Tag Archives: Second Chance

Marek (Cold Fury Hockey # 11)

By Sawyer Bennett

Synopsis

Marek Fabritis is used to delivering blows, not receiving them. But when he gets tipped off by an anonymous email about his ex-girlfriend, the news leaves him ice cold—and it’s not because Gracen Moore is getting married to a total jerk. It’s the fact that Marek has a three-year-old daughter he never knew about. Now he’s going back home, not to play knight in shining armor but to make damn sure that no man takes what’s his. For the first time, there might be something more important than hockey.

Gracen Moore has always loved Marek. That’s why she let him go, so he could pursue a career in the NHL. And that’s why she never told him about Lilly. Only now does Gracen realize that she made an unforgivable mistake. But is that any reason for Marek to crash her wedding and make an epic scene? If the spark that still smolders between them is to be trusted, maybe. Still, Gracen’s not getting her hopes up. Because she knows better than anyone that appearances aren’t always what they seem. . . .

Review

MAREK is a second chance, secret child romance, which for the most part was a very enjoyable read and a good addition to the Cold Fury Hockey series. The story was entertaining, kept me turning the pages and brought out a wide range of emotions from me.

I loved Gracen, who apologized several times for keeping her daughter a secret and she meant each and every one of those apologies. She was willing to accept Marek’s anger towards her, but she was not afraid to stand up for herself and put him in his place when he went too far. Given how their breakup went down, I don’t blame Gracen one bit for what she did, especially when she believed she was simply honoring Marek’s wishes.

I also loved her daughter, Lilly, who was a gorgeous and sweet little girl.

I wish I could say I liked Marek, but I just can’t. While he became a good father to Lilly, I didn’t like how he kept playing the victim or how badly he treated Gracen throughout most of the book. From memory, he never apologized to Gracen for the cruel way he broke up with her, or take into account her feelings or try to understand why she kept Lilly a secret.

While MAREK can technically be read as a stand-alone, the scene where Marek rushes to stop Gracen from getting married⏤and learns about his daughter⏤only appears in the previous book. So if you haven’t read REED, you will miss that particular heated and emotional scene that sets up this story.

I also have to say that the synopsis does not match the story at all, and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a glaring disparity between the two. The synopsis says that Gracen let Marek go so he could pursue his NHL dreams, and that Marek rushes to stop her from getting married after learning he has a daughter. That is not even close to what happened. Instead, Marek dumped Gracen when he reached the NHL because he didn’t want to be tied down to her, and only learned of his daughter after he turned up to stop Gracen from getting married.

There’s not a great deal of hockey in this book, as the story mostly takes place during the off-season. But despite that, and as I said above, the story is a page turner and I devoured it quickly. MAREK is told in dual POVs and comes with a HEA for Marek and Gracen.

Marek (Cold Fury Hockey # 11)

My Rating:

Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks

Visit Sawyer Bennett: Click Here

Cold Fury Hockey Series

Love At Last

By Claudia Connor

Synopsis

How many times can you be unlucky in love before you decide it’s not luck, it’s you?

I’m in love with someone else. With her ex-groom’s words still ringing in her ears, Clare Franklin flies off alone to her would-be honeymoon. Forced to accept not everyone gets that happily ever after she’s always dreamed of, she’s done with men. Until she gets tangled up, quite literally, with one sexy veterinarian.

The only thing Dr Deacon Montgomery wants is to share his surgical expertise and get back to his two year old twin daughters. But, the connection he feels with Clare highlights just how alone he really is and makes him wonder if he can be more than doctor and daddy.

Long talks and moonlit walks under the rustle of palms has Clare thinking maybe she gave up on love too soon. Until one phone call from home changes everything.

Review

If you’re a fan of sweet, single-parent, second-chance romances, LOVE AT LAST is for you.

I liked Clare and how she took a chance on Deacon after being dumped at her own wedding. It also takes guts to go on your honeymoon alone, knowing you’ll be surrounded by happy couples everywhere you look, and not let it get you down. I loved Deacon. Absolutely loved him. He was honest and sincere, and what you see is really what you get. I loved his relationship with his twin daughters, as well as the effort he went to to reconnect with Clare. He felt they had something special, and he was not afraid to put himself out there for her.

So why only 3❤? Well, because while I liked it, I didn’t love it. I felt that certain parts of the story dragged on, while other parts of the story felt rushed and therefore anti-climactic. But mostly I think my issue was that I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind to be reading this particular story when I did. I believe that if I had been in a better mood, I would have found LOVE AT LAST more enjoyable.

Love At Last

My Rating:

Buy Links: Amazon

Visit Claudia Connor: Click Here

His to Protect: A Masters and Mercenaries Crossover #5

By Carly Phillips

Synopsis

Talia Shaw has spent her adult life working as a scientist for a big pharmaceutical company. She’s focused on saving lives, not living life. When her lab is broken into and it’s clear someone is after the top secret formula she’s working on, she turns to the one man she can trust. The same irresistible man she turned away years earlier because she was too young and naive to believe a sexy guy like Shane Landon could want her.

Shane Landon’s bodyguard work for McKay-Taggart is the one thing that brings him satisfaction in his life. Relationships come in second to the job. Always. Then little brainiac Talia Shaw shows up in his backyard, frightened and on the run, and his world is turned upside down. And not just because she’s found him naked in his outdoor shower, either.

With Talia’s life in danger, Shane has to get her out of town and to her eccentric, hermit mentor who has the final piece of the formula she’s been working on, while keeping her safe from the men who are after her. Guarding Talia’s body certainly isn’t any hardship, but he never expects to fall hard and fast for his best friend’s little sister and the only woman who’s ever really gotten under his skin.

Review

I loved Shane in Nobody Does It Better by Lexi Blake and he is a great main character. Bodyguards romances are probably one of my favorite types of action packed romances to read.

Talia Shaw is a scientist trying to protect her formula and is on the run from people who want to destroy it. She is advised to go to an old friend/crush Shane Landon. Shane is a bodyguard with McKay-Taggart. They find out that the people that are after her are always right behind them.

I love Talia’s ability to adapt and not freak out at every turn. And the way Shane is quickly seeing that not all women are like his ex-wife. This is a second chance romance that if I had any criticism to say is that it was too short. I needed more time with Shane Landon.

His to Protect

My Rating:

Buy Links: Amazon

Visit Author: Carly Phillips

Retaliate (Vigilante Justice #2)

By Kristin Harte

Synopsis

The second book in the Vigilante Justice series features a dangerous second chance romance…

He loved her…and lost her
Justice is still under attack, but it’s been quiet. At least, until I get a phone call saying a resident needs help. Not just any resident either. The grandmother of the woman who ripped my heart out of my chest over a decade before. One trip up the mountain, and my worst fears—and biggest hopes—are realized. Anabeth’s back and just as captivating as she’d always been. But when she faces off against a Soul Suckers rider, I’ll have to do more than protect her. I’ll have to figure out a way to win her back. Because there’s no way I’ll ever let her go again.

She’s never gotten over him
Fourteen years after leaving Justice for what I thought would be the last time, I’m forced back to say goodbye to the only family I’ve ever known. The town’s as small as ever, and being there is just as painful as I remember. The memories of big hurts and bigger mistakes won’t leave me alone…and neither will my ex. I’m still attracted to Bishop Kennard—even more than I was as a lovesick teenager—but he’s a man now. A tough, brutal man who will stop at nothing to protect me.

Too bad he’s the one who needs protecting…from the things I did that caused me to leave him behind in the first place.

Review

Retaliate is book 2 of this series and I had not read the first book Payback. As a reader, I could easily follow the family connections and story of the town. There are some strong and impressive characters in this series that will keep you addicted.

The second half of this story I enjoyed more as I became frustrated wanting to know what event had caused her to flee the town 14 years ago. Feeling pleasantly surprised when all was revealed that I did not guess the big reveal.

Bishop and Anabeth had great chemistry. Moments of lovemaking were well written with such angst, passion and just so much heart.

One couple I really want to read their story is Gage and Katie, I really enjoyed their inclusion in Bishop and Anabeth’s second chance together. Bishop was a great character in this story along with his brothers.

Concluding at a wonderful point for this couple, I am definitely looking forward to reading next installment called Justify.

Retaliate (Vigilante Justice #2)

My Rating:

Buy Links: Amazon

Visit Author: Click Here

Kian (Undercover Billionaire #1)

By Melody Anne

Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Melody Anne’s sizzling novel of ex-lovers locked again in a game of hearts.

There was a time when surgeon Kian Forbes would have surrendered every cent of his vast family fortune if it could make Roxie Gilbert happy. That was before she skipped town, broke his heart, and sent him spinning through a string of forgettable one-night stands. He never even knew he’d fathered a child—with Roxie’s sister, no less. But in the wake of tragedy, little Lily needs a home. And Kian wants his daughter. But Roxie’s not giving in or giving up without a fight.

Fearful of her intense feelings for Kian, Roxie ran. Now that her sister’s death has brought her home, she intends to take custody of her niece and avoid Kian—easier said than done on both counts. With their wealth and power, the Forbes men are accustomed to winning. And as she and Kian are forced to spend time together for Lily’s sake, saying no to everything he wants proves impossible…even though it means risking both their hearts all over again.

Review

Kian and Roxie had great chemistry in this second chance romance. I had no issues with the child being from a one night stand with Roxie’s sister. The note from her sister to me was enough to move on and Roxie had her own issues wanting to escape the small town. We are all young and make mistakes in life – forgiveness if part of life.

This story had all the usual wonderful elements of a Melody Anne romance novel. Plenty of angst, tension, attraction, and drama but also adding in the beautiful character of Lily.

From the first few chapters, I was enjoying this story. Whilst it kept me entertained I thought the pace slowed in the middle. The ending felt slightly rushed for me and it is a very simple and sweet at times romance.

Lily was a beautiful character who provided the endearing moments that melted Roxie’s resolve to stay away from Kian.

My favourite moment was when Kian finally enabled Roxie to realise she loved him and it was okay to put faith in someone.

Kian is finished at a happy moment along with the fact there are still three more sons in this family to find love, with the help of their matchmaking father.

Kian

My Rating:

Buy Links: Amazon

Visit Author: Click Here

Thrive

By Alyn Martinez

Synopsis

Technically, you aren’t supposed to fall in love with your best friend’s girl.

But if we’re talking technicalities, he wasn’t supposed to be cheating on her every other weekend, either.

The day I met Mira York, I knew she was off-limits. But after months of stealing side-glances while he ruined the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, I realized there wasn’t a rule in the world I wouldn’t break to make her mine.

She chose him anyway.

I wasn’t sure how I’d ever move on, but bitterness turned into fuel for my fire.

Without Mira, I thrived.

Until seventeen years later, when she showed back up, begging for protection from the very same man she’d left me for all those years earlier.

Now, it was my turn to choose.

And she wasn’t going to like my answer.

THRIVE takes place seventeen years AFTER a love triangle.

Review

Thrive is a love story with moments that make you catch your breath, hope for happiness and hold on for dear life. From the first few chapters you flow from present to past, we learn about Kurt, Lark, and Mira. At times I became frustrated as I truly just wanted to return to the present. I was impatient for my happy ever after. Upon reading their young love you know as a reader that this reunion was going to be epic and it was. I am so happy at the end of this story, I could not hold back my smile. The last few chapters are brilliant in the way the author ties up the loose ends.

From the first few chapters, I felt such despair but kindness for Mira. Unfortunately, she just made bad decisions when young and when simple communication would have enabled her to thrive in a good life. There is so much manipulation and secrets from her life that I simply failed to comprehend and provided such surprises right up to the last few chapters.

Inner thoughts help with the connection between the two main characters Mira and Lark. At no time did I second guess their actions and the story flowed perfectly.

Mira was such a contradiction for me as a character, in the beginning, she was weak. As each inner bruise was healed with hope, support & love she became so strong. Lark was very abrupt and cold however as the first crack in armor occurred he was gone. It was enjoyable to read the banter from his workmates at the Guardian Protection Agency.

Surprising me was a fantastic backstory of Mira and Kurt, the secrets and suspense provided great moments. Lark’s alpha protectiveness that makes him so hot delivered in the bedroom and anywhere else. A favourite character for me was Matteo, he provided some great humour, darkness but adoration for Mira. His whole story I loved and at this point, I could not put this book down.

Thrive had so many favourite chapters that I cannot pick a standout, so many played important moments in this long lost love story.

My second book by this author and it will not be my last. I have not read the first book in this series and you do not have to in order to enjoy this installment.

Quote: “Safe. Secure. Comfortable. Three Things I only every felt with him.”

Thrive

My Rating:

Buy Links: Amazon

Visit Author: Click Here

Saved (Honor Bound Book 1)

By Angel Payne

Synopsis

He saved her life…she saved his soul.

Garrett Hawkins is the most valuable asset to his Special Forces unit, because, frankly, the guy doesn’t care if he lives or dies anymore. Since the love of his life, Sage Weston, was kidnapped and killed with her medical unit a year ago, Garrett has turned the shell of his soul into the armor of a finely tuned fighting machine. Being the first tapped for the unit’s craziest missions is just fine by him. The less time for memories and the agony they carve into his soul, the better.

It’s a plan that works, until Garrett’s world is upended one night in the jungles of Thailand. Memories become reality when the unit is called to rescue a group of kidnapped aid workers, and they discover Sage and her teammate among the retrieved women. Now that Sage is back in his arms, Garrett doesn’t know what to do. He has changed in dramatic ways, especially in the darker tastes of his passion. If he touches Sage again, he’ll want to claim her, restrain her…dominate her.

Is Sage’s love strong enough to let Garrett back in, not only as her fiancé but her Dominant? Can she trust that visiting the new shadows of his life will lead her to ecstasy and not ruin? Or can Garrett’s discipline be exactly what her soul needs to find its way back to life—and love—again?

Review

I’m not sure what I was expecting with Saved the first book in the Honor Bound Series. I choose this book because I have read another book by Angel Payne and loved it and instantly knew I had to read more by her. This book started with a bang and just keep going. In the beginning it became abundantly clear that this book was going to take you on emotional highs and lows.

My heart broke for Garrett. He loved Sage so much and then lost her. Not only did her loss her but also his whole reason for living. He became a shell of a human being.

Sage was the perfect match for Garrett but after being gone for so long and basically coming back from the dead they had to find a new way to be together.

This book had so many great moments. I loved the strength of all the female characters and the realization the male characters could also use time to heal from past wounds. I loved Sage in the way that she was not going to give up on Garrett and was willing to try new things to keep them together. I am so excited to read Zeke and Rayna’s story and then Ethan’s story.

Saved

My Rating:

Buy Links: Amazon

Visit author: Angel Payne

So Over You (Chicago Rebels # 2)

By Kate Meader

Synopsis

Isobel Chase knows hockey. She played NCAA, won Olympic silver, and made it thirty-seven minutes into the new National Women’s Hockey League before an injury sidelined her dreams. Those who can’t, coach, and a position as a skating consultant to her late father’s hockey franchise, the Chicago Rebels, seems like a perfect fit. Until she’s assigned her first job: the man who skated into her heart as a teen and relieved her of her pesky virginity. These days, left-winger Vadim Petrov is known as the Czar of Pleasure, a magnet for puck bunnies and the tabloids alike. But back then… let’s just say his inability to sink the puck left Isobel frustratingly scoreless.

Vadim has a first name that means “ruler,” and it doesn’t stop at his birth certificate. He dominates on the ice, the practice rink, and in the backseat of a limo. But a knee injury has produced a bad year, and bad years in the NHL don’t go unrewarded. His penance? To be traded to a troubled team where his personal coach is Isobel Chase, the woman who drove him wild years ago when they were hormonal teens. But apparently the feeling was not entirely mutual.

That Vadim might have failed to give Isobel the pleasure that was her right is intolerable, and he plans to make it up to her—one bone-melting orgasm at a time. After all, no player can perfect his game without a helluva lot of practice…

Review

SO OVER YOU is the second book in the Chicago Rebels series—third if you include the prequel novella—and I was really looking forward to this second-chance romance between Vadim and Isobel. After getting a taste of their story at the end of the previous book, I was certainly intrigued.

Sadly, I didn’t feel much of a connection between Vadim and Isobel and, to be honest, the anger they both felt towards the other was unwarranted. Isobel is angry at Vadim because he now has a reputation of pleasing the ladies, but he didn’t give her an orgasm the one time they had sex when they were teens and she was a virgin. Vadim is angry at Isobel because her father kept him from playing in the NHL for years after he caught them together, even though he knows she had absolutely nothing to do with her father’s actions. Both of them are also guilty of unapologetically interfering in the other’s life without discussion or consideration…for their own good. They act out of love, but both situations could have been handled so much better and in a much less controlling way.

So it might sound like I didn’t enjoy SO OVER YOU, but I actually did, though my favourite parts of the story didn’t have anything to do with Vadim and Isobel as a couple. I enjoyed watching the sisters interact and continue to forge their relationships, although we didn’t see as much of it in this book as we did the previous book. I hope we’ll see more in Violet’s book. I enjoyed how we were set up for the next story, which will be about Dante (the team’s GM) and Cade (one of the players). A M/M boss/employee hockey romance? Yes please! I enjoyed the side story about Vadim and his mother, who have been separated for fifteen years. Their interactions were heartbreaking and the most emotional part of this story.

SO OVER YOU is told in dual POVs, and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. It comes with a HEA for Vadim and Isobel, as well as a HFN ending for the Chicago Rebels.

So Over You (Chicago Rebels # 2)

My Rating:

Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks

Visit Kate Meader: Click Here

Chicago Rebels Series

Strip Me Bare

By M. Never

Synopsis

“I may have had more lovers than you, and I may take my clothes off for countless women, but you are the only one who can strip me bare.”

Do you ever stop loving someone just because they’re gone?

Five years ago, Ryan Pierce disappeared from Alana Remington’s life without a trace. He was the one she gave her heart to, her soul to — and her virginity to. So, imagine her surprise when she finds him dancing at one of NYC’s hottest male revues as ‘Jack the Stripper.’

Ryan never stopped loving Alana, and now that she has serendipitously dropped back into his life, he’s vowed never to lose her again. But being together has its costs, and challenges Alana isn’t sure she can handle. She finally has Ryan back. But how in the world is she supposed to share the love of her life with half of the women in New York City?

Strip Me Bare is a second chance, standalone romance. It contains angst, heat, humor, heartbreak, and one seductive male stripper who will not only have you handing over your panties, but also your heart.

You’ve been warned.

Review

I’ve been wondering how to rate STRIP ME BARE for a few days now, and in the end I decided to give it 3❤️, because while I liked the story and its characters, there were some things I didn’t like.

I’ll start with Ryan and Alana, who I did like and I thought they fit as a couple. What I didn’t like about Ryan was how he sacrificed his freedom for someone who didn’t deserve it the first time, let alone a second time. What I didn’t like about Alana was how she folded to her father’s demands because she wanted his money to pay for her education and lifestyle. It made her seem like she was a doormat and a user. I also didn’t like that Alana never slept with anyone else in the five years they were apart, but of course Ryan had no problem sleeping with dozens of women while still being in love with Alana.

Moving on to the story, it took me a while to get into it because it was a little slow. So slow that I considered not finish it. But I’m very glad I kept with it, because it did pick up towards the end and became a more enjoyable read. Despite being slow, there’s quite a bit happening throughout the story, and as I got closer to the end, I thought for sure the author was going to leave a few of these things unresolved. So colour me pleasantly surprised when she tidied everything up, and did so in believable ways.

One other issue I had with the story were the skips in time; the story takes place over several years, with the epilogue taking place another six years later. I don’t think the gaps took away anything from the story, rather my frustration stemmed from not knowing that time had elapsed because it wasn’t a header at the beginning of the chapter. I’d get this sense that something wasn’t right, that I felt like I was missing something, and it would be several paragraphs into a chapter that Alana would say or think about how much time had passed.

I know I seem to have only listed the bad stuff, and it may sound like I didn’t enjoy STRIP ME BARE, but I did. It comes with a lovely HEA that brings the story together and left me feeling very happy. It is told only in Alana’s POV and is a stand-alone.

Strip Me Bare

My Rating:

Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks

Visit M. Never: Click Here

Misadventures of a Virgin

By Meredith Wild

Synopsis

It’s been years since June Bell shared a stolen moment with her girlhood crush, Kase McCasker. It’s been just as long since Kase’s father nixed the sale of the McCasker farm to expand the grounds of the Bell’s grand hotel. Now that Kase is back home for good, June might be the only person who can persuade him to reconsider the abandoned plan. But how can she face him again after he left her without a word?

Four years ago, unexpected news shook the foundation of Kase McCasker’s world. Escaping Falls Edge for college was the perfect excuse to chase his demons and bury his pain. Now, with a degree in hand and a void he can’t fill, he’s back in the little mountain town he thought he’d never call home again. Searching for purpose, he’s determined to put down roots and take over the struggling farm that’s been in his family for generations.

Time and distance haven’t taken the edge off his preoccupation with June, the spitfire daughter of his father’s rival. He hasn’t forgotten their time together and all the things they did and didn’t do. One look at her has him reconsidering the future and making a dangerous deal to win her over. Is a chance at her heart worth risking everything else?

Review

Misadventures of a Virgin is a mix of new adult meets second chance. I just love Meredith Wild’s style of writing. It really makes me never want to put the book down. Kase and June are so perfect for each other. They both have difficult family histories that need to come out before they can move forward.

I really loved Kase. He is so complicated but he has only had eyes for June. Unfortunately the timing was off when they first tried to get together and that left June confused. Fast forward four years and Kase is back and he has a plan.

June was a fantastic mix of innocence and driven determination. She believes in her father’s vision for the hotel and wants to see it through so she agrees to Kase’s plan.

There is almost a story within this story that revolves around their fathers. It really got the kids to this point in their lives were the could start thinking about the future. I really love how Meredith put this story together. She definitely put the right blend of emotion into this story. The pacing was perfect. I didn’t want to put this book down. The last few chapters were the best. And the sex scenes were hot with the right amount of kink.

Misadventures of a Virgin

My Rating:

Buy Links: Amazon

Visit author: Meredith Wild