No Chance Meeting by Jaye Elliot | review + release

I'm thrilled to be taking part in the blog tour for Jaye Elliot's first contemporary romance, No Chance Meeting. I've been dying to read this book ever since I stumbled across the synopsis, like, years ago on Goodreads. While I ended up not enjoying it as much as I expected, it was a really sweet story.

Read on for my review of the novel, as well as an extra special giveaway! You can find the rest of the blog tour schedule here.

About the Book

Alex Jennings is done with life. After losing her brother in Afghanistan, everything has collapsed around her. Getting laid off from her day job and failing in her art career, she has nowhere left to turn. She once had faith to believe that all things would work together for good, but that faith died with her brother. Now she just wants the pain to end.

Riley Conrad served thirteen years in the military until three bullets sent him home. After a year and a half of physical therapy and scraping together a living, all he wants is to live a simple life and perhaps even open the coffee shop he dreams about. However, the weight of failing his parents’ expectations doesn’t make it easy, and working as a bartender isn’t getting him anywhere fast.

Could a “chance” meeting between Alex and Riley set them both on the path God always intended?

Available now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and more!

~ 20% of all February sales will go to the Mighty Oaks Warrior Programs ~

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Review

** may contain spoilers, as I'm utterly filled by this story and its characters, having read the majority of this book in the last 24 hours **

Let me start off by saying that I've been wanting to read this book for ever so long. Given that, along with the fact the book deals with suicide and depression and there's numerous Marine references, I expected to love it. Buutttt I didn't. Now I'm trying to figure out why. :P

For the most part, it's a slower story. There's no massive happenings occurring throughout the story, other than an unexpected twist here and there (the one beyond the 85% mark, now that's something I didn't see coming). A tale of falling in love, achieving freedom from past fears and sins and tragedies, and holding to faith through all else.

Both of the main characters were sweet, likable, and realistic, with plenty of quirks and attributes to keep them original. I adored Riley. He's so adorable. Epic Marine guy, with a dream of a coffee shop. Add to that his long hair and the fact that—for once—the love interest actually isn't six feet four? I approve. 10/10.

Alex was a fun character, too. I love the name, her artsy side, and the fact that she's awkward, not crazy pretty, and wears glasses. I found myself struggling to connect with her and feel compassion toward her pain, but I loved seeing her and Riley's relationship and the way they complimented each other and encouraging each other to pursue their dreams.

One of my favorite things about the book was the frequent coffee references. These people chug as much caffeine as I do, and I loved it. xD  Add to that the dreams of a coffee shop and the vibe of the whole idea. Loooove.

The book is filled with a cast of other complex characters. From Mindy and Zach, to Luke and Kat, to Riley's and Alex's parents and grandparents, all the way down to the well-known artist, the landlady, and the pastor and his wife. A well-crafted cast of people I look forward to hearing more about in future books.

Oh, and the whole ordeal with the punk kid and how it reappeared when I least expected it? Love, love, love. Probably one of my favorite parts of the book, actually.

Unfortunately, I didn't exactly finish the book with hearts in my eyes. There were a few things that were seemingly left hanging and either weren't wrapped up/were left undone for awhile before presenting themselves again later in the plot. For example, Grandpa Joe. After meeting him the first time, I expected to see more of him, often, from there on out, which wasn't the case.

All things considered, I'm giving No Chance Meeting a solid four star rating. It deals with topics that are often avoided or mishandled in Christian fiction, so I greatly appreciated the story in that respect. A lovely read!

About the Author

Jaye Elliot is an award-winning author, country girl, and hopeless romantic at heart. She loves a good hero and will always sigh happily during the lights scene in Tangled. She writes from her home in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, which she shares with three cats she considers her kids. When not writing romance novels, she pens fantasy and adventure stories as Jaye L. Knight.

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Giveaway #1

To celebrate the release of No Chance Meeting, Jaye is giving away a reader bundle that includes a signed copy of NCM, a hand-painted watercolor bookmark, a coffee mug, and a bag of Dove chocolates! Enter using the form below. U.S. entries only. Not open internationally.

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Giveaway #2

For her second giveaway, Jaye is offering 3 ebook copies of No Chance Meeting. Open internationally!

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have you read No Chance Meeting? anyone else in love with that cover? <33