Blurb:

The path to happiness isn’t always the easiest.

Chance Becket’s life was mapped out. He’d one day own the ranch he grew up on, have a family, and be the son he was raised to be, like all good boys in Small Town, U.S.A.

When his high school sweetheart calls for a break during her last semester of college, the last place Chance thought he’d end up was in his old friend Bradley’s bed.

Bradley Heart blasted out of the closet before his family could name him heir apparent to his father’s church. After six years away, a job layoff has him coming home to work behind the scenes. He and his father have little interaction and he’s fine with it staying that way when he returns home. Going back into the closet, for any reason, is not on his list of things to do. But Chance may prove too much a temptation, especially with the simmering feelings they’ve had for one another since they were teens.

Confused over his sexuality, Chance has to decide what’s more important — loyalty to his family and the path set forth, or the promise of happiness with not just the only man, but the only person, he’s ever really wanted.

Includes a very toppy accountant, a cowboy who’d rather be in the kitchen, porn positions, some spanking, and absolutely zero religion other than worshipping… You know.

Stats:

Rating:     ??????

Ratings are 1 to 5 stars and based mostly on GoodReads standards.
Click for more information regarding ratings.

Review:

Kade’s books run the gamut of so-so to pretty-dang-good for me, but I have yet to be overly wowed. This one rings in as pretty-much-okay.

I usually find that that Kade barely scratches the surface when it comes to depth of character and themes in his stories. And here…well, there was so much possibility for exploration with the themes of southern mindsets, sexuality, religion, and family. I think every story he tells has so much potential; I just wish he’d dig a little deeper and give us something meatier.

Chance of the Heart (cleverly titled for the main characters Chance Becket and Bradley Heart), leads us down a path of big-time self-discovery, small southern town viewpoints, evangelical religion, and returning home.

Chance is straight, straight, straight, and has a girlfriend when we meet him. She’s miles away in college, and they’re on an agreed upon semester-long break to do whatever they want before following the natural progression to get married — which is what is expected of them, from their parents, friends, and their small-town society. As the clock is ticking down, Chance decides to live it up for a night in The Big City and is inexplicably drawn to a gay bar. Because, why not? And he runs into fellow small-towner/childhood friend Bradley.

Bradley soon, and reluctantly, returns to his home town after job loss and a failed relationship and begins working for his evangelical preacher dad. He has no desire to be in the closet. And he can’t stay away from Chance after their big night in the city.

This begins the ride of smoking hot sex between the cowboy and pseudo city slicker where Chance finally realizes that the very infrequent sex he’d had with his girlfriend never felt right. Therefore, he must be gay, just had never considered it.

Kade BRINGS the sex. He always does. This is off-the-charts hot bangin’ with a lil bit o’ spankin’ tossed in for good measure. I loved the heat of this.

But…..

I’m a reader who needs a bit more.

The story meanders along at a steady enough pace with little ebbs and flows, but doesn’t stop to smell the roses or wander off the path to take a closer look at all the prevailing themes of Chance sexuality revelations, familial expectations, or…anything really.

Until about the last quarter. Then the Drama Llama burst in like the Kool-Aid Man. Bradley was tired of waiting, didn’t want to be with anyone in the closet, and Chance was under the gun to figure out ALL Life Things.

And though getting to the Big Conflict was mostly welcomed, it didn’t feel all that organic. Or, that we’d gotten to the heart of the whys and what-fors that drove these guys to get to this point.

Ultimately, I felt just a little let down. Though I don’t tend to go all fan-girl gushy over Kade’s books, I absolutely adore him and the potential he brings to every story.

This review also posted on GoodReads.