ARC Review: Chance (Ghost Ops #2)

Chance (Ghost Ops #2)

Lynn Raye Harris

Blurb:

Aurora Harper doesn’t like Chance Hughes. He’s too handsome, too charismatic, and he’s a player. She’s had enough of players in her life after her fiancé left her for a bridesmaid three weeks before the wedding.

Been there, done that, not doing it again. But Rory let down her guard.

She and Chance spent two hot weeks together after Rory nearly died at the hands of a madman. Chance was part of the team that found her, and he stayed by her side from the moment she was freed until she kicked him out of her house when she came to her senses.

That should have been the end of it… until one line on a plastic stick changes her life forever.

Thanks to a tragic childhood, Ghost Ops soldier Chance doesn’t believe in the kind of love that lasts. There’s always been something about Rory that drew him to her, but they’re like oil and water. It’s not meant to be and it’s not worth fighting for.

But then Chance learns Rory’s pregnant at the same time someone starts sabotaging her home and business. There’s not a force on this earth that can stop Chance from unleashing the warrior inside and ending the threat to his woman and child.

Because they are his. And he’s going to prove it to her, even if it takes his very last breath to do so…

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

I have really been looking forward to this second book in the Ghost Ops series, basically since the last word of the first story, but I never realized that Lynn would smack us with the story she did because WOW. I am a huge fan of pretty much anything that Ms. Harris releases, but her new Ghost Ops series follows our favorite second-in-command as he takes leadership of his own group of six badasses in a mission that could mean the end of the world as we know it if they fail.  Chance Hughes is one of the operators that has to succeed in his mission, but he also has a new personal mission as he finds his heart and soul taken over by the fiery and beautiful Aurora Harper.  The two of them have a lot of obstacles to go over, not the least of which is Rory’s own insecurities, but Chance is determined to make her his woman and win her heart, but keeping her safe might turn out to be the most important mission for him. With enemies coming out of the woodwork and danger around every corner Rory and Chance have to trust one another explicitly and find a way to work together if they have any chance at a future. I loved every minute of this story and with the epilogue leaving us hanging in a big way about another character’s survival, Seth (coming soon) will be a nailbiter and I cannot wait.  Lynn has another winner with Chance as far as I’m concerned.

Aurora “Rory” Harper has not had an easy course in life, but she refuses to let any barriers keep her from living her life on her terms or meeting the goals she set for herself. She has her farm, her family business, and had two beautiful weeks with the sexy man that intrigued her to no end, but she has moved on and wants to just keep living her life—but fate has other plans for them. Now with a new addition to her life, one that will forever link her to Chance Hughes, Rory has to change the direction of her life and the property developers hassling her to sell her family farm aren’t helping her stress levels. Chance loved every moment he has spent with Rory, both in bed and out, but the woman pushed him away and he still isn’t really sure why, but when he discovers not only that she is in danger, but that she is carrying their child, there is no way he is leaving her to go it alone.  However, the more time they spend together, with Chance showing her how much he cares for her and Rory seeing that not all men will use her and leave her, the closer they come to losing their hearts forever. As dangerous enemies surround and threaten Rory and Chance puts everything into protecting her, they have to decide if they are going to take a chance on a future while Chance has to break through the walls around Rory’s heart, all without allowing the enemy to get the best of them.

Usually, I have to say that the characters in Ms. Harris’s novels are instant ones I fall in love with, but Rory drove me up the wall with her stubbornness and the titanium fortress she had built around her heart.  I understand having insecurities (boy, do I), but she simply REFUSED to see the beauty of the man right in front of her and accept the gift she was being given, despite the evidence right in front of her.  Rory has been hurt in the past, abandoned and mistreated, to be sure, but she’s also got so many people that love and support her, and she doesn’t look past her hangups and fears in order to see all the people that love her.  I loved Rory’s fire, sass, wit, and willingness to do whatever it takes for those she loves, but her detachment from Chance and unwillingness to open her heart for the longest time really made me want to slap her far too often.  It wasn’t until she finally began to accept his love and see that he would be devoted to her and their child, truly being a part of their lives that I really began to like her and see she could be a match for Chance. I have to say though that Chance is one of my favorite heroes in a while; he was sweet, sexy, protective, but he also knew his woman and understood that in order to keep her and make a life with her he had to work around her and cut through her BS in order to get her to let him in.   While some might say he was pushy, I admire his persistence, his need to keep pushing and showing her that he was going to be there for whatever she needed no matter how hard she pushed him away.  He stood by her, offered his support, learned how to care for her without steamrolling her, but didn’t let her lie to either of them when she tried to find reasons they would never work.  I loved Chance and would enjoy seeing more men (in fiction and real life) just like him, football obsession and all.

It's not everyday that we find the kind of partner that will call us on our BS, protect us from danger and our own doubts, and be there for us every step of the way as we battle through the daily crap of living. Chance is the story of two people that find one another through all the drama and danger, finally coming out the other side with the realization that their love is strong enough to beat any threat. Rory’s heart has been badly bruised, but thankfully her spirit hasn’t been broken and when she finds the strength to slowly trust, Chance shows her that he will heal her and always be there for her.  Her fierce need to protect herself and those she loves to give her an inner strength that could be standup to any obstacle and her sweet, loving nature makes her the quintessential southern woman in my opinion once she opens her heart to share her love with Chance.  Chance is an amazingly open and sweet man, one that locked eyes on Rory and never seemed to be able to get her out of his mind or heart.  Once he learns the gift fate has given them, he goes all in and determines that he will break down her walls and shows her he will be everything she needs in a partner for the rest of their lives.  The blazing passion between these two has been obvious from the first moment they met in the previous book, and it never wanes as their loves grows in their story.  I am looking forward to watching their relationship develop even more as their future develops in future novels.  Seth should be one heck of a story as it seems like Seth will have his heart stolen by a woman that is suspected of being in league with enemies and is definitely in danger.  I am loving this new spinoff series and cannot wait for the full series to be done, because I am betting, we won’t get Ghost’s book until last (cries a bit), but until then, I will enjoy each new release as we get it from Ms. Harris.

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.