Fat Chance

Rating:
Summary: Shut ME in a closet with Hal... or this book, next best thin
Review: A fun, witty read, the heroine is one who hides behind a facade of humor while she eats away at what's really bothering her, (and in the process, eats chocolate truffles, ribs and Pizza Palace Pizzas.) If the food won't make your taste buds water, then the hero will. Read it!

Rating:
Summary: Don't bother with this one
Review: Although a story that could have been a great one, Fat Chance left me struggling to get through to the end. The characters were not believable (I wanted to reach out and slap them a couple of times) and the dialogue impossible. I thought that if I read the tag he/she winced one more time, I'd scream. If it had been a paperback it would have been a wallbanger.

Rating:
Summary: Timeless Tales 4 star review
Review: by Amy Turpin

Lindsey Michaels is tired of fad diets and exercise machines that simply don't work. Using the excuse to help her boyfriend, Kenny, uncover what he believes is a scam, she volunteers to be a test subject for a revolutionary weight loss/weight gain system. The idea being that the people who want to lose weight will be fat donors to those who want to gain weight. Trying not to let Kenny know her real motive in helping him, knowing that her best friend, Sam, will see right through her, she manages to get herself in the program.

Hal Randall is the mastermind behind the weight control program. But the picture he painted for the test subjects is anything but what will really happen once they arrive. Instead of the plastic surgeon he claims to be, he is a psychiatrist studying behavior modification for the government. This is how he plans on getting the test subjects to lose weight, not by surgery. He finds out his own behavior needs a little modification as soon as he meets the voluptuous Lindsey Michaels.

To say the two are instantly attracted is an understatement. But Hal has arranged for his assistant to pose as his wife to avoid any unpleasant entanglements, although the thought of being entangled with Lindsey is not unpleasant. Unfortunately, doing so would be unethical since he is her doctor for the remainder of her stay at his facility. But since when has a little thing like ethics gotten in the way of true love?

The idea for this story was top notch. The main characters were very developed. I could see each individual personality and they were not stock. They each had a distinctive touch that I found refreshing. The hero and heroine were very good together, alike yet different enough to compliment each other. The secondary characters were just as developed. The villain was extreme and wonderfully antagonistic. The problem I had was with the lose ends. This story had several: the villain's thirst for revenge, the reasons behind lies told by both hero and heroin were never explained, and Lindsey's part in the scheme to expose the project as a fraud. Also, there seemed to be very few sexually tense moments, no defining moment, and no tension to the climax. Given the fact that it really bothered her that he lied, both her lies and Hal's should have been addressed by both parties. Over all, I really liked this story, but feel that it needs more in order to fulfill its potential.

Rating:
Summary: Romancing the Imperfect Heroine
Review: Fat Chance is that rarity in romance novels--1930's-style screwball comedy where the absurd and incongruous make you laugh, but also make you think. Lindsey, the heroine, is convinced she is too fat to be lovable, which causes her to become involved in the weight loss program Hal, the hero, is heading.

But it becomes clear that fat is not the real issue in Lindsey's life. Self-worth is. Whether she (or the reader) has 20 pounds to lose or 200 (or even none), in the course of the book she develops the self-worth to accept the right man for her.

The writing team of Terry Campbell has written a delightfully funny book reminiscent of a 1930's screwball comedy or English farce. Funny things keep happening to Lindsey and Hal as they become tangled in their attraction and the oddball steps they take to avoid that attraction. A very quick and enjoyable read; even if you don't have a handheld electronic book reader, this one is worth spending a couple of laugh-inducing hours reading on your computer monitor.

Rating:
Summary: Don't miss this one!
Review: I just read FAT CHANCE-what a gem in a sea of same-old, same-old. Any woman who's ever had to diet and diet over and over again can identify. This book had me laughing from the first line. Lindsey Michaels, the heroine was a breath of fresh air, saying what she felt without thinking the consequences. Hal Randall, her hero, was a great foil beside the strong-willed, pizza-munching Lindsey. This book reminded me of some of the old Lucy Shows. Bravo to Terry Campbell.

Rating:
Summary: Delight turns disappointing
Review: I started FAT CHANCE with a sense of delight that quickly turned to disappointment. Here is a premise that could have been wonderful under different circumstances and in e-book format, my new favorite way to read books! Pacing and humor were two big factors that kept me from enjoying FAT CHANCE. The first was too choppy, the second was too forced. I liked Lindsey at first, she's so much like "real" women, and thought she deserved better than the obnoxious Hal. But she quickly turned unlikable and whiney, a caricature more suited to a sitcom than a novel. While the issue at heart, the cultural obsession with weight and what it means to be happy in your own skin, is definitely worth exploring in romance, this isn't the book to do it. I was left feeling cheated, or, in keeping with the book's food-centered premise, deprived of a good meal. I will try Terry Campbell's next offering because I believe she (they) has the potential to really develop as an author. I hope I'm right!

Rating:
Summary: Definitely a fun read!
Review: If you're looking for a fun read, it's Fat Chance. This book is written with a wonderful sense of humor and I really enjoyed the heroine's ability to see herself honestly and keep life and losing weight in the proper perspective. If you've never read Terry Campbell, I recommend you start here.

Rating:
Summary: Jam-packed with laughter
Review: Linda Campbell & I write together as Terry Campbell. Our book, FAT CHANCE, the third one that we have published, is deceptive in that it's very funny and short. But adding another one hundred words would only add volume and not content. In fact, the tight writing brings with it a moral. You are what you believe you are. Self-image does not necessarily improve as you shed pounds. Every woman who has ever dieted, exercized, or agonized over extra pounds will enjoy this light look at weight-watching "gone bonkers."

Rating:
Summary: FAT CHANCE is a fast paced, hilarious romance.
Review: Lindsey Michaels is your average American woman, meaning she's a bit larger than she'd like to be. She is easy for most readers to identify with, and so quick-witted that she's the star of this story. Any woman who has considered entering a diet program while munching on pizza will appreciate this story. The real secret to losing weight, as we all know, is falling in love.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, very funny story
Review: Lindsey was absolutely something else. She's completely wild and says exactly what she thinks-half the time putting her foot in her mouth, but seeing Hal react to her is something else. Life with them would never be dull. If you've ever tried to lose a few pounds, tried exercise gadgets, fad diets, whatever, you'll identify with this book and take Lindsey into your heart. I sure did. (I wish I only needed to drop twenty pounds--where's the lipo-suction!) Ms. Campbell has created a winner with Fat Chance.