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Where Fires Once Burned
Life offers few second chances--and none without a price
It was the warmth of April's love that stretched across the years and the miles to comfort Russ in the dark days of his captivity. It had come when he'd needed it most--and now that he was free at last, it powered his search for her. Somewhere in California, April had rewoven the threads of her life, a life he had once rejected. No matter how long it took, he would find her, reason with her, beg if necessary to win her back...
A newspaper headline alterted Russ to April's whereabouts. Fate, it seemed, had given him a bizarre set of circumstances and a very rare second chance.
It was the warmth of April's love that stretched across the years and the miles to comfort Russ in the dark days of his captivity. It had come when he'd needed it most--and now that he was free at last, it powered his search for her. Somewhere in California, April had rewoven the threads of her life, a life he had once rejected. No matter how long it took, he would find her, reason with her, beg if necessary to win her back...
A newspaper headline alterted Russ to April's whereabouts. Fate, it seemed, had given him a bizarre set of circumstances and a very rare second chance.
- GenresSecond ChanceHarlequin
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1985
1 person is currently reading
88 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 29, 2024
The burning rage that filled me made me stop reading when I was almost at the finish line. If you think this is a good grovel, second chance story, you could not be further than the truth. I advise you to think twice or at least arm yourself with a gallon of Captain Morgan and an extra-large tin of Quality Street chocolates if you decide to attempt this disgusting story.
The heroine grew up next door to the hero and worshipped him since she was 12 and he was 16. They got married right out of high school and were each other's first in every way: first kiss, first relationship, first love, first sex, first spouse, etc. The heroine scrimped and saved for the three years of their marriage so they could get themselves through college. Since the hero was older, he graduated first and got a plum job with an international company that offered him a high salary and travel all around the world.
That's when he decided to dump her.
In the most brutal, disgusting, demeaning words that you would not even use against your own enemy, let alone your best friend and wife, he told her it was all her fault. She was smothering her with her love, she was childish and immature, he wanted to go out there and experience a variety of women who were more sophisticated, experienced and alluring than she was or ever would be.
She humiliated herself crying and begging for this piece of turd who she should have tossed inside a toilet and flushed. He and his parents totally cut her off from their life. This was especially heinous because the heroine had lost her own parents and her in-laws had up until that point treated her like their own daughter. She even called them Mom and Dad! Yet, they took their son's side, got rid of all her pictures, and ghosted her as soon as their son made it clear he was done with her.
She had a nervous breakdown, ended up at a psychiatric hospital for a week, quit college, and finally decided to move away. Somehow she built up a life for herself for the next 6 years. She started her own business (truck driving), adopted a shelter dog, and made nice acquaintances everywhere she traveled. But she never let anyone close again, no intimate friends and certainly no lovers, though many men were interested in her.
Then the piece of turd gets kidnapped by terrorists and makes headlines. The heroine reads about it and and decides to pay a visit to her former in-laws because she feels SYMPATHY for this couple of worthless pieces of shit. These psychopaths don't even recognize their former daughter-in-law at first. When they do, they kick her out of their home, screaming and ranting that IT'S HER FAULT their son was kidnapped by terrorists because she never wrote to him after their divorce and moved away without leaving her address.
What.
The.
Fuck.
The Turd gets ransomed and is back in the US. He wants to look up his former wife because his life and death trauma has made him realize that he misses her. Apparently, all the wild sexual encounters and high living he’s had over the years, while fun, have left him empty emotionally. He now thinks it was a mistake to divorce his wife. The Turd literally thinks to himself that none of his girlfriends that he pumped and dumped over the years ever cried or begged him the way the heroine did. It's that kind of mindless worship he has been missing!
Conveniently, the heroine gets into a car accident and gets partial amnesia. The Turd hears about it on the news so he is able to track her down. In true Turd fashion, he woos her and beds her, and finally proposes to her, without letting her know their past history. The heroine has no idea she used to be married to him, and no memory of what a cruel and callous Turd he is. She does feel a special connection to him and easily falls into bed with him. She even considers marrying him.
That is, until she finally gets her entire memory back in a flash when she unearths their old divorce decree that she had put away in a box.
If you think now is the time for an epic grovel, you would be mistaken. Yes, the heroine gives him an epic telling off which was satisfying. But in return, the Turd does nothing but WHINE AND POUT LIKE A WHINY LITTLE BITCH, again putting the blame on her for not being able to forgive him, not seeing HIS side of things, and for letting THEIR AMAZING GREAT LOVE go.
He flies to his next job in Australia, leaving her with the marriage license he had applied for, as proof of his honorable intentions.
The Turd's psychopathic parents never got a telling off from their son or any kind of retribution or comeuppance and STILL showed disapproval and hostility to their daughter-in-law when the Turd announced his intention to resume his relationship with her. Then, after he left for Australia with his tail between his legs, they show up at heroine 's doorstep with a very reluctant, very disingenuous, half-hearted apology for treating her like trash for all those years, yet STILL insisting that they did it because they felt it was for her own good. Masochistic heroine falls to her knees and embraces them in love and instant forgiveness.
What.
The.
Fuck.
I DNF when the first lines of the next and final chapter of the book had the masochistic heroine on a plane headed to Australia ostensibly to be the one to grovel at Turd's feet.
The heroine grew up next door to the hero and worshipped him since she was 12 and he was 16. They got married right out of high school and were each other's first in every way: first kiss, first relationship, first love, first sex, first spouse, etc. The heroine scrimped and saved for the three years of their marriage so they could get themselves through college. Since the hero was older, he graduated first and got a plum job with an international company that offered him a high salary and travel all around the world.
That's when he decided to dump her.
In the most brutal, disgusting, demeaning words that you would not even use against your own enemy, let alone your best friend and wife, he told her it was all her fault. She was smothering her with her love, she was childish and immature, he wanted to go out there and experience a variety of women who were more sophisticated, experienced and alluring than she was or ever would be.
She humiliated herself crying and begging for this piece of turd who she should have tossed inside a toilet and flushed. He and his parents totally cut her off from their life. This was especially heinous because the heroine had lost her own parents and her in-laws had up until that point treated her like their own daughter. She even called them Mom and Dad! Yet, they took their son's side, got rid of all her pictures, and ghosted her as soon as their son made it clear he was done with her.
She had a nervous breakdown, ended up at a psychiatric hospital for a week, quit college, and finally decided to move away. Somehow she built up a life for herself for the next 6 years. She started her own business (truck driving), adopted a shelter dog, and made nice acquaintances everywhere she traveled. But she never let anyone close again, no intimate friends and certainly no lovers, though many men were interested in her.
Then the piece of turd gets kidnapped by terrorists and makes headlines. The heroine reads about it and and decides to pay a visit to her former in-laws because she feels SYMPATHY for this couple of worthless pieces of shit. These psychopaths don't even recognize their former daughter-in-law at first. When they do, they kick her out of their home, screaming and ranting that IT'S HER FAULT their son was kidnapped by terrorists because she never wrote to him after their divorce and moved away without leaving her address.
What.
The.
Fuck.
The Turd gets ransomed and is back in the US. He wants to look up his former wife because his life and death trauma has made him realize that he misses her. Apparently, all the wild sexual encounters and high living he’s had over the years, while fun, have left him empty emotionally. He now thinks it was a mistake to divorce his wife. The Turd literally thinks to himself that none of his girlfriends that he pumped and dumped over the years ever cried or begged him the way the heroine did. It's that kind of mindless worship he has been missing!
Conveniently, the heroine gets into a car accident and gets partial amnesia. The Turd hears about it on the news so he is able to track her down. In true Turd fashion, he woos her and beds her, and finally proposes to her, without letting her know their past history. The heroine has no idea she used to be married to him, and no memory of what a cruel and callous Turd he is. She does feel a special connection to him and easily falls into bed with him. She even considers marrying him.
That is, until she finally gets her entire memory back in a flash when she unearths their old divorce decree that she had put away in a box.
If you think now is the time for an epic grovel, you would be mistaken. Yes, the heroine gives him an epic telling off which was satisfying. But in return, the Turd does nothing but WHINE AND POUT LIKE A WHINY LITTLE BITCH, again putting the blame on her for not being able to forgive him, not seeing HIS side of things, and for letting THEIR AMAZING GREAT LOVE go.
He flies to his next job in Australia, leaving her with the marriage license he had applied for, as proof of his honorable intentions.
The Turd's psychopathic parents never got a telling off from their son or any kind of retribution or comeuppance and STILL showed disapproval and hostility to their daughter-in-law when the Turd announced his intention to resume his relationship with her. Then, after he left for Australia with his tail between his legs, they show up at heroine 's doorstep with a very reluctant, very disingenuous, half-hearted apology for treating her like trash for all those years, yet STILL insisting that they did it because they felt it was for her own good. Masochistic heroine falls to her knees and embraces them in love and instant forgiveness.
What.
The.
Fuck.
I DNF when the first lines of the next and final chapter of the book had the masochistic heroine on a plane headed to Australia ostensibly to be the one to grovel at Turd's feet.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2011
I feel like I should say a few words about this, because no one else has and the description isn't that informative. April and Russ were each other's first loves, but after they got married, he got itchy feet and regretted having been deprived of more experience. He divorces her and moves away and April is so depressed she flunks out of college. To make things worse, his parents distance themselves from her too, so she's totally alone.
April begins a new life as a truck driver (how cool is that?!) but never really recovers. When she hears that Russ has been kidnapped, she tries to go to his parents and offer comfort, but they reject her and blame her for his situation. Oh the anguish and unfairness!
Russ, meanwhile, has had some sense knocked into his head by the experience and after he's released wants to win April back, but he doesn't know how to find her. Then he sees a news item about a truck accident and discovers she's been injured and lost her memory. And guess what this prince of a guy does...
It's all excruciatingly sad, but somehow not too sad... I would probably give it five stars because it's so unforgettable, but I thought the ending was a bit lacking; Russ gets away with too much, too easily. Still, a wonderful read if you truly enjoy angsty romance.
April begins a new life as a truck driver (how cool is that?!) but never really recovers. When she hears that Russ has been kidnapped, she tries to go to his parents and offer comfort, but they reject her and blame her for his situation. Oh the anguish and unfairness!
Russ, meanwhile, has had some sense knocked into his head by the experience and after he's released wants to win April back, but he doesn't know how to find her. Then he sees a news item about a truck accident and discovers she's been injured and lost her memory. And guess what this prince of a guy does...
It's all excruciatingly sad, but somehow not too sad... I would probably give it five stars because it's so unforgettable, but I thought the ending was a bit lacking; Russ gets away with too much, too easily. Still, a wonderful read if you truly enjoy angsty romance.
January 27, 2013
Oh, no! I have amnesia! This would be the perfect time for my ex-husband - who left me because I smothered him with love, and he wanted more sexual experience with other, older (huh?) women!- to show back up in my life because he realizes that he truly loves me and regrets hurting me. I fall in love with him. Uh-oh...suddenly I remember everything! He betrayed my love, twice! I can never trust him again. Then he calls me from Australia to come visit and renew our love. Okey-dokey, I'll be on the next plane!
And we lived happily ever after.
The End.
Good grief.
And we lived happily ever after.
The End.
Good grief.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2013
Lots of great elements that should have made this book a winner, but in the end the hero just got away with too much and the heroine gave off a pathetic vibe that started to get annoying.
The amnesia bit went on too long causing the middle of the book to drag a bit.
Absolutely loved that the heroine had the unique occupation of truck driver. A first for sure in a category romance.
I love a book filled with angsty drama and this book delivered that. I just wanted to feel more from the hero - more remorse, more grovelling, just something more.
The amnesia bit went on too long causing the middle of the book to drag a bit.
Absolutely loved that the heroine had the unique occupation of truck driver. A first for sure in a category romance.
I love a book filled with angsty drama and this book delivered that. I just wanted to feel more from the hero - more remorse, more grovelling, just something more.
dnl-x
August 10, 2020Loser p.o.s. ahole only missed her because she was his biggest fan.
March 17, 2024
In a refreshing break from the typical harlequin romance formula, Author novel offers a story brimming with potential. We're introduced to a couple, April and Russell, whose once passionate love has curdled into resentment. Russell's cutting words about their suffocating marriage leave April reeling, but to the reader's admiration, she displays remarkable strength by choosing to move on and pursue her own dreams. This initial conflict and April's newfound independence set the stage for a captivating exploration of self-discovery and the enduring power of love.
However, the narrative takes a peculiar turn with the introduction of amnesia. While amnesia can be a plot device used to explore themes of identity and memory, in this case, it feels like an unnecessary crutch. Witnessing Russell navigate a second chance without the amnesia crutch would have undoubtedly added a layer of emotional complexity and intrigue. Instead, the amnesia paves the way for April's personality to undergo a dramatic and unconvincing shift. The once strong and independent woman we met at the beginning transforms into a character whose behavior towards Russell and even her beloved dog feels jarringly out of sync with her established personality.
This shift in April's character is further compounded by the questionable reconciliation with Russell and her parents. Their actions throughout the story leave a lot to be desired, and the forgiveness April bestows feels unearned. The reader is left yearning for a more organic resolution to these conflicts, one built on genuine growth and introspection. Similarly, the foundation of April and Russell's rekindled romance remains shaky. Were they ever truly in love, or was their connection simply built on familiarity and convenience? The novel doesn't provide a satisfying answer, leaving the reader with a lingering sense of doubt about the happily ever after.
While "A Second Chance at Love?" boasts an intriguing premise, its execution is hampered by underdeveloped themes, uneven pacing, and questionable character motivations. Readers seeking a classic harlequin romance with a predictable plot might find solace in these pages. However, those yearning for a story rich in emotional depth and populated by well-developed characters will likely find themselves wanting.
However, the narrative takes a peculiar turn with the introduction of amnesia. While amnesia can be a plot device used to explore themes of identity and memory, in this case, it feels like an unnecessary crutch. Witnessing Russell navigate a second chance without the amnesia crutch would have undoubtedly added a layer of emotional complexity and intrigue. Instead, the amnesia paves the way for April's personality to undergo a dramatic and unconvincing shift. The once strong and independent woman we met at the beginning transforms into a character whose behavior towards Russell and even her beloved dog feels jarringly out of sync with her established personality.
This shift in April's character is further compounded by the questionable reconciliation with Russell and her parents. Their actions throughout the story leave a lot to be desired, and the forgiveness April bestows feels unearned. The reader is left yearning for a more organic resolution to these conflicts, one built on genuine growth and introspection. Similarly, the foundation of April and Russell's rekindled romance remains shaky. Were they ever truly in love, or was their connection simply built on familiarity and convenience? The novel doesn't provide a satisfying answer, leaving the reader with a lingering sense of doubt about the happily ever after.
While "A Second Chance at Love?" boasts an intriguing premise, its execution is hampered by underdeveloped themes, uneven pacing, and questionable character motivations. Readers seeking a classic harlequin romance with a predictable plot might find solace in these pages. However, those yearning for a story rich in emotional depth and populated by well-developed characters will likely find themselves wanting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2024
It was the warmth of April's love that stretched across the years and the miles to comfort Russ in the dark days of his captivity. It had come when he'd needed it most--and now that he was free at last, it powered his search for her. Somewhere in California, April had rewoven the threads of her life, a life he had once rejected. No matter how long it took, he would find her, reason with her, beg if necessary to win her back...
A newspaper headline alterted Russ to April's whereabouts. Fate, it seemed, had given him a bizarre set of circumstances and a very rare second chance.
Loved it. I remember my grandma reading this one. Loved Russ and April's story
A newspaper headline alterted Russ to April's whereabouts. Fate, it seemed, had given him a bizarre set of circumstances and a very rare second chance.
Loved it. I remember my grandma reading this one. Loved Russ and April's story
August 3, 2024
4.5
April is a truck driver and her ex husband has been taken hostage.
April is a truck driver and her ex husband has been taken hostage.
August 21, 2024
This was another story I read many years ago! It's a sad story of redemption.
August 19, 2024
I have reread a good book. Zelma Orr is a great and empathic writer.
Kenalea Johnson
Kenalea Johnson
August 23, 2023
This is the one with the trucker h and an H who had divorced her in the past because he had FOMO.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews