Second Chance: His Only Choice

Second Chance #3

by Ryan Field

In this third installment of the Second Chance series by Ryan Field, His Only Choice, Lance has to figure out a way to deal with the fact that his partner, Davis, of twenty years will be traveling extensively in Asia and leaving him alone for long stretches at a time. So Lance plunges into making important changes to the small brick and mortar bookshop he owns in New York's Hudson River Valley to keep it competitive with the rising popularity in e-books. He's also trying to deal with turning forty years old and it's not working out well. In order to fill the lonely hours when he's not working, Lance joins a gym and meets a very young personal trainer named Sergio who makes him feel so young and desirable again he starts lying about his age and telling Sergio he's only thirty-five years old. Like other books in the Second Chance series the story bounces from present to past a few times and the choice Lance has to make to get his second chance isn't clear until the story is in full swing. But there are more than a few sexy gay surprises to keep m/m readers wondering what will happen next, which include whether Lance will ultimately choose his safe, quiet life with Davis. Or will he choose to go another round with dark, sexy Sergio with the weight lifter's body and scruffy rough beard?

Genres: M M Romance

64 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 20, 2014

About the author

Ryan @ryanfield Hybrid author of over 100 published modern romance novels and stories, including AN OFFICER AND HIS GENTLEMAN, FANGSTERS, and THE RAINBOW DETECTIVE AGENCY. He is a Lambda Award-winner with a short story and he's always more than thankful for reader reviews. In fact, he cherishes reviews from real readers, and that means good or bad reviews.

Reviews

[book · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the mistakes are putting me off. Isn't someone reading these before lunching them and make people pay for books filled with spelling and typo errors?
This is the second book in the second chances series ive read and both had similar mistakes.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. The premise of this book is really interesting: if you had the chance to follow a different path in life, but without the knowledge you gained from living through it the first time, would you make the same choices?

Lance is a middle aged gay man in a comfortable relationship of 20 years. His partner, Davis, is successful and enjoys his executive job, even though it has always included a lot of travel. Lance runs a bookshop, and is struggling to keep it relevant and successful in this age of ebooks. Both have always been supportive of the other professionally, but when Davis' company expands into Asia, the travel requirements are suddenly much more onerous, and Lance starts feeling abandoned and unsure. He is also increasingly aware that he is almost 40, and when he meets Sergio -- 28, attractive, bisexual, and aggressively pursuing him -- he is flattered and overwhelmed. Should he stay with Davis, or go with Sergio?

To me, the correct choice is obvious. And that is why I guess I didn't connect with Lance or enjoy the book more. Davis and Sergio are almost minor characters, as the book focuses on Lance, his choices, and his reasons for making them. His mid-life crisis is supposedly what motivates Lance to make the choices he does, but my impression of him was not so much that he struggled, but that he was frequently stupid and led by his dick.

There were several typos, but nothing really distracting. There is one mostly fade-to-black gang bang scene that I found completely superfluous and unnecessary, and I am still trying to figure out why it was included. Was there some quota of erotica that had to be included in the book??? Whatever. Not disturbing, just "Why??"

[Ramsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 stars. I think this is my favourite one of the series..so far at least