take a chance on itRating: 4.5 stars
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Length: Novel


Dane Archer and Gideon DeLuca have been best friends and frequent lovers for well over a decade. Gideon has been in love with Dane since college, but he has always known that Dane will never be able to commit to a real relationship with him. Dane has been in a open relationship with Spencer for ten years, and while he and Gideon have sex on the side, Spencer seems a better match for Dane’s desire not to have a traditional or monogamous relationship. Gideon has long accepted that occasional sex is all he is ever going have with Dane.

When Dane and Spencer unexpectedly decide to get married, it is a shock to pretty much everyone. But Dane has cancer and Spencer has insurance and it seems like the best choice for them. That is until Spencer gets cold feet and leaves Dane at the altar. Gideon does what he has been doing for years, and that is take care of Dane by offering to marry him instead so Dane can take advantage of Gideon’s much needed health insurance to ensure proper treatment.

Living together and being married is a challenge. On one hand, Gideon has what he has always wanted: a relationship with Dane, having him in his home and in his bed every night. But it comes at the expense of the man he loves being incredibly sick and suffering through debilitating treatment. Gideon would do anything in the world for Dane, so even though it is painful having his heart’s desire in reach while knowing it isn’t for real, he is there for Dane every step of the way through treatment. Now the men have to figure out what happens next after the treatment is over. Gideon would love a forever after with Dane, but he doesn’t know if Dane shares those feelings, or is even capable of committing the way Gideon needs. Now that the men have finally experienced a life together, they must figure out if they can make it work long term.

Take a Chance On It is the third book in K.A. Mitchell’s Ready or Knot series. The series follows four best friends as they journey through new relationships and love. Dane and Gideon have been side characters in the first two books and we have known all along that they have a casual sexual relationship, but that Gideon wants so much more. I have enjoyed the glimpses of their relationship in the past two books, and so I was really excited to see their story here.

Mitchell does a really great job showing both the incredible closeness these guys have, as well as the tension that comes from both men knowing Gideon is in love with Dane. Gideon has tried many times to break things off, to protect his heart to keep from getting hurt, but he just can’t stop the feelings he has for Dane. When Dane gets sick, Gideon is ready to jump in and take care of him. We see his fears about Dane’s health and his efforts to keep his iron emotional control and handle everything. There is really a nice balance here. There is a sweetness and sexiness that these guys have together that we see as they go through their days. We can see them growing their relationship in a different direction than it has been in the past. And at the same time, we see Dane going through his treatment, with all the accompanying exhaustion and pain and sickness that they deal with together. There is realism to the experience, but at the same time, the romance and sexiness, and it all works really well together. I have to admit I was thrilled to see that these guys were able to make it work and I really enjoyed them together.

I had two small issues here though. First off, the ending felt quick. We spend a long time with the build up to the Dane’s wedding and then following the guys as they are living together and dealing with Dane’s illness. But then the resolution seems to come awfully fast. They are facing the decision about how to go forward and then resolving it at the very end of the book. It was so far along I was watching the minutes tick by on my kindle trying to figure out how the story could possibly wrap up that fast. So I wish the discussion about their future and the decisions they were making were explored more and given time to resolve. There is also an interesting side plot about Gideon growing up in an abusive home with an alcoholic father. Dane gets Gideon to agree to join a support group for adult children of alcoholics and he goes and has some new revelations about his life, but that happens almost all off page. I felt like this really needed to be explored more as it gives balance to the story to see Gideon’s growth and yet we barely hear anything about it and it is just a few tidbits dropped here and there.

I am not sure if this is the end of the series (all four guys are now accounted for), but I felt like this story gives a really nice resolution to their journey. We get to spend some time with all four men and I enjoyed how this book gives us the resolution on a relationship we have been following through the series. I really enjoyed Dane and Gideon together and liked seeing how the tension between them resolves here. I think this was my favorite book of the series and I definitely recommend it.

A review copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press.

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