Taking Chances

Alpine Series #2

by Shannon Guymon

Meet Maggie Tierney, a lighthearted, kind, free spirit who has a lot to be happy at 24, she is independent, successful, a wealthy artist, and she s just inherited a home in beautiful Alpine, Utah, the place where her mother, Lisa, grew up. However, her excitement is colored by the reality that Maggie has never been to Alpine, and that this home was left to her by her estranged great-grandmother, a woman Maggie never met . . . Armed with Propels, Doritos, and her favorite easel, Maggie dives into Alpine life, ready to make it her home.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Romance, Lds, Clean Romance, Christian Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romantic

213 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2008

About the author

I live in the Rocky Mountains with my husband and children and love my home when it’s not snowing. I’m the author of 37 books so far. I also write YA Paranormal Romance under my pen name, Katie Lee O’Guinn. I enjoy the outdoors, reading and being with my family. To find out the latest on my books, check out my blog. You can purchase all of my books at Amazon.com. I’m also a huge supporter of Operation Underground Railroad. Check out their website to learn more.

Reviews

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot more reading it the second time through. It tackles some pretty tough topics..... the main one being child sexual abuse. When I read it the first time several years ago I remember not loving it. I was pregnant at the time I believe, and not in a situation that I wanted to read something so heavy, tragic, or sad. This time I was able to appreciate more how well the author handled the topic and how she was able show so well the power of forgiveness and the effect it can also have on people's lives. The main characters were extremely loveable, witty, and endearing to me. I loved how the author let you get to know so many of them so thoroughly. I really enjoyed the story! Though none of the "abuse" that took place happens as you read....( It was 24 years in the past.) It is still of course absolutely heartbreaking..and I would consider this an adult read because of it. There is no description of course and it is handled with utmost tact....but it still heart wrenching to think that so many victims have fallen to this evil. :(

Clean romance
Contemporary
Tough topic of child abuse

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series of books has been so fun to read. I have thousands of books on my to read list, hundreds sitting on my bookshelf and yet I made a trek to the library to get this series so they are definitely worth reading. I think it is the humor in this series that I enjoy the most.

This one tackles the tough topic of child abuse. You would think with that topic it would be depressing... but it's not. Overall it's a lighthearted read with lots of laughs. The message is one of forgiveness, love, acceptance and moving on.





Rating: 4 Stars - Great book

Content: Clean

Source: Library

Genre/Age Level: LDS Fiction appropriate for older teens and adults

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Shannon's books. They are always fun quick reads that put a smile on my face. In this book, she tackles some bigger issues, but still manages to keep the book uplifting and fun.

[Judie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the characters and the humor. I felt the story portrayed the reality of the Atonement and the need to forgive very well.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I loved the fun characters and witty dialogue. A fun love story with a touch of seriousness.

[Emmeli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so cute! It was one of my favorites that Shannon Guymon wrote. I Love her novels. I recommend it to everyone!

[Auntie Soni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I have read all of Shannon's books, and liked them, but this one is my favorite. The voice is strong, and I can hear them speak the dialogue.

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember seeing this in Desert Book years ago, I was drawn to the cute cover, but scared off by the heavy subject material. Now that I've read all of Shannon's other books and am familiar with her style I decided to give this one a try. I ended up enjoying it way more than I thought I would. Maggie is a great character, I really loved her personality. Maggie's mother was sexually abused as a child and teenager. It went on for nine years before she was able to escape. Her mother, Lisa, is now in a really healthy place and happily married. Maggie still struggles with what happened to her mother though and especially in facing her grandmother, who willingly stood by and did nothing to stop it. I'll just address that part of the story and get it out of the way. While no grisly details were given, it is pretty obvious what happened to Lisa. I normally avoid books about child abuse or rape, but I will say Ms. Guymon handled everything beautifully. It's a tough subject and while the book is overall pretty lighthearted, it still left me feeling a little sad.

I loved the romance between Luke and Maggie, probably one of my favorite couples. They're so cute together. They have some fun interactions and Maggie can sure get into some embarrassing situations. It was great though and I loved that part of the story. I also loved Lisa & Terry (Maggie's parents), her sweet grandparents (on her dads side) and her neighbors. It was even fun to see characters from the previous book. Overall, I did enjoy it and it was nice to see all the healing throughout and to see everyone get a happily ever after.

Content
Romance: Clean
Language: None
Violence: Mild-moderate, talk of abuse
Religious: Mild

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I am a huge reader of LDS Fiction. I have entire shelves of books in my home, and a lot of times, I noticed that I can't tell one book's plot from another. However, this book is a unique addition to my library.

It has some of the basics that a lot of LDS Fiction has: Boy meets girl, fall in love, etc. However, there's more to the story that simply that. Maggie Tierney moves to Utah after inheriting her great-grandmother's house. Seems nice enough, especially considering she has never met her father's side of the family, or for that matter, her father, who died before she was born.

As she moves to Alpine, she wonders about the holes in her family history: Why did her grandparents never want to meet her? Would she, a famous artist, fit into the country way of Alpine? And what of her mother's past? How will her mother's childhood abuse play out in Alpine?

An amazing book for those who wan to read good fiction.

[Tausha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think out of this series this was one of my favorites. I love Maggie! Her passion and commitment to those she loves is very admirable. Good, clean, fast reading book. The authors message is great and very powerful...at the same time I am grateful I have finished the series. Every book was unique in it's characters and I love how they all intertwine so you can keep up with who you fell in love with in the last book. They all had a great story, yet were all so similar. The message was the exact same in each of them which was interesting??? Each teaches about someone having something horrible happen to them from a loved one and then the need and power to forgive. You can tell the author truly believes in the message she is sharing. I am glad I read them one right after each other so I could actually remember all the characters but by the end felt like I was reading the same story over and over again! All in all...great, clean, read.

[Alysia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, Shannon Guymon did a wonderful job tackling such a horrible topic in a sensitive way. And, created some fantastic characters and humor to add a lightheartedness to the novel. I really love the main character. And, I love how Guymon hilighted forgiveness. I've always wondered how a person would forgive something like that, and this book shed light on it a little more for me. Pass the nicotine patches around (ha ha, so funny).

[Sami · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's kinda fun reading a book that is set around about where I live. It's fun when things are mentioned I can picture it perfectly because, well, I've been there before or driven past it before. I also really like Shannon Guymon. She writes really well balanced books. This book was just as enjoyable as Makeover and Maggie was a pretty awesome character. That opening scene where her neighbor Luke comes over and covets the pot roast in her oven is pretty great. I laughed my pants off!

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read about a serious subject of child sexual abuse. A story of a mothers journey to forgiveness and a daughter trying to learn to follow her mothers example and trust men enough to find love. Margarett is a strong name just like she is and is honest to a fault. Luke has had sorrow in loosing his fiance to death, but they both help the other to trust, love and heal.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story teaches the importance of forgiveness. Maggie is a "hoot"! She is straight-forward and verbally honest. Shannon Guymon tells the story of a mother who was sexually abused by her step-father and still puts a smile on your face.

[Aubree · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as Mormon fiction goes this was a 5-star book. It was really cute.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, sweet story about how forgiveness and love can help heal. Hysterical situations and lovable characters.

[Shawnee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely hilarious! You think you know what's going to happen next, but you're wrong. The author is amazing at coming up with the unexpected.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shannon Guymon is one of my favorite authors. Her books are light-hearted and fun, yet have a great storyline. I really liked this book

[Terri St. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shannon Guymon has become one of my favorite LDS authors. Taking Chances is just as well written as a Trusting Heart. Very enjoyable.

[Jessi · Rating 5 out of 5]

AH! one of the very best lds romance novels. So funny and cute.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series of books by Shannon Guymon. They are a quick fun read. They handle some sensitive subject very well. I love the couple in this story. Strong characters and fun interactions.

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story about a serious subject. I thought the main characters were just hilarious!

[Emily F - Seriously Sweet Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

ADORE

This is an old favorite that I have really enjoyed! The way Shannon Guymon writes not only endears the characters to me, but the setting as well because she make it come alive. She tackles hard topics, like sexual abuse and remarriage in a respectful way that is not graphic but still communicates the underlying emotions. I'd rate this PG, maybe PG-13 because of the thematic elements. This is one of my favorite because of the unique relationship and dialogue between Maggie and Luke, a perfect reminder to "not judge a book (or person) by their cover". I also love Gwen's gruff concern!

[Traci Mork · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book touched a part of my heart that was difficult to share. I love Maggie so much. Such a great character. Out of all of Shannon's leading women, Maggie is my absolute favorite.
This book has difficult subject matter, but written beautifully & with great sensitivity.
Terrific, humorous & clean love story.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. The characters in this story were so real. Maggie and Luke are wonderful together right from the start. I like how their story unfolds and they stay true to who they are. There was a lot of healing that took place in this book and I like how the author portrayed such a serious issue and how the victim of such evil isn't really the only victim.

[Karijean31 · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my favorites

[Miriam Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it, fun LDS fiction.

[Alecia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time staying interested in this book. It was so slow and the characters lacked depth.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tough topic of child sex abuse when mom was younger.

[NaDell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second book in the Alpine series about Maggie who inherits her paternal grandmother's home and has to decide if she's ready to meet her father's side of the family and if she can trust men.