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Curvy Girl #1

Fat Chance

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Berkley

I have the job of my dreams, an assistant who brings me my favorite coffee, and an apartment in the city. What more could I want?

Certainly not a man.

My mom spent my childhood hopping from city to city following one man or another, never thinking about her own dreams—or mine.

I worked hard to control my life, and I won’t let anyone ruin it, especially not a defense attorney with a dirty mouth and bedroom eyes.

Gannon

With a dad like Gannon Miles, Sr., I’ve never had any control over my life.

I went into law because of him, and joined his firm because it was expected of me. I need to jump ship and make my own way in life, but I just haven’t found the motivation yet to pull the trigger.

At least, not until I meet Berkley Warner. She’s curvy, beautiful, and isn’t taking any of my crap.

What more could I want?

73 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2020

438 people are currently reading
197 people want to read

About the author

C.L. Cruz

126 books257 followers
C.L. Cruz writes short, steamy romance with curvy girls and the men who love them. She is a single mom of two kids currently seeking her own happily ever after.

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5 stars
247 (44%)
4 stars
162 (28%)
3 stars
115 (20%)
2 stars
31 (5%)
1 star
6 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
Profile Image for Alicia.
846 reviews133 followers
May 19, 2021
I swear it must be me and my mood or something because I really can’t stand some of the characters in these books lately. Gannon being the prick I dislike this time.

Berkley is a lawyer and Gannon is her opposing counsel working for his dad’s firm. His dad wants him to win so he says to “handle it” aka handle Berkley.

And according to Gannon, he should be able to just fine:
Everything comes easy to me, including girls, and there’s no reason this one should be any different,


Normally, women swoon over me, looking for any excuse to talk to me, to touch me, to be in my presence.


Oh fucking gag. I read this and it just rubbed me the wrong way right off the bat. I’m a bit over these arrogant fuckers at the moment so it seems that I reacted a bit over the top, but damn.

So of course Berkley gives in and ignores her super important job and becomes irresponsible after day one for some guy she just met... they fuck and of course Gannon comes out with all the romantic thoughts in his POV:
Now that I’ve had her, I should be done with her. It’s what normally happens. Boredom sets in as soon as my orgasm wears off. But this time feels different.


Yeah, that sure is selling me on his character and I sure believe in this whole instalove situation because he said “it’s different.” /sarcasm.

At least the end is an HEA. I can appreciate that. Maybe I’m just in a cynical mood to read these instalove stories because it just isn’t working for me right now. This one definitely didn’t.

2.5⭐️
Profile Image for Darlene I read WAY to many books.
3,682 reviews2,445 followers
February 23, 2020
New author!! Its a short, sweet novella with little steam.


Berkley is a good lawyer and shes working on one that has another cocky lawyer against her. Gannon is charming, snarky and a sweet talker and she has to keep her defends up she cant lose this case and she can't trust that smart mouth.

Lots of flirting from Gannon and alot of push away from Berkley. As for our man Gannon he doesnt enjoy his job thanks to his father and he really wants something else when he's with Berkley. When they do finally jump into bed it's good until Berkley boss hears she doing stuff... but she shakes it off and kinda ignores and pushes away Gannon.. :/

Now she is chasing after him when he leaves his old job and wants more with him..  we also got hints from the other woman? And their books.. which are ehh.. idk if I wanna read the others... :/

No ow/om drama, No cheating, tiny drama, sexy times, slight secondary charas, no virgins (idk their past relationship)

Recommend- maybe
Cover-⭐⭐⭐

Slowish-insta
Push away from h
Safe
Safe sex/no condom
Hea
Epilogue
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Rochelle.
1,642 reviews
March 3, 2020
Quick read and very enjoyable. Book 1 in the Curvy Girl series. Loved Berkley and Gannon. Even though they were on the opposite side of a lawsuit, the attraction and chemistry between them was so good. Great story and I can’t wait to read more in this series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for ~My Book Obsession~.
690 reviews66 followers
July 9, 2020
Good

Her books are short and hot. It’s insta kind of love going on in her books. I like that I can read one of her stories in one sitting when I just want to zone out.
3,207 reviews26 followers
March 3, 2020
Fat Chance was my first read by C.L. Cruz and I will definitely be reading more. Berkley is a young attorney driven to succeed and make partner and she will let no man stand in her way. She finally meets her match when she goes to mediate for her client's insurance settlement. Gannon is immediately attracted to the beautiful Berkley with all her natural curves. He will have to work hard if he wants to convince Berkley to give them a chance. Is she finally ready to "live a little"?
Profile Image for Mrs Caroline Trevor.
443 reviews10 followers
December 26, 2020
Great

I found this a really good book. Berkley is a great character. She is a great lawyer and doesn't give an inch in her work but the lines get blurred when she fights opposite Gannon miles who wants her in his bed. Can they come to an agreement over their case and beyond.
Profile Image for Suze Prescot.
Author 12 books31 followers
February 15, 2024
Short Sexy Story

Two lawyers meet on opposite sides of the table, and to Gannon's surprise, it's a coup de foudre.
Another very enjoyable and entertaining short from Cruz featuring a curvaceous heroine and a hot guy.
4,145 reviews25 followers
February 25, 2020
Romantic and tender novel
Good short simple and fairly tender romance between two lawyers, one of whom, Gannon, no longer wants to protect the culprits, and the other, Berkley, seeks to protect the weak. When they meet, the attraction that seems obvious to Gannon is a risk for Berkley that she is not sure she would want to take.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book
Profile Image for Candice Kamencik.
250 reviews21 followers
September 4, 2022
This was...disappointing. I was excited to see a series dedicated to curvy/large women, but not only did it fall flat on that premise, had that area not been addressed in he book at all, it still would have been a wash for me. I had to leave negative reviews, but there it is.

So, addressing the BBW/curvy/larger woman issue first - this woman wasn't fat. Her entire description was just voluptuous. The kind of "good" or "acceptable" chubby that's played up - large breasts, butt, and hips. Moderately flat or tiny tummy. She's portrayed wearing bodycon (body contouring/tight) sheath dresses, wrap dresses, etc. Her partner in the series isn't portrayed as a "chubby chaser" really, or someone who fetishizes larger women (points for that I suppose, so the bar is low), but I feel like it's almost because she's not really a large girl. The vibes I got was, "Really, a size 12 IS plus sized, I swear!" vibes overall.

The other issues were the relationship and sex scenes - too much "everyone orgasms in 5 seconds, or less, or it's free!" and "instalove even though I don't know this person." I understnad it's a short novella, and you can't expect perfect character development in that time frame, but come on. This woman is portrayed as a classic independent woman, put herself through school, has goals, is a hard worker, in a good place in her life, etc - and she damn near throws it all away for a guy in a position that is directly opposite of her, who IS a spoiled rich boy (despite that he "wants to do good"), and who shows little caring for her well-being when they hook up. Come on. This woman wasn't uptight or frigid, so playing the "you need to loosen up" trope to the point where this woman is endangering her livelihood was a poor choice in my opinion.

Sure, you get your "happily ever after" at the end thankfully, but the way we got there was questionable at best. The writing was competent (which is actually a compliment, because I'm running across more and more poorly edited books), but the story just wasn't there for me. Definitely far better books out there centering on bigger women who don't need to "let go" in order to get to the finish line. Thank god this was a quick read, because if not, it would have went into my "did not finish" pile, and I hate that!
Profile Image for Suelen.
496 reviews5 followers
February 19, 2024
Começou bem...

Eu amo um enemies to lovers e o começo do livro me deixou bem empolgada. Mas desandou rapidamente depois que eles ficaram juntos. Se tem uma coisa que eu não curto é quando a mocinha, depois de ficar com o cara, se arrepende e joga toda a culpa pra cima dele. Pior ainda é ela pedir pra ele não falar mais com ela, ele atender o pedido por querer respeitar a vontade dela, e a mulher ficar chateada porque ele não a procurou mais. Não era o que ela queria? Socorro!

Já falei em várias resenhas minhas que detesto terminar um livro com a sensação de que a mocinha não merecia o mocinho, e foi exatamente o que aconteceu aqui. Achei todos os motivos dela bem egoísta, inclusive os motivos que a levaram a ficar com ele no final. Como ela mesma disse, ela percebeu que poderia ter tudo: uma carreira que ela amasse e um homem que a amasse. Veja bem: não ela amar alguém; alguém a amar. Eu terminei o livro com a sensação de que ele a amava muito mais do que ela o amava. Na verdade, não fiquei convencida de que ela o amava de verdade. Para mim, ele era mais uma conveniência para os planos de vida dela. Eu daria apenas uma estrela para essa história, mas dei duas em consideração ao começo legal e ao mocinho, que foi zero defeitos do começo ao fim. Ele com certeza merecia mais.
Profile Image for Carolina.
384 reviews
March 1, 2020
Berkley Warner and Gannon Miles are both lawyers that must meet a arbitrator to "resolve" an insurance claim. As we go through the story, Berkley and Gannon are at a standstill due to Berkley's insistence that her client get a fair settlement from the insurance company. At a stalemate of sorts, Berkley goes out with her girlfriends to a bar that Gannon happens to be playing on stage on behalf of an organization called Legal Aid. It's an eye opener for Berkley to see Gannon in a different light and it gives him the opportunity to get closer. Well, this steamy love story between lawyers only gets better. You need to read this story to find out how it all works out. The book is short and could be read in an evening or an hour at most depending upon your reading leisure.

I enjoyed this book from an author I hadn't read before this story. I look forward to seeing what else is offered in the future!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Emily Pennington.
20.7k reviews362 followers
March 1, 2020
Lawyers Berkley Warner and Gannon Miles are facing off on an insurance claim case. Both of them in their personal lives are struggling to be independent, in control, and live their own lives and dreams rather than please someone else.

When Berkley sees another side of Gannon, she has a new interest and the two of them are ready to get to know each other better. But will her interest in opposing counsel put her job at risk? Or can they put a romance on hold until they have taken proper care of their clients?

Cute, short story that the reader will enjoy. The characters have more in common than they realize and, when they start seeing the real person under the veneer, it can make all the difference! Get your copy and enjoy the “negotiations”!
Profile Image for Aneesah.
1,223 reviews
March 6, 2020
I liked this book. Despite its brevity, the author packed quite a little punchy story in to those 68 pages.


I did NOT care for the title. Maybe because I'm a big gal myself, I feel like the word FAT is a touchy subject and it just didn't belong in the title. Particularly when the heroine didn't seem to have any hang-ups about her size (nor did the hero for that matter). I'm sure there are a million other titles that would have set a better tone for the story.

Anyway, I'll try not let the silly titles in this series (seriously, they're all pretty bad. The next one is called Spare Tire) hold me back from enjoying it. I hope each story is at least as good as (or even better than) this first one.
Profile Image for Joyce Black.
1,053 reviews7 followers
March 7, 2020
Great Romantic Tale

A strong attraction at first sight that moved quickly into a love affair. The main female character was a very strong, dogmatic young woman, on the rise in her career. In contrast, the main male character was from a monied background and was able to charm and trade on his good looks often times. He also had his career sown up for him to go into the family business. Upon maturation and the love of a good woman (the main female character), the main male character matured enough to find the strength to follow his heart for his true career choice. Another great romantic tale by Ms. Cruz.

I voluntarily received a free copy of this novel from the author and I am leaving an honest and unbiased review. I have no affiliation to this author.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
270 reviews6 followers
April 27, 2021
Quick, easy read. Safe. No OW/OM drama, No Cheating.

C.L. Cruz is a great author for when you want to read something in a short amount of time. I find that her stories are fairly fleshed out for not being full length.

This one was okay. I might have rated it higher, but I really didn't like the heroine, Berkley. She was fine one minute and then BAM something happens and she took a turn. There's a fine line between strong heroine and just downright mean. I do like that she apologized, though. I thought our H, Gannon was way too easy on her. She was horrible to him and he was working on himself to win her back? Just no. He should have been done with her.

I also didn't like that Berkley absolutely screwed up at work, yet the narrative becomes that she needed to set better boundaries. I don't think her boss was asking too much of her to return a phone call. Like, literally, that was the issue. She really should have been reprimanded or fired. Not promoted.

I just felt like we were supposed to sympathize with Berkley and I just didn't.

The writing is good. The characters have personalities (good or bad). I'm going with three stars because as much as Berkley annoyed me, everything else was okay.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Mags.
3,043 reviews36 followers
February 23, 2020
This is my third book by C.L. Cruz and I have to say, I loved this one the most, as it had a nice balance of story development, sweetness, and heat, as well as a believable connection between main characters Gannon and Berkley, although I do wish the story had been at least a couple of chapters longer. But saying that it was enjoyable and very engaging to read, and I really liked the fact that Berkley was a plus-sized character who happily owned and showcased her curves, and that Gannon enjoyed every one of them too.

Would recommend.

**I was kindly provided with an ARC via BookSprout in exchange for an honest review**
6,168 reviews58 followers
March 2, 2020
Berkley is working as a Lawyer for Mrs. Abernathy. Gannon Miles is working for the insurance company that he works with his father Miles and Miles. Gannon has always hated working for his father but he's dragging his feet about leaving. Berkley is up for promotion at her company but she has to prove herself with this big case. The characters of Berkley and Gannon were out of this world. They were made for each other. This had some drama and sexy steamy heat. No more spoilers for you, Can't wait for the next book in this fast read series. Highly recommend. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
908 reviews6 followers
June 11, 2020
Great story! I'm really enjoying this new series by C.L. Cruz. It's a very cute story, well written, with very likable characters. Gannon is not afraid to go after what he wants, Berkley! But he's strong enough to back off when Berkley insists that's what she wants. Berkely has it all - a good job, great friends, and stable life. Her attraction to Gannon takes her completely by surprise - here's something she can't control. A few bumps and bruises along the way, but the course of true love never did run smooth. Very excited to read the rest of the series, to see Berkley's friends get their happy ending as well.
3,506 reviews
March 4, 2020
Gannon and Berkley are at odds when it comes to an insurance settlement. They are on the same side when it comes to skin to skin contact. Gannon needs to make a positive change to make it ok for Berkley to love him. But she has her own positive change to make her unknown wants and needs for her future. If he chased her and she rejected the advances. Does that mean she needs to chase him to make amends? No cliffhanger.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for An Epilogue a Day Bianca.
713 reviews6 followers
April 14, 2020
Gannon and Berkley are lawyers working on opposite sides and the banther between them is fun, witty and fast. Berkley is giving her all to find her place and Gannon is struggling to subject to his father will. In each other they find life and freedom but Berkley's fear almost jeopardize everything. Thanks to her curvy and higly lovable friends, she stops second guessing her feelings and fight for winning at her love life as much as she did on her professional one. PS: I loved the e-mails exchange.
3,114 reviews26 followers
July 20, 2020
This was disappointing.

While this called a "short story" it was clear the author took some short cuts. There were plenty of holes in the plot and I still have no idea who this Gannon guy really is. All we know is that he's handsome and he knows it and he's under pressure from his father to settle this case. He's into our heroine. And despite how "good" a lawyer she is, she's really stupid: inappropriate emails and lunches are sure to get you fired. That kind of thing just doesn't make for a good romance.
Profile Image for Christi Taylor.
173 reviews2 followers
January 21, 2024
Loved Gannon and Berkley

These two met as opposing council for a case they were working on. She was fighting for a lady who was looking to get a settlement from an insurance company. He was defending the insurance company. Gannon and Berkley were both attracted to one another the first time they saw each other. They ran into each other that night at a bar where he was playing with his band raising money for Legal Aid. Berkley didn't understand that at all. I don't want to say much more but I'll say the chemistry between these two is off the charts. HEA at the end!
Profile Image for JudyAnnLovesBooks.
2,126 reviews76 followers
February 27, 2020
This is my first book by CL Cruz and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s no secret that I love novella length romance reads and this book fits the bill quite nicely. A delicious curvy girl/alpha male instalust book. If you’re looking for a quick and easy read to enjoy during your lunch break or over a cup of coffee or tea, then TBR this book and enjoy.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Elizabeth McDaniel.
2,383 reviews
March 6, 2020
Berkeley and Gannon are opposing lawyers in an insurance case. Berkeley was always trying to prove herself in a mans world. She was a BBW and didn’t want to depend on a man like her mother. Gannon was living in his father’s shadow never doing enough to please him. He wanted a career to be proud of.and he wanted Berkeley. Fast and fun read

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Barbara Van Zandt.
1,361 reviews1 follower
April 21, 2020
Lawyers

They are both lawyers and shes trying to get more money for her client settlement and hes trying not to give more but he is so into her. They meet again at a bar that her friends takes her and hes the singer of a band. The chemistry is strong they play hookey and the next day shes raked over the coals by her boss. She mean to him when they talk and hangs up.
She gets a wonderful settlement for client and goes and looks for him and a 2nd chance.
Profile Image for Carla.
654 reviews5 followers
April 27, 2020
A quick read with a strong woman, Berkley. She is determined to make it without making the mistakes her mom made in the past. She is a woman on a mission until she meets her opposing council. Gannon is doing what his family wants even though it is not what his passion is. When he meets Berkley, he wants to become a better man. This book is steamy but has feelings too. Will they or will they let their family ruin everything?
100 reviews
January 19, 2021
Fat Chance is a sweet and fun love story. Where overweight issues and vulnerability is handled with adorable positivity.

The heroine is human, as in not superhuman. The same heroine is loveable, not because she is curvy, or even more importantly, in spite of being curvy, she just is. And thankfully the heroine has other issues too. Quite refreshing. And the love story is quite cute. Most importantly of course. Will definitely check out more books by this author.
Profile Image for Lynn_G.
1,124 reviews27 followers
January 9, 2024
Berkley and Gannon’s sexy and cute story

This was a super quick, satisfying read. Berkley and Gannon are opposing counsel for an insurance litigation. Sparks fly when they meet, but Berkley is all business. A night out with her besties shows her a different side of wealthy playboy Gannon. Can Berkley have a satisfying love life and a stellar career? Is there anything better than him falling first? 😊
Profile Image for Kathleen De Raes Rammeloo.
211 reviews1 follower
March 1, 2020
I love to read books about curvy women and especially when they are not afraid of putting themselves out there.

This is a lovely story where the women isn’t afraid to set boundaries and fights for what she truly wants and deserves....

I am curious to read some of the other books in these series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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