Blog Tour: Take a Chance by Abbi Glines {Review+Giveaway}
Welcome to my stop on the Take a Chance blog tour hosted by Atria!
Today I am excited to share my review, as well as a giveaway with you all!
Take a Chance (Chance #1)by: Abbi Glines
Publication Date: Feb. 25, 2014
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 256 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines comes the story of Grant, the sexy playboy who first captured readers hearts in Fallen Too Far.
When Harlow Manning's rocker father goes on tour, he sends her to Rosemary Beach, Florida, to live with her half-sister, Nan. The problem: Nan despises her. Harlow has to keep her head down if she wants to get through the next nine months, which seems easy enough. Until gorgeous Grant Carter walks out of Nan's room in nothing but his boxer briefs.
Grant made a huge mistake getting involved with a girl with venom in her veins. He'd known about Nan's reputation, but still he couldn't resist her. Nothing makes him regret the fling more than meeting Harlow, who sends his pulse racing. Yet Harlow wants nothing to do with a guy who could fall for her wicked half-sister—even if there are no strings between Grant and Nan. Grant is desperate to redeem himself in Harlow's eyes, but did he ruin his chances before he even met her?
When Harlow Manning's rocker father goes on tour, he sends her to Rosemary Beach, Florida, to live with her half-sister, Nan. The problem: Nan despises her. Harlow has to keep her head down if she wants to get through the next nine months, which seems easy enough. Until gorgeous Grant Carter walks out of Nan's room in nothing but his boxer briefs.
Grant made a huge mistake getting involved with a girl with venom in her veins. He'd known about Nan's reputation, but still he couldn't resist her. Nothing makes him regret the fling more than meeting Harlow, who sends his pulse racing. Yet Harlow wants nothing to do with a guy who could fall for her wicked half-sister—even if there are no strings between Grant and Nan. Grant is desperate to redeem himself in Harlow's eyes, but did he ruin his chances before he even met her?
"If I let her, she would be the one to own my soul..."
I am so excited to share my love for this book with you all today! Abbi Glines is such a talented author and I love how her writing immediately pulls you in and keeps you engaged from start to finish. I absolutely could NOT put this book down! My heart and emotions were all over the place while reading and the ending nearly shattered me into tiny pieces. That is how good of a story teller Abbi is!
I absolutely adored our main character Harlow. She is sweet, beautiful and caring and has such an innocence about her that makes you want to hug her and not let go. My heart ached every time her feelings were hurt or she felt less than she really was. Despite her sweetness, Harlow is actually a very tough character. She isn't the type of girl to freak out or yell out her feelings. Instead, she lets things roll off her back and internalizes what she feels.
Being Nan's half-sister has not been easy for Harlow. Nan makes it very clear she has no use for Harlow and cannot stand her. Harlow is the favorite of Kiro Manning's children and Kiro doesn't bother to hide that fact, which eats away at Nan. We find out why that is later in the book and while the man doesn't always make the best choices, he does what he thinks is best for him and his loved ones. At first I viewed Kiro as selfish and reckless, living that rock star lifestyle- not caring whose lives he disturbs in the process. However, Glines takes his character so much deeper and really left you hurting for him and his predicament.
"The right woman's the one who gives as much as she takes, and you can't get enough. She's the kind... if you lose her, you lose yourself."
I couldn't help but love Grant Carter, even when he was pissing me off. And he does- multiple times. When we first meet Grant, he is sleeping with public enemy number one (Nan!) but feels bad for her after everything went down with Rush. He liked feeling needed by someone, like he was making a difference in her life. However, Nan is what she is and does what she does and no one will convince her otherwise. Kiro mentions one night that Harlow is in need of a friend and Grant wants to be that friend to her. He manages to bring down her defenses and the two share some pretty intimate moments together. And then Grant just... vanishes. After everything, Harlow feels used. She trusted him and now thinks she was just a challenge to him. She berates herself for thinking that he was different and that he meant the sweet things he said to her. Now, two months later, Grant finds himself in a pretty big hole that he is not sure if he can dig himself out of.
This book is so aptly named because Harlow and Grant both find themselves taking chances on love, life, and their future. Grant is afraid of love and ends up making some pretty poor decisions because of this fear. He is running scared from Harlow and doesn't want to admit the depth of his feelings for her. He has seen too many instances where love has been taken prematurely from others, or having run its course with other couples. Grant Carter doesn't do vulnerable and exposed and that is exactly where he is afraid Harlow will leave him.
Harlow hates that she is so weak when it comes to Grant. She knows how much he hurt her before and yet she can't stop herself from falling for him either. She is slow to trust, as she should be, as she already let down her defenses once and saw where it got her. Grant will have to be a man of action, not just words to win Harlow back. Anyone can spout pretty words, but actions always speak louder than words.
Grant and Harlow definitely have some super steamy moments amidst their rollercoaster ride of a relationship. While Grant is infinitely more experienced than Harlow, her sexy innocence is his undoing and he loves watching her unravel bit by bit. Their moments together are both sexy and sweet and I really enjoyed that.
I loved Mase, Harlow's brother. He is very protective of his sister and I loved how he came in and took charge. Even though he doesn't have a very good relationship with Kiro, he still loves Harlow and his presence really helped keep Harlow balanced in this book.
Do not fear my Rush and Blaire fans! They do make an appearance in this book and I have to say I love that they are the voices of reason for Grant. He seeks them out for advice but also has their backs no matter what. I was a little angry at Rush for needing Grant to help him with a situation toward the end of the book, as it really put Grant in a very difficult position. Yet, Rush is a brother to Grant and that is not something Grant can ignore. If his brother and best friend needs him, then he is there for him and I did admire that.
I absolutely cannot wait for July to come so I can get my hands on One More Chance! We are left reeling from some pretty heavy revelations on Harlow's part and I am anxious to see what will happen next for her and Grant. Take a Chance is a riveting, beautiful read not about only taking a chance, but what you do with the chance that is offered and never taking it for granted as you never know when it will be your last....
Click below on the banner to buy the book, follow the tour, AND enter the giveaway to win 1 of 5 signed copies of Take a Chance and an Abbi Glines tote bag!
11 comments
I am so behind on Abbi Glines books! i just cannot keep up anymore haha I do hope to catch up on them one day. She does know how to tell a story. Great review!
ReplyDeleteLOL. This is my first one and I definitely want to read more by her!!!
DeleteYou think all of these need to be read in order? I just read Fallen Too Far a few weeks ago and haven't had the chance to continue the series.
ReplyDeleteGlad you loved this one!
I would say yes Tonya. There are some definite spoilers for Rush, Blaire, and Woods.
DeleteUnfortunately, I've only read one book from Glines, and I really didn't like it. I was the 1st book in the Fallen series (Fallen Too Far, I think?!) and it just really turned me off for some reason. I know I should give her another try though, but I haven't had the chance to check out another one of her books. I do get annoyed when the characters keep denying their feelings and run away from each other. Idk, still on the fence about it. But glad to see you're loving it! Great review!
ReplyDeleteAww, bummer Vi! I haven't read that one yet. But I have seen some people are iffy on that one. I was definitely frustrated with the both Grant and Harlow, but there was something about Abbi's writing style that pulled me in and kept me going.
DeleteI didn't read this yet because I want to read the book but I am so glad you liked it and I can't wait for you to read Rush and Blair! :-)
ReplyDeleteI know I'm the minority, but I feel kind of bad for Nan. I'm several books behind though, so who knows. I'm glad you had a great experience with Take a Chance. Nice review!
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrea. :) I haven't read the others with Rush, so I don't know what to think about Nan. I didn't like her being such a bitch to Harlow and freaking out all the time though.
DeleteOutstanding Review Jess! I loved, loved, loved, Take a Chance by Abbi Glines! She is one of my favorite authors, and every book that I have read by her, I have loved! Ugh!!! I can't stand Nan! She's such a self-centered, whinny, vicious person, and I want someone to really put in her place! As far as I'm concerned, she gets a way with too much! I agree with your assessment of Kiro. That one revelation completely broke my heart!!! I couldn't stop crying!!!
ReplyDeleteLindy@ A Bookish Escape
Thanks Lindy!!! I definitely can't wait to read more by Abbi! I have become an insta-fan! Yes. Nan needs to GO.
DeleteLeave me some comment love! And I will get around to commenting back!
My blog is an award-free blog, however, as I just do not have the time to follow-up.