The emotional conclusion of New York Times Bestselling Author Claire Contreras’s Second Chances Duet is NOW LIVE!

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Blurb

Love isn’t always about timing.

Sometimes you have to throw caution to the wind and roll with it.

I admit I wasn’t ready.
I know you don’t want to look at me, let alone talk to me, but please, let me explain.
Let me tell you all the ways my heart broke when you walked away.
Let me show you what our years apart have done to me.

Give me a chance to find my way back to you . . .

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Review

“I’m yours. I have always been yours. I will forever be yours.”

4 ‘It’s time’ stars

This is the conclusion to the angst-filled Then There Was You, and thank God, Claire Contreras didn’t make us wait too long for this book after that heartwrenching cliffy. Where the first book left me confused and annoyed over the characters’ actions, with real fear about where the story was going to go, this book provides all of the healing, swoon and heartwarming moments that I was hoping for, and I really enjoyed it.

Just beware that this review will contain some spoilers for the first book.

This book picks up Rowan and Tessa’s story, showing us glimpses of their lives until suddenly its four years later. Tessa is back in town and Rowan is finally in a position where he is ready to get his girl, and I was so, so ready for their journey to really begin.

“Would you believe me if I told you that I’ve spent these last few years regretting every decision I made before you left?” he asked into the darkness.
“Considering who you married, yes.”
“I could have married any random woman and I would still feel this way because she wasn’t you.”

OMG, I love how much these characters have grown! The time they have spent apart has changed them. Their experiences and their time without each other has made them realise what is important, and what it is they want, and I love that. Rowan, in particular, has come such a long way and seeing him now as a man putting the past behind him and fighting for what he has longed for was an absolute swoon-fest!

“I can’t take back the last four years of my life, but that doesn’t mean I can’t change the way things will be going forward,” he said. “I’m saying that I want to be in your life…
“Rowan,” I felt the tears building in my eyes before I could stop them.
“I love you, Tessa Monte. I bleed for you.”

Oh, it’s gorgeous! Their reunion is intense, passionate and gorgeously romantic, and in a dramatic shift from the first book… functional! It shows that they have grown and matured, but that their feelings for each other have not changed, in fact may have only grown stronger, and it was so beautiful to see.

But as Rowan and Tessa figure themselves out, they will be put to the test dealing with issues from the past and challenges in their present, creating a bit of drama while allowing us to see their new dynamic in all of its glory.

“I need you to know that I’m not going anywhere.”

And then there’s the elephant in the room… or book. It’s something that can absolutely kill a book for me, and unless the situation warrants it, it’s insta-book hate, but in this case, I was able to deal.

It’s not my favourite plot twist, but I thought it was handled well, so I could move past it and enjoy the rest of the story.

I enjoyed catching up with the characters from the last book, and the introduction of new and intriguing characters leads me to believe that there may even be a spin off in the future.

I was really wary going in this book. As I said, I wasn’t happy with some of the elements of the first book, and I was terrified of the predicted plot twist (which actually came about). But I thought Claire did a great job with this book, giving us great character development and finishing off Rowan and Tessa’s story in a way that was realistic, heartfelt and beautifully romantic, and ending with an epilogue that ties everything off really nicely.

And that bonus scene – gorgeous!

4 stars.

The Second Chances Duet

Meet Claire

Claire Contreras is a New York Times Best Selling Author. Her books range from romantic suspense to contemporary romance and are currently translated in seven different languages.

She lives in Miami, Fl with her husband, two adorable boys, three bulldogs, and two stray cats that she refuses to admit are hers (even though they live on her porch, she named them, and continues to feed them). When she’s not writing, she’s usually lost in a book.

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