This book was very fast paced and definitely an easy read with some very humorous moments and funny banter and communication exchanges. The perspective of finding love again at a later stage in life was fun to read about and the enemies to lovers in the book was great.

The first 25% of the book ki struggled to get through as there was a lot of dialogue and several things we happening all at once very quickly but after this it was easier to get into.
The descriptions of the scenes were really beautiful which made it easy to imagine.

Although this book was maybe not for me and can easily see other people enjoying it and will see what else this author has to offer.

No, just no. Not a fan. I disliked every one of the characters. They were all petty and selfish. Moira was the worst, definitely not accountable for her actions. And Frank, I think he thought he was cool to be a rude, brooding writer. Maybe those two do deserve each other. Maybe, if their kids weren’t in love with each other! I’m not a fan of “love” stories that turn family trees into wreaths. I didn’t find any humor in Moira and Frank complaining and brooding around Greece. I had to stop and start this book a few times. If it wasn’t for receiving as an ARC, I wouldn’t have finished. Sorry for being harsh.

Thank you Bookouture for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The enjoyed this book overall, especially the begining and end, but found the middle a little slow. Also Franks behavior felt a little extreme, leaving her alone after the hike.

“Second Chance Romance” is by Carol Mason. This is an enemies to friends to more than that book. This is difficult for me because during the first 40% I really wanted to DNF it, but in the later half it got slightly better but it still wasn’t a favorite. This book follows Moira who has temporarily moved to SoCal to be with her daughter, Harriet, who is studying abroad for a semester. While at college, Harriet has fallen head over heels in love with Aiden, son of Frank. Harriet and Aiden declare their love for each other - to the surprise of the parents, who didn’t know a) this was a serious relationship, and b) who cannot believe this could be happening to *their* child. Aiden and Harriet set up a meeting for the parents and over the course of a few days (maybe?) Moira and Frank end up sleeping with each other (though Moira’s still married to Harriet’s father, who Moira believes has cheated on her). Let’s not talk about the ick factor of possible in-laws sleeping with each other … Somehow, Harriet and Aiden, upset that neither parent understands “this is the real thing,” end up in Greece - where Frank and Moira (now not a couple) join them - but decide to not tell “the kids” they’re there. Stuff happens and eventually all four end up meeting. Things are discussed - including the relationship between the kids, Moira returning to the UK to figure out her marriage, and Frank back to the US to figure out his life. I did find some of the lines funny, but some of the situations (Moira being abandoned in the car park by Frank I felt was horrible and not funny at all) I found mind boggling. I did like Ms. Mason’s descriptive writing of both LA and Greece. I also liked that the ending was a bit nebulous (Are the kids going to make it together? Will Moira and Frank give it a try? What happens to the husband? Will Moira ever release her hold on Harriet and let Harriet be independent?). I’m really on the fence, but overall a 2.5 star rating.

DNF at 20% as the characters are all so obnoxious I couldn't keep reading & I felt like there wasn't going to be any character growth.

I really wanted to like this one, but it was painfully slow to read and not enjoyable. Moira and Frank are two parents caught up in trying to break up their kids, Harriet and Aiden. Harriet meets Aiden while studying in LA, they fall in love, introduce their parents to each other, who are quick to dislike one another. The setting and locations were fun to read, but other than that the dialogue, the conflict, the enemies to lover unfortunately fell a little flat... In the end Moira and Frank were more like irritating main characters, with a pretty immature and petty mission, and pretty unlikeable.

Wow! I am so glad I read this! It was hilarious and fabulous. I devoured it in a night and a day.

It was like Carol read my mind with her character Moira as I have a 19 year old daughter and if she declared she had met ‘the one’ after 6 weeks I would also have something to say (although me and her dad got engaged at 19 hee hee!). I loved Moira - she is so funny and I also thought Frank was great. I loved how he was a writer. This book is a great laugh. The settings are dreamy and I loved every bit of it. Definitely could see it as a film. Had a ‘Mama Mia’ type feel to it. Thank goodness for older women characters - we need more like Moira!

Those who love sweet and cozy reads should it. I liked all the characters. Moira and Frank are like soulmate. They kind of know each other well. Moira disliking Frank at their first meet to actually falling for him.Planing to separate their children but ended up together.This book woke me from my book slump

I read this as an ARC on NetGalley
I could not read this book fast enough. Frank and Moira made the perfect enemies to lovers. I laughed, I cried, I fanned myself. This book was the perfect amount of sweet and spicy.

I really didn’t like this book. I didn’t like the characters and I found all the relationships between these characters either incredibly toxic or at least problematic.

The two parents acted really poorly and very manipulative towards each other and their children. It felt like half the time they were acting really immature and I really did not like the relationship between the main character and her daughter.

I thought that a lot of the side characters were not fully fleshed out and felt more like plot devices than actual characters.

I did like some of the places they went and the descriptions of these made these places easy to visualise. The world felt real (I know it’s set in the real world but you know what I mean) and it also just made you feel summery. However, for me this was the only thing I liked in this book which is unfortunate as I was looking forward to reading this from the description.

I personally just think this book was just not for me. I’m sure there are others out there who will love this book but personally I just didn’t. Overall I’d rate this book 2 ⭐️

A sweet, fun, and easy summer read! I thought this book was generally well written, but it took a while for me to get connected to the FMC. This was because her thoughts and ideas felt a little juvenile for her age; almost a 22 year old’s voice at times. Nonetheless, I really did enjoy the characters overall and eventually connected with the FMC as the plot progressed. Just not initially. I liked how she wrote the character dynamics and the mother-daughter relationship. Again, just an overall easy and sweet summer romance read with all my favorite tropes.


PS - I love the cover art 💛

I was so excited when I saw this book! I love a good second chance romance, and as a 36 y/o women, it was refreshing to see that this was about characters in their 40s. Unfortunately, it did not live up to expectations.

The main reason? The MMC was a gaslighting jerk. The mature man we were promised ended up acting like a teenager. Is this really the message we want to put out there about dating when you are older?

I think this is best shown by what I wrote in my Notes app while reading this..
'Are these people really in their 40s? Leaving someone stranded, on purpose, in a new area with no options?
'He's too busy having sex with your daughter'. Again.. you are a parent in their 40s!!
Talking about the 'way you are behaving'? What kind of gaslighting nonsense is this. Super rude, implying she has mental health issues and needs a green card and she INVITES HIM IN AND HOOKS UP WITH HIM?! Nope.
I am so upset with this book and I am only 38% way in.

Basically, this MMC has zero redeemable qualities, It painted the FMC in a bad light. I really can't believe this book was called uplifting, I fear someone who is actually middle-aged and dating would get discouraged if they saw this is what is out there.

A second chance romance with a a twist! Lots of second chances in Moira and Frank’s story as they team up to break up their newly smitten children, despite loathing each other. Except it turns out that all that snippy banter might actually mean something more. There’s also the small matter of Moira’s not-so-ex husband who made some bad choices of his own.

This book has all the ingredients I usually love, and there’s something very sweet about the mother-daughter relationship between Moira and Harriet, even as they are disagreeing. Otherwise, I didn’t love the characters and didn’t feel invested in their relationships!

I just finished reading Second Chance Romance and it was the perfect blend of cynical and cute for a summer read! The enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Moira and Frank kept me turning the pages waiting to see where their relationship would go.. If you’re looking for a light, entertaining book to enjoy this summer, this is definitely the one!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I love a good contemporary romance to unwind and switch off my brain, but unfortunately this didn't work for me. The premise sounded fun and exciting, and I was really curious to read a story with two older protagonists (I mainly read romance novels featuring characters around my own age). However, this novel just didn't work for me.
I wasn't a fan of the protagonist's voice - it felt too immature for her supposed age, and the way she talked to everyone around her was really condescending as well. I felt no chemistry between Moira and Frank even during the 'spicier' scenes. The plot was fun, even if slow at times. The one thing I liked was the relationship between Moira and her daughter Harriet - I liked how nuanced it was.
I feel like the author definitely has potential in this genre, but I wished the writing was more mature and the plot was better overall.

Thank you to Bookouture and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have a lot of thoughts about this book. Overall it was an enjoyable read but there were parts where the plot was really slow and there didn't seem to be much reason for the chapter. I also had a hard time connecting to the characters. It definitely felt very much like a rom-com but I couldn't really tell if Frank and Moira liked each other or if the banter was just really good. They didn't seem to have much chemistry. The end also felt very sudden. But again, I did find this fun to read and read it within a day. The writing itself was really strong with only a few times when it fell flat. I just wish that there was more chemistry or more time where we actually got to understand Moira and Frank better together.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Following he POV of Moira, Moira and Frank are thrown together due to their young adult children falling in love. They believe they are too young and scheme to break them up. Due to the lack of support from Moira and Frank, they decide to go to Greece to elope. This sends Moira and Frank on a wild goose chase to try and locate them before they marry.

Frank and Moria don't get along very well, but end up spending quite a bit of time walking the streets in Greece which allows them to dive into deeper conversations about their past. A bit of chemistry starts to spark.

Read along to see if they got to their children in time, and if they too, fall in love.

*Review*
I found the first half of the book a bit slow but really enjoyed the second half. Was a very easy read overall. There were some funny, sweet and also annoying moments between Frank and Moira, both became very likeable characters. The descriptions of the locations they were in made you be able to picture them and almost feel as though you were there watching.
To me, Moira and Frank felt older than what they were, but I think this was because of their names being a bit more old school, so I kept picturing Moira as an older woman.

Overall, I enjoyed!


Thank you Carol Mason (Author), Bookouture & NetGalley for the ARC.

Review to come.

Love the cover✔️
Interesting description ✔️
New Author to me ✔️

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC ❤️

I didn't love any of the characters in this book, which made it hard to root for them. I guessed where the plot was going from the get-go (this is a rom com and easy to do- that is the genre by definition), which is fine, but paired with my indifference about the characters themselves, made for a read that was just not for me, at this time. I did appreciate some of Frank and Moira's witty dialogue, and I won't rule out reading a future book by Carol Mason, but this one did fall a bit short for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Secon Chance Romance took a while to get into for me. I struggled to connect with the characters and the story. The writing is great, this just wasn't the story for me.