I am a first reader of this author Jahquel J. I must say that I enjoyed reading about Faith and Rome’s journey to a second chance at romance during the Christmas holiday. I will most definitely be looking out this author’s next book. Faith and Rome were teenage sweethearts when a car accident tore the two families apart. Fifteen years have passed and Faith finds herself now divorced raising her 8-year-old twin daughters and back home in Sageport. Faith is back in Sageport to attend to father’s ailing health. She is not only attending to her twins, father and helping out the restaurant. Rome who never left Sageport is still ever present helping out with his sick mom. Faith isn’t to happy with her ex-husband when he continues to not show up for his girls. Faith and Rome see each other and the two pick up where they left off. Each are facing life’s challenges but they prevail and get a second chance at romance.

I received an ARC via NetGalley and Black Odyssey Media and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Faith and Rome were high school sweethearts with
aspirations of forever until a fatal car crash ruins their relationship. So when Faith left their hometown, she never planned on returning. But when life brings her back 15 years later this might just be the chance these two need for a second chance at romance.

Man this book is the perfect mix of heavy realities and a Hallmark Christmas movie ending! This book doesn’t shy from harsh realities such as parental abuse, dementia, stroke and more. But it does beautifully look at positive co-parenting and a chance to have the life you’ve always deserved to have wrapped up and served warm for Christmas! I love these characters so much! I love the reconnections, I just love looking at heavy realities and I adore Hallmark Christmas movies!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Black Odyssey Media publishers for this ARC!!

4,5⭐️

Faith is adjusting to life after her divorce. With twin 8 year old girls you know things get hectic especially since she has to cover for her ex when he doesn’t show up for her kids like he should. She receives a phone call about her father’s health and has to return home to not only help out with his restaurant but to the memories of her past some good and some bad.

I enjoyed this one. I am happy Faith and Rome found their way back to each other because I originally thought there would be no coming back from what happened that horrible night. Rome was attentive to faith and her needs while being apologetic about how he handle things between them back in the day. I didn’t really care for Faith’s ex husband or his girl Francis. I don’t think Ashton can be in a relationship right now because he hasn’t figured out work and home balance at all. Rome’s mother’s health and how they handled her was tear jerking. I couldn’t imagine being stuck in the past before grief happened to have to constantly relive it as a part of a cycle. This one has its heavy moments but the love between the main characters shined the most.

📕: Second Chance Christmas-standalone


✍️ By: Jahquel J. -new to me author


📃 Page Count: 282, eBook


🗓️ Publication Date: 9-24-24, Read 9-25-24


🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Black Odyssey Media, and Jahquel J. for this ARC 🩷! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

🌎Setting: Atlanta to Sageport, FL

Genre: AA Interests, Holiday Romance

Tropes:
🎄small town
🎄childhood sweethearts
🎄Christmas
🎄family drama/tragedy
🎄divorce/single parent -h
🎄2nd chance romance

POV: multiple

⚠️TW: grief, death of parent and sibling, cancer-side character, dementia-side character, SA (past), alcoholism/drug use

💭Summary: Faith is navigating being a divorced, single mom who really wanted to keep her family together. When her father has a mild stroke and his fiancée asks her to come back home, Faith reluctantly agrees. There are some terrible memories in Sageport especially with Faith's high school sweetheart Rome Atkins. They reconnect but has time healed all wounds?

🚺 Heroine: Faith Stone-32 stay-at-home mom of 8-year-old-twin daughters.

🚹 Hero: Rome Atkins-32 runs family dealership business. Caring for mother w/ dementia

🎭Side cast:

• Kimba Stone-Faith's mother-deceased

•Allen Atkins-Rome's brother-deceased

• Carl-Faith's father owns a restaurant and coffee shop

• Ashton-Faith's ex-husband, an investment banker

• Madison and Mayven-Faith's kids

•Debra Atkins-Rome's mother w/ dementia

•Tierra-Faith's BFF, Ashton's former assistant

•Marie-Carl's fiancée

•Patrick-Rome's BFF

🤔My Thoughts: A tragedy turned into a beautiful reunion. Faith and Rome struggled with a lot of past and present trauma. The past creeped in but they reconciled and got a HEA!

Range of emotions: 😬🤔🙄
🌶️: Spice 4/5
😭: Emotion 5/5
❤️: Couple 4/5
⭐️: Rating 4/5

I enjoyed this book so much! It definitely put me in the Christmas spirit. I enjoyed the characters and their journey to love.

Second Chance Christmas by Jahquel J was a beautiful and emotional story.
I absolutely loved reading this book, I found it easy to read.
This was such a perfect read for the holiday season.
A delightful holiday romance that captures the magic of the season.

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

Thanks to NetGalley and Black Odyssey Media for this read. This was another great treat to read before Christmas and it was a fun read. I have read a lot of Jahquel’s books and this was a great addition to the pile.

I was a little worried in the beginning that my fluffy holiday romance dreams were about to be crushed because our girl Faith went THROUGH it. I really loved Faith and Rome, though again, I was concerned how I was supposed to root for him after the beginning of the book. I'm glad Jaquel J. was able to pull him around, because it was touch and go for a minute.

Also Ashton's chapters, it was so cool to get his perspective, since we usually don't get that, but I did want to unlovingly bonk him on the head repeatedly for being like "I want to do better" and then does everything in his power to not do better. But it was still a fun.

perspective. Faith and Rome were so cute, and I really loved how they got time to spend together before doing the "how are we going to make this work" dance. Because I find that my issue with people who are long distances, or at least appear to be that way when getting together, are together and happy for point 2 seconds and then are immediately trying to problem solve how to be together. I loved that they got to breath and enjoy each other before having to worry about logistics. And the logistics weren't the main plot point at the end.

All in all it was a fun time, I just wish Faith didn't have to suffer as much.

Thank you to Black Odyssey Media and Netgalley for an e-copy.

I'll give the trigger warning that the beginning of this book was so hard. There is a very familial death in the beginning in a car crash. It broke me, it made me so mad. I loved how everything fell and they met again. It was hard for them to connect again and work and want to be together again. It was lovely.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This novel has a good plot that could be experienced by someone. I'm giving it a 4 because the heroine's story was too sad for me. But the story comes together well and there is character growth.

ARC Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Faith and Rome might have been young, but their love was real. When tragedy struck the night of their senior prom it tore the couple apart. Unable to stay in the small town that witnessed her heartbreak, Faith had no choice but to flee. Returning only to check up on her ailing father, she must confront the pain of her past.

Jahquel J’s Second Chance Christmas isn’t your average holiday read. Despite being set around Christmas, it has a somber tone which can be attributed to the amount of tragedy/ trauma the main characters endure. While one might assume this would disqualify it from being a holiday read they would be wrong. In order for someone to truly appreciate joy they must first understand pain.

Along with the somber tone the story is filled with flawed, damaged characters that at times were difficult to relate to. As a result, Jahquel’s character development had to be and was top tier. She managed to flush out traits so that I felt compassion and empathy.

While I enjoyed this book, I highly recommend they research trigger warnings before reading.

Special thanks to Netgalley, Black Odyssey Media, and Jahquel J for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book kept me heavily engaged throughout and I loved having the different POVs throughout the book. It made me go through a variety of emotions throughout this book. However, there was some flaws and inconsistencies to this book that let me down.

This is an emotional, second-chance romance about Faith Stone and Rome Atkins, who are brought back together after 15 years of separation. Their relationship was shattered when Rome's brother died in a car accident caused by Faith's mother, prompting Faith to leave Sageport for Atlanta. Now, Faith returns to care for her father after his stroke, confronting painful memories and unresolved feelings. As she reconnects with Rome, old emotions resurface, and they must face their past to find healing. The story realistically portrays the characters’ struggles, growth, and eventual rekindling of their love, leading to a much-deserved happy ending.

Fay and Rome were high school sweethearts , they had plans to spend the rest of their lives together however an unfortunate accident caused them to split 🥺. They both go on to live lives separately on two different coast. However True love is forever and what’s meant to be will always be 🤭

I had some ill feeling about the whole accident situation, I feel like the blame was misplaced.

I enjoyed this second chance romance, watching Fay & Rome reliving painful memories, and rekindling their love was so satisfying to read. I am a fan of Jahquel , I am an avid reader of her work. I am currently obsessed with her series CappaDonna . So I was extremely happy to get the opportunity to read this piece.

Second Chance Christmas* by Jahquel J. is a heartfelt holiday romance that beautifully captures love, loss, and redemption complexities. The story revolves around Faith Stone, who returns to her small hometown of Sageport, where memories of her past, especially those tied to her high school sweetheart Rome, come rushing back.

The small-town setting, the weight of past mistakes, and the hope for a fresh start make this story resonate deeply. Faith's struggle with her past and her mother's reputation, along with the challenges of being a single parent, adds layers to her character, making her journey back to Rome all the more compelling.

Rome, who never left Sageport, embodies the idea of unfinished business. His lingering feelings for Faith and the unresolved tension between them create a tension that keeps the story engaging. The way their history unfolds, especially the impact of prom night, adds a sense of mystery and depth to the plot.

Second Chance Christmas stands out for its ability to balance the pain of the past with the possibility of a future. The Christmas backdrop adds a touch of magic, making the idea of a second chance at love feel both nostalgic and hopeful. The rekindling of Faith and Rome's relationship feels earned, and their journey to healing and forgiveness is heartwarming.

Despite moments of slow pacing, the emotional depth and the genuine connection between the characters more than make up for it. Second Chance Christmas is a touching reminder that sometimes, the past holds the key to a future filled with love and happiness.

This is a great example of a second chance romance! While tragic circumstances caused our couple to split 15 years ago the chemistry when they reunite is like they never left. I also appreciate that they didn't keep ignoring the elephant in the room and they had the conversation that was necessary to move forward pretty early on. I love how accepting of each other's circumstances they were and how they supported each other.
Personally there were some tropes that I didn't love but overall it was a good time.

Content warnings for death of a sibling, death of a parent, loved one with cancer (past), caring for a loved one with dementia (present), rape (past).

3.75/5 stars

A quick read with some really great characters. I think the author handled the heavy topics (death, grief, alcoholism, divorce, and trauma) very well. I felt for these characters and was rooting for them the whole time. This was my first book from this author but not the last. Really enjoyed this overall, just wished it was longer to give the characters more time to reconnect. It did feel a little rushed but still enjoyable.

Thank you to Netgalley and Black Odyssey Media for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

I was drawn to the second chance story between Rome and Faith but I felt detached when it came to the characters. I also didn't expect the amount of spice and how it seemed to come out of nowhere.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I adore Christmas Novels, as a Christmas baby I will always pick up novels that have this setting. Second Chance Christmas is the story of Faith and Rome, two people torn apart by tragedy. After a deadly car accident tore them, apart Faith swore to get out of their hometown and never look back. But we all know the saying “never say never”. The novel opens with Faith staring down a long holiday season without her daughters, they will be spending the holidays with their father and his new girlfriend. Just when she thinks the season couldn’t be any worse, she gets a phone call summoning her to the one place she swore to never visit again. It is after that summoning that things truly begin to change for Faith, she reconnects with her father and her childhood sweetheart, both of whom have been waiting for her. Rome on the other hand has been waiting for his life to truly begin, after the death of his younger brother, his father passing due to cancer and his mother’s dementia diagnosis his life has become stagnant. Faith’s return gives him the shake-up he needs as the two figure out letting go of their past and moving forward to a future together.

I loved this story and seeing how perceptions can change when you are old enough to see the other person’s perspective. In addition, sometimes parents have more going on than that which their children can see.

This cover art firstly drew me in - it's absolutely gorgeous!
Secondly, I love a second chance story and was excited to pick this book up. Overall I enjoyed the family dynamics and loved Faith, however a lot of the chapters felt like they were repeating the inner monologues from the last chapter. I also found some editing problems such as typos, and a character's name Seeming to change halfway through, which was quite jarring.