review: Chance of a Lifetime by Joey W. Hill

Publisher: Ellora's Cave (electronic book)

Publication date: October 2006

ISBN: not available

It’s a night for adventure, for pushing the limits. Well, breaking them actually. Stacie can’t believe she’s stolen her escort’s Porsche to go back road joyriding. But damn, it feels good to cut loose from her life for one precious night. It’s just her lousy luck she catches the eye of an off duty cop.
Just her luck, indeed. Being reprimanded by Lieutenant Jake Chance, the sexiest man she’s ever seen, makes her want to break a few more laws. She’s going to throw caution to the wind and see if she can seduce her cop to go over the limits with her. Way over.
If Jake Chance is willing to hold her in his arms, Stacie knows she’ll have a memory to last her a lifetime. She just wishes dawn would never come, because when it does, she’ll have to let him go…

I am always wonderfully surprised by Joey's stories, although I should know to expect nothing less from her skilled and thoughtful writing. Hopefully this is not a major spoiler, as it is somewhat revealed in the excerpt that Stacie is carrying heavy burdens for a young woman. She is trying to manage on her own the daily home-care of a mother with terminal cancer and a father with Alzheimer's. Stacie's love for her parents and limited resources provide her with very few breaks to nurture herself both physically and emotionally. It seems inevitable that Stacie will reach a crisis point. What she may not expect is that with it she will find who she needs to help her keep going.

As a police officer who regularly connects with the more difficult sides of Life, Jake sees himself in Stacie - the necessity of persevering at something that can hurt, drain you and take away hope. Jake also sees Stacie's inner fragilities as well as strengths, and he is deeply drawn to discover more about her.

Joey expertly shares with the reader two characters that are real and beautifully imperfect in their vulnearabilities and issues. The connection between Stacie and Jake is evident from the very beginning, moving seamlessly from the physical sparks to their spiritual bonding. Under Joey's talented writing, a story of 86 pages provides the fulfilling satisfaction of a complex and moving read. I highly recommend Chance of a Lifetime to new and old enjoyers of Joey's stories.