The Second Ending: A Modern Austen Persuasion Improvisation

by Riana Everly

The last person Eglinton Echoes member Ashleigh Lynch expected to see across the table from her was her ex, Marcus Fredericks. Eight years ago when they were in love, she was a law student and he was a construction worker, not nearly good enough for her elitist family. But times have changed. Now she’s a lawyer, and he owns the development company threatening the playing fields she’s been engaged to protect.

Her family managed to crush her dreams and her confidence back then, and seeing Marcus again has rocked her to the core. But as talks over the playing fields continue, they are forced to confront each other again and again, and even the hardest hearts aren’t always impervious to old, tender feelings.

But rekindling their romance won’t be easy. They are on different sides of a dispute, and Ashleigh has caught the eye of a charming guy from the city’s planning department. When the development project is threatened and Ashleigh discovers who her real enemy is, her very world begins to crumble around her, and not even her precious music is safe. Can she find the inner strength to deal, at last, with an old threat and reclaim the happiness that was ripped away from her eight years ago?

This musical reimagining of Jane Austen’s beloved Persuasion will have you cheering the characters on, pulling you into their world and into their hearts.

196 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 24, 2024

Reviews

[Sheila Majczan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this story and am voluntarily writing a review. Although this is part of a series it can be read alone.

The title informs us that this is a modern take-off of JA's Persuasion. It is set in Toronto. Marcus and Ashleigh had actually been living together when lies and manipulations from her family separated them. Eight years later they face each other over the planned development of some land which had been a playground for local children. Ashleigh is now a lawyer who not only represents abused women but also sings in a choir and helps raise funds to keep a music program alive in Chile, where she has spent some time. Marcus has come up through the ranks as a construction worker who now owns his own development company.

As this couple again are drawn to each other her parents use the fact that many of their friends donate to the program in Chile to pressure Ashleigh to again put distance between herself and Marcus. One of the interesting threads is that there is a hidden owner(s) to the land in dispute. Both sides cannot seem to uncover that secret.

I found this to be an interesting story and found myself looking for hints as to the identity of characters from other Jane Austen, i.e., Will Pemberton, Catherine Berg, etc.

[Meredith (Austenesque Reviews) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like a Lyrical and Expressive Second Movement

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Publisher

TYPE OF NOVEL: Modern Persuasion Adaptation

SERIES: Austen Echoes #3 (each book shares a similar time line and character group, but is stand alone)

THE PREMISE: Eight years ago Ashleigh lacked confidence and let her manipulative parents ruin her relationship. Since then she has made an amazing life for herself. But does she have conviction and courage to not repeat the same mistakes again when the man she lost her heart to comes back into her life…

WHAT I LOVED:

- A Passion For Singing: As we saw with all the books in this series, many of the principal characters are part of Eglinton Echoes choir. But out of all the characters, I think Ashleigh loves the choir the most. Singing is her passion…one that she wasn’t fully allowed to explore as a child. It was lovely to see how much Ashleigh enjoys and cherishes her experiences with the choir.

- A Passion For Helping: I admire Ashleigh so much. She was forced by her parents to pursue a more impressive career, but instead of being in some big-time, big-name practice – she finds a way to unite the job with her values. Not only does she mostly take cases for women in domestic abuse situations, but she is an extremely caring lawyer who helps sees to her client’s needs outsides of the courtroom too. Add that to her ongoing endeavors to find funding to provide students in Chile with musical instruments. I loved how Ashleigh found a way to put her heart into what she does.

-Persuasion Riffs: Just like with All the Wrong Notes and The Matchmaker’s Melody, this story is an improvisation – how perfect, right? We see some familiar characters – Wentworth, Anne, Sir Walter, William Elliot. But we don’t see others (unless I missed them) Mary Musgrove, Lady Russell, etc. There is the familiar storyline of a couple being forced apart and then re-encountering each other many years later, and then there is this whole new storyline about one of Ashleigh’s friends wanting to make a stand against a developing company who is threatening to take away the neighborhood’s playing field and the mysterious question of who owns this land.

-Culminating Conclusion: I read all three books in this series and I loved how beautifully all three stories layered together and overlapped in the same time line and events. Thoughtfully and skillfully planned, Riana Everly drops hints and gives enough context for readers to see how all three story-lines fit together. I loved seeing it all come full circle and seeing the relationships between all these characters deepen – especially the surprising connections like Gordon (Knightley) and Marcus (Wentworth) knowing of each other.

-Will Pemberton is the MVP: Don’t want to spoil anything, but I admire this character and all he does in this story so much! I think he deserves the title of MVP for the whole series.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:

-bSome Quibbles: Unlike with Persuasion, Ashleigh and Marcus don’t take as long to get back on tentatively friendlier terms. And while I liked seeing this happen, I did feel we missed some of the heartrending poignancy and emotions of their combined regret and sorrow. I missed Marcus having his big soul-bearing, soul-piercing letter moment. And I think maybe a thread was left hanging where Sebastian was concerned.

-Ashleigh and Her Parents Slight Spoiler Alert! Ashleigh’s parents are loathsome. And not in an apathetic or comically selfish way like with Sir Walter and Mary Musgrove. They are full of vindictiveness and hate and want to ruin lives. Ashleigh’s parents have caused her to have crippling self-doubt and a lack of self-worth. So much so, that she regresses back immediately to the girl she was eight years ago when they play their manipulation games again. And I don’t think we saw her find her inner strength, as it was others who stepped in and took the more courageous steps. This was disheartening to witness, and I don’t know if there was enough time to delve as deeply into Ashleigh’s emotional experiences as we needed to.

NOTE: Because of one use of strong language and some suggestive dialogue, I’d recommend this book for readers over 14.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

🎤 The same tune is sung again, but this time with more emotions and confidence.

😬 I think I’m a little particular when it comes to Persuasion adaptations, most readers will probably love this story as it is.

👏🏼 Brava! Brava for Riana Everly and this creative, compelling, and clever collection of modern Jane Austen improvisations!

Austenesque Reviews

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This romance story is loosely based off of the Jane Austen novel Persuasion and set in modern-day Toronto. I enjoyed it. The broad strokes of the story and many of the characters are recognizeable, but the author balanced them with her own story so that it feels organic. I liked that, as a fan of Persuasion, I had the general idea of what to expect but there was still plenty of room for anticipation and surprise. The characters were engaging and the modern, and Canadian, setting was a fun touch. This book is from a series of modern Austen adaptations with an adult community choir as the thread tying them together. Characters crossover between the books and some events do as well on a surface level. However, this books reads well as a standalone and it is not necessary to read the other books to enjoy it. Ashleigh and Marcus had allowed her manipulative family to come between them and destroy their relationship many years before. When they meet again on opposing sides of a development project, both have to come to terms with their past and their current states of their hearts. All in the face of ongoing external pressures. This is a fade-to-black story where the intimacy is referenced but occurs off the page. There is a significant amount of mostly mild harsh language, but also the occasional strong harsh language. This is seen almost always in the sections from the male main character’s perspective.

I received a free copy of this book via Sofia's Cowboy Romance Lovers and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Wendy Livingstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Ashleigh and Marcus’s story.
These two were in love 8-years-ago, but were torn apart by a manipulative family, but they still love each other. Now Marcus and Ashleigh are facing each other again, as she is a lawyer, and he is the owner of a development company.
This is a good story which has family, friendships, manipulation, surprises, second chances, and love, which leads to an enjoyable story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tahnia Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ashleigh wanted to study music in college but ended up in law with a minor in music due to her parent's disapproval. She sings in the Eglinton Echoes and does pro bono work on domestic abuse cases. When helping with a neighborhood problem, she meets Marcus, the man she fell in love with almost a decade ago. This story is full of parental mental abuse and also contains tons of romance, ending in a HEA. Very highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book via Sofia's Cowboy Romance Lovers and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[RoseyLovesBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ashleigh and Marcus' story sucked me in and kept me on the edge of my seat. The Second Ending is a second chance romance that takes place in present day Toronto. This Jane Austen Persuasion inspired tale is full of drama, angst and twists and had me cheering for Ashleigh and Marcus to get their HEA together. A thoroughly enjoyable read!

[Genoveva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ashleigh and Marcus are forced to work together on a project. They have tortured past so it was interesting to see how the felt about being in each other’s lives again.

I received a free copy of this book via Sofia's Cowboy Romance Lovers and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Hanna Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doing a re-telling of a Jane Austen novel is difficult but this one was delightful! A great romance with strong characters and a story that kept me reading until the end.

I received a free copy of this book via Sofia's Cowboy Romance Lovers and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lori Hammons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ashleigh and Marcus get a second chance after her family ran interference years ago. They try again, but Ashleigh gains some self esteem and confidence. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a tale of meddling parents and a comedy of errors by both the H and h. I still love the sweet romance of it all. A really good read!

[Jen B · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 *
Not a retelling, but inspired by Persuasion set in Modern day Canada; told with alternating POV.
Once again told 8 years after the modern day equivalents of Anne & Capt Wentworth – teasing about their backstory where Ashleigh's (the new incarnation of Anne) family's machinations (to sadly break them up) which kept me reading anxiously for the reveal.
Marcus (the new incarnation of Capt Wentworth) is quicker to realize that he wants a second chance than the JA version. I quite liked his unfolding character and his side of the story – kept me cheering for him from the sidelines.
Of course we get our HEA (with a few angsty moments to get us there) with a nod to some helpful P&P characters.
Overall a very enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.

I received a free copy of this book via Sofia's Cowboy Romance Lovers and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Claudia-ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before I start my review I have to say that this was my first Jane Austen retelling story. Therefore I haven’t read the first two retellings in this series.
Although one can recognise the characters and their strengths and weaknesses fairly easily it is a whole new story. This made it really special for me.
Ashleigh Lynch and Marcus Fredericks are first together for work but as the story unfolds their private lives come together once more. They broke up eight years prior and are still in love with each other. I was surprised how fast Riana Everly could let that happen. But I liked it because one already knows that part of the story. Surprises came slowly on other characters and I found I was more interested in Sebastian Vera who sadly didn’t get his share in the end. There were some shortcomings on more than one character. In her hour of need Ashleigh didn’t talk to Liora who was introduced as the best friend. And Massako, the force of a mother, and her goals were too briefly mentioned in the end. Also (Sir) Walter Lynch wasn’t informed about Ashleigh’s and Marcus’s relationship. Therefore there’s no closure on the Ashleigh’s family.
The love storyline isn’t wanting at all and if you’ve read the first two novels it might be different for you. So maybe I have to catch up on some reading.