They were best friends before he left town without a word. Now he’s back. Will her heart be broken again?Good girl Portia Phillips always followed the rules, colored inside the lines and walked the straight and narrow. Only her best friend Raymond Alessio could ever get her to quit being “perfect Portia” for a minute and take a risk.Portia fell in love with Raymond way back in fourth grade. That … Raymond way back in fourth grade. That love only grew stronger as years passed, but she kept it hidden, until one Fourth of July when she finally had the courage to share her feelings.
That was the night he broke her heart. Since then she’s kept it safe, under lock and key.
Now, eight years later, he’s back in town with his young daughter. His life’s a mess, but his love for Portia never changed. Can Raymond convince her to give him another chance? Will Portia find the courage to risk her heart a second time?
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Wow, what a second chance story! There are quite a few twists and turns in this story, but it is all worth it. Portia and Ray are great people who get a second chance at love. I loved their relationship and love for one another. I wanted to shake some sense into Ray’s ex. We’ve all either known or heard stories about a crazy ex and Sherrie fits them all. I enjoyed the story and had a hard time putting the book down the last half. I just had to know what would happen. A sweet couple, sweet kids and more than one second chance.
Second Chance Romance
This is an interesting romance. It is a second chance romance in a small town. Most of the drama involves a pair of 7 year old girls, an ex-wife and grumpy grandparents. I like romance stories to be more fluff and fun than painful. It is a well written story with believable characters. I received this book for free and this is my honest review.
I liked this story better than the third one in the series. I liked both the main characters and rooted for them to win the whole time. I don’t always enjoy flashback scenes but they worked well in this story to explain what had gotten them to where they were in the present.
Portia was a good person and I liked that she reached out to be a Big Buddy thus making the world a better place for one little girl. I also liked Raymond and the kind of dad he was to Lilly. I liked the conversation about and explanation of what a real dad is.
Hated the ex wife, just as we were supposed to. She was a piece of work. Her dude Dante was kind of a bland character but I think he was written that way on purpose. He is indifferent to all the angst going on around him. I just envision him giving a shrug and drinking a beer to everything that was going on. In the end, I really liked that he could see truth and wasn’t afraid to point it out.
The author says that she likes happy endings and she made sure things were “fixed” in the relationships that needed fixing. I’d say the only one that doesn’t get the obvious happy ending is the ex and she pretty much gets what she deserves and in essence, it is just what she asks for. She might think she is happy but unless she undergoes some major personality changes and attitude adjustments, her HEA is pretty shallow.
Sex: some kisses, references to a premarital pregnancy 8 years earlier
Language: no
Violence: no
I received an advance copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I like single parent romances, and I like second chance romances. This was both, so that was double win starting out. I really liked how the author wrote the past scenes from when they were in high school, into the story in the present. It was done in a way that gave us the background, but not in a distracting way. It flowed with the story. I could see the connection and the chemistry between Raymond and Portia. This book shows it does not have to have the hot love scenes to see this, and feel it, too. I recommend this book, if you are looking for more of a sweet romance, without the hot, steamy scenes.
I received an ARC of this book and offered to give my thoughts on it. It wasn’t bad. I enjoyed the characters, and I thought that the concept was good, and the writing was good, but for some reason, it just didn’t feel believable to me. It didn’t click as a team. I’m not sure exactly what it was. It wasn’t bad or to the point that I just didn’t want to finish it, but it wasn’t my favorite either. I enjoyed book 2 the least probably. But it isn’t the worst thing I’ve read at all.
Holidays in Applewood Series: I really enjoyed these three short stories and look forward to more books by Ms. Logan. These sweet, clean books were well written with nice people full of caring and sharing. Perfect for reading during a coffee break or curled on the sofa with a cuppa and a pet. I found these three books on Booksprout.co.
Dear Acquaintance #2 – A lovely, sweet and heartwarming short story. This is my first read by this author and I enjoyed this delightful story. Set on New Year’s Eve, this is a well written, quickly read short with two interesting, older main characters and several supporting characters, all likable and real. There a chance of a second love for both and they’re willing to try. 4*
A Gentle Heart #3 – I enjoyed this story as much if not more than Dear Acquaintance. Lovely, heartwarming and filled with some very special main characters. There’s even a character or two from Dear. All the characters are real and likable, especially his mother. There are three nasty characters of which one is a real piece of work. The journey through the pages keeps the reader immersed in the story, leaving a smile at the end of the last page. I’m sorry I don’t have the first book of this series to read. 4*
Star Spangled Second Chance #4 – Another good edition to this series. Eight years later the past returns to haunt best friends who never got to admit how much they loved each other by the time they graduated from high school. Now they have a second chance. The truth from the past surfaces, along with excess baggage that interferes with family and their chance. An interesting story with cameos by characters from the other stories. 4*