Olivia Dade became a must-read for me when I discovered her Spoiler Alert series ( Ship Wrecked being my favorite) a few years ago, and I greedily read her entire catalog. Now, Harlot's Bay may be edging Spoiler Alert out of the top ranking.

In book two, Karl the grumpy baker reconnects with his high school friend, Molly, whom he's always loved but never told. Molly hustles back to Harlot's Bay when she hears that Karl was killed, which turns out to be a misunderstanding. When that gets cleared up, Molly clearly wants to bang him with no strings attached, while Karl wants more. He asks her for a month in Harlot's Bay to prove he can be her person.

What I liked about Second Chance Romance is that while it is a friends-to-lovers romance, Dade doesn't mess around with laying the chemistry right out there at the beginning of the book. Usually, some is pussyfooting around with the will they or won't they, but Dade gets right to the point and makes it clear that neither character is afraid to be open and honest about their sexual desires.

Dade's signature understanding of the human condition and dealing with difficult topics is in top form in Second Chance Romance. I admit there were a few tear-jerking moments which really solidifies that Dade really knows how to tug at the heartstrings.

I cannot wait for book 3 in Harlot's Bay!

Olivia Dade is an insta-buy for me, and always will be! Her stories are full of such heart and humor that I find myself chuckling and crying all the way through her books. I adore the way her female heroines are portrayed, and how smart, witty, and kind they are. I love that they are always sex-positive and confident in what they want in bed, even if they aren't always like that outside it. I also love how adoring her male heroes are without tipping into toxic tropes. Her characters consistently make me think differently about my own life and what I want from it, not only in romantic relationships, but also in the way I live my life. I cannot say enough about how much I love the stories and the writing.

Olivia Dade writes romances that are so emotionally poignant, and this one is no different. It is such a joy to see two emotionally stunted people fall in love, even though that prospect is one of the most terrifying things imaginable, for both of them.

Another fun read from Dade - funny little town full of lovable characters who all seem to read interspecies love stories. Huzzah

Dean & Dearborn- what a match! Second chance at love- Olivia Dade has done a great job following up with At First Spite with the fun match up of Karl (“Grunts and Illegal Threats of Violence are my Love Language”) and Molly the narrator of fiction & romance books. It was wonderful to visit Harlot’s Bay and follow this new couple as they discover love can be communicated with more than words.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This was super cute! A second chance between high school friends Molly and Karl. for a second chance I liked it because it didn’t have a ton of flash backs which I really appreciate. Molly was a cute character and I felt like I connected to her.

content warning: there is a lot of swearing in this book and open door scenes. Seriously so much language so just be prepared for that!!

Rating: ★★★½

I really wanted to love Second Chance Romance, and there were definitely parts that stood out in a great way. First off, I loved the plus-size representation—it felt refreshing and authentic, and I truly appreciated seeing a character who looked more like real life in a genre that often overlooks that. The beginning pulled me in quickly, and I was invested from the start.

That said, the grumpy/grumpy trope just isn’t my favorite, and I found myself getting a little worn out by the back-and-forth tension. The miscommunication and quick judgments between the characters started to feel repetitive and frustrating. I eventually set the book down because I realized I was spending more time annoyed than enjoying the story.

Still, I know this could be a perfect fit for readers who enjoy that kind of slow-burn tension and angst. The writing was solid, and there’s a lot of potential—I just needed a little more heart and a little less head-butting!

I received an eARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was good. It wasn't the best thing I've read but it was decent. It took me a while to finish it because I was easily distracted away from it. It is a cute romance but it has a lot of miscommunication and stubborn characters who refuse to talk about their feelings. That is literally what the entire book is about. These characters keep showing how they feel and tip toeing around everything but they both don't realize each other's feelings because they don't want to talk! They spend the book doing trust exercises and trying to open up to each other. It was well written but I just personally found it to be boring. I enjoyed the characters as I usually do with Olivia Dade books but it was kind of a slog to get through. It may just not be for me due to my hatred of the miscommunication trope.

I was excited to return to Harlot's Bay, especially with so many of my favorite tropes. I love second chance, and I love two grumpy Gusses finding each other! This did have a lot of the stuff I love about Dade's work, particularly the themes of trust and community, but it overall fell flat for me.

I was really excited when I started reading- I loved the premise, and the misunderstanding that kicks things off. However, the story seemed to grind to a halt and frankly never picked up again. I liked both of the protagonists, and their journeys to each other, but I guess I was just bored? So much of the scenes felt like trying to get from point A to point B instead of flowing naturally. Some of the dialogue did sparkle in the way I'm used to from Dade, but mostly this was a struggle to get through.

I was so excited when I figured out this was about Karl, the baker who listened to smutty shapeshifter audiobooks! I love Olivia Dade and this was a great read. I enjoy the side characters, I loved both Karl and Molly and their backstories. They are both pushing 40 and I love that their life experience gives them both baggage and the ability to not have that baggage derail their entire lives. Their friendships are some of the highlights of the book, as was the emphasis on trust and open communication in a relationship. Highly recommend this one!

In the second installment of Olivia Dade's ‘Harlot’s Bay’ series, ‘Second Chance Romance’, is a heartwarming romance between two characters who were once on the brink of something more, only to be separated by a misunderstanding (not the fondest trope for most readers, I know). Now, years later, they reconnect under the most unexpected of circumstances—a mistaken obituary—and sparks fly as they navigate their complicated pasts.

Olivia Dade has always managed to create signature blend of humor, body positivity, and emotional depth that always make her books worth the read. The grumpy x grumpy dynamic between Karl and Molly is as irresistible, juicy, and down right spicy in all the best ways possible. When I say the chemistry will keep readers turning the pages I mean it. This book has the exact charm needed to cozy up by the fire and just read.

‘Second chance romance’ is a must-read for fans of slow-burn romance, second-chance, witty banter, and a new twist to the grumpy trope. I am so excited for everyone to pick this up!

Another home run from Olivia Dade. Molly and Karl were friends in high school, but never dated. After graduation Molly moves to Los Angeles, and the two are separated for 20 years. A misunderstanding brings Molly back to Harlot’s Bay, and stirs up old feelings. Karl is so grumpy, but with a heart of gold underneath, and I loved watching him fall hard and fast back in love. Molly was cautious, but I loved how Karl was willing to work with her instead of pushing. I can’t wait for the next in the series.

The second novel in the Harlot's Bay series, Olivia Dade has written unforgettable characters, spicy romance, and the perfect steamy story all within the confines of the perfect little bakery.

When Molly sees an obituary of a former friend in her paper, she drops everything and rushes back to attend the funeral. Imagine her surprise when said former friend is super hot, grouchy, a prosperous business owner and absolutely is crushing back on her?

Hijinks ensue. Readers beware though, this is the second book and certain scenes or actions only make sense if you've read the first book.

Steamy, funny, with the perfect amount of heart. I'm anxiously awaiting the third installment.

Thank you to Avon / HarperVoyager and Netgalley for the eARC! I always appreciate the opportunity to read and review ahead of release, and my reviews are always my honest opinion.

I was going to save this book for an upcoming vacation, but after completing At First Spite in anticipation of this eARC I couldn't wait to continue! The premise of this book (a baker and the narrator of monster romance/erotica books?? absurd. I'm obsessed.) combined with the grumpy-yet-sweet Karl that we encountered in At First Spite drew me in immediately after the approval came through on Netgalley.

Second Chance Romance by Olivia Dade was a silly, absurd, slightly confusing, but very endearing romance. I loved the foundation of friendship rather than exes, Molly's job (which we only see one, more absurd, side of in At First Spite - monster erotica secretly written by a local!), and the trust exercises Karl employs to show Molly that he's serious and different from the other men who have let her down since she was a teenager. Specifically branching off of book 1, I really enjoyed seeing more of the bakery's dynamic (with Charlotte especially), seeing more depth to Matthew and Karl's relationship and how it ties into Molly's history, since she knew them both, and getting more of an idea of Karl's background. I loved the banter, the way Molly poked at Karl by correcting his impulsive, but inaccurate, threats, and all the general nosiness your typical small-town romance has to offer. Harlot's Bay will draw me back every single time!

My main gripe with this story is that while I understand Karl is an all-0r-nothing stubborn individual, and Molly is as well but running in the opposite direction, I didn't love that Karl's stubbornness around communicating went hand in hand with stubbornness around accepting nothing less than Molly moving across the country after a month of reconciling and trust exercises. I understood that it stemmed from fear and determination, maybe even a belief in fate (which feels silly for Karl) - but I don't feel like the timeline was anywhere near long enough for her to not only get over past traumas, but also to feel like she should uproot herself and move across the country, leaving behind the only ancestral home she ever really had in her grandparents' house. All of the circumstances that unraveled around this motivation of Karl's did well to serve this end goal - but the fact that even Matthew tried to encourage compromise or patience and Karl rejected it outright rubbed me the wrong way for a good amount of the story. That said, I enjoyed myself immensely because the Harlot's Bay books have a way of smoothing over concerns with the sillier bits of the tale - like a feud between sex shop owners (and Molly's concern at there being enough business in a small town for there to be two) (PLEASE tell me this is the next book).

All in all I rated this 4 stars. Second Chance Romance was a delightful read, as was At First Spite, and I can't wait to see what other Harlot's Bay stories are coming in the future! I would say that you should read At First Spite before Second Chance Romance, if only to familiarize yourself with the setting and the various groups and businesses and their dynamic with Karl specifically.

Ahhh...what a read. Olivia Dade gives us a god-level grump, a heroine with reasonably founded trust issues, a second appearance of the Spite House, the Nasty Wenches book club, rival adult stores, and an epic failure at an escape room. Oh, and a trio of twerking women in petticoats singing at full, enthusiastic volume about whores. As always with Dade, this is an absolutely gorgeous mix of humor and real deep feelings, with the story of two people who have tons of sexual chemistry but hardcore interpersonal communication issues. Figuring out when iron-clad independence is an element of personal strength and when it's a coping mechanism that's no longer serving you is something each of these dummies has to figure out, and it's lovely to be along for the ride/read. Oh, also we have a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside a beard net (he's a baker), and a heroine who's kinda a slut for personalized sandwiches and lattes. And epic levels of swearing, peak teen movie drama including a showdown at the high school gym, and a truly awful bad guy (who once shoved his bride's face into her wedding cake — unforgivable!). A+!

Every Olivia Dade novel feels like a special occasion, but this may have been my favorite of them all. Ever since reading At First Spite, I was curious about the story of Karl and our mysterious audiobook narrator. I was not disappointed in the slightest. In fact, I read this one twice back-to-back.

this features charming world-building and lovable characters. Their dynamic, with Molly’s nitpicking and Karl’s gruff demeanor, is fun but becomes repetitive. While the book has heartfelt moments, the lack of open communication and Karl’s gruff speech patterns were frustrating. The repeated “threats” also felt off, especially coming from a character meant to be a grumpy-softie. Though not my favorite Olivia Dade book, it still has moments of charm for fans of the series.

I thought this book was such a great read. The chemistry between the Karl and Molly is to die for. Their banter was so cute and funny. I appreciated that they were friends but still had a lot to learn about one another. I loved reading this book.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved Karl and Molly together! Although they had many misunderstandings, they overcame them all and got their second chance at love. I love that Karl is a monster smut lover and a big guy, but he's also the sweetest and a baker for a living. I find it adorable that he only started listening to them because he heard Molly's voice as the narrator, wanted to hear more of her, and that he'd listen to them on the loudspeaker at the bakery before they opened.

This is a sweet second chance at love. I really enjoyed the town and all the people there just as much as I loved Molly and Karl.
I liked watching their love story unfold and them learn to trust each other.
I loved that Karl expressed his love through food and had held a torch for Molly for so long.
The silly romance books that Molly narrates and her friend writes were a fun touch.
I loved the romance book club also that was a fun touch and I liked that a lot of men were in the club too.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC