"He was still kissing her and the sensation was both foreign and familiar, like revisiting the scene of a party where he'd had too much champagne." Yes - I LOVE a second chance romance!

Tawna Fenske nailed this wonderful story of a second chance of love and happiness for Jack and Ali. We are shown what 16 years apart has done to mature our hero and heroine. The loss, the happiness and the change of course each of them took. As they come back together, they learn to fall in love with the people they have become. And move past who they used to be.

I feel the author told the story in a very unique way, and very different than other second chance romances I have read. Romantic love, parental love and the love a good friend are wonderfully portrayed. I truly loved the characters and loved the book. I really did not want it to end!

A second chance romance between Allie and Jack that dated in college. Now years have passed and Jack is a single dad of Paige, who is ten years old and Allie has just inherited a B&B from her grandma. Allie's parents for in prison for running a Ponzi scheme. Jack has just moved back into town and wants to reconnect with Allie but with many secrets from her past prevent this time around.

Great likeable characters in Jack and Allie, they will have you laughing out loud. Loved the woodpeckers and the polydactyl cats. Paige won my heart over from the very beginning, loved the bra shopping and very wise for her age.

I highly recommend this book. I read via my kindle unlimited.

This is a great book; this is a great book written by Tawna Fenske. Allie Ross’s life has not gone the way she planned it, her parents are in jail for running a Ponzi scheme and she just inherited her grandmothers run down B&B which is now a sanctuary for cats. When Jack Carpenter reaches out to reconnect with Allie, the girl who broke his heart in college, his plan is to impress her with the adult he’s become. Sure, he was a deadbeat then, but life has forced him to grow up. And it’s a relief to find out that things didn’t necessarily go the way Allie expected either. This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

3.75 stars--THIS TIME AROUND by Tawna Fenske is a stand alone, adult, contemporary, romantic story line focusing on the rekindling relationship between Certified Association Executive Allie Ross, and ‘app’ developer Jack Carpenter.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Allie and Jack) Allie Ross and Jack Carpenter were once high school sweethearts and college lovers but sixteen years had passed since the day Allie pushed Jack Carpenter out of her life. Fast forward to present day wherein our heroine struggles with the knowledge that not all is right in her ordered world-law school never came to fruition; her parents are in prison for running a Ponzi scheme that bilked hundreds of thousands of dollars from clients and friends; her beloved grandmother recently passed bequeathing Allie a former B&B that now is home to sixteen polydactyl cats; and the man that Allie once loved has returned to town with a ten year old daughter, potentially looking for a second chance, at a happily ever after. What ensues is the rekindling romance between Allie and Jack, and Allie’s discovery that her grandmother’s attic is a Pandora’s box of secrets and lies.

Allie Ross grew up privileged but the man that Allie loved was never good enough or determined to make something of his life. Allie had plans to attend university then law school but life had a way of interfering pulling Allie in another direction. Jack Carpenter left town and made a name for himself following several years of struggle and the death of the woman he once called lover and wife. With his ten year old daughter in tow Jack returns to the town he once called home, and the woman he is hoping to rekindle the spark.

The relationship between Jack and Allie is one of second chances but Allie is reluctant to reveal everything about her life. Throughout the story Allie begins to shed the protective walls that have encompassed her heart but too many secrets revealed finds our hero walking away without a backwards glance. The $ex scenes are limited, intimate and sensual.

We are introduced to Allie’s ex fiancé and best friend Wade, her parents Priscilla and Nathan Ross, Rosewood B&B custodian Skye, as well as Jack’s ten year old daughter Paige. The world building focuses on the rebuilding relationship between Jack and Allie but also on a lifetime of secrets that slowly begin to eat at Allie’s façade.

THIS TIME AROUND is a spirited and hopeful story line with a little bit of humor, romance, guilt and love. The premise is idealistic and heartwarming; the characters are colorful and realistic; the romance is passionate and emotional. THIS TIME AROUND follows one woman as she battles the realities of life and love.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

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I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This Time Around is everything I love about Tawna Fenske’s books. Her books are funny and relatable. Jack and Allie have a sordid past and now that they’ve reconnected, they need to face those demons that held them back the first time around. Paige is a delight and a believable ten-year-old. Too often, authors miss the mark when writing kids and write them older than the age they’re given them. Not so with Paige. The situations Allie gets herself into fighting the woodpeckers are hilarious. Every time I open one of Tawna’s books, I know it’s going to be a great read and This Time Around is no exception!

“We all have skeletons in the closet. Secrets, mistakes, things we don’t like to talk about.”

There are a lot of wonderful things to talk about when it comes to This Time Around—not the least of which is that gorgeous cover.

Seriously, if you're going to judge a book by its cover (I do, #NoShame), then judge away, because this book is as fabulous and quirky as its cover suggests.

However, if you're NOT a cover-judger (totally a word), then let me give you some other things to stew over.

This Time Around is a warm, funny, lighthearted romance; a book that will make you smile and feel good while simultaneously being achingly relatable and altogether charming.

Can you tell I loved it? Because I did. Everything about it, in fact. I've become a big fan of Tawna Fenske’s ability to write characters that are real—flawed and human, and completely likable—and she's done that here, with Allie and Jack, once again. Not to mention, Paige the steal-stealer. I adored that girl, reminding me as she did of my own daughter—inquisitive, funny, smart and kind. Precocious in a good way, this book is worth picking up for her alone.

Of course, that's not the only reason to give this book and this author a read. A second chance romance that is filled with hope, This Time Around feels ordinary while being extraordinary—a story that highlights the work and maturity needed to make a relationship succeed, that proves that heroes and heroines (and cats) don't have to be perfect to be perfect, and that showcases a love that flows like a fine wine (oaky, with hints of glass clippings and chocolate that has gone white with age).

So, please, judge this book. Judge its cover, its content, its author—whatever it takes to get you to give This Time Around a (first) chance to charm you, the way it charmed me.

“I really like you, Allie. A whole lot. More than I did when I loved you.”

~ FIVE Albatross STARS ~

This Time Around describes the meeting of Allie and Jack, high school sweethearts for the first time after breaking up 16 years previously. This book has a quirky storyline and characters, you really get to know their motivation and reasons for their actions. I was waiting in anticipation for things to develop. Its nice that you really aren’t sure which way they will go as information is revealed. The dialogue moves between humor to sadness and back keeping you on board. Would be nice to know what happens next with her friends Wade and Skye. Definitely planning to read through Tawna’s back catalogue.