After a disastrous marriage, December Doyle has returned to her home town to try to pick up the pieces of her life and start again. She's also intent on helping breathe new life into the Christmas Creek township, so the last thing she needs is trouble. Bad boy Seth Hunter has also returned to Christmas Creek, and trouble is his middle name. Wrongly convicted of a serious crime in his youth, Seth is now a successful businessman, but he's intent on settling some old scores. As teenagers, December and Seth were madly in love, and seeing each other again reawakens past feelings. But will Seth be able to overcome his destructive anger about the past, and can December conquer her fear of heartbreak to make their relationship third time lucky? By the bestselling author of Second Chance Town, this compelling novel is about betrayal, ambition and the power of forgiveness - and love.
Karly Lane lives on the beautiful Mid North Coast of NSW in Australia. A certified small town girl, she is most happy in a little town where everyone knows who your grand parents were. She writes women’s fiction – everything from romantic suspense to family sagas and life in rural Australia. She has romantic suspense titles published under Karlene Blakemore-Mowle and her latest release, Third Time Lucky is available now.
Third Time Lucky is about two people who were romantically involved as children find love and forgiveness. December Doyle returns to Christmas Creek after the death of her husband. However, December did not realise that her young love Seth Hunter is back in town. When Seth Hunter found out that December Doyle husband died in a car accident, it starts Seth thinking about returning home and showing December and her family that he was the man for her. The readers of Third Time Lucky will continue to follow the twist and turns to find out what happens to Seth Hunter and December Doyle.
I enjoy reading "Third Time Lucky". I like the way, Karly Lane put the twist and turns into her story. Karly Lane did a great job in describing the plot and the settings of Third Time Lucky. I was engaged with the story from the first page and was unable to put the book down. I love Karly Lane portrayal of her characters and the way she entwines them together.
The readers of Third Time Lucky will learn about organising community events in small rural communities. Also, Third Time Lucky highlights the discrimination that small towns have against children who were born on the wrong side of the track.
*4.5 stars Back in 2013, I read a great Aussie novella that immediately got me in the mood for Christmas. December’s Wish, by Australian rural fiction writer Karly Lane, was the name of this novella. A few years and a few books later, Karly Lane has revisited this novella and extended the story into a full length novel, titled Third Time Lucky.
December Doyle leads the story in Third Time Lucky. After ten years away from her home town of Christmas Creek, December’s homecoming is marred with sadness. December has lost her husband in a car crash and learnt that he was cheating on her. To make matters worse, December has also lost her beloved business as a cafe owner. Now in a significant amount of debt, December returns home to start over again. In December’s home town of Christmas Creek, times are tough. The recent closure of the local abattoir is only adding to the struggling local economy. December’s family own a local hardware store and this too is having trouble making ends meet, following the opening of a larger hardware store in the next town. Competition is tough for the residents of Christmas Creek.
Many years ago, town resident Seth Hunter was known as the town’s resident bad boy, shunned by the local community for committing a terrible accident. As a result, Seth left the town in a shroud of controversy. Seth also left behind his first true love December, breaking her heart. Now Seth makes his triumphant return to Christmas Creek, as self-made successful businessman. Seth injects a much needed cash flow into the fledgling town through his business interests. However, what he really wishes to reclaim is December’s heart.
What a joy it was to return to the town of Christmas Creek and reconnect with December Doyle, through the experience of reading Third Time Lucky. I read this book over the Christmas period and I found it was the perfect book to read during the holidays. There is a strong festive theme that runs through Third Time Lucky. The residents, as well as streets and shops are all Christmas themed, these touches really made this book special. I loved the idea of the Christmas festival that December tries so hard to revive, what a fantastic idea!
Besides the strong Christmas theme that runs through Third Time Lucky, there is also a deeply compelling love story. I found this story element to be the driving force behind the novel. It enticed me to continue with the book longer than I expected, encouraging me to read just one more chapter! Lane tackles the love story between December and Seth very well. It is a romance fraught with ghosts of the past, as well as new pressures. This added a sense of realism to the romance side of the novel and gave me a strong vested interest in the final outcome of December and Seth’s relationship.
In addition to the romance in this novel, Third Time Lucky offers the reader a wonderful sketch of a small country township struggling to stay above water. Lane takes the opportunity in this narrative thread to explore the issues hurting small towns such as the fictional Christmas Creek. These include the closure of local businesses, lack of revenue and competition from neighbouring larger towns. I loved the ingenious idea of bringing tourists and economy to the local town of Christmas Creek by the inclusion of the Christmas festival, championed by the main character of December.
In Third Time Lucky, Lane also excels in conveying the feeling of living in a small town community. For the entire length of the novel, I felt completely involved in this somewhat judgemental but supportive community. Lane offsets this with a setting that speaks the country. It is always a true pleasure to be carried away by Lane’s locations and her strong setting descriptions.
Readers will find the characters are a shining light in Third Time Lucky. December is a likeable protagonist, who gleaned much sympathy from me. I appreciated the growth she made as a character. Seth is the perfect leading man, a reformed bad boy, misunderstood, with a big heart to match. Supporting December and Seth are a great cast of secondary characters. December’s Grandma is a character who stood out for me.
Third Time Lucky is book you will want to read over this summer period. It celebrates love, life, new beginnings and making amends. Two loveable leads, a colourful supporting cast and stunning small town backdrop, makes Third Time Lucky a highly recommended book. *https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
December Doyle returned home to Christmas Creek two years ago to try and pick up the pieces of a life that turned out to be a lie. Unable to move on, she hasn’t really been living but merely surviving, after giving up her little Melbourne café to work two jobs and live in the granny flat on her parents’ property while she pays off the huge debt that her husband left hanging over her head.
The only daughter to be born within three generations of the Doyle family, Em has always loved Christmas Creek and living there again has started her thinking of ways to revive the little regional town that is barely just surviving.
When Seth Hunter left Christmas Creek more than a decade before, he swore he’d never return to the town that refused to accept him because of his misfortune at being born into the wrong family but, after a newspaper article piqued his interest, the pull suddenly became too strong for him to ignore.
Now a successful businessman, he’s come a long way from the boy who lived on the wrong side of the tracks and, whilst small towns have long memories, he’s also never forgotten the only girl who ever made him feel like he could be someone more than a no-hoper.
“When everyone thinks you’re nothing, you start to believe it”
– Seth
It's when Seth finds out that the town committee have vetoed December’s ideas to boost tourism that he approaches her with an offer too good to refuse.
For December, accepting the offer is the easy part. It’s realising that the man he has become is very different to the teenage boy she once knew and that, even while the magnetism that played havoc with her heart all those years before is still present, there is far more to Seth’s return than he is letting on.
“Once I put my mind to something I very rarely let anything stop me”
– Seth
Well, you’re going to need to push aside the laundry and the housekeeping for a few hours this weekend!
Because that’s exactly what I did last weekend when Queensland found itself in the midst of a disgusting heatwave that had us all rushing for either the pool or the air-conditioning. Of course, I chose the air-con and, with great gusto, settled in to read this latest by Karly Lane. I’m a sucker for a “bad-boy”, “second-chance” romance and I immediately knew that I’d made the right choice when Karly’s characters’ emotions started making my stomach do fluttery flip-flops.
Karly is extremely adept at bringing the heartache and conflict of a realistic situation to the fore, allowing the reader to empathise with her characters and I found myself warming to Seth (don’t you just love that name?) and December very quickly. They are strong, independent and thoroughly likable and I couldn’t help but fall for Seth with his battered heart and tortured soul.
Whilst December loves the town, Seth is the opposite because it brings back so many painful memories and it is the contempt from the townsfolk along with his feelings of inadequacy that drive the hate, bitterness and anger he feels towards those that shattered the dreams of a boy who only ever wanted to belong.
On the opposite end of the scale, the chemistry between these two sizzles right from the start and, as memories of their youth intrude seamlessly into the narrative, pulling us into their world of teenage emotion and angst, there is a warmth and intensity that offers the reader a glimpse at the torch they once carried for each other.
Karly not only gives us rural romance but her stories always tackle real issues that plague small Australian towns and this one is no exception as she highlights the fact that big business is slowly choking off their sources of revenue, thus making us completely aware of how, without important injections of capital, their landscape and livelihoods is rapidly changing.
Did I mention that Granny Doyle is an absolute hoot!!
With her vivid characterisation, magical sense of place, heartfelt emotion and a dash of hope where hope has been lost, Rural Fiction's Favourite Daughter gives us a moving story about family, betrayal, love and the power that the past can hold over our lives. You will laugh, you will cry but most of all, you won’t want to put this heart-warming Aussie Christmas tale down until you are satisfied that things are going to work out.
Four and a half stars. After the death of her husband Dan, and the loss of her business due to debts incurred by her husband, December Doyle returns to her home town of Christmas Creek. She hopes to revive the area with her plans to try and revitalise the town which is at present struggling, with her Christmas in July ideas. What she hadn’t counted on though was the presence of Seth Hunter. Seth Hunter and December had been romantically involved when they were teenagers. But Seth was ostracised by the town and shunned by the rest of the Doyle family because of his background as well as the trouble he got into. Now he is back, despite all the odds, a successful and wealthy business man. And he wants to show this town how wrong they were about him. The feelings between Seth and December are also still there but her family still views him as a troublemaker. December is torn between her love for Seth and for her family. But there is a lot about events from the past she does not know. December is very easy to like. The struggling small town and the attitude towards a competitive business nearby and its effect on small town business came across very well. As did the judgemental attitudes. Small towns can often have long memories and be unwilling to change attitudes or ways. The setting in Victoria’s high country is well drawn and the town is peopled with interesting and realistic characters. I enjoyed this rural read. The romance simmers along throughout as does the tension. I did wonder if one of the changes as and the judgemental attitudes that occur was maybe too sudden given the earlier antagonism but it certainly didn’t stop me from being engaged in this story. I have read several books by this author and found them all to be great reads. This was no exception. An easy but interesting read that draws the reader in. Very enjoyable.
Whilst looking through this author's list of books I discovered I had not read this book which I was a little surprised by as I thought I’d read all of her books, but not this one. Anyway Third Time Lucky was another enjoyable read. If you enjoy reading rural romance novels then this one is for you. Recommended.
Third Time Lucky by Karly Lane is an enjoyable novel of small town minds, teenage bad boy and good girl doomed romance, disastrous marriage, bad boy redeeming himself and getting the girl. It is not a cheesy as this sounds, quite a few unexpected twists and turns that will keep you riveted.
Firstly, congratulations Karly for putting me in the YuleTide mood, despite it being March! Absolutely adored the setting of Christmas Creek, especially when it turned into a typical Christmas village! How I wish a place actually existed here in Australia!
This book is just so lovely and joyful! As teenagers, December Doyle and Seth Hunter were in love. However, it wasn't accepted by society. Seth was the local lad with a bad reputation, and December was the local sweetheart, well protected by her family. Our two lovebirds had to sneak around, keeping their relationship a secret, until poor Seth was wrongly accused of arson. Heartbreakingly, Seth told December to give up on him when he was sent to jail. This decision drove December into the arms of Seth's nemisis, Dan McPherson (not the actor, despite what you may think). If this doesn't crush you, the moment where Seth turned up at the church on December's wedding day will. Basically, poor Seth was told that he missed out on his chance, and he drove out of town and December's life.
Twelve years later, December's marriage is over and she's back in Christmas Creek. Seth is back as well, and he's shaken up the entire town. This community hasn't changed their views of the reformed bad boy, and yet again, December is the only one who believes in him.
Still, Seth is out to prove that he has changed. Despite reigniting old adversies, he is still madly in love with December. But will December risk it all to get her happy ending with the only man she's ever loved?
My favourite character has to be December's Gran! The eighty three year old is sprightly, snarky, over protective and unpredictable. Her finest moment is getting arrested... By her own grandson. Love, love, LOVE Gran to bits!
A laugh out loud moment: December sticking it to a former school mate in the supermarket, asking for a price check for hemmoriod cream 😆 Classic.
First book I have read by this author and was really happy to find it well written, great character development and plot. This is a second chance story of teenagers who were meant to be together, were in love, but broken apart by her family who then pushed her on a different guy that she ended up marrying. December Doyle is such a great heroine, loyal and trying so hard to get over her past while moving into the future. After her husband died in car accident she found out what a dirtbag he was, cheating on her, driving up debt and mortgaging her business. She lost everything and had to move home to her parents property. Her parents have secrets too and they are culpable in her losing the love of her life Seth as a teenager. Great book totally enjoyable, listened on audio and the narrator did fabulous job with all the different voices.
I did enjoy this book. The start of it I found was quite slow and at one point I was going to put it down but I pushed on and it did get a whole lot better. I did get really drawn in by the characters and to some things I could relate to. What annoyed me the most and it's probably really trivial stuff, but there were quite a few spelling and punctuation errors. The miss spelling of one of the characters name bothered me even though I know it shouldn't. But over all I did enjoy it and I'm glad I got to the end of it.
Wow if you read December's Wish you will want to read Third Time Lucky it's sweet,loving,heartbreaking and just excellent you learn more about why Seth is the way he is and what actually happened all those years ago and does December follow her heart ir let the past take over. Well one way to find out go read meet the families of Christmas Creek and fall in love with them again.
I do like reading Karly's books. December being the unusual name of the (girl/women) in this story but when you think the town is called Christmas Creek set in the snowy mountains yeah I get it. Seth seems to have had a turn around but understandably was hard with Doyle males sticking together,seems as though they chose a rotten egg n were keeping silent. Family. hmm.
Christmas is all around - and I do mean literally - in town of Christmas Creek. A lovely tale of second chances, a lesson or two in perception and the use of one's words.
Its been a long time since I've read a book in just 4 days, but Third Time Lucky is one such book. It was a literal cant-put-it-down book...the kind I love.