SYNOPSIS
TAKE A CHANCE ON ME is a novella & it's Book 1 in Marilyn Brant’s Mirabelle Harbor series. This book and ALL of the contemporary romances in this series can be enjoyed as stand-alone stories.
Welcome to Mirabelle Harbor! In this scenic suburb on Chicago’s North Shore, overlooking the sparkling waters of Lake Michigan, the Michaelsen family has made their home for generations. Although their parents and grandparents are now gone, siblings Derek, Blake, Sharlene, and the twins—Chandler and Chance—all have fond memories of growing up in town, and most still live there.
Chance Michaelsen, the youngest member of the family (by two minutes) and the quietest (by far), is a dedicated twenty-eight-year-old personal trainer at the local gym. While he might not say much, Chance has made it clear that he’s not a fan of toxic people, unhealthy habits, or sharing too many of his emotions. With anybody.
Enter Antonia “Nia” Pappayiannis—the prettiest member of the loudest and most overly demonstrative family in town. They’re also the owners of The Gala, a Greek restaurant and bakery known for its decadent pastries and located just a few steps from Chance’s gym. He considers their entire family business to be the enemy of good health, but he can’t quite shake his attraction to Nia, who doesn’t seem nearly as impressed with him or his sculpted physique as most of the women around Mirabelle Harbor.
Unfortunately, between her doctor’s orders and the interfering ways of Chance’s crazy-making ex-girlfriend, who just happens to be one of Nia’s long-time friends, Chance gets assigned to be Nia’s fitness coach for the month. Pure torture. And if his ex weren’t already causing enough problems, he also has to deal with Nia’s current boyfriend—some hotshot Chicago CEO who talks big but, in Chance’s opinion, is as fake as a Styrofoam barbell.
The road to romance is going to be a rocky one, and though Nia has her doubts about moving forward, Chance has a well-developed competitive streak and might just be willing to give it a shot...if he can convince her to do the same.
In matters of the heart, would you risk it all? TAKE A CHANCE ON ME, a Mirabelle Harbor story.
Welcome to Mirabelle Harbor! In this scenic suburb on Chicago’s North Shore, overlooking the sparkling waters of Lake Michigan, the Michaelsen family has made their home for generations. Although their parents and grandparents are now gone, siblings Derek, Blake, Sharlene, and the twins—Chandler and Chance—all have fond memories of growing up in town, and most still live there.
Chance Michaelsen, the youngest member of the family (by two minutes) and the quietest (by far), is a dedicated twenty-eight-year-old personal trainer at the local gym. While he might not say much, Chance has made it clear that he’s not a fan of toxic people, unhealthy habits, or sharing too many of his emotions. With anybody.
Enter Antonia “Nia” Pappayiannis—the prettiest member of the loudest and most overly demonstrative family in town. They’re also the owners of The Gala, a Greek restaurant and bakery known for its decadent pastries and located just a few steps from Chance’s gym. He considers their entire family business to be the enemy of good health, but he can’t quite shake his attraction to Nia, who doesn’t seem nearly as impressed with him or his sculpted physique as most of the women around Mirabelle Harbor.
Unfortunately, between her doctor’s orders and the interfering ways of Chance’s crazy-making ex-girlfriend, who just happens to be one of Nia’s long-time friends, Chance gets assigned to be Nia’s fitness coach for the month. Pure torture. And if his ex weren’t already causing enough problems, he also has to deal with Nia’s current boyfriend—some hotshot Chicago CEO who talks big but, in Chance’s opinion, is as fake as a Styrofoam barbell.
The road to romance is going to be a rocky one, and though Nia has her doubts about moving forward, Chance has a well-developed competitive streak and might just be willing to give it a shot...if he can convince her to do the same.
In matters of the heart, would you risk it all? TAKE A CHANCE ON ME, a Mirabelle Harbor story.
REVIEW
TAKE A CHANCE ON ME, as I opened the pages of the quick and fun novella, the ABBA’s lyrics to the song of the same name kept jingling around in my head. How many times did I so wish that that cute guy or football jock would just take a chance and ask the short, curvy girl out. The girl who everyone said was too smart, too good to date. I finally asked my lab partner, and best friend why he was asking Barbie and not me to homecoming. “Oh, we marry girls like you. We date girls like Barbie.” Yes, he said that. And Jim, who was standing there, nodded agreement. Well that didn’t get me a date to the game, again. LOL
Much like myself, the setting of this quick little novella had Nia, from a very traditional Greek family, in a stuck situation. – A boyfriend she didn’t want and her parents did and a hot guy she wanted, but knew did not fit the mold her family expected. She wanted to take a chance on the tall, quiet, and really sweet body-builder. But breaking from family expectations is no easy. Which would she give in to, her family or her heart?
Chance, was a quiet brawn of a man. But having reached his thirties, unmarried, he had about decided that true and marriage was not in his cards. But life has the funniest way of putting the least likely candidate right in your path. It sets down the “least likely” and your heart demands that you take a chance. Your head knows that there is no way that a curvy sweet Greek Pastry Chef is going to mix with or fit in with your kitchen or life-style. You don’t do carbs, sugar, fats, or any of the other horrid things they put in the dishes you can’t even pronounce.
But your heart smashes head-on into those eyes and the smile. Are you willing to take on the rich CEO boyfriend and the Greek parents and take a chance that your heart is right?
Yes, the ABBA song is still going in my head! Take a chance and get lost between the covers of this delightful summer novella. Take a Chance on Me. I gave this a Four Star Rating. A copy of the novella was provided for me to read for reviewing.
ABOUT MARILYN BRANT
Marilyn Brant is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of contemporary women’s fiction, romantic comedy & mystery. She was named the Author of the Year (2013) by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English. She loves all things Jane Austen, has a passion for Sherlock Holmes, is a travel addict and a music junkie, and lives on chocolate and gelato. Look for all of the contemporary romances in her new Mirabelle Harbor series, beginning late July 2015! Visit her website: www.marilynbrant.com
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