Last Chance Hero by Cathleen Armstrong

Overview: The inhabitants of Last Chance, New Mexico, could not be more pleased. Dr. Jessica McLeod has opened an office right on Main Street. Andy Ryan, the best athlete the little town ever produced, has ended his short career in the NFL and has come home to coach the mighty Pumas of Last Chance High. Unfortunately, Dr. Jess immediately gets off on the wrong foot when she admits that she's never seen a football game, isn't really interested in doing so, and, in fact, doesn't know a first down from a home run. Meanwhile, Coach Ryan is discovering that it's not easy to balance atop the pedestal the town has put him on. When this unlikely pair is drawn together over the future of a young player--whose gifts may lie in the laboratory rather than on the football field--they begin to wonder if they might have a future together as well.

With the flair that has made her Last Chance books a favorite among readers of contemporary fiction, Cathleen Armstrong draws on the passion Americans have for the traditions of small-town high school football.

ISBN-13: 9780800726478 | Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Publication date: 09/15/2015 | Series: A Place to Call Home Series, #4
Buy It: B&N | Amazon | CBD

My Review: Last Chance Hero took me back to my good ol' high school days. Football games, traditions, and all of the in between. I loved coming back to Last Chance and catching up with characters from other stories. Cathleen Armstrong has a way of making me feel right at home in Last Chance. Like I could walk into the Dip n' Dine and chat with Juanita, or walk down the street and visit with Sarah, Elizabeth Cooley, and Kaitlyn and Olivia.

While I enjoyed the setting and the folks in the town, I didn't connect well with either of the main characters in this story. I found Dr. Jessica MacLeod to be kind of "high and mighty" in the beginning, and only slightly better towards the end. Andy Ryan seemed like a genuinely good guy, but the development for his character just wasn't there. I felt like the whole situation with his dad was just kind of thrown in at the last minute. Their romance was a little lacking as well. I just couldn't picture them together at all.

I also think Jess' sudden belief in God was a little shallow. There was no real transformation that I could see. The point of the story was about God's plan for your life. While I didn't really feel that was portrayed through either of the main characters, Kaitlyn makes a good point in her conversation with Jess that I feel I need to share: "..I have no idea why I got the results I did. It certainly wasn't because I deserved it. It was just part of the plan God has for my life. And if the results would have come back the way I was afraid they might, well, that would have been part of God's plan for my life too. Not as punishment, or judgement, but as a natural consequence of my actions. and he would have had a plan for my life that included that too. And you know what? It would have been a good plan." So many times as Christians we think bad things happen because God is punishing us. That is not at all the case. Bad things happen, not as punishment, but as a part of God's bigger plan and picture for our life.

Overall, while I enjoyed coming back to Last Chance and while the author does a good job of making me feel at home there, I didn't connect well with the main characters. It kind of took away from the story for me, but I still enjoyed it.

*I received a complementary copy of this book from the publisher through the Revell Reads blogging program in exchange for my honest review.*

About the Author: Cathleen Armstrong is the author of Welcome to Last Chance, winner of the ACFW Genesis Award for Women’s Fiction in 2009 and the first volume in the series “A Place to Call Home.” She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Ed, and their corgi, but her roots remain deep in New Mexico where she grew up and where much of her family still lives. Contact Cathleen:

Event inquiries: info@cathleenarmstrong.com

Media and review copy requests: RBarnett@BakerPublishingGroup.com

Reader Inquiries: Cathleen@cathleenarmstrong.com

Social media links: Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

All other inquiries: info@cathleenarmstrong.com

At Home in Last Chance by Cathleen Armstrong

Overview: Kaitlyn Reed and Steven Braden have always had a similar philosophy of life: when the going gets tough, they get going--out of town and away from the problem. Now they are both back in Last Chance, New Mexico, and trying to start over. Kaitlyn is working to reestablish a relationship with the seven-year-old daughter she left behind six months earlier. Steven is trying to prove to his family that he is not the irresponsible charmer they have always known him to be. As Kaitlyn and Steven find themselves drawn to one another, one big question keeps getting in the way: How will they learn to trust each other when they don't even trust themselves?

With emotional depth and characters who leap off the page and into the reader's psyche, Cathleen Armstrong continues to delight her readers and win new fans. Readers will be thrilled to return once more to the small town they've grown to love.

ISBN-13: 9780800722487

Publisher: Baker Publishing Group

Publication date: 1/6/2015

Series: A Place to Call Home , #3

Pages: 304

Buy It: B&N | Amazon | CBD

Read my review of One More Last Chance, book 2.

My Review: Welcome back to Last Chance, a place that invites you to sit down and eat at the Dip 'N Dine, gossip with some of the locals, and visit with Elizabeth for some tea. I love the small town setting and the community feel that the author invokes throughout the story. Getting to hear from my old friends Chris and Sarah wasn't bad either. This is the third book in the series, but it does not have to be read in order (I do want to go back and read the first book, though!).

At the end of book two, Chris had just picked up his sister, Kaitlyn from Florida. I really enjoyed getting to know Kaitlyn better in this book, because my opinion of her was not very high. Steven Braden is your typical handsome charmer. I loved the depth the author provided to each character. I really felt a connection with both of them as they struggled to overcome the stigmas of their past. Their relationship was not rushed or over done. It was the background story line for the book.

The message of the story can be summed up in these words from Elizabeth, "Never underestimate what the Lord can do...He can take the biggest mess you ever saw and turn it into something so beautiful it can take your breath away." We have all done things we are not proud of; things we struggle to let go of in our past. The hardest thing to do is to let it go, like God does (as far as the East is from the West), and get on with our lives. Each of these characters works to overcome their pasts in the story and receive the beautiful blessing God has for them in their present and future.

Overall, this was a sweet, contemporary romance with a deep message of making our messes beautiful.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through the Revell Reads blogging program in exchange for my honest review.**


About the Author: Cathleen Armstrong is the author of Welcome to Last Chance, winner of the ACFW Genesis Award for Women’s Fiction in 2009 and the first volume in the series “A Place to Call Home.” She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Ed, and their corgi, but her roots remain deep in New Mexico where she grew up and where much of her family still lives.
Contact Cathleen:

• Event inquiries: info@cathleenarmstrong.com
• Media and review copy requests: RBarnett@BakerPublishingGroup.com
• Reader Inquiries: Cathleen@cathleenarmstrong.com
• Social media links:
  • Goodreads
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
• All other inquiries: info@cathleenarmstrong.com

One More Last Chance by Cathleen Armstrong

Publisher—Revell

Available—May 2014

Trade paper: 5 ½ x8 ½

304 Pages

978-0-8007-2247-0

e-book: 978-1-4412-4508-3

B&N | Amazon | CBD

Overview: Some things never change . . . and some things change you forever.

Sarah Cooley has come home to Last Chance, New Mexico, for one reason--because it doesn't change. After a relationship gone bad with a man who wanted to change everything about her, Sarah is more than ready for the town whose motto may as well be, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Chris Reed, on the other hand, wants nothing more than to spark some change in the little town. As the new owner of the Dip 'n' Dine, he's shaking things up to draw folks from all over the Southwest into his restaurant.

As it turns out, the winds of change are blowing into Last Chance--just not in the ways that Sarah or Chris might expect.

With the same evocative writing and charming characters that won fans for her debut novel, Cathleen Armstrong invites you back to Last Chance for a heartwarming, romantic story of two people navigating the twists and turns of life in a small town.

My Review: This is my first look at Last Chance with Cathleen Armstrong, and it won't be my last. This book can read as a stand alone novel, but I will definitely be picking up the first one. Change is hard for some people to accept. The people of Last Chance are no different. I loved the feeling I got of Last Chance. It is a place where everybody knows everybody and word spreads like wildfire, but there are no greater people in the world and everybody has your back. At least, that's the impression the author gave me!

Sarah Cooley is a short little spitfire who is trying to find herself after a relationship gone bad. Chris Reed is the new owner of the Dip 'n' Dine, and is determined to breathe new life into the restaurant and Last Chance. When their paths cross, sparks fly. I would have loved to see a little more character development on Sarah's part and I would also have loved to see more sparks fly between the two. I definitely agree they belonged together, but I just didn't feel the flame.

Each character faces change in different ways. Their faith in the Lord, that He will guide their paths, is something each characters learns. The ending, for me, was a little rushed and anticlimactic. It felt like there was a bang in Sarah's life, then all of a sudden we're at the end (that's the only way I could explain it without spoilers, so forgive me for the vagueness!). Overall, it was a very engaging story and I would recommend it to readers looking for a laid back, easy read.

**Thank you Revell Reads for providing me with a free copy in exchange for my honest review.**

About the Author: Cathleen Armstrong is the author of Welcome to Last Chance, winner of the ACFW Genesis Award for Women’s Fiction in 2009 and the first volume in the series “A Place to Call Home.” She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Ed, and their corgi, but her roots remain deep in New Mexico where she grew up and where much of her family still lives.

Contact Cathleen:

• Event inquiries: info@cathleenarmstrong.com
• Media and review copy requests: RBarnett@BakerPublishingGroup.com
• Reader Inquiries: Cathleen@cathleenarmstrong.com
• Social media links:
  • Goodreads
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
• All other inquiries: info@cathleenarmstrong.com