Review: I loved this book
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 5, 2013
I love the title of this book. I started reading this book with a sense of anticipation that I was going to enjoy this rather different storyline. The blurb promised some really different experiences for me as a reader and I have to say I wasn't disappointed.This tells the story of Chauncey Irving, a troubled young man who in his short life, has experienced more pain and suffering than anyone should have to. Abandoned at an orphanage when he was just a boy, he had to use his wits and his street savvy to survive. Until he meets Marie. A blonde angel who takes him in and gives him a life he never could have dreamed of. He falls in love for the first time with a young man called Arthur. But then tragedy strikes and once again Chauncey finds himself alone and on a path to self destruction. Until he meets Jacky Valentine in the desert in Algiers, where Chauncey has volunteered in the French Foreign Legion. It's then that Chauncey disappears and Chance is born.This was truly a story unlike anything I've read in this genre before. It was set in an exotic place, in a time about which I know little and I really enjoyed learning more about it and the men who experienced the battles first hand. Chance is an incredibly diverse character, full of conflict and emotion, a tough, scarred man with demons to face and a past that was worth forgetting. He is hell bent on a self destructive path, even though he knows it might kill him, but he's determined to punish himself. The author really makes you believe in him, makes you sympathise with him and he is one of the most endearing characters I've met.Jacky is Chance's saviour. He inveigles himself into Chance's life and brings with him three other young men who, one by one, become integral parts of Chance's world. The characters themselves are all so well drawn and portrayed, the writing flows and ebbs with emotions and wonderful situations, and I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The plot is well thought through, the relationship between Chance and Jacky beautifully written with sympathy, humour and the inevitable growing affection between the two men.The only gripe I have is with the very last part of the story when things seemed to be wrapped up a little too neatly. I was looking forward to reading a little more about how Jacky and Chance made it work when they got back to England, and how their extended 'family' developed. I would have enjoyed seeing a bit more of this part of their lives.But this certainly didn't detract from the fact that I loved this book and will definitely be seeking out more stories by this author.Reviewed by Susan Mac Nicolfor TheRomanceReviews.com