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Too Many Chances
Can Matt forgive the man who broke his heart and learn to trust him again, or has he already given him too many chances?
Matt Jacobs has had a very bad day.
First his boiler breaks down in the middle of his shower then he learns his beloved cat would rather live with his crotchety old neighbor.
But while he’s in work, at a job he hates, a phone call from the hospital gives Matt the worst news of all—his father has just passed away.
When the man he’s been ‘dating’ for the past five months tells him he’s getting married to a woman, Matt doesn’t know if he can take any more bad news.
Thoroughly dejected and sick with grief, he packs a bag and makes the six-hour drive home to Missouri to arrange his father’s funeral.
While out near his childhood home, Matt runs into James, his ex-best friend and the last person on earth he wants to see.
James was Matt’s first crush and the person who hurt him more than any other when they were just eighteen.
However, James has an apology for Matt and a confession that could tilt Matt’s world on its axis.
Can Matt forgive the person who broke his heart ten years ago and learn to trust him again or has he already given him too many chances?
Matt Jacobs has had a very bad day.
First his boiler breaks down in the middle of his shower then he learns his beloved cat would rather live with his crotchety old neighbor.
But while he’s in work, at a job he hates, a phone call from the hospital gives Matt the worst news of all—his father has just passed away.
When the man he’s been ‘dating’ for the past five months tells him he’s getting married to a woman, Matt doesn’t know if he can take any more bad news.
Thoroughly dejected and sick with grief, he packs a bag and makes the six-hour drive home to Missouri to arrange his father’s funeral.
While out near his childhood home, Matt runs into James, his ex-best friend and the last person on earth he wants to see.
James was Matt’s first crush and the person who hurt him more than any other when they were just eighteen.
However, James has an apology for Matt and a confession that could tilt Matt’s world on its axis.
Can Matt forgive the person who broke his heart ten years ago and learn to trust him again or has he already given him too many chances?
220 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2012
23 people are currently reading
170 people want to read
About the author
Lavinia Lewis
182 books184 followersLavinia discovered reading at an early age and could always be found with her nose in a book. She loved getting lost in a fantasy world even then. When her parents bought her a typewriter for Christmas at aged eleven, her fate was sealed. She spent hours dreaming up characters and creating stories. Not a lot has changed.
Lavinia is a Welsh Valley girl who has lived all over the UK. Today she lives at home in the small village in which she grew up, just outside of Cardiff, Wales, but ask her again tomorrow and it could very well be somewhere different. She has travelled extensively to places as far and wide as Africa, Asia, Australia, North and Central America and most of Europe. Although some of her books are set in Texas she has never stepped foot in the state but plans to spend time there in the near future. She is a proud Brit, but feels quite at home when visiting the grand ol’ USofA.
Although Lavinia is a huge fan of the romance genre, particularly M/M she will admit to reading anything and everything. She loves horror, a good thriller and if a book has the capacity to make her cry, well, all the better. She loves a gritty, angst-ridden, gut-wrenching story, but is more than happy to settle in with a lighter, fluffier tale. She loves a happy ending and the characters in her books have thus far been lucky enough to find one. She can’t guarantee that will always be the case. She has two cats and wouldn’t part with them for the world, even though they make her sneeze.
Lavinia also writes M/F romance under the pseudonym Amy Armstrong.
Lavinia is a Welsh Valley girl who has lived all over the UK. Today she lives at home in the small village in which she grew up, just outside of Cardiff, Wales, but ask her again tomorrow and it could very well be somewhere different. She has travelled extensively to places as far and wide as Africa, Asia, Australia, North and Central America and most of Europe. Although some of her books are set in Texas she has never stepped foot in the state but plans to spend time there in the near future. She is a proud Brit, but feels quite at home when visiting the grand ol’ USofA.
Although Lavinia is a huge fan of the romance genre, particularly M/M she will admit to reading anything and everything. She loves horror, a good thriller and if a book has the capacity to make her cry, well, all the better. She loves a gritty, angst-ridden, gut-wrenching story, but is more than happy to settle in with a lighter, fluffier tale. She loves a happy ending and the characters in her books have thus far been lucky enough to find one. She can’t guarantee that will always be the case. She has two cats and wouldn’t part with them for the world, even though they make her sneeze.
Lavinia also writes M/F romance under the pseudonym Amy Armstrong.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
May 15, 2013
4.5 stars
Matt and James were best friends in a small town in Missouri. In their teen years, Matt felt his feeling toward James was more than just friendship so he told the other boy. Unfortunately, not only it was not well accepted, what James said and did really broke Matt's heart. He fled the town.
Fast forward to today. When Matt's father passed away, he had to return to the town to deal with the funeral, house, etc. The two former best friends met again, as James turned out to be the restaurant owner where Matt went to lunch. Despite Matt's initial rejection, slowly they became friends again. And even more.
But, was it possible for Matt to live with the fact that James was in the closet in the small town of theirs? Not to mention that he now lived somewhere else, and in town only to deal with the funeral?
The basic premise of the book is the standard childhood-friends-to-lovers. Still, there are many elements that I enjoyed.
- Matt's early situation (with his bf, cat, boss, etc.) was funny. (I know, it's a bit schadenfreude on my part, but the writing is light that made me smile :-)
- No instant forgiveness
- Good female characters (not just one, but two...). Both Matt's best friend and James' sister are really great.
- good conflict setup
If anything, the solution to the conflict is a bit too easy. But, that may also contribute to the feeling-good book I had when reading it. Don't get wrong, it's not all fluffy sugary. There's homophobia, douche bf, strange costumers, etc. that make this interesting.
Matt and James were best friends in a small town in Missouri. In their teen years, Matt felt his feeling toward James was more than just friendship so he told the other boy. Unfortunately, not only it was not well accepted, what James said and did really broke Matt's heart. He fled the town.
Fast forward to today. When Matt's father passed away, he had to return to the town to deal with the funeral, house, etc. The two former best friends met again, as James turned out to be the restaurant owner where Matt went to lunch. Despite Matt's initial rejection, slowly they became friends again. And even more.
But, was it possible for Matt to live with the fact that James was in the closet in the small town of theirs? Not to mention that he now lived somewhere else, and in town only to deal with the funeral?
The basic premise of the book is the standard childhood-friends-to-lovers. Still, there are many elements that I enjoyed.
- Matt's early situation (with his bf, cat, boss, etc.) was funny. (I know, it's a bit schadenfreude on my part, but the writing is light that made me smile :-)
- No instant forgiveness
- Good female characters (not just one, but two...). Both Matt's best friend and James' sister are really great.
- good conflict setup
If anything, the solution to the conflict is a bit too easy. But, that may also contribute to the feeling-good book I had when reading it. Don't get wrong, it's not all fluffy sugary. There's homophobia, douche bf, strange costumers, etc. that make this interesting.
Read
October 11, 2012Nice story, very well-written with sympathetic characters, but it felt too drawn out for me :/ There was too little happening and too much thinking and overthinking and over-overthinking... and so on. The MCs reminiscing about their past and what happened then, that drove them apart and there's been too much of it for me. I mean I get why they (sort of) broke up, what's their motives were, let's move on! I'd prefer it to be either a shorter story or a little more action packed.
Still liked it, though!
Still liked it, though!
November 13, 2012
This was a nice enough read, although I would have loved it more without all the repetitions and inner musings. From some point on it got tiring.
March 12, 2019
Edit: I never learn my lesson about rereading things from a long time ago. I actually read the entire book and never realized I had, in fact, r ad this befor.m this time I didn't like it as much. Closet d and they are caught three separate time?
The funny thing about the day I started reading this book was that, like Matt, I was having a very bad day. Not as bad as Matt’s day of course; I mean, no one died, my partner didn’t decide to marry someone else, my cat didn’t choose someone over me, etc. But definitely bad enough that I felt for Matt and his monster bad day.
So, when James pulled his crap (and yes, crap it was) I so wanted to hate him. Stay away from Matt! I tried to hate him, really did. But much in the way the very lovely Matt came to see it, James had a lifetime of hiding going on. When you hide something for that long, it becomes a part of yourself to second guess whether anyone knows your secret. It’s very easy to misconstrue the reactions of others, who are going on with their own lives and concerns, as reflections of what they think of you and your actions. It is hard to realize sometimes that for the most part people aren’t examining your every move or judging your every action.
In an interesting coincidence I read two books back to back concerning hiding yourself and how much it hurts someone else. In the first, the man was really still a boy and was in high school when he is trying to be true to who he is. He makes progress. In this book, James has the problem in high school of not only hiding but being a scathing, abusive jerk about it. Ten years later, he is apologetic but really not much farther in acceptance of himself. He is so wrapped up in what others think, it was a sad thing. He wants to be true to himself, and even more, he wants Matt back in his life, and then he does stupid things and keeps hiding, hurting Matt more and more. By the time of the restaurant I wanted to just shake him.
I particularly liked that insta-love doesn’t solve all here. These men were boyhood best friends who parted acrimoniously (James being an ass) and got back in touch only through a tragedy. They have to feel their way around the situations and for James in particular, it’s very tough. It’s a lot of revisiting what you wish you had done, what you should have done, what you should be doing. On a side note of Matt’s bad day, Tom is a complete and utter waste of space and I wish someone had punched him!
I liked this story a lot and is the first I’ve read by this author. I am excited to read more of her work.
The funny thing about the day I started reading this book was that, like Matt, I was having a very bad day. Not as bad as Matt’s day of course; I mean, no one died, my partner didn’t decide to marry someone else, my cat didn’t choose someone over me, etc. But definitely bad enough that I felt for Matt and his monster bad day.
So, when James pulled his crap (and yes, crap it was) I so wanted to hate him. Stay away from Matt! I tried to hate him, really did. But much in the way the very lovely Matt came to see it, James had a lifetime of hiding going on. When you hide something for that long, it becomes a part of yourself to second guess whether anyone knows your secret. It’s very easy to misconstrue the reactions of others, who are going on with their own lives and concerns, as reflections of what they think of you and your actions. It is hard to realize sometimes that for the most part people aren’t examining your every move or judging your every action.
In an interesting coincidence I read two books back to back concerning hiding yourself and how much it hurts someone else. In the first, the man was really still a boy and was in high school when he is trying to be true to who he is. He makes progress. In this book, James has the problem in high school of not only hiding but being a scathing, abusive jerk about it. Ten years later, he is apologetic but really not much farther in acceptance of himself. He is so wrapped up in what others think, it was a sad thing. He wants to be true to himself, and even more, he wants Matt back in his life, and then he does stupid things and keeps hiding, hurting Matt more and more. By the time of the restaurant I wanted to just shake him.
I particularly liked that insta-love doesn’t solve all here. These men were boyhood best friends who parted acrimoniously (James being an ass) and got back in touch only through a tragedy. They have to feel their way around the situations and for James in particular, it’s very tough. It’s a lot of revisiting what you wish you had done, what you should have done, what you should be doing. On a side note of Matt’s bad day, Tom is a complete and utter waste of space and I wish someone had punched him!
I liked this story a lot and is the first I’ve read by this author. I am excited to read more of her work.
October 9, 2012
Well written. The story flows in a suitable timeline, it isn't all crammed in like some books.
March 5, 2013
I love this book. it's wonderful.
June 4, 2013
This was very well done. To say Matt had a bad day would be a vast understatement. I was very glad he got his HEA with James; he deserved it!
February 26, 2019
I'm generally not a huge fan of the second chances trope. Either the thing that broke a couple apart was too egregious to forgive, or it was too petty and just showed how unimportant the relationship was to one, or both, characters anyway. In this book, I thought that we fell more into the former situation. James' reaction to Matt's kiss may have been simply out of fear of being outed, but it resulted in real emotional trauma to Matt for what sounded like years. I thought that the forgiveness happened a bit too early, but I fully agreed with Matt's choice to leave when it appeared that James would never come out.
There were definitely parts of this book that I loved, however. I get very emotionally involved with Matt's fears over whether or not his father realized that Matt loved him. I also loved that Matt's dad expressed so much pride in his son to James, and, presumably, everyone else that he talked to. It was a bit heartbreaking that Matt never got to have that final talk with his dad, but wonderful that there was so much good to remember.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
There were definitely parts of this book that I loved, however. I get very emotionally involved with Matt's fears over whether or not his father realized that Matt loved him. I also loved that Matt's dad expressed so much pride in his son to James, and, presumably, everyone else that he talked to. It was a bit heartbreaking that Matt never got to have that final talk with his dad, but wonderful that there was so much good to remember.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
March 3, 2019
Matt has been having a very bad day. His beloved cat leaves him for the next door neighbor. At work, his boss is being his usual stingy a** self. As he;s trying to work on an account, his phone rings. It;s the hospital in his home town telling him his father has passed. It;d been two years since he;d seen or spoken to his father and was hoping that eventually his dad would come around from finding out his son was gay. As he tells his boss he needs to go home because his father has passed, his boss tells him to be in in the morning. Matt quits. Then later that same day he gets a call from his boy friend telling him that;s he;s engaged to a woman. James use to be Matt&;s best friend but something he said the last weeks of high school to Matt caused a big split. Now he finds out that Matt is back in town and wonders if he should see him to apologize. He is hoping maybe they can have a second chance. But will that be possible after all these years.
Beautiful book about two lost souls searching for something elusive.
Beautiful story and read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Beautiful book about two lost souls searching for something elusive.
Beautiful story and read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 24, 2019
This is the first time I have read a book by this author & I will admit that I really enjoyed reading this sweet MM romance & I look forward to future novels from her. I found the plot quite interesting with the various emotional upheavals. The characters have individual personalities with attributes of distrust or determination when faced with certain situations.
There is: a dejected, grief stricken man (Matt), his deceitful ex-boyfriend (Tom), his first crush & ex-best friend (James), a caring friend (Laney), bereavement, regrets, loneliness, surprise visit, verbal conflict, memories, friendship issues, emotional turmoil, homophobic reaction, attempted apologies, disappointment, sisterly advice, a setup, disagreements, verbal banter, vulnerability, hope, disclosure, cowardly reaction, town gossip, unexpected surprise, contentment, happiness, love, steamy scenes & a satisfying conclusion.
There is: a dejected, grief stricken man (Matt), his deceitful ex-boyfriend (Tom), his first crush & ex-best friend (James), a caring friend (Laney), bereavement, regrets, loneliness, surprise visit, verbal conflict, memories, friendship issues, emotional turmoil, homophobic reaction, attempted apologies, disappointment, sisterly advice, a setup, disagreements, verbal banter, vulnerability, hope, disclosure, cowardly reaction, town gossip, unexpected surprise, contentment, happiness, love, steamy scenes & a satisfying conclusion.
February 24, 2019
Well... first off let me say, I have never read a book like this before!!! I never really gravitated to M/M books!! So, this was definitely outside the box for me!!! But, I can try say a I really enjoyed this book!! I loved the storyline and it was written very well!! I was very intrigued on how the emotions would come across in this book! Especially for this type of genre!! I was pleasantly supprised how much It was relatable and it had lots of daily issues we still deal with today’s world!!! I loved Matt and James passion for each other it really jumped off the pages!! This book was an emotional read!! Theirs something for everyone to take from the book!!! I loved it!!! I’m glad I gave it a chance!!!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 25, 2019
How do you deal with Murphy's Law sitting on your shoulder? Matt is having the perfect storm of a bad day, hot water boiler breaks, cat abandones him for a neighbor, boyfriend, Tom leaving to marry a woman, and while at work at a job he hates, he's notified his dad dies. Then when he returns home, he encounters the man, James who broke his heart at 18. James dealing with his orientation and family/friends world perceptions and Matt is a strong theme for an author to make entertaining. Miss Lewis did an excellent job. How the James and Matt deal with their current day feelings and relationship is riveting. Will Matt and James beable to reconcile the past and make a path to the future? Well done! I received an ARC from Booksprout for a review.
March 20, 2019
This is a beautiful, tragic, and eventually heart-warming story full of emotion, pain, and love. I was so sad that Matt never got to hear from his father how proud he was of him, but so glad that he shared his feelings with other people so that Matt found out after he was gone. It was very poignant to me. I enjoyed the second chance romance between Matt and James. It was a hard road to forgiveness, but well worth it. I loved the intimate, sexy times.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 26, 2019
*Spoilers* Loved this book. It was a back and forth struggle as two men who'd been best friends since grade school did stupid things, missed each other but left it hanging for 10 years until of all things a death brought them back together. They still did a few stupid things but they had a cheering squad that kept slapping them in the back of the head until finally they got it right.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 24, 2019
I like out for you books. The one is really great. The issue James has is not accepting his sexuality it is people's reactions to it. It is difficult and courses lots of regret and angst. I love the characters and plot. Great reality. Enjoyable and we'll written. Definitely worth reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 2, 2019
This is my first book by Livinia Lewis and I was not dissapointed.
I really liked the story and the two main characters.
I could really identify with them and that made me want to see how it ended.
Would like to read more of the author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really liked the story and the two main characters.
I could really identify with them and that made me want to see how it ended.
Would like to read more of the author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 8, 2019
His week is getting worse and worse. His cat prefers the neighbour. He hates his job and now his father has died. He goes home to sort it all out when he bumps into his ex. Can they have a second chance? See if they can
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 5, 2019
Great romantic story
I read this book and recommend it to anyone whether a member of the LBGTQ community or just a new couple thinking of a future together. There is a great lesson to be learned from this story of love, friendship, family values and acceptance. Matt and James both learned that you have to love and accept yourself before you can truly love someone else.
I read this book and recommend it to anyone whether a member of the LBGTQ community or just a new couple thinking of a future together. There is a great lesson to be learned from this story of love, friendship, family values and acceptance. Matt and James both learned that you have to love and accept yourself before you can truly love someone else.
April 28, 2020
Ok
This book covers a few well loved tropes - friends to lovers, enemies to lovers and second chances. It's a sweet sexy read, the writing style is easy on the eye but I just thought the book lacked some spark. I admit to flicking through some pages but I am one of those readers who craves drama. Definitely worth reading though.
This book covers a few well loved tropes - friends to lovers, enemies to lovers and second chances. It's a sweet sexy read, the writing style is easy on the eye but I just thought the book lacked some spark. I admit to flicking through some pages but I am one of those readers who craves drama. Definitely worth reading though.
February 26, 2019
When I started reading this story, I could not put it down. I read the book in one day.This author is an awesome writer. I can not wait to read more of their books. Keep up the great work. You should definitely read this book.
February 26, 2019
This book was well written. I’m new to the author, but I will definitely read more!!! This book had everything a romance book should have, in my eyes!!!!!
I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 24, 2019
Definitely Emotional
The romance is hard lined with intense scenes of self doubt and insecurity in one MC or the other, and sometimes in both. Matt and James each have some growing up to do and fortunately both get there in the end.
The romance is hard lined with intense scenes of self doubt and insecurity in one MC or the other, and sometimes in both. Matt and James each have some growing up to do and fortunately both get there in the end.
June 11, 2019
This book was given to me by booksprout. I am leaving this review freely. This book is a great read. It is a heart felt book to read. To know this happens in real life makes it all the more intense to read. This book made me feel raw inside and do hope you read and enjoy as much as I did.
June 24, 2019
Great Story!!
Loved this book and am sorry it's
Done!! First read from Lavinia
Lewis and hopefully not the last!!
The characters were great!!
💜💜💜💜💜
Loved this book and am sorry it's
Done!! First read from Lavinia
Lewis and hopefully not the last!!
The characters were great!!
💜💜💜💜💜
Want to read
April 24, 2020🎁 Free on Amazon today (4/24/2020)! 🎁
September 6, 2020
This was my first read from this author and I enjoyed it very much. My heart broke for James and Matt and what they were going through. I’m glad they got their HEA in the end.
November 2, 2020
This book needs a good edit as there are some annoying problems with which character is speaking sometimes.
Overall an enjoyable story.
Overall an enjoyable story.
October 17, 2012
A good book but a bit drawn out. There were moments where I though Matt should hold out until James really pulled out all the strings and wooed him. However the second alternative of proving he was a changed man was good too.
June 21, 2013
I would not be able to live in Matt or Jame's head for a day. I'd get too dizzy with all the circles their thoughts go in! I never knew you could over thing something to that extent.
This one was a cute fluffy book. Which isn't a bad thing when that's what you are in the mood for but I still would have like a little something to have happened in the plot.
This one was a cute fluffy book. Which isn't a bad thing when that's what you are in the mood for but I still would have like a little something to have happened in the plot.
February 15, 2016
Matt is having an bad day his ex is marrying an women of all people; Now he gets a call saying his father past away. He comes to town to get funeral arraignment. He meets his ex and crush he kissed thought james felt that same. But now those memories come flooding back. Will matt give james an chance or has he lost it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews