Second Chances: A Sapphic Romance

by C.K. Martin

Meet Amber, a woman with a knack for causing chaos and squandering her potential. But when she finds herself in a one-on-one with Death, things take a wickedly funny turn. Death herself offers Amber a shot at redemption – eleven extra hours to make amends for her misadventures. As Amber stumbles through awkward apologies and re-lives a lifetime of misdeeds, she and Death find themselves in an unconventional love story. Who knew that the Grim Reaper had a soft spot for the living? Get ready for a rollercoaster ride of dark humor, absurd situations, and unexpected connection. In this quirky tale of atonement and love, Death and Amber teach us that even those who have made the biggest mistakes deserve a second chance.

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 16, 2023

About the author

C.K. Martin is a British writer of mostly - but not exclusively - lesbian fiction. She loves writing character-driven stories, so you’ll find her books in the romance, crime, thriller and fantasy genres. She believes that realistic, diverse and engaging characters shouldn’t come at the expense of great plots - readers deserve to have both. If you enjoy her characters in one genre, then you'll find similar heroines in the others if you feel like branching out. Discover detectives, vampires, gangsters and runaways, all looking for their happy ending.

When she’s not writing, she can usually be found with her nose in a book (or pressed against the Kindle screen). Her third biggest passion in life is travel, so although she’s based in England, for much of the year you won’t find her there. Instead she’ll be hanging out with her wife in some amazing city or, more likely, at the beach.

Reviews

[Issy Waldrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amber is self centered, self pleasing, manipulating things and people to her advantage. But with a little self inspection, or maybe a lot, when she meets Death, perhaps there is something underneath all of those layers. Honestly the blurb does a good job at teasing what the story is about, and on that it delivers well.

11 hours isn't a lot, but that is where the bulk of the story takes place, as Amber is forced to reflect on her life and choices, and learn along the way, with Death at her side. It's interesting and amusing, some of what she got up to, and mildly horrifying in other cases. She doesn't start off as a 'good' person, per se, but Amber grows during the course of the story - a lot, and that in itself in wonderful to see.

There is, of course, a measure of romance here in the book as well, that accompanies her growth, and it is sweet to see, for both sides of it, and rather heartwarming, and I have to say that the ending wasn't quite what I expected. But I was also very happy with it. (The sections leading up towards the end were also rather emotional, and certainly had me forming tears).

I wasn't completely sure what I would be getting myself into when I started this book, but I was pleasantly surprised, and I did, in fact, really enjoy the book. It's engaging, emotional, and a very interesting journey of growth and love.

[Karen Bufford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! Loved every minute of this book.

I loved the story line and never quite knowing what was going to happen. C.K. You hit it out of the park!!! I really enjoy a good read where the characters grow and evolve.
This was such a rewarding read. I highly recommend this to anyone who has a heart that wants to be warmed.
Thank you C.K.!

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the Premise

This is a unique love story and very well written and developed. I loved the premise of Death granting a temporary reprieve, but it isn't formulaic in any way, and the main characters are terrific. Give this a try.