Some people are unforgettable.The first guy to kiss me senseless on the hood of a car,And the one man to promise me forever.That was Carter Lang,And he was unforgettable,Seared into my memory–and heart. But that was long ago,A forever that I was forced to walk away from.Now I’m back,And wondering if,In all of these years, have I crossed his mind. Can the ALMOST of the past turn into the future … mind.
Can the ALMOST of the past turn into the future we always wanted?
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Great second book in the series, live all the characters especially when they are together causing trouble in the best possible way. Stella and Ringo are hilarious, I just love them!
Almost is about Sophia Kostas and Carter Lang who met when Sophie was speeding and Carter stopped her to give her a warning, she was only 17 to his 20. He would pull her over to talk every time he saw her driving by, they kept it completely platonic since Sophie was not yet 18. On her birthday that changed, he gave her a present and her first orgasm. Sophie just found out she had breast cancer and without letting anyone, except her Mom and her best friend Leo know about her diagnosis, she headed to California to deal with it on her own.
Ten years later Sophie is moving back to Florida, back home to her family the Christakos’, Leo and her Mom. Sophie is in remission but due to the treatments used she can no longer have children of her own. She loves kids and to compensate for the loss of never having her own she writes children’s books and she is good at it. Sophie and Leo hang out and she is introduced to Ariel who is engaged to her cousin Kayson, Stella and Piper. She doesn’t know that Stella is Carter’s sister. They are at Sixes a bar where the Iron Orchids hang out, an all-female riding club. Carter walks in and 10 years seems like only a day for Sophie, but for Carter it’s all the pain and heartbreak of not knowing what happened it her and the longing for the love he holds for her. He’s rude and says some mean things to her.
The Orange County Sherriff’s Department was having a gala to raise money for the spouses of fallen officers and Ariel convinced Sophie to be auctioned off for a dinner date with her. Carter won the dinner date and they agreed to start fresh, leaving the hurt behind and get to know each other again. Next think we know it’s been over a week and things are going great.
Then a drunken mistake Carter made six years ago in Las Vegas throws them apart, Carter met a woman named Ivey who was from Florida, they spent ten days drunk and having wild nights together, on the night before they were to fly back to Florida, they reenacted parts of the movie “The Hangover”, disrupted a wedding at a wedding chapel then they decided to have fun and get married they were really drunk. They went their separate ways until Carter got a phone call to get to the hospital there was an emergency. He and Sophie get to ORMC and they find out that Carter’s wife died after giving birth to a premature baby after she and her daughters were brought in from a car accident. Before they can find out anything Sophie leaves after hearing that Carter was married. Stella is there with him when he meets his daughter Harlow, who looks like a mini Stella and her sister Gianna. Carter met with Tristan in the pediatric ICU to see the baby that was just born, who he names Avril Stella. Even though he’s not Gianna and Avril’s biological father he is listed on their birth certificates and Ivey just knowing Carter for 10 days knew that he was a protector at heart and would take care of all her girls if anything happened to her.
If Sophie want’s Carter he is now a package deal, him and the three girls and of course he named the baby the name that she said she would have given her own daughter if she was able to have children. With the help of friends and the large Greek Christakos family Carter and Sophie get their own happily ever after Greek style of course.
I’m a sucker for second chance romance books and this one did not disappoint.
Sophie had to leave 10 years ago. She never forgot about the one who stole her heart. Can she take seeing him again 10 years later?
Carter has tried for 10 years to get over the one that got away. When she areives back in town can they pick up where they left off? Will they be able to get past the hurt?
This book had twists and turns I didn’t see coming. This was great book!
I need more Carter and Sophie,not because this book was lacking, but because I’m being greedy!
Carter and Sophie net 10 years prior to the story, but Sophie disappeared leaving Carter heartbroken. When she returns she does tell Carter why so left. This happened so early on I wondered where the conflict would be, but Ms Norman definitely pulled out something unexpected! If you read the prologue and are confused, keep reading. It pays off and comes back around to make everything full circle. This was definitely a cute, very happy ending. I would definitely recommend.
So I read the first story Enough a few weeks ago and I loved it and it was such a good debut that I couldn’t wait to see what she would come up with next, and this is what she came up with and I loved it! I think I loved it more than I did the first one, so I can only imagine what she is going to do next!
It was such a brilliant story! I loved Carter & Sophie, I fell in love with them straight away. I loved Sophie’s character she was such a mystery in the sense you really have no idea why she moved away from that period of time until later on in the story but I loved that it added to the character. I loved her sass and her personality and I really liked how she began to slowly open up to not only Carter but the rest of her family but I also couldn’t understand how she could keep it from them. Especially as in Enough we saw the big Greek family aspect in it which was also in this story so I don’t know why she kept it a secret. Carter was a very protective man, I loved how he’d try to protect everyone around him, I loved that about him. His character also made me laugh a lot and I loved both of them. The side characters were amazing and very fleshed out which I always love in a side character! (Who probably eventually will get their own book, especially hopefully Piper!) I also loved seeing Ariel and Kayson in this book!
The backstories for both of these characters were amazing, I loved how fleshed out they were and yet it all is revealed in the book so I can’t tell you exactly what their backstories were! You have to read it but yes I loved them and I didn’t see these things coming! It’s a brilliant story! I liked how they both interlinked to what was happening in the actual novel.
Seeing Carter playing with the children was so cute my heart actually melted, seeing him trying to navigate with the children was just amusing and watching him learn how to look after them was quite funny.
Wow!! This Danielle’s 2nd book in the Iron Orchids series, she was a children’s book writer people! I would never be able to tell the difference had I not known. The flow of the writing is just phenomenal and keeps you on your toes wanting more!!
“Here’s to tough times and tougher women.”
The characters storylines are just so awesomely woven together. Sophie has a huge secret, the reason she left 10 years ago. And Carter can’t get over her. 10 years and their second chance has so some twist and turns that keep you turning the page.
Go one-click this one! It will have you smiling, laughing, crying and throw in a little drama. Great read!
It’s not a gang!
This book can be read as a standalone but reading the first book in the series, Enough, will make the characters make a little more sense. And I love these characters!
Carter and Sophie fell in love ten years ago, and then she just up and left town without another word. But neither one of them ever really moved on as they had already given their hearts away to one another. Now, Sophie’s back in town and ready to reveal the secret she’s been keeping from everyone. But Carter has a secret of his own, and it’s a doozy.
I liked this story. There were a few times where I didn’t think it flowed quite right. The prologue was unnecessary and was a bit telling, which made the end of the book somewhat predictable.
Danielle’s humor makes her writing addictive. She creates a community I want to be a part of. I can’t wait to read future Iron Orchids installments!
What can I tell you? Almost is the second book in the Iron Orchids series. It can also be read as a stand-alone novel. It’s a second chance romance that is soooooo freaking hawt. Sophie and Carter have some things to work out but their journey together is fantastic. Another great read by Danielle Norman.
5 The Second Chance Neither of Them Saw Coming
I absolutely love second chance books and for me this one has now moved into my top favorites of second chances. Sophie and Carter are a couple that were torn apart ten years ago only Carter had no idea why. And as tormented as he was, he continued life with a new outlook on life and love….
“I had a motto: girls were like dessert. You savored dessert, you made room for dessert, but did not eat the same dessert every night for the rest of your life.”
The only problem with this “motto” is that Carter hasn’t been able to let Sophie go and when she comes back home from her time away, the same chemistry that drew them together previously is not only still there, it’s increased tenfold. While this is great news there’s a reason Sophie went away and she’s trying to stay away from Carter because she feels like she can’t let him to only be hurt and she’s been through so much pain in her lifetime that she doesn’t want to subject her heart to potentially breaking again.
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star, my broken body full of scars. You gave me strength to fight the fight. Now give me strength through the night.”
The thing about love and the one person that is your forever love, no matter how hard you try, the universe has other plans for you and oh Carter and Sophie belong together. Ms. Norman has written a beautiful and emotional book that allowed me to be drawn into their story. I felt all the tears, the laughter and their hearts opening to let each other in once again. One thing that hasn’t changed all these years is the sizzling heat they generate together….
“I need our one night. I need to know you in every way possible. I’ve needed it for ten years.”
As this story moves along, we see Sophie open herself up and let others in and and the friendships she formed with the Iron Orchids is also so important in this book. Strong independent women coming together and sticking together. And trust me when I tell you, these women play an integral part in Carter and Sophie’s world.
There are some definite surprises in this book that test Carter and Sophie and their ability to get through anything. Watching them overcome and embrace everything that life throws at them made my heart love them that much more.
In the end, Ms. Norman has given us a book that grabbed my heart, cracked it a couple of times and then mended it with the eloquence of her words.
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star, my broken body full of scares. You gave me strength to fight the fight. Now give me strength through the night.” Danielle you have done it again! You have captivated me into a story line I did not see coming! From the beginning this book will have you hooked! This is definitely my number 1 book of 2017!
Overall, it was a quick read and enjoyable. It was well thought out, the pace was perfect and it didn’t feel sleezy, overdone. Personally, I felt like Carter’s character was way too pushy and came on too strong. After not seeing Sophie for 10 years, he felt like he was “owed a night with her”. No dude. However, I did enjoy watching their relationship unfold and I delighted in Sophie’s triumphs. I enjoy the companionship and camaraderie from the “not-a-gang” all girls biker gang. The second in the Iron Orchids series, it works well as a stand alone as well as a follow up to Enough. I would recommend it.
I enjoy second chance romances and this one was quite interesting. Carter and Sophie fell in love 10 years ago after he kept pulling her over for speeding. I kind of wish that they had done a few more flashbacks to when they first met so we could really get a sense of the love that the two of them developed. When they come across each other again there is hurt and anger but it is worked through and the love that they shared is back in full force. Right from the prologue I knew that something was going to happen because it honestly didn’t seem to fit into the story. And I have to say that I honestly didn’t like this Ivey person. I’m sorry for what happens to her, but she didn’t seem to care about anyone but herself. She didn’t even care to contact Carter even though she knew his last name and explain things to him. I do give him a lot of credit though for being strong enough to step forward and do what he decides to do. I’m also glad that Sophie overcame her issues and stepped in to help him as well. After all he isn’t just offering her his unconditional love, he’s also offering her everything that she’s always wanted and can never have. The secondary characters really helped add spice to this book. I’m glad I got the chance to read it.
Almost is small town to the core. It’s sweet, heartbreaking and bigger than the pages it’s written on. Sophie and Carter took readers on a road trip through first love, missed chances and new beginnings. Ms. Norman tempts readers with angst, seduces them with love and even adds in a few wise life lessons with some heartwarming moments. This is a story too precious to walk away from.
Almost is the second book in the Iron Orchids series, this time the story of Carter and Sophie. I should say that I read the first book and was immediately looking for this one, so I am glad it is here. Almost features some of the same characters as Enough (Stella, Ariel) with the same wit and humor. One of the things I love most about this series is that it feels like real life. No one is perfect, “In my mind, I wanted this moment to be like An Officer and A Gentleman when Richard Gere strode in … …Instead, this was more like the movie Babe, and I was the piglet being won at the county fair….” . Danielle blends them together seamlessly. She brings an air of mystery to the characters that makes you connect with them. I also love that Almost (and Enough) take place in real locations. This isn’t some far off land, this is here, in America, In Florida, In Orlando (a place everyone knows about). If you like strong women, humor, MC, Greeks, romance, the word fuck, or just a plain good read, make sure you give Iron Orchids and Almost a look. Really what do you have to loose.
“Ten years ago you sped into my life and, Sophie, you’ve never left” is one of my favorite lines in Almost, the second Iron Orchids story. Carter and Sophie reunite after a decade apart, and the sparks fly between them. There is no denying that they are still very much attracted to each other but they both have secrets that could destroy a “happily ever after.” When all the cards are on the table only real love can surpass the obstacles.
With the same wonderful wit and humor in Enough, Almost introduces more of the Iron Orchids’ group of amazing women who start as friends but quickly form a tight bond. Don’t even get me started on the men! Cops, EMS, Firemen…HOT. Almost is sexy, hilarious, and emotional (get the tissues out!). It’s a fantastic addition to this series and will definitely keep you wanting more.
My first book from Danielle Norman and I have to say, I loved it! It was so funny and romantic with a lot of twists that I didn’t see coming! I fell in love with and Carter’s love from the start.
Sophie ran from her future and is now trying to forget about her past…these two have secrets but make it through to HEA! I totally recommend it and can’t wait to see if they make appearances in other books, how things turn out! Would definitely recommend! Great read!