Hank & Chloe

Rating:
Summary: Hold your horses for a great read!
Review: "Hank and Chloe" is a novel that brings together, on the surface, two unlikely characters to fall in love. Hank is a single community college professor in his forties who leads a quiet, dull life, always attempting at pleasing his upstanding parents but never taking chances. Chloe, on the other hand, grew up in foster care and orphanages, lives day to day, waitressing and working with horses, and is basically penniless. On one star-crossed day Hank accidentally happens upon Chloe helping to deliver a foal, and is fascinated by her utter lack of pretense as she strips down, wet and bloody from the delivery and borrows Hank's shirt literally off his back. When Hank decides to retrieve his shirt at Chloe's house (literally a converted shed) the sparks fly as he finally lets down his guard. Chloe is attracted to Hank, but she is a wild thing, like an untamed horse and does not want to be broken. I won't give the plot away, but in essence this love story feels as real as the Southern California and Arizona settings that take place. The novel is quickly paced, and the supporting characters are wonderful. This is the story of small town people trying to find happiness in a world that is not always kind or fair. Hank and Chloe take some hard knocks and it is not an easy journey for either of them to take a chance on true intimacy.

Hank must learn how to love Chloe without changing and binding her to him, despite parental objections and the fact that she simply doesn't fit into his "world". As Hank grows to realize he doesn't have to be the son his parents always wanted, Chloe grows to realize she can begin to trust a man after a lifetime of broken promises and dreams. It is enthralling to see Hank and Chloe begin to feel not just a sexual passion, but the knowledge that each has the ability to bring forth what the other has lacked for so many years. The ending had me in tears.

As a lover of Mapson's books, this is one of her best and not to be missed. The sequel, "Loving Chloe", takes a different turn but if you can't wait to see what happens to Hank and Chloe after the end of this novel, I recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Very real, an enjoyable treat
Review: I read the sequel Lovin Chloe first, then this one.
Both were great books by a wonderful, underappreciated
author.

Loved Chloe and the characters, definitely recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Very real, an enjoyable treat
Review: I read the sequel Lovin Chloe first, then this one.
Both were great books by a wonderful, underappreciated
author.

Loved Chloe and the characters, definitely recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Hank & Chloe
Review: Jo-Ann Mapson takes us to small town life in Southern California where the locals still call upon the town vet for all of their animal care needs, and the main diner is the source of good old home cooking. Chloe is a character who strives for independence. Raised in a multitude of foster homes, Chloe has built a wall of defense around herself and only allows room for love in her horse Absolom and her dog Hannah. Living in a small shack without running water or electricity, Chloe is a person of simplicity. When she meets Hank, the timing couldn't be better. As their relationship unfolds, Chloe endures a series of personal crisis that allow Hank to show her that the possibility of love is not something that we all only get one chance at. However, the question remains, will Chloe let herself believe this, or will she keep her barriers up?

Hank & Chloe is a cute story of two people struggling to learn how to love one another, despite very different backgrounds and current lifestyles, but it teaches how love can overcome these things and a love for life can transcend surface differences.
I only gave it 3 stars because at times I was somewhat bogged down by all of the horse references, as Chloe is a true horse lover and the story centers around this. Despite this, one can appreciate the obvious love that the author has for nature and all of it's beauty. Jo-Ann Mapson is an excellent writer. I favored Bad Girl Creek a bit more, but will still read Loving Chloe to see where she takes these two characters and look forward to more works by this very talented writer.
Jo-Ann Mapson

Rating:
Summary: you won't want it to end.
Review: Jo-Ann Mapson writes so real it hurts! Hank and Chloe are flawed human beings; they belong together, but their problems seem unsurmountable. Mapson provides no glib solutions, no easy fixes; love is hard, and it doesn't always work out. She is a terrific writer, one who deserves to be more popular and appreciated. This is mainstream women's---and men's!---fiction at its best. What a lovely story.

Rating:
Summary: Realistic, absorbing novel
Review: This was the first of Mapson's books I have read--and I can't wait to read more! I have already bought the sequel, Loving Chloe, because I wanted to see what happened after she showed up at Hank's house in Arizona. I think the author has a gift of description. Chloe seemed like a real, down-to-earth woman, and Hank was believable in his love and respect for Chloe. I learned a lot from his character. My favorite character was the dog Hannah, because she was symbolic of Chloe herself and the way she was free. Anyway, it was a fun book to read and I am looking forward to more.

Rating:
Summary: I loved it!
Review: Very good read. Nicely paced with enough suspense and lots of passion. Danielle Steele:"Eat your heart out". A page turner with a pleasing, if somewhat contrived ending.

Rating:
Summary: This Story Will Get Under Your Skin and Into Your Heart
Review: What a wonderful discovery - Jo-An Mapson's writing reminds me of Richard Russo - strong, earthy and sharp dialogue, the intermeshing of otherwise ordinary lives and a story that is hard to put out of your mind once you start down the pathway of life with Hank and Chloe.

My wife read this book first and as she and I often do with our respective reading pieces, she said as she closed the cover, "I think you might like this." That earned it a place on my "to read" table and while waiting for some newly ordered books to arrive, I picked it up and started it. Two days later, as I finished the last page I was waiting for my car to be serviced. As I closed the book, I said to myself, "I've got to get the sequel and quickly." Luckily for me, a Borders store was just a short drive away and I quickly purchased the sequel, Loving Chloe and will be starting it as soon as I post this.

Some have termed Matson a writer of Cowgirl Romances. That does not do her writing justice. As does Russo, her writing gets way under your skin and eventually into your heart. Others have outlined the coming together of Hank & Chloe. My repeating it will not persuade you one way or the other. I will say this, however, if you do not get this book you will be the poorer for having not read it. It is THAT good.