Third Time's a Charm: Everyone knows three is the unluckiest number of all

by Carrie Clarke

... but maybe this time it'll turn out to be a charm




Louise Baker avoids anything to do with the number three. The fact that the most important presentation of her life got scheduled for the third of March can’t be a good sign.

Neither can the third appearance in her life of Jasper Spencer-Jones. The grown-up and very sexy incarnation of the boy whose shoes she peed on when she was three. And who, it turns out, is her new boss.

But she’s not going down without a fight. If she can just convince him to go on a road trip with her, she’s confident she can prove her ideas for saving the company will work.

Jasper Spencer-Jones will do what he needs to in order to get that big promotion. Even if it means travelling to Sydney to secretly shut down a failing business.

Easy. Until he realises three things. Maybe the business is worth saving. Maybe Louise’s ideas will work. And maybe he’s screwed.

Because agreeing to go on a road trip through remote wine country with her is madness. Especially since he can’t be honest with her about why he’s in Australia. Or about his growing feelings.

Can Louise trust Jasper to help her save her ideas and protect her heart, or will their third time prove once and for all how very unlucky the number three is?




This book is a standalone spinoff from Not a Nice Boy.

309 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 19, 2026

About the author

Carrie Clarke writes spicy contemporary romances that will tug at your heartstrings and fog up your glasses.

Carrie's debut novel, The Art of Falling in Love, came second in the 2021 RWAus Valerie Parv Award and in 2022 won the prestigious RWAus Emerald Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript.

In 2023 Carrie was a finalist in the Australian Romance Readers Association Awards for Favourite Debut Romance Author, Best Banter in a Romance (The Art of Falling in Love) and Favourite Couple in a Romance (Nick & Lulu from The Art of Falling in Love).

Reviews

[Lisa J Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adventurous road trip with an agenda - but is love part of those plans?

Awesome dual pov story of Jasper and Louise. Three is not her lucky number as this is the third time she gets to meet her mother's friend's son and this time is he is her boss (or boss, boss of boss) all the way from the UK. She has made a great proposal and topped it up with a road trip they will never forget in a hurry. Getting to know each other again as they drive from Winery to Winery will either make them or break them? Love the side characters too as they really make Jasper and Louise's road trip be adventurous which I don't think Jasper was expecting.
Great work, Carrie - another fantastic story.

[Mel - Write On Editorial · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third Time's a Charm goes straight into my favourite reads of the year list.
@carrieclarkeauthor you've done it again by writting another cracking Aussie contemporary romance.
Louise is an account manager in the Australian branch of an international wine company. She's bright, kind and funny.
Jasper is the regional director at the same company, sent out from London to sort out the ailing branch. He’s stern but fair and hot!
Louise has an idea that could turn things around for her office and Jasper gives Louise the chance to prove it. Which in this case means...Road Trip!
Que driving through the Australian countryside and small country towns. Carrie made it sound so amazing, I want to do it myself one day. Gorgeous scenery, yummy food, beautiful night skies and quirky accommodation.
I must give a special mention to the front loading flip toaster, which took me straight back to my childhood. Ah, the nostalgia!
But back to Louise and Jasper. They had phenomenal chemistry. The spice was first class. And I loved how Louise broke through Jasper's walls, getting to the sweet, gooey guy underneath.
It was also wonderful to be back with Ant and Lil from, Not a Nice Boy, and some of the Carters from the Falling In Love series towards the end.
Publishing October 6th.
Thank you Carrie for the ARC.
This is an unprompted and honest review.

[Lindsey Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carrie Clarke always writes characters I can easily fall in love with and this was no exception.

I loved the pacing of this book. The road trip was wonderfully written. It wasn't solely focused on a one bed trope, though that does make an appearance. Each stop on their winery tour and each incident worked well to progress their story. It built up their chemistry but also added to the tension around Jasper's reasons for being in Australia and his desperate need to help make Louise's idea a success.

Louise is such a relatable character, I loved her! Her train of thought was just brilliant and kept me entertained. Jasper is gorgeous. I love how he fell hard for Louise and fought even harder for her.

Argh! The third act break up. Gosh it hurt my heart so badly. But I loved how Carrie Clarke had it play out. It wasn't a flash in the pan moment, it had a realistic timeline and resolution which felt so much more satisfying than if it had been rushed to avoid so much heartbreak.

I absolutely loved all the cameos from Ant and Lil, as well as some of the Carter family. I always love those tie-ins to other books in an author's backlist.

An absolutely wonderful read!

[Karen Lieversz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carrie has done it again!
Three’s a Charm is a delicious slow burn that takes us on a road trip through beautiful Australian wine country. And when the fire ignites between Louise and Jasper … hot damn. The way we’re shown their first time between the sheets is like nothing I’ve ever read before. Brilliant!
There are also cameo appearances from beloved characters from Not A Nice Boy and from the Falling in Love Series which further enriched this perfect office/boss/road trip/almost one bed romance.