Second Chance on the Corner of Main Author: Meg Easton
Series: Nestled Hollow Romance #1
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Format: Audio, eBook, Print
Pages: 198
Date: October 16, 2018
Publisher: Indie
He unites teams. She unites a town. Can they take this second chance together to reunite?
Fun-loving Whitney Brennan has been running the presses at the Nestled Hollow Gazette while running from love. She’s part of every town gathering, but is terrified of making any real or deep connection with anyone because she knows that if she does, they’ll end up leaving like her mother did. Like the man who taught her everything about the paper did. Like her high school best-friend-turned-boyfriend did on graduation night.
Eli Treanor skipped out of Nestled Hollow twelve years ago and created a new life and a thriving team-building business he thoroughly enjoys in Sacramento. When his parents beg him to come back and run the family outdoor rentals business while his dad has surgery, Eli isn’t happy about returning to the town that didn’t love him, the dad he could never please, and the girl he left behind all those years ago.
When Whitney and Eli are paired together to create the decorations for the Main Street Fall Market, many of their old feelings resurface. But it also opens past wounds. Can Whitney and Eli overcome the fears that are stopping them from giving their love the second chance it deserves?
Rating: Mild. Mild kissing.
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About Meg Easton
Meg Easton writes contemporary romance and inspirational romance. She lives at the foot of a mountain with her name on it (or at least one letter of her name) in Utah. She loves gardening, bike riding, baking, swimming before the sun rises, and spending time with her husband and three kids.
This books has some tough topics and they aren’t all dealt with head on. But it kinda fits because that is how Eli has dealt with things for the last 12 years. His dad was been emotionally/verbally abusive since he seems to have an inability to show love, and a great ability to voice his disparaging thoughts, especially to his son. But there was also a problem in the marriage because Eli’s parents separated during Eli’s last part of high school. So we know dad is messed up and since Eli packed up and left home without a word we know that it has messed him up too. He doesn’t speak to Whitney, the love of his life, in the twelve years he is gone so that messes her up too although I think she deals with it better than Eli does. The father/son relationship isn’t dealt with head on and Eli feels like staying away is the best way to cope. Mom is kind of a go between but she doesn’t seem to be able to hold on to Eli either. All of this is where the Christian lit stuff comes in. It isn’t heavy handed but it is through God that Eli begins to forgive and heal.
Then you’ve got the romance element of the book. Two broken people who haven’t stopped loving each other in the twelve years they’ve been apart. And it quickly reignites once they are forced to spend time together. I rooted for them to end up together but worry for them at the same time. Can Eli get past his tendency to run when things are hard? Can he break the cycle he grew up in and be a better, more loving father than he had? And can Whitney fully trust and open up to a relationship or will she always wonder if he will bolt again and keep herself partially closed off to protect herself. Since this is a happily ever after ending we have to assume that they will be able to over come all the trials.
For how closed off they had been they both were really good at being social with people around them. I think it was Brooke that said something about Whitney being able to draw people in at the same time as she pushed them away. Something along those lines anyway. But their ability to draw people in made them fun characters to read. They had fun banter and worked well together despite it being awkward to do so.
I liked the town although I wondered at them waiting until two weeks before an event to assign who would be decorating the town. Seems like a pretty big job for such a short time period.
No sex, language or violence