| Title | : | Second Chances |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 253 |
| Publication | : | First published December 2, 2016 |
Second Chances Reviews
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Re-read June 17, 2020
*** An amazing love story with marvelous characters ! ***
We open with the aftermath of Colin and his adorable daughter Grace at his wife's funeral. She died from cancer. We see what a great Dad he is,
so strong and understanding, so loving and stable, and being the rock Grace needs. He needs her, too. They had watched Lauren suffer for a year. Now, Colin and Grace are moving for work, a new home, and an adventure for a fresh start.
A Firefighter helps them the first day in town.
When Grace has a problem at school, it surprises Colin. The two have quite a tender moment. He signs her up for dance class,
Firefighter Ben is Grace's hero, plus he teaches dance !
There is something about Ben that draws Colin.
Colin has suppressed feelings he may have about men for twenty years. Ben makes him feel like he did all those years ago when he and Lauren met, young and breathless. The guys begin as friends and Colin's emotions are deep, while he and Ben share stories, hang out, and get to know more about each other. This is a lovely tale of M/M romance and second chances for each man.
Jerry Cole's beautiful characters leap off the pages, so lovable and important. We get honesty, caring, love and acceptance. Family is injected, which brings us the usual, a homophobe in the mix, but their batch of friends are wonderfully incorporated into the men's lives. There are so many magnificent "awwww" moments.
This will be a favorite of mine. It ends about 70%, and there is another novella included here. Bonus.
Highly recommended. ENJOY !
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3 star's
This has no angst, no drama, and only a handful of sad moments that had me definitely shedding a couple tears. I hate crying. I hate it when books make me cry. But sometimes I gotta suffer through it to read a good story. That's just what this is too, a good story.
Grace loses her mother at the young age of 7. I couldn't imagine being that young and watching my mother slowly leaving me because of that fucker, cancer. But I would have wanted to be have handled exactly the way her parents handled her during this time. They were a hundred percent honest with what was happening and didn't shy away from the ugliness of it which allowed Grace to come to terms with what was happening and allowed her to say goodbye.
Colin is having a harder time with it then his daughter. He had me in freaking tears during the funeral eulogy. Ugh! So sad.
When a promotion is offered to him and along with it comes an opportunity to leave the state and start anew, he's a bit hesitant. He doesn't want to take Gracie away from their family. But he is desperate for change and knows it has to be better than how it is going at the moment. With encouragement from his mother and the OK from Gracie, they make the move.
On the first day of moving they meet Debbie, her wife (can't remember her name!), and their daughter, Vanessa. They hit it off and the kids become instant buddies. I really liked these two woman, especially, Debbie. She was just the kind of friend that Colin needed. Plus they were the kind of neighbors I would totally love to have. Goodie baskets and free baby-sitting, um yeah!
When Colin gets a call saying Gracie has been having a bit of trouble in class the counselor advises that maybe some after school activities might help Gracie open up a bit and meet more kids. She tells him how great the dance class is that her daughter attends is and says that Gracie might enjoy it. This is were me meet the hunkie firefighter/dance instructor, Ben. Yum!
The relationship has just the right amount of build up and I enjoyed how sweet they were together. It seemed to move a bit fast though after they made it official.
The negatives is that it dragged a bit and I wanted more I guess. I wanted to read about Ben meeting the family. I guess it just wasn't really what I was expecting. Not enough going on for me.
I didn't read the "bonus" story at the end. I just couldn't bring myself to care. lol
Anyways, if your looking for a mindless read with a bit of sadness that eventually turns into some fluff, then you will enjoy this one.
Happy reading dolls! -
4.5 stars
Touching story. -
3 stars. Free with Kindle Unlimited
The relationship between these two has zero drama. Ben is adorable and perfect. Colin accepts his attraction to him super easily and without issues. His daughter loves Ben and is happy for the both of them. All is rainbows, glitter and merry unicorns.
Medium-low steam and a happy Epilogue 10 years in the future.
I didn't give it more stars because the story drags at parts I didn't care about and could have been developed more in what was Ben and Colin relationship. Also the plot is not super original.
A few editing errors and a full bonus novella at the end that I didn't care to read since the blurb didn't capture my interest. -
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of the book.
In the beginning, Colin Barnes and his daughter, Grace, attend the funeral of his beloved wife and Grace’s mother. The first few chapters is a tragic and heartbreaking story about what these two remaining family members had to go through emotionally after, though Gracie seemed to handle it all very well.
The first few chapters are the prelude to the changes that will happen in Colin and Gracie’s life after a move to Portland, OR. Colin would do anything to make sure his daughter was happy and safe and though there are some rough patches along the way, they were well worth their efforts.
It’s a beautiful novel about starting over with a new home, promotion with Collin’s job, both meeting new diverse friends, and Colin finding someone who had the same spirit that his wonderful wife had. Grace grows happily and Colin has to look at what he really wanted in his life when he meets Grace’s dance teacher, Ben Stevenson; a perfect couple. The MCs are well developed and Jerry Cole brings about their budding romance slowly and realist.
I’m not sure what else I could say to give praises to this author other then the book was well worth my time to read and it left me with happy, satisfied feelings. I highly recommend reading Second Chances by Jerry Cole.
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If this book had to be summed up with one word, it would be: meh.
Everything about it is meh. The characters, the plot, the romance, the dialogue, the writing itself. If reading this book was like having sex with a guy, it would be disappointing sex with a guy who has a small dick and doesn't know how to use it. It would be a guy who comes after half a minute before you've even had the chance to get properly wet. It would be a guy who jackhammers into you after a few minutes of forced, lacklustre foreplay. It be a guy who slobbers all over your chin when you kiss. It'd be a guy who didn't know how to use his tongue and fingers and dick with any sort of finesse, instead using his sausage-like, clumsy fingers to lazily paw at your boob. It'd be a guy who grimaces at the thought of going down on you after he fails to make you come with his disappointing dick. So then you're forced to rub yourself off as you lie there wondering what the point of it all was.
In other (less sexual) words, this book is too stilted, too forced, too short, too weirdly formal, too slow to get off the ground, vanilla and boring in almost every way. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't good.
Funnily enough, though, the sex scenes were actually pretty decent. There's irony for you. -
Colin is a grieving widower of a little under a year, who moves himself & his daughter from Michigan to Oregon as a way to have a fresh start where nothing reminds him of his deceased wife. Ben is the owner of & instructor at the town's local dance studio - and just happens to be a volunteer firefighter on the side. Colin & Ben have a chance encounter when Colin & Grace (his daughter) first get to Oregon, but nothing seems to come of it. Then at the one year anniversary of her mother's death, Grace helps Colin realize that neither of them have really dealt with the grief that they feel, just suppressed it. This eventually leads to Colin taking Grace to Ben's studio and the chance for a new family to form.
While the events leading up to the beginning of the book are tragic, the story itself focuses on hope and healing.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. -
Meh.
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3.25 Stars
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Colin loses his wife and his daughter her mother when she passes due to cancer. After eight months he is still grieving but career wise he is thriving. He's offered a promotion at work and talks it through with his mother and daughter on whether he should take it. The promotions requires them to move across country allowing Colin to start a new but displacing his daughter. When his daughter okays it the two move to starting their new life, meeting new people and finding life keeps moving.
Colin's interaction with his daughter and family was a nice sight to read about. I did feel for Colin's loss, the memories with his wife really translated well in the book and you could feel how deeply he loved her. The memories were a bit heart wrenching. Graces strength too was very inspiring. All the characters were very likable with the exception of Colin's brother towards the end. Ben was a great character and I liked the change the two wrought in each other. I liked that it was a subtle shift in their relationship instead of a full blown passionate development between the two.
I liked the idea of Colin finally moving on with the help of Ben and his daughter acceptance of everything. Colin did come off as a really great father. I enjoyed the ending immensely. It was sweet.
An ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review. -
„Second Chances” is a MM romance by Jerry Cole.
After loosing his wife to cancer, Colin Barnes needs a fresh start. He and his daughter Grace move to Portland, Oregon. After having some troubles at school, Grace starts dance lessons and that’s where Colin meets Ben - dance instructor and firefighter. The friendship between men develops quickly and equally quickly turns into mutual attraction.
Oh My God! I loved this book! „Second Chances” is a very engaging story - couldn’t put it down!
The plot was well paced and believable. Characters were lovely - Colin and Ben were amazing together and I adored Grace!
While majority of this story was heart-warming and put a smile on my face, some parts made me cry - so be prepared for emotions!!!
Highly recommended!
*I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book & this is an honest & unbiased review.* -
Good Reads
I gave each book "Second Chances" and "Rogue" four and a half stars. The stories were good reads and I enjoyed them. -
An Excellent Read
I absolutely loved this story. I experienced emotions from tears to laughter and between. Colin and Ben were great characters and Gracie was adorable. Debbie and Shaundra made wonderful secondary players. This story emphasized that love can come in unexpected ways and new starts can be great. The only criticism I have is that I would have loved to see Ben meet Colin's family, especially his brother. This is one story that will stay with me a long time. -
Sam is a very realistic character with struggles that he has had to overcome. He meets Jay at just the right time in his life. I like how the focus of the story was equally balanced between Sam's fight to come to terms with his abandonment and the feels he develops for Jay. I highly recommend this book. I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest unbiased review.
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I cried, I laughed, I loved
This book brought me to tears in the prologue and just got better from there. I loved Colin, I loved Ben, I loved Deb and Shandra and Grace and Vanessa. I loved this book. This is a book for the reread shelf. -
More like 3.5 stars. Wonderful story; well rounded, sexy, and with just enough excitement to tie it over. Recommended for anyone who needs a 'breather' story.
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Romance Romance Romance
A lovely small town Harlequin love story between Colin and Ben. Loved it!!
Ben is a dreamboat and I loved how most folks in the town had a crush on him. -
3.5 Stars Rounded up to 4 Stars
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This is not a GFY, it's a bi-sexual out for you. There wasn't enough angst with Colin, I mean, 20-years with a woman and wham, hits for a guy and it's a-ok. The relationship is, after a few pages of "I'm not sure I'm ready for a relationship" it's smooth sailing. None of the family conflict that is presented is explored or resolved. It just kind of skips to 10-years later.
Kind of a disappointment. -
Colin Barnes lost his wife Lauren to cancer and is raising their young daughter, Grace, on his own. At times he wants to give up, but it just takes one look at his little girl to realize that he needs to keep going. An opportunity for a fresh start lands in his lap when his company offers him a better position in another state. Everything seems to be going well until the day Colin receives a call from Grace’s new school, informing him his child is having trouble fitting in. The counselor recommends enrolling Grace at the local dance studio. Grace is willing to try, so Colin decides to sign her up for lessons. Ben Stevenson is a dance instructor, volunteer firefighter, and gay. As Ben offers to help Grace to come out of her shell, he extends a hand to Colin in much-needed friendship. A very loving story about a family and opening up to new opportunities after grief. The epilogue was great!
BONUS NOVELLA "Rogue"
Jason Adler is hunky forty-year-old university music teacher and a classical composer. He is about to go to Santa Fe for the premiere of his newly composed song cycle and decides he needs some new clothes for the event. In the store’s dressing room, he meets the charming and hot Billy Rogue, a martial arts instructor who clearly finds Jason attractive as well. -
4 Star Second Chances
Beautifully written!! You created a solid foundation with Colin and Grace beginning with his love for Lauren and her demise and their loss. We were apart of the grief and were able to move on and adjust with them into their new life and exploring new beginnings. They are a solid loving family and were both able to love and want Ben in their lives. I really loved that Grace was included and not just a side character that's just mentioned here and there. Son and Daughter together they find Ben and each love him in there own special way. There family and friends are wonderful characters as well.
Now Rogue..the bonus story...Sorry to say that I could only give it 2 stars...I really did not like Jason, the main character as he lacked any real depth or character. The story was flimsy, with only surface banter and no foundation of any real relationship to form. Jason's actions were a complete betrayal to Billy and very contradictory to his so called love. Billy should have stayed gone cause Jason couldn't even love him enough to secure their future. I didn't even want to commit to the last few paragraphs of this story. Only my love for this Author saw me through to the end. -
3.50 Stars
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Dull.
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The beginning of this wonderful sweet romance is a real "tear jerker," so get you hankie handy. After the prologue, I moved on to the less angst filled story. Colin has lost his wife and is left with a precocious seven year old daughter. Finally in a move to make changes in his life and move forward out of his grief filled depression, he moves with his daughter to Seattle for a job promotion. There is is absorbed into the lives of a couple of lesbians and their children, the caring community and Ben. Having been known his wife since he was a young teen, Ben shakes up his sexual orientation and takes him back to when he was fourteen and had gay experiences with his best friend. Ben makes him feel like the way he felt about his wife and makes him laugh. His daughter takes dancing lessons from Ben and the two are drawn together. Love, sex and hope fill the pages of this novel. Jerry Cole has done it again. I voluntarily read and reviewed this ARC Book.
