Denver, Colorado – 1876

In male-dominated Denver, independent Sarah Donovan is determined to succeed as a telegraph operator. She’s passionate about her hard-won job, as well as women’s suffrage, and she’s not afraid to speak her mind. But of course, there are plenty of local men who would see her fail and squash the women’s movement. Sarah’s not intimidated, nor is she surprised. She is, however, totally bewildered by her reaction to the local undertaker, Daniel Petterman. The widower is a conservative with no liking for the suffragist movement. And yet Sarah is still attracted to him. When the two become embroiled in the same political issue, they strike up a relationship that could become something special if it can withstand malicious gossip about Sarah, Daniel’s preconceived notions, and if Sarah is willing chance her heart.

Daniel has never met a woman quite like Sarah Donovan. He prefers quiet, demure women like his deceased wife. So for the life of him, he cannot understand why he is so intrigued by Sarah, who is brazenly outspoken. Daniel should avoid her at all costs because he definitely does not want Sarah filling his two impressionable, young daughters with suffrage notions. Still, he cannot help but admire her spunk and passion for life, and it isn’t long before Daniel is forced to decide if he is willing to take a chance with Sarah.

It is with a deft hand that Ms. Nowak creates a rough and tumble Denver still in its infancy for readers to visit. CHANCES takes place when the founding fathers are still designing the city and creating its laws, and women are fighting for rights that are taken for granted by modern women. This makes for a volatile, but nonetheless interesting backdrop for Sarah and Daniel’s romance. The details surrounding the women’s suffrage movement easily captivate, and Sarah’s particular struggle to make it as a telegraph operator during a time when very few women had such opportunities rings true. Daniel’s conservative opinion about women also comes across as honest and appropriate for a man of his day. But their relationship is fraught with turmoil because of their differing beliefs. This serves to create no small amount of emotion between the two and for a time, the story works as the two try to reconcile their feelings for each other and bend enough in their views to give their relationship a chance. However, the mutual analyzing of the other one, in order to figure out what made them the way they are, eventually grows tedious and slows the pace of an otherwise satisfying story that is rich in historical detail and drama, and peopled with realistic, likable characters.

Sandra Brill