One Last Chance

by Shelby Gates

The last place Claire Woodward wants to be is standing on the dock, waiting to embark on a cruise to celebrate her ten year high school reunion. Her high school career was a disaster and her life following graduation didn't improve—divorced, recently fired from her job and no prospects on either front. But she’s reluctantly talked herself into going, hoping maybe it can jumpstart her life in the right direction. And given that she’s checked the RSVP list obsessively and knows with certainty that Griffin Benson won’t be on the cruise, she figures she can live through it.

Griffin Benson has one regret in his life—breaking up with Claire Woodward before their senior Prom. It’s haunted him for the last decade and he’s been waiting ten years to apologize. When he sees that she’ll be on their high school reunion cruise, he thinks the time has finally arrived to say he’s sorry and to maybe pick up where they left off. He waits until the last moment to sign up, making sure she’ll be on that ship.

When Claire arrives for the start of the trip, her bad luck continues—the cruise line has mishandled her reservation and she’s without a room on a sold-out cruise. There’s only one empty bed on the vessel…and it just happens to be in Griffin Benson’s room, which he’s more than happy to let her have.

Reluctantly, Claire agrees to the arrangement and is immediately torn by her reunion with Griffin—does she hold steady to her vow that she won’t let him break her heart again? Or does she forgive him and rekindle the spark that is so clearly still there? Should she give Griffin one last chance?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Adult, Amazon, Second Chance, Contemporary, Short Stories

168 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 5, 2012

Reviews

[Alex Polikowsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I got this little book last night when I went to bed and finished in one sit down , I mean lay down!
This was a very sweet story and I really enjoyed it. I loved the characters. They were believable and real. I felt like they were people I would like to meet and have as friends.
The pace of the story was fast and it kept me so into it that I could not stop reading until I knew what was going to happen.
I love sweet and loving stories like this one. They make me smile and they make me happy.
If you enjoy romantic love stories that are feel good this one is for you. I still have a smile in my face today!!!

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a short kind of just not very good romance. I mean the main character is sooo upset she is so much bigger now that she was in high school. I mean she gained weight and now she is....a size 4. 4 really? That is too big? Really? So that is kind of the way the whole book went. She is on the cruise for 3 days and what do you know they fall in love instantly - I mean he has wanted her for the past 10 years, but couldn't come up with a way to contact her in all of that time...it makes sense. It was just really cheesy and not very good.

[Jessica's Book Review · Rating 3 out of 5]

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One Last Chance is an adorable story of two long lost loves reuniting after 10 years apart. I am such a sucker for long loves getting back together. It is my weakness in romance novels.

The storyline had a very intriguing and unique plot; a 10 year high school reunion on a cruise ship. Claire, the female lead decides to go on this 3 day cruise only because she thinks Griffin, who broke her heart two days before pro won’t be there. Much to her surprise, Griffin is there and is hotter than ever. The cruise line accidently loses Claire’s reservations and now does not have a room to sleep in on a sold out ship. Griffin steps in to help by offering her to stay in his room and Claire accepts. Claire is still very bitter from the break up and has her guard up when all Griffin wants is to make up the biggest mistake of his life and tries to win Claire back.

I really loved the idea of a high school reunion on a cruise ship and not being able to run away from the people you really don’t want to see, AKA Griffin in Claries’ case. I really enjoyed Griffin, he seemed like a great guy but I wish I had the opportunity to get to know him better. With such a short book, the characters and plot is not very detailed.

I really enjoy these easy read romance novels. It isn’t erotic, there are no “I love you’s” but it’s a cute story to read when you want to take your mind off life and just relax without having to think.

I give One Last Chance 3 stars.

[Lindsey]

Amazon (ebook) freebie 1/29/13

[Tabitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very light and predictable

[Roe Quinajon · Rating 5 out of 5]

High school sweethearts meet again. Sigh...a story near & dear.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

was a really fun book

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a short but sweet read. Loved it 💖

[Kim Doe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second change romance

First time reading anything from this author.

Sweet, second change romance read. Wish there was an epilogue or the book went a little further into their lives

[Tonileg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second chances ten year reunion high school romance on a cruise ship with lots of mishaps for Claire Woodward and Griffin Benson.
Sometimes we get to redo the past and fix some of our regrets, that that is totally unrealistic and fantasy because we don't actually get to fix our regrets and can only hope for the best in the future.
So we start at the boarding of the boat to Claire's ten year high school reunion which could be good or bad. I got kind of pissed off when she was complaining about her gained weight when you find out that she was a size 0 (!) and now is a size 4 (!) WHAT?! That is normal to skinny in this day and age so why is this lady groaning about a size 4 which sounds healthy for a 28 year old!
So I almost stopped reading because I do hate a whinny heroine but I kept on and the banter between Griffin and Claire was cute and I am still a sucker for a second chances romance...
Lots of misundertandings and false starts, but don't worry because there is a cute HEA after only three days on the cruise.
167 pages and kindle freebie
2 stars

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Last Chance is a quick and sweet read. The story was paced perfectly. Claire carried a torch for the one high school boyfriend who broke her heart without explanation ten years ago. Griffin that same ex-boyfriend carried a torch for Claire his one and only true love. Jump ahead ten years and it's now time for their high school reunion. As luck would have it their class has booked a cruise for the reunion. Only Claire's reservation has somehow unbeknownst to her has not been confirmed. In comes Griffin with a two bed state room he's willing to share. By the time the three day cruise returns to dock Griffin has explain what happened ten years ago and Claire has put some of her demons to rest.

I loved the banter these two had. And the way they dealt with one of their class cheerleaders was spot on. My only regret was the ending. I thought it ended to abrupt with a few loose ends. All in all I throughly enjoyed it.

[Mackenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Claire Woodward knew in her gut that her 10 year reunion was going to be bad. But at least the guy who broke her heart right before prom wasn't going to be there; she checked the list before she signed up. Boarding for the cruise her gut feelings began to be proven right when they didn't have a room for her. And who should be there and offered to share his room, heart breaker Griffin Benson.

Griffin has regretted breaking up with Claire since the moment he did it. He was scared of his feelings for her and getting too hurt if it didn't work out so he broke both their hearts shortly before Senior prom. Having her in his sights, he wasn't got to let this chance slip by. He has only a few days to figure out just how to win her back.

The story had some sweet elements, even with Claire being in the worst mood EVER in the beginning of a book! An easy, quick little read with a happily ever after.

[Tori · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short romantic contemporary about the one that got away and second chance love. While it read fast and had cme cute moments, I found myself annoyed by the heroine through out. One, she's bitchy & whiny. Two, she held a serious grudge from high school for ten years. I can understand her wanting an explanation but her level of animosity is staggering. Three, she complains about being overweight and fat because she went from a size 0 to a size 4. 0_o The scenes between H/H are cute at times and they have obvious chemistry. I did like that the heroes reason for what he did to her in high school weren't blown up and over the top. It wasn't cool at all but he was portrayed as a typical immature high school guy.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

"He laughed. Beautiful. Funny. Smart. She was it. It all started and ended with her for him. How he'd known that ten years ago, he wasn't sure. But maybe real life could sometimes be like it was in the movies."

I got this for free through my kindle on Amazon. A short and quick enjoyable read. I read it all in one sitting.

I really liked the story line of how fate brought them back together at their reunion and the fact that they never really stopped loving each other. Although it wasn't super exciting and quite predictable, the book made me smile throughout and at the end.

[Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been wanting to read this, not desperately, but you know just like want to because the storyline really peeked my interest.

I am a sucker for destiny shit and the leading man pouring his heart out, all of his guts because words are powerful and to someone like me who has trust issues, if you don't have the guts to spill your beans then I won't reward you any glory. ü
4 stars though because I didn't like the idea of blonde bimbos who were cheerleader and were a slut and up to the current date they still are, I just grew tired of the idea. I mean it's way too mainstream.

[DCT · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet romance 10 years in the making. I read this book because I had really enjoyed other books from this author under the pseudonym of Liz Appel. This was a sweet romantic story of a couple on a high school reunion cruise that reconnect after 10 years. It was lighthearted and a quick read that made me smile. Not sure if I liked it as much as I have the ones under the name Liz Appel, but it was an enjoyable read.

[Diana Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little love story about a couple who broke up in high school and are now returning to a high school reunion cruise! Only real problem with this story is the way the author acts like a size 4 is sooooo fat! This character was supposedly a size 0 in high school and ow a size 4 after gaining 10 lbs! Made for some major eye rolling! Other then that is was a cute short story!

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad for a free download from Amazon :) Super fast read and it was surprisingly good too. Nice story about a second chance at love. If you're looking for a steamy book full of sex, skip on past this one. There wasn't a single sexy scene here, but that didn't take away from the overall heart of the book. Nice to have one I could download on the "shared" Kindle with the kiddo :)

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not usually the kind of romance novel I read but it was recommended by one of my favorite paranormal authors so I gave it a shot. Well I enjoyed it. The pace was good, not too slow or fast. Characters were lovable enough and their chemistry wasn't too over or under done. Plot was really predictable but it was cute and a fun, easy read. Would recommend to contemporary romance fans.

[Danielle Tiegen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really wish I hadn't missed my ten year reunion now! But then again, my class reunion wasn't held on a cruise ship either!

This was a really good read. I enjoyed the story, and it was an easy read.

[Shay Ray Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming and romantic first novella by Shelby Gates. I really enjoyed this book and thought it was the perfect little read to spend an afternoon with. I loved the banter back and forth between Claire and Griffin. Equal parts romance and sass! I look forward to reading more by Shelby Gates.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

another 3.5 roasting. I actually really liked the book. it had as cute story line. The main problem was that it was too short. The premise was great, but could have been expanded. Very quick, daddy read.

[Lizz · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Really. It was quite short, and I shook my head in dismay at the fact the heroine is so upset about gaining SO MUCH weight.... only to find out she's a (gasp) size 4 now. Oh the horror. *insert eye roll here*

[Michelle Sallay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wondered if I wouldn't like this being so short, but in the end I kind of liked that. Sometimes these kinds of books just go on way too long and this short little read is a quick distraction. Mostly enjoyable and sweet. Pretty clean for a romance as well.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great romance book. It reminded me of my high school time and my lost love. Claire's ending was so much different than mine but her luck with balance seems the same. Anyone who love romance books should check this one out.

[Kathy Harrington · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute and romantic. Claire was your typical 'he's just doing this cause he feels bad' woman. Of course he's the ' I've made the biggest mistake of my life' guy. If you're looking for sex... Forget it, it's not here.

[Farzana rahmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really sweet romantic read and very short!!

[Philomena Callan Cheekypee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice romantic story:)

[Sabrina Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was free on amazon, so I decided to try. It was predictable and way to short!

[jackie frye · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like high school loves finding each other and rekindling their romance.