Second Chance Sunset

by Ellie Hall

They say true love only happens once in a lifetime. But what about a second chance with your first love?

Navy
College. Wait tables. Hospital. Repeat...until a customer with a smoldering smirk makes an offer I have to refuse...well, until I face cold, hard reality.

If I marry him so he can get his green card, I’ll be able to pay the bills. The only problem is, I was in love with him once before.

Cooper
I’ve heard all it takes is one look. Try two. When I see the sassy sweetheart of a waitress, I do a double take. Newsflash, she’s off-limits.

They say money can’t buy happiness...or a green card. However, it can buy a quick marriage of convenience. But that will cost me, especially since we have a past that I have to keep secret.

This is a standalone sweet, “clean and wholesome” romance. It’s faith-friendly, without swearing or mature content, and contains a happily ever after. Longtime readers will spot Easter Eggs from my other books and series. New readers will get teases from some of my books and series, sprinkled throughout Navy and Cooper’s love story.

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Novella

138 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 12, 2024

About the author

Ellie Hall is a USA Today bestselling author. If only that meant she could wear a tiara and get away with it. ;) She loves puppies, books, and the ocean. Writing sweet romance with lots of firsts and fizzy feels gives her joy. Oh, and chocolate chip cookies are her fave. Ellie believes in dreaming big, working hard, and lazy Sunday afternoons spent with her family and dog in gratitude for God’s grace.

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Newsletter: http://bit.ly/EllieHallNL
Website: http://www.elliehallauthor.com
Facebook: http://www/facebook.com/elliehallauthor
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/elliehallauthor

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Series and suggested reading order:

The Only Us Sweet Billionaire Series
•these billionaires have everything, but will they find love...?•

1. Only a Date with a Billionaire
2. Only a Kiss with a Billionaire
3. Only a Night with a Billionaire
4. Only Forever with a Billionaire
5. Only Love with a Billionaire
6. Only Christmas with the Billionaire
7. Only New Year with the Billionaire

♥

The Hawkins Family Clean Romance Series

•five brothers, torn apart and the women who help put them back together...•

1. Second Chance in Hawk Ridge Hollow

2. Finding Forever in Hawk Ridge Hollow

3. Resort Getaway with a Bodyguard

4. Going Home to Hawk Ridge Hollow

5. Christmas in Hawk Ridge Hollow

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The Blue Bay Beach Reads Romance Series

•a small-town restaurant, a dating dare, and happily ever afters...•

1. Summer with the Marine

2. Summer with the Rock Star

3. Summer with the Billionaire

4. Summer with the Cowboy

5. Summer with the Carpenter

6. Summer with the Doctor

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Ritchie Ranch Clean Cowboy Romance Series

•Cowboy hats & kisses with small-town charm•

1. Rustling the Cowboy’s Heart

2. Lassoing the Cowboy’s Heart

3. Trusting the Cowboy’s Heart

4. Kissing the Christmas Cowboy

5. Loving the Cowboy’s Heart

6. Charming the Cowboy’s Heart

7. Saving the Cowboy’s Heart

8. Wrangling the Cowboy’s Heart

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Falling into Happily Ever After Rom Com

• Sweet, heartwarming & uplifting romantic comedy

1. An Unwanted Love Story

2. An Unexpected Love Story

3. An Unlikely Love Story

4. An Accidental Love Story

5. An Impossible Love Story

6. An Unconventional Christmas Love Story

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Forever Marriage Match

• Five friends have to find true love or else...romcom

1. Dare to Love My Grumpy Boss

2. Dare to Love the Guy Next Door

3. Dare to Love My Fake Husband

4. Dare to Love the Guy I Hate

5. Dare to Love My Best Friend

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Home Sweet Home Small Town Romantic Comedy Series

Mr. & Mrs. Fix-It Find Love

Designing Happily Ever After

The DIY Kissing Project

The True Romance Renovation

Extreme Heart Makeover

Building What's Meant to Be

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The Costa Brothers Cozy Christmas Comfort Romance Series

Tommy & Merry and the 12 Days of Christmas

Bruno & Gloria and the 5 Golden Rings

Luca & Ivy and the 4 Calling Birds

Gio & Joy and the 3 French Hens

Paulo & Noella and the 2 Turtle Doves

Nico & Hope and the Partridge in the Pear Tree

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The Love List Series

The Swoon List

The Not Love List

The Crush List

The Kiss List

The Naughty or Nice List

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Love, Laughs, and Mystery in Coco Key

The Romance Situation

The Romance Fiasco

The Romance Game

The Romance Gambit

The Christmas Romance Wish

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On the Hunt for Love

The Grump and the Girl Next Door

The Bitter Heir and the Beauty

The Secret Son and the Sweetheart

The Ex Best Friend and the Fake Fiancé

The Best Friend’s Brother and the Brain

Select titles are available in audiobook, paperback, hardcover, and large print formats. Happy reading!♥

Reviews

[Jamie (The Kansan Reader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had potential. I think that it needed to be longer. I didn't connect with either character. Also, it has a third act break up that I just didn't buy. Maybe because I wasn't with these characters long enough to actually care. If it was longer and flushes out, I think I could have liked it.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a super second chance/contemporary romance! I liked it a lot.. It is sweet and very entertaining.. The characters are really likable!

[Brooke Giguere · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel bad but this was a DNF for me… just idk how to explain it. “Like a caveman, I want to grunt and beat my chest. Stay away, Mine” like nooooo it’s cringy

[Stox4story · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second Chance at a First Love


He left her. Not a word was said, Cooper just disappeared and broke her young heart. Never knowing her dad, Navy, (or Lizzie to some), only has her mother… but for how long? Her mother has been diagnosed with a debilitating illness and is in a New York hospital barely functioning. Forced to drop out of her Alabama college to go care for her mother, she enrolls in one class per semester hoping to one day obtain her degree.

Waiting on tables Navy sees something…. or should I say someone, she never expected to see again. It’s been 10 long years since Cooper dropped out of sight. Why? As the author says, Cooper is an international man of mystery. Just who is Cooper and what is he? Why is here now? It couldn’t be he was looking for Navy. After all 10 years ago when he dropped out of sight, they were in Georgia. Now Navy is in New York caring for her mother, a far cry from Georgia.

And now we get to the real story…. Enjoy seeing it all unfold.

🤔 OBSERVATIONS

✒︎ This is a quick, sweet read. I read it in an evening. Love that it didn’t waste pages detailing intimacy. Instead we got love with intrigue.

✒︎ It’s a short read… for me, too short. It needs more depth into Navy and her father. There are a lot of questions about him/her/her mother and grandfather. Without spoilers, evidently Navy’s mother kept in touch with her ex so how did he not see/know Navy?

✒︎ Need to ‘see’ Cooper explaining everything, not just read about it. I like to ‘feel’ and ‘see’ the emotions involved, the character reactions, the side characters play an important role, but little of that happened here.

✒︎ End of the book confused me. I don’t understand what it was trying to show or prove.

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reader’s Notes:

– this can be received as a free ebook by signing up for Ellie’s newsletter or purchased as a physical book on Amazon

– this is told from Navy & Cooper’s points of view

– Navy’s mother is in the hospital for most of the book getting treatments and recovering

– Navy temporarily believes Cooper died in a shoot-out (not seen on page, she is told that this is what happened)

Review:

I’ve already read a few of Ellie’s books/series so it was fun to see hints of other characters/towns from those books! I’m also excited to find out about some of the other hints when I get to those series!

This was a quick and sweet romance that I enjoyed. I really liked that they had a past together and that we got to see a little bit of that in their interactions and memories of their summer together. I loved how much both of them cared for Navy’s mother and how excited she got for their ‘engagement’. I also really liked how Navy’s classmate kinda got thrown into everything from Cooper’s jealousy to outing their ‘engagement’. It was a little funny to have him keep popping up and trying to figure out what was going on between Cooper and Navy.

Summary:

Navy had the best summer romance with Cooper back home until he ghosted her. She’s tried to forget him and how he made her feel when she and her mother moved but kept coming up empty. Even her most recent relationship is leaving her high and dry in the feelings department despite him trying to get back together with her. But Navy was just another piece of arm candy to him and she wasn’t in love with him anyways. That’s when Cooper walks back into her life and shocks her with the most outrageous offer she’s ever heard. He wants to pay her to marry him so he can get his green card and stay in the country. But why would Navy ever choose to let him back in her life after how he left her?

Cooper needs to get a green card to stay in the country for his job, but the only way to do that is to marry an American. When his buddy suggest that he pay someone to marry him, such as their beautiful waitress, it’s hard to say no. Because that waitress is also the woman Cooper fell for and left behind. He regrets how he left her and still loves Navy despite their time away from each other. Maybe if he can convince Navy to accept his marriage offer he can also convince her of how much his love still burns for her…

[Shauna Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A second chance story with surprising twists
A book about hard choices, hard situations, and working towards the best. Navy met Cooper one wonderful summer and soon they were in love. Then Cooper suddenly vanished, walked away, leaving Navy heartbroken. Ten years later finds Navy in New York attending college very part time, waitressing, and trying to care for her mother battling cancer. Her father had never been in the picture and her mother wouldn’t even give her his name, so now she carries the burdens alone. Then one night at work, Cooper reappears but there are changes. He now has a tattoo of a motorcycle club on his arm and is with a very menacing man. When Cooper suddenly asks her to marry him so he can get a green card and remain in the country, she says no despite her feelings. But Cooper won’t relent and everywhere she goes she runs into him. Mix in an anonymous benefactor, a secret occupation, a life full of danger, and the sudden appearance of mystery man and you have a very engaging story that is well worth your time. I received an early copy and this is my honest review.

[Tricia Anson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a sweet and swoony quick read with second chance, marriage of convenience vibes and lots of heart, grab this freebie from Ellie Hall.

Things I Loved:
-Pick a number
-Cooper-hole
-“Like a pair of magnets, we attract and repel each other in equal measure.”
-Lifetime supply of chocolate
-The ending! 🤍

If you have read any of Ellie’s books you will definitely enjoy finding all the little Easter eggs sprinkled throughout this story—and at the very end she tells you what they all were and what series they come from. That way, if you haven’t read and want to check out any of the places, people, or things mentioned you know just where to start (or if you have read, you can see if you remembered right 😉). It is so fun!

Don’t miss out on this new novella, sign up for her newsletter and grab this story for free!

[Cindy Burrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Navy and Cooper meet and fall in love. Everything is going well between them. They enjoy spending time together and soon find themselves in love with each other. Cooper disappears without any word or clue that he was leaving. Navy is left heartbroken and alone, not knowing why he just up and left. Years later Navy is waitressing while trying to take care of her cancer-stricken Mother and Cooper surfaces again. He has changed and seems shady for some strange reason. He needs to marry so he can stay in the country. Navy still has feelings for Cooper, but she turns him down. Cooper continues to try to get her to agree. There are a lot of twists and turns in the story, that just kept me reading to find out what was going to happen. It’s a story you will be enthralled with, and it will be over before you are ready.

[Denice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this sweet second chance romance that has a few surprising twist that were unexpected. I loved Navy (Lizzy) and Cooper’s second chance ten years after they first fell in love. I loved Navy and Cooper’s road to finding love. I loved Coopers soft heart for Navy but with his rough and tough exterior. This was a book that once I started I couldn’t put it down, easy, fantastic read.

[Dale Kruser · Rating 5 out of 5]

second chance sunset

This book was really good! Now I just need at least 20 more! I breeze thru your books to fast… then I’m onto trying too find my next HEA! I’m soooo glad I know you believe in your HEA… when I read that Cooper … I was really upset! But, I knew you wouldn’t let us fumble like that!
I also LOVED The Kissing Book!! So sweet and such an enjoyable book!
Thank you!! 🩷📘

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Navy and Cooper's story is a sweet second chance romance that was a joy to read. It has just the right amount of conflict and drama to keep you turning the pages. I loved it and highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a sweet clean romance.
I received a complimentary copy and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Jacqueline Johnston Cotton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover is so beautiful and really eye catching. I loved the amazing storyline and lovable, charming characters. It was a very entertaining story with it's ups and downs, drama, romance, love, laughter and second chances. It's an inspirational, sweet, clean read. You won't be able to put it down.

[Erralee Hendrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved all the Easter eggs from the other books the author has written; they really add another layer of fun to the story. I enjoyed reading about the different characters and all that they are doing in the story. The author has a nice mix of romance, mystery, and a little suspense. So much happens so quick that I didn't have any boredom. It's a wonderful short read.

[MaryEllen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my voluntary review of a copy I received free with a newsletter sign-up.

The main couple are adults, even if they they have a few childish moments.
Their lives have been hard, both because of their own choices and because... life.

The twists in the story were well done and the whole of it was believable. I really enjoyed it.

[Alison Ramsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Navy and Cooper's second chance romance. Having had her heart broken once, she is wary of Cooper and his motives. All is not as it appears and there are secrets to uncover. I loved all the references to other series by this author. Really enjoyable romance.

[Abby Huffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this standalone story that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole read! Cooper is deep undercover and had to walk away from Navy long ago and they meet again💙 fun read that kept my interest! Loved all the Easter eggs from Ellie’s other books👏🏻

[NancyDrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good,but needs more

Great story,but needs more continuation, as you wonder what comes next,and what happened before way back,also what happened to the bad guys?...will Navy and Cooper be safe now?

[The Flipped Page (Susan K) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet, contemporary romance

Romance, sweet, contemporary;
Navy/Lizzie and Cooper’s story was a fun suspenseful romance. Cooper’s undercover work brought them back together and apart and…
Fun, sweet, a bit of suspense and drama from the undercover but HEA is always a fun read

[Jennifer Rosenberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, I was afraid that once I realized who the main character father was that the wouldn’t be a happy ending. I was glad that there was a happy ending.

[Lissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love Cooper & Navy's feisty, sweet, caring, loving swoony story!!

[Donna Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun read with quite a bit of mystery. I enjoyed Navy and Cooper's second chance at romance. This is a sweet, clean romance.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I felt how overwhelmed Navy was. The twists near the end were thrilling and when I finished reading, I was left wanting more. Maybe a sequel with Navy's mom and dad?

[Lilly Guirguis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review tomorrow!

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a clean, tough guy M.C. Club meets up with his first love who he had ghosted years before. Neither one had forgotten each other, but he still had a job to do.

[Laurie reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could do better than a 3 star review…but the ending was rushed with a lot of loose ends and things unresolved.

[Laramee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorable second chance romance novella with a side of mystery thrown in!

I received an ARC from the author and all opinions are my own.

[Crystal Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Ellie Hall book and it won't be my last. Loved this!!!