knot, whilst Carmen is increasingly frustrated that her partner Ethan hasn't proposed. Dana hasn't dated since her then boyfriend did a runner when she was pregnant, and now 5 years ater is about to embark on a journey to find 'the one'.
I totally get the POV of all three women, and recognise there are women in real life who are in similar situations (well, maybe not exactly like Dana's), but to go to the lengths Carmen did strikes me as incredibly desperate, especially when it seems their lives, friends and attitudes seem so different. I'm more like Polly (although without the child)and if we marry, it'll be for the financial side rather than for love, since we've gone over 30 years without the ring so have proved out love to each other already!
Anyway, it was nice, easy to read and not too taxing on the brain, and everyone had a happy ending....
It's about life of 3 womens who wait for their chances to express love.
Carmen - A 25+ years old women running a wedding gown boutique has made her lifestyle with Elliott (but as a friend for 8years) and planning for a proposal in Paris. will he accept her?
Polly - A women who works in a travel agency company had a man named fraser but she doesn't believe in marriage because of her parent's bitter divorce. She has a son name Cody of 18+ yrs. she has fear of Cody's relationship. Will fraser propose her and will she say yes for him?
Dana - A women with 25+ yrs florist having a disable boy and got divorce with his boyfriend for the same reason and searching for love. Meanwhile a big telivision company advertising a documentary show named " Taking a chance on love". She got selected and she is accepting th offer.Will she find her love?
Once again, as in her previous novels, Erin Green has shown her skill in weaving a great storyline together.
This book brings a fresh and exciting dialogue to the age old question of the 29th of February proposal dilemma.
With the wonderful descriptions of each and every one of her characters and settings, you easily get absorbed in this book. As you follow the highs and lows of each of these ladies’ stories, you will laugh, ponder, cringe, and smile - as well as shedding the odd tear or two - along the way.
A truly enjoyable page-turning read.
Enjoy!!
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The question itself divides opinion in today’s society, for many reasons, leading to two more (rhetorical) questions -
Would you propose / like to be proposed to in this manner?
Erin Green is an author who I only discovered last year, and wow am I glad I did !
As with the previous book, of her's that I read, the story centres around three women Carmen, Dana and Polly, the significance of a leap year and the tradition that, on that one extra day, every four years, a woman can propose marriage, to the man in her life.
The main characters all have differing background stories, and as the book progresses you find that the three women are in actual fact loosely linked through them, very cleverly done.
If you haven't read a book by Erin Green before - go on what are you waiting for ?
Firstly I have to thank Kim Nash for introducing me to Erin's books, I'm now catching up on all of them. This book grabs you in a big warm hug from the start and you can relate to the main characters and love how Erin deals with sensitive issues. All of the individual story lines are wonderful even though I wanted to punch Andrew and Lola! This was another hard to put down read and if you like books by Lucy Coleman, Kim Nash and Lucy Diamond then you won't be disappointed with this gem of a book!
I’ve previously read New beginnings at Rose Cottage and fell in love with Green’s writing style immediately. Taking a chance on love follows Carmen a wedding boutique owner, Polly who works in the travel agents next door and Dana a wedding florist. I love how Green writes the chapters within her books by focusing on a day and the characters perspective of what happens on that day. I couldn’t put this book down, definitely will read more of Greens books in the future
3/5 - A little different from the books that I would usually go for as I wouldn’t normally choose a book with such a cheesy premise more targeted to slightly older women but this book was ‘nice’. It wasn’t heavy hitting or life changing but it was just a nice read in between more developed romances/thrillers..
I read this really quickly and I did enjoy it, it was interesting reading from a point of view from all the women. There was parts I liked and parts I didn’t like (the ending of Dana’s story) but overall I would recommend it for a quick, lighthearted read.
I was recommended this book by a fellow reader of Erin Green's books and I wasn't disappointed. Loved the plot, characters and the twists and turns of the storyline. Highly recommend it. A fabulous read.
This was a good, interesting romance novel with great storylines and interesting characters. An interesting concept too – the book is all about leap year proposals where the woman proposes to the man. Great for conversations & topic discussions. I liked this.