A STANDALONE, SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE“An amazingly written, heart-wrenching story of a man lost and the woman who helps him find himself—a second-chance romance unlike any other.” – Anna Zaires, New York Times bestselling authorIf a man tells you he’s no good for you, best heed the warning. I learned the hard way. I had Jake Basson’s baby. He left to chase his dream. Now he’s back, demanding a … back, demanding a second chance, but why should I give him anything after four years of nothing? No correspondence, no news. I finally have my life back on track. Jake has never been uncomplicated. He never follows the rules. I should’ve known he’d play dirty. He caught me once. I’m not going to let him catch me twice.
(Disclosure: This story contains cheating. HEA guaranteed.)
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Addictive, all-consuming, and downright combustible from start to finish. Clear your schedule because once you pick up Catch Me Twice by Charmaine Pauls, you will not be able to put it down. Catch Me Twice is not your typical love story, but it is a love story. This is a love story filled with obsession, heartache, drama, and angst, but also forgiveness, hope, and redemption.
This story is well written and perfectly laid out and very unique. Ms. Pauls made me feel that I was actually in South Africa, with all its harshness and beauty. She pulls you in with her words, wrapping them around your heart and squeezing till it’s ready to burst. The main characters are meticulously developed and well supported with strong secondary characters. Written using the dual point of view style, we can experience the inner thinking of both complicated main characters. You can’t help but love them and be in their corner even when they make very disappointing decisions. But there is no denying that the chemistry between Jake and Kristi is explosive!
Kristy has been raised by her single mom, who has been loving, understanding, and supportive throughout her entire life. Even though they live in poverty and have a difficult life, you can feel the intense mother-daughter bond the two have. There is an innocence about Kristy, but she is also strong, independent, and determined to make a life for herself and her son.
Jake’s family and upbringing are the polar opposite of Kristi.
His very wealthy family is stingy, cold, and heartless never showing him any love, affection, or support. He is always told by his parents that he is a disappointment and that he would never amount to anything. Throughout the book, I could feel the self-loathing, anguish, but also the sheer determination from Jake to prove his father wrong. His parents were genuinely horrible.
The book is divided into two parts. Part one, Kristi has just finished high school and she is at a bar having her first drink and celebrating with her best friend. She has just turned eighteen and is having her first drink and in walks Jake the boy she has had a crush on since first grade.
“I’m still the redhead with the freckles…”
“He’s dark and beautiful…”
“‘Nothing is going to happen, Kristi Pretorius.’ Only Jake can make my full name sound hot. ‘I’ll take care of you.’ He holds me a little too tightly. ‘Promise.’”
Ahh, but something does happen, and Kristi never fulfills her dream of leaving Rensburg to study at university in Johannesburg. An unplanned pregnancy, a marriage of convenience and then Jake leaves for Dubai. Unfortunately, Dubai holds no success for Jake.
Part two starts four years later with Jake returning home to the small town where he left Kristi to raise their son, Noah, alone. During those years, letters were written and went unread. Hopes and dreams were shattered, and then Kristi began putting her life back together. But Jake was back and more determined to make Kristi and Noah his. Ms. Pauls takes Jake and Kristi from young love to heartbreak, loneliness, and disillusionment and then brings them back to the people they were meant to be. And we, the readers, are lucky enough to experience all of this through her beautiful writing.
As a massive fan of all Ms. Pauls’ books, Catch Me Twice was slightly different than her usual dark books. But there was an edginess to this book that I adored. I highly recommend this book.
** Please note the quotes in my review are subject to change once the book is published**
*** I kindly received this book from Charmaine Pauls. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion. ***
The story begins when Kristi and Jake, still very young, had their first love night.
Like every teenager who lets the pleasure go to his head and doesn’t think about the consequences, they had sex without a condom, so … pregnancy.
From there, the confusion begins.
Jake was the son of the city factory owner, so he was rich. Even though his father didn’t make Jake’s life easier (he had to work to get anything extra but his academic education), the boy’s financial life was better than Kristi’s.
Kristi lived with her mother in a trailer. Her father never cared about them.
Her mother worked as a cleaning lady at the factory.
Being pregnant, despite her mother’s support, Kristi had to make decisions of an adult, and knowing the many expenses that would come with the child, she found it best to marry Jake.
Jake had always been in love with Kristi, and saw that night at the bar the opportunity to get closer. But his desire for her blinded him and soon he found himself having to marry to help her with health insurance.
But he had a scheduled trip to Dubai, where he would study finance.
Kristi didn’t want him to give up on his dreams.
And Jake was hurt that Kristi wanted to be with him just for the money.
And amid so many hurts, little Noah was born.
After a few years, Jake had his life in Dubai while Kristi took care of their son.
The natural course of life was that everyone had a chance to be happy, so that was Kristi’s decision.
However, Jake had a different idea, and going back to South Africa, in the small town of Rensburg, he would use all his charm to get the woman of his life back.
I confess, at first I was very afraid that this was another book in which the male character was a chauvinist using the family money, and Kristi would be the poor little girl lost in love with the bad boy who doesn’t deserve her.
But Jake had a turnaround and needed to grow up as fast as Kristi, who took care of the baby.
Nothing here is easy, but it is in the struggle that they see that love could flourish.
It surprised me positively.
Kristi was in love with Jake ever since she was a little girl. When she becomes pregnant with his baby it seems her dreams have come true. But Jake has to leave to chase his dream and Kristi learns the hard way that she can only rely on herself. Now Jake is back, asking for a second chance but Kristi knows better! Should she believe him and trust him again? An emotional and heart warming second chance romance. Kristi and Jake face many obstacles but Jake will do everything in his power to win Kristi and their baby back!
Catch Me Twice by Charmaine Pauls is an addicting, all-consuming, and downright combustible from start to finish. I was not able to put it down. Catch Me Twice is not your typical hearts and flowers love story, but it is ultimately, a love story. This is a love story filled with obsession, heartache, drama, and angst, but also forgiveness, hope, and redemption. Charmaine has written an unforgettable and totally captivating love story that is intense, thrilling and authentic; and as emotionally exhausting as it is rewardingly uplifting.
This riveting story takes you on journey with Jake and Kristie. It was well-written and detailed and evokes a myriad of emotions from as the story progresses. This second chance story after abandonment and betrayal was tough to read at times but it had me hooked until the very end. It was real, emotional and heartbreaking.
This was an extremly well written second chance at love by Charmaine Pauls and her characters were so well developed, interesting, captivating and they pulled you right into their drama. An unforgettable read.
I had to take a step back before writing this review, as it contains cheating, which is a hard limit for me! I loved the dynamics between Jake and Kristi, and their off the charts chemistry, as well as the series of misguided decision they both made along the way. I was not too keen on Jake but he changed my mind as he redeemed himself along the way. This is a well written second chance romance story which is complex, heartbreaking, emotional, intense, as well as having angst and twists, which had me intrigued throughout. I look forward to reading more of this authors’ work in the future.
This sweet second-chance romance is addicting and captured my heart from the beginning. The story reads smoothly and while it isn’t overly angsty, it is an emotional ride of frustration, love, forgiveness and acceptance that broke my heart at times. All this is nicely balanced with some steamy scenes.
Jake is sweet, he had a secretly tough life. I couldn’t stand either of his parents for the pain they caused him, so I couldn’t help but feel bad for him. He made me mad but I understood his betrayal and his downward spiral. His upbringing and the thought of being a disappointment, unfortunately, ruled his poor decisions.
It’s funny him growing up how he did and Kristi’s completely different upbringing, she is such a positive, giving, and selfless person. I loved her character’s willingness to forget the past and accept the truth moving forward. I am thankful she finally let go of the hurt and listened to her heart.
This is my first book by this author. I would love to read more about this group of friends and family; I hope she will consider making it a series. For now, I’ll read one of her other stories.
Talk about an emotional roller coaster. Kristi and Jake will take you on one like no other. So many twists and turns, I’m dizzy. The book is written from a dual POV which is great as it helps understand what both are thinking. This book is very intense at times and has some triggers. It’s a second chance romance unlike any other I’ve read. Well-developed characters with lots of depth. A story with many twists and some surprises. Bittersweet and unforgettable
I’ll be honest and say that I am having a hard time figuring out what I want to say about this book. Did I enjoy it? I did. Do I recommend it to other readers? Yes. Just keep in mind that this book does in fact contain cheating and I know that this is a hard limit for some readers. I myself am not a fan of it, so it was with a bit of trepidation that I delved into this book. Kristie and Jake’s romance is complex, complicated and very emotional. It is not an easy read. I feel that their story contains too much realism to ever be an easy read. These characters have many layers, carry heavy emotional baggage and have flaws and issues. I felt that they each made some poor choices and some big mistakes along the way. Because of this, their story is filled with tons of angst, emotional turmoil, drama and heartache. The one thing that makes their romance have such a tragic feel is the love they have for one another. It was the sweetest and most precious kind of love. The kind that starts in childhood, before you even really understand what love is, then it grows into the passionate kind that consumes both your mind and body and finally, it evolves into the kind of love that can endure and trust me when I say, endure it must, because their love is tested again and again. I found it impossible not to become consumed by this book. It is the type of read that makes you think, while making you feel every single emotion that the characters do. In the end, I thought that this was a truly amazing story, with genuine characters that really shined under a harsh light of realism.
When I read that this book had cheating, I was prepared to dislike it. Then I just but the bullet and got sucked into a story that is not what it seems. When a positive pregnancy test changes everything for Jake and Kristi. Their marriage maybe in name only but when a letter from Kristi comes, Jake realizes that he can’t let the woman he loves slip away. This book hooked me from the start and it was an amazing read.
I can’t even express how much I loved this beautiful angsty second chance which was huge by the way full of heartache and so much pain just to be loved and find your place in a really rough situation.
I routed for Jake and Kristi through the whole story wondering god how is he going to redeem himself, to this strong tough woman, I just loved everything about him, the feels hit you straight threw the heart and you feel their pain and anguish. This is beautifully written and just flows so easy you loose yourself in their beautiful love story.
It takes a child, four years and two attempts for love to succeed in this story but it does happen. The road to success is not easy but it is a learning experience that makes them stronger in the end. Kristi and Jake make their way back to each other making the story is a good read that I would recommend.
Heartbreaking but a Fantastic Love Story!
This story really hit me hard emotionally. The situations that the characters are put through were realistic and broke my heart as I know these situations well. Growing up in a very similar situation as Kristi (poor) brought back a lot of memories and heartache as a teenager. I know the feeling of guys thinking you are trying to catch them by getting pregnant and I know the feeling of pushing someone away so that they can realize their dreams only to have it backfire.
The story is emotional, raw and tough to read at times. But it’s also about second chances and not everyone gets one of those! I loved the way the story moved and flowed. Not every story can be happy all the time, there has to be some heartache or it won’t feel authentic and this story felt very authentic. This amazing author writes from her heart. The powerful words she writes evokes many emotions, memories and heartache but her words had me fully enthralled with the characters and their lives.
The last few chapters really kept me on the edge of my seat. It was intense and completely unexpected and beautiful.
Highly recommend.
Kristi and Jake have been in love with each other since they were children. Never been friends or spoken till the night Kristi has her first drink. In the heat of the moment they give into each other and that’s where it all starts.
Jake has plans to move to Dubai and get his degree and run a restaurant franchise. After their night together Kristi falls pregnant and but tells Jake to go, to not give up on his dreams. She told him she would marry him for financial support so they get married and he asked her to wait. She waited for to long in my opinion.
4 years later…a friend opened the last letter Kristi wrote Jake out of the other unopened letters she wrote him and says she wants a divorce. Jake’s life has fallen to pieces, doing drugs, drinking and cheating. Kristi barley makes it by but she is a great mother to Noah.
That letter, finally made Jake decide he needed to go home. When he sees Kristi he realizes what he has done and lost.
He wants it all back…Can Kristi let him catch her twice after all he’s done to her?
This story was full of angst and emotion I was anxious at moments and wanted to slap Jake around for his decisions but he wins you over and proves himself worthy. Kristi is a strong women who has held her own forever needed no one then Jake shows up after 4 years and everything changes. She realizes she still loves him. There is soooooo much in between this review I already feel like I gave too much away. I recieved a ARC in return for my honest review. This did not disappoint. Just like all of Charmaines other books this is another 5 star! Charmaine has done a phenomenal job with this second chance romance. You definitely need to read it.
Such a beautiful story. I love Charmaine’s writing and this book was so well written, angst filled and drama. I was rooting for Jake and Kristi the whole time.
3.5 Stars
One thing I’ve learned with reading books by this author is her books are always full of angst. Also that the setting of her books are typically set in South Africa.
This book is no exception, it’s chocked full of angst, drama, heartache, love and so much more.
Jake and Kristi have been in each other’s life for many years. Having been school mates, they were never ‘friends’ but were very aware of each other. Now graduating from high-school, they finally have their face to face meeting.
To say it was a special meeting, would be an understatement. One thing though that came from it, wonderful baby Noah.
Knowing Jake was leaving after graduation, Kristi could only keep her fingers crossed that one day Jake would return. But how long can a young woman wait?
After 4 years, it’s time to move on for Kristi. But can she truly move on with her first love now returning to town?
I enjoyed reading this second chance romance book. Although not my favorite of this author.
Oh my gosh! This was such a beautiful love story with so much angsty goodness my heart is bursting!
Kristi has had a crush on Jake since they were children. When a night out opens the door for something more with him, she eagerly steps through it. But trouble follows and it follows in a big way. Decisions are made, actions taken, and their lives are irreparably set onto a new path.
I adored Kristi. She was a sweet, small home town girl with a desire for a touch of darkness in her life. Jake fit that requirement and even as she knew it was only temporary, she grabbed it with both hands.
’”You’re a good girl.”
“I’m shy, not good.”
His smile vanishes. Heat darkens his eyes. My words excite him. He likes shy girls who aren’t good.’
She wasn’t looking at life through rose colored glasses and even if some of her decisions might conflict with reader’s beliefs, it was what she felt to be right considering where she lived. While she isn’t your normal kick tail heroine, she was strong, independent and fierce all with a touch of innocence about her.
My heart hurt for Jake. He’s lived a life of never being enough. His own decisions cause mayhem and destruction in his life and as a result he loses a part of his soul. Initially, I didn’t want to cheer him on due to some of those decisions, but holy heck, when he pulls himself out of the gutter he was wallowing in, he did so with intense determination.
’I haven’t felt this free, this salvaged, since the day Kristi told me she’d wait for me. Everything that happened in between are layers of dirt, but I’m scrubbing them away one by one.’
He quickly became totally swoon worthy and I absolutely loved him and all his brokenness.
Never have I read such a story filled with such heart breaking yet beautiful redemption. Jake had amends to make and he did so with words and actions that melted my heart. This couple belonged together but it was a struggle for them to find their path much less to stay on it.
’Like a wild rose creeper that has invaded the abandoned mesh of a fence, the feelings strangling my heart are twisted, and warped, and full of thorns with fragile little flowers in between. Even if I don’t want to admit it, I still have feelings for Jake. Those feelings are intertwined with the pain, fragile little roses that survive between thorns.’
The road this author takes us on with them was strewn with rocks and boulders. But oh my, when they finally found their solution, I was in tears from the pure joy that they had come through it all and survived, changed yes, but all the stronger for it.
Although this looks to be a longer read, it felt anything but. The rhythm and pacing was such that I had consumed more than I had thought and still didn’t want to put it down. There is never a doubt regarding the chemistry between Jake and Kristi. It absolutely sizzles from one scene to the next. While this starts out with smexy times, there is actually a good portion of the book that has a slow burn to it. It was absolutely perfect for their situation and when they finally step across that line again…beauty in every word.
If you enjoy an angst filled love story and intense groveling, you’re going to love Jake and this story.
I was new to this author, so I wasn’t sure what I was heading into at the onset of this story. No past experience with which to judge, I guess. I found myself going deeper and deeper into the book the longer I read it, being pulled in by an excellent story with engaging characters I found myself really caring for. And to me, that’s an indication of good fiction writing. I enter into the world created by this author and get so drawn up in the experience of it, the day passes by without my notice. I started and finished this book in one sitting.
This is the story of Jake and Kristi, two people absolutely perfect for each other but who almost constantly suffer obstacles in their relationship. This is a story of their struggles and how they come to terms with and work through all that stands in their way. Despite all these odds they do get their HEA.
It was a good story, one I’ll heartily recommend. I think you’ll enjoy it too.
Ok, so what do I say? I prefer my couples to be a little bit older than they were in this book. But, in order for this book to work and make sense, they were the perfect age. It is very well written and provides a lot of emotion and angst. So all in all, I liked this book and think it is a good read.
I had soooo many issues with this book…. I am all about second chance romances and even second chances in general but Pauls made Jake out to be such a dick. He cheated with over 50 women in brothels and was the literal epitome of a man whore. Then he has some sort of a epiphany and is coming back to be with his wife and kid.
Not too sure, but this one was just not for me and the blurb really drew me in but eh…. This is a no for me. I did finish it but there were way too many points that just turned me off of the whole thing…..
Kristi and Jake marry young. Kristi spends the next four years apart from Jake, struggling to raise their child among prejudice, while he pursues his dreams of professional success.
I have decided that Charmaine Pauls is a guilty pleasure that I absolutely adore. Her novels typically have dark content that is often taboo and highly sensual. The characters suffer a challenging time before obtaining their hea, but in the end, they are considerably stronger for it. I feel connected to the characters through their distress, and that inevitable ending we all look for in a romance becomes more fulfilling. Despite acts that are less than optimal, the endurance and sincerity endear me to them. In Catch Me Twice Jake screws up badly, but I never felt he did not deserve a second chance. When Kristi wavers, I don’t blame her, nor do I judge her for her ultimate decision.
Charmaine Pauls has done it again. Reading this early copy of Catch Me Twice honestly was as enjoyable as her prior works, which I have loved every one. I enthusiastically recommend Catch Me Twice for lovers of romance. Catch Me Twice fits is a good fit for those who prefer a little struggle before happily ever after.