My Review

I was fully prepared to say this new-to-me author did her big one, and then I discovered that this is the third book I’ve read from her—one of which was a favorite read of 2025 for me. As for By Chance, this made me want to dust off my review writing skills and put my thoughts into words, something I haven’t done in quite some time.

The accidental pregnancy trope isn’t at the top of my must-read tropes list. However, this description drew me in. It could very well be the sports romance aspect; I’m a sucker for those. Whatever the case may be, I’m glad I took a chance on By Chance.

I was not a fan of Chance. Once he started letting Chancellor come through, though, he was more tolerable. However, he was absolutely still a work in progress. His character flaws made me side-eye him more times than I can count. He was selfish af. However, the way he gave love and handled business was the bomb. It may have taken him a while to come to terms with his feelings for Kirbie, but his awareness of her and eventual growth worked for me.

Ms. Kirbie was a treat to read. She was honestly one of my favorite female main characters I’ve read in a while. Chance told her, “You’re every woman. You rock rough and tough with your afro puffs. You’re nicety. Your milkshake brings all the boys to the yards,” and she was all of that. Plus, she was a boss—ambitious and about her business. She also wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable, even when she quite literally was afraid of being vulnerable.

The one thing stopping this book from being a 5-star read for me is the lack of closure. It felt unfinished. There were things we were just supposed to assume, but this couple makes those assumptions a little hard to make. Honestly, this could have used another chapter. But that could be a me thing, and this could have been intentional by the author. I would still read it again, though, and obviously I’d recommend it if it brought me out of my book content retirement.