User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
2.5 starsI loved two previous books in this series, and since I have light OCD - I can’t skip books in series, either I read them all or I skip them all - I read this one too.
What I liked:
- I was happy to meet MCs from 1st & 2nd books. Two amazing couples!
- They (even the H – his
only action I liked) adopted animals from animal shelter. Adorable, sweet, funny – loved it!!!
- Epilogue about dad’s day – sweet!
*** ///////////// ***
Second chance is my less favorite trope ever. Ugh!
I couldn’t stand the hero in previous books.
But I gave him a chance.
I still didn’t like him at the end.
Coward. Plain and simple – coward.
He left her after the accident, he didn’t contact her and then just forced himself in her life and literally wore her out. His reasons to leave were NOT enough, IMO.
Everyone just accepted him. He didn’t even think she wouldn’t forgive him, it was a done deal, just the deadline was blurred.
He wore her out. And she gave in, coz it was fate and since everyone was sure these two were meant to be together -> yada yada HEA.
He wasn’t celibate and thanks God she wasn’t celibate either!!!
But….. sex without condom -> eww. Birth control doesn’t protect from STDs. Common, you’re smarter than that!!! No talk about health status + unprotected sex. And all this with a man, whom she saw with many OWs (she saw his pics online).
Sorry, it was just stupid.
I didn’t hate the heroine, but I didn’t like her either. She wasn’t cool as I expected her to be, or maybe it’s my disappointment speaking – it’s hard for me to support a woman, who forgave a coward.
Lucy did an amazing job to make the hero’s character likable. Really great job. But Alex is a hard nut.
My feelings about the hero
and my secret wish this heroine did
exact this thing to him:
Rating: really liked it
1.5 stars
Warning, ranting ahead!
What a disappointing read. I did not like this one at all and that's completely surprising because I loved the previous two books so much. The only reason I am giving this two stars is because of the side characters and getting to see Carter and Summer and Beckett and Gianna again. Other than that, this was a very bland, frustrating read with a terrible hero. So much so that I ended up skimming the latter half. I really did not like Jax. He is such a coward and selfish. The one thing that annoyed me the most was he came back and just tried to continue things with Joey like he hadn't been gone for 8 years. It was like he expected her to just wait around for him and be available since he was back now.
Since this was the third book in the series, Jax has been back for sometime now and it really shocked me that he still hadn't given Joey any apology and/or explanation for why he had been gone for 8 years with no contact whatsoever. Instead of just trying to buy her love with gestures, he should've been a man and just talked to Joey from the beginning like an adult. And then after talking, he could do the big romantic gestures.
Honestly, I didn't feel for their relationship at all. I felt that Jax just continually forced himself onto Joey and just kept on wearing her down until she gave up and accepted him again because he was so annoying and everybody else wanted them together. Joey was supposed to be this badass, but I felt like she just lost her backbone sometimes with Jax. I just didn't connect to their relationship at all. And also, I don't buy the reason for jax leaving. I don't think the reason was good enough and made up for him leaving for 8 years and hooking up with other women during that time (I'm glad Joey wasn't celibate). He could've easily contacted her or came back earlier to talk it out.
Sorry for the rant, I'm just very annoyed and disappointed. The series was going so well so I really wanted to like it and obviously I'm in the minority here so I don't know what's wrong with me. Oh well.
Rating: really liked it
The bad decisions of our youth...I wasn't sure how I would go with reading
The Last Second Chance. Was the how and why of Jax's abandonment going to satisfy me enough to believe in their love story? Did Jax leave Joey just to seek fame and fortune? Should Joey be left alone because she
says she's content on her own and her horses make her happy? Like Joey's concerns, how was Jax going to convince me that he's staying for good this time? Well, the truth is in the 4-star rating. I'm convinced that Jax WAS a dinglebat...but I'm also convinced that he learnt his lesson and knows where his heart is at.
Jax and Joey are completely lovable and from the start, I knew they were meant for each other. But, I also know that Jax hurt Joey and won't tell her why. How am I supposed to forgive him...I mean...How is Joey supposed to forgive him? It was going to have to be a really good reason to convince me...I mean Joey, that those eight years apart were necessary.
I completely understood Joey's hesitation in giving Jax a second chance. There was an undeniable spark that hasn't dimmed from when they were teenagers. Joey is not willing to risk her heart again, but she can't deny her body still yearns for his touch. Jax wants Joey's body...but he wants her heart more. It's going to take a lot of grovelling, plenty of sweet words, and a few big gestures to win Joey's heart again.
Lucy Score does a wonderful job of convincing me that Jax is worth taking a risk on and Joey will really only be happy with Jax by her side. This story is sweet, sexy and at times very funny which balanced out my frustration, confusion and sadness. I knew that is was going to be rough at times, but it was never too rough or heartbreaking.
This series is quickly becoming a favourite. I love these imperfect characters who just want to love and be loved warts and all. Their town is quirky and full of funny and very original characters. Jax and Joey's family are exactly what a family should be...loyal but annoying. I admit that I'm always reading this series hungry as food is mentioned quite a lot. I want Joey's recipes...to give hubby. ;-)
Sorry, this review is a little bit rambly. I'm a wee bit tired but I was determined to not go to bed until I'd got my thoughts down. If you love a good small-town romance, I highly recommend giving this series a go.
Lucy Score writes funny, heartwarming and original stories that always leave me satisfied.
Rating: really liked it
Deeply frustrating. Presumption and demands when it comes to love is probably my least favorite modus operandi in a hero or heroine, but a hero with amends to make and an explanation to give after years of silence being presumptuous and demanding? That is guaranteed to keep me solidly out of the story.
At no point did I feel invested in the reconciliation and I am totally #TeamSecondChanceRomance. I should have loved this, but couldn't get there. I finished only because I'm a completionist.
Jackson should have lead with the reason for leaving, making absolutely no demands, then spent the next however many pages demonstrating, with his actions, his plan to stay and his love. As it was, he just strong-armed and manipulated his way back into Joey's life and her bed.
I read the first book in the series, so I know the ground was seeded for his return, there, but the jerk's first action upon arrival is to give Joey a non-consensual kiss when he sees her, so the dye was already cast, I suppose.
Joey, for her part, should have been a character I liked. In fact, I liked her in Book 1. I never mind a heroine that's introverted and a little curmudgeonly, who goes against romantic heroine type. But, her characterization as determined and principled fell apart when the author spent the entire book letting her be batted around by the decisions of the principal men in her life.
That situation with her father and Jackson telling her she had to forgive him, in essence, because of the projection of his issues with his own dad? I'm sorry, what?
No thank you, please.
Rating: really liked it
3.5 stars
This was a fluffy read. h/H were in love eight years back & after a car accident he walked away with no word . He has spent the past eight years in Hollywood, dating models & actresses & thinks now that he is back h should fall back into his arms coz he has always loved her. Yeah! Thankfully h has not been celibate either pining for him instead she hates his guts and makes him work for it. When she finds out why he left she is more pissed. This was decent though I don't know why the author had to throw in a run-in to the hero's ex, I always hate that in books.
Rating: really liked it
[No (hide spoiler)]
Rating: really liked it
I am seriously loving this series so much!!! I'm so glad to find this author!
Rating: really liked it
Sigh...just NoI hate it when authors forget their own characters...what they were like when they first introduce them . When the 2nd and 3rd book comes out I felt I was launched into another universe. What a ridiculous bunch of clowns. I can't believe how this has spiralled into a circus. Ug. It was bad with Gia in book 2. I was hoping to get back on track in 3 but it's awful. Summer is an airhead, Gia is still not worthy of Beckett (barely know each other and now playing house) and their mom is such a bimbo. Seriously where is her class? I don't care if her sons are grown men. Have some self respect and dignity of being their mother...don't let them catch you playing “stuff the sausage” with another man (even if you are a widow) at any age. Then she acted nonchalant about it. Not funny. Speaking of not funny let's get back to the airheaded women. Summer was normal (book 1) then Gia happened and now it's all prepubescent squealie girls. Seriously they lost their I.Q. "Did you say penis? Tell me about the penis. So you had sex. Tell me everything." On and on this poor attempt at humor was vomited throughout the pages. I had to skim through any and all girl gatherings to find substance.
As for Jax. Hmmm. I was hoping for something more I guess. I mean he abandoned "the love of his life" for a seemingly fair reason. In those 8 years he says it was always Joey. "I only loved her and blah, blah , blah." Yeah right. He learned from his momma and danced in bed with many women during those pinning years. One of his play things Joey meets and she believes all his sweet nothing's which are nothing because if he loved her he wouldn't have screwed around for EIGHT years.
Don't even get me started on the lack of privacy and group harassment with the whole family and town. The beautification committee is so dumb. Soooo many clowns in this circus. I'm done with this series.
Rating: really liked it
I feel divided about this one.
I was skeptical going into it, knowing some of the story from the previous books, and ended up liking it more than I thought. But a lot of things still bothered me.
For one, I felt like Jax’s confidence that she would take him back sometimes made him seem like he wasn’t remorseful/didn’t think it was a big deal. Also the fact that he wouldn’t tell her why he left for so long… if you wanted to win her back, you should be all in with honesty.
Then onto why he left. I get it - I understand it, he was young and her dad scared him and took advantage of a terrible moment. But to stay away 8 years!! That seemed too long to me and made me sad for their wasted time. (Also, her dad refused to say sorry!! What?? This was a huge, life altering event for her and he won’t even apologize for causing it.)
One thing I did like - Joey’s reluctance. It was drawn out at times, but if felt realistic to me that someone would be back and forth in trusting him.
To some extent, Jax won me over. But he claims to have loved her the wholeee time without once contacting her and while dating other women. We even have to meet one of his exes, who was nice and assured Joey it wasn’t serious but she really seemed to serve no other purpose except to remind me he was with other women. No thanks. (they also have a discussion about if her boobs are real which I really didn’t need. I guess Joey is cooler than I am about that stuff.)
Overall, I liked it more than I thought, but didn’t feel as swoony as I wanted to.
Rating: really liked it
May not be the BEST romance......but it was definitely the LONGEST. I, as I imagine most people would, gave up about midway through, when there was no end in sight.
All I was looking for, was a simple, easy to read in an afternoon, romance.
What I got instead, was more of a ‘good grief almighty, does this thing END?
We don’t need miles and miles of endless narratives to stretch a book to kingdom come. More isn’t always better. Sometimes, it’s just...more.
Rating: really liked it
Here’s the thing. My immediate rating after finishing was a five. The things that bothered me (I am getting to them) bothered me the whole book. But that Blue Moon magic and my love for the Pierce brothers left me with a happy feeling after I read it. I blame serotonin from excessive laughing😂
Then, my partner in reading crime finally finished it today and we got to chatting (as one does) and the same crap that dug at me the whole book also bothered her. And a day removed from the finishing glow, well, I started thinking. And thinking some more. Particularly about Joey’s asshat Dad and Jax’s life in the 8 years before returning to town.
So now it’s a three:
⭐️ for the awesomeness that is Blue Moon and the side characters. I freaking want to move to this town just to see the Facebook group madness😂 But also, the way the town takes care of its own- it’s beautiful and magical.
⭐️The John Pierce writings🥺🥺
⭐️The magnificence that is the Pierce family- I love their dynamic and seeing SummerCarter and GiaBeckett again. The epilogue 😭😭
Listen, Joey training Clementine 🐐 to attack Jax deserves it’s own star😂
The amount of laughing to the point of tears at this book I did makes me still really like it.
BUT
Jackson F-ing Pierce- you sir did not do right by your love for Joey. Let me count the ways.
1. I was pissed when Jax returned in book 1 and immediately kissed her. She slapped him- I would have added a kick to the groin. No way should he have touched her without an explanation as to why he abruptly left.
2. You cannot convince me you only loved her those 8 years you were gone while also sticking your 🍆 multiple places. I didn’t need the Didi scene, but here we are.
More plausible would be he thought he’d never see her agian, was doing his bit, saw the picture on Summer’s blog and realized he needed to go make it right.
3. Him not realizing he needed to apologize for HOW HE LEFT and not the accident itself makes zero sense.
4. Jackson being mad Beckett and she made out one time while he was with all those other women. Please son. Sit down😂
5. His reasoning for not telling her everything when he arrived made no sense. Grovel more, also be honest at the start. If she chose you over her jackass dad, it’s her choice to make.
Her DAD. Nope - no sir. You NEVER apologized to Joey for what you did. You would be dead to me. Cut out of my life. You don’t crush your daughter’s heart, threaten the livelihood of an entire family, and blackmail an 18 year old kid because you were SCARED. No fucking way. The reconciliation with him never made sense to me.
In the end, the town, the familial bond and dynamic, the family secrets revealed scene in the closet 😂, and the epilogue save the book for me.
Rating: really liked it
I adore the Pierce brothers and would love to live in Blue Moon, but this book irritated me. Joey was in a traumatic car accident, abandoned, left heartbroken, and was questioning her self worth. The blow to her young self-esteem would have been something else. Then to have Jax off in Hollywood living his life and her witnessing from afar all the women he was with. I understand he was young when everything went down and he had his own self worth issues, but he was gone for 8 freaking years. I just don’t buy that he was so in love with her that entire time, but never attempted to contact her and paraded around with various women knowing Joey could easily see those photos. (Don’t get me started on Joey having to meet Didi and the whole boob conversation) It came off to me like he was done sowing his wild oats, saw Joey’s photo, and decided it was time to settle down. Joey, in the meantime, ended up building up these walls and tried to prevent herself from getting hurt again. The moment he came back he should have been honest with her and then maybe they could start rebuilding their relationship. Instead, he just kisses her after all this time and declares he is back for her. He was more confident than he should have been.
Secondly, her father is a jerk. I have nothing nice to say about this man. The way he treated Jax was so ridiculous. A deer ran in front of the car. It wasn’t like Jax was drinking and driving. Deciding to threaten a lawsuit to take away a family’s home and livelihood is too much. He threatened his own daughter’s future career. At the end he is telling Jax he better never hurt Joey, but the reason Joey was hurt in the first place was because of her self-righteous jackass of a father. He never even said he was sorry. His daughter’s heart was wrecked and 8 years of her life was wasted. I’m sorry, but I live in Pettyville and there is no way I would have let him off the hook so easily.
I know this was supposed to be about them growing and coming back together older and as individuals since they were so young when they got together, but it didn’t work for me.
I did love the brothers interactions, rescuing the animals, John’s writings, the twins birth, and the epilogue. I just wish Jax really would have truly earned back her trust and love. I also wish someone would have banished her dad to the other side of the country.
Rating: really liked it
I did not read No More Secrets and Fall Into Temptation before I start on this book. That's why I'm kinda confuse with the names during my initial read. But then I manage to know who the other characters appearing in the book. Why I decide to give a go on this book cos of the title and the description of the story. Second chance.
Ah~ Interesting topic. So I'm on my way to venture this book.
TBH I dislike Jackson when I'm reading the book. Nah, not the dislike cos he's outrageous or walking manwhore. Nope. It's just that he just blend himself into Joey's life after 'abandoning' her 8 years ago. And whatever the reason he's not giving, I'm still pissed. The reason for leaving did not reveal until almost the end of the book. It's like double shocking cos the person/s she loves betrayed her like that.
And if I'm her, I will have the same reaction. Jackson did not earn my respect for him until towards the end. Cos he's not sexually abstinent during the 8 years. Especially when he compare Joey's bathroom and the women's bathroom he used before. For me, that's really an insult. Whatever the reason he gave for leaving did not fully sits well for me.
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy this book. The characters in the book is so funny, and the dogs are Super adorable. The 2 scenes which makes me almost spill my coffee out is Jackson stumble upon his Brother having sex with his Wife in the kitchen and his Mother with her fiancé. I laugh until I almost choke.
Oh my~This is really a nightmare to him.
Hahahaha I'm going to start with book 1 No more Secrets. I'm interested to know the story between Summer and Carter.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars. Loved it! It's been the slow and steady burn with Jax/Joey since book 1 waiting on Joey to finally get over her anger at Jax and Jax to finally forgive himself for the 8 year old accident that tore them apart. Adore Jax...sexy, sweet and oh so in love with Joey. Jax is a swooning heartthrob. Joey was equally likeable despite her stubborn nature. To get the full gist of their story the reader would have to start with book 1 to get the slow thaw that happens over time with these two, but it is sooo worth it.
Got some good laughs...those Pierce brothers bantering and bickering. The trip back from the dog shelter was hilarious. This small town and its quirky residents is charming and endearing. I love me some small town, family based romances (Gansett Island, Green Mountain Series). And I adore the Pierce family. And this family grows bigger with every book. Although the endings are rather abrupt, the next book always continues on just like the story never ended. Thank the book gods there are two other books in this series to enjoy. Unfortunately no more Pierce men to marry off, but oh there are relatives and friends. And thank fully the Pierce family moves right along beside them. Off to book 4...Yay! :D
Rating: really liked it
I love this series. Do I love the 3rd book as much as the earlier 2 books, nope but I still enjoyed reading it. My gripe is with Joey's character whom I have a tough time understanding. Her character is not as endearing as Summer or Gia, I think Lucy Score tried to make it as kickass and hardass but she came out as a tad too coldfish for me. The funny moments are there and it made me giggle but not as much as Beckett and Gia's book which is my favourite out of the 3 so far. I still want to move to Blue Moon and I'm hoping there's more to this series.
