2018 RITA® Award Winner Best Contemporary Romance-ShortProfessor Audrey Graham shouldn’t be alive. But she didn’t walk away from the accident that should’ve taken her life. She shouldn’t have ever walked again according to the doctors. But after two years of physical therapy and countless surgeries, she’s got a second lease on life. First stop? Camp Firefly Falls to try and catch up on some … try and catch up on some of the living she never did before her accident.
Firefighter Hudson Lowell shouldn’t be alive. In the wake of losing two members of his team in a structure fire gone wrong, he’s been unable to work, unable to pull himself out of the survivor’s guilt. In a last ditch effort to snap him out of it, his family surprises him with a 2 week reunion session at Camp Firefly Falls, reminder of a simpler, better time. The last thing he expects to find is the woman he helped cut out of a snarled up wreck of a car two years before.
As sparks ignite between rescuer and rescuee, Audrey finally gets the chance to repay her hero. Can she convince this proud, stubborn man that life is still worth living? Or will Hudson let this chance at happiness slip through his fingers?
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I admit to getting totally distracted when a new audio is waved in front of my face. Despite having laid out my reading/listening plan for the coming two weeks – yup, one little email from Kait Nolan saying this hit audio and I immediately downloaded it and started listening. Not sorry.
Second Chance Summer is a stand alone romance featuring the unexpected reunification of a firefighter and a woman he previously rescued. I always appreciate Nolan’s ability to evoke feelings by truly connecting me with her characters. This one had more tears than usual, but I still loved every moment of it.
Hudson is dealing with PTS and survivor’s guilt related to a fairly recent death and severe injury of fellow firefighters. Audrey is finally getting out in the world after years of academia and then recovering from a car accident that nearly destroyed her legs. They are both battered in a myriad of ways – but finding each other helps them both heal. That said, I appreciate the way that Nolan handled the flashbacks and for not treating love as an instant cure for either of their traumatic experiences.
While the majority of this is set over the two weeks of “Summer Camp”, Nolan includes a lovely epilogue that firmly places it as an HEA. I also can’t help but hope we’ll see some of the delightful secondary characters get their own stories at some point.
Note: While there’s sort of a mention of the town featured in the Misfit Inn series – I didn’t recognize Audrey’s friend Sam from any of those stories. Granted, it’s been almost a year since I listened. All that to say that while there might be little “nods” to Nolan’s other books, this truly does stand alone.
Narration: Oh Amy McFadden! I feel guilty that I don’t have anything more original to say, other than I continue to adore her narration of Kait Nolan’s stories. I’m not sure how she keeps from breaking out in tears or laughter constantly while recording – but I appreciate her ability to amplify Nolan’s emotional writing for me.
A strong, multi-dimensional heroine, and heart-of-gold hero, a second chance at love and life, a whole lotta chemistry, a little heat—this book has it all. It’s rare anymore that I read romance, but I could not put this book down. All around well written and engaging, Second Chance Summer will grab you by the heart and hold on long after the last page. Go forth and read it!
I have been provided with a copy of Second Chance Summer by the author for an impartial review. This book is a part of the Camp Firefly Fall series that is written by many wonderful authors. This is the first book that I’ve read in this series and it certainly won’t be the last. I really enjoyed getting to see the camp experience and I fell in love with the characters they just drew me into their world and they just tugged at my heart strings. I can’t wait to read more.
A standalone read with a HEA. Two damaged souls meet at an adult summer camp and help each other overcome their tragic past. He is a firefighter, lost two of his best friends in a fire. One is in ICU in a coma. He had saved the hero’s life before almost losing his. His mother is trying to help him get over survivor’s guilt by sending him to one of the happiest experiences of his life. He is not happy about going.
The heroine was almost killed in a car wreck 2 years prior. A firefighter spent an hour talking to her to keep her calm while the jaws of life cut her from the wreckage. the firefighter told her all about his experiences at summer camp. When she was fully recovered she wanted to experience his camp so she signed up for two weeks.
They are at camp at the same time and she recognizes the voice that saved her. They start on a journey to get their lives back on track. It is an excellent read and I highly recommend it. Story of just the two of them. No bad guys, crazy exes, drugs, etc. Just two people. My favorite kind of romance.
I was not paid for this review. I am not a writer nor do I know one. I am not kin to this author. I am a reader and this is my opinion, nothing more, nothing less. 7/28/18
I loved this story. Audrey and Hudson have baggage but it isn’t the usual bad relationship making them wary of romance. That was refreshing. How they originally met and how they ended up at Camp Firefly Falls is also different and interesting. There was physical attraction between Audrey and Hudson but that isn’t the main focus of their relationship. They are truly interested in each other on so many levels. Without giving anything away, the nature of their relationship makes the depth of their feelings, after such a short time, believable.
If you are looking for a well-written story with interesting characters that will make you laugh and cry, look no further. Second Chance Summer is a fabulous book by a talented author.