Last Chance [Paperback]

Jill Marie Landis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1995

Refusing to wear black again after mourning her late husband for one year, widow Rachel McKenna hopes to start her life over and scandalizes the whole town when she takes up with legendary gunfighter Lane Cassidy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Readers who loved After All-and were left wondering what became of the dark and surly Lane Cassidy-will be overjoyed with this first-rate spinoff. Rachel Albright McKenna, the schoolmarm from After All, is now the woman of the hour. In the decade since Lane left town, she has married, given birth to a son, been widowed and been scorned by her in-laws and the town at large because her macho sheriff husband died in the arms of the local prostitute. When Lane, now a noted gunfighter, strides into town, feisty Rachel defies the gossips and her busybody in-laws by seeing him again. Lane has some secrets-he isn't the no-account he was, but rather an operative of the Pinkerton Detective Agency busy tracking down a train robber. While Rachel's in-laws earn the reader's dislike for their narrow-mindedness, the main characters are sympathetic and haunted-Rachel by her feelings of sexual inadequacy and Lane by childhood sexual abuse. Landis shows greater versatility with each new book, moving from homespun heroines to dark and dangerous outlaws with equal skill.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1 pages
• Publisher: Jove (December 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515117609
• ISBN-13: 978-0515117608
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #291,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Visit Last Chance..., June 18, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Kentucky, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Chance (Paperback)

Last Chance is truly my favorite Landis novel, to date. It's so difficult for me to find romance novels written about this era (late 1800's) that I enjoy, since I usually prefer a Civil War romance with a southern background (rather than Last Chance, Montana). Maybe it's because I could sometimes see a glimpse of Scarlett O'Hara in Rachel McKenna (once teacher, and now, widow), and of course, the notorious Lane Cassidy (gunslinger) could often resemble a Rhett, but I found myself oddly captivated by their story. Landis describes her story as one of "two people who learn to love and trust themselves and each other despite the odds and challenges life throws in their way." I agree, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book in a heartbeat.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty darn good, but not excellent, February 6, 2001

By 

Richard C. Harb "Rickster" (Comstock Park, Mi USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Chance (Paperback)

This was a good book. I was captivated with the story until around the last 50 pages, then it became tiresome to me, I didn't like how the story ended. Lane had said he wasn't able to settle down through the whole story but at the very end he changes his mind. None the less it was still a great book and I'm glad I read it.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Her Best Work, May 8, 2004

By 

Serene (Marina, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Chance (Paperback)

Rachel is a schoolteacher whose sheriff husband dies in the arms of a prostitute. When a former student returns to town on business, he pursues her despite the age difference (she is 4 years older), and the somewhat icky fact that he's had a `crush' on her ever since he was sixteen and she was twenty.

I liked the first half of Last Chance, but I didn't find the character of Rachel very believable or likeable. I found it difficult to believe she would `fall instantly' for one of her ex-students, especially a seemingly uneducated immature man like Lane. Further, I found it difficult to believe that a single woman with a son would care so little about her reputation, to cast it to the winds the moment the first hunk bats an eyelash at her. I mean, Lane's back less than a week, and she's hopping into bed with him! Silly.

Finally, I found Rachel's in-laws to be extremely irritating. They treat her like dirt but she struggles valiantly to keep the relationship alive: no, not because she likes them or wants to please them, but because it furthers the plot goals. :Groan:

Overall, this book started off well, but the relationship between the two characters seemed too rushed and wasn't as well developed as some of her other romantic couples. Subplots such as the evil in-laws and the entire Pinkerton's thing detracted from the main character's romance and made me wish the author had just left them out. I found Last Chance to be an ok read, but not one of her better works.