A Chance for Charity

The Immortal Ones #1

by S.L. Baum

A new family has just arrived in the isolated mountain town of Telluride, Colorado. Welcome the Johnstons - Jason (a doctor), Rachel (a designer), and their niece Emily (a current High School Senior).

Emily has lived the life of a quiet loner in the past, trying to go unnoticed. But with Telluride being such a small and welcoming town, she finds a group of friends at school almost immediately. When Emily meets Link (another new transplant in town) her world turns upside down. She doesn't understand why she feels a magnetic pull toward him, or why she unknowingly lets her guard down around him. Link is just as confused by his own need to be with her.

Emily knows she is playing with fire. She should be doing whatever she can to keep herself isolated, to keep Link from getting too close. Danger has a way of finding Emily's family - that is what keeps them on the move. They arrive in a new town every few years - it is safer that way.

Because... Emily isn't really Emily... her real name is Charity - and Charity has an even bigger secret. Charity and her family are not like other people, they have "skills" that mere mortals cannot begin to comprehend.

Before long, Charity is struggling with the reality that her two lives are coming closer to each other with each passing day. Soon Link will find himself wrapped in a supernatural world that he never knew existed - and discover that mortals are not the only beings that walk this earth.

Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Ebooks, Vampires

304 pages, Paperback

First published June 3, 2010

Reviews

[Randi Lovett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book out because it was free on Amazon. The writing is really sub-par, which is too bad because the story has potential. the dialogue is far too focused on exposition and not at all on realistic speech patterns. Some of the plot twists come out of nowhere and seemed more like the author was just writing what popped in her mind at any given moment rather than putting any effort into an outline or plan for the story.

The characters were so...one-dimensional! Everyone had the same voice, and they were so WORDY. Since it's first person, there's no reason for the protagonist not to share some thoughts like the fact that even though she tells him she's not a witch or a vampire once she finds out she's an Immortal, it's not until the end of the book that she mentions that they do exist.

I would say that this was a good second or third draft for a creative writing course and could really stand some major editing and a bit more planning to get it to the next level.

[Diane Daniels · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, I've got to stop reading these $.99 specials on my kindle. I can't believe I read the whole thing! It wasn't terrible. It was clean. That being said, the romance was overly sweet and corny. The dialogue was stiff. The plot was barely there. The villains were unbelievable. Why would these men dedicate their lives to seeking and destroying "immortals" just because they could heal themselves? The book is like a trite and overused recipe for paranormal romance stirred in immortals, witches, a pinch of shape shifters, and in the final chapter add a vampire.

[Runningrabbit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This first book is FREE on Amazon, however, the following book is $4.99 and it's not good enough for me to continue when I have so many others on my to-read list.

[Rabbit {Paint me like one of your 19th century gothic heroines!} · Rating 3 out of 5]

The world building was interesting and the best part of this book.

This read like Twilight fanfic, but I'm not sure if it is. I will look into this.

I found it hard to believe that an 80 year old Immortal would act/think like a 17 year old girl. The idea of Immortals was interesting, but the execution seemed flawed. Again, I am not the audience for this book, but I would have preferred if Charity/Emily actually thought/acted like an adult woman, when not masquerading as 17 year old girl.

[Janell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Woe is me, I really wanted to enjoy this book. The plot had some major potential, and I'm disappointed that it didn't end up in my 'holy gods I love it' pile.

The writing was wooden. The emotion was phoned in, and because the story wasn't explained to us until about 20% in, completely out of left field at moments. Here's a 20 year old woman posing as a 17 year old senior living with her "Aunt" and "Uncle", when in reality she's 90 years old, immortal, and has lived through the death of a fiancee.. why is she CONSTANTLY seeking affirmation and begging forgiveness from her adoptive family? She's so unsure of herself that she truly sounds like a teenager, instead of a woman with 90 years experience under her belt.

Now, maybe this is me with unrealistic expectations from a fictional character (guilty!) but when I was 20, I was unstoppably confident in everything I did. I was an ADULT and nobody could tell me otherwise. I was also married, with no kids, and a decent job, and literally no bills; so I was bored and had money to remedy that with -- but even so, I was confident! If I had been immortal and had 90 years more experience under my belt? I definitely wouldn't be miss demure "Oh, I slept in my clothing and this is the first boy I've kissed and/or dated in the last 70 years". I can't at all relate to her, because she's such a sap. I'm sorry. It's true. She's a sap.

On top of that little annoyance of mine (and really, it is minor), he asks her Aunt & Uncle formally if he can "court" her (who says that? really? court?), seemingly completely OK with the fact that at one time this gal was engaged to his grandpa's older brother, and she's suddenly talking about how they're going to spend the rest of their lives together.

Let's review: No boyfriends or attractions in 70 years and now suddenly this is it? After a month or two of knowing him and ONE kiss, suddenly they're together forever and ever amen?! She's not *really* 17, so I can't even forgive this little infatuation as her being a dumb teenager (I remember being in love many times as a dumb teenager, personally).

So... yeah. The rest of the book just didn't outweigh the first half, and I just sped through the rest of it. I had hopes. They were dashed. Oh well.

[Imogen Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faced with the daunting prospect of yet another high school, seventeen-year-old Emily Johnston is fully prepared to cope as she always does–by keeping a low profile. She, however, quickly finds herself surrounded by a group of friendly students, and strangely drawn to Link, the new mysterious stranger in town.

S.L. Baum quickly draws us into the intriguing life of Emily and her family. Why do they keep moving every few years? The story unfolds at a pace that allows the characters to be fully developed. The intense relationship between Emily and Link unfolds to divulge ... I won’t tell! S.L. Baum’s style is elegant and easy to follow. I enjoyed reading this book, as did my ten-year-old daughter. We are looking forward to the sequel!

[Iris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deze recensie is als eerste geplaatst op Carpe Libra

A Chance for Charity was een aardig boek om te lezen. Je zat zo in het verhaal en het las makkelijk weg. Er gebeurde echter niet echt veel noemenswaardig en het riep ook geen sterke gevoelens bij me op. Het bleef allemaal een beetje vaag. Dit soort verhalen vind ik eigenlijk het moeilijkst om een recensie over te schrijven. Want waar moet je het over hebben als niets eruit springt?

Wat wel het opmerken waard is, is dat dit boek me aan Twilight deed denken. Niet in de zin van dat dit verhaal overeen komt. Nee, A Chance for Charity is een totaal ander verhaal. Echter op de een of andere manier stelde ik me voor dat dit het het verhaal zou zijn als je het vanuit Edwards perspectief had gelezen. Dat dit zijn emoties waren toen hij Bella leerde kennen en voor haar viel. Ook al zijn er in geen velden of wegen glitterende vampiers te bekennen en is de hoofdpersoon overduidelijk vrouwelijk, dit was waar mijn verstand mee op de proppen kwam en die wilde dit idee niet laten varen ;)

Iets anders wat ik toch wel leuk vond, is de connectie tussen Charity's verleden en Link (achteraf gezien zeer goed gekozen naam :D ). Het raakte toch wel een gevoelige snaar, want op deze manier is de cirkel weer rond, wordt het verleden niet vergeten en bewijst het dat sommige dingen are meant to be. Ik was ook blij toen bleek dat er in dit boek geen sprake is van insta love, maar dat dit rustig en geleidelijk aan gebeurd. Genoeg van de eerste variant gelezen de laatste tijd en dit boek was dan ook een welkome verrassing :)

Het enige waar ik toch wel een beetje mee zat, is de manier waarop gedaanteverwissellaars in dit boek geportretteerd worden. Totaal anders dan de boeken die ik tot nu toe gelezen heb. Hoewel ik geen probleem heb met een andere, nieuwe manier om over mijn favoriete wezens te denken, vond ik deze niet echt leuk. Het druiste teveel in met alles wat ik geweldig aan ze vind.

Conclusie

A Chance for Charity is een aardig verhaal over een apart soort "vampier." Het was een aangename verandering om deze keer te lezen door de ogen van het paranormale wezen in plaats van de "gewone" sterfelijke. Met een schattige en leuke romance, waar toch meer achter zit dan je in eerste instantie denkt. Als ze nou de gedaanteverwissellaars op een andere manier weer hadden gegeven, dan was ik helemaal happy geweest. Een ideaal boek voor als je een paar uur niets te doen hebt.

[Chandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

AUTHOR: S. L. Baum writes young adult, romance fiction. This author has written (4) books. I found the book to posses a lot of chit/chatter dialogue with very little action. Hug, kiss, hug, kiss, etc. What are we reading? Twilight? Hmmmmm

GENRE: Paranormal romance

SETTING: Modern day Colorado

CENTRAL FEMALE CHARACTERS: She is immortal repeating high school (Twilight);
CENTRAL MALE CHARACTER: He is immediately drawn to her (Twilight). He has no relatives but loves her family.

SYNOPSIS: Emily (changed her name when they moved to Telluride Colorado). She lives with her doctor Uncle and her designing Aunt, who are not really her uncle and aunt (Twilight). She has basically 4 friends in high school (Twilight). She and her family are being hunted because of what they are. The book is written in first person, "I" (Twilight). Lincoln discovers what her family really is (Twilight). Other paranormal friends show up to help in the fight (Twilight)....etc

SEXUAL EXPLICITNESS: Measured from Inspirational romance (not explicit) to Erotica (hot, steamy and sizzling). This book keeps it clean.

WHAT I LIKED: Not much as I have read the Twilight series too many times to count.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE: A repeat of guess what. Yup! Twilight. The book was written with characters talking a whole bunch (chitter chatter) but the action was minimal.

I give this book (2) stars because I was being nice. Was this book written before or after Twilight?

[Ivette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the book yet the fact that she didn't have an actual spine but liked to pretend she did, and again there was that other matter of... SPOILER AHEAD [falling for the (grand-)nephew of her dead boyfriend or the fact that the girl had been suicidal when her boyfriend died was kind of pathetic]. The story had a good premise and it kept me intrigued until the end, but there were moments I was rolling my eyes I mean how un-mature can you get. I mean the woman kept saying she was older then the boy over and over *sight* yet she was always acting like a teenage girl. Look I'm just going to let it drop at that because if I don't, I'l get a little pissed. Overall if you take Charity out of the picture and put a hero whit a steel spine the book had been a 5 star one at the very least a 4 one.

[Summer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Glad I got this one free; if I had paid for it I would have been even MORE disappointed. I started skimming about half way through, bored and uninterested in the lives of these people and their unrealistic dialogue. If I had another book lined up I would have stopped completely and left it unfinished, something I have never done before with a book, never EVER. This story is sooooo sloowwww and boring; no action, no conflict, nothing that makes me go ‘ooo, what’s going to happen next?’ It just continues on and on and on, dragging you through day after day of a nothing story. I’ll give it one star for getting edited correctly.

[Sarah Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Chance for Charity was a beautifully crafted, well developed paranormal story. While the story falls under the young adult category, the characters themselves do not behave like naive teenagers – because they are nothing of the sort. Although Charity (who currently goes by Emily) appears to be a seventeen-year-old, in reality she is in her nineties. She, and her companions, Catherine and James, are “immortal ones”. They never age and can heal themselves, but they can be murdered.

Baum does a fantastic job with the characters, especially Charity. I found her to be extremely endearing and easy to sympathize with. For the past seventy odd years she has kept the world at a distance, after she lost her first love during the attack on Pearl Harbor. She looks to Catherine and James for companionship, but it is obvious that she is missing something.
The book begins when Charity, Catherine and James move to the small town of Telluride, Colorado. Because they do not age, they are forced to start over every few years to avoid discovery. The trio is constantly looking over their shoulders for the Lords family – a family who has made it their legacy to hunt down the immortal ones. When they arrive in Telluride, they change their names as a precaution, here Charity is known as Emily Johnston. James and Catherine pose as Charity’s Aunt and Uncle, since they appear older then Charity.

Like the character of Charity, I was also impressed with James and Catherine. As the book progresses both characters are fleshed out and we are given their back stories. I don’t want to give too much about the characters away, but the way they met was very creative. Both Catherine and James care immensely for Charity and act in the parental roles, even though in reality she is over ninety years old.
Soon after the makeshift family arrives in Telluride, Charity meets Link. She instantly feels comfortable with him and cannot seem to stay away. She knows that by allowing a relationship (of any kind) to progress she is putting her family in danger, but she cannot get him off her mind. She feels that she knows him from somewhere and Link feels the same pull towards her.

The only problem I had with this book can be found with Charity and Link’s relationship. Let me start by saying that I loved the two of them together. Link brings out another side to Charity; a side that she has kept hidden away for decades. He too has kept his distance from others and they sort of heal each others wounds. That being said, I thought their relationship progressed way too fast. They go from acquaintances to friends at a reasonable pace, but there descent from friends to soul mates was like lightning. I could kind of see it from Charity’s perspective; I mean she has been waiting to fall in love for a while. But Link is only twenty-two. How many twenty-two year old guys are ready to make a declaration of love after something like two months? Please don’t miss understand me, I was thrilled with their relationship, I just wish they would have slowed down at bit.
On another note, the plotline and writing were phenomenal. You get to meet a few different supernatural creatures as the book progresses – some vampires, witches and even a few shifters. However, I really appreciated that the supernatural elements were not over done. This was obviously a book about supernaturals, but that was not front and center. Often times with these sort of books, the characters themselves suffer because the author was so focused on their supernatural qualities and traits. All of the characters in A Chance for Charity were beautifully developed and the plot lines were well thought out.

There is also plenty of excitement packed within the pages; things really start to heat up when the Lord brothers come to town. Catherine, James and Charity have to decide whether to runaway once again or to stay and put up a fight. Like I said before, although they are immortal, they can be killed. They are terrified of losing one another, because they are all they have. I cannot imagine how lonely it would be, living on forever as you watch those around you die. The three of them keep each other sane; I don’t think they could stand it if they lost one another.

On a final note, the setting is also to-die-for. The images of the quaint ski town of Telluride that Baum paints are gorgeous. I could easily picture every different setting; Catherine’s store, Charity’s mansion, the ski slopes – every lovely detail was described. Yet, the writing never seemed to drag. The pacing was always just right. While we get a lot of information about each character, it comes in short segments so it is never overwhelming. There is nothing I hate more than when a writer goes off on a side note for pages and pages and pages. Thankfully, this is avoided and everything flows smoothly.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Chance for Charity and look forward to reading the sequel, which is going to be published sometime this year. Besides the minor problem with the pace of Charity and Link’s romance, the book was flawless. I connected with all of the characters, loved the storyline and cannot wait to see what happens to Charity and the gang next.

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was this book bad? Maybe not. But it was so, so boring.

So we have our main character, Emily—a.k.a. Charity—who starts high school after moving to a new town. Already sounds familiar? She tries not to get too close to anyone, but quickly is accepted by a group of friends where no one has a hint of personality. Then she gets into some minor trouble that could easily have been avoided if she had been just a tiny bit smarter, and is saved by—you guessed it—the inevitable love interest.

This already seems way too similar to several books I don't particularly like. The tropey beginning is one thing. Another thing is that Charity is more or less indistinguishable from every other paranormal heroine. She has no personality outside of complaining or being in love, and despite being closer to ninety years old, she acts like she hasn't matured a day over fifteen. I know she stopped aging somewhere around twenty, but that shouldn't stop her from at least gaining a little wisdom as the decades passed, right? Well, apparently it did.

Link, the love interest, firstly shows up at some kind of Halloween party. He just stares at Charity for a few seconds and then leaves. This could have hinted at him being some kind of villain, or at least a little shady, but no. He's neither of those things, and that leaves this staring moment unnecessary and out of place. But you can't have a love interest who doesn't stare creepily at you, right? Otherwise, he wouldn't be *~sexy~*.

(those last two sentences were sarcasm, just in case you wonder)

He then saves Charity, who is supposed to be agile and have great reflexes, from falling down a mountain. Already then, she starts drooling over him. He later shows up outside her spa room while she is naked in the bath, so in case you didn't see the aforementioned staring as creepy, you should at least see this stalker moment. We then have some chapters lacking in substance, where all they do is ski or something, and Charity's friends start noticing the romantic tension that is oh so obvious to everyone—except the readers.

We then have a whole chapter of Charity's back story that basically leads up to Link being the grand nephew of her deceased fiancé (am I the only one who found that weird?), before more chapters of nothing. This is also where we hear about the Lords, a family of religious fanatics who want to kill all immortals. This could have been interesting, but was never developed past "they think immortals are the devil and want to kill them". When it's as simple as that, it doesn't seem like a compelling enough cause for generations of them to keep hunting immortals.

Then we have another chapter of back story, this time for James, which has no relevance to the plot, and also seems weirdly constructed since he remembers everyone's lines from centuries back word for word (which Charity also did when telling her story, by the way). Then there's a family gathering (not really, just a bunch of friends, but whatever) that introduces a lot of completely irrelevant side characters (with only one of them—Marcus—being even slightly interesting), some useless drama (not really, but whatever) about Cozmo, and then, after three quarters of the book passing with almost no plot, we suddenly jump straight to climax.

The Lords now kidnap Charity and Link, and instead of just killing them and being done with it, they drag out the time a lot, just so the rest of the immortals and witches and what not can swoop in and save the day. Then another completely useless character is thrown in, yells something theatrical about her brothers, and subsequently gets paired off with Cozmo so he finally gets a "happy ending" after being rejected by Charity fifteen–twenty years ago. I don't know if you're aware of it, but it is actually possible to live a happy life without a romantic partner.

The last fourteen percent are just fillers. And oh, Link is special too now, by the way. Whatever.

Did my poorly phrased and way too long summary manage to keep your attention? If the answer is "no", then I can assure you that the book is even worse. It was so boring I didn't want to keep reading it when I had the chance, not even when I didn't have any other forms of entertainment. I was never pulled into the story, I was just observing from the outside, which made the whole thing feel really flat.

And flat stories are no good.

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

*WARNING: Review may contain minor spoilers.*

A Chance for Charity by S.L. Baum has been on and off my Amazon Wish List more times than I can count. One moment I was positive that I wanted it than the next not so sure. Ultimately I decided that I would borrow now and buy later which means that this review is based off of the Kindle version of the novel lent to me by a member of a lending site.

I'll admit that I was concerned with the "skills" that the summary noted as in my experience authors either do something really amazing with said skills or make them completely unrealistic or over powerful and I lose interest. This was the primary reason I was hesitant to purchase my own copy of this book and instead opted to borrow it.

My initial thoughts are that it's a fun, quick read. I really enjoyed learning about the histories of the different character, Rachel and Jason in particular though Emily/Charity was interesting as well. The romance was sweet between all of the couples especially Emily/Charity and Link. They're that couple so in tune with one another and adorable that you would claim to hate them and secretly hope that you would have the same thing someday.

One thing that bothered me about this book, and this could just be me, was that it was mentioned that not only witches but vampires also existed. And don't forget the Shape-Shifters! This knowledge jarred me out of the story itself for a few moments. Logically I know that if such a thing as Immortals could exist than it isn't too unlikely that there could be other races such as witches and vampires. However at the time I was so invested into the world of the Immortals to find out that these other races existed, and might have descended from the Immortals threw me off. Again it could just be me but they felt superfluous.

Another minor thing was when they were texting they used actual text speech. Which is just a pet peeve of mine so it shouldn't bother anyone else, just thought I'd mention it in the interest of full disclosure.

Overall I liked the story and I'm giving A Chance for Charity by S.L. Baum three out of five stars. It was good read, fun to pass some time with but ultimately there was something missing for me. At only ninety-nine cents for the Kindle edition I think it's worth it but I wouldn't pay ten dollars for a paperback copy. Keep in mind that even if you don't have a Kindle you can download it to your computer/laptop/tablet/smart-phone and read it there. :)

[Mills · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate to be harsh about a freebie but... wow this was bad. It was written in first person but despite this, we only heard Charity's thoughts maybe half a dozen times. Whether this was because the author is not terribly skillful or because Charity is brain dead is hard to say. Baum's writing is incredibly clunky - there is virtually no description - this is literally a hundred-and-whatever pages of speech. And not even realistic speech. No one talks like the characters in this book, believe me. But equally it could be because Charity is brain dead. I complain a lot about teenage characters that are written like they're 40-somethings but that's not what we have here. Charity sounds very much like an insecure teenage girl which is great... except she's actually 90-ish and shouldn't really still be desperately seeking approval from parental figures. She doesn't even use her admittedly limited powers for anything interesting. Well, not unless you count staying up late watching action movies and still being able to get up in the morning as interesting.

You'd think that at some point in the past few decades she might've had a fling or two but Charity is purer than pure and so shocked when she comes across a man she goes all OMG A MAN! WITH EYES! NICE EYES! *swoons*. And then... nothing happens. But suddenly she and Link are madly in love (does anyone else think it's creepy that she gets with her first love's great-nephew? No?). Even though nothing happened. At least in Twilight, which a lot of this story has basically been lifted from, there are some scenes where Edward and Bella fall in love. Because A Chance is basically bits and pieces from the Twilight saga mashed up and told from Edward's perspective (if, you know, Edward were a neurotic immortal teenage girl, rather than a cloyingly sweet immortal teenage boy) but if anything, it's actually worse.

[Morgan Duplechin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am sooooooo mad at this book. It started out great giving you the idea that they, maybe this will be pretty good. No sirree. It almost seemed as if the author took the main ideas from all of the popular series at the time and combined them to make this book. All of the characters were very cheesy and unrealistic. They always used the cheesiest (is cheesiest even a word???) lines and everything just seemed like it was perfect. The things that weren't perfect were wayyyyy overdramatized and unbelievable. I mean seriously? Why would this guy suddenly just get this crazy need to start killing all the immortals? And this family thing just got passed on from son to son for about a hundred years and nobody thought "hey, why are we even chasing these people anyway? I mean, what's the point in chasing these things for our whole lives?" But nope in this world it's completely natural for everyone to just obsess over killing immortals for no reason. I guess you can tell I didn't like this book (there's a shocker), but if you have a soft heart for romance and you want something that's all lovey dovey then you should pick up this book. Happy reading!

[Ban · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the sample on my Kindle and enjoyed the writer's style and the feel but the book got 'meh' about half way through. It seemed disjointed and the relationship between the MCs wasn't realistic to me. Charity knew NOTHING about ... I don't even remember his name now but it doesn't matter. I understand lust at first sight and can work with that; trust and/or Love at first sight ... nope.
The paranormal element was a bit muddled as well. Not bad but I feel it would have benefited from a little more explanation (?)
Again, the writer's style/voice was good, which I find very rare lately but the story did not hold my interest - I did not continue with the series.

If this picky review benefits someone else great, if not - you have my apologies but this was never meant to be shared with others. I am writing these reviews for my own benefit, so I can look back years from now and remember what I thought of the books I've read.

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aren’t there already enough paranormal books aimed at the YA audience? Although not my thing, either demographic or genre, I’d heard enough good buzz about this book to give it a try. I’m glad I did. The characters are well developed and likeable. There’s mystery, romance, and enough conflict to keep an adult engaged, yet nothing that should concern the parent of a teen. An added bonus is the setting, the ski town of Telluride in beautiful South Western Colorado.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great YA novel! I loved everything about this story. I can't wait for more to come! What a wonderful new author.

[Kristy Berridge · Rating 2 out of 5]

Being a senior at a new school isn't easy, especially if it's the sixth time you've capitulated to too long days of calculus, social studies and the endless barrage of mindless, teenage gossip.
Charity, AKA Emily Johnston doesn't seem to mind. It sort of comes with the territory of being immortal. Blending in and moving from one small town to the next is all part of the process of keeping her unusual longevity and that of her two closest friends/family a secret.
Hunted for centuries, Charity is forced to constantly hide who she really is, lie to everyone she meets and avoid emotional connections. It isn't until she moves to the snow-capped town of Telluride, Colorado and meets the handsome and strangely familiar Lincoln that she begins to question his existence, her past, and uncover a rather uncertain future.
A Chance for Charity spends most of the novel exploring Charity's cautious nature and inability to trust as well as the slowly evolving romance with Lincoln that tends to illicit much yawning. Quickly in love and physically sedate, there isn't a whole lot of excitement on the romantic front.
Well written and teamed with some angst-ridden moments, I wanted to fall in love with the clearly defined characters and allotted roles. I wanted to immerse myself in Charity's conflict and be compelled to scream at her to take risk and live in the moment, but sadly, I was left wanting.
Perhaps the purpose of this novel was to warm the heart with an old-fashioned romance and add just a touch of supernatural action as set up for future novels.
The intrigue developed via additional characters seated in the last half of the novel, and did ramp up the plot to a suitable conclusion, but again, it was not entirely unexpected - a show down between immortal and hunter always on the cards.
Imagery was sufficient but not efficient in enticement. I wanted action, I wanted detail - I wanted ... more. A chance for Charity is an easy read, suitably pleasant and recommended for those that like to keep the darkness locked in their closets rather than head on in with a flashlight and baseball bat.

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A former student of mine would call this book a romantasy. I am usually not big on romance novels in any form. There has to be something mysterious or different going on in the story. That is probably why I was never a fan of the Harlequin romance stories. I didn’t get into the mushy, gushy side of it. I never really felt like they had a strong plot thread. This book is different.
Emily, previously known as Charity and her “family” have moved to Telluride, Colorado. They have to move every few years to keep up appearances. They are immortals with special abilities. You can imagine the issue this could cause for a relationship. In addition to all of that Charity and her family is going through, they are being hunted by two brothers whose sole job is to hunt down immortals.
Charity usually stays to herself. She isolates herself because it is so much easier. She begins school makes friends fairly easy. Then she meets Link, another new student. There seems to be a connection between Link and Charity. I told you Charity was an immortal, but Link is not. This adds another complicated layer to the story. The author has created a story that shows well developed world building as well as well developed characters. It truly has everything you could want. It has the romance, if you are into that. It has the mystery/supernatural side. This is what kept me reading even though it is a romance. As I read this book, I kept thinking about how difficult it is being a teen. The tension is raised because Charity not only has to live the life of a teen, but she has had to do this numerous times. I teach teens and every day with them is a reminder of what my teen years were like. I would not want to relive that life over and over again. So, if you are into supernatural romances, then you will definitely want to check out this book. As a supernatural romance, it has a bit of something for everyone.

[Debbie Civil · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a refreshing book! Anyone that knows me, won’t find this surprising, but I’m all about the sweet paranormal romances. In fact, I can get lost in those feel good novels for hours. This read was no different.
So, the novel begins with Emily, whose real name is, Charity. And, yes, she’s the one that is a part of the supernatural world. She has decided to stick with her friends, who pose as her aunt and uncle. They travel every few years in order to stay undetected by hunters, and curious humans. Of course, she meets Link, who is completely human and unaware of the supernatural. Link is in his early twenties, and Charity is posing as a 17-year-old, don’t worry she’s actually much older. In fact, Charity has a heart-breaking past and by the end of the novel, an unknown aspect of her history will be revealed.
Charity is transformed by the relationships she makes, both romantic and platonic. I have to mention that Charity and Link’s chemistry is lovely, beautiful and makes me nostalgic. I don’t want to give away too much, but I will mention some cool aspects of this book. The author incorporates witches, vampires, and shifters. Meanwhile, she also created a race of beings that have something in common with vampires. I also love how the author brought Telluride to life. She wrote in such a way that I felt like I was on the slopes with the lovebirds.
This book will appeal to anyone that enjoys a feel-good novel that has magic, hilarious side characters, love and awesome dialogue.

[C.J. Santiago · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

Charity is a high school student, completing her sixth senior year. She's not really a child, but with a new town and a new name she must fit in. Her companions James and Catherine are immortals, as is Charity. She has a few friends and wants to learn to ski. She meets Link, who looks familiar. She is drawn to him.

Turns out there is a reason why Link looks familiar. Charity and Link fall in love, but they are all being hunted by killers who hate immortals. Things hear up.

It's a cute story.......the characters could have been more developed, especially the bad guys.

Read on my friends

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book!
We get introduced to some beautifully created characters with interesting and intriguing stories it mixes well into the paranormal story that unfolds.
Original and creative, I found the background stories to the creation of the creatures is just brilliant refreshing.
Perfectly executed each new character as the were introduced was not rushed nor was it boring,I find myself wanting more as I kept reading.
I'm definitely excited to read the next installment!

Assassins Reading Reviewing Group ~

[Kaytlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a quick read. I read it in a couple days when I had downtime. It kind of reminded me of Twilight Breaking Dawn with the vampires coming to help the family, a fight on a snowy mountain, etc, etc, except it has shape shifters and witches.
I got this book free some time ago on Kindle and just now decided to read it. There are a lot of grammatical errors in it, so I'm not sure who dropped the ball on that one. I don't plan on reading the following books in the series. This was plenty lol.

[Lesley Eggert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down

This book was full of everything humanly possible with the immortals, mortals, witches, shape shifters, and even vampires. What was happening to Charity and her family made the love between her and Linc that more powerful.

[DaisyLynneReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mysterious and fun

A great mysterious and fun read. You learn new things around every corner. Great characters that are easy to laugh and fall in love with. Charity deserves a happy ending and I can't wait to see what else is in store.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and all the diffrent super natural beings in it. I am not sure if I will continue the series. Maybe I will pick it up next month. Was a bit like Twilight to me, but with all kind of diffrent paranormal peeps.

[Jerome Schlicker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love 💘

This is a wonderful story of love 💘 and how Charity falls in love with a man she is immoral and he is not also there is a second plot involving a vampire and other unique characters

[S. J Barthel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally, I do not enjoy novels such as this, however this was well written. It followed the story line well enough and made the character more believable. It is geared more toward a much younger reader. Not a story I am 'over the moon' for but not bad for this genre.

[Lady Entropy · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF