This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

I have not read the first book in this series and while they mention Kit, it is not really necessary to have read the first book to enjoy this one! There might be more about the events that lead up to them buying the lotto ticket but that really doesn't affect how this story plays out.

There is so much going on emotionally for both Zoe and Aiden, and you can feel their conflict and pain as they deal with their life. I really liked that Zoe realized that her job was sucking the life from her and she acted by getting out of the job. She was a terribly angry person when she was working for the law firm and not surprisingly most people hated her.

What I really liked about Zoe was that she wanted to make amends for her past and had a jar with slips of people that she wanted to make things right. There were also times that I could not stop laughing- when she gave Aiden a cookie that she made with her previous worker and they were horrible was a good example!

Aiden was harder to like as he was so closed off and abrupt almost to the point of being downright nasty to Zoe when he had never met her during the settlement for his brother's death. Even with his co-workers, he was closed off and barely communicated with them.

I really enjoyed their weekends going to the camp as there were so many funny events!! Except for that first weekend, I don't know how Aiden thought that he could pretend to have a fiance when he was so nasty to her!

I loved that Zoe could see the camp situation with Aiden was not the right path for him to go but he was so determined that he didn't care. Even then, Zoe worked to help him have a good presentation for Lorraine and Paul.

After reading this book, I really want to read the first book, and am looking forward to the next book with Greer. They are a great mix of friends!

*4.5 stars*

Ohhhhh this book! I just finished reading it, and my heart feels so FULL. Kate Clayborn creates characters who feel SO real, and the emotional intensity in this book is breathtaking. This is a romance, yes, but it's also a book about grief and guilt, redemption and self-forgiveness. It is *beautiful.*

This was actually the second time I'd picked up the book; the first time, when I got an ARC from Netgalley, I stopped 2 chapters in. The problem was, the characters themselves felt so complex and real that I had a hard time buying it in Chapter 2 when the hero proposed their fake engagement (even though that's usually one of my favorite romance tropes - but it's such a fun, rom-com trope that I stumbled at believing it would really happen in a book that felt so true to life in other ways, and with two protagonists dealing with such serious issues). I had loved Clayborn's first book in this series (Beginner's Luck) so much, though, that I decided to go back and try again - and this time, I kept going and got HOOKED. By 30% of the way in, I could barely stand to take breaks for regular life and work! I was so, so gripped by the story and I cared SO much about both characters that I just wanted to read it obsessively.

I started out thinking in the beginning of the book, "I don't see how these two people could ever become a couple, after everything that stands between them"; by midway through the book, I thought: "Ohhh they really need to be together - but I don't see how they'll ever really be able to reconcile their relationship with his parents and their family issues"; and then by the end, I was overwhelmed with happiness about the community they had formed together. It was perfect.

I loved that this book was just as much about both of their friendships - and their new, jointly created family of friends - as it was about their romantic arc. They're both hurting badly, for different reasons, at the beginning of the book, and neither of them "fixes" each other, but each of them helps the other one to get unstuck and find their way together to a new future - and reading about it made me really, really happy.

I loved it.

i really enjoyed this. Zoe and Aiden's relationship started out rocky, with good reason, and the growth of them going from enemies to tentatively being able to stand each other to lovers was so well done. the build up was at a nice slow pace, with all that tension i just love.

I loved how, ultimately, this is a story about two people trying to find themselves. The struggles and vulnerabilities of that, while also trying to navigate this situation (the fake relationship) they've both agreed to.

As with book 1, the characters voices just leap of the page. Zoe's guilt over Aiden's brother and Aiden's guilt over not being there for his brother as much as he could is so palpable. It was like this physical presence between her and Aiden which they both had to work through, they both had to deal with this internal conflict within and by the end of the book they do.

Friendships! Another plus for me here. Zoe has her people, Kit and Greer, her fellow lottery winners, who are so supportive. And Aiden eventually builds one with his crew members, Ahmed and Charlie. I love the conversations each has with their peeps. Aiden bless his grumpy, awkward, sort of standoffish heart was so not great at being friendly with his crew mates in the beginning but growth! He eventually gets there.

The ending for these two was just so satisfying and perfect for this couple. And there's an excerpt for Greer's book that just !! Why do i do this to myself because now i need book 3.

I did something completely out of character before starting this book, or should I say I DIDN'T do something. I didn't read the book summary *gasps* I honestly don't know if I've ever started a book without reading the blurb. But boy am I glad I didn't. I felt like Ms. Clayborn was giving me little gifts at every revelation. Woah, relationship of convenience (my favorite trope); ooooh monosyllabic hero, SEXY AND BROODY I love it.

This book was so much more than I expected. Based on the lovely title and charming cover I expected a light-hearted, fluffy romance. Aiden, a shy, sometimes grumpy paramedic and Zoe, a type-A-all-the-way lawyer with a guilt complex were equal parts damaged and lovable. Don't get me wrong, this story had some hilarious and sweet scenes (COCKTOBER - I'm still laughing) but the core story focused on two people who had lived through heartbreaking tragedy and grew by learning to love each other.

The relationship that developed between Aiden and Zoe wasn't in any way eclipsed by the beautiful friendships Zoe has with her gal group. Occasionally secondary characters try to take over the plot. Not so in this book. Zoe's strong ties to her best girlfriends highlighted her maturity and independence. Adult friendships are complicated and Ms. Clayborn didn't shy away from difficult conversations or confrontations as the characters demanded it.

As a disclaimer, the characters in this book don't always say the right thing. They get angry, mean, petty but they're always real. Emotions are messy, people are messy, and most of all, love is messy. If you're looking for a fantasy, picture-perfect romance novel, you won't find it here. If you're looking for a sexy contemporary romance with relatable characters and a believable love story, this one is for you!

**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, but unfortunately I was unable to finish it.

I love Kate Clayborn’s debut romance, Beginner’s Luck, and have eagerly awaited her second novel, Luck of the Draw, and I’m thrilled to say that it exceeded my high expectations.

Aiden O’Leary and Zoe Ferris meet due to heartbreaking circumstances when she attempts to apologize for her work as opposing counsel during the settlement of his brother’s wrongful death claim. Aiden is heartbroken and incredibly angry, and he doesn’t like what he believes Zoe represents. Seeing her as someone who can lie easily, he asks her to pretend to be his fiancée while he bids to purchase a family camp, and Zoe agrees, hoping to relieve some of her tremendous guilt, and they form an unlikely team. Aiden is compelling and, if I’m completely honest, extremely sexy with his sullen, grumpy and cantankerous attitude, and his foul mood is exacerbated when he realizes he’s attracted to Zoe and might even like her. Their push-and-pull is captivating as they fight their unlikely chemistry and burgeoning feelings while wrestling with profound feelings of grief and remorse. They are compelling and relevant characters that drive this layered and memorable love story, and Kate Clayborn delivers a smart, sexy and sublime enemies-to-lovers romance with Luck of the Draw.

Kate Clayborn has a note in her acknowledgements which says: "One lesson that Zoe learns in this book is that sometimes you have to lean on the people you love the most an show them the parts of yourself you like the least." This is Luck of the Draw exactly. Zoe, a whip smart attorney, won the lottery with her friends Kit ( from Beginner's Luck) and Greer (upcoming book 3 in the series), but hasn't figured out her plan yet. Zoe meets paramedic Aiden when trying to apologize for legal work she did at her former firm. When Aiden sees her apology as "an opportunity" to help him, these two who are first only adversaries, learn to work together, then become friends and finally lovers. I love Aiden and Zoe, both individually and together. Zoe is a great blend of strength and vulnerability. Aiden is a strong helper-type who is full of grief and guilt. Both have huge walls but find ways to reach other. I thought their struggles felt real and the way they finally admitted their feelings, equally real. There is great body language and you can really "see" their interactions. The supporting characters are great, especially the camp crowd, both for comic relief and to complete the world around Zoe and Aiden. Producers should take note, this one would make a great movie script. Two flawed people who really aren't as awful as they believe themselves to be, learning to trust and love, to apologize and forgive, makes for a great, satisfying romance. I highly recommend this and can't wait to read Greer's story in book 3. I've read Beginner's Luck, and Luck of the Draw works as a standalone for those not interested in a series.

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it.
I liked that there was emotion and depth to the characters and they were well developed.
Great read!

I have no idea how I'm even going to put into words my feelings towards this book. The moment I read the first line, I knew I was going to be immersed in this lovely story. To say that I loved Luck of the Draw would be an understatement of epic proportions. This was a book that I just devoured and it found a way to hold my heart hostage - yes, it was THAT bloody good.

I loved the characters in Beginner's Luck, but here? I just fell head over heels in love with them. Zoe just stole my heart. After winning the lottery with her friends, she quits her job as a corporate lawyer. At the beginning of the book, she is very much lost and trying to find her way. At the same time, she is being plagued by the way she treated people in the past, so she sets out on a path to seek their forgiveness. This brings her in the path of Aiden O'Leary, whose family was ill-treated by her firm after Aiden's twin died of a drug overdose. Zoe may have made mistakes in the past, but she was a girl with a heart of gold. Her struggles with her conscience really spoke to me and I rooted for her as she tried to make amends for them. Zoe was what I would call a soft heroine with layers upon layers to her personality. The more I got to know her and the person she was deep inside, the more I cherished her.

Luck of the Draw is also told in the POV of Aiden. Oh, Aiden. <3 This man just absolutely made me swoon and ache in the best possible way. When we meet him, he is extra grumpy and extra quiet, which are traits that I love in a hero. He is undeniably dealing with the grief of having lost his other half and doesn't quite know how to deal with his emotions. My heart broke for the man and I wanted to give him a giant hug. He decides to channel his grief and guilt into winning a bid for a campground he intends on turning into a rehabilitation center. To win over the campground owners, he needs a fiancee, which is when Zoe faints in his driveway. Luckily for him, Zoe agrees to be his fake fiancee.

These two just made my heart flutter with their slow developing romance. I knew I was going to love it since I never tire of the fake relationship trope, but man did Kate Clayborne make me absolutely fall for these two. There were a tenderness and intensity to their romance that I hadn't experienced in a romance in a long time. They have no intention of falling for each other, but obviously, fate has a way of working around that. Watching them form an attachment was one of the highlights of the Luck of the Draw for me and the way they helped heal each other made me want to weep. Seriously, Aiden and Zoe's romance is going to the top of my favorite romances of all-time. Besides the amazing romance, we get to see equally amazing female friendships. Zoe's best friends were lovely supportive girls who were just the people she needed in her life. I also loved the campground setting.

Honestly, I could go on and on about all the things I loved about Luck of the Draw, but I think it's best if I stop now. I hope I've convinced you to meet Zoe and Aiden on your own terms. Just read this entire charming series, you will not be disappointed one bit.

Kate Clayborn's debut romance, Beginner's Luck, which released last year, was a total delight to read and it ended up on my list of best books I read in 2017. As you can imagine it set the bar quite high for the next book and I'm so happy to say that Luck of the Draw not only met all my expectations but surpassed them.

I'd say the second book is more than the first in all aspects - there is more angst, more darkness, more complicated family dynamics. I want to include CW early on for loss of a family member, grieving and discussion of addiction.

I love the complexity of the characters the authors creates, they feel like real people with strengths and weakness, they make mistakes, they have regrets and try to do better.

I'm not a big fan of fake relationships and this one started as a sort of payback, a retribution for the wrongs done and its growth into a love relationships was brilliantly done. There were no shortcuts, not easy solutions to overcoming grief and the sense of guilt Aiden and Zoe were struggling with. It took time and strength to face the consequences of one's action and to move forward.

The romance itself was great, slow burn and all those touches that grew to mean so much. It's was very much a case of forbidden, can't never happen love and objectively it shouldn't have worked between them. But we see two people at a turning point in their lives and they manage to let go of their prejudice and established opinions and just see the other person for who they are.

Zoe is an amazing heroine, she is strong and powerful, seemingly in command, sort of the leader in her group of friends, and then boom! everything changes after her lottery win. We see her as directionless, lost, struggling to start her life anew. I loved her character's journey through the story, figuring out herself, opening up to her friends (and to Aiden), taking risks, finding what makes her happy and sticking to it.

Aiden was wonderful too. He is an introvert drowning in his grief, focused and determined to succeed in the task he had set for himself. We see him struggling to go on with his life, lost, without the friends/family support he so desperately needed. And his relationship with Zoe was not a magical solution to his issues. She was a catalyst in a way that helped me realise some things about himself and change his plans for the future, but it was him who did the work, looked in the mirror and didn't like what he saw and decided to change it.

A very strong point in the first book was the female friendship between Kit, Zoe and Greer, the three of them being more of a family than friends. There is support and comfort but also the pressure to live up to expectations, to be the strong person everyone thinks you are. I loved the complexity of their friendship. And apart from an already established close friendship we see a new friendship develop (Aiden and his co-workers) and how difficult it is for an introvert dealing with a devastating personal loss, to open up to outsiders, to let strangers in his world, to rely on them and to be able to give back support and friendship. The author goes in depth in all these aspects of human relationships and this makes for a very emotionally rich and engaging story.

I love how the author uses the lottery win as a means for giving her heroines a chance to explore the possibility for change in their livers.

I also very much appreciate the casual queer rep we see in this story. It's just there, two newlywed lesbians in a long-distance relationship facing the same issues any two newlyweds in a long distance relationship would face.

The story ends with a great epilogue - so fitting, change is slow, no magic solution, no immediate forgiveness and moving on, some things are not easy to forget, you just learn to live with them.

Beginner’s Luck is first in series, and I liked it...this second venture I loved! ❤️ Why? Two main reasons I’ll mention...first, it’s not fluff, not just a love story. The characters have real issues to face with their pasts, their families, their friends as they work toward their futures together. They feel real, fully-developed in their fictional lives. Second, the first book is the author’s DEBUT novel...this is only her second, but she writes like a seasoned professional...her words flow effortlessly, are a joy to read. I find it amazing that she writes with such depth and confidence with so few books under her literary belt! I’m a fan and can’t wait for Greer’s story, the conclusion of the trilogy. Thanks to #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for the ARC!

I am not the biggest fan of enemies-to-lovers trope... AND when it comes to fake marriage/fake relationship storyline, I prefer for it to happen between friends because it's so much fun watching the cookie cumbles that way.

Yes, maybe, the whole needing fake fiancée is a little not too convincing of a set-up (hey, the owners of the campground end up not as traditional as Aiden painted them to be in the beginning). And yes, at times there were too many internal monologues happening inside Aiden and Zoe's head. But while it's not perfect, but for me, it's so much better than book #1.

The background of Aiden and Zoe feels more serious, darker at times, but it also makes it more heartfelt as the two deal with loss, grief, and guilt. The story also presents a believable turn from 'enemies to lovers' that happens with a well-timed process, with exchanged conversations which makes both Aiden and Zoe realize that they have THINGS in common, and they actually help one another moving on and strives for the better.

Plus that love declaration by Aiden near the end needs a trophy of its own. Well said, Aiden, well said.

All in all , Luck of the Draw , the second book of Clayborn's Chance of a Lifetime series, deliver a well-written story using fake relationship/enemies-to-lovers trope with a couple you can easily wholeheartedly root for.

Loved it!
This is my first book by Kate Clayborn.

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: Chance of a Lifetime.
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

I'm not usually a fan of the fake engagement plot but this is an engaging novel with two people- Zoe and Aiden-who are people you root for. We all know in advance they'll get together but how they get there is another story. Go with some of the implausibilities and you'll enjoy this. Both Zoe and Aiden are bearing a lot of guilt and how they help one another over that is at the root of this well written story. I liked the first book and I'm looking forward to the next one. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I really liked the first book in this series but I loved this one. I was so surprised because in reading book one Zoe was the character that I felt the least connected to but all of that changed. I just loved how refreshingly different this story this. Zoe and Aiden are written as flawed people who are both dealing with the pain in their pasts as best they can. The way that they learn to trust and love each other is so well developed. This is a relationship that you feel come together on the page. I love everything about Clayborn's writing- the depth, the humor, everything. She is quickly becoming an auto buy author me.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and, honestly, book three cannot come out soon enough for me,

Gah.

That's my official: akduirka;mv;l.

I just love stories of people with vulnerabilities and this has it in spades. These main characters moved me all on their own, and as a couple, I have to be honest--I loved them there too. I highly recommend the first in the series for the same kind of multi-layered, complex characters. For me, this one was so close and at times exceeding my feelings for the [book:Beginner's Luck|35717661]. It very much teeters on 5-star range. Sometimes the inner thoughts of the two of these characters made my eyes sting, which isn't easy. It was just that intense. The characters both were dealing with heavy grief and failed expectations of their own, thrown together as a result of Zoe trying to make amends for her prior evil corporate lawyer gig. What results is a distant, grieving brother thawing and being chipped away and a former corporate lawyer looking for adventure learning to forgive her past mistakes as part of herself. What I loved about Zoe is how hard she tried-always. Aiden was harder to pin down to just one thing other than his intensity. I felt Kate Clayborn deftly and successfully built a dynamic and intimacy between the characters without being heavy-handed. It was just a joy to watch unfold.

Really, as with the review for Beginner's Luck, I feel like this is just rambling gushy-ness. I really appreciated the slow growth for the characters as well as the relationship, and the sexy-times did not hurt matters one bit.

The premise of faking an engagement is already preposterous, but in other books, the people involved at least know each other because they are friends, co-workers, etc. Not so much here. The fake engagement trope exploded into utterly ridiculous territory. Aiden and Zoe are strangers and suddenly, because Zoe is there and Aiden needs to prove he is a reliable and stable man (for some reason, fiancee=stability), they are going to play a loving couple. Except they don’t even talk much to each other beforehand. Everybody must be blind. And clueless. And crazy too.

I usually forgive outrageous premises if they helped build a good conflict or interesting characters, but neither happened.

The characters are not that interesting. Zoe is full of guilt from her lawyer job at Evil Firm and quit her job after winning the lottery. She decides to go apologize to Aiden’s family about how she handle the settlement following his brother’s death. It is tough for me to be interested in a person who does nothing all day and wallows in her own feelings. And I don’t really know how apologizing would help the victims’ family.

Aiden is full of guilt about said brother’s passing. So he tries to buy a much beloved campground. Why does he need a fiancee? It turns out that the owners have a six-weekend interview process and want to make sure the campground is in the hands of responsible stable people with a good vision.

There isn’t much conflict either. Zoe wants to help Aiden. Aiden wants help. No conflict. Zoe says "You hate me". Aiden assures her "I don't hate you". No conflict. So all this time, the reader is just waiting for them to sort through their thoughts.

The few moments between Zoe and Aiden are good. I enjoyed when they talk to and start to know each other. The problem is that they were too few of them. Too much time is spent on silly campground activities (It's like camp adventure for grown-ups). There is too much inner dialogue - the characters keep thinking about their purpose, their past, their life. So overall, just ok and really slow and silly.

Wow Kate Clayborn does it again! Aiden and Zoe were the best couple. I loved how real these two felt. They go into this fake relationship at first thinking they are complete opposites (which they are) but come out seeing that the one thing that really bonded them was their guilt for certain situations they dealt with in life. I loved that Zoe was a strong lead character I really felt like she was the one that really brought Aiden out his darkness. I also love that this author is not afraid to write about damaged male characters who have real feelings. Too often you see the "alpha" male or the "rockstar". Kate writes about men working everyday jobs and whose feelings go past "she's so hot" . I am looking forward to book #3 and I hope we get more from Ben, Kit, Zoe, and Aiden as well!

Holy bananas. That was even better than the author’s debut, Beginner's Luck, which was one of my favorite books of last year.

This is a very different story, but still told with great craft, immediacy, and heart. Modern “fake engagement” stories often feel forced and artificial, but this one does NOT. The reasons for entering into it, the slow slide of Zoe and Aiden away from antipathy (because yes, it’s also a bit of an enemies to lovers tale) toward intimacy and then love...oh, it’s good. It is funny and angsty and I cannot wait for people to be able to buy it.

I was provided with an Advance Reader’s Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

I found this book—this story, these characters—absolutely captivating. I don't typically go for this kind of story, and the blurb didn't sell me, but for some reason, I decided to read the excerpt since one was provided, and I was enthralled very quickly. I usually prefer fast-paced action and find my attention waning when I read books with a lot of character self-reflection, like this one has, but I never once got bored with this; I devoured every single word. I'm still shaking my head trying to figure out how the author pulled that off. I loved Zoe and Aiden together; the growth of their connection felt so real as they battled their own demons and slowly began to provide strength and support to one another. Despite the sad backdrop, this is a beautiful love story filled with a tremendous amount of heart. I did not read the first book in this series, and although I realized quickly that a couple of the characters mentioned had already found their HEA, in no way did I feel like I was missing anything that I needed to know to enjoy this book. It can definitely be read as a standalone. With that being said, I enjoyed it so much that I look forward to going back and reading the first book, and I'll anxiously await the next one. After I finished, I learned that this is only the second book by this author. I was stunned; this book is so well written and well edited that it gives off a veteran writer vibe. Ms. Clayborn clearly has an amazing talent backed by a strong support team. I'm so glad to have found her!