Trusting Chance by Caitlyn O'Leary

 Josie Decker and Chance Reynolds knew each other years ago when they were in the same foster home, before Josie’s birth mother reclaimed her. Now, Chance and his best friend, Sam Booth an Afghan war veteran are living in Fate Harbor Washington, when Josie re-establishes ties with her foster parents and opens a bakery in the quaint town. Chance realizes that growing up with her birth mother has left Josie with physical and emotional scars and a deep belief that she is unworthy of love.

Fate Harbor is very accepting of triad alliances, and Chance believes that the relationship that will ultimately heal Josie is one that includes both he and Sam. Sam’s recent trauma, fighting for his country, has left him beyond hurt. Chance has despaired of saving the brother of his heart, but finding Josie again has given him hope, and a plan. Chance believes the three of them can make the perfect future together.

I love Fate Harbor and the people who live there.  It is a community that supports multiple spouse marriage and everyone supports and looks after each other.  For this book we have the story of Sam, Chance and Josie.  All three have the common bond of being foster children in the home of Betty and Butch. 

Josie and Sam were sent back to their parents and Chance stayed with the foster family till he was 18 but each bonded as children.  Chance was taken care of by Josie as children; he could get her to do anything with his puppy eyes.  She had returned to her mother by the time Sam got there.  Sam and Chance had bonded as brothers even though Sam had to leave multiple times only to be disappointed and abused by his mother and returned to foster care.  Sam has endured many tours of duty during the war and returned back to Fate Harbor with PTSD and some health issues.  Chance is taking care of him the best he can when news comes from Betty that she has been in contact with Josie. Betty has some ideas that Josie could be exactly what her two boys need in life, but will Josie agree?

After watching Betty be taken advantage of by other people for her money, Chance wasn’t trusting of Josie, who he used to call Zee so he researched and found she had single handedly raised her twin younger sisters and her reputation was pure.  Now that her sisters have been awarded scholarships and are going off to college Betty is pushing Josie to come to Fate Harbor and open up the bakery she has always dreamed of having.  After watching Josie and Betty talk on Skype Chance begins having his own wishes for when his Zee returns.

Chance and Sam will have to teach Josie how to feel again and to allow others to care for her now  With her business growing and meeting people who soon become friends, she hopes that she has finally found her home, back where she started.  It won’t be easy for these three, with two being let down and damaged by the very person who was supposed to love them and Chance feeling the emptiness of his parent’s death, they are going to have to learn to trust each other as adults now with their minds, bodies and souls.

I love how the author developed these characters and displayed their strengths and weaknesses.  Josie had suffered a back injury while with her mother and suffers in pain, yet she doesn’t let it stop her from obtaining her dreams with extremely hard work.  Josie has some issues with her body and beliefs that no man would want her even though she is a beautiful woman. Sam suffers from nightmares and PTSD yet when he is with Josie he is the alpha male who takes control and makes Josie see how beautiful she is.  Chance is the nurturer to the two yet is also an alpha male who keeps Sam in line and helps Josie stop berating herself.  Growing up in a stable home with Betty and Butch he doesn’t have the baggage that the other two do but he carries his own demons and pain.  Where one of the three lacks or suffers that other two step up and fills the void and help build each other. 

I really love this series of Fate Harbor romances.  She creates a community that makes the reader wish they could move there.  She also keeps characters from other books involved in each book which I love.  While this was the first book published, I have read another Fate Harbor book before this, proving that each book can be a standalone. The author writes with such a steady flow that the reading is easy and allows you to just drift away into the story and grow to love her characters as if they are friends.  

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