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Second Chances
Mayor Jake Fletcher’s small town of Sweetwater Springs is in jeopardy. Their coffers are drying up, thanks to mother nature destroying the major access to the town. Confessing as much to his constituents brings surprises his way:
--Ideas to fix the crisis flooding in
--Two women willing to spearhead the resulting Holiday Extravaganza. One of them, Dixie Jo DeLuca, is an attractive, outgoing real estate agent with a smile that delivers a gut punch.
There’s no time to waste. Jake and Dixie work together, friendly but cautious around each other, flirting a little, but recognizing they’re divorcees with baggage…and three daughters between them. They need to work closely together over the next two months. Any attempt at a relationship could put a strain on their endeavors and their work is too important to the town to jeopardize.
Despite those concerns, their attraction grows. Soon, they agree to a secret affair. They’re two reasonable adults, right?
But a bigger picture has each of them dealing with family concerns as well. Dixie faces an MIA ex, a teen daughter, and a mom pushing her toward an affair. Jake’s sister is divorcing and he’s her attorney, his unpredictable and self-centered ex is coming for Thanksgiving, and he’s harboring a long-kept family secret that he’ll eventually have to reveal to Dixie, even if his honesty means he might lose her.
Amid the festival whirlwind, their day jobs, and daily life with extended family and three children, can Jake and Dixie carve out enough time to build a relationship? And even if that’s possible, are they open to risking their hearts — and those of their children — again?
Warning: The author is not responsible if pizza and cake (as a meal) give you cravings. Contains two reasonably sane adults feeling out of control, sometimes precocious children, and some hot/sweet loving. It also has a not-quite-normal Thanksgiving dinner. Brace yourself. The folks in Sweetwater Springs are a force to be reckoned with.
This book is the fourth in the Sweetwater Springs series. Each book is a standalone title and can be read out of order. However, a better reading experience is had when the books are read in order as characters from previous books appear in this and future books.
--Ideas to fix the crisis flooding in
--Two women willing to spearhead the resulting Holiday Extravaganza. One of them, Dixie Jo DeLuca, is an attractive, outgoing real estate agent with a smile that delivers a gut punch.
There’s no time to waste. Jake and Dixie work together, friendly but cautious around each other, flirting a little, but recognizing they’re divorcees with baggage…and three daughters between them. They need to work closely together over the next two months. Any attempt at a relationship could put a strain on their endeavors and their work is too important to the town to jeopardize.
Despite those concerns, their attraction grows. Soon, they agree to a secret affair. They’re two reasonable adults, right?
But a bigger picture has each of them dealing with family concerns as well. Dixie faces an MIA ex, a teen daughter, and a mom pushing her toward an affair. Jake’s sister is divorcing and he’s her attorney, his unpredictable and self-centered ex is coming for Thanksgiving, and he’s harboring a long-kept family secret that he’ll eventually have to reveal to Dixie, even if his honesty means he might lose her.
Amid the festival whirlwind, their day jobs, and daily life with extended family and three children, can Jake and Dixie carve out enough time to build a relationship? And even if that’s possible, are they open to risking their hearts — and those of their children — again?
Warning: The author is not responsible if pizza and cake (as a meal) give you cravings. Contains two reasonably sane adults feeling out of control, sometimes precocious children, and some hot/sweet loving. It also has a not-quite-normal Thanksgiving dinner. Brace yourself. The folks in Sweetwater Springs are a force to be reckoned with.
This book is the fourth in the Sweetwater Springs series. Each book is a standalone title and can be read out of order. However, a better reading experience is had when the books are read in order as characters from previous books appear in this and future books.
251 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 9, 2022
1 person want to read
About the author
Carol Burnside
16 books80 followers“Sizzling romance with heart and humor.”
Carol is an award-winning author of contemporary, small town romances with serious sizzle and usually a generous dose of southern charm. She enjoys a second-chance-at-love story with her husband of over forty years.
A native Texan, Carol's love of travel, coupled with a history of living in her share of small towns and metropolitan areas, gives her a broad range of settings to choose from. She admits that as long as she has her hubby and dogs with her and a generous supply of sweetened tea, she can write almost anywhere, even in their RV.
Writing as Annie Rayburn, she produces alternate reality, soft sci-fi and lite paranormal erotic romances featuring Crainesians, a humaoid race of people living here on Earth.
While Carol/Annie enjoys the adoration she receives from her three spoiled dogs, what she really loves is hearing from her readers. Visit her at www.CarolBurnside.com for excerpts, review snippits, news and more about her irresistible characters.
Happy reading!
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 30, 2023
In the next installment of her Sweetwater Springs novel series, Second Chances, Burnside explores the meaning of love from the perspective of older and jaded characters. The novel include the community’s mayor, Jake Fletcher, and Dixie Jo Deluca, a resident who volunteers to participate in the town’s holiday celebrations. While Jake performs his duties as the town’s mayor, he becomes increasingly attracted to Dixie. The latter character acknowledges and returns Jake’s affections. The story’s central conflict derives from the couple’s paradoxical approach to one another. While both characters want to enter into a relationship, they also recognize the challenges that could impact their ability to form a healthy connection. Dixie and Jake are both divorced while Dixie is also raising a teenage daughter. The characters recognize that despite their attraction to one another, they will need to address these secondary issues when they pursue a relationship. Right from page one this book pulled me in and kept me reading until the very end. A great storyline with well developed characters. Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 of 1 review