Chance of a Lifetime (Harmony Series #5)

by Jodi Thomas

Overview

The Harmony novels are “Jodi Thomas all the way—super characters [and] lots of riveting subplots.”* Now the New York Times bestselling author takes us back to Harmony, Texas, where big dreams are brewing—and anything and everything is possible…

Emily, the local librarian, has started a writing group, but as the group stumbles through both the fiction and reality of their lives, they’re learning much more than how to write. But Emily suddenly has other things on her mind when a friend from her past shows up in Harmony's library. Now she must deal with a secret she’s kept for fifteen years—a secret that changed her life and threatens to shatter her future.

Meanwhile, new lawyer Rick Matheson thinks he’s in charge of his world until accidents start happening all around him. Just when he realizes someone is trying to kill him, he meets a beautiful U.S. Marshal named Trace Adam. Now that the marshal has given him an even stronger reason to go on living, he must learn to take a chance on life to dream bigger—and love better—than he ever has before...  

*Romance Reviews Today

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780425250525
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	12/31/2012
Series:	Jodi Thomas's Harmony Series , #5
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 6.70(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas is a fifth-generation Texan who sets many of her stories in her home state, where her grandmother was born in a covered wagon. She is a certified marriage and family counselor, a Texas Tech graduate and writer-in-residence at West Texas A&M University. She lives with her husband in Amarillo, Texas.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for Chance of a Lifetime:
"Tender, realistic, and insightful, Thomas's latest title deals with issues that will strike an emotional chord with many readers and will appeal to fans of Debbie Macomber and Sherryl Woods." --Library Journal
"First let me let you in on a secret -- I've never met a Jodi Thomas book that wasn't absolutely dog eared from being read so many times. They are all like warm cozy friends that just beg to be taken back down from the book shelves and revisited....CHANCE OF A LIFETIME is destined to become one of my favorites and I'll wager that it will be yours as well. Thomas managed to interweave a host of stories and characters in this wonderful contemporary tale infused with humor and mystery." --Fresh Fiction
Praise for Jodi Thomas's previous novels:
“Exactly the kind of heart-wrenching, emotional story one has come to expect from Jodi Thomas.”—Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Jodi Thomas is a masterful storyteller. She grabs your attention on the first page, captures your heart, and then makes you sad when it is time to bid her wonderful characters farewell. You can count on Jodi Thomas to give you a satisfying and memorable read.”—Catherine Anderson, New York Times bestselling author
"Thomas sketches a slow, sweet surrender."—Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Chance of a Lifetime:
"Tender, realistic, and insightful, Thomas's latest title deals with issues that will strike an emotional chord with many readers and will appeal to fans of Debbie Macomber and Sherryl Woods." —Library Journal
"First let me let you in on a secret — I've never met a Jodi Thomas book that wasn't absolutely dog eared from being read so many times. They are all like warm cozy friends that just beg to be taken back down from the book shelves and revisited....CHANCE OF A LIFETIME is destined to become one of my favorites and I'll wager that it will be yours as well. Thomas managed to interweave a host of stories and characters in this wonderful contemporary tale infused with humor and mystery." —Fresh Fiction
Praise for Jodi Thomas's previous novels:
“Exactly the kind of heart-wrenching, emotional story one has come to expect from Jodi Thomas.”—Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Jodi Thomas is a masterful storyteller. She grabs your attention on the first page, captures your heart, and then makes you sad when it is time to bid her wonderful characters farewell. You can count on Jodi Thomas to give you a satisfying and memorable read.”—Catherine Anderson, New York Times bestselling author
"Thomas sketches a slow, sweet surrender."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Adding another chapter to her ongoing series set in idyllic Harmony, TX, Thomas sensitively details the lives of more of the townsfolk and the part that chance often plays in these stories that feature not only romance but a mystery. New characters are introduced and old ones are reprised in this well-crafted novel that seamlessly interweaves the various tales. Once again Harmony springs to life as the town librarian reconnects with an estranged friend when he asks her to visit his ailing mother; a criminal defense lawyer aligns with a lovely Harley-riding U.S. marshal when he figures out that someone is out to kill him; and a young musician wants a girl who will love him for himself. VERDICT Tender, realistic, and insightful, Thomas's latest title deals with issues that will strike an emotional chord with many readers and will appeal to fans of Debbie Macomber and Sherryl Woods. Thomas (Just Down the Road) lives in Texas.

Library Journal

Librarian Emily Tomlinson, attorney Rick Matheson and country singer/songwriter Beau Yates share more than just a zip code in Harmony, Texas; they each have secret aspirations they're not even sure of, but their dreams just may come true if they can shake off the past and embrace uncertain but promising futures. Emily loves her library, and she'll do everything she can to help it thrive and keep it safe from budget cuts. Starting a writing group is meant to help increase traffic, but it also opens the door to an old friendship and a life she'd thought lost forever. When it becomes clear someone is trying to kill attorney Rick Matheson, it's his own personal wake-up call. Being threatened brings out the best in him, and vowing to live a more purposeful life might be just what he needs to win the respect of, and a future with, U.S. Marshal Trace Adams. Young musician Beau Yates has his sights on Nashville, but as he watches small-town life flow by him, he realizes that every person has a story, and it doesn't take a big city to offer drama and redemption. In her newest addition to the Harmony series, Thomas introduces us to romance and intrigue in the small Texas town, past and present. While the overall arc of the story makes sense and will satisfy many fans, more discerning readers might be annoyed by some of the details that don't quite add up: like how such vicious attacks seem decidedly "big city" yet don't seem to have a more potent impact on the small town; how they can happen in the middle of the day with no one noticing; the rather weak motivation for the ones that are ultimately explained; or the creaky "we're just friends, s/he can't really want me" motif that is extended far beyond any reasonable adult's suspension of disbelief. Thomas keeps the pace moving along in a decent story, and if romance readers and Thomas fans don't ask too many questions, they won't be disappointed.

Kirkus Reviews

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