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Shore Leave Cafe #2
Second Chances
The past summer has been a wild ride for Joelle Gordon; after discovering her husband cheating she fled Chicago for Landon, Minnesota, her childhood home. There, her family’s lakeside restaurant, the Shore Leave Café, remains unchanged. And yet nothing else in Landon is the same, including her family of women, her three teenage daughters and the new, intense love she finds unexpectedly with Blythe Tilson. Now Blythe is in trouble, Jackson is back, and Joelle must face one of the most important and difficult decisions of her life.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 24, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 2, 2013
This story resumes where the last one ended, with Bly Tilson having to return home to Oklahoma and face charges for having violated his parole. Joelle is planning to make the trip to see him before his court date and meet his mother for the first time. Meanwhile, she's leaving behind her pregnant teenaged daughter and a soon to be ex-husband who seems to be having second thoughts.
I love these characters, especially Joelle and Bly's romance. I'm not normally a fan of the older woman/younger man relationship premise but there's a lot here that works. You won't find any of the traditional traps common for this storyline and you quickly forget the age difference. Bly's terribly romantic and sensual and Joelle seems to have overcome all of that angst from the last book and completely focuses on loving her guy.
That's not to say there aren't plenty of issues for them to contend with, most notably Bly's problems in Oklahoma and Joelle's husband, Jackson, rethinking the divorce. It's how the two of them handle these conflicts that deepens their relationship.
The story ends, again, with some things up in the air but not as dramatically as the previous book. There are other characters who are important in the story that I'm looking forward to seeing be more prominent going forward (Joelle's sister Jilly, hint, hint). And, the Shore Leave Cafe is still the center of gravity for the women of this story and I'm anxious to go back there. This was a really nice return and I loved Bly and Joelle's journey. Rated 4.5 stars.
(I received an ARC from the author)
I love these characters, especially Joelle and Bly's romance. I'm not normally a fan of the older woman/younger man relationship premise but there's a lot here that works. You won't find any of the traditional traps common for this storyline and you quickly forget the age difference. Bly's terribly romantic and sensual and Joelle seems to have overcome all of that angst from the last book and completely focuses on loving her guy.
That's not to say there aren't plenty of issues for them to contend with, most notably Bly's problems in Oklahoma and Joelle's husband, Jackson, rethinking the divorce. It's how the two of them handle these conflicts that deepens their relationship.
The story ends, again, with some things up in the air but not as dramatically as the previous book. There are other characters who are important in the story that I'm looking forward to seeing be more prominent going forward (Joelle's sister Jilly, hint, hint). And, the Shore Leave Cafe is still the center of gravity for the women of this story and I'm anxious to go back there. This was a really nice return and I loved Bly and Joelle's journey. Rated 4.5 stars.
(I received an ARC from the author)
November 9, 2014
What I loved about Summer at the Shore Leave Café is deliciously continued in the second book. The humor between main character Joelle and her sister Jillian, which is one of my favorite things about this series. But this book takes you on a ride with Joelle as she follows her heart to see if Blythe is really the one for her. And to top off everything, her ex is home in Landon, making everything complicated. I loved how this story unfolded. Blythe's past is revealed in a lot of surprising ways, and I liked that. Great story, awesome set up for book 3.
November 8, 2014
This was a wonderful return to the Shore Leave Café - when I read about this place, I feel like I am actually there, with this family. I was so worried about what would happen at the end of the first book, and this one picks up the story immediately. I loved the continuing romance, the growing love between the two main characters and how Blythe's character especially is developed. Excited to start book 3!
September 29, 2018
Joelle Gordon has given into fate, temptation and her love for Blythe Tilson. Blythe’s past however has caught up with him after an altercation with Jackson Gordon and it is found that he has skipped out on his probation. It’s only thirty days jail time, but it’s the longest of Joelle’s life especially when her past is pressuring her, to return to it.
This story is a continuation of the first Summer at The Shore Leave Cafe, it is recommended that you listen to the first book before this one.
Abbie Williams has again written a story with four generations of strong women, all striving to achieve their goals, make a life, and hand in hand be a confident and comfort to the other.
This story is a continuation of the first Summer at The Shore Leave Cafe, it is recommended that you listen to the first book before this one.
Abbie Williams has again written a story with four generations of strong women, all striving to achieve their goals, make a life, and hand in hand be a confident and comfort to the other.
October 16, 2018
And the rare instance where I enjoyed the 2nd book just as much as the first. What a terrific listen this has been.
But damn, that cliffy was harsh!
I may go on with more of this series in the future.
But damn, that cliffy was harsh!
I may go on with more of this series in the future.
October 11, 2017
Review to come
April 24, 2014
First off, this one picks up where Summer at the Shore Leave Cafe leaves off, so I recommend starting with that one in order to best make sense of things. And you should! The way I'd put it is: if you liked "Gilmore Girls" (which I totally did), you should give this series a try. The same feel permeates Abbie's series so far: small-town quirkiness and charm, with a big community of family and friends who all feel completely real, in being both exasperating and endearing, often at the same time. Just as your own relatives and neighbors are. Poignant moments had me sniffling and taking off my reading glasses to dab my eyes, and moments of blunt and true-to-life humorous insults between siblings had me laughing. (Yep, I have sisters; it's totally like that.) And as with the first book, Abbie fully captures that visceral feeling of being in love--and also of the messier relationships that may or may not be a form of love, but will always mean something. At the end I had to go sneak a peek at the blurb for book 3 to get a hint about what's up next! I'm looking forward to spending more time with this sweet family.
December 21, 2016
This book is a continuation of Summer at the Shore Leave Cafe. It's almost as awesome as book one but at times the main character Joelle becomes a tad bit immature, like a YA heroine. I reviewed the previous book and loved how it feels so real with Joelle's situation and her emotions and decisions. But, I'm quite disappointed that book alludes to some true soulmate and true love stuff. Then, Joelle's tiresome and constant worries for Blythe was just overdone. Then again, I'm a guy and don't really buy into that idea so yea... But besides two those pet peeves, I enjoyed this book a lot.
AND AGAIN, the book leaves in a cliffhanger but the good news is that the Joelle and Blythe arc has a genuine closure. So what's the cliffhanger? Jillian and Justin...It hints that something malicious happens to them but who knows until book three?
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews