Always Been You: A Second Chance Romance

by Gia Kise, Emma Craven (editor), Edem Wemegah (illustrator)

Never sleep with an old crush, especially not the one who still makes your heart race. Lawliss should have remembered that before spending the night with Edmund Montgomery.

Lawliss

On my wedding anniversary, I planned a surprise for my husband only to walk in on him cheating. I didn’t scream. I didn’t cry. I just left. Because what else was there to do?

A much-needed vacation was supposed to be my escape, a way to breathe again. But then he happened, the one person from my past I never expected to see again, Eddie.

In my defense, I was heartbroken, and he was infuriatingly charming, devastatingly attractive, and willing to give me exactly what I needed. It was supposed to be a one-time, with no strings and no second thoughts. I wouldn’t see him again.

But fate had other plans and Eddie isn’t just anyone. He’s the boy I once loved, the man who never truly let me go.

When the past collides with the present—when secrets unravel, and truths come to light—one question

Can I forgive the ultimate betrayal? Or is a second chance doomed from the start?

Eddie

I took my family’s legacy and turned it into an empire. I became the man who takes what he wants.

And I want her, I’ve always wanted her.

When she crashes back into my life, wounded and guarded, I see my chance. A one-night deal turns into something neither of us can walk away from. But Lawliss doesn’t know the full truth.

She doesn’t know I’ve already claimed her in ways she can’t imagine.

And when she finds out?

She might never forgive me.

But can a man like me give her the love she deserves? Or will my darkness ruin us before we even begin?


Always Been You is a high-stakes, steamy second-chance romance where love, betrayal, and revenge collide.

Genres: Second Chance, Contemporary, Romance

300 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 14, 2025

Reviews

[Stephaniec · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sounded like it was generated by AI

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second chance, secret marriage and surprise pregnancy tropes, Gia Kise's debut novel was full of spice, secrets and a few twists.

For her wedding anniversary, Lawliss has planned a surprise getaway for her and her husband. Imagine her surprise when she walks in on him and his secretary, on his desk, pants down and ... well. You get the idea. Fast forward, Lawliss is now divorced and got peer pressured by her sisters to go out and find the perfect one-night stand.
Imagine her shock when she bumps into Eddie. The same Eddie who has had a crush on Lawliss since they were teenagers. The same Eddie who's now a billionaire. The same Eddie who happens to have a secret revenge plot.

Now, throw in a secret marriage, a surprise pregnancy and a few more secrets and you have a beautifully written second chance novel with a HEA.
All in all, a good debut novel. The chemistry between Lawliss and Eddie was great and I loved how they got their second chance at love.

*SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD*.

However, I had one major problem: the secret marriage. Lawliss was described as a cutthroat lawyer and a no-nonsense person. She drew up the legal documents for her divorce and made sure that her ex did not take advantage of the situation. She is the lawyer for her family's multi-million (billion?) dollar business.
Nevertheless, she signed a document (while drunk) and Eddie filled in the papers... and now they're married.

In law school they teach us that you must consent to be married. If not, the marriage can be dissolved/annulled*. It made me so angry that 1) Eddie basically trapped Lawliss into a marriage without her knowledge or consent (especially since she just got out of one) and 2) Lawliss didn't check the document she signed afterwards (she mentioned a few times that she remembered signing something).

(*As I no longer practice law, this is not legal advice. Please consult a lawyer for any legal issues).

3.5 stars overall. Thank you to the author for contacting me personally and providing me with a copy of your book.

[Readsbyraz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always Been You is a brand new, debut book by the sweetest, new to me, author Gia Kise. She reached out to me and kindly offered an ARC if i'd be keen on reading her new work. Let me just say that this is a beautifully written second-chance romance that features a badass heroine, the billionaire MMC we've all been asking for with a sprinkle of vengeance, a secret marriage and a surprise pregnancy all thrown in.

Our main characters are Lawliss ( who is a totally baddie) and Eddie. Throughout the book, do we see their characters grow and evolve. I don't want to spoil too much as the plot twist definitely surprised me.

I enjoyed the way this story was written, as well as the niche way in which the author describes her characters. This stunning first work is officially available tomorrow, and I do hope you give it a try!

Thank you to Gia Kise for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of your new work, I really appreciate it! I wish you all the best on your journey as an author 🤍.

[Mercedes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hooked from page 1. Like, finished in a single day hooked. Lawliss going to meet her husband for their anniversary, only to find him cheating on her really just slingshots this story into a higher intensity. Then we find that she left to Florida, and stories based in Florida always hit closer to home for me since that is where I live! I love how supportive her family is of her. The dynamic between Eddie and Lawliss’ sisters is so refreshing. My only issue is that some of the tropes listed, don’t really play a factor in the story, until about 75% of the way through it. When they did come in to play, they definitely spiced up the story. For me at lease, I haven’t seen a lot of series focused a group of sisters, usually it’s a group of brothers. So the fact that our focus was on the Dua sisters was unique and we got a good idea of their personalities in this one. Looking forward to more of their stories to come out.

[Chasity Trimble · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book one in the Dua series and the first book one read by this author. It follows MC, Lawliss and Edward.

It starts off with Lawliss finding her husband cheating which tugged at my heart for Lawliss. After the divorce she’s been pressured by her sisters to get herself out there and seek out a one night stand. She ends up running into her teenage crush Eddie and the rollercoaster begins!

I loved the dynamic and chemistry between the two. You can definitely feel the tension and it had just the right amount of steam. The secrets and the dark side of Eddie kept me anticipating how Lawliss would react.

As a debut novel, I felt the author did a great job with her writing style and the depth and character development she established. This was a captivating second chance romance with a few twists and secrets revealed. Look forward to reading more from this author. 3.75/5

[Hannah Soileau · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s already mine. And this
time, I won’t let her pull away.

On her wedding anniversary, Lawliss walks in on her husband with another woman. When she runs into Eddie, a familiar billionaire flame, she finds comfort in his arms for one night- so she thought. Eddie is hiding secrets and plotting revenge that could cost him everything.

This was a fun, spicy second chance romance with a few twists and turns that kept me on my feet. The chemistry between Lawliss and Eddie had me kicking my feet, the revenge plot was executed perfectly, and the secrets were so juicy

Thank you gia for sending me this advanced reader’s copy! You did a great job!

[Celestia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good! A faster read which I loved and a lot happened! What a story! Lawless is absolutely amazing and such a strong woman to come back so strong from betrayal. I adore Eddie and the worshiping that man does. Empress, just stop it. He devoured her like she was everything and she is!! I enjoyed the story behind Eddie as well as how everything was intertwined. Spicy scenes were great and gave me goosebumps. SO MANY GREAT QUOTES in there that just had me giddy. “That’s it, Empress. I want your pretty eyes on me when I bring you to the edge.”
It’s billionaire, childhood crush/second chance, she’s mine, strong FMC & MMC all wrapped into a great story!

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as an ARC read from the author to get my honest opinion on it. This book is a roller coaster of emotions, you go from heartache to a slow passionate build with just the right amount of spice thrown in. Than out of no where secrets and a twist at the end. Truly a must read for those that love a second chance romance.

[Hadassah Ajayi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The books follows Eddie and Lawliss.
Eddie wants revenge and wants Lawliss and was willing to do anything to get both.

It's an interesting storyline and this is the author's debut novel which is amazing.
I do wish it had better dialogue, I kept getting yanked out of the book because of that. if you can get through that, it's a good novel

I am grateful I received an ARC of this book for free. This is a voluntary review.

[To Read Toad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always Been You by Gia Kise is an enjoyable second-chance romance with plenty of steam and emotional tension. The chemistry between the main characters keeps the story engaging, and the plot moves quickly with some surprising twists. While some character moments felt a bit rushed, it’s still a fun, dramatic read for romance lovers.

[Danielle Mathis · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ for this fun debut novel! I love a good second-chance romance and this book definitely delivered on that! The plot was good and there was a good mix of character development and spice throughout. Overall a good read!

[Narinder Gore · Rating 3 out of 5]

A debut novel for the author and it is definitely a good first book! It follows the story of two individuals who reconnect after many years and jointly deal with the revenge that Edmund wishes to pursue regarding his parents death. I found it an easy read with likeable characters- my favourite being Elise the sister! It has laugh out loud moments and is a good book if you need a palette cleanser from something quite heavy!
All in all, I am glad I read it as it was a perfect holiday read that I devoured. Books with a guaranteed happy ending are always sweet 😊

[Emma :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! It had all my favorite tropes and I just ate this book up! It had great writing, great characters, and I loved the plot! You will totally love this book!

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars
2/5 spice

RTC

[Benthe Hoek · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good just felt a bit rushed.

[Emily Emerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. It’s an easy read . Solid characters and great storyline

[Meghan Pennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice second chance romance with really well written spice!

I enjoyed the characters, and the fact that they had substance and personality to each of them.

I did think that the plot was good, although there was a few times where I felt it wasn't explained quite enough, or things just ended abruptly without a really satisfying resolution.

Gia definitely has a lot of potential as an author, so I am looking forward to seeing what her future books have in store.