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Serendipitous Love #3
Fall in Love Again: Serendipitous Love, Book 3
Everybody knows you don’t marry the rebound guy.
And yet, that’s exactly what Charlie does. But once the husband is out of the picture - kinda - she’s ready to leap forward with her life. She returns to the neighborhood she left, the business she missed, and into arm’s reach of Nixon - the reason she needed a rebound guy in the first place.
Other than rebuilding her life, Charlie has one main goal now that she’s back in the place she considers Stay as far away from Nixon as she can. But their long history, his magnetic charm, and a certain sense of unfinished business makes that much, much harder than Charlie thought.
Nixon is willing to own up to his part in their breakup, but for Charlie, finding a place of forgiveness is going to take much more than that. She’s willing to take a chance on friendship - something they’ve had since they were kids - but falling in love again? That’s a whole different story.
And yet, that’s exactly what Charlie does. But once the husband is out of the picture - kinda - she’s ready to leap forward with her life. She returns to the neighborhood she left, the business she missed, and into arm’s reach of Nixon - the reason she needed a rebound guy in the first place.
Other than rebuilding her life, Charlie has one main goal now that she’s back in the place she considers Stay as far away from Nixon as she can. But their long history, his magnetic charm, and a certain sense of unfinished business makes that much, much harder than Charlie thought.
Nixon is willing to own up to his part in their breakup, but for Charlie, finding a place of forgiveness is going to take much more than that. She’s willing to take a chance on friendship - something they’ve had since they were kids - but falling in love again? That’s a whole different story.
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First published January 18, 2015
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December 24, 2022
5 “honeybun” stars!!✨
“Just a little beard oil. Nothing major.” I chuckled a little, then turned to her with a smile. “You think my beard is soft, huh?” She raised an eyebrow, looking a little confused. “Um… yeah… why?” I shrugged. “No reason, really. I was just gonna ask if you wanted to test it out.” Her eyebrow drifted a little higher. “… Test it out?” “Yeah,” I nodded. “Let me know if it’s a good cushion for when you sit on my fa—“ “Nix!” Charlie snatched her hand away from me, and gave me the same scolding look I used to get from my mother. A second later, I could tell she was fighting hard not to smile. “Must you say such inappropriate things to me?” “I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m out here trying to be a gentleman, offer you a place to rest after a long day on your feet… man, you’re tripping.”
Nix & Charlie were my undoing!! Second chance romance at its finest!! I literally can’t stop with this series!!
“Just a little beard oil. Nothing major.” I chuckled a little, then turned to her with a smile. “You think my beard is soft, huh?” She raised an eyebrow, looking a little confused. “Um… yeah… why?” I shrugged. “No reason, really. I was just gonna ask if you wanted to test it out.” Her eyebrow drifted a little higher. “… Test it out?” “Yeah,” I nodded. “Let me know if it’s a good cushion for when you sit on my fa—“ “Nix!” Charlie snatched her hand away from me, and gave me the same scolding look I used to get from my mother. A second later, I could tell she was fighting hard not to smile. “Must you say such inappropriate things to me?” “I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m out here trying to be a gentleman, offer you a place to rest after a long day on your feet… man, you’re tripping.”
Nix & Charlie were my undoing!! Second chance romance at its finest!! I literally can’t stop with this series!!
Want to read
August 27, 2023This is what happens ⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️spoilers⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
For me there is cheating. A ton actually from both parts. H to h and h to both om. TW MISCARRIAGE, CHEATING, wrong imprisonment, …
This is what happens ⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️ spoilers ⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
H and h has been friends forever and decide to start dating. Have been dating for 5 years when h gets pregnant. h imo is happier than H abour baby but he is very happy and then they have a traumatic c section and they baby doesn’t survive (below you can see exactly what happened in the extract that I put at the end). h is depressed and they are surrounded by the baby’s stuff. After two months of the baby’s death. h forces H to choose between marriage or break up. At this point they are like 6 years together and because H’s dad thought that marriage is what made him an asshole. H doesn’t want to get marry so he says no. They break up. So, what do you think H does? Yeah, between all the options H goes and sleeps with random ow (I think it’s random) (H explains everything in the extract that i put at the end)
Three days later, h goes to where H is and they reconcile. Turns out H bought an engagement ring to h a year ago but didn’t like that she pressed him to marry and he was doing everything (H and h has a business together. A restaurant) so he proposes. Does he tell her about ow? No before asking to marry her. Days later, H feels guilty even tho “they were on a break” but he knows h doesn’t think like that and is going to think he cheated. For him, apparently he thought this was the end so he got drunk and slept with random while h was drunk crying for H and their baby.
He tells her and she throw at him a hot pan and the ring. They break up. h starts to sleep with OM 4 days after the breakup and bc they work together she is kinda happy that she is doing that (the sex is also amazing) but feels a bit guilty until she remembers what he did.
So, they work together for a bit and then h decides to leave with OM to California and then she marries him. It’s more of a companionship than romance but the sex is good and they both want the same. They try to have kids until OM goes to jail for money laundering (or something like that)
h wants a divorce and goes back home. H is back home in their business and still wants a chance and let’s her know. She thinks he is delusional. H has NOT been celibate. Has had gf but nothing serious. H is mad h got married and move on.
They decide to be friends. h goes on a date with OM and kiss him. They kiss multiple times. H is a bit of an asshole and jokes about h being bigger. h self esteem is not very high and this hurts her. H is trying to win her back but this comments and the fact that he flirts with some random clients where h can see him doesn’t help his case.
Also, h kisses H and wants to have sex but he says no bc she is drunk and a bit lost. h continues to date OM and then have sex with H. They say to each other ily. h cries and H tells her it was all his fault. She is going to come back to date om bc she can’t forgive what he did.
Her family and friends talk with her and basically says yeah he fucked up but didn’t cheat bc you weren’t together. You are also to blame and H was very good to you for a long time. We all know you want him back so suck it up. Even tho they all agree H did give dirty they try to push them together. h agrees and H and h starts dating. One month after dating H realize that h is actually not divorce. Her husband turns out it was not guilty of the charges and wants her back. Also, h is pregnant with H’s kids. H is mad but instead of sleeping outside he decides to come back home and some days later they talk about it.
They have two kids and are very happy. She is finally divorce but hasn’t said anything to H about marriage. H finally decides to propose.
There is also that I find kinda cute in all of this. H’s bff is dating h’s bff. They have been dating for almost a year but he really loves her. Apparently he put her through a lot too (don’t know if it’s in another book but doesn’t specify) and asks H if he should propose to his gf or wait. He says 100% propose. Don’t wait. You love her you propose. Don’t do what I did. Mine got married to someone else bc of my fault.
Also, H is scared of getting married bc they parents marriage. He knew when he was younger that they have a tumultuous relationship and that his dad blamed everything on the marriage. Turns out that after what H did, his mom told him that they got marriage one weekend and he did more hours of works to save and got into an accident. Started to drink and cheat and thought it was okay bc it’s all fault of the marriage. His mom is now remarried to a wealthy mom that treats her like gold and his relationship with his dad is bad and tells him about what he did in his marriage and how he is no one to talks about mistakes.
This is what H says about the night of the break up (cheating) and all that went down before:
“As if he could hear the unformed question in my mind, Nixon pulled me close, planting a kiss on my head before he spoke. “I was hurt. Worst pain I’d ever felt when the doctor told us Noah had passed away. But you flipped out, so I was just trying to get you home, since they said you would probably go into labor soon, and that would be easier on you than if they induced. I remember not wanting to take you home, because you were… just devastated, you know? I got you home and I tried to calm you down, but you didn’t want me to touch you. You ended up crying yourself to sleep. While you were sleeping, I went downstairs, to… get myself together.”
He paused there, to clear his throat. This was one of the parts I did remember, and I was so used to Nix being the “strong” one that it didn’t surprise me at all for him to gloss over what “getting himself together” really meant.
“Anyway, I looked up, and you were there. I didn’t even hear you come down, or know how long you’d been there, but the look on your face was like you were hurt, and confused, and just… out of it. You didn’t say anything, just went back up to the apartment, and a few minutes later… something told me to go check on you. When I got up there…. It was a mess. You were in the kitchen, juice and soda everywhere, and while you were drinking, you kept saying “I’ll get him back for you,” like you thought I was blaming you, or something.”
He stopped again, shifting as if he was uncomfortable saying whatever happened next.
“Nix… what is it? Did… did something happen?” I pulled away, so that I could see his face, and he gave a heavy sigh as he dropped his eyes.
“You… uh… your eyes… it was like they were blank. Like you were in there, somewhere, but your body was on autopilot, and I guess… the grief just took over. You got a knife, and you started telling me that the baby was probably suffocating, and if you could just get him out, you could help… it was like something in you had just snapped. That’s when I decided to take you back to the hospital.”
I raised my hand to cover my mouth, trying to catch my suddenly short breath. “I… Nixon, are you serious?”
Almost reluctantly, he nodded. “When I got you to the hospital, your vitals were all over the place. They gave you something to calm you down, and once that worked, they decided to go ahead and induce labor. Then everything went wrong again. “Your blood pressure dropped too low, and the labor wasn’t progressing, and then your vitals went nuts again, and they told me they had to get the baby out now, so they gave you a C-section, and I couldn’t go back there with you. Scariest fucking hour of my life, cause… shit, I thought maybe I was about to lose you too. Then… when it was all over… you just didn’t want to talk about it. None of it. You would get so upset, and shut down, or kick me out of the room, so I finally just stopped trying to talk about it.”
“And then… I started pretending like I was okay.”
“Yeah.” He drew me close again, tipping up my chin to kiss me. “Thank you, for not pushing me away again.”
I shook my head, swallowing back tears as they threatened to start again. “You don’t have to thank me for doing what I should do. I’m sorry for being selfish. You needed to grieve, and I was so busy just trying to get away from the pain that I didn’t even consider you. And I’m so sorry for that.”
Nixon kissed me again, reaching up to wipe away the stray tears that escaped down my cheeks. “You were distraught, baby. I didn’t quite get it then, but I do now. I can’t hold that against you. I’m not holding it against you… okay?”
“Okay,” I agreed, managing a little smile through my tears as Nix cupped my face in his hands.
When I met his gaze, Nixon’s expression turned serious again, the sadness in his eyes morphing into regret. “I’m the one who should be apologizing.”
“For what?”
He scoffed, then used his thumb to caress my face. “You know what.”
I did, but I looked away, leaning to rest my head on his shoulder. For a long moment, neither of us said anything, then finally, I cleared my throat. “Why, Nix? I mean… I get that I backed you into a corner, tried to force you into marriage but… you just walked away. Then slept with someone else. I can accept that I shouldn’t have made a demand on you, forced you to make a choice… but I need you to help me understand why you did what you did.”
Nixon sighed, then began stroking my arm. “Okay. You knew I loved you, right? Is that a fair statement to make?”
I nodded.
“And you knew that I would do pretty much anything for you, right? And that wasn’t just talk, either. Anything you wanted that was within my power to give, I gave it to you, right?”
“Right.”
“Okay. Baby… being with you, wasn’t something I took lightly. I knew, without a doubt, that I wanted you in my life, forever. That night, when you were listing off all your positive qualities, I agreed with every single one. Charlie, you were — hell, are — it for me. The one person I could see my future with, clearly, so I made sure to fulfill my roles, protector, provider, friend, lover… whatever you needed me to give you, I gave. Whatever you needed me to do for you, I did. But that night… it was like none of that mattered. Despite everything else, all of sudden I had to give you a ring in order to prove it.
And… I’m not gonna lie, that pissed me off. Especially when you knew my views on marriage. How many times did you have to talk me outta running away from home? How many days did me, you, and Carter skip senior year because you were trying to cheer me up after my parents got into it? I grew up with that shit, my pops drilling into my head to never get married, it fucks everything up… that’s what I saw. “With my own eyes, I saw the clear difference. Before the wedding, they were happy. Afterwards, everything went to shit. I didn’t want that for us, baby. Never. But you were forcing me to choose. Confirm that I loved you by condemning our relationship to fail, so we could end up hating each other, or break up now and save ourselves the trouble. That’s what those choices sounded like to me.
So… I chose to walk away. I shouldn’t have. I should have stayed, forced you to talk to me, refused to make a choice between two fucked up options. But I was pissed off. It’s like… if a ring was the thing that proved my love, after I’ve spent six years doing my damndest to be the best man I could possibly be for you… what was the point anyway? You weren’t asking for time, for attention, for more affection, for me to give you flowers more often, take you out more, hell, to clean up around the house. You needed a thing. And I had the “thing”. I’d already bought the ring, before you got pregnant, because I knew you wanted it. I just had to figure if and how I could get around my own bullshit to give you what you wanted it. But then you demanded it. Everything I did wasn’t good enough. I wasn’t good enough, unless I gave you this thing. I mean… I know better now, after my mom talked some sense into my head, but back then, right in that moment, it just felt like it was over anyway.”
Wow.
“So… you felt like just when we were there… when you were right at the finish line of proving you loved me… I threw a hurdle in your way.”
He nodded. “Exactly like that. An impossible hurdle. I mean… you know me, Charlie. Know I don’t give up easy. But… only a few months had passed after we lost the baby, you were still in recovery, so I was handling everything at the restaurant by myself, and then you dropped that on me, and baby…. I was just tired. So I took what seemed to be the path of least resistance. Physically, emotionally, mentally… I was just out of energy. I didn’t leave you at our apartment to go out looking for somebody to cheat on you with. I was looking for my dad, because I knew he would reinforce me. He got it, he would see where I was coming from.” Nixon stopped for a moment, then shrugged. “But I couldn’t find him. So I started drinking a little bit, and then a little more.”
He pulled me up, tipping my chin up so that I could meet his gaze. “Now… Charlie, I’m not about to sit here and insult you by telling the lie that I didn’t know what I was doing. I knew what I was doing when I went to that girl’s house. It was fucked up, I know that. But with that said, I need you to know that in my mind, you and I were broken up… I’d lost you. Not that it makes it okay. I should have been at home, fixing things with you, and instead I was out having a pity party for myself. I have no excuse for that, and I’m sorry. But I need you to know, baby, I would never, ever knowingly cheat on you. The only reason I went home with her, is because it was my understanding that you and I weren’t together anymore. I was hurt, and I was angry, and … whether or not it was right, that’s how I chose to deal with it. And when I gave you the ring that day you came back? It had nothing to do with trying to cover anything up, and everything to do with not wanting to lose you again since I was lucky enough to get you back. If I wanted to conceal it, it could have stayed concealed. I was in another city, I used protection… I could have kept it to myself. Maybe I should have kept it to myself. But once you accepted the ring, I accepted the responsibility of making sure our marriage didn’t end up like my mom and dad. I wanted to have a happy life with you, and I knew starting out with a secret wasn’t the way to make it happen. So… I owned up to what I did. And… you already know the rest.”
I gave him a little smile. “Yeah.”
I tried not to let it show on my face, but my head was swimming with emotions. Grief and sadness over his recollection of the loss of the baby. Annoyance, bitterness, and anger over the way he characterized our breakup. Was he really trying to blame me? But then… that indignation gave way to understanding. Just as when Eddie and Viv tried to break it down to me, I could see where my own actions directly related to his. Hearing it from his mouth, from his point of view, gave me the opportunity to see his side. Once I stopped trying to place all of the blame on him, and accepted some of my own… it gave way to forgiveness.
For me there is cheating. A ton actually from both parts. H to h and h to both om. TW MISCARRIAGE, CHEATING, wrong imprisonment, …
This is what happens ⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️ spoilers ⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
H and h has been friends forever and decide to start dating. Have been dating for 5 years when h gets pregnant. h imo is happier than H abour baby but he is very happy and then they have a traumatic c section and they baby doesn’t survive (below you can see exactly what happened in the extract that I put at the end). h is depressed and they are surrounded by the baby’s stuff. After two months of the baby’s death. h forces H to choose between marriage or break up. At this point they are like 6 years together and because H’s dad thought that marriage is what made him an asshole. H doesn’t want to get marry so he says no. They break up. So, what do you think H does? Yeah, between all the options H goes and sleeps with random ow (I think it’s random) (H explains everything in the extract that i put at the end)
Three days later, h goes to where H is and they reconcile. Turns out H bought an engagement ring to h a year ago but didn’t like that she pressed him to marry and he was doing everything (H and h has a business together. A restaurant) so he proposes. Does he tell her about ow? No before asking to marry her. Days later, H feels guilty even tho “they were on a break” but he knows h doesn’t think like that and is going to think he cheated. For him, apparently he thought this was the end so he got drunk and slept with random while h was drunk crying for H and their baby.
He tells her and she throw at him a hot pan and the ring. They break up. h starts to sleep with OM 4 days after the breakup and bc they work together she is kinda happy that she is doing that (the sex is also amazing) but feels a bit guilty until she remembers what he did.
So, they work together for a bit and then h decides to leave with OM to California and then she marries him. It’s more of a companionship than romance but the sex is good and they both want the same. They try to have kids until OM goes to jail for money laundering (or something like that)
h wants a divorce and goes back home. H is back home in their business and still wants a chance and let’s her know. She thinks he is delusional. H has NOT been celibate. Has had gf but nothing serious. H is mad h got married and move on.
They decide to be friends. h goes on a date with OM and kiss him. They kiss multiple times. H is a bit of an asshole and jokes about h being bigger. h self esteem is not very high and this hurts her. H is trying to win her back but this comments and the fact that he flirts with some random clients where h can see him doesn’t help his case.
Also, h kisses H and wants to have sex but he says no bc she is drunk and a bit lost. h continues to date OM and then have sex with H. They say to each other ily. h cries and H tells her it was all his fault. She is going to come back to date om bc she can’t forgive what he did.
Her family and friends talk with her and basically says yeah he fucked up but didn’t cheat bc you weren’t together. You are also to blame and H was very good to you for a long time. We all know you want him back so suck it up. Even tho they all agree H did give dirty they try to push them together. h agrees and H and h starts dating. One month after dating H realize that h is actually not divorce. Her husband turns out it was not guilty of the charges and wants her back. Also, h is pregnant with H’s kids. H is mad but instead of sleeping outside he decides to come back home and some days later they talk about it.
They have two kids and are very happy. She is finally divorce but hasn’t said anything to H about marriage. H finally decides to propose.
There is also that I find kinda cute in all of this. H’s bff is dating h’s bff. They have been dating for almost a year but he really loves her. Apparently he put her through a lot too (don’t know if it’s in another book but doesn’t specify) and asks H if he should propose to his gf or wait. He says 100% propose. Don’t wait. You love her you propose. Don’t do what I did. Mine got married to someone else bc of my fault.
Also, H is scared of getting married bc they parents marriage. He knew when he was younger that they have a tumultuous relationship and that his dad blamed everything on the marriage. Turns out that after what H did, his mom told him that they got marriage one weekend and he did more hours of works to save and got into an accident. Started to drink and cheat and thought it was okay bc it’s all fault of the marriage. His mom is now remarried to a wealthy mom that treats her like gold and his relationship with his dad is bad and tells him about what he did in his marriage and how he is no one to talks about mistakes.
This is what H says about the night of the break up (cheating) and all that went down before:
“As if he could hear the unformed question in my mind, Nixon pulled me close, planting a kiss on my head before he spoke. “I was hurt. Worst pain I’d ever felt when the doctor told us Noah had passed away. But you flipped out, so I was just trying to get you home, since they said you would probably go into labor soon, and that would be easier on you than if they induced. I remember not wanting to take you home, because you were… just devastated, you know? I got you home and I tried to calm you down, but you didn’t want me to touch you. You ended up crying yourself to sleep. While you were sleeping, I went downstairs, to… get myself together.”
He paused there, to clear his throat. This was one of the parts I did remember, and I was so used to Nix being the “strong” one that it didn’t surprise me at all for him to gloss over what “getting himself together” really meant.
“Anyway, I looked up, and you were there. I didn’t even hear you come down, or know how long you’d been there, but the look on your face was like you were hurt, and confused, and just… out of it. You didn’t say anything, just went back up to the apartment, and a few minutes later… something told me to go check on you. When I got up there…. It was a mess. You were in the kitchen, juice and soda everywhere, and while you were drinking, you kept saying “I’ll get him back for you,” like you thought I was blaming you, or something.”
He stopped again, shifting as if he was uncomfortable saying whatever happened next.
“Nix… what is it? Did… did something happen?” I pulled away, so that I could see his face, and he gave a heavy sigh as he dropped his eyes.
“You… uh… your eyes… it was like they were blank. Like you were in there, somewhere, but your body was on autopilot, and I guess… the grief just took over. You got a knife, and you started telling me that the baby was probably suffocating, and if you could just get him out, you could help… it was like something in you had just snapped. That’s when I decided to take you back to the hospital.”
I raised my hand to cover my mouth, trying to catch my suddenly short breath. “I… Nixon, are you serious?”
Almost reluctantly, he nodded. “When I got you to the hospital, your vitals were all over the place. They gave you something to calm you down, and once that worked, they decided to go ahead and induce labor. Then everything went wrong again. “Your blood pressure dropped too low, and the labor wasn’t progressing, and then your vitals went nuts again, and they told me they had to get the baby out now, so they gave you a C-section, and I couldn’t go back there with you. Scariest fucking hour of my life, cause… shit, I thought maybe I was about to lose you too. Then… when it was all over… you just didn’t want to talk about it. None of it. You would get so upset, and shut down, or kick me out of the room, so I finally just stopped trying to talk about it.”
“And then… I started pretending like I was okay.”
“Yeah.” He drew me close again, tipping up my chin to kiss me. “Thank you, for not pushing me away again.”
I shook my head, swallowing back tears as they threatened to start again. “You don’t have to thank me for doing what I should do. I’m sorry for being selfish. You needed to grieve, and I was so busy just trying to get away from the pain that I didn’t even consider you. And I’m so sorry for that.”
Nixon kissed me again, reaching up to wipe away the stray tears that escaped down my cheeks. “You were distraught, baby. I didn’t quite get it then, but I do now. I can’t hold that against you. I’m not holding it against you… okay?”
“Okay,” I agreed, managing a little smile through my tears as Nix cupped my face in his hands.
When I met his gaze, Nixon’s expression turned serious again, the sadness in his eyes morphing into regret. “I’m the one who should be apologizing.”
“For what?”
He scoffed, then used his thumb to caress my face. “You know what.”
I did, but I looked away, leaning to rest my head on his shoulder. For a long moment, neither of us said anything, then finally, I cleared my throat. “Why, Nix? I mean… I get that I backed you into a corner, tried to force you into marriage but… you just walked away. Then slept with someone else. I can accept that I shouldn’t have made a demand on you, forced you to make a choice… but I need you to help me understand why you did what you did.”
Nixon sighed, then began stroking my arm. “Okay. You knew I loved you, right? Is that a fair statement to make?”
I nodded.
“And you knew that I would do pretty much anything for you, right? And that wasn’t just talk, either. Anything you wanted that was within my power to give, I gave it to you, right?”
“Right.”
“Okay. Baby… being with you, wasn’t something I took lightly. I knew, without a doubt, that I wanted you in my life, forever. That night, when you were listing off all your positive qualities, I agreed with every single one. Charlie, you were — hell, are — it for me. The one person I could see my future with, clearly, so I made sure to fulfill my roles, protector, provider, friend, lover… whatever you needed me to give you, I gave. Whatever you needed me to do for you, I did. But that night… it was like none of that mattered. Despite everything else, all of sudden I had to give you a ring in order to prove it.
And… I’m not gonna lie, that pissed me off. Especially when you knew my views on marriage. How many times did you have to talk me outta running away from home? How many days did me, you, and Carter skip senior year because you were trying to cheer me up after my parents got into it? I grew up with that shit, my pops drilling into my head to never get married, it fucks everything up… that’s what I saw. “With my own eyes, I saw the clear difference. Before the wedding, they were happy. Afterwards, everything went to shit. I didn’t want that for us, baby. Never. But you were forcing me to choose. Confirm that I loved you by condemning our relationship to fail, so we could end up hating each other, or break up now and save ourselves the trouble. That’s what those choices sounded like to me.
So… I chose to walk away. I shouldn’t have. I should have stayed, forced you to talk to me, refused to make a choice between two fucked up options. But I was pissed off. It’s like… if a ring was the thing that proved my love, after I’ve spent six years doing my damndest to be the best man I could possibly be for you… what was the point anyway? You weren’t asking for time, for attention, for more affection, for me to give you flowers more often, take you out more, hell, to clean up around the house. You needed a thing. And I had the “thing”. I’d already bought the ring, before you got pregnant, because I knew you wanted it. I just had to figure if and how I could get around my own bullshit to give you what you wanted it. But then you demanded it. Everything I did wasn’t good enough. I wasn’t good enough, unless I gave you this thing. I mean… I know better now, after my mom talked some sense into my head, but back then, right in that moment, it just felt like it was over anyway.”
Wow.
“So… you felt like just when we were there… when you were right at the finish line of proving you loved me… I threw a hurdle in your way.”
He nodded. “Exactly like that. An impossible hurdle. I mean… you know me, Charlie. Know I don’t give up easy. But… only a few months had passed after we lost the baby, you were still in recovery, so I was handling everything at the restaurant by myself, and then you dropped that on me, and baby…. I was just tired. So I took what seemed to be the path of least resistance. Physically, emotionally, mentally… I was just out of energy. I didn’t leave you at our apartment to go out looking for somebody to cheat on you with. I was looking for my dad, because I knew he would reinforce me. He got it, he would see where I was coming from.” Nixon stopped for a moment, then shrugged. “But I couldn’t find him. So I started drinking a little bit, and then a little more.”
He pulled me up, tipping my chin up so that I could meet his gaze. “Now… Charlie, I’m not about to sit here and insult you by telling the lie that I didn’t know what I was doing. I knew what I was doing when I went to that girl’s house. It was fucked up, I know that. But with that said, I need you to know that in my mind, you and I were broken up… I’d lost you. Not that it makes it okay. I should have been at home, fixing things with you, and instead I was out having a pity party for myself. I have no excuse for that, and I’m sorry. But I need you to know, baby, I would never, ever knowingly cheat on you. The only reason I went home with her, is because it was my understanding that you and I weren’t together anymore. I was hurt, and I was angry, and … whether or not it was right, that’s how I chose to deal with it. And when I gave you the ring that day you came back? It had nothing to do with trying to cover anything up, and everything to do with not wanting to lose you again since I was lucky enough to get you back. If I wanted to conceal it, it could have stayed concealed. I was in another city, I used protection… I could have kept it to myself. Maybe I should have kept it to myself. But once you accepted the ring, I accepted the responsibility of making sure our marriage didn’t end up like my mom and dad. I wanted to have a happy life with you, and I knew starting out with a secret wasn’t the way to make it happen. So… I owned up to what I did. And… you already know the rest.”
I gave him a little smile. “Yeah.”
I tried not to let it show on my face, but my head was swimming with emotions. Grief and sadness over his recollection of the loss of the baby. Annoyance, bitterness, and anger over the way he characterized our breakup. Was he really trying to blame me? But then… that indignation gave way to understanding. Just as when Eddie and Viv tried to break it down to me, I could see where my own actions directly related to his. Hearing it from his mouth, from his point of view, gave me the opportunity to see his side. Once I stopped trying to place all of the blame on him, and accepted some of my own… it gave way to forgiveness.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2020
When I tell y'all I am tired of crying! Charlie and Nixon took me through it! Their relationship issues were real, relatable, and heartbreaking. The chemistry between Nixon and Charlie was so intense you could almost feel it coming off pages. The witty back and forth banter was hilarious! This is what I love about CCJ's books. You are guaranteed a good laugh and ugly cry at the same damn time. The conversation about vaginal rejuvenation between Nix and Charlie had me hollering and when they finally had the talk about their break-up, I was mopping tears from my face and tossing back a glass of wine. It's a great mix of humor and sorrow. Nixon and Charlie have officially become my favorite couple in this series. Fall In Love Again was a journey of rekindled love and I enjoyed every minute of it.
January 29, 2015
AN APB PERSPECTIVE REVIEW...
One of my favorite movies of all times is Love Jones… I loved it because it showed us for the first time in era were black movies were gang banging, drug dealing and of the like, Real Black Love from a Real Black couple. It is a staple in my movie collection, it is a must watch at least once a year… I have gotten better it was once a month… Well I say all of that to say FALL IN LOVE AGAIN… is the Love Jones of Books.
I have been a Christina Jones fan since Strictly Business. I have seen her writing Pen grow and grow and grow and I know we can only expect better and greater things from her.
Now Nixon and Charlie are now my new favorite couple. It was Carter and Viv, I still love them but Nix and Charlie are just a love smoothie. Nix grabbed me from the start with his humor and wit. The things that rolled out of his mouth kept me in stiches from laughing. Nixon is also the almost perfect Man cocktail. Loving, Caring, Sexy, Funny, Attentive, Hot, Provider, Protector and yes damn it faithful. I know some will give side eye but please. The Love that Nix has for Charlie is a tangible thing. You can almost see it leap off of your kindle and wrap your heart in it too. I love the Fire between them. Each encounter is seems as if you are walking into a 5 alarm blazing inferno. Nixon is genuine in his pursuit of Charlie to indeed have her love him again, but you can’t love again when you never stopped in the first place. I love the progression of their rekindling and the realness of the journey.
My Charlie, what do you do with a broken heart….. You find the glue to put it back together. Nixon Graham is that glue. Charlie is back home dealing with her own present issues to be thrust right back into her past issues that were never resolved. She left and rebounded into a marriage that was a total mistake. She never stopped loving Nix and I just love how he was able to get her to not only see it but understand it and allow the steps of forgiveness to be built. I loved how Christina showed us the raw, uncovered core of pain Charlie went through and was still harboring. She had to see the hurt from both eyes not just her own and Christina weaved that story so well.
Lord the Supporting characters just made the book that more endearing. Just as Savon, Josie, Shelia, Eddie and even Hollywood made Darius and Nina life enriched, Carter, Viv, Roman, Simone and yes we have an Eddie also, did the same for Nixon and Charlie. They were just the right amount of Support, Love and in your face truth for each of them. There was humor abounding in this book. I laughed until my stomach hurt at M & M, the Wonder twins…. This was simply a well written book that you will read again and again. So if you are a True Romance connoisseur, a fan of Love Jones....Brown Sugar..... The Wood and Love and Basketball kind of Friendships and Love with some Christina Jones extras, then this book and the entire Serendipitous Love series is definitely for you... Spectacular Ms. Jones….
One of my favorite movies of all times is Love Jones… I loved it because it showed us for the first time in era were black movies were gang banging, drug dealing and of the like, Real Black Love from a Real Black couple. It is a staple in my movie collection, it is a must watch at least once a year… I have gotten better it was once a month… Well I say all of that to say FALL IN LOVE AGAIN… is the Love Jones of Books.
I have been a Christina Jones fan since Strictly Business. I have seen her writing Pen grow and grow and grow and I know we can only expect better and greater things from her.
Now Nixon and Charlie are now my new favorite couple. It was Carter and Viv, I still love them but Nix and Charlie are just a love smoothie. Nix grabbed me from the start with his humor and wit. The things that rolled out of his mouth kept me in stiches from laughing. Nixon is also the almost perfect Man cocktail. Loving, Caring, Sexy, Funny, Attentive, Hot, Provider, Protector and yes damn it faithful. I know some will give side eye but please. The Love that Nix has for Charlie is a tangible thing. You can almost see it leap off of your kindle and wrap your heart in it too. I love the Fire between them. Each encounter is seems as if you are walking into a 5 alarm blazing inferno. Nixon is genuine in his pursuit of Charlie to indeed have her love him again, but you can’t love again when you never stopped in the first place. I love the progression of their rekindling and the realness of the journey.
My Charlie, what do you do with a broken heart….. You find the glue to put it back together. Nixon Graham is that glue. Charlie is back home dealing with her own present issues to be thrust right back into her past issues that were never resolved. She left and rebounded into a marriage that was a total mistake. She never stopped loving Nix and I just love how he was able to get her to not only see it but understand it and allow the steps of forgiveness to be built. I loved how Christina showed us the raw, uncovered core of pain Charlie went through and was still harboring. She had to see the hurt from both eyes not just her own and Christina weaved that story so well.
Lord the Supporting characters just made the book that more endearing. Just as Savon, Josie, Shelia, Eddie and even Hollywood made Darius and Nina life enriched, Carter, Viv, Roman, Simone and yes we have an Eddie also, did the same for Nixon and Charlie. They were just the right amount of Support, Love and in your face truth for each of them. There was humor abounding in this book. I laughed until my stomach hurt at M & M, the Wonder twins…. This was simply a well written book that you will read again and again. So if you are a True Romance connoisseur, a fan of Love Jones....Brown Sugar..... The Wood and Love and Basketball kind of Friendships and Love with some Christina Jones extras, then this book and the entire Serendipitous Love series is definitely for you... Spectacular Ms. Jones….
March 17, 2015
Fall in Love Again is the third installment of the very enjoyable Serendipitous Love series and the strongest of the three books, I think, mostly because of the development of Nixon and Charlie's relationship (although Carter and Viv remain my favorite couple). The conflicts presented were real (there are truly some heartbreaking moments here, without giving away spoilers) and this book gave me the warm and fuzzies. I almost see color when reading this series—warm peach and brown hues. Okay, that's admittedly weird but it's true.
WHAT I LOVED:
•The chemistry between Nixon and Charlie. It was sexually charged but beneath the fun banter was real heart. You understood without any doubts that these were two people that genuinely loved and understood each other... even when they were making bad decisions.
•The witty banter. Christina does a great job with writing fantastic dialogue and I found myself smiling throughout this book, as with every story I've read by her.
•The vibe of the book. I know that sounds a little strange, and not very descriptive, but there's no other way for me to describe it. This series just sets a warm and fuzzy mood that stays with you after the last page is read...a sign of a really talented writer, in my opinion.
All in all, another really great read by Christina.
WHAT I LOVED:
•The chemistry between Nixon and Charlie. It was sexually charged but beneath the fun banter was real heart. You understood without any doubts that these were two people that genuinely loved and understood each other... even when they were making bad decisions.
•The witty banter. Christina does a great job with writing fantastic dialogue and I found myself smiling throughout this book, as with every story I've read by her.
•The vibe of the book. I know that sounds a little strange, and not very descriptive, but there's no other way for me to describe it. This series just sets a warm and fuzzy mood that stays with you after the last page is read...a sign of a really talented writer, in my opinion.
All in all, another really great read by Christina.
June 10, 2023
4.5 stars
January 22, 2021
this is my favorite book in this series
December 20, 2022
So very, very good! A wonderful second chance. Nixon and Charlie were everything! Happy reading!
January 26, 2015
This is Christina C Jones 10th book baby and they just keep getting better and better. Nixon and Charlie's story was wonderful. I'm ready to read more about that nut, Eddie.
November 7, 2022
Start over
Charlie and Nixon were a frustrating duo, yet I enjoyed their journey.
I think Charlie holding onto the grief of her son Noah, is what ultimately broke up her and Nixon. Yes, he messed up, yet her reasoning for even pushing for marriage wasn't bc of her need to do it, yet her need to not lose Nixon bc of their recent loss. I fully understand, given that she didn't take the time to grieve, yet 5 years is a long time to talk it out. Then, to get the slap in the face with the way Viv and Eddie broke down how wrong she was looking at the situation, was key to her seeing her errored ways. Yeah, these two, Charlie more than Nixon, were a headache 🤦🏾♀️.
Nixon, as fine and as loyal and down right sexy as he was, frustrated me too. For 5 years after his horrible lapse in judgement, that led to the break up of him and Charlie, he was still pining for her. Not a problem, yet he was insistent when she came back to town, with pursuing her, even when she was dating Trent. I get his intense love for Charlie never left, even after the break-up, yet he was only hurting himself by pushing up on her, when she'd deliberately asked for a strictly business and friend relationship. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely Loved how he loved Charlie in spite of their past and how angry he knew she was with him, yet back up some dang 🤨. He was all up on her, and as much as I would've loved that in any other circumstance, I didn't here. She needed space and he was crowding it. I only state this bc he didn't deserve to be hurt either. These two never really talked about their son, their brief engagement and his stupid mistake. Him being persistent only complicated things more, which made for a frustrating read at times.
Even in all of that, once both of them were able to talk, lay it all out and truly see that they never stopped loving each other, it was full speed ahead from there. As frustrating as it was for them to get there, I'm glad they did. These two fit so well together and I'm glad Charlie had her friends and family to help her see things a different way, so she could get to her true happiness.
So glad we get to see Viv and Carter's romance flourish in this one too. Roman and Simone as well. I love that Charlie and Viv are cousins yet seem more like sisters. That Eddie is a hoot and I love him.
This was another great read in this series. Even with it's many ups and downs, it was a filling read.
Great series. Great read. Highly recommend.
Charlie and Nixon were a frustrating duo, yet I enjoyed their journey.
I think Charlie holding onto the grief of her son Noah, is what ultimately broke up her and Nixon. Yes, he messed up, yet her reasoning for even pushing for marriage wasn't bc of her need to do it, yet her need to not lose Nixon bc of their recent loss. I fully understand, given that she didn't take the time to grieve, yet 5 years is a long time to talk it out. Then, to get the slap in the face with the way Viv and Eddie broke down how wrong she was looking at the situation, was key to her seeing her errored ways. Yeah, these two, Charlie more than Nixon, were a headache 🤦🏾♀️.
Nixon, as fine and as loyal and down right sexy as he was, frustrated me too. For 5 years after his horrible lapse in judgement, that led to the break up of him and Charlie, he was still pining for her. Not a problem, yet he was insistent when she came back to town, with pursuing her, even when she was dating Trent. I get his intense love for Charlie never left, even after the break-up, yet he was only hurting himself by pushing up on her, when she'd deliberately asked for a strictly business and friend relationship. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely Loved how he loved Charlie in spite of their past and how angry he knew she was with him, yet back up some dang 🤨. He was all up on her, and as much as I would've loved that in any other circumstance, I didn't here. She needed space and he was crowding it. I only state this bc he didn't deserve to be hurt either. These two never really talked about their son, their brief engagement and his stupid mistake. Him being persistent only complicated things more, which made for a frustrating read at times.
Even in all of that, once both of them were able to talk, lay it all out and truly see that they never stopped loving each other, it was full speed ahead from there. As frustrating as it was for them to get there, I'm glad they did. These two fit so well together and I'm glad Charlie had her friends and family to help her see things a different way, so she could get to her true happiness.
So glad we get to see Viv and Carter's romance flourish in this one too. Roman and Simone as well. I love that Charlie and Viv are cousins yet seem more like sisters. That Eddie is a hoot and I love him.
This was another great read in this series. Even with it's many ups and downs, it was a filling read.
Great series. Great read. Highly recommend.
January 22, 2015
They say that time heals all wounds. Charlie certainly was hoping it would. A few years deep into her marriage and you would think she had forgotten already. Forgive? That would be too much to fathom especially when she ran away from the very person she is still tied to professionally.
Nix has been cooking up a storm on his end but brewing in the mix of things. When his business partner finally decides to return home..broken-hearted and all, can they easily fall in love again or will this be a recipe for disaster?
This book was allll that and a bag of chips! Yeah it made me hungry..like the first in the series made me crave coffee and book 2 made me have a sweet tooth for some chocolate lol. CCJones just appeals to the senses and does an awesome job of infusing real life situations into her stories. This book in a lot of ways was very suspenseful because I wanted to know so bad about Charlie and Nix's past and how they got to where they were in the present. There was some heart-wrenching moments that literally made my stomach ache. And some soulful moments to nuture me back into good reading health. Like who does that? Her, that's who!
She just creates these characters that take over the plot and do their own thing. The chemistry between Nix and Charlie was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I love how they acted like real people would in times of distress, esp. Charlie. Did I say they smoked up the pages like a BBQ grill on fire? Yeah, they did THAT! And the secondary characters that brought out more drama in the plot were nothing to sneeze at; I love the way they all come together and just fit this puzzle so well in this created place where they live. I also appreciate how CCJones gives readers hearty endings that satisfy you to the core.
This book 3 was like a feast for the eyes (yeah, it makes you hungry for more ;).
Note: Read in order to get all the back stories on all the characters.
Serendipitous Love Series order:
1 A Crazy Little Thing Called Love
2 Didn't Mean To Love You
3 Fall In Love Again
Nix has been cooking up a storm on his end but brewing in the mix of things. When his business partner finally decides to return home..broken-hearted and all, can they easily fall in love again or will this be a recipe for disaster?
This book was allll that and a bag of chips! Yeah it made me hungry..like the first in the series made me crave coffee and book 2 made me have a sweet tooth for some chocolate lol. CCJones just appeals to the senses and does an awesome job of infusing real life situations into her stories. This book in a lot of ways was very suspenseful because I wanted to know so bad about Charlie and Nix's past and how they got to where they were in the present. There was some heart-wrenching moments that literally made my stomach ache. And some soulful moments to nuture me back into good reading health. Like who does that? Her, that's who!
She just creates these characters that take over the plot and do their own thing. The chemistry between Nix and Charlie was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I love how they acted like real people would in times of distress, esp. Charlie. Did I say they smoked up the pages like a BBQ grill on fire? Yeah, they did THAT! And the secondary characters that brought out more drama in the plot were nothing to sneeze at; I love the way they all come together and just fit this puzzle so well in this created place where they live. I also appreciate how CCJones gives readers hearty endings that satisfy you to the core.
This book 3 was like a feast for the eyes (yeah, it makes you hungry for more ;).
Note: Read in order to get all the back stories on all the characters.
Serendipitous Love Series order:
1 A Crazy Little Thing Called Love
2 Didn't Mean To Love You
3 Fall In Love Again
February 1, 2015
Okay, this Serendipitous Love series?? THE BOMB!!! (Sorry, I don't know any current phrases, LOL!). I need Mrs. Jones to tell me where this neighborhood is, so I can come and sit and observe these beautiful people.
I'm glad to say that the author doesn't miss a step in Book 3: excellent storylines, cute couple, and fresh, current dialogue. While, I loved Roman and Carter, I think Nix might be my favorite. I'll just say, that he is a little more...naughty, than the other two. Charlie I liked, but she annoyed me at times. She created so much drama for herself with her impulsiveness.
However, the Wonder Twins almost stole the show! As a woman of a certain age, I couldn't help but love Melissa and Morgan; they reminded me of a couple of my friends, who always make you wonder what's gonna come out of their mouths next, lol (so much fun!).
Can't wait to see what's in store for Eddie...and Astrid. And I'm thinking Grant is gonna need a book, too. And what's up with Leah? Was it just me, or did it seem like something was off with her? What's up, Mrs. Jones?
Looking forward to whatever is next! Keep up the great work!
I'm glad to say that the author doesn't miss a step in Book 3: excellent storylines, cute couple, and fresh, current dialogue. While, I loved Roman and Carter, I think Nix might be my favorite. I'll just say, that he is a little more...naughty, than the other two. Charlie I liked, but she annoyed me at times. She created so much drama for herself with her impulsiveness.
However, the Wonder Twins almost stole the show! As a woman of a certain age, I couldn't help but love Melissa and Morgan; they reminded me of a couple of my friends, who always make you wonder what's gonna come out of their mouths next, lol (so much fun!).
Can't wait to see what's in store for Eddie...and Astrid. And I'm thinking Grant is gonna need a book, too. And what's up with Leah? Was it just me, or did it seem like something was off with her? What's up, Mrs. Jones?
Looking forward to whatever is next! Keep up the great work!
February 18, 2015
APB Perspective Reviews :
It's an honor to see an authors writing bloom as I've seen happen the author of this Serendipitous Love series .I notice how here words continue to lyrically flow of the pages with each book. I love Nixon , his love for Charlie was so pure and sexy , they were irresistible to one another and they came together like two magnets . This book had the right amount of chemistry and I could feel the vibes coming off of the pages . I did feel that the conflict on this story needs a little work , the situation was resolved to easily for the seriousness of the conflict, I would have like to see a more thorough resolution. Overall when I closed the book I was happy and I look forward to reading more from this author.
It's an honor to see an authors writing bloom as I've seen happen the author of this Serendipitous Love series .I notice how here words continue to lyrically flow of the pages with each book. I love Nixon , his love for Charlie was so pure and sexy , they were irresistible to one another and they came together like two magnets . This book had the right amount of chemistry and I could feel the vibes coming off of the pages . I did feel that the conflict on this story needs a little work , the situation was resolved to easily for the seriousness of the conflict, I would have like to see a more thorough resolution. Overall when I closed the book I was happy and I look forward to reading more from this author.
February 17, 2015
Loved it!! Great story about second chance love. Nixon is hilarious. I would definitely recommend this book.
January 28, 2015
Great book. Great Series.
January 27, 2015
Although I was hoping Eddie would get his own book, I absolutely loved Charlie & Nixon's story.
April 3, 2017
Christina writes those, can't get out of bed all day books. Those, romance so swoon worthy you can't help but be envious of fictional characters books. Those, read, nap, eat, nap, read books. Those, from the very first page you're hooked and can't focus on anything else books.
I think you get the picture.
Its been a while since I read a CCJ book...I've been on a quest to add another author to my current list of TWO, Black authors who write about Black Love in a way that is authentic, consistent and entertaining. Its rough out here in theses streets. And after a few back to back misses, I had to come back to what I know, for the reassurance that what I'm hunting for isn't a faraway or unattainable thing.
I just had a revelation...Fall in Love again, is a little bit like Bending the Rules in that the shell of the story is pretty much the same. Two neighborhood sweetheart that are friends since childhood but don't have a romantic relationship until they are much older, run into some troubles causing the girl to move far away for a long time, only to come back home and have those hurt feelings revisited and to actually hash out their issues instead of running away from them. -- One of my complaints about a lot of contemporary romance novels, is that they're all the same story but with different characters in a different environment.
But what I love about Christina, is that her stories are so unique and different and the characters so distinct, that even though these two books follow pretty much the same formula, not ONCE while reading this book did I think, "wow this feels JUST like Bending the Rules." The only reason I even realized the similarities is because I was sitting here trying to analyze the book, prepping for what I was going to write about.
ANYWAY, Charlie and Nixon are adorable in this book and I loved every minute of their banter, back and forth, flirting and rekindling of their love. It was entertaining to not only get to know them and watch them fall for one another again, but also getting to see them work through their issues. I HATE agnst and love me a happily ever after...but a few hiccups and hurdles in the road makes the HEA that much more rewarding and that was no different for Nixon and Charlie in Fall In Love Again....
And of course, I love the little glimpses of the couples you grow to know and love when reading the previous books in this story. It's like a little Black MECCA. A group of young, successful Black entrepreneurs, all doing their thing and looking out for one another. I LOVE IT!
On to the next one! I think I know who the next book is going to be about, and lets just say I already know its going to be a PRETTY interesting ride.
I think you get the picture.
Its been a while since I read a CCJ book...I've been on a quest to add another author to my current list of TWO, Black authors who write about Black Love in a way that is authentic, consistent and entertaining. Its rough out here in theses streets. And after a few back to back misses, I had to come back to what I know, for the reassurance that what I'm hunting for isn't a faraway or unattainable thing.
I just had a revelation...Fall in Love again, is a little bit like Bending the Rules in that the shell of the story is pretty much the same. Two neighborhood sweetheart that are friends since childhood but don't have a romantic relationship until they are much older, run into some troubles causing the girl to move far away for a long time, only to come back home and have those hurt feelings revisited and to actually hash out their issues instead of running away from them. -- One of my complaints about a lot of contemporary romance novels, is that they're all the same story but with different characters in a different environment.
But what I love about Christina, is that her stories are so unique and different and the characters so distinct, that even though these two books follow pretty much the same formula, not ONCE while reading this book did I think, "wow this feels JUST like Bending the Rules." The only reason I even realized the similarities is because I was sitting here trying to analyze the book, prepping for what I was going to write about.
ANYWAY, Charlie and Nixon are adorable in this book and I loved every minute of their banter, back and forth, flirting and rekindling of their love. It was entertaining to not only get to know them and watch them fall for one another again, but also getting to see them work through their issues. I HATE agnst and love me a happily ever after...but a few hiccups and hurdles in the road makes the HEA that much more rewarding and that was no different for Nixon and Charlie in Fall In Love Again....
And of course, I love the little glimpses of the couples you grow to know and love when reading the previous books in this story. It's like a little Black MECCA. A group of young, successful Black entrepreneurs, all doing their thing and looking out for one another. I LOVE IT!
On to the next one! I think I know who the next book is going to be about, and lets just say I already know its going to be a PRETTY interesting ride.
August 5, 2020
CW: miscarriage, pregnancy
In the hands of a lesser author, this story likely would not have worked for me. This is a second chance romance. Charlie and Nixon opened their restaurant Pot Liquor together 9 years ago. They were together for 6 years and broke up 5 years ago—she believes he cheated on her; he thought they broke up that night, went out, got drunk, and slept with a random woman from the bar. Anyone else reminded the Friends episode where Ross yelled “we were on a break” to Rachel? I was Team Charlie on this one. Regardless of his belief they’d broken up, Nixon made a bone-headed move, especially since he’d finally proposed after her ultimatum. And this was on top of them losing their child through miscarriage at six months along only two months prior. It’s a lot. There’s so much unresolved grief. But we don’t know all this upfront until well after Charlie and Nixon have reconnected and started up again. Their MO is not dealing with the larger issues, mostly because Charlie doesn’t want to deal with them. She doesn’t even tell him that while she’s separated from her husband, he refuses to sign the divorce papers! He absolutely deserved to know that up front.
Like I said, in the hands of a lesser author, I would have struggled with these characters. So often I wanted to shake some sense into them, especially Charlie. But at the same time, I really loved both of them. They had such intense chemistry and it was a relief to see them transform that banter and antipathy into something better. Nixon deserved a medal for the way he was there for Charlie through all the ups and downs of their relationship. He definitely had to work through some junk and take ownership of his mistakes and I was glad to see it happen.
At three books in to this series, I’m wondering if the rest of the books are going to deal as heavily with pregnancy and miscarriage. While I see the benefit of them being addressed in romance, I prefer not to read about them because I’m child-free. Surprise pregnancy is one of my least favorite tropes so I was not keen on that plot decision here. I’m hanging in there because it’s Christina C. Jones but if pregnancy is as big of theme in the next book, I might have to switch to a different series.
CW: infidelity, unplanned pregnancy, premature labor at 37 weeks (babies okay) miscarriage at 6 months along (5 years ago), grief, heroine is divorcing her imprisoned husband, fertility issues, male pejoratives, hero’s father was an alcoholic and is sober now, business fire resulting in death of a neighboring owner
In the hands of a lesser author, this story likely would not have worked for me. This is a second chance romance. Charlie and Nixon opened their restaurant Pot Liquor together 9 years ago. They were together for 6 years and broke up 5 years ago—she believes he cheated on her; he thought they broke up that night, went out, got drunk, and slept with a random woman from the bar. Anyone else reminded the Friends episode where Ross yelled “we were on a break” to Rachel? I was Team Charlie on this one. Regardless of his belief they’d broken up, Nixon made a bone-headed move, especially since he’d finally proposed after her ultimatum. And this was on top of them losing their child through miscarriage at six months along only two months prior. It’s a lot. There’s so much unresolved grief. But we don’t know all this upfront until well after Charlie and Nixon have reconnected and started up again. Their MO is not dealing with the larger issues, mostly because Charlie doesn’t want to deal with them. She doesn’t even tell him that while she’s separated from her husband, he refuses to sign the divorce papers! He absolutely deserved to know that up front.
Like I said, in the hands of a lesser author, I would have struggled with these characters. So often I wanted to shake some sense into them, especially Charlie. But at the same time, I really loved both of them. They had such intense chemistry and it was a relief to see them transform that banter and antipathy into something better. Nixon deserved a medal for the way he was there for Charlie through all the ups and downs of their relationship. He definitely had to work through some junk and take ownership of his mistakes and I was glad to see it happen.
At three books in to this series, I’m wondering if the rest of the books are going to deal as heavily with pregnancy and miscarriage. While I see the benefit of them being addressed in romance, I prefer not to read about them because I’m child-free. Surprise pregnancy is one of my least favorite tropes so I was not keen on that plot decision here. I’m hanging in there because it’s Christina C. Jones but if pregnancy is as big of theme in the next book, I might have to switch to a different series.
CW: infidelity, unplanned pregnancy, premature labor at 37 weeks (babies okay) miscarriage at 6 months along (5 years ago), grief, heroine is divorcing her imprisoned husband, fertility issues, male pejoratives, hero’s father was an alcoholic and is sober now, business fire resulting in death of a neighboring owner
March 4, 2015
APB PERSPECTIVE REVIEW
This title is the 3rd installment of The Serendipitous Love series and it just keep getting better and better. I had anticipated reading Eddie’s story next, but the author did not disappoint with Charlie and Nixon. I have enjoyed seeing these everyday characters interact as friends that are more like family.
Nixon and Charlie grew up together, became business partners of a neighborhood restaurant, called Pot Luck, and working closely together led them into a relationship. Their relationship became rocky when they both had to deal with a life altering situation and then Charlie gave Nix an ultimatum, which he did not take well. Thinking that they were over he walked away. When the time came to make up and come clean with secrets, it wasn’t received well and they both went their separate ways.
After a failed marriage and 5 years of separation, Charlie is back in her hometown and in Nixon’s cross hairs. Just go to show, love does not expire.
The women of this series are very strong willed, independent and naturally self starters and they love their men with their whole heart. Now I really..really like Roman; Love Carter; Absolutely Adore Nixon and can’t wait to hear what’s in store for Eddie.
July 14, 2015
If you love something, let it go, and if it comes back then that's how you know
This is my third read by Mrs Christina Jones, and I can honestly say I am becoming a fan. I just love me a good romance, and it had been awhile since I've really indulged in them. I'd read one here and there, but not as often as I use to. This series has brought back my love of the romance genre. Charlie and Nixon's story is contending with Simone and Roman's story for my favorite. There were times where Charlie was pissing me off so much, but I'm glad she started to think about things, and getting it together. Nixon was just everything. He was kind, gentle, caring, in love, and fighter, and I loved it all about him. They're story brought tears to my eyes a few times, and the bombshells that were being dropped throughout the story kept me entertained and intrigued throughout the whole story. Another wonderful read, and I would definitely recommend!!
This is my third read by Mrs Christina Jones, and I can honestly say I am becoming a fan. I just love me a good romance, and it had been awhile since I've really indulged in them. I'd read one here and there, but not as often as I use to. This series has brought back my love of the romance genre. Charlie and Nixon's story is contending with Simone and Roman's story for my favorite. There were times where Charlie was pissing me off so much, but I'm glad she started to think about things, and getting it together. Nixon was just everything. He was kind, gentle, caring, in love, and fighter, and I loved it all about him. They're story brought tears to my eyes a few times, and the bombshells that were being dropped throughout the story kept me entertained and intrigued throughout the whole story. Another wonderful read, and I would definitely recommend!!
February 19, 2015
So far book 3 is my favorite. In this book we meet Charlie. Charlie has come back into town but her live is in shambles. The one place she ran from she is back to try and get her life on track. Her husband is back in California and is facing some serious issues. All Charlie want to do is get her life back on track.
Nixon, Charlie ex-boyfriend, is still running the restaurant they opened together. He has always regretted the mistake he made when dealing with Charlie. He hoped to one day make amends. All he want is his restaurant and his girl back.
I was taken on a journery reading about these two. Charlie and Nixon dealt with a lot of emotional issues. I absolutely loved reading about their story. Christina Jones wrote some very vivid scenes. I loved it. Now when I think about these characters I will think about macaroni and cheese.
Nixon, Charlie ex-boyfriend, is still running the restaurant they opened together. He has always regretted the mistake he made when dealing with Charlie. He hoped to one day make amends. All he want is his restaurant and his girl back.
I was taken on a journery reading about these two. Charlie and Nixon dealt with a lot of emotional issues. I absolutely loved reading about their story. Christina Jones wrote some very vivid scenes. I loved it. Now when I think about these characters I will think about macaroni and cheese.
February 5, 2015
I thought this book was fantastic. What's great about this story is the author provides you with a complete story. I wasn't left wondering about anything. And I like that. Also I like how all of the Serendipitous Love books intertwine with each other. Which allows you to know what is going on in the lives of the previous characters. What made the book fantastic to me is how real it was. Just about everyone knows what it is like to be in love still with your first love. Charlie and Nix chemistry was just great. I truly enjoyed reading about their journey. You'll definitely be drawn into the happy times, trials and triumphs they experience. This is a wonderful series and definitely a must read.
February 17, 2015
Wow, this was a great read. Nixon and Charlie were a very special couple. Charlie had vacated her relationship six years ago because of hurt. She married a man who was a friend who hurt her. She returned to her home and met someone from her past who started seeing her because of hurt.
However, Nixon had waited six years to get her back. A devoted one woman man had made a mistake but knew if opportunity presented itself he would never let her go.
Go with them on this adventure that moves quickly and brings them to a place that all they lost is repaid back to them double . Go with them as they find love and forgiveness.
First read of this author, but I will read more to see how their friends were able to find each other as well
However, Nixon had waited six years to get her back. A devoted one woman man had made a mistake but knew if opportunity presented itself he would never let her go.
Go with them on this adventure that moves quickly and brings them to a place that all they lost is repaid back to them double . Go with them as they find love and forgiveness.
First read of this author, but I will read more to see how their friends were able to find each other as well
January 26, 2015
Amazing Read
Congratulations Christina on your 10th book & it doesn't disappoint! This is Charlie & Nixon's story. They grew up together & were in a previous relationship that didn't work out. The books covers why they broke & how they find their way back to each other. I love Nixon & his way with words. We also catch up with Roman, Simone, Viv, & Carter. This book makes you want to laugh and cry at times & it keeps you intrigued throughout. Christina has become one of my favorite authors & I'll gladly jump on any book she puts out.
Congratulations Christina on your 10th book & it doesn't disappoint! This is Charlie & Nixon's story. They grew up together & were in a previous relationship that didn't work out. The books covers why they broke & how they find their way back to each other. I love Nixon & his way with words. We also catch up with Roman, Simone, Viv, & Carter. This book makes you want to laugh and cry at times & it keeps you intrigued throughout. Christina has become one of my favorite authors & I'll gladly jump on any book she puts out.
September 27, 2019
Ok
This story was good but it took me FOREVER to finish it. It was unnecessarily long. Charlie was 33 years her behavior did not convey that. There was a lot of immaturity on her end, and she was an emotional wreck. Nixon also was a bit immature and a bit sex obsessed. Gave this book two stars because the story had potential to be good but it was not delivered well in my opinion. I will for sure continue to read stories by Christina cause I think she's a great writer...just this one didn't do it for me.
This story was good but it took me FOREVER to finish it. It was unnecessarily long. Charlie was 33 years her behavior did not convey that. There was a lot of immaturity on her end, and she was an emotional wreck. Nixon also was a bit immature and a bit sex obsessed. Gave this book two stars because the story had potential to be good but it was not delivered well in my opinion. I will for sure continue to read stories by Christina cause I think she's a great writer...just this one didn't do it for me.
January 24, 2015
AWESOM AWESOM AWESOM!!! Ms. Jones is one of my favorite authors and with each book she get's better and better. I enjoyed the first two books in the series but I must say this is my favorite so far. That dang Nixon and his potty mouth with the slick sense of humor had me crushing from the very beginning. I loved the journey they embarked on and the surprise twist you didn't see coming. Ms. Jones is an amazing author who is destine for greatness, keep up the great work and keep them coming!!!
February 18, 2023
Listen. There’s nothing wrong with the writing because it’s CCJ. But this big WE WERE ON A BREAK energy and lying by omission about a divorce? I wasn’t rooting for these people. Which is kind of a problem in a romance. Second chance romance has a higher bar to clear already but when the breakup makes sense to me? Tuh.
I explained the plot to my husband and he disagreed with me so I made him sleep on the couch. JK. About the couch.
I explained the plot to my husband and he disagreed with me so I made him sleep on the couch. JK. About the couch.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2015
Just So Sexy!
Forget JT thanks Christina Jones for bringing sexy back!!Thank you for giving your readers an adult romance.This is a story about two people falling in love and discovering all that it entails and the things that need to be done to keep it going.This is such an a wonderful story and deserves all your attention and time
Forget JT thanks Christina Jones for bringing sexy back!!Thank you for giving your readers an adult romance.This is a story about two people falling in love and discovering all that it entails and the things that need to be done to keep it going.This is such an a wonderful story and deserves all your attention and time
February 10, 2015
Working their way back
Just when I thought Christina Jones couldn't top her previous books, she knocks this one into outer space! Nixon and Charlie's story was hilarious at times as they tackled some serious issues as they worked their way back to love. No spoilers here but Eddie and Lorenzo need their own storyline.....I'm just saying.....so loved this book!!
Just when I thought Christina Jones couldn't top her previous books, she knocks this one into outer space! Nixon and Charlie's story was hilarious at times as they tackled some serious issues as they worked their way back to love. No spoilers here but Eddie and Lorenzo need their own storyline.....I'm just saying.....so loved this book!!
April 5, 2015
Charlie and Nixon = fiyah
I enjoyed this title best of all the Serendipity series. All of the characters are fuller and more fleshed out. I would have liked to read more about Charlie's mother and father. That issue was a little too neat and tidy. The history of the Charlie and Nix though. That made for such great relatable conflict. Loved it
I enjoyed this title best of all the Serendipity series. All of the characters are fuller and more fleshed out. I would have liked to read more about Charlie's mother and father. That issue was a little too neat and tidy. The history of the Charlie and Nix though. That made for such great relatable conflict. Loved it
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