Percy has money, position, and just about everything he could want—except for love.  Since he prefers his own sex, he doesn’t expect to ever find a true love to spend his life with.  Will Percy find a way to live his life the way he chooses, despite society’s restrictions (and the ghost haunting his ancestral home)?

Having read Ghost of a Chance, I was interested in discovering how Percy came to be the mischievous and helpful ghost he was in that story.  Once in a Lifetime answered that question, and many more.  Percy is a sheltered and rather spoiled young man.  His father, the only family he has, is distant.  Percy longs for love and companionship, and sets off to find it.  He finds temporary satisfaction here and there, but not the real love he wants.  Then he meets Professor Alastair Kent, his math teacher at university.  Things go smoothly for a while, but there are many obstacles in their path.  In spite of Percy’s naïve nature and unrealistic ability to find fellow gay men everywhere he goes, I couldn’t help but like him.  I wasn’t crazy about Alastair, at least at first.  He initially came across as controlling and cold.  After a while I started to like him, but then conflicts made me wonder if they were going to end up together at all.  Anyone who’s read Ghost of a Chance will be expecting the bittersweet ending, but even though I was expecting it I was still unhappy when it came.  Overall, Once in a Lifetime was a pretty good read, but not as good as Ghost of a Chance.  Readers who read and enjoyed Ghost of a Chance will probably want to pick up Once in a Lifetime to fill in the blanks of Percy’s life, however, just as I did.