Divinity

by C.R. Johnson

Small town second chance romance.
Small town girl Divinity Clair Winters loves her little lake life. Her coffee cafe, Brewed Awakenings, is paying the bills to where she can focus on keeping it going. the only thing missing is someone to share it with.
Unlucky in love, Divinity is starting to accept being alone as a good thing. Until her first love, Rowan Saint Valentine, crashes into her life like an F5 tornado making her question everything.
Rowan is home until Summer, righting all the wrongs in his life. Will it be enough to win back the one that got away?

230 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 24, 2026

About the author

Living in Oklahoma, C. R. Johnson splits her time between family, sporting events, and penning novels, most with dark aspects. Her home life consists of her swoon-worthy, supportive husband who acts as her alpha reader, a teenager and two adult children that keep her on her toes with their quick wit and sass, and her two Australian Shepards and one giant mutt that she loves like children and adores more than life itself. Her heart belongs to New Orleans, and she loves to fill her novels with the atmosphere, landscape, and most importantly, the food of the city. In her free time, C.R. enjoys obsessively watching reruns of The Vampire Diaries and the Originals, and extended visits to her favorite local bookstore. Be sure to follow C.R. Johnson on her social media to get the most up to date information about upcoming releases.

Reviews

[Melissa Mejia]

I had the pleasure of receiving this as an e-ARC and voluntarily will be giving my honest review. This was totally different from what this author writes but was definitely a great read!! I love the second chance romance with Divinity and Rowan. Loved their chemistry and that they decided to take another chance at their relationship. This book had me drawn in from the very beginning!! Absolutely loved it!!

“Small town second chance romance.
Small town girl Divinity Clair Winters loves her little lake life. Her coffee cafe, Brewed Awakenings, is paying the bills to where she can focus on keeping it going. the only thing missing is someone to share it with.
Unlucky in love, Divinity is starting to accept being alone as a good thing. Until her first love, Rowan Saint Valentine, crashes into her life like an F5 tornado making her question everything.
Rowan is home until Summer, righting all the wrongs in his life. Will it be enough to win back the one that got away?”

[Casey]

A deliciously, sweet read that was the perfect palette cleanser. CR Johnson writes likeable characters with personalities that I’d like to befriend. Can’t wait to pick up the next book in the series when it’s out!

[Victoria Gilder]

Divinity is a heartfelt small town second chance romance centered on love, personal growth, and the possibility of reconnecting with someone from the past.

Divinity Clair Winters has created a comfortable life for herself in her beloved lake community, running her coffee café, Brewed Awakenings, and gradually making peace with the idea that being alone may not be such a bad thing. That carefully established balance changes when Rowan Saint Valentine, her first love, unexpectedly returns.

Rowan’s homecoming creates the story’s central emotional tension. Determined to make amends for the wrongs in his life, he hopes to win back the woman he once loved. For Divinity, his return raises difficult questions about the past, the choices they made, and whether some connections are strong enough to deserve another chance.

The book’s existing Goodreads response is particularly encouraging, with a 4.69 rating from 16 ratings and 15 reviews. Overall, Divinity offers romance readers an engaging combination of small town atmosphere, emotional history, and the enduring possibility of second chance love.

[Candace Waugh]

ARC REVIEW**** SPOILERS!!!

First off CUPID AND VIRGINIA! Remember those names because they will have you giggling!

The beginning of the book was a little slow. Each chapter was a jump in time and while I understand and did come to appreciate it not being dragged out during that time I felt like I was missing something.

Once the story started coming together I really enjoyed the directness of Rowan. He knew what he wanted when he made it to his home town and even his “girlfriend” wasn’t an obstacle. Laramie did surprise me. I thought with all her scheming she would challenge Divinity and put up a fight. It was nice to see her want to help him.

Rowans love and patience for Divinity is unmatched in this sweet second chance romance….but really is it second chance when either NEVER moved on.

I was devastated to find out the truth of her mom after all that time. 😭😭😭😭. I do love a good HEA tho.

Now the kext book…..will it be Divinity learning family secrets? Or will it be Lake and Beckett??? Their banter is top notch and we need that story as well!

[Mickeybare]

Divinity Review
4½⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A small town girl from an Oklahoma lake town. Clair thought she was doing pretty well for herself. She's doing decent business at her little coffee cafe. She has a house of her own, and her bills are paid every month, letting her focus on creating in her cafe. She thinks she's pretty happy with her life. The only thing missing is someone to share it with, but she's been unlucky in love, so she has accepted the single life for herself. Then her first love Rowan shows back up in town and is determined to win back her heart. A woman scorned is not pretty, and forgiveness won't come easily. While the cupcakes fly & apologies are plenty. Broken trust must be regained. Will she give her first love another chance or leave him begging for more. Read the book and find out

[Emily Ducky Ducky]

I just needed this in my life!!!

I went into Divinity expecting a cute second chance football romance and somehow ended up emotionally attached and questioning how one woman managed to make me swoon and laugh my a$$ off at the same damn time.

Rowen? Your emotionally constipated football star ex who comes crashing back into Divinity’s life like he never shattered her heart in the first place? OBSESSED. The tension? Delicious. The banter? Top tier.

And Chapter 13??? No comment diedddd laughing

I genuinely had to put the book down because I was laughing so hard. “Black and Decker pecker wrecker” deserves its own stickers immediately CR!!

But underneath the chaos and hilarious one liners is such a feel good romance with heart.

Divinity is funny, emotional, messy in the best way, and exactly the kind of romance that reminds you why second chance stories hit so hard.

5 stars. No notes. Rowen can ruin my life anytime.

[Tonya Blanton]

This book is sweet and delicious. This is literally the perfect pallet cleanser from the dark and heavy. It’s a second chance, romance with the perfect amount of intrigue, love, laughter, and all over good vibes. Moments of heartbreak, mystery, lust, and rooting for the good guys, all rolled into this book with a side of what’s next… There is always more to the story with CR. I can’t wait to see what she does next. The amount of banter and character development was perfect for me. Spice was just right for a contemporary romance not too much but just enough to feel all the feels . That makes a fantastic read. I highly recommend as always happy reading.

[Heather Greer]

Wow, this story was a delightful breath of fresh air! It was a great happy read that had me smiling throughout.
It brought me back to my younger years and memories of first loves and navigating our dreams. It had me laughing with some of the funny lines and banter between some characters. It was a joyful journey of young discovery, life long friendships, learning of family heritage and how to grow after lost loves that soon find their way back.
This is a must read that will capture the hearts of the readers.

Small town romance
Second chances

[Audrey Adkins]

This book was not C.R. Johnsons usual writing style, but she definitely knocked this one out of the park. This book had me laughing and crying. It's an amazing love story that starts with two teenagers in high school, Divinity and Rowan. Does young love ever survive, though? Then you have Lakelynn, the best friend who takes no bs and is fiercely protective of her friends. This story gives you young love, crazy best friends, found family, and all the things in between that make a great book. I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to see if there will be a book two.

[Kristi Schatz]

This story balances softness with emotional depth so well. It’s about love that never really leaves, mistakes that shape you, and finding your way back to what matters most.

I was completely pulled in and didn’t want to leave this little town or these characters behind.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If you love second-chance romance, small-town settings, and all the heart-tugging feels—this one is a must.

[Lori]

Chapter 13… yep, that one got me! I love my best friends, but no. I could never.
This is a cute story about Divinity & Rowan. I immediately disliked him in the beginning, but he definitely changed my mind throughout the book.
The bath tub scene had me laughing so hard.
I do feel like there needed to be more, as somethings were left unexplained… and I have more questions than answers.

[Jules unmuted]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

2nd chance romance that gives sweetness and hallmark feels.

It’s definitely the book you need after reading heavy, as this one leaves you with a smile the whole time.

There were some funny bits woven in.

I did leave this with a couple of unanswered questions, that if done as a series will be answered.

Good read for those days when you just need to feel good in a book

[Nicole Wilcox]

This is my first read from C.R Johnson and I absolutely loved it!! It is cute, sassy, funny, and chapter 13 OMG! I’ll let you figure out what happens there. As avid watcher of The Originals and The Vampire Diaries, my mind jumped to the shows constantly! I love that it was incorporated!

Future feelings…I hope to see more of Lake and Beckett ❤️

[Anna Crain]

I thought the audiobook was incredible! The narrator’s voices for each character really brought this sweet story to life! I couldn’t stop listening to it!

[Saharah Vanvalkenburgh]

Divinity

I love this so much. I can't wait for this next book. I love this fmc and mmc is can't to see what happens with lakeland and beckett.

[Diane]

I absolutely loved this story. It’s a nice break from all the darker books we read. It has a great second chance love story between Divinity and Rowan. I love how he wanted her to see his wife and see if she could fit vs just assuming she was going to live willingly with him. I love the history of New Orleans and getting to get some of Divinity’s just as well.
And we can’t forget the banter between Lakelynn and Beckett! Those two kept the book light. I can’t wait to get their book.
And can we just say chapter 13!

[Rebekah Powers]

This second chance romance will knock your socks off and leave you swooning - you just have to wade through the heartache first. CR Johnson takes that heartache and turns it into the magic using plenty of laughs, sass, and banter to keep the romcom feel alive and well! Rowan and Divinity have an absolute magnetism that pull each other together. With the support of their best friends (who have their own fun to sort out in the future!), Rowan and Divinity open themselves up to each other and a new life.