Second Chance Season: Review

Ahhh romance. These are the books that break up the string of unending fantasy novels. Trust me, they’re more than just place holders; to me they’re good for the soul. Especially right now. There was a blurb from the author (I can’t remember if I saw it online or in the actual book) where she says that she likes to write happy endings. Girl. Thank you. We all need a happy ending.

The premise of this book involved a city girl moving out into the country, and meeting the quintessential country boy. And boy-oh-boy did she meet a country boy. You could almost smell the sweat and dirt coming off our main character, Garrett. Not in a boy-you-better-go-shower way, but in a this-is-a-man kind of way.

Multiple POV is my kryptonite. Whenever people ask if you could have a superpower, what would it be? I always answer to fly, but the more I get multiple POV, the more I think I might change my answer. I love getting inside a man’s head. Granted, we’re inside a man’s head through the perspective of a woman, but there’s something so sweet and so thrilling about hearing, watching, and discovering how a man falls in love. It. Is. My. Kryptonite. I know there are plenty of movies depicting why having the ability to hear people’s thoughts is a bad thing, but let me have this one fantasy where things work out, okay?

The plot overall wasn’t anything special. It didn’t detract or distract from the budding romance, but it wasn’t incredibly engaging either. Cara is a new-found freelance journalist, who is writing a piece on the agriculture industry. Garrett lost his family farm after his dad passed away, and has never recovered from either loss. While I did like the discussion on agriculture, and how crucial it is for these families who have held on to their farms for generations, it wasn’t the plot that kept me invested in this story. There were even a few times when I thought, “Man, I wonder how Cara’s article is coming along?”

What kept this story moving forward is the steaming, hot, romance.

Is it hot in here, or is it just this book? Garrett and Cara had some of the best chemistry I’ve read about in a while. Not only was the romance steamy and believable, but there was genuine intimacy between these two. There’s a scene where they go out to dinner and meet people who are important to Cara, and she understandably starts to panic. Garrett knew exactly how to calm her down mentally and physically. It was so nice to see how they evolved as a couple, and moved beyond just a physical relationship with one another.

I know Liora Blake said she likes to have happy endings, but there were some tear jerking moments thrown into the mix. I personally thought the happy ending was too short! I wanted a chapter or two of happily ever after, but instead we get about half a page and our imagination.

Overall, I’m so thrilled I picked this book up. It’s listed as the second book in a series, but I had no confusion or trouble jumping right in. I’m very curious to find out who our first focus couple was (in book one), and if they were mentioned in this book. I’m definitely going to be trying more romance novels from this author. She really delivered everything I love and expect from this genre, and did it in a really commendable way. Did I mention, hot? Wowza.