Release Day Review ~ Second Chance (Chances Book #2) by BJ Harvey

Book Description:

In this hot new angsty romance from USA Today bestselling author BJ Harvey, the once-burned-forever-commitment-shy best friend from One Shot faces her own moral dilemma of the heart

When life gives me lemons, I always make lemonade.

Living every day like it could be my last, I'm content with the choices I've made and do so unapologetically. With a relationship that makes me happy, and a job that I love, life is good.

But when the man I've just agreed to marry, has his estranged wife and four-year-old daughter turn up on his doorstep, I'm not the only one reevaluating things. 

He didn’t plan for that—and I didn’t plan for my childhood sweetheart to return, wanting me back. 

Sometimes lemons can be sour, sometimes they can be sweet, and sometimes, all it takes is a second chance to make things right again. 

You just need to get that second chance in the first place.

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2J9IfxI

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2Jeb5sD

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~  5 stars

***ARC received for an honest review***

“If we’re going inside, it’s to do one thing and one thing only. There’ll be no talking, no dating, and definitely no sleeping.”

Being someone that has read all of BJ Harvey’s books (and she has written a lot) I was itching to read this one. The more I read the more I loved, the more I loved, the more excited I got and that excitement never waned throughout and by the end I just sat back and thought to myself ‘damn, BJ Harvey, you nailed it.’ So…drum roll please…it is for the first time ever that I have handed this author a five-star rating, she has been so damn close, so many times, but this time she earned every single one of them and I couldn’t be happier. This book had EVERYTHING for me. The angst was addictive, the chemistry was seriously OFF THE CHARTS, the sex…well INFERNO and damn, she made the name Bruno sexy as fuck.

“I’ve been waiting for you to chase me, Gabs. What we shared meant something then and it’ll still mean something the day you finally give in to me.”

We were first introduced to Bruno and Gaby in One Shot, the first book in this series, but you can read this book as a standalone. However, if you have not read One Shot and are planning too, then I suggest you read it first as there are spoilers for One Shot in Second Chance.

Honestly, I could wax lyrical about this book, I loved it THAT much. The characters were perfectly flawed, the writing was exceptional, the plot addictive from start to finish and the execution was perfect. The prologue…OMG, that freakin prologue was KILLER and sets the scene perfectly, but is all as it seems?

“I know you, Gaby. I’ve watched you five nights a week for the past six months. I know you, even if I haven’t let you know me.”

Both Gaby and Bruno have been burned in the past, all in the name of love, and both have been left with their emotional scars. Both closed off, with walls like a fortress, their hearts are definitely impenetrable, but neither betted on falling for the other.

Gaby was one of my favourite heroines, she was hilarious, feisty and head-strong, yet underneath her sass and snark was a woman who had been hurt and hurt badly. Jaded is an understatement and her belief in herself had been incredibly dented. Her demeanour was her armour, when underneath was a woman still hurting, but there was a heart there wanting nothing more than to be loved, she just didn’t want to admit it.

“Of the two small glimpses of a different side to him he’s given me, I’m wondering if they were just snapshots with a limited lifespan rather than a sneak peek of what I was missing out on.”

Bruno, OMG, Bruno will have many a panty melting. Our quiet, intimidating bouncer who is the biggest enigma of them all had the patience of a saint. Bruno played the long game and played it incredibly well. The title says it all really, this was a second chance for both of them, at life and love and he wasn’t going to let Gaby get away.

“I’m going to kiss you, Gabs, and I need to know you get me when I say it’s going to mean something this time. It’s not gonna just be the touching of lips or just a physical act. It’s gonna be more than either of us have ever had before. So if you’re not ready for what kissing me again will mean, you’ve gotta say something now because in a few seconds, I’ll make the decision for both of us. Then I’ll probably make a few more decisions both of us will like a hell of a lot.”

This book will have you on the edge of your seat, the angst was so well played, perfectly timed and flowed naturally. No angst for angst sake. This felt like a real account of two people that saw the world in black in white…until they met, and then it all turned to murky masses of grey. BJ Harvey expertly brings them back to a life of technicolour even if the road to it was fraught along the way. But no two people ever deserved happiness like them and it was a killer to read waiting to find out if they found it. This is my favourite book by this author, everything just clicked, it worked and it all came together effortlessly. This will be a book I read time and time again and I cannot wait for the third book in this series, BJ Harvey queued it up brilliantly.