Bennie Ford was raised by her beloved grandmother in
Tallgrass, Oklahoma, and had two BFF's, Calvin Sweet and
J'Myel Ford. The threesome were inseparable, and Bennie
thought their friendship and Tallgrass would be their
forever/together home. When Calvin and J'Myel enlisted in
the Army
together, they completed tours in Iraq and
Afghanistan and were heroes. They each had a chestful of
medals to prove it. Calvin opted to take courses planning
to improve his
education; J'Myel elects to have fun and not think about
tomorrow. The two
drift apart and stop speaking, and when J'Myel marries
Bennie, she also loses
contact with Calvin. When J'Myel is killed, Bennie begins
to study to become
a nurse. Her
only social life is a weekly meeting of the Marguerite
Girls, made up of women who loved a soldier and lost him.
It is the highlight of her week.
Capt. Calvin Sweet returns home after eleven years on the
battlefield. He is whole with all his arms and legs, but
he
has wounds you cannot see. He needs medications to
counteract depression, mood
changes, sleep problems, problems with trusting, and he
recently tried to commit suicide. Now placed in a Warrior
Transition Unit, near his home so his family can be a part
of his recovery, Calvin suffers the shame of trying to end
his life. He must work hard to control PTSD and move
forward toward his hopes and dreams...which include
Bennie. He has always loved her and needs to tell her his
truths so they can have a new beginning together.
A CHANCE OF A LIFETIME is
a NOW story that needs telling, needs understanding, and
Ms.
Pappano does it well. Her characters (including two dogs)
are warm, and
wonderful. Diez, the young teenager who saved
Calvin's life is a nice addition to the close-knit
families as well as Luce, another widow who dreams of
owning her own business
filled with luscious beautiful pastries; she would call it
"Prairie Harts". Joe Cadore, the high school coach, has
been in love with
Luce from
first sight and is waiting for the right moment make his
move. He was my
favorite character! I love A CHANCE OF A LIFETIME and will
recommend
it to all. It will really melt your heart!
Sometimes love finds you when you least expect it . . .
To Benita Ford, Tallgrass, Oklahoma, will always be home.
It's where her beloved grandmother raised her and where
she rode bikes with her two best friends-the man who
became her husband and Calvin. And Tallgrass is where she
stayed, even after her husband died while serving his
country. Now Calvin is home from that same war, and the
sensitive, mischievous boy she once knew is today a man
scarred by wounds no one else can see. Falling in love
with him is something Bennie never imagined.
Tallgrass still haunts Captain Calvin Sweet. Yet it's
where he must go to see Bennie-the one woman he always
loved but could never have. Calvin regrets so much about
what happened years ago. Still he can't deny being with
Bennie makes his future feel bright, like anything is
possible. But the demons of his past won't be quieted
that easily. As old hurts linger, threatening to pull
them apart, Calvin and Bennie must take the ultimate risk
for the love of a lifetime . . .