Loved this book. The whole series was wonderful. Second chances for love, and finding yourself is just a recipe for happy. Also having a big family that is so in your face. Hopefully, there is still room for more.

This story is part of a series and not having read the other ones, I thought it might affect the flow of this story but it did not. It can easily be read as a standalone story.

A bit slow paced for me but it is a sweet story as opposed to steamy so you can expect that for the most part, there aren’t too many descriptive scenes. Ella and Hank met years before when she would accompany her father to a restaurant on her birthday. He was their waiter and told her that he would meet her there for a date when she graduated from college.

That date led to a relationship for the two fledgling actors, each one focused on what they needed to do to succeed in their careers. Those choices split them apart with Hank finding great success and Ella leaving her acting career for local theater. He accepts an offer to work on a film where she lives now in hopes that she will give him a second chance.

All the stars fall into alignment and that’s what happens with a little help from those around them. HEA and all that. The story was a little too predictable.

I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was promised or received for this review.

This Book is just alright, I didn’t really gain much from reading it. I also didn’t realize that it was part of a series so that may have taken away from the story.

Ella lost the man she thought she’d love for ever years ago. He chose his career over her. Since then, her work life is full. She’s a professional matchmaker & she indulges in local theater productions to keep her drama background alive. After all these years, her ex-boyfriend has reached out to her. She can’t figure out why & refuses to call him back.

Hank should be on top of the world. His career has skyrocketed. Ever since he reached out to Alex, he can’t get her off his mind. He decided to take a role in a movie in Charleston to see her again. Is the spark still there?

This was a good second chance love story. Ella & Hank let their ambitions rip them apart when they were younger. Now they are relatively happy in their lives but feel something is missing. Both characters needed to grow up & decide what was more important to them. Hank admits that he loves his job & status but feels something is missing from his life. He’s on the road for work or alone in his house between jobs. Ella realizes she’s still hung up on Hank & that’s why no other relationship has worked out. I enjoyed the interactions between them & the supporting characters. The secondary plot lines involving Ella’s family, coworkers & clients added humor, drama & affection.

Will be appearing around release date at Romance Reviews Today - both review site and the blog:
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SECOND CHANCE AT TWO LOVE LANE – Kieran Kramer

Two Love Lane, Book 3

St Martin’s

ISBN: 978-1250-111081

August 28, 2018

Contemporary Romance



Charleston, South Carolina – Present Day



Ella Mancini once loved—and lost—Hank Rogers, and it’s still painful. They met in New York City, both aspiring actors, and just as his career heated up, they split when he didn’t propose to her as she expected. Ella has built a new life in Charleston running a matchmaking service with her two best friends and acting in the local theater on the side. Hank is now a world-famous star—and he’s about to come to Charleston for a week to shoot a movie with an equally famous star, Samantha Drake.



As SECOND CHANCE AT TWO LOVE LANE opens, Ella becomes friends with Hank’s cousin, Pammy. After Ella temporarily gives up her apartment for a few days while her relatives visit, Pammy invites Ella to stay in her house. Ella figures Hank, since he’s now rich, will be staying in a hotel, but it turns out Pammy also invited him to move in. Now we have Ella and Hank once more together under the same roof. Will the sparks fly? Hank is pleasant and works it so that Ella gets a small part in the movie. Working together reminds her of what she once had—a budding acting career that she essentially gave up for Hank, only to have him want his career more than having her.



Meanwhile, the ladies at Two Love Lane, the matchmaking business, have a difficult client in Roberta. Nothing and no man can seem to please her. But Roberta may be cursed and one of the ladies has a suggestion for Roberta that requires dedication and time. Will it work and will she find a guy?



The reunion of Ella and Hank in SECOND CHANCE AT TWO LOVE LANE is a sweet one as they rekindle the flames. They first met when both were teens and they endured lean acting years. But once Hank’s career started to take off, loving Ella became less important. She expected a proposal, but what she got was him accepting a job far away. Hurt, Ella broke off their romance. She is insistent that she won’t fall for him again and figures since they’ll both be busy they won’t be around one another a lot. Of course, fate intervenes, first with their both being in the movie, then with everyone around them wanting to push them together. Even Samantha Drake gets in on the act. As readers expect, Hank and Ella are soon locking lips. Will there be a reunion of these one-time lovers? Their romance builds slowly in this tale, yet things heat up once they give into the passion.



Reading SECOND CHANCE AT TWO LOVE LANE, I felt it sometimes got bogged down with all the different characters in this tale. Not only did we see some of Pammy, Samantha, Roberta, Ella’s best friends and the office manager, Miss Thing (what they all call her), but even her relatives made appearances. This also meant there had to be a few other minor storylines, some of which did not get resolved. Will there be more Two Love Lane books? We’ll have to find out, as this is the presumed final tale in the Two Love Lane series.



Hank and Ella have a past that ties them together and they’re perfect for each other. But Ella has made her life in Charleston, while Hank is still active in his acting career. Can they make it all work? A cute and engaging romance, SECOND CHANCE AT TWO LOVE LANE will have readers rooting for Ella and Hank to find their happily-ever-after.



Patti Fischer

The characters are so much fun, especially Pammy. She is different and she owns it. Ella has been trying to get over Hank for 10 years. Just when she thinks she has it right, Hank shows up. He hurt her so badly, but she still loves him. Hank knows that he was wrong to walk away from Ella, but he thought he was doing the right thing. He still loves Ella after all this time, but he knows he doesn't deserve her. They only have a week to get to know each other again, but will it be enough? They can't go back to where they were 10 years ago, but will they be able to start over?

ARC received via Netgalley for an honest review

I have not read the first 2 Two Love Lane books, and this is my first Kieran Kramer read, however I felt that this is easily read as a stand alone.

I enjoyed the premise of this book, as I am a sucker for a second chance romance. And whilst I liked it, I didn't love it.

Some of the leading ladies actions are questionable - especially when it came to strangers knocking at her door - hello, I would be calling the police! She also felt a bit wishy-washy at times.

I did adore our main man, Hank. Ugh, Hank is so not a Hollywood movie star name to me lol

Ella's big, Italian family were great, and at times made me want a big family - though knowing how nosey they all are would drive me bonkers!

I also did like Ella's work mates, and Miss Thing is fantastic. We all need a Miss Thing in our lives.

Second Chance At Two Love Lane is a cute and sweet book, though nothing much really does happen. It was lacking a little oomph - however this is probably just me.

I did like this book enough that I will be adding the first 2 book to my never ending TBR and will read them at some stage.

This three-book series earned an overall “so-so” for me. One common issue I had with all was the lackluster character development with the leads (both male and female). I saw their interactions with each other, with friends and family, but I didn’t get a real sense of them on their own. Some political and off-topic stuff thrown in as well. Hate to say, but I just didn’t connect with any of the three.

In this one, I couldn’t really accept how fast the heroine succumbed to the hero after telling herself she would remember how he had basically dumped her 10 years before for an acting gig. Somehow that didn’t seem true to her character.

There were also some inconsistencies with ages and other things that bothered me a bit, and perhaps will be caught in more editing. Also, the ending was a bit abrupt for both the couple’s HEA and also for the ending of the series.

Thanks to #NetGalley & #StMartinsPress for the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

Ella owns a matchmaking business with her two best friends, she also had aspirations to become an actress and when she gets a chance to work in movie being filmed in Charleston, she jumps at it.
This movie also puts her in close proximity with Hank, her ex boyfriend, who wants a second chance with her.
Second chance at two Love lane is a very comfortably paced read. It is a heartwarming read with some quirky and funny characters. It can easily be read as a standalone despite it being part of the series.

A slow, sweet, Halmark-esq story that, at times, was too slow. The passion was tame and innocent. If you like romances that don't focus on the sex, this is definitely perfect. I thought the characters could have been stronger, especially Hank. He fell flat a few times. There also wasn’t a lot of emotional tension even though the plot had the possibility of having some great moments of tension. I enjoyed Greer and Ford's story more. They had obstacles to overcome that were believable. This story's conflict wasn’t believable because from the get-go Hank acknowledged to himself that he wanted a second chance with her, but then he was like, 'oh, wait, that means I have to quit being a famous actor, which I gave her up to be in the first place.' He, I guess, assumed she would be ok leaving her life or didn’t think beyond wanting a second chance. He came across as thinking it would happen without working for it, or that he would have to prove to her he was serious, being his choices ten years ago were what broke them up in the first place.  Ella was a stronger character and I am glad that she wasn't willing to give up her dreams or the life she built for herself for a second chance on his terms. I din't however understand how she went from resisting him to taking her clothes off when they played scrabble. It was a sudden change in the plot and I am not sure it worked with how the story was going. I do understand that being the story had to take place in only 1 week that things had to move quickly, I would have preferred to see Hank coming across stronger rather than passive in trying to win Ella. He should have been more assertive. The story did have a cute romantic ending. If you like sweet, almost innocent (or at least not a lot of description) romances this is definitely a good one. The plot was good, I just want more passion and more tension between the characters in order to overcome obstacles and have a happy ever after.

Second Chance at Two Love Lane by Kieran Kramer is book three in the series but can be read as a stand-alone. Hank and Ella are the main characters of the story and had sparks flying with their second chance at love. The pace was slow but steady. There were a lot of other background characters and side stories that added a bit of confusion to the storyline. This book was written in a unique style and it took me awhile to get the flow of it. Once I did, I enjoyed the story. It is filled with humorous content that I enjoyed.

2.5 stars

This book is book three of a series and although it stands alone, having read at least the first book would give some background to the matchmaking service and the circle of friends. There also is some mild sexual content in this book but only very mild cursing.

The writing style in this story is very interesting to me. Although this book is of substantial length, there are a lot of moments of telling, rather than showing. While it was nowhere near the level of the second book, there were parts that felt like the author wasn't invested in so she just slapped quick “and so this happened and then that happened” segment in and moved on. If the author doesn't care about her own story, it's hard for me to get too invested in it.

There were some really good parts to this story that made this a 2.5 star read rather than a one star read. I loved Ella's dates with her dad and how she met Hank, and I liked that Hank and Ella had lived their lives and become successful in their own ways before finding their way back to each other. Even though Hank was a big star, Ella was accomplished in her own way so there wasn't a real feeling of Hank being out of her league. (slight spoiler to the end of the paragraph) I also liked that Samantha wasn't a horrible person despite the fact that she could have been.

***SPOILERS IN THIS PARAGRAPH*** Second Chance At Two Love Lane is Ella's book, and although she and Hank are the main part of the story there are a lot of side stories that clutter up their love story. It feels like Ella spent more time with the woman who could have been her female rival but wasn't, than she did getting to know Hank all over again, and that was really disappointing. On top of that, there were a LOT of unanswered questions about the side stories for me. First and foremost is, why did Ella never reconcile her own idea of being a success with what she thought her dad wanted for her? Her big thing was trying to make him proud and getting a part in a big movie, but that whole story line just fell to the wayside and was never mentioned at the end. Did she ever realize that her dad would have just wanted her to be happy doing whatever it was that she did? That he would have been proud of her for being a matchmaker or a short order cook as long as she was happy? Also, I liked Pammy, but she was such a big part for a while but then she just kind of became a “I've served my purpose and now I'm a footnote” kind of character which was highly disappointing. Same with Miss Thing. We finally learned her first name, but did she find love with the man she had feelings for? Did they not work out? And did Roberta's ridiculous ploy actually work once she was on the actual date and not just being casual at the bakery? How are Ella's mother and Nonna really doing after the big reveal? Why did the author go the way they did if that whole deal was just going to be an “oh by the way this happened and now it's not really a big deal” kind of thing and not a big part of Ella's finding herself? Because I have to tell you, if that happened in my family it would be a BIG FRICKIN DEAL to me. Why have all of these side stories in there cluttering up the love story for so much of the book if you're not going to see them through? If the goal was to raise the word count and justify the high price of the book, it backfired because those things left me more frustrated than satisfied upon finishing the book. I would rather have read a novella about Hank and Ella than a book full of confusing, flapping plot strings that are never tied up.

Although I really wanted to like this book – the cover is spectacular and the plot had such real potential – it just was not my cup of tea.

The match makers are back. Ella always knew what she wanted to be but she never full filled her dreams as she always put one person before her own dreams. And now that man is right here in her town and she realises that she has still so many things that she never said or did. Hank knows that this is his last chance to show Ella how sorry he is and that he has changed and that he can be her forever. But Ella doesn't think that she could go through this again with him. She will do the film with him and then he will leave and she will be able to carry on. Is it that easy? Will Hank be able to win her over or will she let him go for good? Ella knows that she has to make a decision but she isn't too sure of what she will choose. Another good book in the series. Miss Thing brightens up each book and the nonnas always add some much character to the books. It is good to see the partners finding love & happiness. I was lucky enough to receive a copy via Netgalley and the publishing house in exchange for my honest review.

This is the third story in a very enjoyable, laid-back series set in Charleston and set around the owners of a matchmaking company, Two Love Lane. All the books have a really lovely feel to them, just laid-back and very Southern.

This book is about Ella, one of the owners of Two Love Lane, and Hank, her ex-love and big movie star. They knew each other before Hank hit the big time and split because Hank's career took him in one direction and Ella's in another, even though she turned down a movie role to be with Hank as she thought they were about to get engaged.

Now Hank is back in Charleston to film a movie and of course meets up with Ella, mainly because she's helping his cousin Pammy (loved her!) settle in Charleston as she's feeling a bit homesick. Due to lots of Ella's Sicilian family visiting her family in Charleston she has given up her apartment to them and moved in with Pammy for a short time. But then Hank arrives and also ends up staying with Pammy, and so Ella and Hank can't help but get closer and remember the love they had.

Ella ends up having a small role in the movie, and whilst really enjoying it, realises she likes her life in Charleston a lot more these days. Of course Hank is still a big movie star and travels the world so their short period together soon comes to an end and decisions need to be made.

This is just a lovely, gentle series, where nothing really bad every happens, and this book was no exception. Very enjoyable.

Ella Mancini has a great life in Charleston. She is happy acting in community theater and being a matchmaker at Two Love Lane. She loves being surrounded by her big family. But she has some regrets about her lost love. She had a relationship ten years earlier with a fellow actor named Hank Rogers. Having passed up a major audition in hopes of getting a marriage proposal, Ella is blindsided when Hank tells her that he has an opportunity for a film role in Hawaii and he's leaving.

Ella has built a new life but still has regrets. When Hank, who also has regrets, gets a chance to star in a movie being shot in Charleston, he takes the opportunity to see if he can have a second chance with Ella. He gets Ella a small part in the movie and they find themselves sharing a small house with his cousin Pammy for the week that he will be in Charleston.

While working on rekindling their romance, Ella is busy trying to find a match for one of her clients who is under a curse and dealing with the issue of her mother's paternity. Meanwhile, Pammy has found a potential new love of her own which helps her become less homesick in Charleston. Hank and Ella have a more difficult time with their relationship because she has found a home and business in Charleston and he has movie roles around the world lined up for at least the next two years.

Readers who want a richly detailed romance in a Southern setting or those who have read the previous books in this series will enjoy this one. I found it to be incredibly wordy and very slowly paced.

What a sweet love story. It flowed so easily and was a pleasure to read. I really enjoyed the relationship that Elle had with her family.

This was a fun, well-written book. Ella works as a matchmaker, but in her personal life she acts on a local community theater stage. She has a chance to play a role in a real movie featuring a big name actress. Her former boyfriend, Hank, comes to town as the male lead in the same movie. He wants to convince her that they can have a second chance and she's the one he really wants to be with in real life. This book can be read as a standalone story, though it is #3 in the Two Love Lane series. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I love this series. The characters are so enjoyable. I would love to meet them, especially Miss Thing. This book is a great beach read or to read on a lazy rainy day. I definitely recommend this book as well as the other Two Love Lane books.

Kramer gives us a very sweet HEA for Ella and her first love, Hank. Fans of this series will not be disappointed. The secondary cast always gives this series depth and I look forward to seeing if Kramer can continue with these characters.

I enjoyed Second Chance At Two Love Lane -- the entire idea of matchmakers in this day and age is so interesting to me and the intricacies of the business combined with the main plot of the two former lovers reuniting because of a film being made in Charleston (a place I have always wanted to visit) kept me thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it. It's a light, fun read and I recommend it!