Jasper escapes the demanding legal world in LA after tragedy strikes and finds himself in Carefree, Montana, a place where the land soothes his soul and the people mend his heart. Emma takes a temporary, twelve-week assignment as the director of the retirement home in Carefree and learns that there’s more to life that statistics, charts and numbers. She soon finds that A) people are not numbers and statistics, and B) the biggest challenge to her new job is resident rule breaker and maverick, Jasper. Despite the growing attraction between Jasper and Emma, twelve weeks surely isn’t enough time to build a relationship, even if they both weren’t keeping big secrets from each other.

The advance copy I read of this book was my first by this author, and I fell in love with everything and everyone in Carefree! With a backdrop of rugged landscapes and small-town quaintness, the fabric of Carefree, Whisper Creek ranch and Shady Acres retirement community come alive. From the cowboys and their ladies to the coffee shop patrons and employees, to the residents of Shady Acres, the larger-than-life characters create a colorful tapestry that is Carefree. Jasper and Emma immediately won my heart with their kindness and strength as they worked to repair their damaged hearts and learn how to love. It was so rewarding to see Jasper let go of the pain from his past, and to watch all the good that came from Emma learning to break a few rules. Their story is a bit of an emotional roller coaster ride, by turns tender and sweet, painful and poignant, zany and hilarious, and rewarding and satisfying. Run to the 1-click button so you don’t miss this phenomenal read!

Taking a Chance was my first read from Maggie McGinnis and I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed it. It's funny with just enough of an angsty past to pull at your heart strings and get you to become emotionally involved. 

Emma has her sights on a promotion within her health care administration job so when she was asked to go out to Montana to fill in for a director out on leave, she didn't think twice about it. Hoping this was her break, she sets her sights on making sure everything goes smoothly. However, she didn't see that prankster coming not only for her smile but for her laugh. 

I had so much fun with Jasper and his shenanigans. He was the life of the nursing home that kept the party going and pretty much had all the residents eating out of the palm of his hand. I knew never what he was going to do next and I loved every minute that he pushed Emma's buttons. 

From the moment Emma and Jasper meet, you can tell that there's something there and you can't help but root for them. They certainly balance each other out. Jasper helps Emma kind of rediscover the playful and carefree person that she can be. 

While this book is part of a series, it definitely can be read as a standalone. I didn't feel like I was missing anything while reading it. I did enjoy the other characters so that made me want to go back and get their own stories but it didn't take anything away from Emma and Jasper's story. 

Overall, I thought this was a fun and mostly light hearted romance that was easy to pick up and hard to put down. I certainly got my laughs and fell in love with Jasper right along with Emma.

I really enjoyed the couples in this book and reading more about the residents of this wonderful town. This time Emma drinks the water and realizes all she ever dreamed of may not really b e all she wants. That all may not matter if Jasper can't move on. The author does a great job of bringing out the characters highs and lows without loosing the flow of the story. Great fun with characters you can't help but love.

If you have followed my blog, then you know how much I dislike starting a series off in the middle/end of the series. I always feel that I am missing something by doing that. But, there is the rare series where the books can be read as stand alone. The Whisper Creek series is such a series. I started the series on book 4 and I am now at book 6. Each book that I have read I could do and not worry about the issues/characters from the other books showing up. So when Taking a Chance showed up on my NetGalley queue from Loveswept, I had to request it. I am glad I did because I enjoyed reading this book.

I can say that I have read only one other book that had some scenes in a nursing home. Taking a Chance was the first book that I read where the romance started and stayed in a nursing home setting. I loved it. I was a dietary aide in a nursing home many years ago. The residents at Shady Acres reminded me of the ones that I met at my nursing home. I loved them and was sad when I ended up leaving.

I thought Emma was a bit uptight. She was also so salty about her older sister, it wasn’t even funny. But the more the author revealed about her background, the more I understood why she was so uptight. I also understood why she was so jealous of her sister. Her meeting Jasper was a good thing. Jasper made her let her hair down. She had fun with him. Also, hello, kittens!!! Emma did have a secret that made me sob when she told Jasper. Instead of a scene where she was telling him, the author actually brought us there. I was a mess after it was done and my SO was looking at me with an “Ok, what sad thing happened in the book now” look on his face. It also made what happened later in the book more special.

Where do I start with Jasper? I mean, he was the total package. He ran a coffee shop that made the best coffee in the world (according to the book). He was friends with the studs at the Whisper Creek Ranch, which did give him points with Emma. He was a foster-father to a litter of kittens, which made my heart melt. He also visited his father almost every day and he made friends with the residents. On top of all that, he was fun. But, Jasper was broken and held hostage to a very painful past. Like Emma’s secret, the author chose to go back to that awful memory so we could get the full force of what happened. I was a sobbing mess, runny nose and all. Like with Emma, his past made what happened later on more special.

I loved their romance. I called it the anti-romance. They slept together once and then Jasper friend zoned Emma. He did it so fast that my head started to spin. But he lusted after her from afar. I will say that I did like that the sex wasn’t super explicit. You went from Emma telling Jasper that she wanted him to Jasper waking up late the next morning. Your imagination did the work. I loved it!!

I did like the end of the book. I liked the whole “where is Emma” theme. I got a mental image of one of those “Where’s Waldo” books expect it was Emma and Jasper had to find her. I did feel bad for Jasper because he went everywhere looking for her. And she ended up being in the last place he checked. I loved the epilogue. I thought it was the sweetest thing ever. I do hope that there is a book 7 because, well, I need to know things. Sorry about being super vague but read the book if you want to find out what I mean.

Taking a Chance was a well-written romance that is the 6th book in the Whisper Creek series. This book can be read as a stand-alone, so don’t let that it is the 6th book scare you off. The plot was great. The characters were funny and well written. I will be reading this book again.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex (not graphic), mild language

I would like to thank Maggie McGinnis, Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Taking a Chance.

All opinions stated in this review of Taking a Chance are mine and mine alone.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Jasper has a little bit of a rebellious side that draws the attention of the director in Shady Acres. Known for his crazy ways of keeping the residents entertained and motivated to be active, Jasper gets by with more than he should. Until the temporary director steps in, Emma is a rule follower to the core. Unable to shake off impending doom at being thrust into this position on a short notice, Emma needs all the help she can get.

After a crushing blow to his personal life, Jasper uproots and heads to Carefee, moving his father with him. Finding the change of pace he was looking for Jasper is learning to enjoy life to the fullest. Emma is still trying to accept that she will never be the overachiever her parents wished her to be. Finding true acceptance in the Carefree allows Emma to follow her heart.

I cannot explain how much I loved this book; it had me from page one. Watching Emma break out of her shell and truly experience a little fun was great. They both had emotional trauma in the past they were trying to work through, I was so relieved to see that Emma stayed and worked through it, it added another level of maturity to the developing relationship. The chemistry was perfect, between Jasper and Emma along with the other couples. McGinnis’ secondary characters were icing on the cake, the plot was smoothly flowing and kept me interest throughout the novel. This was my first read in the Whisper Creek Series and will not be my last, I have one-clicked previously released novels and am anxiously awaiting more!

3.5 stars

I had read another book in this series and had enjoyed it, plus I really liked this synopsis, so I was eager to get to it.

I really liked Emma and Jasper. She’s spunky and sweet and he’s charming and goofy. They’re also really good people with similar backstories. Of course I loved the dynamic at the ranch and seeing the characters I was familiar with.

Plot wise, it was good. I was interested in what was happening and I enjoyed seeing Emma and Jasper grow. My main complaint is that I didn’t see much chemistry between them. Yes, they talk and go out a few times, but there are {I think} two kisses and one fade to black and it felt more like they were friends more than anything else.

Overall, it was a quick read and the characters are fantastic. I loved the ending and the epilogue and I’m seriously thinking about reading the previous books.

**Huge thanks to Loveswept for providing the arc free of charge**

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me chuckling and tearing up and was tugging at my heart strings! I was afraid that I might be disappointed in the plot of the story but I am sooo glad to have been given the opportunity to read such a great book! I definitely want to read the rest of the books in this series!

Whisper Creek water strikes again! I'm a huge fan of this series and love the idyllic town of Carefree. I enjoyed Emma and Jasper's story and loved glimpses of the characters from past books. A feel good, heart warming story of second chances.

Loved it! Laughed and cried my way through this charming love story. I read the book in one day, as I did not want to do anything else but read the tale of Emma and Jasper. Yes, I expected a happily ever after, but I was eager to hear their back stories. They were in their thirties and single. Why?

“Here I was, thinking maybe I was about to get kissed, and instead, I’m about to get struck by lightning.”

I can’t quite remember how I first discovered this series from Maggie McGinnis, but I do know this—I’ve really enjoyed each of the (now) three books I’ve read. And guys, I’ve read them COMPLETELY out of order. I started with book three. Moved to book five. And just finished book six, Taking a Chance. The three all have one important thing in common, aside from being heart-happy romance.

Hot Cowboys.

Yeah, okay, technically Jasper isn’t a cowboy, but . . . he’s hot, he wears a Stetson on occasion and takes Emma for the sweetest—and yet still sizzling—horse ride and therefore, he qualifies.

But hey, he’s not one-dimensional. He’s a coffee god, a good guy, and his slow-burn with Emma is lovely. Their chemistry is enough to carry this story through flirtations, cheekiness, fade-to-black love scenes and conflict. And TBH, it was conflict that worked for me. I liked how Ms. McGinnis handled it; I liked the way Em and Jasper acted and reacted to it.

And I most definitely liked the way it ended. It wasn’t quite a perfect ending for me—I couldn’t help but wish that we’d had a little more time—but it was damn close. And it was also just the ticket for a heart (spoiler alert: MY HEART) that was feeling a little bruised and susceptible to tears. Because hormones.

I know that each time I’ve finished a book in the Whisper Creek series, I’ve told myself that I have to read the ones I’ve missed—and truly, this time is no different. I’m determined to make time for more of these hot cowboys—and not just because they’re hot cowboys. Rather, it's because, however I happened upon this series, I know that whenever I read one of these books I’m getting sweet, swoony, heart-happy romance.

And yeah, okay, a hot cowboy too.

“...for some crazy, world-is-upside-down reason, I think I’m in love with you. Like, kind of stupidly in love with you. Like, I’d give up alligators for you.”

~ 4.5 Whipped Cream STARS ~

Emma is an all work and no fun person. She's been working for a promotion only to be sent to Big Sky Montana. Jasper is a live by the seats of his pants. He is a rule breaker and knows how to have fun. From the moment they met, sparks flew. They had me laughing. Any good HEA has to have some angst. I absolutely loved the ending.

DNF @ 54%

I took a chance, and sadly it was a waste of time. I have had mixed luck with this authors books of late, the last few sadly being misses, but this one was so far past the mark it wasn't even a blur on the horizon.

Over halfway through the book, and absolutely nothing had happened and I really mean nothing, the author was that thin on plot she threw in kittens just to while away a chapter, where nothing apart from that happened either.

It was a wasted visit to Whisper Creek sadly, because I have generally managed to find something positive in all of my past visits but I have got absolutely nothing this time.

I love a book that when you read it, you feel apart of it in every way. This is a new author for me, and I really enjoyed the way she wrote this story. Carefree is this quaint small little town in Colorado where Emma ends up being a temporary Director at a retirement home. She is sent there from her home office in Florida to step in for the current Director while she's having surgery. Jasper has come to Carefree to get over the loss of his wife, but has vowed never to get into another serious relationship again. When these two meet, it really is a match made in heaven. The interaction between these two characters is funny, very easy to get engaged in their developing love for each other, even though it's only been a short time. Whisper Creek is just a magical place, and you feel like you are sitting there with the characters around the fire pit, or in the tree overlooking the incredible scenery. Very well written, loved the ending. Well worth the read.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book.

It never fails! Every time I pick up a Maggie McGinnis book planning on reading a couple hours I get so consumed by the story that by the time I look up it's late into the night and I just have to finish the book! That's exactly what happened with this incredible book. Jasper and Emma's story is simply wonderful. Jasper is funny, loving, kind and oh so sexy. Then there's Emma. A little stiff, a bit driven, but with a heart as big as Montana. Not only are these main characters completely entertaining but the secondary characters are as well. When Emma was unexpectedly sent from her cushy corporate office to work in this facility in Montana she never expected to fall in love with the people, the place, or the man but fall she did. How can she ever go back to her boring life now??

You don't want to miss this one! I highly recommend it.

In my mind "Whisper Creek" is a paradise for women. What more can any hot blooded woman want? Fresh air, mountains, greenery as far as the eye can see and yes, smoking hot cowboys. Maybe I should have mentioned the cowboys first! We've seen many a woman fall in love with Whisper Creek and its hot inhabitants, now it's time for one of Carefree's most eligible bachelors to find love.

Jasper Stone owns the local cafe in Carefree, Montana. His coffee is to die for. In fact it is purely addictive and sinful and as fans of the series know, many women have claimed to fall in love with him after drinking his coffee. However, Jasper has a big secret. A secret that is keeping him from falling in love or entering a relationship. All he wants is to run his cafe, foster kittens and visit his elderly father at Shady Acres nursing home. But don't let his idyllic lifestyle fool you into believing that all is calm and quiet. Jasper is literally a pain in Bette's behind and a fixture in the nursing home. Bette is the manager of the Shady Acres and even though she loves Jasper like a son, there isn't a day that Jasper doesn't cause some mischief at the nursing home. Whether it is playing volleyball with wheelchairs or bringing fireworks, you can be sure that Jasper will liven up the place. And when Bette has to take leave for surgery, Shady Acres is entrusted into the care of a blonde beauty from Florida.

Emma Wintrop knows all about the technical side of running a nursing home but she has no clue how to do it on the ground. She, however, also needs to prove herself to the management and get the promotion that she has been waiting for. 12 weeks is a long time, but she is determined to make the most of it. And like all the women before her, she also falls in love with the beauty of Montana and the magical Whisper Creek ranch. Not to mention the hot cowboy that ignites all of her cowboy fantasies. Is it possible to fall head over heels in such a short amount of time? And what can possibly become of such a relationship?

Another enchanting addition to this beautiful series! I don't know if it is only wishful thinking on my part but I wouldn't mind seeing Ari and Liam together ;)

Taking a Chance was a fun romance with a beautiful setting and characters looking for a second chance at happiness.

Emma Winthrop is a star on the rise in the corporate office of one of the country’s leading nursing home companies when she is sent to Whisper Creek, Montana for three months of field experience. Life in Whisper Creek is entirely different than her life in Florida, but Emma discovers a sense of peace in the mountains. The only distraction is Jasper Stone, the son of a resident who wreaks havoc at the nursing home to keep the residents’ spirits up. Jasper and Emma soon find themselves falling for each other despite the uncertainty of the future.

Taking a Chance is the sixth book in the Whisper Creek series and the first one I’ve read. The book works well as a standalone and you don’t need to have read the previous books to read this one. The only thing missing was more backstory for the side characters, but the author does a good job recapping who everyone is in this book.

Emma is the definition of a workaholic and believes that if she simply dedicates enough time, she’ll be given that management position she’s after. When instead of the promotion she’s expecting she’s sent to Montana, Emma is uncertain of where she stands at her company. Emma is truly dedicated to bettering the lives of the residents at the nursing home and she is constantly proposing new innovative ideas to better their lives. Despite the positive attitude she displays, she does have a bit of a darker past and there are a number of issues in her family.

Jasper initially moved to Whisper Creek to escape the tragedies of his past and has spent the past few years running his coffee shop and spending time with his father. Prior to his move, Jasper was a high-powered lawyer who put even Emma’s workaholic tendencies to shame. Now, Jasper believes in making time for the important things in life and thinks a person needs to have more in life than a job. As a result, he’s a very easy going person and tries to make sure the residents at the nursing home are enjoying their lives.

Emma and Jasper had great chemistry right from the start and they build a good friendship before things move to the next level. They’re able to easily talk to each other about what matters in life and find themselves opening up with each other in ways they never have before. This book is definitely on the cleaner side when it comes to the romance as the one and only sex scene occurs off page. Personally I prefer my romances on the more steamier and explicit side, so that aspect didn’t work for me very well. Sadly, one of my most hated tropes in contemporary romances occurred which did lessen my enjoyment of the romance. **SPOILER REMOVED**

Overall, I did really enjoy Taking a Chance and it would have received a 4 star rating from me if not for the aforementioned spoiler. As that’s a personal preference issue, I would definitely recommend Taking a Chance if you’re in the mood for a quick contemporary romance.

Taking A Chance is a sweet story about Emma Winthrop, who comes from Florida to Whisper Creek to run a nursing home while the admin is out on leave. She has 3 months to survive what she doesn't know, and make it out alive. She has never run a nursing home, and the precious admin has not left much to work with. Lucky for her, Jasper is there too help. Jasper does not work there, but he is often at the facility because his dad lives there. He and Emma are a perfect match if he can let go of his past long enough to see there is more to life than how he has been living it.

I thought this book was okay, there wasn't anything particular that I thought was exceptional or really captured my attention. It as kind of slow for me in the beginning which is always hard for me to really get into a story then. I thought the story line was really cute and sweet and the characters were well developed, but overall the book kind of fell flat for me, unfortunately.

This was a good story about taking a chance. The characters were entertaining and the story had a great plot. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

3.5 Stars
This is a tale about letting go of guilt for our guy... and for our gal to let go and break a few rules. It is a nursing home where the father of our main character is... and the love interest is the new director brought in to get some field experience. She likes rules.... he like to shake things up and break up the patient's boredom.
Can these two see eye to eye... That is the question