Rating: 3.25 stars out of 5
Action adventure actor actor Eric Pawlowski has gone from movie set to move set for two years without a break and its beginning to take its tole. Erie desperately needs a break from his movie career and the crippling migraines and stress that come with it. Eric and his two beloved labs head out to a rural retreat, complete with woods and a cottage by the lake. But mishaps ensue almost immediately when Eric’s dogs manage to tumble his only neighbor into the sand during a raucous walk.
Fortunately Thomas is quick to forgive, and soon he, Eric, and Eric’s two dogs are palling around like they’ve known each other for years. But an intense encounter with a stranger on the beach makes Eric question exactly who Thomas is. With the towns people starting to interfere with their budding relationship and secrets that are starting to come out, Eric has to decide what’s important, his career or his love for Thomas.
When his rented cabin catches fire in the middle of the night and the firemen call it arson, it confirms Eric’s suspicions that Thomas is hiding something. To keep Eric with him, it’s up to Thomas to come clean about who he is… and his involvement in a decade-old web of tragedy and revenge into which Eric has unwittingly walked.
Chance To Be King by Sue Brown was a bit of a mixed bag. I adore this author and gobble up her stories as quick as they are released. Chance to Be King has many of the wonderful qualities I expect to encounter in a Sue Brown novel but really none of the depth or follow through. One example would be Thomas and Eric’s relationship. Sue Brown loves for her characters to feel an instant attraction that turns deep and loving very quickly. While not a fan of that trope, Brown always lays a realistic and compelling foundation for her characters feelings, a foundation so well built that you believe in her characters and their relationship completely. That didn’t really happen for me here.
Neither Thomas or Eric came across as layered, charismatic individuals. Who did? Eric’s dogs. I loved them. But their owner as a movie star? Or Thomas because of what he turned out to be? No, they seemed to flat to be viable human beings we should care about. In fact the other townspeople felt more alive than the main characters did.
What else felt like a marvelous Sue Brown element? The setting and her descriptions of the location that brought it vividly to life. The lake and its shores, the small town and old lanes….perfect and authentically conveyed. This story has wonderful bones, all it needs is to be fleshed out and made whole.
I enjoyed it but knowing it was a Sue Brown story, my expectations were higher than the story reached. For others, you might find your enjoyment not hindered by such thoughts and anticipation. I will leave that up to you. As for me, I am eagerly awaiting the next book to arrive.
Cover Design: DWS Photography. Just ok, very generic, says nothing about the story.
Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press All Romance (ARe) Amazon 
Book Details:
ebook, Second Edition
Published December 17th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press (first published September 4th 2010)
ISBN 1632163942 (ISBN13: 9781632163943)
edition languageEnglish
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 