Customer Reviews

Second Chances: Love Lost, Love Found (Western Romance)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I read this book in the first, paperback edition.

I don't often read romances, in fact I think this is the first one I ever read right to the end. The reason I liked this one was that the story was captivating and the characters so engaging, I wanted to know what happened to them. This, combined with the Wyoming setting made for a very enjoyable read.

Apart from the main love story of the long relationship that was broken by a young man's infatuation with a sexy woman he met in a bar, I found the sub plot of the older couple even more interesting.

Kristie introduces the reader to sympathetic people you end up caring about and you finish the story with a satisfying sigh, which ticks all the boxes when it comes to this kind of romance.

I know that Kristie has recently re-edited this book and I read the first version which I felt needed some work. But the heart of the story could not be improved on, so didn't feel in anyway short-changed.

The story starts off with a bang. Jane Porter finds out from her father that her long-time boyfriend, Mike Farley, is going to marry another woman. Jane confronts him and finds out it's true. From there, we are given the viewpoints of Mike's mother, Jane's father, and the woman Mike married (Samantha). What I got out of this book (and really enjoyed) was the idea that everyone has their side to the story. Even Samantha, who leaves Mike, has a likeable side to her. I think that was the reason the author gave all the viewpoints she did: to show us that there are two sides to every story.

Jane's father and Mike's mother had a very tender romance that featured more of this book than I thought it would, but I had a lot of fun seeing how these people discovered that you're never too old to fall in love all over again. So it's more than a second chance for Mike and Jane. It's also a second chance for the parents as well.

Mike & Jane have grown up, together, on neighboring ranches, kissed & declared their love for one another at 13 & 12. It's always been assumed that they would marry, but suddenly Mike goes off the deep end, marrying a total stranger he met 2 weeks before. Is Jane upset. You BET!!!! This is a story of love rocked to the core by betrayal. Do the characters react like you think they should? Not a chance...BUT they react like real people (some, at least) do.

In the background is Jane's widower Father, and Mike's widowed Mother, who finally admit that they don't think of each other as Brother & Sister any more. Second chances do happen, and watching this undercurrent develop is endearing.

This is a clean book, of heartbreak, love and second chances.

I bought this book because most of the reviews were positive. For me, this story was pure drivel. You did not come away with a good feeling. The author portrayed her characters as ignorant. Their vocabulary was poor and they seemed uneducated. The heroine was a pushover, I could not understand why she would want to get back with the hero. He was very unlikeable.

***Spoiler Alert!*** I find it frustrating that the heroine did not give it time before getting back with her cheating fiance. He has a one night stand with a beautiful woman he just met in a bar. They marry the next day and he brings her home to his mother. His poor fiancee lives on the neighboring farm and finds out about the marriage from others in town. Supposedly these two were sweethearts and engaged since high school. They have sex regularly and are looking to get married soon. But I guess like all cheaters, he has no thought about the hurt he causes his financee and both families.

I think this story was too short, the author needed to develop the characters more. Their was no satisfying interaction of the H/h. It was just frustrating that the heroine would forgive the hero so quickly, right after his wife leaves and then end up back together. I needed to see groveling and proof of love. Perhaps the hero is given a Second Chance, but I think in the long run, if this was real life...their marriage has No Chance!

I wanted to like this book, I felt that I could have liked this book, but it just didnt happen. Everything was fine with the first couple of chapters were good, as a matter of fact when Jane confronted Mike I had tears in my eyes. This book could have been so much more... I dont even know where to start.... (in no particular order)

POSSIBLE SPOILERS



1.in my opinion it would have been better if she did write Sammy Jo as a villain type.. She portrayed her as a sweet girl who has had nothing much in life... well I didnt like her regardless of how the author portrayed her..
2. This is about second chances, so I would think they would be talking throughout the book. nope. they had their argument in chapter one and then DID NOT SPEAK TO EACH OTHER AT ALL until the very last chapter..
3. This cover is misleading the hero is on his knees which is how it should have happened but for some reason the heroine is the one begging for him to marry her...
4. He cheated on her, marries another woman, humilates Jane in front of the whole town.. They have been in a relationship for ELEVEN years! ELEVEN and he likes their lovemaking to a pair of comfortable boots.. That does not sound very flattering.. I dont believe Mike would stay faithful in the long run... if he can have his head turned by Sammie Jo (what was she doing in a bar/saloon-she was 18?) anyway, like i said he like Jane and his lovemaking to a comfortable pair of boots and his sex(because thats what it was) with Sammy Jo to a fireworks show.. And we dont even get a love scene for him.. Cant see him being too satisfied.. (this was probably 3 numbers in one but..)He claims he wanted to get the farm operating in the black before he and Jane married, but then he says he HAS to marry Sammy jo because apparently he asked her to marry him.. hello what about jane?
5. He cries because his wife Sammy Jo left him or wipes a tear in one scene.... a couple chapters later (timeline in between- as I took it a couple of days a week at the most) he is "bawling" at the creek where he and Jane first make love... Make up your mind.. I didnt feel he even loved Jane still and then for him to say he always loved her... oh yeah thats right I didnt believe him...
6. i have never encountered a TSTL(To stupid to live) heroine but Im thinking this heroine is one.. She doesnt even ask for an explanation when they finally talk.. Also what was the point of mentioning this David character if she wasnt at least gonna go on a date with him. another thing, Why did she have the visit with her best friend/ She claims for advice but she didnt ask for any and her friend didnt give any advice, she knew how she felt when she got there and it stuck.. As I said before he cheats, she sees him bawling and talking and praying about her and everything is just fine.. puuhhlease
This dialogue was ridiculous, i live in the south and I dont know one person (young or old) who talks like these characters did. It was like she was trying to make them sound southern but they just came off sounding like a backwoods hillbilly..

This book had me rolling my eyes ALOT. I wanted so bad to read it, The summary soundedd so good but it was just a mess.

I picked up this little gem during ebook week and I'm glad I took a chance on Second Chances! Although outside the genre I normally read, this turned out to be a heart-warming story of love, betrayal and forgiveness. The story is told from several viewpoints, detailing each character's motivations and emotions and was very well written. Unlike most short stories I have read, Second Chances is complete, with a lot of content, fleshed out characters, background information and was a quick, satisfying read that left me with a warm, cozy feeling.

My mom read this book today. She laughed at the guy that was excited about seeing a girl walk in and his jeans were stretched over his excitement.
She said that it was nice to read a book that didnt have nasty words in it that are in so many books these days.

I have not read this book myself yet, but my Mom has recommended this book to me.

Thanks, Kristie, for writing a book for your mom that all of our moms can read.

Second Chances is a beautifully written love story that will warm your heart.
I was so taken with the story that I read it in one sitting last night.

I can identify with having a second chance at love, since I got that second chance at love at the age 53.

To me this was poignant not just for the young characters in the book but especially for the older couple. It just showed that it is never too late for a Second Chance.

Everyone has their particular favorite paths to that HEA, and Second Chances sometimes strays from the most familiar route. People want their heroes and heroines to act this way or that, and if the characters don't satisfy that want, then the book doesn't satisfy that reader.

The characters in Second Chances are a little outside the mold; foolish almost to the point of stupid, but willing to do the 'right thing' regardless of the cost, or feisty, impatient, angry but ultimately willing to forgive. They both say and do things the reader doesn't want them to do, but somehow, someway they managed to get to the goal at the same time and put together their own brand of Happy Ever After.

I liked the secondary characters best, because it's unusual to see older characters except as old and wise, or harsh and domineering. And good Heavens! Older people in love? The idea!

So, if you like a story that meanders into new territory, and sheds a different light on secondary characters - including the scarlet 'other' woman who turns out to be almost sympathetic - then this is a good book for you. If you like stories about making mistakes and redemption, this is a good book for you.

Doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?

Second Chances: Love Lost, Love Found by Kristie Leigh Maguire is a contemporary western romance, but the writing has the feel of the classic old-time romance novels. I found myself smiling as I read this book, because it made me think of how much my mother would have enjoyed it. We would have each read it and discussed it for days.

I enjoyed the "Second Chance" story line between Jim and Liz very much, but when it came to Jane and Mike, I'm torn. After the unspeakable way Mike treated Jane, I'm not sure that he deserved a second chance, or maybe it was just the way the second chance was resolved in the book. Kristie Leigh Maguire was able to make the character of Jane came alive for me, and I became so invested in her and her emotions that I just wanted to beat the crap out of Mike.

I find that days after reading this book, I'm still thinking about it. You just can't go wrong with a book that you can't stop thinking about after reading it. I truly wish mom were still around to discuss it with.