Second Chance in Paradise is an engaging read, one that will affect you long after you finish the last page. – Readers Favorite ★★★★★This book should come with a WARNING: may cause an influx of endorphins, a lack of desire to do anything but read and a severe book hangover. – Aimee from Getting Your Read On ★★★★★A first love that deserves a second chance.Doctoral student Holland Reeves may have … chance.
Doctoral student Holland Reeves may have aced every class she’s ever taken, but when it comes to life outside her lab, she finds she has more meaningful relationships with test tubes and pipettes than she does with people. That all changes when a surprise wedding invitation arrives, forcing her to return to the small coastal town of Paradise and the Clairborne Resort, where she left her first dream of being Mrs. Clairborne to begin the dream of becoming Dr. Reeves. There she must face her past and, to her surprise, the only man she ever loved, Porter Clairborne, the prodigal son who has unexpectedly returned.
Together, Holland and Porter must decide if their love deserves a second chance, and if Paradise will finally live up to its name or forever remain a town of broken dreams.
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Holland knew from a young age that no one loved or wanted her. Growing up, life had taught her some hard lessons. Never trust easily, never depend on anyone but herself and disappointment is inevitable.
But from the moment she met Porter she thought maybe, just maybe her life would get better. She slowly let her guard down and found herself falling in love with him. He had already said those three magical words to her but she was too scared to reciprocate. When she finally got up enough courage to tell him she loved him, she found him kissing someone else and her world came crashing down around her.
Lost and heartbroken, Holland cuts all ties with Paradise. Experience has shown her that nothing lasts forever and the only person she can rely on is herself. She refuses to become a victim of her circumstances. She is determined to be better than where she came from.
It has been almost 8 years since she left Paradise and she has no desire to return. But when a surprise wedding invitation arrives she has a choice to make. Send a gift and a card of well wishes to her old friend or go back and face what made her run all those years ago. She decides it’s time to face her past so she can finally say goodbye to what could have been with Porter and move on with her life.
However, fate has something else in store for her.
Porter hasn’t been back in Paradise since that dreaded night Holland saw him being kissed. He saw the heartbreak in her eyes and knew that he had crushed her. He knows he’s a jerk for not setting the record straight on what really happened but he needed to leave in order to prove himself. He meant what he told Holland.. their relationship might not take the path that they want it to, but there would never be an end to them.
Now that they are both back in Paradise, Porter has his work cut out for him when it comes to winning Holland back. All the years of hurt and disappointment has given her tunnel vision. But Porter is more than ready to step up to the challenge. He has never stopped loving her and is determined to show her that she does not have to do it all on her own. He wants her to see that it’s okay to rely on others around her. He wants to be there to cheer her on and lift her up. He will show her that she is loved, she is wanted and she does have a family.
But with everything that has happened, will Holland run again? Or will she open her heart again and give love a second chance?
*dreamy sigh*
Oh how I ADORE Holland and Porter! These two quickly became favorites of mine! I loved everything about this book! The feels were definitely real! I found myself busting out laughing, getting teary eyed, growling in frustration and letting out little dreamy sighs throughout the entire book!
And I just realized as I typed those words that I have done that in every single book of Jennifer Peel’s I have ever read and I love it! It shows true talent when an author can suck you in to a book and make reality disappear while you’re reading. It’s something that all bookworms love! I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next!
All the feels! I don’t know how, it must be some kind of writer magic, but this author totally sucked me into Holland’s mind and I felt all the emotion right along with her- uncertainty, angst, compassion, hope, and joy. It’s even more impressive because Holland is such a different person that I normally wouldn’t relate to- her scientific approach to everything, her quirky random science facts at inopportune moments, her coping mechanism of reciting the periodic table- became endearing and funny. It really worked for me to see her use those methods to sort through the tension (emotional and romantic) and face her long-repressed feelings in order to determine if she has a future with Porter.
Porter was such a great leading man- so charming, but well-balanced by humility as he seeks to make restitution for his past choices. I loved his determination to win Holland’s trust and love again, and I loved even more that she made him work for it, but not in a mean way, just that he really needed to prove himself with actions to back up his words. I absolutely loved his family and the important role they play in Holland opening herself up to love and affection. His stepmother Natalie was especially integral to drawing Holland out and giving her a confidant and mother figure that was missing from her life. I’m so thrilled that there is a follow-up book with Natalie and Beau’s story!!!
The romantic tension and chemistry was off-the-hook, and there is plenty of romance as Holland and Porter’s relationship progresses from distant memories to much, much more. I appreciate that the special moments balanced sensual with respectful, and while the physical attraction was palpable, the focus was on the emotional connection of the relationship. All the little details and mannerisms made this story one that I savored and literally couldn’t put down. Highly recommend!
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
Second Chance in Paradise by Jennifer Peel
A good clean romance
Holland’s first foray into Paradise was as a teenager when she worked at the Clairborne Resort. When she fell in love with Porter Clairborne. When she had her heart broken right there on the beautiful white sands of the Gulf of Mexico.
What an interesting character Holland was! Most likely because of her tragic childhood, she threw herself wholeheartedly into her studies and was a brilliant student. She had a quirky habit of reciting the Periodic Table of Elements when she got nervous, spouted random facts at the most awkward times (like right before a kiss!), and referred to almost everything by its scientific name. She was the epitome of the stereotypical, geeky, scientific nerd with the exception being that she was beautiful.
Porter was the spoiled rich kid, yet he felt that he could never gain his father’s approval and so he escaped from the family as soon as he was old enough. He was handsome, confident (mostly), and determined to win Holland back. I loved the way he wouldn’t take no for an answer when he tried to get her to spend time with him.
My favorite character, however, was his step-mom, who had a heart of gold. The way she embraced Holland and befriended her was so touching. And the way she pretended she didn’t know the secret her husband and step-son thought they were keeping from her was so cute.
I especially loved the way that not only was Holland and Porter’s story told here, but also the romance between his father and stepmother. The way they were incorporated into the story was perfect.
As with all of Jennifer Peel’s books, there was great conflict, humor, and swoon-worthy romance. Just be aware that the kisses are described in detail and the characters talk about the physical desire they have for one another. Yet as with all her books, there is a determination by the characters to remain pure until marriage and the story is a clean read.
Read the full review of Second Chance in Paradise by Jennifer Peel with a Preview at AmongTheReads.net
I purchased this book.
Loved this book and love the author!! I have enjoyed every book I have read by her. She keeps it clean without being saccharin. Such a fun read.
I loved Jennifer Peels new book Porter and Holland were so much fun to get to know, and I loved Porters family they are amaxing!!! Jennifer never lets me down, she’s done it again the setting was so real I want to go there she’s one of my authors that’s is automatic get her new book asap, as soon as it comes out !!! Loved this one
I absolutely loved the book!
This is a second chance romance,
at it’s finest! It’s a heartwarming,
funny, romantic, & emotional story.
Holland & Porter met, & fell in love 10 years ago. She worked at his parents
hotel. That is, until Holland saw something that had broken her heart, beyond repair.
10 years later~ Holland is working toward getting her PHd in Pharmacological. Porter has been on her mind, so she looked on FB, & saw he in lived in Lake Tahoe. Along with a lot of picture of him with different females. Her good friend that worked at the Clairborne, with her, tracked her down, after all this years. She still feels guilty not saying goodbye to Jaycee. Holland reluctantly went her wedding.The first people she ran into were Porter’s parents,
the Clairbourne’s.They had always been kind to Holland. They took her under their wing, & took her home with them, when her car wouldn’t start. They had seemed like they had a secret. And Holland was right, they had a special guest staying at the house.
This story really pulled all my heartstrings. This is truly a beautiful
story and makes you believe there really is true love out there.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND FOR EVERYONE!!!
Second Chance love stories are hard to do well. There’s a necessary balance between characters who have grown and the heartache they carry. Jennifer does both so wonderfully in this story.
Holland especially was written exceptionally well. She is awkward and yet is shown over and over again as strong and enough as she is, despite her heartbreak. There is a complete lack of whine in her character which can sometimes come across is second chance stories and I loved that.
Overall this is a super cute, super sweet beach read.
I borrowed this book through Kindle Unlimited and read it in a few hours.
This is the story of Holland and Porter, who had a beautiful romance when they were younger, but Porter broke her heart. She has spent her since then hiding away, throwing herself into her education. She doesn’t really have a social life, lives in a seedy area, drives a crappy car, she does occasionally check out social media for a certain someone. Everything was going okay ( so she thinks) when an invitation comes from an old friend she had left behind to a wedding. After much debate she decides to go and with that decision her life changes.
Porter left behind a girl he loved more than anything because of a strained relationship with his dad. He has become successful, but now his dad needs help, so he goes back, but it’s really because he is coming after Holland!
I loved watching their story unfold. Holland was such a complicated character and I loved watching her grow. Porter ( sighing dreamily) was amazing. He knew he had messed up royally but and was so remorseful.
This was a clean read that provided numerous swoon worthy moments. I think there was just one curse word.
I have to put this is my review because I really appreciated this. I read so many romance books and I find myself dreading the inevitable scene where the couple has a huge misunderstanding and they break up. ( I fuss about this to my daughter ) I was bracing myself for that to happen but was so astonished to find a couple who wanted to try to see if they could make a go of it.
I absolutely recommend this book!