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Second Chances

by Rita Oberlies (Goodreads Author)

3.47 of 5 stars 3.47 · rating details · 49 ratings · 16 reviews

Will the past keep them apart…

High-powered attorney Luke Braden knows that perfection only comes once in a lifetime, and for him it came and went in the form of his college girlfriend, Brenna Morgan. Circumstances beyond his control separated them before, but now that she’s back in Boston, Luke won’t let her slip away again.

…or give them a second chance at love?

For Brenna...more

ebook, 179 pages

Published May 15th 2012 by Entangled Publishing

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Aug 28, 2012 Guilty Pleasures rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: guiltypleasures-slick

Slick's review posted on Guilty Pleasures

Anyone who reads this site and my reviews knows I’m a sucker for reunion romances. I can’t help it, call it a character flaw but I am really big on do-overs, so when I saw the synopsis for Second Chances by Rita Oberlies, I knew I needed to read and review it. I’m so happy I did because this was a complicated, witty, and delicious story about two people who deserve a chance to get it right.

I’m going to start this review with my one complaint and to me it’...more Slick's review posted on Guilty Pleasures

Anyone who reads this site and my reviews knows I’m a sucker for reunion romances. I can’t help it, call it a character flaw but I am really big on do-overs, so when I saw the synopsis for Second Chances by Rita Oberlies, I knew I needed to read and review it. I’m so happy I did because this was a complicated, witty, and delicious story about two people who deserve a chance to get it right.

I’m going to start this review with my one complaint and to me it’s a biggie, the author had the characters calling each other by both their first and last names throughout the book. I found it very difficult and a little confusing at first because I didn’t realize what was happening. The heroine’s name is Brenna Morgan (yep, basically two first names) and at one point I thought it had been changed and they missed changing it in a couple of spots during editing. This distracted from what is a very good story and I just didn’t see the point.

The characters in this book were very well written with genuine flaws and believable personalities. I liked that they came across as very human and someone you might actually meet in real life. Brenna Morgan is one mixed up lady. Don’t get me wrong, she’s completely likeable, friendly, caring, and devoted. But she has a lot and I do mean A LOT of baggage. The thing is she knows this and even though it sometimes gets in her way, she doesn’t make excuses. She’s returned home to Boston so her great aunt can help her take care of her grandmother who is suffering from dementia. She has no job, her bank account is dwindling, and the ex-love of her life is bound and determined to win her back.

Luke Braden is a high powered attorney in a family of high powered attorneys. It’s never bothered him that he and Brenna come from different worlds even though he knows it bothers her. He has somewhat of a white knight complex but for her, he’s really trying to tame it down. I love that early one; we know Luke is determined to get Brenna back. It shows that despite the little game he tries to play, he’s invested in them even though she’s determined to steer clear. What I really admire is that even when Brenna takes a job that is below her education level and not a “normal” job for a woman, he doesn’t say a thing. Believe me, I’m not sure many men of his social standing and prominence would have been able to. To me this is very telling of Luke’s true nature and one reason he’s absolutely a stand up guy.

Even though these two have a history, the author lets their relationship build over time. Luke is really good at breaking down the walls Brenna has erected and not pushing her. When he chooses to spend time with her aunt and grandmother it melts my heart, even though I’m sure he does it to get closer to her. When a tragedy strikes he’s there to pick up the pieces and help her deal with people and things she really doesn’t want to deal with. When Brenna finally opens up, I love that he doesn’t judge just offers support and his help. I appreciate that Brenna realizes she’s taking more than she’s giving in this relationship. I also admire that fact that even though she knows Luke would help her financially with anything she wants or needs, she doesn’t expect it and refuses to let him. It humbles me when she shares things with Luke she’s never told anyone because even though she’s broken, it proves how strong she’s been her whole life.

I found Second Chances to be an interesting, emotional, and enjoyable book filled with realistic characters, witty banter, and a fantastic opportunity to get it right the second time around. Enjoy!(less)

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May 29, 2012 Kayleigh {K-Books} rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: entangled

Second Chances Review on K-Books

"This time I'm keeping you forever."

This is possibly one of the cutest, adorable romance books I have ever read. There were so many times when I just sat here going "Awwwww." It was incredible and I really enjoyed every moment of it.

Brenna is returning home to Boston after everything has gone wrong. But seeing her ex-boyfriend Luke is something that she doesn't want to do. Luke has always regretted his behaviour in the past, especially causing the love of hi...more

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May 22, 2012 Erica rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

Second Chances by Rita Oberlies was such a cute read! The characters were absolutely wonderful, the plot was really cute, and the romance was pretty darn hot.

I loved the banter between all the characters, especially Luke and Brenna. All the time Brenna spent at her new job was too great - Harper was absolutely hilarious.

My one complaint about it would be that at first the story was a bit confusing with people calling each other by both their first and last names. It was a bit hard to...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Julie (Manga Maniac Cafe) rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is actually a story that needed more pages for me to be won over by the tragically flawed heroine. The jumps in time and attitude near the end left me confused or wishing for more details as Brenna, coming to grips with all of the baggage she has lugged around since she was thirteen, attempts to cope with the guilt that overwhelms her. The guilt has shaped her adult life, destroyed her relationship with her estranged father, and twisted her responsibilities for her younger brother. I found...more This is actually a story that needed more pages for me to be won over by the tragically flawed heroine. The jumps in time and attitude near the end left me confused or wishing for more details as Brenna, coming to grips with all of the baggage she has lugged around since she was thirteen, attempts to cope with the guilt that overwhelms her. The guilt has shaped her adult life, destroyed her relationship with her estranged father, and twisted her responsibilities for her younger brother. I found Brenna an interesting character because she was such a mess, but I didn’t feel that her struggle to finally accept that she needed help and that she needed to learn to trust again, was adequately explored. Instead, it was glossed over, which made her attempts to repair all of the damaged relationships in her life seem unconvincing.

Brenna fled from Boston six years ago, after her father’s mug shot was splashed on the front of every newspaper in town, chronicling his latest indiscretion. When Luke, her wealthy boyfriend, was caught on the arm of another girl, Brenna had had enough. No longer able to trust Luke, she packed her meager belongings and moved to Florida without giving him the opportunity to explain. It’s only when her grandmother, who is suffering from dementia, requires more care than Brenna can provide, that she finds herself back in Boston, temporarily living with her great-aunt Tess. Now with a dwindling bank account, she needs to find a job so she can provide for herself and her grandmother.

I loved the set up. Luke has never gotten over Brenna, and he sees her reappearance in Boston as a second chance to win her back. Hurt that she thought so poorly of him six years ago, he has come to realize that he wasn’t blameless in their breakup. He didn’t make a great enough effort to explain, and when he finally did get over his anger and hurt, she shut him down when he did try to tell his side of the story. While Luke was a bit too stalkerish for my liking, he was a really nice guy, and that’s what Brenna needed, even if she didn’t recognize it. She needed nice. She needed supportive. She needed the patience of a saint to help her work though some of her hang-ups over relationships and trust and love. Being Mr Fix It, that’s all Luke wanted to do. He wanted to shelter and protect her, but every instinct told Brenna to run before she was let down again.

Brenna is hard to warm up to, and she tries to be so independent that it is grating at times. She isn’t interested in a lasting relationship, especially not with Luke, but a moment of weakness finds her back in his arms. When she denies that being with him is anything other than a booty call, Luke is, once again, hurt by her disregard of his feelings. I felt so bad for him, and started thinking that perhaps Brenna wasn’t the perfect match for him. He deserved so much better than her casual dismissal, but he can’t move on. Their relationship, at times, is so painfully awkward that I couldn’t understand the constant pull they felt for each other.

Brenna has some deep emotional issues to work out, and the final resolution to her problems seemed too easily won. Shifts in time left me reeling, wondering how Brenna arrived from Point A to Point B in her relationship with her family and in her relationship with Luke. The ending was too rushed for me to be satisfied, and for the first time in a long while, I wanted more; more pages, more detail, more depth. This story is just too big to fit into allotted pages.

Grade: C+(less)

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Jun 07, 2012 Donna {Book Passion for Life} rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-contemp-or-new-adult, blog-tour, for-review, from-publishers, kindle

Second Chances was my first book by author Rita Oberlies and it definitely won’t be my last. Full of fun, hot and flirty scenes, humour and good characters, what more could I ask for?

Luke Braden can never forget the one girl he has loved forever – Brenna Morgan, but unfortunately for Luke, she moved to Boston and he hasn’t seen her in years. When he hears that Brenna is moving back to Boston Luke knows he has to win her heart again, so he sets out to get his second chance. But will Brenna be wil...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Evie rated it 3 of 5 stars

A sweet romance...

Luke is a powerful attorney who comes from old money. Yes, he's rich. But no money, and no career success will ever make up for the loss of Brenna. She was the one. Unfortunately bad things happened, and neither one of the two was mature enough to fight for their love so they moved on.

Brenna is the opposite of Luke, he's a society kind of guy, she isn't. Her family... well, let's just say they're nothing like Luke's either. She's known Luke since their College years, they were...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Anjana rated it 3 of 5 stars

I've been on a romance roll lately. I can always rely on books like this to make me feel good. Second Chances is pretty much about just that - a second chance. Luke and Brenna share a history; things didn't work out the last time they were together but now that Brenna's back, Luke's determined to win her over.

Second Chances was everything I wanted it to be - hot and cute with flirty, sweet moments. I love stories where people work past whatever issues they have because it's closer to real life...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Arlena rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4-stars, a-good-book, action-packed, adult-read, ebooks, my-reviews, romance, fiction, fiction-reviews

Author: Rita Oberlies
Published By: Entangled Publishing
Age Recommended: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 4
Blog For: GMTA

Review:

"Second Chances"by Rita Oberlies was a cute, witty, complicated and hot romance story. It kept me continuing to turn the page being a fast paced read until the end.

The story was of Luke Braden and Brenna Morgan who at one time had been sweethearts but something had happened and they were torn apart. The title of this novel is "Second Chances" and you will be findin...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Melissa Maxwell rated it 4 of 5 stars

It was good but a bit lacking. Chase and Brenna were wonderful but I wanted more connection. They loved each other once and were probably still in love when she came back to Boston but I wanted to see things work out after the airport. It really needed an epilogue.

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May 17, 2012 Danielle rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: did-not-finish

This book just seemed to be all over the place. It felt as if key scenes were missing and we as the reader are somehow supposed to know what occurred in the past between the characters when nothing is really explained.

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Sep 09, 2012 Tracy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Just for the record...Loved LUKE!! Brenna had secrets and it kept her running for a while until her Mom brought her back to Luke. Luke was so strong, so sure and absolutely a sweet heart. Very good book!

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Jun 18, 2012 Stella rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, romance, for-review, dfrat

Detailed review to be posted soon.

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Sep 13, 2012 Lesley (My keeper shelf) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: after-fifty

Enjoyed the story but it jumped around too much for my liking.

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Feb 15, 2013 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews-to-come

My Top Line: good story – great characters – The more I think about this book and the characters the more I like them and realize I really enjoyed this book, with that said my rating is 4/5 stars.

Full review is at http://passionatebookdivas.com/?p=2539

Until Next Time,
@jendsmit

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Jun 20, 2012 Monique rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-romance, reviews-all, fiction-romance-contemporary, booktype-novel, fiction, year-2012-read, bookmedium-ebook-pdf, reviews-done

You can see my full review at My Book Addiction Reviews.

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Apr 08, 2013 Karla(Book Addict) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adults-only, romantic

deleting reviews if you want to take a look at them you can do so on my blog, link on my profile

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Jun 15, 2013 R.farhanah rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Shelves: indulgence_collection

Apr 19, 2013 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

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