Starting over Again

by Amaka Azie

Abandoned by her husband and left to care for a sick child, Onome is desperate to find a job. After several failed attempts, she eventually lands a job at one of the most prestigious banks in Lagos. She is finally rebuilding her life after her divorce and everything seems to be falling into place. However, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to her new boss, Nnamdi, who is also notoriously known for his womanising ways. Desperate to fight this attraction, she struggles to keep him at arm’s length. She can’t afford to let her growing attraction to him jeopardise her job, and most importantly, her heart.

Scorched by the burden of a scandalous family secret he stumbled upon when he was a young boy, single father Nnamdi, finds it hard to trust women. He has always lived his life lightly, with his relationships free from deep emotions and entanglements. To protect himself from hurt, he has built a wall around his heart. But there is something about his new executive marketing assistant, Onome, that makes him consider a future with her. The more time he spends with her and her daughter, Fejiro, the more the wall around his heart crumbles. And just as he is beginning to warm up to the idea of forever, her ex-husband resurfaces.

About the author

Amaka Azie is an award-winning author of romance fiction set in tropical West Africa.

She explores the beauty and intricacies of the continent in her sweet and sensual love stories.

Born and raised in Nigeria, West Africa, she developed a passion for reading at the age of twelve. Her interest in writing began in secondary school when she joined the press club.

Her books showcase bold and exciting female and male main characters with compelling storylines, and her active imagination has captured the interests of many.

Apart from getting lost in creating fascinating fictional characters, Amaka enjoys reading, painting and travelling with her family. She lives in the United Kingdom with her husband and daughters and where she also practices as a part-time family doctor.

Amaka was named one of the Most Influential Nigerian Authors Under Forty by the Nigerian Writers Awards (NWA) for the years 2017 and 2018.

Reviews

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amaka Azie and I go together real bad. This is my 16th book from her, and nothing has been below three stars. I haven’t had an author like that before. I always manage to read her books in one day. It’s so addicting and well written.

I just finished this, and it’s such an easy read with intense family dynamics. I don’t have much to say about the main characters because they are well written, and they are not so different from the usual romance book characters, really.

What stood out to me is Nnamdi and Nkem’s father-daughter relationship. It’s not totally highlighted in the book, but I noticed the development over the course of the book, which was beautiful. They went from awkward to the sweetest duo. It’s so cute to read.

Onome is stronger than me sha because I don’t know if I’d ever be able to forgive such a father like hers. For over seven years. That is insane. I also don’t like Chuka much. That feeling is really preventing me from even wanting to start his book at all. He was so annoying in both Adaora’s and Nnamdi’s books 😭 He’s so going to piss me off in his book.

This was a good read, and I loved it.

[Lawlah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second time reading this book, and it blew my mind again! It has everything—single dad, single mom, sickle cell rep, close proximity, workplace romance, and so much more.

Nnamdi and Onome’s love story is beautiful. Nnamdi’s distrust of women, shaped by what he witnessed as a teenager, was written so well, and you can feel his emotional journey. Onome’s struggle as a single mom, especially after her husband left because he couldn’t handle a child with sickle cell disease, was portrayed with such care and depth.

Nnamdi’s dilemma about why Onome won’t open up to him or share things was so lovely to read. Their connection felt real and emotional, and you could feel the tension between them as they navigated their pasts and present.

I will definitely be borrowing Onome’s “kill them with kindness” attitude—Nnamdi knows how to grovel, and he did it beautifully in this book.

This is a 4.5-star read, and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to the author for sharing this ARC with me!

[Rayo Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Amaka Azie for the e-ARC!

One thing I know is that Amaka Azie doesn't miss!!!! And this book is simply amazing, too good!!! First off, I love that the FMC is bearing my name, Onome 😌.

Onome is a single mother of one; her good-for-nothing husband abandoned her to care for her sick child, Efe... I have decided not to curse you because what you did was disgusting and sickening, leaving your child... but this is not about you, sighhh

Nnamdi, my mannnn! Onome gets to meet Nnamdi when she was looking for a job, and she got it... but the thing now is, Onome is attracted to her boss, Nnamdi, and even worse, Nnamdi's thoughts are consumed with her! The attraction between Nnamdi and Onome is sizzling!!! It is hot! The chemistry is amazing 😍... and now you have to read this book to really understand what I'm saying about these two 😏.

One other thing I loved was seeing Nnamdi step up into that daddy role; it was amazing... and it is really sad that the trauma he faced as a child is what shaped his adulthood and his deep-rooted distrust for women. Chuma chai, I pour spit for you, guyyyy... just mind your business for once!!! 😂

Once again, Amaka doesn't miss 🥹... so you absolutely have to read this one!!! Thank you once again for the e-ARC!

[Jessica Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming tale of love and redemption

This is a heartwarming tale of a man who finally lets down his guards to allow true love to come in and a woman's second chance at love, this time true love. It is a tale of recovery and redemption. I highly enjoyed this book for so many reasons, first it takes you on an emotional ride, one that will definitely leave you smiling. The author gives your the happy ending you want for the two main characters, but not without making you work for it (hence the emotional ride). I also really enjoyed the different topics the author covered in this novel. She is able to intertwine a love story with issues of body image that most all women face as well as the issues of family and even harder topics like health, in particular in this novel the horrible disease Sickle Cell. The author does start the novel off with a disclaimer about her really focusing on people getting tested for this disease before child conception, which yes is brought up multiple times, but when she describes this agonizing pain Fejiro goes through I as a reader no longer really minded these mentions.

Positives of this book would definitely be the character development, as you read the book you really get to see the main characters grow and change, flourish into the people they were probably always suppose to be if it had not been for the obstacles they faced in the past. The storyline also flowed nicely, making it an extremely easy read one that I finished in about a day. I also liked how even with heavy topics, like mentioned previously, the author was able to keep the story light enough to make it the easy read that it turned out to be.

With the positives there has to be some negatives, which there were really only two and they are very small. I will say that when the book first starts the language was weird, a little bit too formal, the cadence of the conversation being not what a reader would hear in everyday life. I will say when I first started this book, literally the first 2-3 pages I felt like maybe this author was new, like this may be their first novel so she had not found her grove yet, but I am extremely happy to say that this issue works itself out very fast and the conversations flow just as easy as the storyline, also I did look into it and this is definitely not the authors first or only book, so if you also end up loving this book like I did she has more! Second, which is literally even smaller than the language is some things brought up seem hard to believe, for example the gene database at the bank, why would a company test you blood for gene carriers and why would this be accessible by anyone in the company, that seem like a little be of an invasion of privacy. This book is set in Nigeria so it maybe a cultural issue that I am not understanding, maybe this is something there that does happen. But as you see this issue is very very miniscule and really does not effect the story line at all.

I would definitely give this a 5 out of 5! Highly look forward to read other works by this author.

[Louise Tago · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Amaka, I always love your story. One more book to go from you now. Please publish more. Your stories always brings me back awesome memories of my African heritage.

[Tolulope Popoola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amaka Azie has done another great job with her third book in the Obi series, Starting Over Again. This story was more complex than the previous two books and it dealt with serious issues, but that did not take away from the passion and the romance between the two main characters. They were real and relatable and their chemistry was hot! I liked their background stories, and especially liked Onome for the way she handled herself throughout the story. She was vulnerable, but still strong and determined, and she stood for what she believed in. Definitely a woman not to be messed with! I think I grew to like Nnamdi after a while, though I still give him "side-eye" for some of his actions in the story, lol. I also liked the blended family dynamics, I think that worked really well. It's a story that's rich and layered so I'll definitely be reading it a second and third time. And of course, I highly recommend! Well done Amaka. I can't wait to read more of your future books. Five Stars!

[Joan Vegas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3.75⭐️⭐️⭐️

After onome's husband, Efe abandoned her as soon as life got hard... Onome decided to start over again, which might have been the best decision she had ever made 😄.

We met the MC of the book Nnamdi Obi, singledad to Nkem, his 5 years old daughter, the arrogant self-righteous CEO of Zenith company. He crosspaths with the beautiful Onome, and his world stops. will their love be forever??

I really enjoyed this book. very entertaining 👏 🤣

[Omolara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favourite of the three stories about the Obi siblings. I love how real the story is. Two people find love again. Amaka Azie did exceedingly well with this story.

[Milly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book - Starting Over Again by Amaka Azie was my constant companion this week.

Onome's story is both heartbreaking and inspiring. She was dealt a devastating blow – disowned by her family for marrying outside their faith, then abandoned by her husband years later, leaving her with a sick child and no financial security - she could have easily succumbed to despair, but she didn't. Instead she fought like a warrior for herself and her daughter.

Nnamdi! At times, I felt like giving him a good shake to jolt him out of his emotional paralysis. He built a high wall around his heart due to childhood trauma. I felt sorry for him and I also found him frustrating sometimes. But thankfully, love eventually won him over. Onome and Nnamdi were unquestionably my favourite characters, especially Onome. A strong woman indeed!

However, Efe and Onome's father left much to be desired. A man who readily abandons his marriage simply because of a sick child? Unthinkable! A father who walks away from a sick child without a backward glance is utterly unacceptable. Efe is the kind of man every mother prays her daughter will NEVER encounter. And as for Onome's father, disowning his daughter because the man she loves attends a different church? What kind of bigotry is that? We all serve the same God, don't we? This kind of narrow-mindedness leading a father to turn his back on his own daughter and granddaughter is simply appalling!

Starting Over Again by Amaka Azie was a captivating read. The story resonates deeply because it reflects situations we encounter all the time in our society. There are so many valuable life lessons embedded within this book, so I highly recommend reading it as soon as possible.

Thank you, Amaka Azie, for this wonderful book. May your creativity continue to flourish!❤️

[Zainab .O Bankole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The moment I saw the blurb of this book, I knew that I wanted to read it. A single father trope is one of my favorites, but a single mother and father, count me in! I’m glad to say I wasn’t disappointed.

The conflict felt so simple yet written with such intentionality that they carried weight. The trauma of a mother’s infidelity on her child, the guilt of a mother’s contribution in her child’s pain. These are some of the conflict that does not only adds a layer of depth to the book, but makes these characters stand out and help us see them as human.

I love it when I read books that have central themes that enables me to leave the book with a new knowledge or a new perspective on an already known topic. And starting over again touches such topics. A major topic in the book is sickle cell disease, and I enjoyed how the author wrote this without judging the child or even the parent, but apportioning them with just enough self blame and guilt such that they could reflect on their actions. Thus, in a way, telling the audience, “It’s better to be safe than sorry, use your brain kids!”

Another central theme in this book was infidelity and I kinda loved that because it’s not one I’m used to seeing. Cheating is a tool that’s often used in romance, but that’s usually what it is, a tool. A tool to make someone jealous, a tool for a breakup, a tool for breaking trust. But in this book, it goes deeper than that. We explore the ripple effect and it was refreshing.

Now, the attraction between the main characters, Onome and Nnamdi was so obvious from their first meet, watching them try to fight it was just so hilarious but I enjoyed every bit of it.

This was a fast and light hearted read, layered with some serious themes. The writing style was so simple and easy to follow. If you love kids in stories, like I do or you have a thing for single parents, then this is a book you should definitely read.

[Jite · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author has done it again with the third book of this series that started with Melodies of Love. In this book, sparks fly when self-confessed messy equal opportunity sexist man-ho, single dad CEO, Nnamdi, meets divorced, single mother, Onome, at an interview at his finance firm. When she reads him for filth after he makes an inappropriate comment during the interview, his life changes. But is this emotionally-scarred commitment phobe willing to let down his guard and does Onome even trust him enough for commitment.

I really enjoyed reading this although I thought a few of the conflicts could have been solved by a simple conversation. Nnamdi is a typical somewhat inappropriate, sexist (although he’s also judgmental of himself), sometimes problematically so, but he gets his comeuppance in the end. I liked that both main characters had well developed, realistic, emotional back stories and that we got to see a bit of Nnamdi’s siblings from the previous books. The themes of trust and honest and Nnamdi’s reasons for not trusting women were dealt with really well. I also loved that this romance had dealing with sickle cell anemia, a condition that affects a lot of black as a theme. I love these authors books and only have one more from her back list that I haven’t read yet but I think I’m going to hold on and savour the anticipation for that one a little. This is another interesting, super “realistic to Nigeria” romance from Amaka Azie.

[Blessing Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fast and well paced read, very beautiful and emotional.

This book follows the story of Nnamdi and Onome, two very different characters trying to navigate life. Nnamdi is a single father, while Onome is a divorcee doing her best to care for her sickle cell child. The way they meet immediately gave off office romance/ boss and employee vibes and I can’t complain because I love it🥲💞

I loved the natural flow of conversations in this book. The emotional depth, the pacing and plot, everything was well written. I loved the characters development in this book so much, watching Nnamdi face his truth, learning to heal and trust again was very satisfying. And Onome learning to grow and learn, that was so beautiful.

What I loved most about this book was the themes it explored…. like healing, love, family, medical compatibility and awareness of sickle cells. I love the relationship between Nnamdi’s and Onome’s daughter, so pure and real.

I loved the backstory because we get to see why Nnamdi finds it hard to trust women, it was so emotionally discovering that.

The relationship between Nnamdi and Onome was mature yet exhausting😩 their romance together was so tender, intense and sweet, beautifully written.

This was such a great read for me, I absolutely loved it. And I recommend this book to readers who enjoy soft, fast, and very realistic love stories. You’d enjoy it.

Thank you Amaka Azie for this ARC copy.

[Julie Baswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Onome and Efe’s daughter Fejiro was born with sickle cell disease. A few years and many hospital stays later, Efe decides he can’t take any more, divorces Onome and breaks all ties with his daughter, leaving Onome as the sole provider for Fejiro and herself. Many months later, Onome lands a well-paying job and things start looking up. The only problem is the attraction she feels for Nnamdi, her boss who is a womanizer. When she discovers that his feelings are mutual, it takes everything she has to not give in. But she can’t do anything to jeopardize her job, because her daughter will always be first for Onome.

I felt so sorry for Onome and Fejiro. It’s hard enough being a single parent, much less one caring for a child with a chronic disease. I could not relate to Efe, who irritated me with his selfishness. Having experience with the fierceness of jealousy that Nnamdi emitted, I also couldn’t warm up to him. But there was no doubt of the magnetic draw between Onome and Nnamdi. I liked the pace of the plot but there were times I wanted to push the characters to speed up emotion wise. All in all I liked the story and was very satisfied with the ending.

[Jess Lemus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reason I give this book 4 out of 5 stars is because of the random spelling errors throughout the book. Normally, I don't read this kind of romance book but I was intrigued to see how the children would fit into the story. The interactions were tension filled, the sex was hot and the relationships between them and each other's daughters was sweet. It also has a satisfying ending. I loved the main characters separately and together. The story was believable but also engaging. Onome's daughter's disease is craftily woven into the story from beginning to end. It acts as a catalyst for the main problem between her and her ex and drives the plot forward from then on. Onome's life is centered around the well-being of her daughter and that drives her character to look for the best for her, for them. All in all, I loved it.

[Agatha · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing about Amaka Azie is how she always reminds us readers in a beautiful way that love can grow even in the middle of pain and true love embraces every burden.
Starting Over Again had me fully invested in Onome and Nnamdi ,rooting for them and proud of how they weren't afraid to love.

Onome’s resilience and Nnamdis guarded tenderness create a romantic story built on tension, longing and fragile hope. Their connection feels intimate without rushing like a flame carefully fed until it grows.

Amaka Azie also captures heartbreak, desire,healing as she also shows the daily struggles of a devoted and loving mother raising a daughter who lives with sickle cell.
Every character aches,loves and burns so vividly you feel it in your chest.That's the magic of Amaka Azie's writing looking forward to the next beautiful and interesting one.

5 stars 🌟 💫💫💫💫💜

[bookish eni-olak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my! How I love the second chance at love trope especially when it’s advocating for something like women or one ailment or the other. Onome’s story is one of resilience, determination and courage. When she’s unceremoniously divorced by her first love who she had a daughter with and his reason was that he could no longer cope with the health needs of their baby, Onome has to dust off her certificates and get back into the job market where she meets Nnamdi, her would be boss at the job interview and she causes a scene which she of course regrets right after. Will they meet again , will she get another job, will her daughter get better or will her family take her back? All these are the questions answered by the plot.

[Oreoluwa Ade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hate lack of communication 🤦🏾‍♀️ I hate when adults don’t know how to communicate with their significant other and try to solve the issue themselves. It was a quick and easy read. I am glad that it’s actually a trilogy cause I wanted the other Obi Siblings love story as they were mentioned often in the books. Honestly wish more light was shed on the male lead’s and his daughter reunion.
The book highlights how women are treated at their workplaces unfairly.

[Turning Pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

The audacity in this book! 😤 Onome and Efe knew the genotype risks before marriage, yet he still abandoned her and their sick daughter for a year. To see him show up in a supermarket a year later trying to HUG her with a smile? I was fuming! 🚩

Thankfully, Nnamdi is the ultimate hero. Paying a toxic ex 5 Million Naira to vanish and getting baptized just to prove his love is the "He Falls Harder" energy I live for. 💰💍

A powerful, emotional story about second chances.
Highly recommend!

[Sassha Reads❤️❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things Are Not Always As They Seem

I hate that Nnamdi had to carry the burdens of his mom's affair without knowing the full truth that caused his distrust of all women and almost ended his relationship with Onome. I'm glad that the truth came out and that Nnamdi, Onome, Fejiro, and Nkem got to be one happy family.

[Aminah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was crying as I was reading the last pages... Beautiful story, as usual !

[Timi Waters · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first book by this author. I’m not one for sweet romance and all, but I enjoyed this.

[Blessing Israel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful and lovely story with some awww moments I really love amaka's writing techniques, this book had my attention from beginning to end the places, scenarios are relatable thank you 💛💛

[nini⭐️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute

[Favour Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read.

[Nkemakonam ENEBELI · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an ok read in my opinion. The last two chapters were almost too cheesy but I liked reading this book

[Blessing Okwuofu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A swoony and spicy read. I enjoyed the romantic buildup and the character development. It was quite the interesting read that it was difficult to put down

[Hope Etuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading Onome and Nnamdi's story so much, it's flawed, messy but beautiful as well.

Amaka Azie knows how to write a love story for real!

[Mololuwa Mustapha · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's something I have to say about this book, but I can't say it publicly, lol. The book is not great, but not bad either. It's just a typical romance storyline. However, there's a certain plot line that I NEED Nigerian writers to stop writing!

[Tomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second time reading this book and I feel in love over again

This book really understands that starting over isn’t just about getting back together with someone it’s about healing, accountability, and becoming a better version of yourself. The characters aren’t perfect, and that’s what makes the story work. They feel real. They make mistakes. They carry emotional baggage. And they actually have to confront it.

The romance is mature and intentional. Nothing feels forced or rushed. You can feel the history between them, the hesitation, the quiet hope. It’s the kind of love story that unfolds gently but still keeps you emotionally invested.

I also appreciated how grounded everything felt. The emotions weren’t overdramatic they were honest. And that honesty made certain moments hit harder than expected.

A 5/5 for me🥰

[Rahila Iyaji]

Great job Amaka!
It's a 3-peat.
Loved reading Nnamdi's love story and how we were also able to catch up with Ada and Chuma's families.
I'm a sucker for relatable stories and this is as real as it gets.
Holding strongly to an assumption or misconception can only lead down a dark path and it is only in letting go that the light at the end of the tunnel will be seen.
Nice touch bringing focus on sickle cell disease.