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Boys of Syracuse, Kansas #2
Last Second Chance
Tim Reardon made a real mess of his life. After five years in a federal penitentiary, he’s given one last second chance: to work on a ranch in a small town where no one knows his history and he can start over. Learning to care for a sick horse brings him together with veterinarian Janie Thomas.
Unaware that his old boss is intent on bringing him back into the fold, Tim thinks his drug running days are behind him for good. Faced with the ultimatum to come back to Denver or die, he and Janie find themselves in the crosshairs of a deadly enemy.
Last Second Chance is the second Thomas Family Novel, a series of standalone novels featuring characters connected to the Thomas Family of Syracuse, Kansas.
Formerly Book 2 of The Boys of Syracuse, Kansas. There have been no substantial changes to the plot.
Unaware that his old boss is intent on bringing him back into the fold, Tim thinks his drug running days are behind him for good. Faced with the ultimatum to come back to Denver or die, he and Janie find themselves in the crosshairs of a deadly enemy.
Last Second Chance is the second Thomas Family Novel, a series of standalone novels featuring characters connected to the Thomas Family of Syracuse, Kansas.
Formerly Book 2 of The Boys of Syracuse, Kansas. There have been no substantial changes to the plot.
Kindle Edition
First published February 8, 2015
6 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Kristi Cramer
18 books56 followersWhen Kristi isn’t working at her day job, playing outdoors at 3D archery shoots, and hiking or walking in the great Pacific Northwest, you can find her in front of her computer, hammering out exciting suspense stories, or chatting around on social media.
Although she has honed her writing craft for 30+ years, she only published her first book in 2012. Her strange and varied work history - having held jobs from a hotel housekeeper, a car wash attendant, an insurance underwriter, an electronics assembly line worker, a data entry tech in auto parts warehouse, a blueberry nursery shipping coordinator, a local delivery driver, and a truck driver and owner of her own trucking company - gives her a broad base from which to build her characters and storylines. Now a billing specialist for The Arc of Lane County, she supports those who care for people with disabilities while she pursues her writing career in earnest.
She got married for the first time at 38, skipped being a mommy and went straight to Grandma. Turns out it’s best for everyone that way.
Kristi's books are all affordably priced. In the time since self-publishing her first novel in 2012, Kristi has learned that working at selling her writing is a great way to kill the joy she has in the process of writing, so she has returned to the idea of writing for the joy of it. She still puts her heart and soul into producing the best possible product, trying only to make it easy for readers to enjoy her work for the least expense. She doesn't promise perfection but works hard to ensure the quality results in a low-to-distraction-free reading experience.
In April of 2023 she cut eBook prices as low as possible, making them free wherever she could. (Amazon doesn't make it easy to provide free eBooks, so all eBooks there are priced at 99¢.) You can find them free on other platforms - see website (below) for details. Paperbacks are priced as low as Amazon allows, or you can purchase directly from the website at cost.
What's the catch? We don't require anything of readers. If you are moved to do so, please feel free to leave a review. If you can afford it, you can donate to the cause of helping Kristi's bottom line. As of April 2023, money for professional covers will come solely from donations and royalties, or from bartering. See her website for details on how to donate.
Although she has honed her writing craft for 30+ years, she only published her first book in 2012. Her strange and varied work history - having held jobs from a hotel housekeeper, a car wash attendant, an insurance underwriter, an electronics assembly line worker, a data entry tech in auto parts warehouse, a blueberry nursery shipping coordinator, a local delivery driver, and a truck driver and owner of her own trucking company - gives her a broad base from which to build her characters and storylines. Now a billing specialist for The Arc of Lane County, she supports those who care for people with disabilities while she pursues her writing career in earnest.
She got married for the first time at 38, skipped being a mommy and went straight to Grandma. Turns out it’s best for everyone that way.
Kristi's books are all affordably priced. In the time since self-publishing her first novel in 2012, Kristi has learned that working at selling her writing is a great way to kill the joy she has in the process of writing, so she has returned to the idea of writing for the joy of it. She still puts her heart and soul into producing the best possible product, trying only to make it easy for readers to enjoy her work for the least expense. She doesn't promise perfection but works hard to ensure the quality results in a low-to-distraction-free reading experience.
In April of 2023 she cut eBook prices as low as possible, making them free wherever she could. (Amazon doesn't make it easy to provide free eBooks, so all eBooks there are priced at 99¢.) You can find them free on other platforms - see website (below) for details. Paperbacks are priced as low as Amazon allows, or you can purchase directly from the website at cost.
What's the catch? We don't require anything of readers. If you are moved to do so, please feel free to leave a review. If you can afford it, you can donate to the cause of helping Kristi's bottom line. As of April 2023, money for professional covers will come solely from donations and royalties, or from bartering. See her website for details on how to donate.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 22, 2015
Tim Reardon has paid his debt to society — five years in prison. Now it’s time to pick up the pieces and start a new life, but jobs for ex-cons are scarce. A phone call to his sister, first met with skepticism, lands Tim his Last Second Chance. He’ll have to make the most of it or crash land back in prison. A bus ride later, Tim finds himself learning the ropes as a ranch hand in Kansas, far removed from the only life he’d known: meth runner in Denver for a well-stocked drug lord who just happens to be his ex-girlfriend. Five years removed, she is not ready to let go. And while adjusting to life on the prairie is paying off, a few ranch hands don’t take too kindly to Tim and his new-found love interest, Janie. Jealousy? Revenge? Perhaps, but it cuts a little deeper. Regardless, Tim is up against multiple forces that want to knock him down a few rungs on the ladder to say the least.
Last Second Chance is a cowboy romance that reads like a Louis L’Amour suspense novel. It’s sagebrush, trail dust and hard rides in the saddle set against a modern Kansas wilderness. And if you think you know how the story ends, prepare to be thrown from the saddle. Make no bones about it, author Kristi Cramer’s story meanders and flows like a Rocky Mountain stream. One minute you’re riding the current, the next you’re shooting the rapids, and by the time you catch your breath, you’re turning the pages of the final chapter. Don’t miss out on this one, partner. My recommendation is to take the reins and head on over to Amazon right now. Just try to put this book down. I dare you. No regrets on this 5-star read.
Calvin Dean
Author
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January 7, 2017I was pretty nervous about making my hero an ex-con who had done prison time. But I do believe (almost) everyone can change for the better if they have the right circumstances to prompt the process. I personally know people for whom prison was the best thing that could have happened to them.
What do you think about a hero with a past that includes prison?
Do you believe people can change?
Tim has a newly minted heart of gold. If his sister hadn't arrested him and got him put away, he would surely have died on the streets of Denver, the victim of an overdose or a drug-related crime gone wrong. He might have ended up in prison for life for killing someone in the service of his boss. Prison sobered him up, and woke him up to the realization that he not only needed, he wanted to change his life. He just needs a place where he can get that second chance.
Janie.... I find it interesting that all my heroines have elements of hardness in their personalities. It makes them strong, but also, well, they can be bitches if the circumstance calls for it. Janie is loving and giving, but man, she can hold a grudge. And you don't want to cross her. When her buttons get pushed, watch out!
I hope you enjoy this installment of the Boys of Syracuse, Kansas, series. I enjoyed writing it.
What do you think about a hero with a past that includes prison?
Do you believe people can change?
Tim has a newly minted heart of gold. If his sister hadn't arrested him and got him put away, he would surely have died on the streets of Denver, the victim of an overdose or a drug-related crime gone wrong. He might have ended up in prison for life for killing someone in the service of his boss. Prison sobered him up, and woke him up to the realization that he not only needed, he wanted to change his life. He just needs a place where he can get that second chance.
Janie.... I find it interesting that all my heroines have elements of hardness in their personalities. It makes them strong, but also, well, they can be bitches if the circumstance calls for it. Janie is loving and giving, but man, she can hold a grudge. And you don't want to cross her. When her buttons get pushed, watch out!
I hope you enjoy this installment of the Boys of Syracuse, Kansas, series. I enjoyed writing it.
April 19, 2017
Tim Reardon made some bad decisions a while back and paid the price. Five years in a Federal penitentiary and now it something he hopes to put behind himself and start a new life. Things somehow do not seem to be going well for him, as expected no one wants to take a chance and give him a job.
As his last hope he gets in touch with his sister and hopes that she can help him. He is give one last second chance and soon finds him self on his way to Kansas Syracuse. Believing his past is behind him Tim is begining to put his life back on track, as he works on the Ranch while working with a sick horse Janie Thomas sort of waltzes into his life.
Soon the past catches up with Tim and now Him and Janie find themselves in the cross hairs of some pretty bad folks.
Will they come through, will the begining of romance take of for them.
All I can say that despite what life dealt this young character and what happens, I found this a really nice story and would read other books from this Author.
As his last hope he gets in touch with his sister and hopes that she can help him. He is give one last second chance and soon finds him self on his way to Kansas Syracuse. Believing his past is behind him Tim is begining to put his life back on track, as he works on the Ranch while working with a sick horse Janie Thomas sort of waltzes into his life.
Soon the past catches up with Tim and now Him and Janie find themselves in the cross hairs of some pretty bad folks.
Will they come through, will the begining of romance take of for them.
All I can say that despite what life dealt this young character and what happens, I found this a really nice story and would read other books from this Author.
January 17, 2018
As amazing as the first
I loved this book so much. I loved seeing Blue and Mitzi as returning characters and I had an amazing time getting to know new characters. The world needs more book series like this!
I loved this book so much. I loved seeing Blue and Mitzi as returning characters and I had an amazing time getting to know new characters. The world needs more book series like this!
February 23, 2015
Last Second Chance is the story of Tim Reardon, an ex-con who trades the Denver city lights for the Syracuse ranch life. When the story opens, Tim has pretty much hit rock bottom as an ex-con sleeping on the street who no one seems to want to give a second chance to. He swallows his pride and calls his sister, a cop in Syracuse. She reluctantly agrees to vouch for him and pays for a bus ticket out to Kansas. Tim is a hard worker and the patience and perseverance he learned in prison help see him through the first month, even the mild hazing he gets from a couple of the less savory ranch hands. Because of a sick horse, Tim gets to spend a lot of time with local veterinarian Janie Thomas and they get to liking each other quite a bit. Meanwhile, a vicious drug dealer from Denver follows Tim out to Syracuse and is hell bent on bringing him back --- either that or killing him.
The book is impeccably edited and Cramer's prose is evocative and easy to read. Every character is realistic and well-drawn, the main characters are especially compelling and you can't help but love them, warts and all. The story is familiar, yet Cramer manages to encompass many twists and turns that keep you interested and satisfied. There is decent action but at a good pace, not too breakneck, and never boring. Cramer likens the hero's appearance to Loki in the recent Thor movies which really resonated with me as I'm a sucker for Tom Hiddleston. There's also a ton of detailed scenes with horses, and who doesn't love horses? All in all, I loved the book. It was a good story and a great read. Five stars, without question.
The book is impeccably edited and Cramer's prose is evocative and easy to read. Every character is realistic and well-drawn, the main characters are especially compelling and you can't help but love them, warts and all. The story is familiar, yet Cramer manages to encompass many twists and turns that keep you interested and satisfied. There is decent action but at a good pace, not too breakneck, and never boring. Cramer likens the hero's appearance to Loki in the recent Thor movies which really resonated with me as I'm a sucker for Tom Hiddleston. There's also a ton of detailed scenes with horses, and who doesn't love horses? All in all, I loved the book. It was a good story and a great read. Five stars, without question.
January 8, 2016
I received this book in return for my honest opinion.
We meet ex convict Tim Reardon who has spent the last five years of his life in prison. Now he's out he's looking for a second chance in life. But nobody is willing to give Tim the break he wants.
Tim plucks up the courage to call his sister Mitzi for her help. She agrees to help her brother out and she agrees to help him out and pays his bus fare as she has arranged for him to go on her ranch in Syracuse,Kansas miles away from his old life in Denver. Much to his shock he enjoys working on the ranch. In his old life he was a drug runner but he couldn't escape as his boss and who he did the drug runs for was his ex girlfriend.
When one of the horse's takes ill he finds himself spending alot time with hot vet Janie Thomas and the chemistry between the two is there right away.
Just as Tim's life begins to start again he is unaware that a face from his past has followed him to Kansas and is more than willing to kill Tim or take him back to Denver.
We meet ex convict Tim Reardon who has spent the last five years of his life in prison. Now he's out he's looking for a second chance in life. But nobody is willing to give Tim the break he wants.
Tim plucks up the courage to call his sister Mitzi for her help. She agrees to help her brother out and she agrees to help him out and pays his bus fare as she has arranged for him to go on her ranch in Syracuse,Kansas miles away from his old life in Denver. Much to his shock he enjoys working on the ranch. In his old life he was a drug runner but he couldn't escape as his boss and who he did the drug runs for was his ex girlfriend.
When one of the horse's takes ill he finds himself spending alot time with hot vet Janie Thomas and the chemistry between the two is there right away.
Just as Tim's life begins to start again he is unaware that a face from his past has followed him to Kansas and is more than willing to kill Tim or take him back to Denver.
January 17, 2016
I got this in exchange for an honest review, I have not read a lot of books for Kristi but I am happy that I got my hands on this one, this one is filled with a lot of ups and downs twists and turns that will keep you guessing and wanting more I liked how the main characters were so emotional so real in away that helps them connect differently I liked how slow everything happens like with their past they think feel react differently than others would it amazing and cant wait to read the next one
March 14, 2015
This story is a standalone complete novel. You can read the blurb to see what it's about. I'd say that if you like The Mitford Chronicles by Jan Karon, you'll like Kristi Cramer. Syracuse is a small community, most of the people are good folks, trying to live good lives and the baddies blast in and out, moving the plot along but this is essentially a story of real human love. Nicely written, beautifully edited.
January 15, 2016
I received an arc for an honest review.
We all need to start a new.
Tim has paid for his crimes and is willing to start over on a ranch. Completely different from what he previously did. He enjoys it. Problem is sometimes our past has a way of sneaking back on us. Great read.
We all need to start a new.
Tim has paid for his crimes and is willing to start over on a ranch. Completely different from what he previously did. He enjoys it. Problem is sometimes our past has a way of sneaking back on us. Great read.
April 22, 2017
Tim Reardon made some bad decisions a while back and paid the price. Five years in a Federal penitentiary and now it something he hopes to put behind himself and start a new life. Things somehow do not seem to be going well for him, as expected no one wants to take a chance and give him a job.
As his last hope he gets in touch with his sister and hopes that she can help him. He is give one last second chance and soon finds him self on his way to Kansas Syracuse. Believing his past is behind him Tim is begining to put his life back on track, as he works on the Ranch while working with a sick horse Janie Thomas sort of waltzes into his life.
Soon the past catches up with Tim and now Him and Janie find themselves in the cross hairs of some pretty bad folks.
Will they come through, will the begining of romance take of for them.
All I can say that despite what life dealt this young character and what happens, I found this a really nice story and would read other books from this Author.
I received a copy for my honest review!
Review by Jara
As his last hope he gets in touch with his sister and hopes that she can help him. He is give one last second chance and soon finds him self on his way to Kansas Syracuse. Believing his past is behind him Tim is begining to put his life back on track, as he works on the Ranch while working with a sick horse Janie Thomas sort of waltzes into his life.
Soon the past catches up with Tim and now Him and Janie find themselves in the cross hairs of some pretty bad folks.
Will they come through, will the begining of romance take of for them.
All I can say that despite what life dealt this young character and what happens, I found this a really nice story and would read other books from this Author.
I received a copy for my honest review!
Review by Jara
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews