Moira and Frank, the ultimate adversaries, find their worlds colliding when their grown children impulsively decide to get married. Determined to prove their offspring wrong about their animosity, they hatch a plan to thwart the wedding. But when their kids unexpectedly elope to Greece, Moira and Frank are forced into a wild pursuit. Amid the stunning landscapes and unexpected escapades, old grudges begin to dissolve, and a surprising chemistry sparks between them. Will they catch up with their runaway children in time, or will their adventure lead to an unforeseen second chance at love?

Carol Mason’s Second Chance Romance is a thrilling journey through the highs and lows of love! From initial hostility to undeniable attraction, Moira and Frank’s story kept me captivated from the very beginning.

Mason crafts a charming narrative brimming with humor, emotion, and twists. Set against the beautiful backdrop of Greece, with some steamy hot tub moments included, this novel is an ideal escape for anyone seeking a blend of romance and adventure.

Be sure to pick up a copy this summer for an unforgettable read!

DNF @ 11% • Unfortunately this book could not pull me in, the characters were so awful I just felt so uncomfortable reading about them. The title and synopsis of ‘second chance romance’ looked so promising, the enemies to lovers/second chance at love but I couldn’t put myself through it any longer. The writing style was in single POV and 3rd person which is already something that I’m not a fan on. I’m really upset that I was the wrong audience for this book. Thank you NetGalley for this opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

This is an unusual romance because the couple meets through their college aged children, who are dating. It’s great to read about falling in love again when you’re presumably older and wiser. If you’re looking for a deeper relationship story then you’ll enjoy this book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

It's just like reading a ron-con movie, so if you like those, you'll want to read this one. Moira's life seemed set until she had reason to suspect her husband is having an affair. Despite his protests of innocence, she doesn't believe him and stays in LA with her daughter who is taking a semester there. She never could have expected her daughter to fall quickly for a fellow student. It's the announcement of her engagement that has Moira losing her mind. Her life takes on purpose-- breakup the relationship. She joins forces with the boyfriend's dad, and regardless of an initial dislike for the man, they share a common goal. As they say hate is close to love, but will this prove to be the case for two mature adults who have already been burned by love?

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.

This was a great beach read - perfect summer reading.

It took me a bit to get hooked on the story, and I think that’s because I was expecting some huge sweep-you-off-your-feet romance between Frank and Moira. But I was actually pleasantly surprised that there was so much balance in the focus on her relationship with herself, Harriet, and Rupert in addition to the relationship with Frank. It gave the book more depth than I anticipated and was refreshing!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the eARC!

Cute!!

When Moira's daughter introduces her mother to her boyfriend's father, Frank, they definitely got off on the wrong foot. Moira was repulsed by the arrogant man. He had no manners and ignored her throughout the whole meal. Moira was fine never seeing the man ever again.

The young couple had only known each other for 6 weeks and they were already talking about getting married over spring break. That's when Frank and Moira decide to work together to split them up. But when the couple send them pictures from Greece with a picture and date, they panic. Now Frank and Moira are flying to Greece to hopefully get there in time.If no more planes get delayed.

But the chemistry between Moira and Frank is off the walls!

A cute read!

*Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

This was really nice and enjoyable to read. I liked the single POV much to my surprise as well as the angst after Greece. It was pretty easy to read and I liked the real life, relatable turmoil for Moira. I really would have liked a more complete ending, like just a bit more of a conversation although I’m sure I can work out what happened lol. It was a really interesting interpretation of how life can happen ‘to’ you and you’re just a bystander to your own life.

I love when authors realize not everyone is 20 and create middle aged main characters. Especially in a romance. Moira and Frank are in their 40s and have adult children. So refreshing. And the idea of this one is great. Their children met and are in love and planning to get married when the two go chasing after them to try and stop them. Seems like the perfect plot for a movie, if they still made romances.

Second chances and enemies to lovers are at the heart of this romance. It’s billed as a rom com, but I found it a little slim on the comedy, but had heart in the romance part. It took me a while to warm up to the main characters but I was rooting for them in the end.

Frolicking and waterskiing in Greece will always be a yes for me. This was a quick entertaining beach read.

When Moira’s 19-year-old daughter, Harriet, announces she’s in love with Aiden, Frank’s 22-year-old son, it should be a wonderful thing, but when Moira and Frank don’t get on and don’t want their children to make the same mistakes they did, the two work together to split them up.

But soon the dislike they have for one another turns into the opposite, and this could turn into a second-chance love story that neither of them expected.

This was a great narrative, and I constantly wanted to know what happened next, with characters that intrigued me and made me smile at the end.
This was a really easy read that I flew through and would recommend for a summer beach read.

Thank you to Carol Mason and Bookouture for this ARC.

My new favorite romcom trope may be romance plots centered on adults in their thirties and forties. This trope changes the entire storyline and allows the reader to explore adult child and parent dynamics while also getting inspired that it's never too late to find love. Carol Mason masterfully does this in her new book, "Second Chance Romance."

"Second Chance Romance" is not your typical second-chance romance story. Instead of having two characters who strike up a romance from the past, we have two middle-aged adults with their own relationship woes. As they band together begrudgingly to break up their adult children's whirlwind romance, the reader gets sucked into a journey of hilarious banter that resembles a scene from "The Odd Couple." I absolutely loved this dynamic, and it was just a breath of fresh air from the usual romcoms I have been reading this summer.

Do you like arrogant, broody MMCs that are misunderstood? Well, then you'll love Frank, the author of a classic love story, who keeps everyone at arm's length. As Moria started to break down his walls, I couldn't help but root for these two.

I also really loved the hate-at-first-sight plot. While we only get Moira's POV, her feelings about Frank are clear and precise, and the banter that ensues is truly reminiscent of an old married couple or in-laws who have to tolerate each other for the sake of their kids.

This novel is the perfect summer vacation read: light, breezy, engaging, and full of drama. It will certainly have you chuckling in some parts, and the hate at first sight was such a fun component of the plot. Make sure to add "Second Chance Romance" to your TBR for these last few weeks of summer.

This book and plot was just something that was not for me ! I didn’t really have a close connection with the characters and I felt like their relationship was very lack luster :(

This was the epitome of a mom rom-com! Moira, a standard British mum, finds herself in California while her daughter Harriet studies at UCLA. After 6 weeks there, Harriet announces she’s fallen in love with one of her American classmates, Aiden. Moira is shocked, and is even more shocked when Harriet springs a meeting of the future in-laws on her. While Aiden behaves like a gentleman, his father Frank, is standoffish and curt. But then Aiden and Harriet run away to Greece on spring break, convincing Moira and Frank of an impending elopement. Together, the two adversaries rush across the globe to stop their kids from ruining their lives. And along the way, some feelings start to pop up between Moira and Frank, much to their chagrin. 
This had exactly enough substance and lust to keep me entertained at a pool or beach, with people walking around, music playing, and only 50% of my attention truly on my book. It would be a perfect book to take on a short vacation where you didn’t want to feel obligated to pay close attention to anything serious. Unfortunately, that means you’re never going to feel like it deserves your full attention, and you’re right. Frank and Moira are in their 40s, but have pushed down enough personal issues over those 40 years to act like they’re the same age as their kids. Instead of a “will they, won’t they” in terms of romantic tension, there’s only “will they, won’t they” constantly hook up and then be mad at each other. 
I really liked a lot of the concepts Mason introduced. Frank is the author of Moira’s favorite romance-novel-turned-movie, and his life seems to follow the tragic plot he wrote. Moira is separated from her husband, trying to get in touch with her identity for the first time in 20 years. They spend a weekend together in Greece! But there were too many tense, uncomfortable, and frustrating moments to make this a true romantic-comedy.
Overall, this is a decent option as we start to head into the end of beach and pool days (or if you happen to be flying to Greece to stop your 22-year-old from getting married)!
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookoture for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

The premise of SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE is everything I usually gravitate toward in a rom-com: enemies-to-lovers, exotic locales, and plenty of snarky banter. I struggled with the beginning of this book because both Moira and Frank are difficult to like. Moira is an overbearing mom trying to prevent her teenage daughter from repeating her own mistakes. Ok, that’s forgivable. Frank, however, is completely insufferable. If Moira didn’t instantly hate him, I would have hated him for her. He’s rude, dismissive, and insulting - and those are his best qualities.

I’m glad I stuck with the book because it redeemed itself once Moira and Frank realized they were more alike than different. The chemistry between them was smoking hot and the spice, well, it was habanero level spicy. It’s refreshing to read about mature characters whose life experiences help them determine what they want from relationships.

My struggles with getting past my intense dislike for Frank affected my enjoyment of the story. He came off as a complete misogynist and I had a hard time forgiving him for his treatment of Moira and comments about her daughter. I wish I was a more tolerant person, but, alas, I am flawed.

Readers who enjoy sharp give and take along with wicked physical chemistry will find this to be an enjoyable book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"I find it funny how you can be fine until someone asks how you are, and then it all goes to hell in a hand basket."

"This messed up world needs happy endings...People want to escape in a novel, otherwise why read it?"

"Not always. Sometimes people read to feel understood."

I don't think I have ever felt more understood as a mother or ex wife after devouring the contemplative often complex romantic comedy romance, Second Chance Romance, by getting inside your heart, soul searching authorCarol Mason.

Moira, at 42 finds her life turned upside down, when she discovers her husband may have cheated on her. Taking her daughter to UCLA for a term, she flies them from England and decides to stay, ignore her husband's calls, and ignore her problems.

Frank wrote the most iconic romance, over 20 years ago, he wrote the screenplay too, but after less than stellar followups, divorce and a scandal, he is a disillusioned rude jerk.

When Moira's 19 year old daughter, and Frank's 22 year old son, fall in love and decide to elope they find themselves traveling to Greece to stop them. But somewhere along the way, through the scenic islands, the aromatic food, the tantalizing wine, and the joyous Greek people, Frank and Moira's fights and insults become honest conversations, observations, revelations and attraction.

I wish this was a dual POV and not just Moira's POV. I think knowing Frank's thoughts would have made him seem less of an ass for half the story.

Don't let the cover fool you. This love story is not always a care free enemies to lovers romance. It's a fork in the road life choices, life changing decisions work of contemporary literary fiction that left me emotional but also not feeling alone or misunderstood anymore.

I received a free copy of this book from Bookouture via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

📱E-Book Review📱

Second Chance Romance
Carol Mason

🌟🌟🌟🌟

What a brilliant summer read that will have you laughing along from start to finish.

I haven't read this author before and I just know that I'll be reading more in the future as this was just such a fun, relatable and easy read. I was completely immersed right from the start and couldn't put it down - literally devoured this in a weekend.

I loved that Moira and Frank were such complete opposites.
The way they bickered was totally realistic and as I'm just beyond this age group, I remember frustrations like this with men around my age!

It was good to see this kind of romance featuring characters in their 40's though - so often we see the younger age group represented so this made for a great refreshing read.

I absolutely loved the writing style which was full of fun and humour. The banter between the two had me both laughing out loud and seething with frustration and I flipped between the two for most of the book!

But it's was pretty obvious where this was heading and once Moira spotted this, we see the relationship develop into a little more than sparring partners and there are some pretty spicy moments.

This was nicely written and made for an enjoyable quick summer read - can't wait to see more from this author.




💕Thank you to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

Nothing Technically Wrong, Yet Much Many Won't Like. In my review of Mason's earlier book, Between You And Me, three years ago last month, I noted that Mason managed to craft a tale "with particulars that I’d never seen done quite this way before, and that is always something I seek out and love to find". That remains true in this tale, seemingly her first attempt at a more lighthearted romcom after several books more in the domestic thriller/ women's fiction space.

And while the particulars are at least somewhat new - while also being a hodgepodge of other ideas and characterizations well known in the romance space in varying forms - it also becomes quite clear that Mason is new to writing within this particular space, as she has the basic formula down quite well... and yet, there is much here that those looking for a truly mindless and hilarious "beach reach" romcom won't find here at all.

To be clear, this book absolutely has its moments of hilarity. It also has at least habanero level spiciness... in a form that many will consider potentially offputting (but is also well known in *ahem* "certain video circles" *ahem* to be quite popular therein). And the book's locations, in coastal California, Santorini, and even the historic areas of Athens (Greece, to be clear, vs Athens, GA, home of my beloved University of Georgia Bulldogs) are shown well... yet don't seem to "hit" quite as well as others within the space. It also has moments of stone-cold seriousness, including when we find out our male lead's "deep dark secret" - and here is yet another point that will be divisive for some, but which I felt was handled in a very realistic manner.

Indeed, perhaps one of the more difficult aspects of this tale is that throughout, it can never really decide if it wants to be a romcom or a "serious women's fiction" type tale... and sadly, the combination of both comes across as disjointed enough to detract from each, rather than enhance each.

This is a book with no actual objective-ish reasons to deduct stars or not recommend, and yet it is still a difficult book to classify and really find an audience that will clearly love it - which is a shame, because Mason has shown herself to be a talented storyteller in prior efforts, and even here shows quite a bit of that talent... in fits and spurts.

So read the book for yourself and see if you can help me sort it out.

Recommended.

Moira and husband Rupert are settling in for a flight to the US to help their 19-year-old daughter Harriet set up for a term of college. But then an incriminating message pops up on his phone and Moira decides to stay on by herself.
Then Harriet announces that she’s fallen madly in love with an American boy, Aiden, and it’s serious! So Moira goes along to meet Aiden and his father Frank in Malibu. It’s hate on first sight for the two older adults but they conspire together to try to break up the fledgling love affair.
This was an entertaining rom-com about two people looking to stop their kids make a mistake by settling down too young who then get caught up in their own flirtation. Plenty of banter, chemistry and summery travel destinations.

Second Chance Romance by Carol Mason was an endearing romance.
This book was an absolute joy to read. The characters were incredible and you will simply fall in love with them. They were just so well written and colorful.

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

3.5 stars for me

This was my first read from this author, I loved the blurb and was in the mood for a romantic comedy so I grabbed it. While there were some fun moments and I really liked the two adult children in the book I struggled with the 3 parents. Frank was so abrasive I didn’t find myself warming to him until the final chapters and Rupert was even worse. I did enjoy the style of writing and the ending to the story but sadly this wasn’t a hit for me.

Thank you for letting me read this book!

It took me some time to get into the story. A woman who falls in love with, perhaps, her daughter's father-in-law. When you think about it, that sounds dubious. It wasn't until I was halfway through the book that I flew through it. The ending felt predictable, but the love that Moira and Frank have together and grows is wonderful to read.

I thought the beginning had quite a lot of details, but in retrospect they turned out to be necessary to understand the whole story. I do miss some more depth in general. Because of this I thought it was a very entertaining story for in between books.