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Second Choice
He broke her heart, but he’s the only one who can keep her safe from a serial killer…
After she’s attacked during her run, Shannon is forced to face the cop ex-boyfriend who responds to the 911 call. It’s taken four painful years to overcome Luke’s betrayal. She won’t give him the chance to destroy her again.
Leaving Shannon was the worst mistake of Luke’s life. He came back home to beg her forgiveness, but she shut him down. Against her wishes, he joins her on her morning runs to protect her from the serial killer who nearly kidnapped her. And maybe he can convince her to give him second chance.
He works the case, cringing at the brutality of each death, desperate to solve the murders before the killer attempts to take Shannon again.
Will he get the chance to prove his love?
After she’s attacked during her run, Shannon is forced to face the cop ex-boyfriend who responds to the 911 call. It’s taken four painful years to overcome Luke’s betrayal. She won’t give him the chance to destroy her again.
Leaving Shannon was the worst mistake of Luke’s life. He came back home to beg her forgiveness, but she shut him down. Against her wishes, he joins her on her morning runs to protect her from the serial killer who nearly kidnapped her. And maybe he can convince her to give him second chance.
He works the case, cringing at the brutality of each death, desperate to solve the murders before the killer attempts to take Shannon again.
Will he get the chance to prove his love?
- GenresRomance
157 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2024
109 people are currently reading
198 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Wallace
23 books5 followersI decided to try writing what I like to read, and stories started filling my head. Now it's an obsession.
I’ve written in different genres, but the stories I keep coming back to are the romantic suspense. When I wrote the first Rawlins book, I thought it would be the only paranormal. Then I said ‘what if…’ and now children of the first characters and a couple of friends have books.
I wrote my first stories in 2014 but didn’t publish until 2019.
I’ve been called a Jane-of-all-trades, from seamstress to house and furniture designer/builder to computer programmer to technical writer and bookkeeper. I even do car maintenance. All can help with writing a story.
I grew up in Michigan, but Massachusetts has been my home for more years than I care to think about. I love the history here, the museums and antique houses, the seacoast and hiking trails.
I’ve written in different genres, but the stories I keep coming back to are the romantic suspense. When I wrote the first Rawlins book, I thought it would be the only paranormal. Then I said ‘what if…’ and now children of the first characters and a couple of friends have books.
I wrote my first stories in 2014 but didn’t publish until 2019.
I’ve been called a Jane-of-all-trades, from seamstress to house and furniture designer/builder to computer programmer to technical writer and bookkeeper. I even do car maintenance. All can help with writing a story.
I grew up in Michigan, but Massachusetts has been my home for more years than I care to think about. I love the history here, the museums and antique houses, the seacoast and hiking trails.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 26, 2022
What a 'Maroon'! What an 'OxyMoron'!
This hero had done one of the worst heroes ever! He marries the Mother of his child from a one-time childhood friend hookup over the love of his supposed life. Because she was dying from cancer. He was an idiot and he says they never ever slept together even though she lived four years and not six months. I was so disappointed in him. And poor Shannon she went through he!! after he left her. devastating stuff. I was disappointed by her too for taking him back. I am pretty sure he hooked up with the baby mama before he met the heroine but I don't know. But he basically left her for four years and never communicated with her. I just hated the premise but the mystery and the writing did keep me engaged! I did enjoy the story even though he was a total MORON! Will be reading this author again.
This hero had done one of the worst heroes ever! He marries the Mother of his child from a one-time childhood friend hookup over the love of his supposed life. Because she was dying from cancer. He was an idiot and he says they never ever slept together even though she lived four years and not six months. I was so disappointed in him. And poor Shannon she went through he!! after he left her. devastating stuff. I was disappointed by her too for taking him back. I am pretty sure he hooked up with the baby mama before he met the heroine but I don't know. But he basically left her for four years and never communicated with her. I just hated the premise but the mystery and the writing did keep me engaged! I did enjoy the story even though he was a total MORON! Will be reading this author again.
February 4, 2025
3.5 Stars
Safety and Spoilers
H leaves h for his old friend who he slept with one time years before. He ended up getting her pregnant and she never told him about the child until she was sick with cancer.
H left to marry the h and support her until she passed away and to be there for his daughter. It was supposed to only be six months but his friend entered an experimental drug trial and went into remission for three years before her cancer came back and she died. He felt guilty that he couldn’t go back to h but felt guilty about wanting to leave his friend and daughter so he stayed with them. His friend tried to initiate intimacy’s few times but H turned her down. He was celibate the entire time.
h didn’t take him back right away and barely spoke to him during the morning runs. They eventually talked about what happened and that made h angrier that he chose to break up with her instead of talking things out.
h was pregnant when H broke up with her and she never told him. She suffered a miscarriage because of the stress and she almost died from bleeding out.
The h ends up taking him back after she is kidnapped and he saves her. Her feelings were starting to soften towards him but him saving her from a serial killer had her completely forgiving him. She was also celibate during their separation.
They sleep together very quickly after her kidnapping and get engaged very quickly too.
I wasn’t a big fan of the H. He was dumb and didn’t think breaking up with the h would affect her as much as it did. He thought he was going to move back and winning her back was going to be easy. Even after his friend went into remission he could have told h and friend the truth and could have worked something out. h truly was the second choice because he never picked her first. He always picked his friend over the h. I wanted to smack him many times.
He was patient when he came back and never pressured the h for anything. He never pushed for more than she was willing to give. I do think their shared trauma made it easier for them to be together in the end.
h is abducted by the killer, stripped naked and had a breast fondled. He was able to strip and put a condom on to rape her but H arrived in time to save her and stop the killer.
Safety and Spoilers
H leaves h for his old friend who he slept with one time years before. He ended up getting her pregnant and she never told him about the child until she was sick with cancer.
H left to marry the h and support her until she passed away and to be there for his daughter. It was supposed to only be six months but his friend entered an experimental drug trial and went into remission for three years before her cancer came back and she died. He felt guilty that he couldn’t go back to h but felt guilty about wanting to leave his friend and daughter so he stayed with them. His friend tried to initiate intimacy’s few times but H turned her down. He was celibate the entire time.
h didn’t take him back right away and barely spoke to him during the morning runs. They eventually talked about what happened and that made h angrier that he chose to break up with her instead of talking things out.
h was pregnant when H broke up with her and she never told him. She suffered a miscarriage because of the stress and she almost died from bleeding out.
The h ends up taking him back after she is kidnapped and he saves her. Her feelings were starting to soften towards him but him saving her from a serial killer had her completely forgiving him. She was also celibate during their separation.
They sleep together very quickly after her kidnapping and get engaged very quickly too.
I wasn’t a big fan of the H. He was dumb and didn’t think breaking up with the h would affect her as much as it did. He thought he was going to move back and winning her back was going to be easy. Even after his friend went into remission he could have told h and friend the truth and could have worked something out. h truly was the second choice because he never picked her first. He always picked his friend over the h. I wanted to smack him many times.
He was patient when he came back and never pressured the h for anything. He never pushed for more than she was willing to give. I do think their shared trauma made it easier for them to be together in the end.
h is abducted by the killer, stripped naked and had a breast fondled. He was able to strip and put a condom on to rape her but H arrived in time to save her and stop the killer.
November 30, 2025
1 star
Ok, so this was pretty bad. The characters were wooden. The law enforcement stuff was sketchy. The writing was kind of clunky, but I think that was because of the POV used. The MMC is a police detective that runs with her to protect her, but spends all the time staring at her a$s? The kid thing, Her mom just died a few months ago, she is five, and the first time she !sets the FMC, she asks her "Are you going to be my new mommy?". The FMC answers " Yes." and the little girl is all, "Yaaaay!" Can you sprain something with an eyeroll?
Ok, so this was pretty bad. The characters were wooden. The law enforcement stuff was sketchy. The writing was kind of clunky, but I think that was because of the POV used. The MMC is a police detective that runs with her to protect her, but spends all the time staring at her a$s? The kid thing, Her mom just died a few months ago, she is five, and the first time she !sets the FMC, she asks her "Are you going to be my new mommy?". The FMC answers " Yes." and the little girl is all, "Yaaaay!" Can you sprain something with an eyeroll?
August 11, 2025
The H was a bit of a douche - I’m not sure I could have forgiven him if I’m honest the h was right, he made life altering decision without consulting her who he claimed to love. And I get tired of the I almost died, life’s too short i forgive you… seems like a bit of a cop out tbh
dnf
June 14, 2024DNF @ 2%
NO CHEATING
This book was recommended for lovers of cheating but this guy just left his girlfriend and married another woman and they didn't even have sex
boo
NO CHEATING
This book was recommended for lovers of cheating but this guy just left his girlfriend and married another woman and they didn't even have sex
boo
December 11, 2025
Good
It was a good read . it kept my attention and the storyline was ok .
Luke made a bad choice ( or according to the book) was sort of forced into a bad choice by a women named Allie who he had been friends with since she was 4 and he was 5 . he said he looked at her like a sister . a choice that later came a bite him in the butt .
The love of his life was Shannon. He was planning a future with her , and he couldn't live with out her . Yet when Allie came back to him with the little girl that was the result of the one night of bad choices . he went to the love of his life and told her he was marrying Allie .
So i guess my biggest problem with the whole book is he made the love of his life , the one he was planning a life with his second choice . no matter what he said or how he played it he chose Allie over Shannon who was the love of his life .
I hate when people put major spoilers in reviews so I am going to try not to do that .I won't go into why he married Allie or the excuses he gave Shannon for his choices .
4 years later he is back , he is a police officer and his goal is to win Shannon back . Shannon's life is in danger which puts her directly in Likes path and he starts to work on her to get her back . what he didnt know was the day he told her he loved her but he was marrying someone else ,Shannon was pregnant but when she said she had something to say he told her no . he had to tell her something and if she talked he couldn't do it .
I won't go into everything that happened to Shannon after Luke just jo and left her and married Allie but he was gone for 4 years and never called her or contacted her or anything.
Luke made choices that shattered Shannon's life and caused her a great deal of pain and sorrow that I won't go into . for all his thoughts of good intentions he robbed Allie of someone that might have loved her and took care of her because he did not love Allie and they didn't have a normal marriage.
Then it was like bam bam bam the book was over . Shannon forgave him and the threat was over and his daughter got a new mom . its like the author got tired of writing the book .
In my opinion Luke can try to make up for his choices for the rest of their lives but he caused Shannon unimaginable pain and grief and she lost herself , doesn't matter that he didnt know what was going in he was still the cause of it . and he can try for the rest of his life but Shannon was still his second choice . he never even gave her a thought . maybe I would feel different if the book just didnt seem to end but ....
It was a good read . it kept my attention and the storyline was ok .
Luke made a bad choice ( or according to the book) was sort of forced into a bad choice by a women named Allie who he had been friends with since she was 4 and he was 5 . he said he looked at her like a sister . a choice that later came a bite him in the butt .
The love of his life was Shannon. He was planning a future with her , and he couldn't live with out her . Yet when Allie came back to him with the little girl that was the result of the one night of bad choices . he went to the love of his life and told her he was marrying Allie .
So i guess my biggest problem with the whole book is he made the love of his life , the one he was planning a life with his second choice . no matter what he said or how he played it he chose Allie over Shannon who was the love of his life .
I hate when people put major spoilers in reviews so I am going to try not to do that .I won't go into why he married Allie or the excuses he gave Shannon for his choices .
4 years later he is back , he is a police officer and his goal is to win Shannon back . Shannon's life is in danger which puts her directly in Likes path and he starts to work on her to get her back . what he didnt know was the day he told her he loved her but he was marrying someone else ,Shannon was pregnant but when she said she had something to say he told her no . he had to tell her something and if she talked he couldn't do it .
I won't go into everything that happened to Shannon after Luke just jo and left her and married Allie but he was gone for 4 years and never called her or contacted her or anything.
Luke made choices that shattered Shannon's life and caused her a great deal of pain and sorrow that I won't go into . for all his thoughts of good intentions he robbed Allie of someone that might have loved her and took care of her because he did not love Allie and they didn't have a normal marriage.
Then it was like bam bam bam the book was over . Shannon forgave him and the threat was over and his daughter got a new mom . its like the author got tired of writing the book .
In my opinion Luke can try to make up for his choices for the rest of their lives but he caused Shannon unimaginable pain and grief and she lost herself , doesn't matter that he didnt know what was going in he was still the cause of it . and he can try for the rest of his life but Shannon was still his second choice . he never even gave her a thought . maybe I would feel different if the book just didnt seem to end but ....
May 3, 2024
This was just awful. The premise was awful - I get miscommunication, but this was beyond ridiculous. The baby angle (both of them) felt forced. The police work was incomprehensible and the author clearly had no idea what a real investigation looks like, how serial killers act, or what a search warrant is, for that matter. I was a Detective for 11 years so I give authors a lot of leeway when it comes to police work because it's hard to het right. This one felt like they learned everything they needed to know from a bad cop drama.
It was too short on exposition, and the main characters had no chemistry. There was no tension and no spice.
It was too short on exposition, and the main characters had no chemistry. There was no tension and no spice.
October 14, 2025
Too much story for the writer
Having two major plot points - a killer and a MMC who needs to seriously grovel - was too much for this author. There was zero groveling or actual remorse from a love interest whose actions directly caused near-death to the main character, but he's forgiven after ONE apology? It's sickening. That part of the story was not fleshed out at all. This story needed at least two books in order to tell both pain plots thoroughly. 0/10 would not recommend.
Having two major plot points - a killer and a MMC who needs to seriously grovel - was too much for this author. There was zero groveling or actual remorse from a love interest whose actions directly caused near-death to the main character, but he's forgiven after ONE apology? It's sickening. That part of the story was not fleshed out at all. This story needed at least two books in order to tell both pain plots thoroughly. 0/10 would not recommend.
April 4, 2023
After Shannon was attacked a face she never thought she’d see again was at her door but she really wasn’t happy to see him again. Luke was looking into the man who attacked her but he had an another motive for coming back into her life. I really liked how strong Shannon was, she kept her head on her shoulders the entire time. Good story
July 9, 2025
Not a huge fan of these types of books. The writing is great though, and it flows nicely.
I never felt like she was more than. Just his second choice. it didn't change for me. Still a good read.
Did like that both were celibate.
I never felt like she was more than. Just his second choice. it didn't change for me. Still a good read.
Did like that both were celibate.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2025
❤️❤️❤️eek
Wow. That was one intense book. Serial killer and all. Poor Shannon. Luke really hurt her. Coming back from that hurt was not gonna be easy and adding a serial killer to the mix. Crazy.
Wow. That was one intense book. Serial killer and all. Poor Shannon. Luke really hurt her. Coming back from that hurt was not gonna be easy and adding a serial killer to the mix. Crazy.
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March 31, 2023🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/31/2023)! 🎁
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May 18, 2023So... where is/was the romance?
May 3, 2024
This was a great read, couldn't put it down. Going to read the next book very soon.
May 5, 2024
Just eh
May 27, 2024
Loved the murder mystery and the suspense of it all. The love story seemed rushed and forced after all the trauma.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews