Customer Reviews

The Golden Chance

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you want angst go else where. But if you want well drawn characters, with witty repartee and sexy irresistible males, then JAK is your cup of tea. Her name on a book means a great time. From her silly names, to quirky characters there is no one like her. You don't read her books, you experience them!!

Philadelphia Fox inherited a mess when her foster sister Crissie Master died and left her shares in a business Castleton & Lightfoot. Run by two families for generations, they did not see the illegitimate daughter of Boyd Castleton as "family". When he died, he finally did right the daughter he never knew leaving her shares in the business. But then, mysteriously Cassie dies in a car accident. Phila does not believe it was an accident, but no one doubts the word of the Castles or the Lightfoots, so the death goes down to an accident and the two families would have dismissed the pushing outsider, had Boyd not left her a big chunk of their business.

Nick Lightfoot was CEO of the business till three years before when a nasty family situation saw him walk away, leaving his father marry his fiancé to save her reputation. And Nick, now an outcast from the family he knows and loves and from the business he should be heading, is out to change things. And he plans on using Phila's control of the stock to make those changes. He finds Phila's plans on using the shares to, if not revenge her foster sister, see justice done for her, so he scoops up the advantage of seeming to align with her.

Phila knows Nick is using her, once a Lightfoot always a Lightfoot, but he gives her an in to the tightly knit stronghold of the Boyds and Lightfoots. She is very attracted to Nick and he to her, but they both have agendas mapped out. Both are aware the other is letting themselves be used and using the other, but that does not stop the attraction. But can romance bloom in the middle of a nasty corporate take over, and will Nick stand by Phila or close ranks with the family when push comes to shove?

It's another Jayne Ann cat & mouse game with well drawn characters, snappy writing and two leaders and are engaging.

A super way to spend a rainy afternoon!!

I've read most of Jayne Ann's books but this one in particular stood out. Though it was pretty formulaic in principal characters (strong, independent heroines and men who can only be tamed or should I say trained? by them), and the familiar plot of family loyalty and intrigue, I thougth Phila Fox and Nick Castlefoot worked very well together. If you've read her books before this is a must read. If new to Krentz you'll discover what she does so well!

It is true that Jayne Ann Krentz is one of my favorite authors,and this is one of my favorite books! Jayne has written one of her most memorable female characters: Philadelphia Fox. She is a combination vixen, gamine, everygirl, and passionate lover. One of her best qualities is her loyalty to her best friend, especially in the face of opportunity. The hero is also an exceptional person, who is honest and fiery. Both are stubborn, but they are stubborn together. What a wonderful love story and testamonial to love, loyalty and honor. Who would have thought that combination would be so exciting?

This is, as far as I'm concerned, one of the best contemporary romances ever written. The heroine isn't a flake like most of Krentz's heroines, but is smart and very feisty. The hero, Nick, is what's special, though: Instead of her usual man of mystery or engineer with frozen emotions, Krentz has created a vibrant hero who's loving, humorous, and strong but not pushy; he's a masterpiece, and the tenderness of the relationship between him and the heroine, Philadelphia, is deeply moving. Among my all-time favorites.

If you're looking for a book that is filled with smart wit and keen observations, "The Golden Chance" is it. Philadelphia Fox is the trademark JAK heroine, a quirky do-gooder a step shy of being beautiful.

Philadelphia is a burnt-out social worker, traumatized from her last case which involved an ex-mercenary and his wife taking in foster children for profit. Nick Lightfoot, the ex-heir apparent to C & L, a profitable arms manufacturing corporation, and Philadelphia meet on shaky grounds. Nick has been sent by the C & L clan to retrieve C & L shares that Philadelphia inherited from her best friend Crissie Masters. Philadelphia, however, is unlike most women Nick has met. Her shares can't be bought. Philadelphia can't be bought either for that matter. Thus begins a matter of the heart.

Philadelphia accompanies Nick to the quaint fictional town of Port Claxton, Washington, home of the C & L clan. She wants answers to Crissie's untimely death. She also wants to find out more about the tortured C & L clan. Members of the clan are so very close and yet so very distant from each other. Appearances are everything, leaving no room for authentic conversation.

Nick and Philadelphia ("Phila") are an unlikely couple. But that is often the case in romance novels. Nick is a savvy businessman from a conservative family while Philadelphia is a leftish bleeding-heart liberal do-gooder (yes, perhaps redundant!). However, in matters of the heart, it is often compassion, passion, loyalty and sexual attraction that overcome these vast differences. Like so many JAK heroines, Philadelphia eventually endears herself to those around her. Overall, "The Golden Chance" is a wonderful, heart-warming read. I highly recommend!

I think I have read every Jayne Ann Krentz book and this one definitely stands out as my favorite. The characters are down-to-earth and believable (as much as I like the dark-man-of-mystery, I never really find him very convincing). The relationship is so carefully built, step by step. Truly a romance story, not just a series of lustful glances and bedroom scenes.

I consider this some of her best work. Nick is the epitome of the Alpha male which we have come to know and love from JAK's work. A must read for faithful romance lovers and great read for story lovers.

Take one very independant woman and a stubborn, but "worth-the-effort" kind of guy, and you get a wonderfully illustrated story that just leaps off of the pages and lights up the imagination. I loved how Phila Fox was able to stick to her guns and ferret out the truth of the situation, without totally losing it all by just falling in love with the hero and forgetting everything else, like other heroines in other novels do. Keep writing Jayne! And if anyone else is looking for a romance that is not too wishy-washy and doesn't make you think of flowers and perfume.....this one's definitely for you!

I love this book so much that I've read it 20 times. I'll never tire of Philadephia and Nick's love story. Unlike other romance novels, they appear to be real with realistic problems. This is one book I've never regretted buying.

This was one of the best books I've ever read! The characters seemed like real people and not just characters. I've read other books by Jayne Ann Krentz, and I enjoyed all of them, but this one was the best by far.