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Second Wind
No matter how old you are, there's always a chance for romance. After the death of her husband, 71-year-old homemaker Martha Appleby is taking her first long-distance trip alone. That loss has derailed many of her plans for her twilight years, and she hopes to come to peace with not knowing what will come next.
70-year-old service dog trainer Pamela Thornton is hoping to take advantage of a well-timed work trip to figure out what to do next. Crouton is the last service dog of the litter, and she's not sure she wants to keep raising dogs by herself.
These two childhood sweethearts haven't seen each other in fifty years when they each board the same airplane, only to find they've been booked for the same seat. If they can get past the ghosts of their past and decide what path they want to chart for their futures, this chance meeting could give their long lost relationship its second wind.
70-year-old service dog trainer Pamela Thornton is hoping to take advantage of a well-timed work trip to figure out what to do next. Crouton is the last service dog of the litter, and she's not sure she wants to keep raising dogs by herself.
These two childhood sweethearts haven't seen each other in fifty years when they each board the same airplane, only to find they've been booked for the same seat. If they can get past the ghosts of their past and decide what path they want to chart for their futures, this chance meeting could give their long lost relationship its second wind.
110 pages, Paperback
First published July 12, 2019
17 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Ceillie Simkiss
8 books89 followers**PLEASE NOTE: I DO NOT ACCEPT FRIEND REQUESTS ON THIS ACCOUNT. IF YOU WISH TO KEEP UP WITH MY REVIEWS, PLEASE FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER**
Ceillie Simkiss is an author from southern Virginia. She started writing fiction as an escape from her day job as a small town journalist, and has been at it ever since, with the support of her partner, her dog and her cats.
Ceillie Simkiss is an author from southern Virginia. She started writing fiction as an escape from her day job as a small town journalist, and has been at it ever since, with the support of her partner, her dog and her cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
July 18, 2019
It’s not often characters in lesfic are older women so when I saw the author was offering ARCs for this story with women over 70, I couldn’t resist.
Martha and Pam were best friends most of their childhood and teenage years, up until Pam’s family moved. They haven’t seen each other until they meet by chance on a plane to Glasgow more than fifty years later. Martha is carrying her dead husband’s ashes, which she plans to disperse from the top of the Glasgow Tower. Pam is bringing a support puppy to a young epileptic child. Over the next few days, the two women reconnect and come to realize how much they still mean to one another.
I appreciated the way Martha’s love for her husband was never played down, how much a part of her it was. She’s one of the lucky ones who have more than one true love in their lifetime. I only wish there had been more about Pam’s life as an adult. We don’t know anything about her, or her love life. I missed that all the more so as she’s a very interesting person, from the little we know.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable read, a lovely story, great chemistry between the characters, good secondary characters too.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Martha and Pam were best friends most of their childhood and teenage years, up until Pam’s family moved. They haven’t seen each other until they meet by chance on a plane to Glasgow more than fifty years later. Martha is carrying her dead husband’s ashes, which she plans to disperse from the top of the Glasgow Tower. Pam is bringing a support puppy to a young epileptic child. Over the next few days, the two women reconnect and come to realize how much they still mean to one another.
I appreciated the way Martha’s love for her husband was never played down, how much a part of her it was. She’s one of the lucky ones who have more than one true love in their lifetime. I only wish there had been more about Pam’s life as an adult. We don’t know anything about her, or her love life. I missed that all the more so as she’s a very interesting person, from the little we know.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable read, a lovely story, great chemistry between the characters, good secondary characters too.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
September 9, 2019
This is a very cute and beautiful second-chance love story with women in their seventies, which is unusual in lesfic, but also very nice to see. I haven’t read anything by this author before.
In an instant, the life of Pam and Martha changes. One day the universe or whoever has interfered with the life of Pam and Martha, when they meet unexpectedly on a flight to Scotland. Pam brings her service dog puppy to her new family and Martha brings her dead husband’s ashes to his birth town, Glasgow. They reconnect instantly after being apart for more than fifty years. They still carry their love for each other in their hearts, they were really best friends until they were separated at the age of twelve.
You can feel the connection the two of them still have after all these years, and they fall in love again. But it’s also very nice to see the love Martha still has for her dad husband.
The story is only about 100 pages and for that, we don’t get to know much about their life’s, just a little bit about their families and that Pam is working as a dog trainer for service dogs. I would have loved to get to know more about them, including the love life of Pam, which isn’t mentioned. The story is written nice, the dialogues and interactions are well done. The characters are realistic and endearing.
A sweet love-story without angst or drama. Just to keep you smiling.
My rating 4 stars.
ARC provided by the author and LezReviewBooks.com in exchange for an honest review.
In an instant, the life of Pam and Martha changes. One day the universe or whoever has interfered with the life of Pam and Martha, when they meet unexpectedly on a flight to Scotland. Pam brings her service dog puppy to her new family and Martha brings her dead husband’s ashes to his birth town, Glasgow. They reconnect instantly after being apart for more than fifty years. They still carry their love for each other in their hearts, they were really best friends until they were separated at the age of twelve.
You can feel the connection the two of them still have after all these years, and they fall in love again. But it’s also very nice to see the love Martha still has for her dad husband.
The story is only about 100 pages and for that, we don’t get to know much about their life’s, just a little bit about their families and that Pam is working as a dog trainer for service dogs. I would have loved to get to know more about them, including the love life of Pam, which isn’t mentioned. The story is written nice, the dialogues and interactions are well done. The characters are realistic and endearing.
A sweet love-story without angst or drama. Just to keep you smiling.
My rating 4 stars.
ARC provided by the author and LezReviewBooks.com in exchange for an honest review.
August 1, 2019
Sweet but fast romance between two 70 year old women who were friends when they were kids but lost contact when one of them moved. After meeting on a plane to Glasgow they reconnect.
Read
July 17, 2019I wrote this, and I can't wait for you to read it!
Content Warnings:
The dog does not die and there is no actual death in this novella.
• Mention of spousal death,
• spreading of ashes,
• discussion of service dog duties and types of seizures,
• mentions of chronic pain and illness,
• mentions of ageism,
• mentions of pregnancy in family member.
There is also a nonbinary child who uses she/her pronouns. This was intentional on my part.
Thank you for reading!
Content Warnings:
The dog does not die and there is no actual death in this novella.
• Mention of spousal death,
• spreading of ashes,
• discussion of service dog duties and types of seizures,
• mentions of chronic pain and illness,
• mentions of ageism,
• mentions of pregnancy in family member.
There is also a nonbinary child who uses she/her pronouns. This was intentional on my part.
Thank you for reading!
July 29, 2019
2.5 stars
Super cute second chance romance between two ladies in their 70s.
Content warnings include: mentions of death of a spouse, epilepsy, chronic pain.
Pam and Martha were best childhood friends, until Pam had to move away and they lost contact. Many years later, they meet again on a flight to Scottland, where Martha wants to spread her husband's ashes and Pam brings a service dog she trained to a customer - who turns out to be one of Martha's family.
It was very cute and low drama, and inspired by this absolutely adorable thread from twitter. Not much happened, it was a very slow story.
On the one hand this definitely was a romance book, yet on the other... for me, there wasn't really much romance? Yes, the two fell in love again, but I didn't really see much of the actual falling in love. They shared a few experiences, and tender feelings, too, but overall the book was too short with too many time skips to really make me feel the love between them.
I read an ARC copy, so I'm sure some changes will have been made before release, but I had a hard time keeping track of who characters were. This was partly because the names changed in the middle of the chapter (Joseph becomes Robert, Anthony become Andrew,...) and simply because both Martha and Pam have quite big families: children, siblings, siblings in laws, grandchildren, niblings, and so forth, and it rarely was elaborated who is who.
Overall the book was... cute. I loved how inclusive it was, how low-drama and that it had older protagonists, but I also wasn't really invested or engaged, as evidenced by how long it took me to read it. Still definitely worth checking out!
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Super cute second chance romance between two ladies in their 70s.
Content warnings include: mentions of death of a spouse, epilepsy, chronic pain.
Pam and Martha were best childhood friends, until Pam had to move away and they lost contact. Many years later, they meet again on a flight to Scottland, where Martha wants to spread her husband's ashes and Pam brings a service dog she trained to a customer - who turns out to be one of Martha's family.
It was very cute and low drama, and inspired by this absolutely adorable thread from twitter. Not much happened, it was a very slow story.
On the one hand this definitely was a romance book, yet on the other... for me, there wasn't really much romance? Yes, the two fell in love again, but I didn't really see much of the actual falling in love. They shared a few experiences, and tender feelings, too, but overall the book was too short with too many time skips to really make me feel the love between them.
I read an ARC copy, so I'm sure some changes will have been made before release, but I had a hard time keeping track of who characters were. This was partly because the names changed in the middle of the chapter (Joseph becomes Robert, Anthony become Andrew,...) and simply because both Martha and Pam have quite big families: children, siblings, siblings in laws, grandchildren, niblings, and so forth, and it rarely was elaborated who is who.
Overall the book was... cute. I loved how inclusive it was, how low-drama and that it had older protagonists, but I also wasn't really invested or engaged, as evidenced by how long it took me to read it. Still definitely worth checking out!
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
January 1, 2020
FTR, I picked this v. short novella (99 pgs total) for two reasons: I was in the mood to read something fast and the novelty of a romance in which the protags are over 50 years old was quite tempting. The author was new to me, but the premise was so charming that I decided to give it a try.
Among the positives I can say that the two protagonists were easy to root for. Also, the plot was easy to follow. Oh, and the author included content warnings. Although the overall story arc was rather mild, I was relieved to know that NOTHING BAD happened to the dog before I began reading.
(The rest of the CW are: mention of spousal death; discussion of grief/mourning; spreading of ashes; mentions of chronic pain, illness, ageism, and seizures; pregnancy themes of secondary characters.)
I was having a pretty solid (if not eventul) read up to the 20% mark. It was around then that the story went from "reunited sweethearts" and into a kind of transcript of Pamela and Martha's travelogue while in Scotland.
There was one moment that focused on the acceptance stage of grief in a way that was bittersweet yet tender.
Aside from that, though, I was tremendously bored and frustrated. Martha and Pamela were in physical proximity to each other but emotionally they might as well have been two people who had been complete strangers.
For some reason that I couldn't quite figure out, they waited until the day RIGHT BEFORE THEY WERE DUE TO RETURN TO THE US to sit down and figure out why they became estranged back in 1965. Which, if you ask me, was a looong time to pause on addressing the rift (context: they'd been sleeping--in separate rooms--in the same house and had been spending nearly every moment together for at least a week).
Then, right around the 65% mark, there was a revelation that made me literally roll my eyes.
THE NEXT DAY, a v. realistic and ordinary conflict occurred...which made both characters overreact in a weird way. Especially Martha.
FWIW, I'd emotionally checked out of the story way before but it was so short that I just powered through. With one chapter left, the pacing sped up to a ridiculous level.
So joke's on me because I could've DNF'd it but didn't.
TL;DR: A short F/F novella that fizzled out a little before the middle point. I am hesitant to rec it unless others happen to have Kindle Unlimited (at the time of this review, it is available there).
Among the positives I can say that the two protagonists were easy to root for. Also, the plot was easy to follow. Oh, and the author included content warnings. Although the overall story arc was rather mild, I was relieved to know that NOTHING BAD happened to the dog before I began reading.
(The rest of the CW are: mention of spousal death; discussion of grief/mourning; spreading of ashes; mentions of chronic pain, illness, ageism, and seizures; pregnancy themes of secondary characters.)
I was having a pretty solid (if not eventul) read up to the 20% mark. It was around then that the story went from "reunited sweethearts" and into a kind of transcript of Pamela and Martha's travelogue while in Scotland.
There was one moment that focused on the acceptance stage of grief in a way that was bittersweet yet tender.
Aside from that, though, I was tremendously bored and frustrated. Martha and Pamela were in physical proximity to each other but emotionally they might as well have been two people who had been complete strangers.
For some reason that I couldn't quite figure out, they waited until the day RIGHT BEFORE THEY WERE DUE TO RETURN TO THE US to sit down and figure out why they became estranged back in 1965. Which, if you ask me, was a looong time to pause on addressing the rift (context: they'd been sleeping--in separate rooms--in the same house and had been spending nearly every moment together for at least a week).
Then, right around the 65% mark, there was a revelation that made me literally roll my eyes.
THE NEXT DAY, a v. realistic and ordinary conflict occurred...which made both characters overreact in a weird way. Especially Martha.
FWIW, I'd emotionally checked out of the story way before but it was so short that I just powered through. With one chapter left, the pacing sped up to a ridiculous level.
So joke's on me because I could've DNF'd it but didn't.
TL;DR: A short F/F novella that fizzled out a little before the middle point. I am hesitant to rec it unless others happen to have Kindle Unlimited (at the time of this review, it is available there).
October 4, 2019
Guys, this novella is so cute! It has dogs, badass old ladies, tons of queer characters, and a recognition that love and loss can coexist in the same space. Highly recommend, it was such a great short read.
June 20, 2020
3.5 stars
very sweet :)
very sweet :)
December 7, 2022
If I ever read a self-published novella that someone on the goodreads forums recommended to me again, I want to be taken out back like an old horse.
This book was not good. I have a VERY high tolerance for flaws in lesbian romance, but Jesus. The characters were boring, the plot was boring, the dialogue was very strange, and the author was weirdly obsessed with describing minor things in intense detail (the buildings around them, the food they’re eating, the race of every person in proximity to the characters). Do not recommend.
This book was not good. I have a VERY high tolerance for flaws in lesbian romance, but Jesus. The characters were boring, the plot was boring, the dialogue was very strange, and the author was weirdly obsessed with describing minor things in intense detail (the buildings around them, the food they’re eating, the race of every person in proximity to the characters). Do not recommend.
September 4, 2019
Review to come!
May 14, 2020
I enjoyed the exuberance of this story. It was very sweet, and I'm always here for mature protags. However, the voices of the two MCs were not terribly distinct, and there was a lot of cogitating and not a lot of talking or action. I wish maybe we got more of them together, rather than thinking about being together.
July 28, 2019
Content Warnings: Mention of spousal death; spreading of ashes; discussion of service dog duties and types of services; mentions of chronic pain and illness; mentions of ageism; and mentions of pregnancy in a family member. These can be found in the beginning of the book.
A delightful, low angst read that I truly didn’t know I needed until I finished it. It was an adorable f/f novella featuring old ladies and I was smiling through the entire story. Except for that one scene where I had to hold back my tears.
Pamela never married, choosing to live her life training service dogs and spending time with her sister and nephews. In this story, she has trained a poodle puppy named Crouton (!!) and is traveling to Scotland to finish the dog’s training with her new owner and parents. There’s a discussion where some people do not respect service animals and feel entitled to pet any animal they come across, even when they’re clearly wearing a brightly colored service dog vest.
Martha is a romantic at heart and has an interest in people with accents. She eventually married a Scottish man and started a family with him, and when he died they planned to scatter his ashes back in Scotland.
This story was mostly told in 2019 as the two women reconnected and rekindled their friendship, but it also switched to using flashbacks that had scenes letting you see how close they were as friends back in the 1950s and late 1960s. I really liked that aspect of the story and I thought it was done really well.
I was a big fan of the dialogue. I’ve read a few of Simkiss’s other works and wow, I’m definitely a fan of the way she writes interactions and the distinct personalities of her characters. I was practically squealing when the two women met again and how happy and awkward they were as they first started talking. And the epilogue!
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
A delightful, low angst read that I truly didn’t know I needed until I finished it. It was an adorable f/f novella featuring old ladies and I was smiling through the entire story. Except for that one scene where I had to hold back my tears.
Pamela never married, choosing to live her life training service dogs and spending time with her sister and nephews. In this story, she has trained a poodle puppy named Crouton (!!) and is traveling to Scotland to finish the dog’s training with her new owner and parents. There’s a discussion where some people do not respect service animals and feel entitled to pet any animal they come across, even when they’re clearly wearing a brightly colored service dog vest.
Martha is a romantic at heart and has an interest in people with accents. She eventually married a Scottish man and started a family with him, and when he died they planned to scatter his ashes back in Scotland.
This story was mostly told in 2019 as the two women reconnected and rekindled their friendship, but it also switched to using flashbacks that had scenes letting you see how close they were as friends back in the 1950s and late 1960s. I really liked that aspect of the story and I thought it was done really well.
I was a big fan of the dialogue. I’ve read a few of Simkiss’s other works and wow, I’m definitely a fan of the way she writes interactions and the distinct personalities of her characters. I was practically squealing when the two women met again and how happy and awkward they were as they first started talking. And the epilogue!
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
July 19, 2019
Martha and Pam were childhood best friends who were separated when Pam's family moved away without notice. Many years later, when both are 70, they meet again on an airplane headed to Glasgow, Scotland. It turns out that Martha is traveling to see her late husband's family and scatter his ashes a year after his death. And Pam, who trains service dogs, is delivering a dog to a young child. The child is Martha's great niece. So both are staying in the same home and have a chance to reconnect.
There are some things to like about this book. Very few lesbian romances feature older characters and the setting in Scotland is well described, especially the food. But the book has its flaws. First, the child who is getting the dog is described at the outset as nonbinary. But afterward she is always referred to as a girl with female pronouns. Also, the reason why Martha is unable to contact Pam after her family moves isn't all that believable and is a bit confusing. Finally, I know some 70 year olds, and they aren't as elderly infirm as these two are portrayed at times.
It's a sweet book and one of only a few with MCs who are elders.
There are some things to like about this book. Very few lesbian romances feature older characters and the setting in Scotland is well described, especially the food. But the book has its flaws. First, the child who is getting the dog is described at the outset as nonbinary. But afterward she is always referred to as a girl with female pronouns. Also, the reason why Martha is unable to contact Pam after her family moves isn't all that believable and is a bit confusing. Finally, I know some 70 year olds, and they aren't as elderly infirm as these two are portrayed at times.
It's a sweet book and one of only a few with MCs who are elders.
August 1, 2019
I bought this on a whim, because I couldn't just pass up on a wlw story with older protagonists. As cliched as it might sound, I needed the reminder that love can happen at any time. I found this to be a very lovely story, that didn't so much have me biting my nails wondering what would happen next, but rather it was just a gentle little novella to sweeten up your day.
I did wish the character 'sections' were a little longer, as I feel like I didn't fully get a chance to get to know these ladies as well as I would have liked, but that didn't make the ending feel any less authentic and tender.
I did wish the character 'sections' were a little longer, as I feel like I didn't fully get a chance to get to know these ladies as well as I would have liked, but that didn't make the ending feel any less authentic and tender.
July 25, 2022
Sweet Reunion
Martha Appleby is on her way to Glasgow to spread her deceased husband’s ashes and visit her son and his family. Pamela Thornton, a dog trainer who trains assistance dogs for people, is on her way to Glasgow to take Crouton to her new owner. When they are assigned the same seat on the plane they are reunited after a fifty year separation. Can two childhood friends find their way back to the love they use to share? Sweet romance.
Martha Appleby is on her way to Glasgow to spread her deceased husband’s ashes and visit her son and his family. Pamela Thornton, a dog trainer who trains assistance dogs for people, is on her way to Glasgow to take Crouton to her new owner. When they are assigned the same seat on the plane they are reunited after a fifty year separation. Can two childhood friends find their way back to the love they use to share? Sweet romance.
August 7, 2023
3 stars. This was pretty adorable and sweet but I wanted more of a connection between the characters. Martha and Pamela were both likable but there was something about the romance that I just wasn’t buying. I liked the writing though and it is a quick and cozy little read. I also will always appreciate representation of older women as the main characters falling in love but yeah I just wanted a stronger romance.
December 30, 2024
Oh my god I'm the easiest girl on earth! While Second Wind was very simple and commonplace bordering on cliché in many ways, I cried my eyes out and chuckled several times! Yeah the story was short and rushed, the plot and characters mostly silly, and all of it a bit too fairy-tale-ish, but whatever! Still going to rate this only somewhere around 3,5 stars, mainly for the not-even-so-subtle educational tone and general flimsiness. But extremely sweet it was and tears I shed!
September 29, 2019
This book was a very quick read that I didn't want to end. I'd love to see a sequel. It's a sweet second chance romance. The characters are well developed. It brought me through several emotions from laughing to tearing up. I very much enjoyed it. I hadn't read any of this author's work before but I'm going to look for more.
I received the book in exchange for an honest review.
I received the book in exchange for an honest review.
August 9, 2019
An enjoyable story about an older couple
I loved reading about an older couple! There were a couple areas where it could have used some work. And I definitely would have liked to read more romance and more physicality, but it really was a great read all around.
I loved reading about an older couple! There were a couple areas where it could have used some work. And I definitely would have liked to read more romance and more physicality, but it really was a great read all around.
August 10, 2019
I enjoyed reading a story about women within my age-group. Ceillie Simkiss' story about Martha and Pamela was well written and an enjoyable read. The story didn't drag and Martha & Pamela were exciting to experience.
August 14, 2019
Nice Story
This story is very entertaining to those of us who are in this age range. It is nice to hear of these ladies falling in love all over again. The story is well written with a great ending.
This story is very entertaining to those of us who are in this age range. It is nice to hear of these ladies falling in love all over again. The story is well written with a great ending.
May 27, 2020
Fun
This was a fun and quick, light hearted read. At the same time, more depth would have added to the story and development. But if you’re looking for a sweet story of second chances, this is a good read.
This was a fun and quick, light hearted read. At the same time, more depth would have added to the story and development. But if you’re looking for a sweet story of second chances, this is a good read.
July 25, 2020
StarBuck is always close by.
My first time reading this author, and I was truly excited about it. So amazing to see how endlessly Love Is. Younger people need to read this book, and feel that the longevity of Love is everlasting. Off to my next Adventure.
My first time reading this author, and I was truly excited about it. So amazing to see how endlessly Love Is. Younger people need to read this book, and feel that the longevity of Love is everlasting. Off to my next Adventure.
July 26, 2022
Love Doesn't Have An Age Limit
I really appreciate this story! Having hit the "70" year mark myself it's wonderful to have mature lead characters. It's a really well told, fun story. I highly recommend it.
I really appreciate this story! Having hit the "70" year mark myself it's wonderful to have mature lead characters. It's a really well told, fun story. I highly recommend it.
January 14, 2020
A quick read. Two ladies, both over 70, had been childhood sweethearts. A misunderstanding during their youth kept them apart. They meet, serendipitously, on a flight to Scotland and their love blooms again. Will leave you smiling.
May 22, 2020
Interesting idea. I think most people thing of people in their 70's as to old to find love. Seems not. Good book.
June 23, 2020
that was honestly really freakin' cute. not a fan of the writing style, but i'm vibin'.
August 29, 2021
Disappointed. No relationship-development and the main characters acted so silly and immature.
Read
November 24, 2021
Trigger & Content Warnings
Chronic pain
Epilepsy
Death of a spouse mentioned
Chronic pain
Epilepsy
Death of a spouse mentioned
April 14, 2022
This was cute, but I would've preferred more of them like actually interacting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews