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Morning Glory #4
Third Time's the Charm
When you find someone who has no hope left, give the bracelet to her…
Sunshine “Sunny” Voorhees David would rather be dead than back in Morning Glory, Mississippi. But after losing both her husband and a pregnancy, she comes home temporarily to the place she swore she’d never return. Before she can leave for good, she must fix up the dilapidated family home, convince her mother to move, and avoid the man who broke her heart years before.
The mistake Henry Delmar made years ago has always haunted him, and now the woman whose dreams he destroyed is back. He wants her forgiveness, but this new Sunny is nothing like the innocent he remembers. This Sunny is hurt, angry, and has built a mile-high wall around her heart.
When Henry’s son runs over Sunny’s motorcycle, the stars line up for an opportunity to show Sunny how much he regrets the way they ended. With the help of his children, a stray dog, and the townspeople, Henry must find a way to rekindle their romance and prove to Sunny that she’s right where she’s always belonged…in his arms.
Come back to Morning Glory for puppy kisses, lattes at the Lazy Frog, and a happily ever after.
Sunshine “Sunny” Voorhees David would rather be dead than back in Morning Glory, Mississippi. But after losing both her husband and a pregnancy, she comes home temporarily to the place she swore she’d never return. Before she can leave for good, she must fix up the dilapidated family home, convince her mother to move, and avoid the man who broke her heart years before.
The mistake Henry Delmar made years ago has always haunted him, and now the woman whose dreams he destroyed is back. He wants her forgiveness, but this new Sunny is nothing like the innocent he remembers. This Sunny is hurt, angry, and has built a mile-high wall around her heart.
When Henry’s son runs over Sunny’s motorcycle, the stars line up for an opportunity to show Sunny how much he regrets the way they ended. With the help of his children, a stray dog, and the townspeople, Henry must find a way to rekindle their romance and prove to Sunny that she’s right where she’s always belonged…in his arms.
Come back to Morning Glory for puppy kisses, lattes at the Lazy Frog, and a happily ever after.
297 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 24, 2018
368 people are currently reading
269 people want to read
About the author
Liz Talley
69 books931 followersI unashamedly read, write and love romance books. I adore the weight of a book in hand and the anticipation of a happy ending. I love the journey, the word play and the magic of story. Nothing's better than reading a good book...except writing one. You can learn more about me and my award-winning romances at http://www.liztalleybooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
April 16, 2022
He has sex with another woman while they were on a break. He impregnated a debutante, marries her, is well-to-do, and has a cute kid. She leaves town on a bus, marries on the rebound, struggles financially and has five miscarriages. Oh yeah, she also can't have more children of her own.
She is extremely bitter, and he does not have the emotional capacity to understand how much she has been through. This translates into her pushing him away constantly and him often blaming her for not trusting him. He also lets his ex-wife abuse her on one occasion, admittedly under duress, and never makes her apologize or even truly acknowledges he acknowledges that this was unacceptable behavior.
The author tries to make this H sound appealing, a good guy who has pined over the heroine for many years and who is a responsible and loving father. But somehow, he comes across as unlikeable and his appeal is really hard to see. I don't really believe that the two of them would have ended up together.
He thinks his ex-wife was great, but unfortunately he was in love with the h. Which means that the h is saddled with a "perfect" ex wife who hates her to deal with for the rest of her life.
I've never read a second chance novel where the H's cheating caused the initial breakup where I felt like the h got a happy ending.
I think this H would have been much better off getting therapy and starting over somewhere else. She was still young and did not have to settle. She really did have psychological problems due to her great losses, and it was unrealistic for the book to end with her with her taking a chance on the H thus solving her emotional problems.
The rest of the series was quite good and I think that the author has has a knack for writing a low-stakes romance. However, I'm not going to be reading any more second chance novels unless I cull through the reviews carefully to make sure that there is no cheating, even if it's a technicality.
She is extremely bitter, and he does not have the emotional capacity to understand how much she has been through. This translates into her pushing him away constantly and him often blaming her for not trusting him. He also lets his ex-wife abuse her on one occasion, admittedly under duress, and never makes her apologize or even truly acknowledges he acknowledges that this was unacceptable behavior.
The author tries to make this H sound appealing, a good guy who has pined over the heroine for many years and who is a responsible and loving father. But somehow, he comes across as unlikeable and his appeal is really hard to see. I don't really believe that the two of them would have ended up together.
He thinks his ex-wife was great, but unfortunately he was in love with the h. Which means that the h is saddled with a "perfect" ex wife who hates her to deal with for the rest of her life.
I've never read a second chance novel where the H's cheating caused the initial breakup where I felt like the h got a happy ending.
I think this H would have been much better off getting therapy and starting over somewhere else. She was still young and did not have to settle. She really did have psychological problems due to her great losses, and it was unrealistic for the book to end with her with her taking a chance on the H thus solving her emotional problems.
The rest of the series was quite good and I think that the author has has a knack for writing a low-stakes romance. However, I'm not going to be reading any more second chance novels unless I cull through the reviews carefully to make sure that there is no cheating, even if it's a technicality.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2019
This is fourth in a series, and likely final. Characters from the others are present a lot but not intrusively so. You can probably start here, if you like, but All That Charm has a lot of background that will enhance this story. And heaven knows it needs all the help it can get.
I was hoping Sunny wouldn't be the sucking pit of despair she has been especially in the previous book. This book gives some details of her background that help explain what happened in her past but frankly, it didn't help me like her any better. I mean, yeah, what happened was a huge suck for the young lovers, but her reaction took that suck and magnified the consequences beyond all reason. It's like if someone slaps you and you decide to cut off your arm to get away from the pain. And then you moan and whine about how you don't have an arm and it's all their fault. Sunny destroyed all her own potential and yeah, her emotional network was net-negative with the awful mother but many in her community loved her, obviously, and her dropping out and running away was just so much stupid teen drama queen snit-fit.
And don't get me started on her supposed motivation. Her negative motivation* isn't helped for being so completely irrational. Henry presses her at one point on why she holds to her really dumb "plan" when they could have so much more. And she doesn't have an answer beyond "because I have irrational fear that I cling to despite knowing it's irrational".
I stuck this out solely on the strength of Henry. That guy is a dream. Which was great until the last, oh, 15% or so when Sunny decides that she hasn't learned anything or matured at all in 15 years and cutting off her own arm seems like lots of fun and why wouldn't you do more of that?
So this ends with two stars with the second due solely to a combination of Henry being lovely and fond memories of the other stories. It's really sad that the charm series ends with this charmless drone bent on hurting everyone around herself for really stupid reasons.
A note about Steamy: There's a single explicit sex scene putting this at the low end of my steam tolerance. It was, by the way, yet another way for Sunny to showcase how stupid she is and to place unwarranted demands on Henry. Seriously, this chick needs therapy and the sense god gave fence posts.
* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story.
I was hoping Sunny wouldn't be the sucking pit of despair she has been especially in the previous book. This book gives some details of her background that help explain what happened in her past but frankly, it didn't help me like her any better. I mean, yeah, what happened was a huge suck for the young lovers, but her reaction took that suck and magnified the consequences beyond all reason. It's like if someone slaps you and you decide to cut off your arm to get away from the pain. And then you moan and whine about how you don't have an arm and it's all their fault. Sunny destroyed all her own potential and yeah, her emotional network was net-negative with the awful mother but many in her community loved her, obviously, and her dropping out and running away was just so much stupid teen drama queen snit-fit.
And don't get me started on her supposed motivation. Her negative motivation* isn't helped for being so completely irrational. Henry presses her at one point on why she holds to her really dumb "plan" when they could have so much more. And she doesn't have an answer beyond "because I have irrational fear that I cling to despite knowing it's irrational".
I stuck this out solely on the strength of Henry. That guy is a dream. Which was great until the last, oh, 15% or so when Sunny decides that she hasn't learned anything or matured at all in 15 years and cutting off her own arm seems like lots of fun and why wouldn't you do more of that?
So this ends with two stars with the second due solely to a combination of Henry being lovely and fond memories of the other stories. It's really sad that the charm series ends with this charmless drone bent on hurting everyone around herself for really stupid reasons.
A note about Steamy: There's a single explicit sex scene putting this at the low end of my steam tolerance. It was, by the way, yet another way for Sunny to showcase how stupid she is and to place unwarranted demands on Henry. Seriously, this chick needs therapy and the sense god gave fence posts.
* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story.
February 7, 2026
This was a sweet second chance romance between Dunny ( fmc) and Henry ( mmc). Sunny is a widower amd heads back to her small hometown in Mississippi. On the first day back she runs into Henry, her cteenage sweetheart and his Don backs into her bike. Henry has 2 children with his ex wife. Sunny is still hitter because while they were in a break when he was a freshman in college and she was a senior in HS he broke their promise to be eachothers first and slept with his ex..she got pregnant. Sunny is so distraught wjen she hears the news that Henry is not only having a baby but marrying her she doesn't even finishes high school. She leaves town and immediately met her husband who passed away. She struggled with infertility amd lost a pregnancy at 6 months after getting the news that her marine husband was killed in action.
Henry sees her return as a second chance for them but Sunny cant forgive or forget the past so is reluctant to fall for Henry again.
The story is well paced and I really could empathize wirh Sunny being bitter because Henry had several opportunities to choose them in the past and didnt plus he had a family and she couldnt. I really rooted for them though and although I didnt agree with Henry's irrational teenage thoughts, I appreciated his actions as an afult to right his wrongs but not regret his children.
Henry sees her return as a second chance for them but Sunny cant forgive or forget the past so is reluctant to fall for Henry again.
The story is well paced and I really could empathize wirh Sunny being bitter because Henry had several opportunities to choose them in the past and didnt plus he had a family and she couldnt. I really rooted for them though and although I didnt agree with Henry's irrational teenage thoughts, I appreciated his actions as an afult to right his wrongs but not regret his children.
August 3, 2018
This was a hard one for me to rate because I liked that the h called him out for his asshole-ish ways but he did cheat on her when they were younger (they got into an argument and he got drunk and slept with a girl and got her pregnant. He was a virgin even though he had been with the h for about 3yrs. He justified it by saying they were on a break!!).
I did enjoy his remorse but got annoyed with him for blaming the h for the cheating. He married the OW soon after ending it with the h. The h then leaves town and loses her virginity to a soldier. They get married too.
The H was a piece of shit for treating her that way when Katie was in the hospital.
I suppose I admired the h's strength (returning to her old town to care for her abusive mother, having had 5 miscarriages and her husband dying even though they didn't have the greatest of marriages). She reminded me a lot of Sugar Beth from "Ain't She Sweet" by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
I did enjoy his remorse but got annoyed with him for blaming the h for the cheating. He married the OW soon after ending it with the h. The h then leaves town and loses her virginity to a soldier. They get married too.
The H was a piece of shit for treating her that way when Katie was in the hospital.
I suppose I admired the h's strength (returning to her old town to care for her abusive mother, having had 5 miscarriages and her husband dying even though they didn't have the greatest of marriages). She reminded me a lot of Sugar Beth from "Ain't She Sweet" by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
September 18, 2021
Meh. This one was...fine. It was a touch too sweet for my taste, but that was balanced out to some degree by some low-grade pervasive angst. It was a fine palate cleanser between heavier reads.
September 4, 2018
2 am
It’s 2 am and I have to get up for work at 6. I am crying like a baby and my nose is running. Carrie Underwood is right you can’t cry pretty. Going to bed and will write something tomorrow
Great read. So much for Sunny to overcome and rise above. I got frustrated with her, but the hurt ran deep and effected her life choices. I wanted more at the end. I wish there was an epilogue to see them in the future. Lots of tears and a HEA. Great ending to the series!
It’s 2 am and I have to get up for work at 6. I am crying like a baby and my nose is running. Carrie Underwood is right you can’t cry pretty. Going to bed and will write something tomorrow
Great read. So much for Sunny to overcome and rise above. I got frustrated with her, but the hurt ran deep and effected her life choices. I wanted more at the end. I wish there was an epilogue to see them in the future. Lots of tears and a HEA. Great ending to the series!
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October 30, 2018💝 FREE on Amazon today (10/30/2018)! 💝
Blurb:
When you find someone who has no hope left, give the bracelet to her…
Sunshine “Sunny” Voorhees David would rather be dead than back in Morning Glory, Mississippi. But after losing both her husband and a pregnancy, she comes home temporarily to the place she swore she’d never return. Before she can leave for good, she must fix up the dilapidated family home, convince her mother to move, and avoid the man who broke her heart years before.
The mistake Henry Delmar made years ago has always haunted him, and now the woman whose dreams he destroyed is back. He wants her forgiveness, but this new Sunny is nothing like the innocent he remembers. This Sunny is hurt, angry, and has built a mile-high wall around her heart.
When Henry’s son runs over Sunny’s motorcycle, the stars line up for an opportunity to show Sunny how much he regrets the way they ended. With the help of his children, a stray dog, and the townspeople, Henry must find a way to rekindle their romance and prove to Sunny that she’s right where she’s always belonged…in his arms.
Come back to Morning Glory for puppy kisses, lattes at the Lazy Frog, and a happily ever after.
Blurb:
When you find someone who has no hope left, give the bracelet to her…
Sunshine “Sunny” Voorhees David would rather be dead than back in Morning Glory, Mississippi. But after losing both her husband and a pregnancy, she comes home temporarily to the place she swore she’d never return. Before she can leave for good, she must fix up the dilapidated family home, convince her mother to move, and avoid the man who broke her heart years before.
The mistake Henry Delmar made years ago has always haunted him, and now the woman whose dreams he destroyed is back. He wants her forgiveness, but this new Sunny is nothing like the innocent he remembers. This Sunny is hurt, angry, and has built a mile-high wall around her heart.
When Henry’s son runs over Sunny’s motorcycle, the stars line up for an opportunity to show Sunny how much he regrets the way they ended. With the help of his children, a stray dog, and the townspeople, Henry must find a way to rekindle their romance and prove to Sunny that she’s right where she’s always belonged…in his arms.
Come back to Morning Glory for puppy kisses, lattes at the Lazy Frog, and a happily ever after.
July 30, 2018
Trigger warning! Pregnancy loss and poorly depicted
This book was ok. You get to see or hear a little from the “Girls of Morning Glory”. Sunny has had a lot of grief and struggles in her life. I can’t imagine what is like to loose a spouse, even harder in active duty. I do know what it is to loose babies.
The first time she mentions her miscarriages, she says her “unborn babies” and she says “if her daughter had been born”. Later you find out she was around 5 months with a cerclage. She went in to preterm labor. Her baby was most definitely born! She was stillborn. As the mother who has suffered a miscarriage and my first son being stillborn at 41 weeks, I feel like the language used gives very little respect and dignity to mother and baby. A baby born that is silent, is very much a baby born.
Then the terms she uses at 60% in the book made me angry.
“I had to decide whether I would dispose of the baby or have a funeral,”
Loss parents have not been treated with the respect they should have been for a very long time in this country. There are people working very hard to break the silence and give parents and babies the dignity they deserve.
From all the loss moms I’ve talked to and read their stories, no one has ever use the term dispose of! Are you kidding me? A better option for this line would be to cremate or burry, or have a service or not. Those are realistic terrible choices you have to make. Along with healing from birth and what to do with your milk supply that is coming in for the baby you didn’t get to bring home. I have friends that have lost babies due to incompetent cervix, and these words would not have come out of their mouths.
I understand her grief was compounded with her previous losses and her husband’s death. But if you are going to take this subject on, it needs to be carefully and respectfully done.
I can’t believe I am the only one that was bothers by this? I wonder If the author had any loss Moms beta read this for her.
This story was not good enough to forgive these careless words and the way this life changing was depicted.
NOPE.
This book was ok. You get to see or hear a little from the “Girls of Morning Glory”. Sunny has had a lot of grief and struggles in her life. I can’t imagine what is like to loose a spouse, even harder in active duty. I do know what it is to loose babies.
The first time she mentions her miscarriages, she says her “unborn babies” and she says “if her daughter had been born”. Later you find out she was around 5 months with a cerclage. She went in to preterm labor. Her baby was most definitely born! She was stillborn. As the mother who has suffered a miscarriage and my first son being stillborn at 41 weeks, I feel like the language used gives very little respect and dignity to mother and baby. A baby born that is silent, is very much a baby born.
Then the terms she uses at 60% in the book made me angry.
“I had to decide whether I would dispose of the baby or have a funeral,”
Loss parents have not been treated with the respect they should have been for a very long time in this country. There are people working very hard to break the silence and give parents and babies the dignity they deserve.
From all the loss moms I’ve talked to and read their stories, no one has ever use the term dispose of! Are you kidding me? A better option for this line would be to cremate or burry, or have a service or not. Those are realistic terrible choices you have to make. Along with healing from birth and what to do with your milk supply that is coming in for the baby you didn’t get to bring home. I have friends that have lost babies due to incompetent cervix, and these words would not have come out of their mouths.
I understand her grief was compounded with her previous losses and her husband’s death. But if you are going to take this subject on, it needs to be carefully and respectfully done.
I can’t believe I am the only one that was bothers by this? I wonder If the author had any loss Moms beta read this for her.
This story was not good enough to forgive these careless words and the way this life changing was depicted.
NOPE.
December 17, 2021
Third Time’s the Charm by Liz Talley is the fourth book in the Morning Glory series. “When you find someone who has no hope left, give the bracelet to her…” was the final request from Lacy but who would it be? Sunshine “Sunny” Voorhees David would rather be anywhere but back in Morning Glory, Mississippi. But after losing both her husband and a pregnancy, she had no choice but to come back home and fulfill a promise to her sister, Eden. While she waits for her chance to escape again, she’ll fix up the rundown family while trying to convince her mother to move. Oh! And avoid the man who broke her heart many years ago. Henry Delmar has been haunted by the mistake he made years ago and now that Sunny is back in town, he wants her forgiveness. But Sunny is nothing like he remembered. She is hurt, angry and has an impenetrable wall around her heart. Fate intervenes when Henry’s teenage son backs over Sunny’s Harley and the two are thrown together. He must find a way to rekindle their romance and prove to Sunny that her place is in Morning Glory with him.
Third Time’s the Charm is a sweet romance about regret, redemption and finding love and home again. Sunny is a hardened woman who is struggling to find a new place in life. I sympathized with Sunny as she is reeling from her husband’s tragic death in Afghanistan and the loss of her preterm baby. As a woman who has suffered numerous miscarriages including a preterm infant loss, my heart broke for Sunny. I also liked that she was gutsy enough to ride a Harley. I’ll ride a Harley but someone else needs to be driving! I enjoyed Henry as a man who recognizes that he was a stupid kid that resulted in their ultimate break up. I also laughed at the “we were on a break” mentality he had when discussing their break-up and waited for the Friends reference to come up sooner or later. While not my favorite of the Morning Glory series, I enjoyed the growth and development in the relationships between Sunny and her mother, Betty, who was a piece of work, and Sunny and Henry. If you have read the previous Morning Glory books, you will enjoy Third Time’s the Charm. If you haven’t started the series, I highly recommend starting with book 1, Charmingly Yours.
Third Time’s the Charm is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook
Book 1, Charmingly Yours is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook
Third Time’s the Charm is a sweet romance about regret, redemption and finding love and home again. Sunny is a hardened woman who is struggling to find a new place in life. I sympathized with Sunny as she is reeling from her husband’s tragic death in Afghanistan and the loss of her preterm baby. As a woman who has suffered numerous miscarriages including a preterm infant loss, my heart broke for Sunny. I also liked that she was gutsy enough to ride a Harley. I’ll ride a Harley but someone else needs to be driving! I enjoyed Henry as a man who recognizes that he was a stupid kid that resulted in their ultimate break up. I also laughed at the “we were on a break” mentality he had when discussing their break-up and waited for the Friends reference to come up sooner or later. While not my favorite of the Morning Glory series, I enjoyed the growth and development in the relationships between Sunny and her mother, Betty, who was a piece of work, and Sunny and Henry. If you have read the previous Morning Glory books, you will enjoy Third Time’s the Charm. If you haven’t started the series, I highly recommend starting with book 1, Charmingly Yours.
Third Time’s the Charm is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook
Book 1, Charmingly Yours is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook
February 11, 2019
This was the first book I read by Liz Talley. It will definitely not be the last. I discovered her by looking at a list of authors that will be at an event I am going to in a few months. In an effort to familiarize myself with attending authors I do not know, I found Liz's books.
I generally read romance, so her books are meant for me. I love her writing style, her character development, the scenery and the plot. They are well thought out and expertly developed.
I did not read the previously three books in this series (obviously, since this is the first book I read by Liz Talley) and I understood everything perfectly well. While I am sure I would have background information on the characters in the book and that would have added to the story, I do not think I was hindered at all by not reading them. I do want to go back and read them now though.
This is a story about a second chance at a love story that was halted by a huge mistake in the past. Both Sunshine (Sunny) and Henry are different people when they meet again fifteen years later. They both have went through many things in the years that passed, including a lot of anger and hurt. Henry still views Sunny as the love of his life. Sunny has a wall built up around her heart and that will need to be torn down before she can be open to love again.
The story has two main relationships that needs to be mended. Sunny needs the hurt caused by Henry to be healed. Also Sunny and her invalid mother (Betty) have a toxic relationship, yet Sunny moved back to her home town to try to help Betty become more independent. As the plot progresses, Sunny finds out more about herself and then she can move forward to a better future.
I am so happy that I am attending this event and found this author's work.
I generally read romance, so her books are meant for me. I love her writing style, her character development, the scenery and the plot. They are well thought out and expertly developed.
I did not read the previously three books in this series (obviously, since this is the first book I read by Liz Talley) and I understood everything perfectly well. While I am sure I would have background information on the characters in the book and that would have added to the story, I do not think I was hindered at all by not reading them. I do want to go back and read them now though.
This is a story about a second chance at a love story that was halted by a huge mistake in the past. Both Sunshine (Sunny) and Henry are different people when they meet again fifteen years later. They both have went through many things in the years that passed, including a lot of anger and hurt. Henry still views Sunny as the love of his life. Sunny has a wall built up around her heart and that will need to be torn down before she can be open to love again.
The story has two main relationships that needs to be mended. Sunny needs the hurt caused by Henry to be healed. Also Sunny and her invalid mother (Betty) have a toxic relationship, yet Sunny moved back to her home town to try to help Betty become more independent. As the plot progresses, Sunny finds out more about herself and then she can move forward to a better future.
I am so happy that I am attending this event and found this author's work.
October 5, 2018
I've really enjoyed this series, I assume this is the last one as the charm bracelet has finally found its home with Sunny. I'm so glad she ended up back in Morning Glory and found happiness.
The series is about four friends, one of whom died and left a charm bracelet to the other three, along with an amount of money, to do something they'd always wanted to do, add their own charm to the bracelet, and pass it along to the next person, ending up by giving the bracelet to someone who 'had no hope left'.
Sunny is Eden's sister, from book 3, and has recently come back to Morning Glory after hightailing it out of there when she was eighteen and had her heart broken by Henry. Henry and his family still live in town, have lots of money, and Sunny was from the wrong side of the tracks, but they fell in love when they were young, although circumstances forced them apart. Sunny got married shortly after she left, but is now widowed. Henry also got married and had two children, but is now divorced.
Sunny moves back home to look after her disabled and extremely miserable, rude and cranky Mother, whilst doing up their old house in the hope that she can move her Mother into a retirement village, sell the house, and move on with her life by leaving Morning Glory again. But she runs into Henry in town one day when his son runs over her motorbike and old feelings are stirred up, but Sunny has had a few knocks in life and doesn't quite believe anything could ever happen between them again and still harbors resentment for how they split up.
This whole series has been just so lovely (Rosemary and Sal from the first book were definitely my favourite couple of the whole series) and I would definitely recommend reading the whole series in order. Really lovely series that I would highly recommend.
The series is about four friends, one of whom died and left a charm bracelet to the other three, along with an amount of money, to do something they'd always wanted to do, add their own charm to the bracelet, and pass it along to the next person, ending up by giving the bracelet to someone who 'had no hope left'.
Sunny is Eden's sister, from book 3, and has recently come back to Morning Glory after hightailing it out of there when she was eighteen and had her heart broken by Henry. Henry and his family still live in town, have lots of money, and Sunny was from the wrong side of the tracks, but they fell in love when they were young, although circumstances forced them apart. Sunny got married shortly after she left, but is now widowed. Henry also got married and had two children, but is now divorced.
Sunny moves back home to look after her disabled and extremely miserable, rude and cranky Mother, whilst doing up their old house in the hope that she can move her Mother into a retirement village, sell the house, and move on with her life by leaving Morning Glory again. But she runs into Henry in town one day when his son runs over her motorbike and old feelings are stirred up, but Sunny has had a few knocks in life and doesn't quite believe anything could ever happen between them again and still harbors resentment for how they split up.
This whole series has been just so lovely (Rosemary and Sal from the first book were definitely my favourite couple of the whole series) and I would definitely recommend reading the whole series in order. Really lovely series that I would highly recommend.
January 15, 2023
TW: cheating (previous of the page), loss of spouse, multiple miscarriages, divorce
The thing for me with second chance romances is that if they live too much in the past then I don't enjoy them and this one spent way too much in the past (and folks we are talking 17 years here) and not enough in the here and now and learning each other as they are today. Yes Henry screwed up badly in the past and honestly in the now by trying to blame what happened on the heroine, but it WAS 17 years ago. That said Sunny ran away, she refused to talk to him (in the past) and hopped into a marriage because she wanted a family (sorry but that was screwed up). They both needed therapy, on their own and as a couple, and I felt like Sunny was forever sending mixed messages during this book to Henry which also wasn't fair. I'm not unhappy at the outcome but also felt like this would have been a great teachable moment about fixing your own life before jumping into relationships and I especially would have loved for them to agree they would go to therapy to set their new relationship on a strong foundation.
I gave it three that's a bit rounded up honestly.
The thing for me with second chance romances is that if they live too much in the past then I don't enjoy them and this one spent way too much in the past (and folks we are talking 17 years here) and not enough in the here and now and learning each other as they are today. Yes Henry screwed up badly in the past and honestly in the now by trying to blame what happened on the heroine, but it WAS 17 years ago. That said Sunny ran away, she refused to talk to him (in the past) and hopped into a marriage because she wanted a family (sorry but that was screwed up). They both needed therapy, on their own and as a couple, and I felt like Sunny was forever sending mixed messages during this book to Henry which also wasn't fair. I'm not unhappy at the outcome but also felt like this would have been a great teachable moment about fixing your own life before jumping into relationships and I especially would have loved for them to agree they would go to therapy to set their new relationship on a strong foundation.
I gave it three that's a bit rounded up honestly.
January 17, 2019
3.5 Star Review Third Time’s The Charm by Liz Talley
Audio Review:
Both the author Liz Talley and narrator Brittany Pressley were new to me. This is a second chance at love story and was an emotional roller coaster of a listen for me as it brought back some very painful memories.
Sunny has returned to Morning Glory Mississippi, a place she swore she would never return to with her life in shambles.
Henry Delmar made a dreadful mistake years ago and cheated on Sunny. She is the one who got away and when she returns to Morning Glory he wants to take the opportunity to make amends and get her forgiveness. I’ll be honest, I don’t like cheaters and even though it happened when they were young, and he said it was while they were on a “break”, it really annoyed me.
Sunny has built so many walls around herself and it is obvious that she is in pain, as well as exceedingly angry with life.
I will say that Henry redeemed himself somewhat as the story progressed . This was a good book but certainly needed trigger warnings in my opinion.
Audio Review:
Both the author Liz Talley and narrator Brittany Pressley were new to me. This is a second chance at love story and was an emotional roller coaster of a listen for me as it brought back some very painful memories.
Sunny has returned to Morning Glory Mississippi, a place she swore she would never return to with her life in shambles.
Henry Delmar made a dreadful mistake years ago and cheated on Sunny. She is the one who got away and when she returns to Morning Glory he wants to take the opportunity to make amends and get her forgiveness. I’ll be honest, I don’t like cheaters and even though it happened when they were young, and he said it was while they were on a “break”, it really annoyed me.
Sunny has built so many walls around herself and it is obvious that she is in pain, as well as exceedingly angry with life.
I will say that Henry redeemed himself somewhat as the story progressed . This was a good book but certainly needed trigger warnings in my opinion.
December 4, 2021
I liked the idea of the story, but there were still some unanswered questions for me. Henry and Sunshine were high school sweethearts until he went to college. His mother pressured him to take Jillian out and she wanted Henry. Henry was stupid and went along with it. Henry got Jillian pregnant and then Sunshine kicked him to the curb. He thought Sunshine should just wait until after the baby came and he divorced Jillian. He really didn't understand Sunshine and the fact that she came from the wrong side of town.
Sixteen years later Sunshine comes back to town to help her mother. Henry's son runs over her motorcycle so Henry has a reason to help her out. He still doesn't understand how bad he hurt her. She had married, but suffered 5 miscarriages and the death of her husband.
At the hospital he should have put Jillian in her place if he really intended to keep Sunshine in his life. The book is missing showdowns with his mother and Jillian. Jillian got what she deserved and had no right to be angry with Sunshine.
Sixteen years later Sunshine comes back to town to help her mother. Henry's son runs over her motorcycle so Henry has a reason to help her out. He still doesn't understand how bad he hurt her. She had married, but suffered 5 miscarriages and the death of her husband.
At the hospital he should have put Jillian in her place if he really intended to keep Sunshine in his life. The book is missing showdowns with his mother and Jillian. Jillian got what she deserved and had no right to be angry with Sunshine.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2018
Encore! Encore!
This was the perfect ending for the 'Charmed' stories but I really want more from Morning Glory because I have fallen in love with the town and her citizens (yes, Morning Glory is a she because of 1. The name and 2. The spirit of the town has such a romantic inclination how could it be anything but female!)
Well done, Ms. Talley another story that capture my interest and heart. Readers start with the first in the series because it will clarify the 'Charm' of the series and the stories flows well from one to the next. Rosemary, Jess, Eden and Sunny are each unique individuals and their stories while all Charmed are just as different as they are! Enjoy!
This was the perfect ending for the 'Charmed' stories but I really want more from Morning Glory because I have fallen in love with the town and her citizens (yes, Morning Glory is a she because of 1. The name and 2. The spirit of the town has such a romantic inclination how could it be anything but female!)
Well done, Ms. Talley another story that capture my interest and heart. Readers start with the first in the series because it will clarify the 'Charm' of the series and the stories flows well from one to the next. Rosemary, Jess, Eden and Sunny are each unique individuals and their stories while all Charmed are just as different as they are! Enjoy!
March 14, 2020
Sunny is back in Morning Glory after her husband is killed in service and a miscarriage and now she back so her sister can leave. She is not staying but first she has to fix up her mother's house so she can sell it and move her into adult assisted care. Yea, right. She does not expect to run into her old boyfriend who betrayed her and was the reason she left town but she does, in spectacular fashion, and rescue a dog. This one was extra good. This is really a second chance romance with learning to trust again. They all need some healing and this one left me with such a good feeling. Definitely enjoyed this series and recommend it!
October 9, 2022
A true happily very after story
The bracelet was to go to a person with no hope. The girls didn't figure that Sunny didn't want to be labelled hopeless. Sunny came back to Morning Glory to do her daughter as promised and get out. Having her motorcycle run over changed those plans. Henry can't believe his eyes that Sunny is back in town after a 15 year absence. She's not the same woman and he's not the young man that screwed things up so long ago.
This was a second chance at love story for both Henry and Sunny. She had to overcome her fear of heartache in order to have Henry and Henry had to give her the time to figure it out. It was a really good story.
The bracelet was to go to a person with no hope. The girls didn't figure that Sunny didn't want to be labelled hopeless. Sunny came back to Morning Glory to do her daughter as promised and get out. Having her motorcycle run over changed those plans. Henry can't believe his eyes that Sunny is back in town after a 15 year absence. She's not the same woman and he's not the young man that screwed things up so long ago.
This was a second chance at love story for both Henry and Sunny. She had to overcome her fear of heartache in order to have Henry and Henry had to give her the time to figure it out. It was a really good story.
November 27, 2018
Ah-Maz-Ing!!
Wow what a wonderfully well written story. I love Henry!! Yes he made some mistakes but he is so patient and devoted. Sunny has been beaten down by bad choices and life that she has defensive walls built around her heart and running down to a fine art. This book is a sooo good! Steamy and dreamy this is a story of second chances. I can't believe there isn't another book for this series. Sigh. Anyway I promise you will love this book. It is 1:45am and I am writing a review after I stayed up way to late reading this. Yes it is that good! Enjoy!!
Wow what a wonderfully well written story. I love Henry!! Yes he made some mistakes but he is so patient and devoted. Sunny has been beaten down by bad choices and life that she has defensive walls built around her heart and running down to a fine art. This book is a sooo good! Steamy and dreamy this is a story of second chances. I can't believe there isn't another book for this series. Sigh. Anyway I promise you will love this book. It is 1:45am and I am writing a review after I stayed up way to late reading this. Yes it is that good! Enjoy!!
January 29, 2019
Another superb Morning Glory novel
The preceding three novels followed Lacy's plan for Rosemary, Jess, and Eden. In this novel the magic of Lacy' bracelet is passed to Sunny, Eden's older sister. Sunny's life has been filled with tragedy, and she returns home after the death of her husband and a miscarriage. At home she takes over care of her bitter, crippled mother Betty. Can Sunnyfight her way back to happiness with Henry, who so wronged her back in high school? Like the previous novels, I had trouble putting this book down. Bravo!
The preceding three novels followed Lacy's plan for Rosemary, Jess, and Eden. In this novel the magic of Lacy' bracelet is passed to Sunny, Eden's older sister. Sunny's life has been filled with tragedy, and she returns home after the death of her husband and a miscarriage. At home she takes over care of her bitter, crippled mother Betty. Can Sunnyfight her way back to happiness with Henry, who so wronged her back in high school? Like the previous novels, I had trouble putting this book down. Bravo!
April 16, 2019
Honest about pain and old love.
It’s not often one comes across a book that’s honest about the long hard road from pain to healing and this book is worth reading just to appreciate the difficulty and irrationality of doing so. Not all paths in life are linear. Although I’m normally put off by religious themes/lessons or magical denouements, both of which appear in this book, they are handled thoughtfully here. An honest book about the difficulty of removing a cloak of pain to feel Sunshine’s joy and renewed ability to love and accept love.
It’s not often one comes across a book that’s honest about the long hard road from pain to healing and this book is worth reading just to appreciate the difficulty and irrationality of doing so. Not all paths in life are linear. Although I’m normally put off by religious themes/lessons or magical denouements, both of which appear in this book, they are handled thoughtfully here. An honest book about the difficulty of removing a cloak of pain to feel Sunshine’s joy and renewed ability to love and accept love.
July 13, 2023
Good closing to the series
Sunny has recently lost her Marine husband overseas, has had a miscarriage and is now taking care of her mother Betty who is partially paralyzed due to a stroke. The worst part is she is stuck in Morning Glory where everything reminds her of what she lost. Seeing her ex boyfriend Henry makes being back in MG especially difficult. But Lacy’s bracelet is still not complete. This fourth book in the series is about loss, pain and finding renewed hope. A very fitting finale for this sweet series.
Sunny has recently lost her Marine husband overseas, has had a miscarriage and is now taking care of her mother Betty who is partially paralyzed due to a stroke. The worst part is she is stuck in Morning Glory where everything reminds her of what she lost. Seeing her ex boyfriend Henry makes being back in MG especially difficult. But Lacy’s bracelet is still not complete. This fourth book in the series is about loss, pain and finding renewed hope. A very fitting finale for this sweet series.
September 4, 2021
Best one of the series!
This is Third Time’s The Charm, book 4 of A Morning Glory Novel series written by Liz Talley. I truly loved every book in this series, but I think this one was my favorite. It’s about lost loves, loss of happiness and being the person that you were meant to be. Everyone should be as strong as Sunny! She is an amazing woman with a great man just waiting on her to return to him.
This is Third Time’s The Charm, book 4 of A Morning Glory Novel series written by Liz Talley. I truly loved every book in this series, but I think this one was my favorite. It’s about lost loves, loss of happiness and being the person that you were meant to be. Everyone should be as strong as Sunny! She is an amazing woman with a great man just waiting on her to return to him.
November 10, 2022
Very heartfelt, love and laughter
Unfortunately Henry and Sunny being young they made mistakes. Take in his mother and Jillian they destroyed their chances at a future. Sunny comes back to Morning Glory to take care of her mother. It's a long and rough road for them to get to their happily ever after. Through tears, laughter and self reflection. This was an emotional story. Liz did a beautiful job with this story.
Unfortunately Henry and Sunny being young they made mistakes. Take in his mother and Jillian they destroyed their chances at a future. Sunny comes back to Morning Glory to take care of her mother. It's a long and rough road for them to get to their happily ever after. Through tears, laughter and self reflection. This was an emotional story. Liz did a beautiful job with this story.
July 28, 2018
Sunshine and love
Henry and Sunny were in love all through high school, planning a future. Then it fell apart. Now Sunny is a widow and Henry is divorced. Can two people reconnect after so many years? In Morning Glory there is always a chance, if you are willing to open your heart.
Henry and Sunny were in love all through high school, planning a future. Then it fell apart. Now Sunny is a widow and Henry is divorced. Can two people reconnect after so many years? In Morning Glory there is always a chance, if you are willing to open your heart.
November 3, 2018
Easy read and a heartwarming romantic story. Being a pet lover make the story even more enjoyable.
I chose the rating because the story has a message about starting over. It can be very difficult to take a chance on happiness when very sad things h ave happened in one's life. Wanted a book that was an easy read for an afternoon.
I chose the rating because the story has a message about starting over. It can be very difficult to take a chance on happiness when very sad things h ave happened in one's life. Wanted a book that was an easy read for an afternoon.
January 6, 2019
Heart-felt Excellence
It took me a while to read this one, because I didn't have a great impression of Sunny from the previous book - she was so hard. Seeing her lose her walls and found her place again, and her smile again was just wonderful. And oh, Henry! Wow! I'd love to have a Henry of my own.
It took me a while to read this one, because I didn't have a great impression of Sunny from the previous book - she was so hard. Seeing her lose her walls and found her place again, and her smile again was just wonderful. And oh, Henry! Wow! I'd love to have a Henry of my own.
June 2, 2019
Hate that the book is over!
Not fair. The story can’t end. This is an awesome book and I loved it. I want more. I want to see how Sunny creates the life she dreamed of, the family she wanted, and her melding into the community like a last piece of a puzzle, now complete. Great story.
Not fair. The story can’t end. This is an awesome book and I loved it. I want more. I want to see how Sunny creates the life she dreamed of, the family she wanted, and her melding into the community like a last piece of a puzzle, now complete. Great story.
February 5, 2020
Third Time's the Charm
An engaging story but I thought it was too wordy and repetitive. We were repeatedly told of her mother's former occupation and drug use. The characters were likable but some of the storyline didn't ring true. For me, this was not one of the author's best.
An engaging story but I thought it was too wordy and repetitive. We were repeatedly told of her mother's former occupation and drug use. The characters were likable but some of the storyline didn't ring true. For me, this was not one of the author's best.
August 30, 2020
“Doubt builds mountains you can’t climb"
Lacie's friends Rosemary, Jess and Eden bestow the beautiful legacy charm bracelet to Eden's sister Sunny to help her to re-discover hope after a life of heart brake and despair. This book was tear breaker. I don't know if I could forgive like Sunny, but I would hope I might
Lacie's friends Rosemary, Jess and Eden bestow the beautiful legacy charm bracelet to Eden's sister Sunny to help her to re-discover hope after a life of heart brake and despair. This book was tear breaker. I don't know if I could forgive like Sunny, but I would hope I might
May 5, 2024
It was cute, but it turns out I'm not into second chance romances, especially where there's cheating and especially when the guy cheats on the girl. Like I get it, "they were on a break and broken up," but like, how can he claim she's always been it and he's always known, then go do that. Sorry, but no thanks, not for me.
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