Ten years ago, he crushed my heart. Now the cocky prick is my boss.
Gavin Cole was the guy every girl wanted. Drop-dead gorgeous with aquamarine eyes you could get lost in. Best of all, he was mine. Until he betrayed me with the biggest b*tch in school. I hightailed it to Nashville and we never spoke again.
Until now. My mom’s sick. I’m back in our small town, and I need a job. Gavin’s sexier than ever. He owns half the town, and he’s the only one hiring. I have to work for the man who shattered my world.
I’m not one to forgive and forget. But when he whispers my name, my insides melt. I want to ignore the fireworks between us, but I can’t. He’s the only man to hold the key to my heart.
This could be our second chance at love... Or maybe I’m about to get burned all over again.
I am sorry to say but this second chance story did not work for me. I think my two biggest problem was first Gavin. His personal life mingling with his work life prior to meeting Jollie again was frankly disgusting. How can I respect a man who has no moral or work ethics when it comes to his female employee’s there are just some rules you do not cross and by the sound of it Gavin did this numerous times. So not only did he turn into a playboy but he also became a character who seemed to have no morals. The other big thing was the double standard and complete inequality in both the MC’s personal life. I am no feminist in fact probably the opposite in some regards but in TEN YEARS she didn’t have a relationship with anyone, not have sex with anyone but he slept with anything that moved? As I said I’m no feminist but that was just too much. Why is it always so easy for men to be written as having loved the heroine but still managing to have a very active sex life whilst the heroine just can’t do that?! I didn’t expect or want her to sleep around but come on not to even have one serious relationship just seems so unfair and wrong. The only good thing about this book for me was at least what the blurb said was not what it seemed liked. I am sorry to give a negative review but based on the two things I mentioned I could not enjoy the otherwise good writing.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I skimmed most of the book before stopping at page 85. Why the heck do female authors make their female characters so pathetic? Why are all the men so successful and promiscuous? In the 10 years they’ve been a part he sleeps around, with his assistants no less and then on Page 85 we’re told that Jolie hasn’t had sex with anyone since she was with Gavin in High school. What the absolute Heck. Does Crystal Monroe think this theme is romantic? F you Crystal. Women are stronger emotionally and smarter than that.
The story is just a bunch of cliches and over used tropes. Jolie is an emotionally stunted character and completely dysfunctional in all her relationships. Gavin uses the loss of Jolie as an excuse to follow in his father's business shoes and do all the things that he knew the town hated his father for doing. Neither character was worth my intrest.
Could not get attached to MC’s. Gavin was a joke. What I hate about the second chance trope and not speaking or seeing each other for years is how the H always becomes a successful rich player who sleeps with around and also with his assistants (gross) and brushes it off like “oh well, another one bites the dust. Guess I should stop giving in to having sex with them to prevent drama”. God I couldn’t stand Gavin. What was so great about him?! Why these women throw themselves at him like his assistant Madison just taking her clothes off for him. Lmao! Who tf does this guy think he is? It grated me when people threw it in his face about being a player and all he could say was “small towns and their gossip” Are u freakin kidding me, bro?! The problem is YOU. Gavin only gave a shit about getting his D wet to fill a void. What-the-f-ever! Jolie was just as pathetic as him if not worse because of her door mat tendencies. Jolie could have done better than him if that’s the case but no, Jolie had to be celibate in the ten years they never spoke. I HATE when writers do this to the h. Ten years is a long time and I find it hard to believe that the D is THAT good at 18 years old. Ha! I wish Jolie could have been more sexually liberated in those ten years. She lives in Nashville, music city for gods sake! She couldn’t have a least hooked up with a hot musician or something? And how she gave in to Gavin so soon on her second day. Major eye roll. Not only that, the reason why she avoided him for ten years is just f-ing dumb. SPOILER ALERT, h found a picture of H kissing her nemesis in HIGHSCHOOL only later to find out it was photoshopped. OMG, stupid. Get the f over it. You’d think by your mid twenties you’d get over that. As if it was some earth shattering heart break, yea right sweetheart. I don’t know why I do this to myself and finish these types of books. *slaps hand on forehead* just, no. No, no, no. I did not like this book and it will be one of the most disliked books of my life. There’s a few hours I won’t ever get back. Why do authors have to write such pathetic ass characters!? This drives me crazy when I read books that are so predictable and chauvinistic. Did Crystal really think that would be sexy because it most certainly is not and I still can’t get over how Jolie never had sex again after Gavin, and yes I had to bring it up again because that still pisses me off how stupid Jolie was. You moved to Nashville city but couldn’t explore anything else even a sexual appetite? ugh.
Another annoying, zero common sense heroine who’s stubborn and childish as hell.
& a lazy plot consisting of a “miscommunication/trickery scandal” type trope.
The primary issue of their split could’ve been solved with a 15 minute conversation. But na, let’s drag it all out and skip ahead 10 years.
Those are my favoriteeeeeeeee.
DNF 89% (skimmed a lot when it came to her POV’s, honestly)
Also, I know a lot of readers hate this type of shit so check this out.
Hero fucks his way through the town during those 10 years. The heroine? Stays celibate and doesn’t even go on a single date for 10 FUCKING YEARS because i LoVe oNe mAn aNd tHaTs GaViN.
They might have been each other’s first but did he really cheat on her with the school’s mean girl??? Will history be repeating itself after a decade??? Will her mom beat the killer that claims most of its victims???
They might be a decade older but Gavin and Jolie could still act like teenagers again especially when things go against what Gavin wants. He acted immature, even Jolie did too when she think she knows what she saw but never let the man talk, she just cut. Him. Off. Beginning of one day in their high school day's will cause a big hurt on not just Jolie’s future but Anne- Jolie’s best friend and Gavin Cole. A bully’s prank will cause even the town to feel its affects. Now a decade has past and Jolie is back temporarily to help her mother before surgery but can she avoid her past coming out of the woodwork?
I have so much to say here and unfortunately it is not all good. Let’s start with the good. Yes, it was an enjoyable story. Who doesn't enjoy a second chance story where the characters who supposedly never stopped caring about each other somehow, against the odds, find their way back to each other? It’s the very basis of romance stories. I loved that even after what happened between them, Gavin was still looking out for Jolie’s mom. It showed that he truly was a caring person. Too bad his privates will probably fall off from some completely foreseen genital disease.
Herein lays my problem.. The breakup was one giant misunderstanding which could have easily been resolved if our heroine stopped avoiding everyone who cares for her and listened. But that is neither here nor there, she's a teenager and as we know, none of us were exactly the most mature individuals at that age. So I am willing to forgive her not being willing to talk even if it also cost her her best friend. However, if she's still so affected by what happened even 10 years later, why does she jump right into bed with Gavin? However, that was still not my biggest issue. Someone explain to me what is with the double standard regarding sex? He whores around for 10 years. The whole town knows about his sexual exploits, but somehow after 10 years she hasn't had sex not once with anyone else? WTF? That right there is the point where the author lost me. Up until then I was thinking this was going to be a sweet enjoyable by story about forgiveness and second chances. There it turned into a massive cliche. I'm not a feminist by any means, but what's with authors being stuck on this double standard? Here's a newsflash. We women enjoy sex too. Alot.
So I have to admit that although the author totally had me from the start, she lost me towards the middle there. I'm hoping the next book is a little less one sided when it comes to sexual equality.
DNF. Awful slag of a male lead... and, it seems, an awful doormat of a female lead. No thanks. Stopped reading when this happened.
'Suddenly, it was as if I’d lost control of my own movements. I was drawn to him irresistibly. And no matter how much the little voice in my head told me, Stay away, I moved closer.
I leaned forward, tilting my head upwards so that our lips could touch. He tasted like coffee and sugar, a far cry from the soda he used to taste like when we were younger. He was delicious.
Feverishly, I unbuttoned his shirt. I needed desperately to feel what was underneath that buttoned-up façade he was putting on. And I needed to see just what kind of man he had become.'
Bear in mind... ten years have passed. As far she knows, he has slept around and had 'cheated' on her with her high school nemesis. Sighs. Not sexy. Not sweet. Not for me.
read this last year and gave it 4 stars but thinking about it now i don’t know why i liked it, changed rating.
typical 2nd chance romance with high school loves where mmc turns into a total manwhore during their separation and the fmc doesn’t move on, is only ever with the mmc.
I really wanted to like this book because I love second chance romances, but this book fell super flat for me.
Jolie and Gavin are high school sweethearts whose relationship ended after a betrayal supposedly done by Gavin. The book opens with them as teenagers with their friends Ryan and Anna riding to school, Jolie goes into class where everyone is acting like a big incident is taking place then the next thing we know Jolie runs out of the school, then it’s 10 years later.
The scandal was pictures of Gavin making out with another girl plastered all over the classroom; apparently Jolie never let Gavin explain or defend himself, she drop him as well as her friends and moved to Nashville. She stopped speaking to her best friend Anna because she believed Gavin was innocent and begged Jolie to speak with Gavin, which she never did. Jolie left town and never returned for 10 years and only now because her mother finally divorced her evil husband and was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Gavin never cheated on Jolie and he tried to get her to listen to him, he even followed her to Nashville, but couldn’t find her. This boy, at the time, had just lost his parents to a drunk driver and Jolie and her mother were the only people who showed him the live he needed even though he had brothers. Jolie didn’t even give him a chance to prove his innocence and in one moment he lost his soulmate and his second mother.
It’s 10 years later, Gavin is just as successful as his father, which isn’t exactly a good thing, and he has definitely enjoyed his playboy lifestyle. I don’t really care that he became a manwhore, but the fact that he slept with his employees constantly and kept replacing them like nothing was not good. However, he was still in love with Jolie after all these years and he made sure to take care of her mother any way he could.
I just didn’t like Jolie to be honest, how does someone call her boyfriend her soulmate and believe others over him and never let him defend himself, he was automatically guilty because other people said; she didn’t even listen to her friends. Then 10 years later, she does it again she sees something suspicious and instead of asking some questions she makes an assumption and breaks Gavin’s heart and puts her friends in an awkward position.
The stupidity is that he was accused of being a cheater which he never did and she only believed him in the end because the people who set him up in the first place told the truth; Jolie would have never believed Gavin otherwise. The loyal boyfriend became a cold hearted playboy and the “wronged” girlfriend never had another relationship or sex with anyone else, like what?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I had high hopes for this book. It drew me in almost instantly... and then Jolie began to irritate me --and the irritation didn't stop.
SPOILERS BELOW
She (Jolie) runs. She sees the pics and runs. We don't find out until much later in the book what actually happened near the end of their senior year in high school after Jolie saw the pictures.
In short, Gavin never cheated on her. He tried to tell her. Could have proven the pictures were fake but she refused to take his calls/texts --and even refused to see him.
She leaves for Nashville and doesn't look back.
Years later she returns when she finds out her mom has cancer.
She makes the first move on Gavin and they sleep together. Then she freaks out and runs out of his office --leaving not only a confused Gavin behind, but her job there... with no explanation.
Gavin takes it and makes up an excuse as to why she left the office early and why she won't be back.
Pretty much the remainder of the book is her finding out the truth and about the pics... sleeping with Gavin, then distancing herself from him with no explanation. She listens to everyone else but Gavin even though he's done nothing but love her, be good to her and her mom, has supported her, listens to her, gives her great sex... offers her the world...
only for her to run from him... again...
And what does he do? He runs back to her to show her more proof of his devotion to her and continues to kiss her backend until she finally believes him.
All that said, I'm going to read another book of the author's because I do like her working style. I'm just hoping that not all of her FMC's are soooo dumb. I won't be able to make it through another one like this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Home had never felt so good This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and it’s the first one in a new series about the Cole Brothers. This romance story is about Jolie and Gavin. They had dated for three years in high school, and were looking forward to living their new life together away from North Haven, Virginia. But when she found out something devastating, her heart was shattered into a million pieces. She left town after graduation, leaving behind her mum and her friends. The story then resumes 10 years later, where Jolie returns home to care for her sick mother. Gavin is still living and working in their home town, with a successful business he was left to run by his father. Circumstances lead to Gavin offering Jolie a temporary job to help finance her mum’s ongoing medical expenses while she’s away from her job in Nashville. Their reunion isn’t what either of them want nor expect, with lots of ups and downs. Their hurt has stayed with them over the years, but unbeknownst to the other, they also both harbour the same deep feelings for each other that really never left. The characters were endearing and very honest, albeit a little frustrating at times, due to their doubts and mistrust. It was an emotional story that was both heart-breaking and heart-warming. They really pulled at my heart strings! The only disappointment was that the story ended too quickly for my liking. But because it is a series, I’m hoping this couple’s life gets revisited, so I can find out what they’re up to. I give this book four and a half everlasting stars. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Gavin and Jolie had been a couple in school, but someone wanted them separated and it worked... for ten years. Now, Jolie is back in town to help her mother who was diagnosed with cancer. They cross paths again and the old sparks are still there, even though she still believes the lies and not him. The characters were terrific, with intense emotions and feelings. The backstories brought them more alive, like you were good friends with them. Suspense grips them as it looks like he has cheated on her again. Loved how they fought for each other this time and the truth is out in the open. Some people can be so conniving. Loved the ending and how strong they both are in the end.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Merged review:
Gavin and Jolie had been a couple in school, but someone wanted them separated and it worked... for ten years. Now, Jolie is back in town to help her mother who was diagnosed with cancer. They cross paths again and the old sparks are still there, even though she still believes the lies and not him. The characters were terrific, with intense emotions and feelings. The backstories brought them more alive, like you were good friends with them. Suspense grips them as it looks like he has cheated on her again. Loved how they fought for each other this time and the truth is out in the open. Some people can be so conniving. Loved the ending and how strong they both are in the end.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
SYNOPSIS: the FC, Jolie, ran away from her high school sweatheart when she thought he had cheated on her. 10 years later she returns to the town where she grew up to look after her sick mother. She rekindles her relationship with Gavin, the MC. There are some crossed wires but a HEA
Heat Level: 🌶️🌶️/🍆🍆🍆🍆 Whilst there are a lot of sex scenes which take over the books I did not find them particularly well written or hot. This was one of those books that was more an excuse for sex scenes than a well written story
This was a definite no for me. I found the writing and story weak (with multiple editing issues) and the characters unlikeable. The basic premise for the FC disappearing for 10 years was some photos of the MC with another girl in high school. That was it. She didn‘t stick around to discuss whether they were real or what had happened she just ran away for 10 years. Then, 5 minutes after she returns she is accepting a job as the MC‘s assistant and jumping into bed with him only for another (very weak) issue to arise when she spots a woman leaving the MC‘s office „adjusting her clothes“ and decides that he is cheating on her again. This is despite the fact that he didn‘t cheat on her in the first place and she has no real evidence that he has cheated this time. Somehow the MC works out what she has thought happened and decides to beg her forgiveness. Seriously? If I was the MC I wouldn‘t give the FC the time of day. She was pathetic and overly dramatic. It was hard to see where there was any attraction. She wasn‘t particularly nice or smart or attractive yet apparently she was catnip of the MC. Having said that the MC was pretty weak and trying too hard so they probably deserved each other.
Overall not for me unless all you are looking for is a series of sex scenes and a weak story to join them, sorry.
I'm a sucker for interconnected series involving siblings or family members. Monroe's series are steamy, emotional reads that go down easy and get you all up in your feels. Gavin and Jolie were high school sweethearts, but a cheating scandal broke them up - but let's me honest, it was Jolie not being able to listen to anyone and Gavin acting like a butthead and pretending it would all blow over.
Jolie has to come back to town to help her mom, and she ends up working for Gavin, who in the meantime has become rich. Because don't they all? The more time they spend together, the more they fall, but ALAS - Jolie sees a leggy chick leaving Gavin's office and assumes again. Because she just can't help herself. I kinda wished Gavin would walk away from her because she was so up in her head. None of it would have happened if she'd listened to Gavin in the first place.
Anyway, it was a quick read, and it set up the best which I'm excited about!
Jolie and Gavin were high school sweethearts with big plans for after graduation. They had their whole lives ahead of them until one day Senior year everything ended. After graduation, Jolie ran off to the city and Gavin stayed behind eventually taking over his father’s business. Ten years have passed and Jolie returns to care for her ailing mother. Can these two work out what actually happened between them so long ago? Will Jolie give Gavin a chance to explain?
Wonderful story about love, loss and second chances. Jolie and Gavin’s story shows what happens when communication is cut off and other people are allowed to interfere. This is a well written book with well developed characters that have a story to tell. I was immediately drawn into the lives of Jolie and Gavin and their small town life. This is my first book by this author and I would definitely read others.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
You know I thought I had read this before but the date said 2021 so I guess not and even the preview of the next book in this series. Anyway I did like the story but I have to say Jolie was working on my nerves big time she should have been shipped back to Nashville asap overnight first class I hate stupid acting whiny women, she got on my nerves. So again I did like the story with the exception of 😊 all the characters were good as was the premise of the story which is something that has touched so many in life, and Gavin is very much alpha swoon worthy especially behind 10yrs and was still true to his heart. I hope the rest of the series have stronger women because Women Rock !!! and still be that soft woman for her man.
Jolie and Gavin what can I say don't pine for the Highschool Alphahole it doesn't matter if he was the first guy you thought hung the moon and know guy could ever be as good as him in bed Amelia just needed a huge dose of grit she was really a big complainer. And Gavin well typical guy who goes threw more women then toilet paper it is what it is I don't mind reading these books I just like for the female lead to have a little sass about her. But this is just my personal preference there good parts the couple had good chemistry the supporting characters gave it depth and then Gavin straightened up so all well that ends well.
I was allowed to read and advance copy of this book via Booksprout and this is my honest review of 4 1/2 stars
I didn’t learn my lesson, because I let it happened again.
Gavin broke Jolie’s heart. She ran away after high school graduation. She never bothered to talk to Gavin just believed the pictures she saw and what people said. Ten years later she returns home to take care of her mother. I find her character disappointing, holding on to the past, hateful, not trying to move forward. She hardly ever at her mother’s to take care of her. She is with Gavin, in the evening and can’t resist sleeping with him. Gavin is no saint, he has a reputation of a playboy. He goes through f**king his assistants at he business like it is no big deal. He can’t keep his dick in his pants. There are a lot of twists and turns. You’ll have to read this short story to find out how it ends.
Gavin & Jolie. Second chance romance starts their senior year of high school. Gavin and Jolie are in love, high school sweethearts to be exact, show up to find that embarrassing and devastating pictures have been taped all over the school. Crushed Jolie runs out and leaves after graduation, never to return until 10 years later. Jolie has returned because her mom is sick and she wants to support and take care of her. Gavin now owns his father's company and basically the entire town. It's not long before he finds that Jolie is back and seeks her out.. mentioning a need for a job, Gavin offers for her to be his assistant. This backfires as they can't keep their hands off each other. The book is hot. They didn't plan to fall for each other…again.
This was the classic tale of a huge misunderstanding and lack of communication that leads to a very long separation. In high school, Jolie saw pictures of Gavin kissing another girl and she left for good. When her mom's cancer brings her back to town and back into Gavin’s orbit she has to face the past she tried to escape. Gavin was set up with the pictures and is not the jerk that Jolie thought he was. In fact, he has been helping out Jolie’s mom ever since she left. Being around each other again, sparks immediately fly and they quickly start something between them. Will another misunderstanding ruin their reunion for good this time?
The past meets back up for the future or so it did for Gavin and Jolie. When bullies from high school went out of their way to break them up, they succeeded for ten years. When Jolie’s mother got sick she returned home to care for her. With it being a small town everybody knows everybody and everybody’s business is always up for grab. When Gavin offers her a job to her with her mother’s bills, she accepts. Only to find her way back to Gavin and what they gave up. When history repeats itself with they ever find their HEA? Yes they do and you’ll have to read it for yourselves because this story brings the past and the present into focus.
Jolie left North Haven 10 years ago because of her trust in Gavin. They were high school sweethearts. But now Jolie is back in town for her mom.
When Gavin and Jolie see each other again. It is a little different than 10 years ago. But they still have feelings for each other. We get to read about three of his brother's briefly.
The chemistry between them is still very much hot. The sex between them is very hot 🔥🔥🔥. The secret's that comes to light. They get a second chance at love.
Overall I enjoyed reading this book. I would definitely be reading the rest of the books in this series.
This second chance romance has all the ups and downs you would expect. High school sweethearts, a cheating scandal that breaks them up and 10 years of anger they have to work through.
Heartbreak can make people do some crazy things and I love that the author has Jolie move hundreds of miles away. When she came back, she had a lot of anger to work through and trust issues up the wazoo. Gavin’s life was empty but he didn’t see it and I think this really speaks to me because so often people never recover from heartache and just fo through the motions of life without really living.
This author makes you fall in love with the couples and the scenes she sets.
This touching story will bring you to tears by the end of it. Gavin and Jolie were high school sweet hearts and had their lives all planned out until a picture ruined it. Ten years later Jolie comes home to her ailing mother and in doing so reconnects with Gavin. Gavin never stopped loving her and Jolie's leaving devastated him. Now that she has returned he laid out everything about the picture but it took the culprits who concocted it in the first place to confess before she believed. Is it too late for her and Gavin to get a second chance for happiness?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A Second Chance Romance at its best! Gavin and Jolie were childhood sweethearts, until near the end of their senior year in high school, Gavin cheated on her, or did he? It is nothing like returning home because your mother needs you, but the only person hiring is your ex who broke your heart. The attraction and chemistry between these two could light a fire! It definitely shows the importance of communication in any relationship, and what can happen when there is not any. It is a great story that I really enjoyed, so therefore, I highly recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout, and also purchased a copy, and am voluntarily leaving a review.
They had made a great couple until he cheated on her and she leaves town. Now she is back because her mother is ill but she also needs a job. Her ex now owes half the town and she ends up working with him. Can she do it? Will he try to get back with her? Will she feel the same? Can she risk getting involved again? See what will happen
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Great storyline and characters, and very well written. A really enjoyable read. The only thing I disliked about this is the same thing I dislike about most romance novels. Within a couple of days she's having sex with the person who broke her heart, and having drinks with her girlfriend who took his side when everything went down. Apparently authors think it's okay if they make women out to be pathetic and easy lays.