From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Nicole Williams:He wants a second chance with his first love. Before he was writing chart-topping hits and smashing record sales, Chase Lawson was Emma’s childhood friend and first love. They promised each other forever, but forever expired at eighteen, when he landed a major record deal and left Emma and their hometown behind. Ten years … behind.
Ten years later, he shows up at their high school reunion with a proposition she can’t refuse. Six months. Seven figures. He gets a chance to clean up his reputation, and she gets the means to restore the old family farmhouse. It’s only for show—hold hands in public, kiss for the cameras—but boundaries blur behind closed doors.
It isn’t long before Emma feels her resolve slipping, crushed by the shadow of the boy she grew to love in the man selling out stadiums of present. Can Emma resist one of the most irresistible bachelors in the world? Or will she fall for the same man twice?
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“I want a second chance with the first woman I ever loved.”
Sweet, light, second-chance romance. If that’s all you’re looking for in your next read, then Fool Me Once might work for you. For me it felt like all the best parts of similarly themed stories I’ve read, but without the emotions and depth that I crave, especially in second-chance romance. Chase and Emma’s story wasn’t well thought out—it felt unrealized, unfulfilled and unfinished—and I was extremely disappointed with the ending.
Nicole Williams delivered two of my favorite tropes in one book and my heart is happy. We get a fake relationship and a second chance romance. And she did them both so well. I devoured this book and read it within a few hours.
I adored both Chase and Emma. Emma is so fun and fierce and she knows what she wants in life. And Chase is just so charming. He may live the superstar life, but he’s so down to earth. These two had incredible chemistry and it’s clear the fake dating was not going to last long. They are so fun together and they turned my heart into a puddle of goo. Their story was pretty low on the angst, but their story wasn’t without their problems. They had a lot to work though if they wanted to make this second chance work and both of them had a lot to get through and I loved every second of it.
Nicole Williams always delivers a good read and this was no different. She always writes characters that you truly care for and her couples always have such amazing chemistry. Fool Me Once was such a sweet read with a ton of heart. It’s the kind of book that just puts a smile on your face. Contemporary romances fans this is for you.
Emma is enjoying her high school reunion in a peculiar way: drowning her hurts in drinks. With two ex-boyfriends present, it can be said that there, is the last place that she would like to be. And to share the same environment that Chase Lawson is the projection of her personal hell. But Chase does not seem to care. Back in his hometown after several years, the now-famous singer has a proposal that Emma can not refuse.
Face to face with the man who broke her heart, Emma can not believe what she just heard. Pretend to be his devoted and innocent girlfriend. That is the proposal. An agreement that will clean Chase’s image, scratched after an accident. And that will guarantee a beautiful financial reward for her.
Going on tour with him, as part of the deal, Emma’s dormant feelings will re-emerge, and old wounds and old sorrows will surface. But in a world of appearances, Chase will show that sometimes not all that seems is true. With the proximity, will this couple get a second chance? Or lose themselves in the beats of their own stories?
Fool me once is a second chance novel. Emma and Chase have a past in common, had plans for the future, but with the disappearance of Chase, things changed. Now after so much time, he has a chance to mend the wrong he caused, to repair his error, and who knows try to get the forgiveness of the woman he loves and achieve his redemption.
I understand Emma’s fears, it’s hard to forgive and re-trust someone who betrayed our trust. But the character becomes boring in too much. What used to be a hurt, throughout the book becomes stubborn and pitiful, and out of pride she puts everything to lose. I did not forgive the character for what she did in the end.
Chase made a mistake. A huge mistake. In his eagerness not to repeat his father’s mistakes, he ended up committing exactly the same sin. His choices were not the best, but he learned, grew up and went in search of redemption. His career was his chance to grow in life, but the cost he paid in return was very expensive.
The narrative is fluid, with some funny scenes and a bit of antagonism inserted in the form of Chase’s personal assistant. All was well until the end of the book. The conclusion, with Emma’s selfishness present emphatically, and the consequence of this action, with Chase making a choice, ruined the whole story for me. Chase learned and grew. Emma did not. By placing him in a situation of choice, she has proven that she loves him on her erms, wants to stay with him as long as he remains trapped in the same life as the two had as teenagers. It is unreal, unthinkable, extremely selfish and not romantic at all. If the intention was to show a great gesture of love, the shot backfired. Unfortunately I was disappointed. The whole book is wonderful. But the end ruined a beautiful story.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest Review *
This was a quick read–I finished it in one sitting. If second chances are your cat nip, you might enjoy this one. Emma is at her 10-year high school reunion when in walks Chase Lawson, one of country music’s biggest stars. He’s also the guy that broke her heart when he left after high school to pursue his music career. Well, he’s back and he’s got a deal for Emma. If she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend to get the press off his back, he’ll give her a million dollars to renovate her farmhouse.
This book was too short to really dive into any character or plot development. It was just sort of quick and superficial. For example, Chase immediately zeros in on Emma when he gets to the class reunion and in five minutes she’s already agreed to be his fake girlfriend. There’s no really explanation or processing of what happened to them a decade before.
This is a quick read but that didn’t stop the story from making me feel all kinds of emotions while turning the pages!
Fool me Once is a great second chance romance. Chase and Emma made me angry, giddy and excited for them, and also made me laugh out loud, I giggled and felt butterflies in my belly as I fell in love with them and their story. But they also made my heart hurt with the resentment and regret they have for what broke them apart 10 years earlier.
Emma is really strong and funny, I love her personality, though sometimes I wanted to put some sense into her. And Chase? He is so easy to fall in love with. He is absolutely charming and breathtaking. He is so good to Emma, so sweet, caring, kind and sincere. That man is swoon worthy.
I wish the story was longer, because I’d desperately wanted more of them but also because it had the potential to be high on angst, but in some way, I loved the light aspect of it, because it showcases how pure their love was and how that love is still there, waiting for Emma and Chase to unleash it.
Heartwarming, funny and sweet.
I absolutely love second chance romances and this book did not disappoint. I loved the concept of this book. Chase left his small-town to pursue a music career and left behind the only woman who he ever truly cared about. Now he is back for his high school reunion and bound and determined to get the one woman he loves back in his life. He knows it won’t be simple so he offers Emma a job she can’t refuse! Pretend to be his girlfriend for six months so that he can clean up his image and she will get one million dollars. Sounds like a dream offer, right? However, nothing is simple when unresolved feelings are involved. I loved watching Chase and Emma’s relationship progress. They had a rocky start and had to work through a lot of issues, but it was beautiful watching them whether the storm together. Don’t miss out on Chase and Emma’s epic second chance romance!