Second Down and Second Chances

by Leah Dobrinska

Lawrence Poe, tight end for the Green Bay River Foxes, is a type-A control freak who functions best when his house is clean, his spreadsheets are updated, and his protein shakes are precisely measured. Adding a four-year-old to his structured schedule isn’t going to be easy, but his sister needs him to watch his niece, and he always shows up for his family. Still, with training camp and other football commitments, Lawrence can’t watch Ana alone. Enter Beni Fitzgerald—his sister’s best friend and Ana’s Godmother—a woman who threatens every aspect of his controlled, orderly life.

An artistic free spirit, Beni Fitzgerald is a type-B dreamer who lives by the mantra all will be well. No, she wouldn’t choose to spend the summer living with a man who is her polar opposite, but she’ll do anything for her Goddaughter, even if that puts her directly in the path of Lawrence Poe. Beni has always yearned for a place to belong, and Lawrence made it clear it’s not with him after he gave her the best kiss of her life five years ago only to pull away and call it all a mistake.

But their forced proximity requires compromise, and as the duo grows in understanding and trust, both Lawrence and Beni realize this could be a summer of second chances.

Three months. Two enemies. Under one roof. Everything could go wrong. But what if they’ve stumbled into something right?

Second Down and Second Chances is a snappy and sizzling closed door romance with kissing only and no implied intimacy, perfect for fans of the opposites attract and enemies to more tropes. This is the second book in the River Foxes Football Romance series. All titles can be read as standalones.

333 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication September 8, 2026

About the author

Leah Dobrinska is the author of the Songwriter Sleuth Mysteries, the Larkspur Library Mysteries, the Fall In Love romcom series, and the Mapleton novels. She earned her degree in English Literature from UW-Madison where she was awarded the Dean’s Prize and served as a Writing Fellow. She has since worked as a freelance writer, editor, and content marketer. As a kid, she hoped to grow up to be either Nancy Drew or Elizabeth Bennet. Now, she fulfills that dream by writing mysteries and love stories.

A sucker for a good sentence, a happy ending, and the smell of books—both old and new—Leah lives out her very own happily ever after in a small Wisconsin town with her husband and their gaggle of kids. When she's not writing, handing out snacks, visiting the local library, or doing projects around the house, Leah enjoys reading and running. Find out more about Leah, join her newsletter community, and connect with her through her website, leahdobrinska.com.

Reviews

[Brittany Rolph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, another WINNER from Leah. I absolutely LOVED this one. I am not joking when I say I knew it would be a 5 star read after only about 10% of the book. You could literally feel their chemistry with one another AND the enemies to lovers vibes was TOP TIER. They REALLY did not like one another. At all. But they also had intense attraction to one another that eventually they couldn't deny. 😉

More than their chemistry though, both of their stories were really tender. Beni is a people pleaser and often puts everyone else before herself. She's loud, messy and has often run from relationships before she can get hurt or left behind. In the past, her personality was seen as a flaw ... until Law. 😉
Law is regimented, organized and likes things a certain way. His past relationships faltered because of this. Both Beni & Law saw their personalities as bad, and that no one could really love them because of it. Throughout the book you see both of them notice the other and accept these different personalities and traits. They see past it and see WHY they are the way they are. & ultimately ... it's why they fall in love with the other. They compliment one another beautifully. They had to go through some messy stuff to be together, but they realized it was worth the fight!

And I can't leave this review without mentioning their adorable niece. She really stole the show often in the book. She was just so lovable. And there was a moment at the end where I literally DIED laughing so hard because of something she said to them. She's sassy but also full of love.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

×× Thank you for the opportunity to be part of your ARC team! xx

I had the pleasure of reading another wonderful book by Leah Dobrinska and literally had a hard time putting it down. The sizzling dynamic between Beni and Lawrence Poe was so wonderful, full of transformation, sharing forgiveness, and sharing mutual love for some great people in their lives.

Once again, the River Foxes team mates and their women were perfectly mixed in. Beni, feeling insecure about belonging, fit right in with Rose and Lucy and the rest of the crew. I love seeing how supportive they all are of each other ans lovingly encourage each other. Seeing the banter and the text conversations were such a great addition to the storyline too!

It was so nice to see the more intimate and soft side of Poe, learning of his past, and seeing him open up. The fact that Beni and Poe bond over a mutual love of flowers made it even better. And the artwork!!! I loved seeing how they transformed over their 3 months as primary caretakers for sweet Ana. It will seriously melt your heart and make you tear up.

Another fantastic River Foxes book! I can't wait for Del's story next. That teddy bear of man deserves to find his love after everything he's done to support his closest friends. 😁

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leah Dobrinska can’t write a bad book! Another 5 star read by her! This is the story of Beni and Lawrence and their love-hate relationship. The way that Leah seamlessly goes from describing the past and the present is flawless. Her description writing is superb because it adds to the story, helps paint a better picture, but isn’t overly flowery.

I love that she develops the characters in a way that makes you fall more in love with them as the story goes on. I mean, who wouldn’t want someone to book them an all expense paid spa day?!

The relatability of the characters and their problems draws the reader in. I’m sure we’ve all had a time where we feel less than like Beni does and like our “quirks” are too much like Lawrence does.

Leah is a must read author for me and this book once again proves why. Now to wait for her to announce the release date of the next book in this series!

* I was provided an arc of this book. This review is completely my opinion and I received no compensation for it.

[Kim Zamolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leah never fails to deliver stories with heart, romance, and personal victories. Beni and Lawrence were no different!

Beni is all creative energy and positive vibes. All about pleasing those around her. Lawrence is all cleanliness, order and control. He runs a tight ship and keeps his life in order. When Beni and his niece Ana crash at his place to be Ana’s caregivers for a few months, his orderly life comes crashing down around him. Their past comes back to haunt them. Will they be able to work through their differences, or will they burn the house to the ground?

Such a beautiful story of how opposites attract and how living selflessly looks different in each person. I loved how Beni and Law both had to overcome their own insecurities and fears in order to get together. Their happily ever after is hard-won, but so worth it. Go give it a read!

Thank you Leah for the ARC. I enjoyed every moment, and all opinions are my own.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the River Fox series. You don’t need to read the first, but highly recommend reading it and Exes Don’t first to get the background on all the characters you’ll meet.

I adore Beni. She’s so lighthearted and carefree. She compliments Poe so nicely and helps him learn to get out of his head a little.

I love that Poe got to come out of his box in this book. His love of control makes sense for his character, but I loved watching him let go little by little.

I choose to believe that all football players act like the River Foxes and support every aspect of each other’s lives. They’re adorable. Speaking of which, I am so excited for Del to get his shot at love! He’s the best.


Thank you to the author for the early copy!

[Brooke Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was FANTASTIC! I adored both main characters,as well as the side characters. Leah writes the sweetest, best books and this one did not disappoint. I'm a sucker for cameos of characters from other books , and there are multiple in this one. The guys group chat always has me laughing. The kisses are sizzling (no spice). Ana (4yo niece) is hilarious. There is mutual pinning. READ IT for some brother's best friend, 7yr age gap(26f/33m), always been you, childhood crush, second chance vibes.

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story. Forced proximity. Grumpy/sunshine. 👏🏻 Leah Dobrinska rom-coms are my fave kind of rom-coms.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Such a cute Grumpy × Sunshine story. Love the River Foxes!