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Estero Bay Universe #1
The Second Wind
Nick
By any measure, some might say I had it all.
A starting quarterback position in the NFL.
A gorgeous wife.
And a raging case of anxiety, carefully hidden from everyone.
Well, maybe not that last part.
Now, a career-ending injury has brought me back to my foggy hometown of Estero Bay, population 16,000. No job, no wife, and that’s fine with me. I am happy to live a solitary, quiet existence, free from distractions. My best friends are my dog and my grandfather. And it’s fine. Great, even.
Until the one that got away makes a sudden reappearance…
Summer
By any measure, some would say I had it all.
A lead role with a prestigious ballet company.
All the money in the world.
And a supportive husband, all too happy to control every aspect of my waking life, and even my sleeping moments, too.
Well, maybe not that last part.
A career-ending injury and sudden divorce have brought me back to my hometown for a fresh start. For the first time, I am living my life on my terms. Taking what I want. No looking back, and no regrets.
And what I want is my best friend’s older brother–a certain retired quarterback I’ve always harbored a crush on..
By any measure, some might say I had it all.
A starting quarterback position in the NFL.
A gorgeous wife.
And a raging case of anxiety, carefully hidden from everyone.
Well, maybe not that last part.
Now, a career-ending injury has brought me back to my foggy hometown of Estero Bay, population 16,000. No job, no wife, and that’s fine with me. I am happy to live a solitary, quiet existence, free from distractions. My best friends are my dog and my grandfather. And it’s fine. Great, even.
Until the one that got away makes a sudden reappearance…
Summer
By any measure, some would say I had it all.
A lead role with a prestigious ballet company.
All the money in the world.
And a supportive husband, all too happy to control every aspect of my waking life, and even my sleeping moments, too.
Well, maybe not that last part.
A career-ending injury and sudden divorce have brought me back to my hometown for a fresh start. For the first time, I am living my life on my terms. Taking what I want. No looking back, and no regrets.
And what I want is my best friend’s older brother–a certain retired quarterback I’ve always harbored a crush on..
332 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 15, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 27, 2024
I was gifted a copy of The Second Wind by the author and have been excited to dive into this small town romance. It's the story of Nick and Summer. Both are former athletes who have been injured and divorced and move back to their hometown to regroup. Neither expects to see each other much less to find love.
This is a fun and easy romance with heat and spice! I wanted a smidge more development between them before they dove into a relationship. I like the conversations and the growth on page. But for an afternoon on the porch, this was a good time.
rounded up from 3.5
This is a fun and easy romance with heat and spice! I wanted a smidge more development between them before they dove into a relationship. I like the conversations and the growth on page. But for an afternoon on the porch, this was a good time.
rounded up from 3.5
January 17, 2024
I want to move to Estero Bay!! Samantha Benson was a new author to me, and I am excited to keep reading her books! The Second Wind was the first book in her Estero Bay Universe series. It was a sweet small town romance with a sprinkle of spice!
Nick found his way back home after losing his NFL career and his wife from a devastating injury. Living alone may be the best medicine for his anxiety until he runs into Summer again. Would she help him overcome or make matters worse?
Summer was in the same boat as Nick, she lost her dream as a ballet dancer and got a divorce from her controlling husband. She knew she needed to get away from the city, so Estero Bay sounded like the perfect place. She was ready to stand on her own and live life by her terms. Could Nick fit into that life?
Honestly, it started a little slow for me but about a quarter of the way in, I was hooked! Nick and Summer were so cute together. I was happy that they both got their second chance and watching Nick grovel, perfection! I can’t wait to continue this series!
Nick found his way back home after losing his NFL career and his wife from a devastating injury. Living alone may be the best medicine for his anxiety until he runs into Summer again. Would she help him overcome or make matters worse?
Summer was in the same boat as Nick, she lost her dream as a ballet dancer and got a divorce from her controlling husband. She knew she needed to get away from the city, so Estero Bay sounded like the perfect place. She was ready to stand on her own and live life by her terms. Could Nick fit into that life?
Honestly, it started a little slow for me but about a quarter of the way in, I was hooked! Nick and Summer were so cute together. I was happy that they both got their second chance and watching Nick grovel, perfection! I can’t wait to continue this series!
August 16, 2023
rating: 4⭐️
spice: 1.5🌶️
tropes:
- best friends brother
- second chance
- small town
- grumpy/sunshine
- former NFL player
- former professional dancer
thoughts:
for a debut novel, Samantha crushed it! I love a good broody angsty second chance romance. I also loved that these characters we aged up a bit (in their early thirties) as someone in that age range, its fun to immerse yourself a bit more. Nick and Summer were simply end game and they just needed those outside forces to bring them back together. Granted divorce and career ending injuries (for both of them) are never ideal… it brought them back to their small town and reminded them of the comfort they brought each other ❤️
I also loved the side characters in this story! I want a friend like Brock 😂 also maybe Lucy… 🫣 iykyk. I cant wait to see where this series goes! especially with that ending!
You should read this if you love a small town second chance romance with great supporting characters and a cute grand gesture at the end 🥹❤️🔥
thank you Samantha for providing me with this ARC for my honest review!
spice: 1.5🌶️
tropes:
- best friends brother
- second chance
- small town
- grumpy/sunshine
- former NFL player
- former professional dancer
thoughts:
for a debut novel, Samantha crushed it! I love a good broody angsty second chance romance. I also loved that these characters we aged up a bit (in their early thirties) as someone in that age range, its fun to immerse yourself a bit more. Nick and Summer were simply end game and they just needed those outside forces to bring them back together. Granted divorce and career ending injuries (for both of them) are never ideal… it brought them back to their small town and reminded them of the comfort they brought each other ❤️
I also loved the side characters in this story! I want a friend like Brock 😂 also maybe Lucy… 🫣 iykyk. I cant wait to see where this series goes! especially with that ending!
You should read this if you love a small town second chance romance with great supporting characters and a cute grand gesture at the end 🥹❤️🔥
thank you Samantha for providing me with this ARC for my honest review!
August 11, 2023
ARC Review
3.5 ⭐️
This was a sweet debut novel that brought the spice!
Summer and nick grew up together. As long as summer can remember she’d be in love with nick, but he never saw her as more than his little sisters best friend. Or so she thought. She moved on and so did he. Now 10 years later, they’re both home, divorced from their respective partners, and they’re wondering if now it’s their turn to have happiness, and if it can possibly be with each other.
This was a sweet, second chance romance. Summer and nick just were so cute together. Nick was shy and reserved and a bit of a grump man that was an absolute SIMP for his sunshine summer.
The third act breakup I felt was so necessary, and I LOVED how Nick groveled!!! Might be some of my favorite groveling in a while!! He just so understood sumner so much and knew what would be most meaningful to her.
3.5 ⭐️
This was a sweet debut novel that brought the spice!
Summer and nick grew up together. As long as summer can remember she’d be in love with nick, but he never saw her as more than his little sisters best friend. Or so she thought. She moved on and so did he. Now 10 years later, they’re both home, divorced from their respective partners, and they’re wondering if now it’s their turn to have happiness, and if it can possibly be with each other.
This was a sweet, second chance romance. Summer and nick just were so cute together. Nick was shy and reserved and a bit of a grump man that was an absolute SIMP for his sunshine summer.
The third act breakup I felt was so necessary, and I LOVED how Nick groveled!!! Might be some of my favorite groveling in a while!! He just so understood sumner so much and knew what would be most meaningful to her.
August 15, 2023
This was such a cute and sweet small town romance.
Nick and Summer grew up together. Summer has always loved Nick, but Nick always saw her as his little sister’s best friend. Nick was an NFL player but his career was cut short due to an injury. Summer was a ballerina for a prestigious ballet company. Summer also had a career ending injury. After 10 years Nick and Summer both end up back in their small hometown.
I really enjoyed Nick and Summer’s story. They were so cute together and had so much chemistry!
This was such a sweet second chance romance. I can’t wait for the next book in this series! 🤍
Thank you to the author for this arc 🫶🏼
August 7, 2023
Thank you so much to the author for reaching out for an ARC review of this book! I loved this story so much!
Tropes:
Grumpy x Sunshine
Second Chance
Best Friend’s Brother
Small Town
Nick and Summer had such cute chemistry from the beginning. The supporting characters in this story were also amaze! I loved them all and it sets it up so nicely for the next book…or books!
I loved how Summer was finding herself throughout and didn’t just back down after knowing she needed to stand up on her own two feet!
Tropes:
Grumpy x Sunshine
Second Chance
Best Friend’s Brother
Small Town
Nick and Summer had such cute chemistry from the beginning. The supporting characters in this story were also amaze! I loved them all and it sets it up so nicely for the next book…or books!
I loved how Summer was finding herself throughout and didn’t just back down after knowing she needed to stand up on her own two feet!
August 17, 2023
This was really great for a debut author. Lots of heat, good music references, and I loooove Nick.
April 19, 2025
Rounded up from 3.5
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews