Book Review: "Emily's Chance" by Sharon Gillenwater

Emily Rose may be in the tiny West Texas town of Callahan Crossing for the moment, but it's just a rung on her ladder to success. Her work at the Callahan Crossing historical society will look good on her ever-growing resume as she attempts to break into the prestigious world of a big city museum curator. Little does she know cowboy and contractor Chance Callahan has decided that he can convince her to stay--both with the town and with him. As he helps Emily restore the town's history after a devastating fire, he also helps her uncover her own hidden worth and the value of love.

I really enjoyed the first book in the Callahans of Texas series. I felt that it gave a good romance story without any of the cliches or stereotypes most romances feel that they must include. Also even though it takes place in Texas, I never felt as if the characters were giving off the, We're Texans and better than the rest of the country type of vibe. Therefore I was looking forward to the next book in the series which dealt with another member of the Callahan family finding love. I knew I'd be in for a treat and I wasn't disappointed.

I really liked Emily's character. This is because she's a history and museum major just like me! Everything she said about discovering the past and wanting to restore it, I could relate with 100%. Even though there were folks that didn't understand why she liked dealing with old things that no one else cares about, I knew how she felt. There's nothing like going through items in the past to discover the untold stories of long ago. Due to Emily's family ties, I understood and accepted her decision about her career. However, I am still happy she continued to apply for the job to see what her chances would be for future references.

As a romance story, I thought the book was very well written. Emily and Chance have really good chemistry together throughout the story. There is no automatic falling in love story but neither is there the other overused plot line where two characters hate each other before falling in love. This book shows Emily and Chance's relationship growing over time and how they fall in love slowly but still enjoy a good friendship as well. That's what I liked best about their relationship is that they are not only in love but good friends as well. While I don't think it would be a factor in their relationship in their future, I do wonder if the issue of Chance only having a high school degree and Emily have multiple graduate school degrees will ever come up.

I thought this was a really good contemporary romance. The characters are not stereotypes and the romance doesn't seemed forced at all. I never felt annoyed with any of the characters or the storyline in general. I thought it was written very well and I enjoyed my time in Callahan Crossing immensely. I look forward to returning in the future to find more romance with the Callahan family.

Emily's Chance by Sharon Gillenwater is published by Revell (2010)

This review copy was provided by the publisher