Amanda Weaver’s new novel, Love Around the Corner, is out now, Amanda is here to talk about one of my favorite tropes- Second Chance.
I think people love reading second chance romances because most of us have someone in our past we still wonder about, some relationship that didn’t end the way we wanted it to. Don’t we all secretly google that one who got away to see how their life has worked out? Gemma, the heroine in Love Around the Corner has definitely googled her ex, although she’d die before she’d let Brendan find that out. He broke her heart well and good at sixteen and she’s not about to let him get another shot at that.
I love writing second chance romances because it’s a delicious challenge to take two characters with history, and a million obstacles now keeping them apart, and find a way to put them back together again. It’s never as easy as lust or love at first sight. To make that second chance work, they both have to grow and change. And those are the kinds of characters I love writing best.
Second chance romances are my catnip as a reader, too. These are some of my favorite second chance romances and why I love them:
The Bollywood Bride– Sonali Dev- There’s an early scene when Ria, the heroine, is home for a wedding and encountering her childhood love for the first time in years. She goes downstairs in the home they both grew up in, and the whole scene is full of such angst and tension. Every reminiscence about him she has as she descends the stairs just ratchets up the foreboding, because you just know she’s about to find him with someone else. And still, when she does, it’s an utter gut-punch. Ugh. More, please.
Private Arrangements – Sherry Thomas- One of my very favorite second chance romances and one of my favorite romances, full-stop. Sherry Thomas is a master of angst. This story starts with a divorce between two people who haven’t seen each other in a decade, and then we immediately flash back to their brief affair, marriage, and the act that drove them apart. It’s gutting. And then Sherry spends the rest of the book knitting them back together. It’s a master class in second chance romance. If you need more after that, Sherry’s Not Quite A Husband and My Beautiful Enemy also both brilliant second chance romances. She can’t write a bad book, I’m sure of it.
A Wish Upon Jasmine– Laura Florand- After one night of passion, Jess wakes up to find the man she’s gone to bed with has just stolen her company. What a set up! I just love Laura Florand’s writing, and this is one of my faves.
The Ones Who Got Away– Roni Loren- This one deals with some very heavy subject matter, a traumatic event in high school that drove the two protagonists apart for years. But there were other issues before that day that were bound to trip them up eventually. The event changes them both, which makes it easier in some ways to come back together years later. Those obstacles that seemed like such a big deal in high school just don’t matter anymore. But the tragedy left them both with other issues to overcome. Deftly handled and believable.
Persuasion– Jane Austen- It’s the mother of all second chance romances and my favorite Austen (by a hair over Pride and Prejudice.) Every time I read Captain Wentworth’s letter, “You pierce my soul…” my heart stops for a second. The story is so tender and fragile, and even though I’ve read it a thousand times, I’m still holding my breath, worried that somehow it won’t work out for Anne and Frederick after all. And then I’m flush with relief when, impossibly, it does.
About the Book
Love Around the Corner, The Romano Sisters, #3, by Amanda Weaver
Book Description: The last thing Gemma Romano needs right now is her first love coming back home. She’s trying to keep her family’s bar from being bought up and developed into some glass eyesore, just like all the other family businesses in her beloved Brooklyn neighborhood.
Like it or not, she’s in charge of the Romano legacy, and she can’t afford to risk it—or her heart—on Brendan Flaherty. Not now and not ever again.
Brendan’s old neighborhood is changing fast, but some things are still the same. Gemma’s as devoted to her family, her neighbors, and the bar as she’s always been. And she’s still the one woman he can’t seem to forget.
Gemma’s determined to steer clear of Brendan at first. Not only did he break her teenage heart, but now he’s grown up to be a property developer—he’s the enemy. Staying away from him would be a lot easier if she didn’t find him so infuriatingly attractive. Their chemistry still burns as bright as it ever did. But their painful past is still there, too, and Gemma’s not sure she’s ready to risk her dreams, her business, or her heart on Brendan a second time.
About the Author
Amanda has loved romance since she read that very first Kathleen E. Woodiwiss novel at fifteen. After a long detour into a career as a costume designer in theatre, she’s found her way back to romance, this time as a writer.
A native Floridian, Amanda transplanted to New York City many years ago and now considers Brooklyn home, along with her husband, daughter, two cats, and nowhere near enough space.
Contemporary romance titles include The One I Love to Hate (Romano Sisters #1), Love and the Laws of Motion (Romano Sisters #2), Always, Sky High, and This Book Will Change Your Life. Historical romance titles include The Grantham Girls series (Carina Press); A Duchess in Name, A Common Scandal, and A Reluctant Betrothal.
Social Media Links
Website: https://www.amandaweavernovels.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmandaWeaverAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWeaverWrites
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanda_weaver_author/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7855753.Amanda_Weaver
Welcome, Amanda, and thanks for sharing your favorite second chance romances. I always enjoy seeing what books an author favors. Best wishes for the success of Love Around the Corner!