A Last Chance Christmas by Vicki Lewis Thompson

The Basics:
A Last Chance Christmas by Vicki Lewis Thompson
Harlequin Blaze
Book 17(!!) in the Sons of Chance series
Contemporary Romance
Amazon Kobo

Why Did I Grab it?

I like Harlequin generally - during my first pregnancy, I consumed their books at a rate of three or four per day. They're usually ideal for a quick afternoon read/pick-me-up!


Blurb:

A Christmas kiss from a cowboy… 

Ben Radcliffe reckons it'll be a cold day in hell before he considers a serious relationship or family of his own—with good reason. When he delivers a "secret" present to the Last Chance Ranch, however, Ben catches a glimpse of what family could be. And suddenly this lone cowboy finds himself under the mistletoe…planting one heck of a kiss on a stunning woman! 

Genealogist and academic Molly Gallagher is all about family. And even if Ben's secrets make him as skittish as a wild mustang, there's nothing Molly loves more than an enigma. Especially a ridiculously sexy one! But the magic of Christmas—and the Last Chance Ranch—might not be enough to wrangle a cowboy who can't trust himself…

My Thoughts:

I've read a few of the Sons of Chance books - none recently enough to really remember much beyond a few of the characters and the general idea of an increasingly close knit ranching family.

A Last Chance Christmas felt like it absolutely fit into the series. Ben is the saddlemaker responsible for matriarch Sarah's seventieth birthday present. He comes from an abusive, repressive family and is a bit dazzled by how close and happy the Chance family is. Molly is a history professor and the resident family genealogist, at the ranch doing research and to attend Sarah's birthday party.

Molly's a real family girl and Ben is adamantly not a family man. They've got amazing chemistry, and are drawn together despite their differences. And let me say that they are off-the-charts sexy. These two really heat things up - the sex scenes are fan-yourself worthy.

The Chance family is as endearing as ever. Does anyone else want to be an honorary member of a family like this? Not that my family isn't awesome, because it is, but there's something very temporarily appealing about this particular extended family. Having this insight into their pre-Christmas celebrations was very welcome, though the book mainly revolves around Sarah's birthday. So, you know, maybe only four Christmas presents out of five.

The only thing that did bug me a bit about this book was that my eyes glazed over a bit whenever Molly or Ben was wrapped up in inner dialog. There are a couple sections where a few pages are spent in one or the other's head and they really slowed down for me. I also found some of the rhapsodizing over each other a little abrupt. I realize that the two have an immeidate attraction, and quickly discover that they're both awesome people, but it felt a bit mechanical to me on that front.

Bottom Line:

Overall, A Last Chance Christmas fulfilled my expectations about it as both a book in the Harlequin Blaze line *and* as a book in the Chance series. I was happy with it, but not blown away. A quick read, this was a nice way to spend a wintry afternoon!

4 stars
For fans of contemporary romance, men who work with their hands, Harlequin romances