Last Chance Hero

Last Chance, New Mexico is one big fan of high school football. The new head coach, Andy Ryan, late of the NFL is also the town's most famous football hero. No other team has been able to reach the heights of his high school team and it is no secret that the town has pinned their hopes on him to bring the glory days back to Last Chance. No pressure, just wins.

Dr. Jess MacLeod wanted to be a small town doctor since she was a little girl. She chooses Last Chance New Mexico a town of barely 700 people to open her practice. She soon finds that people are more willing to drive to the San Ramon clinic than start with a new doctor.

Last Chance Hero is Cathleen Armstrong's 4th book in her popular A Place To Call Home Series.  Jess and Andy seemed destined to be together it would seem since they run into each other regularly after Jess arrives in Last Chance. He is a handsome, eligible and very available. She is smart, beautiful and has never been to a football game in her life.

As the first weekend of our own high school season has unfolded, it is fun to see how the town rallies around the team. I enjoyed the characters and many have returned as good neighbors do from her previous books in the series.  The townspeople may have a pretty good idea what everyone else is up to but their caring ways for their own make Last Chance a place to stay settle down.

Andy and Jess may seem like oil and vinegar with his love of the game and her avoidance of the stands, but the story is so much more than small town hero meets big city doctor. The lessons learned of faith,hope and forgiveness in the story will give the reader an insight into human nature that are worth the journey to Last Chance. I recommend not only this story but the whole series, beginning with Welcome to Last Chance.  Along the way you also may develop a craving for some chilies like I did. Enjoy!

Take a Chance on One More Last Chance!

A lot of people go to college with the express idea of getting out of town and looking for a new life that is more exciting than their home town. For Sarah Cooley coming home to Last Chance, New Mexico has always been her plan. Last Chance never changes and that is exactly why she wanted to come home and teach school like her grandmother before her.  Sarah left behind a broken relationship with her college sweetheart who wanted to live the high life with his upward climb to success.

Chris Reed bought the Dip 'n Dine, Last Chance's favorite, only restaurant. He has big plans to serve foods that will put the restaurant on the map as a dining destination. His cook and waitress balk at any changes to the Dip 'n Dine and so it appears do the townspeople who want things to stay the same.

Sarah, who missed everything about home, resents Chris for wanting to make any changes to the menu.  Her plan is to come to the Dip 'n Dine every day for a week so she can order each daily special.  Chris is stunned when he sees Sarah, struck by the old fashioned lightening bolt of attraction.

Everyone has baggage and for Sarah, Brandon and his big plans for their life together in Chicago. She doesn't want to leave Last Chance. Nor does she want to feel the control he wants to have on their life with every minute planned his way.

Chris has Kaitlyn, his younger sister that he cared for and protected most of his life. A single mother who looks for the fun and love she missed out on in life, she often leaves her daughter Olivia alone. She comes to Last Chance and leaves Olivia with Chris. Misguided, she heads out on a trip that promises everything she missed out on by being stuck as a single mom.

Learning about the true nature of those we encounter is often a surprise. Whether we are looking for the promise of a better life or the comfort of a familiar life with no upheaval there is a higher plan. Whether we see that and embrace it is important. Life is full of lessons and One More Last Chance is a good story that one can relate to as most of us have similar people in our own lives. Cathleen Armstrong has a gift for creating characters who are believable, endearing and frustrating! I am eager to read more of her books.