Book Review: Last Chance Family by Hope Ramsay

This was a treat to read! An orphaned child, a cat and some kittens add to the charm of this sweet romance.
Last Chance Family
by Hope Ramsay

• File Size: 1238 KB
• Print Length: 369 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1455556432
• Publisher: Forever (November 25, 2014)
• Sold by: Hachette Book Group
• ASIN: B00IRISK4K
• Genre: Contemporary Romance

My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: November 25, 2014
Mike Taggart has always been willing to take a gamble. But these stakes are just way too high - there's no way he's prepared to become a legal guardian to his five-year-old niece. His only option is to head from Las Vegas to Last Chance to sort things out as quickly as possible. Problem is, he arrives to find an inconsolable little girl, her sick cat, and a gorgeous veterinarian he can't get out of his mind.

Charlene Polk has two talents: healing sick critters and falling in love with the wrong men. Mike has trouble written all over him, but she can't leave him in the lurch. And the more time she spends with the sexy high roller, the more she sees that this ready-made family is the best stroke of luck they've ever had . . .

Review:
Mike is a gambler who plays poker in Las Vegas and supplements his income with day trading. Mike doesn’t believe he is made for family life. After all, as a five year-old, his stepdad left with his three year-old half brother, Timmy. Mike suffered with his addicted mother until he escaped home and his mom’s dangerous boyfriend, leaving behind his younger half sister, Angie. Now he has taken over temporary custody of his traumatized five year-old niece, Angie’s daughter, who witnessed her mother’s drive-by murder. Mike brings Rainbow, clutching Tigger her cat, to Last Chance, where he hopes that her other uncle, Pastor Tim, will take over custody.

Charlene is the assistant veterinarian in Last Chance. She has had a history of picking the wrong men, including her latest crush who she learns isn’t interested in her...or any other woman in town. Mike and Rainbow bring Tigger to the vet’s office with the sniffles and a cough. Charlene is quick to misjudge Mike’s real relationship with the adorable, clearly mixed-race child who won’t speak.

Pastor Tim is shocked when Mike shows up with Rainbow. He doesn’t remember having an older brother so is inclined to check out the story. He directs Mike and Rainbow to an apartment of one of his parishioners who is out of town. Mike is surprised to discover his interesting neighbors. One is another of Pastor Tim’s parishioners who is part of the local gossip chain in their small town. The other neighbor is the curvy veterinarian, Charlene, who has her own secret reasons for wanting to protect and care for Rainbow and Tigger while keeping her distance from the sexy bad-boy gambler.

Charlene and Rainbow begin to bond and Mike begins to think that Charlene would make a perfect Mother for Rainbow. All he has to do is get her hooked up with Pastor Tim, while ignoring his own attraction to her. A bachelor auction fundraiser seems just the place to get them together if he can get Tim to agree to participate and convince Charlene to bid on him. Mike even consults with Miriam, the town matchmaker.

I found myself picking this up whenever I had open time, and even staying up late to read. It is an adorable story! I totally enjoyed the vulnerable characters as they first tried to resist each other and later found redemption through each other. Ms. Ramsey treats several sensitive issues with grace and gentleness. The secondary characters are fun too and helped to remind me why I always enjoy this series. The romance is clean and warm and the writing has an easy flow with cute phrases that I like.

This may not be grand literature but it is an entertaining treat to read. I recommend this story to those who enjoy sweet, warm romance with child and animal elements.

I received this for an author tour and honest review. Please visit Author Top 5 post for Giveaway chance!

Hope Ramsay Blog Tour: Top 5 Favorites, Excerpt and Giveaway!

About LAST CHANCE FAMILY

Mike Taggart has always been willing to take a gamble. But these stakes are just way too high - there's no way he's prepared to become a legal guardian to his five-year-old niece. His only option is to head from Las Vegas to Last Chance to sort things out as quickly as possible. Problem is, he arrives to find an inconsolable little girl, her sick cat, and a gorgeous veterinarian he can't get out of his mind. Charlene Polk has two talents: healing sick critters and falling in love with the wrong men. Mike has trouble written all over him, but she can't leave him in the lurch. And the more time she spends with the sexy high roller, the more she sees that this ready-made family is the best stroke of luck they've ever had . . .

Buy Links

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1FapmNm 

Books-A-Million: http://bit.ly/1qKhFwx 

IndieBound: http://bit.ly/1tb4hwH 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1uOlCA8 

I thoroughly enjoyed this charming book. Please check out my Review!

About Hope Ramsay

Hope Ramsay grew up on the North Shore of Long Island, but every summer Momma would pack her off under the care of Aunt Annie to go visiting with relatives in the midlands of South Carolina. Her extended family includes its share of colorful aunts and uncles, as well as cousins by the dozens, who provide the fodder for the characters you'll find in Last Chance, South Carolina. She's a two-time finalist in the Golden Heart and is married to a good ol' Georgia boy who resembles every single one of her heroes. She lives in Fairfax, Virginia, where you can often find her on the back deck, picking on her thirty-five-year-old Martin guitar.

Hope’s social media

@HopeRamsay

www.HopeRamsay.com  

http://facebook.com/Hope.Ramsay

Top 5 Favorite things about the holidays
1. Family
2. Christmas Trees
3. Decorating the house
4. Christmas Eve dinner with friends and family
5. The new flannel PJs that Santa brings me every Christmas Eve.

EXCERPT:
     Charlene stood in the kitchen doorway, her hair wet, her stomach empty, and her heart suddenly racing.  Mike leaned against the counter, his head hung low.  He seemed to be struggling to draw breath.
     She crossed the room and put her hand on the middle of his back.  His T-shirt was soft, the body beneath it hard and warm.
     He straightened and let out a big breath.  "Sorry."
     "What's wrong?"
     "Killer heartburn," he said, then immediately changed the subject.  He moved toward the coffee maker, shaking off her touch.  "You want some coffee?"
     He turned and gave her a quick glance.  That's all it took.
     Her heart wrenched, and she responded the way she always did when confronted with unspoken pain. She encountered it often, usually in the eyes of animals.  But it was there, beyond that mild-mannered expression he tried to wear.  He was hurting.  She reached up to stroke his cheek.  Her fingers encountered his warm skin and rough stubble.  That touch flipped her switch.  Electricity flowed inside her.
     He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as her fingers moved over his face to his ear and up into his bright red hair.
     "Don't," he whispered, but he made no attempt to move away.  He reminded her of an abused animal that growls when all he wants is a little kindness.  She cupped the nape of his neck and pulled him down as she rose up on tip-toes.
     She gave him a soft, gentle kiss.  Nothing deep or sexy, just a little kiss, intended to comfort.  But it didn't stay that way.  Mike grabbed her by the cheeks and pulled her up into it like a man starving for love.  His tongue stroked hers.  His right hand dropped to her hip, and he yanked her forward and into his chest.
Her knees almost buckled.  But she didn't fall, because Mike had her.  His hand found the small of her back as he sagged against the counter.  They leaned together, thigh to thigh, chest to chest.  The kiss turned utterly carnal.  His hand wandered up over her spine to her breast.  He palmed it.  Her nipples came alive.  He groaned.
....
     His words ignited a bad-girl fire that pretty much torched her reservations about him.  "Okay."
     His gaze widened.  "I'm not a reliable bet," he said.
     She laughed.  "You think I don't know that?"
     "Oh."
     She could almost feel him having second thoughts.  And she had no intention of allowing that.  She'd have the rest of her life to regret this choice.  Or not.
     Which would she regret more?  Letting her reservations about him put the kibosh on this?  Or spending the rest of her life wondering if maybe she should have bet on Mike Taggart?
     Heartbreak was her middle name.  "I'm a gambler," she whispered.  "And sometimes the long shots pay off."
     "Not usually," he said.
     "Maybe not.  But I'm the eternal optimist.”

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