Ria Phillips has a plan. Stay strong. Stay busy. Stay focused on what’s important. And don’t start daydreaming again about a certain pair of soulful hazel eyes.No, it won’t be easy. Jacob Worth was her first love. Her first time. Her first everything. Until he left town one day without explanation. He broke her heart back then, but she’s not a teenager with a crush anymore. She’s an adult–with a … adult–with a plan.
In the past eight years, Ria has built a good life for herself in her small hometown. She and her friends have used their creativity and business savvy to turn the little florist shop she inherited into an astonishing success. She’s got more than enough in her life to be proud of, and she’s going to make sure Jacob sees that.
She’s not going to let him rattle her. She’s not going to watch him from afar, even if he’s even hotter than before. And she’s definitely not going to fall into bed with him. Or, if she accidentally slips up, it will only be once.
She learned her lesson a long time ago, and she’s not going to fall for Jacob again.
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Ria can’t believe Jacob is back. He left her heartbroken many years ago and looks like she never get over him.
Jacob doesn’t want to go back home, but his grandfather needs him.
Seeing Ria brings back a lot of memories.
So happy to read this story.
I did enjoy it every chapter of this book.
It was ok it’s a shame author doesn’t make more of an effort & develop the story more. Her recent books all seem to be abrupt at some point in the story she hits a word limit & has to just get the book done. Too bad her early books are better much better.
Excellent read. I liked the story line.
This is the beginning of a new Noelle Adams’ series and I have to tell you that it is so good!
Jacob Worth has been raised by his grandfather in the small city of Azalea, Virginia. There, he met Ria Phillips and from best friends they became the “it couple” of the city. Upon the high school graduation his grandfather decides to give him the “tough love” speech and sends him out of the house and to find his way on his own.
He packs and leaves town without a word to Ria. Several years later, Jacob decides to come back to mend things with his grandfather who is dying, and Ria remains in town. Now, she and her friends are business owners and she is doing very well. However, neither of them has moved on completely and now they must face each other…
Noelle Adams is a wonderful author who has a sensitive and competent writing style that captivates by showing emotional characters. It is a beautiful book and I look forward to reading the others of the series.
This Sweet Second Chance story is the perfect start to the new Second Chance Flower Shop series! I loved the Small town story with the Big town Flower Shop concept ~ the poems idea was amazing, I wanted to hear more! I really liked Ria’s character and her friends/partners are the best. I felt Jacob’s excuse for leaving was lacking but he redeemed himself in the end. I am looking forward to see what happens next in this little town.
The Return is an amazing second chance read. You will fall instantly for Ria and Jacob. There journey back together isn’t easy but it is so worth the read. You are hit with a few emotional points in this book but that is what makes it beautiful. I love that even though years have passed Ria and Jacob’s chemistry is ever present. You feel the pain of losing young love and fighting what is pulling them back together. I was sucked in from the start and couldn’t get enough of this one. I look forward to more to come from the Second Chance Flower Shop series.
Updated: I originally read this while I was sick so I did a quick reread and realized that I wasn’t as foggy brained as I thought. I still enjoyed Ria and Jacob and their struggle back together. I did want to smack Jacob just a bit, but overall this was a very nice read.
Original Review:
What an especially sweet, heartfelt second chance romance!
This couple were absolutely made for each other although life threw a wrench into their pathway when they graduated high school. Eight years later, Jacob has returned and Ria is determined to resist everything about him. Of course, that offers its own problems but the way she confronted her mixed emotions was very adult and unique in today’s contemporary romances.
I adored Jacob and was especially pleased to have his point of view! Knowing what he was thinking, feeling and the way he processed life around him made me fall completely in love with him. He was a man’s man and yet broken and vulnerable inside. When it came to dealing with Ria and his feelings, he didn’t hesitate to speak his emotions.
This is a fast read with a great pace to it moving the reader quickly from one point to the next and never bogging it down with unnecessary angst or drama. The conflict this couple faces was genuine and once more unique in the way they deal with it. Add in the promise of even more in this series as well as a wonderful epilogue and this one was perfect to take me out of the brain fog I’ve been living in lately.