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26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Warm, funny, tender, sweet - a wonderfully enjoyable read!, August 8, 2003
This review is from: Take a Chance on Me (Mass Market Paperback)
I had so much fun reading this book! Susan Donovan is a new author for me and this is my first book by her (though it's actually her second - Knock Me Off My Feet is her first). She has a great sense of humour and a nice way with characters - I laughed out loud often reading this book! Thomas Tobin works on a Maryland State Police task force and poses as a hitman for hire. Given his line of work (not to mention his personal experiences), he's got little faith in human nature and figures everyone has a dark side. He discovers his best informant dead and his weird little dog nearby. He takes the dog, "Hairy", home with him only to discover that he has some serious behavioral problems and soon finds himself in the office of vet/animal behaviorist Dr Emma Jenkins. He finds Emma very attractive in an open, fresh farm-girl way, but he fights it since he's vowed never to get involved with another woman after his last disastrous relationship. But he can't help his attraction and winds up sending out some serious mixed signals! Emma has recently divorced a husband who was unfaithful, reckless with money and who never really appreciated her. She's working hard to keep her practice afloat and she's also become guardian to 12 year old Leelee, the daughter of her wild, reckless, and now deceased best friend. And now the most gorgeous man she's ever seen has waltzed into her life, but he leaves her so confused, she's not sure he's worth the effort (is he a moron, a nut or Mr Right?). But when he tells her he believes that Hairy may have witnessed the murder, and asks her to help him look for clues, she can't resist. And while working on the case, they fall for one another but will old patterns repeat or is this finally the real thing? Being born and raised in suburban Maryland and currently living in Baltimore City, I thoroughly enjoyed having the state and city featured as the setting for this book and knowing the areas she references I could picture the action. The disco references at the beginning of each chapter were very cute and well used (especially when you find out about Hairy's special talent!) and any book that details a dog's inner dialog is bound to be a hit with me! Hairy is a terrific character - just as important to the story as his two-legged counterparts! Thomas and Emma are appealing characters and a great couple. Leelee is both street smart and vulnerable as she tries to figure out her place in Emma's life and whether Thomas is a threat to her new found family. An author to watch and a book that is highly recommended! I'm off to read Knock Me Off My Feet next!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another great one from Susan Donovan!, August 19, 2003
This review is from: Take a Chance on Me (Mass Market Paperback)
Last year I read Donovan's "Knock Me Off My Feet," and really enjoyed it a great deal. I didn't learn that it was her first book until afterwards, and then I was even more impressed! So it was with great anticipation that I greeted the arrival of "Take a Chance on Me" at the bookstore. And whoah, was my anticipation justified! "Take" is a great contemporary romance, with wonderful secondary characters, a dog you just want to take home yourself, and a well-paced romance between characters you can really love. I must admit it took me a few minutes to get into "Take," but once I did, I enjoyed it thoroughly. That's not to say that it's a perfect book... Donovan still does a much better job with characters and relationship development than she does with the whole "suspense/mystery" element. Some of the book's "coincidences" are a bit too much to be believed, and the romantic development was so well-crafted that sometimes the whole suspense plot seemed tacked-on. Not only that, but Donovan moves between Thomas' and Emma's voices a great deal, which can be confusing. I wish the people laying out the book had put a bit of whitespace in whenever she switched, because it took my brain awhile to catch on. Still, if you're into contemporary romances, especially ones with a sense of humor, you'll definitely want to "Take a Chance on Me." (Bad pun, but I couldn't resist!)
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
You'll be hooked if you take a chance, May 20, 2005
This review is from: Take a Chance on Me (Mass Market Paperback)
You gotta love a book where the author makes a hairless dog one of the main characters (who has his own dialog and everything), and names him "Hairy." When burly undercover investigator Thomas Tobin shows up at veterinarian Emma Jenkins animal behavior clinic, Emma is taken aback that such a hunky man would own a Chinese Crested (bald except for a striking fluff of white hair on his head). But she tries to help him with the skittish dog. Turns out that Hairy was owned by a flamboyant informant who is found dead, and Hairy is the only witness. Both Thomas and Emma were burned in previous relationships, and Emma is still paying for her disastrous marriage. She recently became the guardian of her best friend's daughter, and is not sure she has time for a man in her life. Of course, that soon changes. Donovan cleverly names each chapter (and the title of the book) after disco tunes. As the story unfolds, the reason becomes clear. Part romance, part police procedural drama, and part animal planet fodder, it is a delightful read and will keep you hooked until the very last page.
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