Second Chances A Romance Writers of America® Collection

So happy and excited to have author Brandi Willis Schreiber with us today! 

Her story "The Family Tree" is part of the SECOND CHANCES RWA Collection!  Brandi is sharing with us why Second Chance Romances are so special!

Think about this for a second: How many of us have gotten everything in life right on the first try? Experienced ever-after with our first loves? Modeled perfect marriages or relationships? Never made a mistake or lived without loss, disappointment, failure, or the heartbreakingly unexpected that waylays the best of our plans and intentions? Not too many. And it’s this failure, either through circumstance or fault, that makes many of us believe we’ll never get it right again. And so we never try.

To me, second chance romances are so special because they are where hope, grace, and gratitude live, where the possibility of a second, REAL love - the one that truly fulfills us for the rest of our lives - abides. Second chance romances provide hope that love will eventually come again and be exactly what we need.  They provide grace for us to believe that we are worthy of that love (because we are). And they allow us to experience and express the gratitude that this love brings to others after we’ve learned from the messiness, mistakes, and heartbreak of life.

I love second chance romances because the stories speak to me as a human being like no other story can. I’ve known heartbreak, loss, failure, and extreme mess-ups, and second chance romances remind me that if I allow myself to believe, to be vulnerable, and to try again, anything is possible. Even love. ESPECIALLY love.

Thank you Brandi for hanging out with us today! 

Learn more about Brandi and the collection below! 

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About The Author

Brandi Willis Schreiber has imagined romance stories her entire life in her head but only recently started writing them down.  A graduate of Texas Tech University, she has an M.A. in English literature, and uses her love for nature, travel, poetry, and everything beautiful to fuel her fiction, which will always have a happy ending. Her work has appeared in All Things Dickinson:  An Encyclopedia of Emily Dickinson’s World, The Texas Review, Red River Review, and elsewhere.

This is her first published romance short story, however, and for that she’s over the moon.  Brandi lives with her husband, rescue dog, and other wild creatures in her beloved West Texas.

Connect with her at 

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Second Chances
A Romance Writers of America® Collection

Do you believe in second chances?

Romance Writers of America brings together seventeen of today's hottest authors in an anthology of never-before-published tales that reveal true love always deserves a happy ending.

Follow New York Times best-selling authors J. Kenner and Christina Lauren back to reader-favorite worlds.

New York Times bestseller Alyssa Day sprinkles djinn magic in her humorous paranormal romance, while Rachel Hauck brings the enchantment of the holidays in her New Year’s Eve contemporary love story.

And Liliana Hart delivers thrills and adventure in her characters’ search for the impossible.

With characters who find love through tough situations, in an elegant 1800s ballroom, with an old friend who shows up when least expected, at a tender age when cliques and homework get in the way relationships, or after a random encounter in an unlikely setting, Second Chances delivers romance to strike every reader’s fancy.

Plus tales from:
Marilyn Brant
Kerri Carpenter
CiCi Coughlin
Cassandra Dean
Tina Ferraro
Renee Luke
Ariella Moon
Brandi Willis Schreiber
Lizzie Shane
Sharon Sobel
Damon Suede
Tara Wyatt

Available for Pre-Order at

         

On sale for a special pre-order price of $3.99

Release Date 

September 12, 2017

Book Review: Brave the Heat by Sara Humphreys

Brave the Heat
(The McGuire Brothers Series, #1)
by Sara Humphreys
Narrated by: Kate Russell

Blurb:
The only fire he can’t put out…

Jordan McKenna is back in town, and Fire Chief Gavin Maguire’s feelings when he sees her after all these years are as raw as the day she left. Then he was just a kid wearing his heart on his sleeve. Now he spends every day trying to atone for the tragedy he couldn’t prevent.

Is the torch he carries for her...

Jordan’s life has not exactly worked out the way she expected. A divorced mother of two with a failed acting career, Jordan’s biggest concern about coming back to Old Brookfield was seeing her first love. But when a series of suspicious fires breaks out, Jordan and Gavin realize that dealing with the sparks between them may be the least dangerous of their problems.

Available for purchase at 

               

Viviana's Review:

This is the author's first contemporary romance and it was lovely. A story about coming homing and second changes at not only love, but starting over in life in general and also about forgiveness. It was excellently executed with characters that are memorable and lovable, secondary characters that help move the story along and you'll want to have their own story as well as a villain that you can't wait for Karma to get a hold of.   

Jordan returns home after running away 15 years ago with two small girls in tow. Life hasn't been what she expected and while it's stated that her "habit of bad decision making" has brought her to this point, I think its the character being too hard on herself. Life happens and she made a decision when she was 18 thinking it would be a good one and technically it was. She wanted to get away from the abusive father! However, that same decision made her run away from the one man she has truly loved. I'm sure you know its a matter of "if they would have only talked". She then finds a man she thinks will love her and she will be able to love in return and have a life together. She (as many woman in real life) didn't know going into it exactly who he was and what his issues were until it was to late. I will say though, she had the courage to leave and have a better life for her and her daughters. Others like her own mother stayed. It's a topic that is briefly discussed but I did like the fact that it was brought up how some think leaving/divorcing is the "bad" choice vs. staying. 

Gavin is the town's Fire Chief and is extremely dedicated to team and town's safety. We find out that he doesn't date much and is a horrible cook, lol. I laugh because considering he gets to cook for his crew three nights a week, YIKES! While I wouldn't necessarily say he's been pining away for Jordan, it's obvious that she's the one that "got away" and that while he's dated, no other compares to her so.... you can image he's caught off guard when he bumps into her upon her return. He had no idea she had moved back into town. While he had been keeping tabs on her a bit via a mutual friend, it wasn't invasive or creepy like that. However, there are a few things he still needs to discover...

That's the other thing I enjoyed about this book... there are things that both the Hero and Heroine find out throughout the book that would usually happen via a confrontation between the H/h but Sara switch things around and had them each find out via another method allowing the characters time to sit on the new info and think about what to do next! Or how stupid they were at the time!

OMG, Gavin's parents are not only adorable, but you'll want to hang out with them! They are just awesome. The interaction between the two of them is what you'll want and hope for after 40 years of marriage and Gavin's reaction to it is perfect. Also, a bit of an interesting twist is that while this series is "The McGuire Brothers" we really don't get to know the brothers at all in this book. We get to meet them briefly towards the end. Usually, in a series like this, there a bit more interaction to have the readers get to know the brothers so we'd fall for them and want to grab the next book. However, Sara dedicated the majority of the time to Jordan and Gavin and it works. I will say, that in this case, less was definitely more.

The story was sweet! There is very little cursing, but when it happens it's meant to and fits the character and situation. As for the steaminess... there is a lot of sexual tension between Jordan and Gavin when they are next to each other and the scenes were nicely writing. The dialog going on in Jordan's head is hilarious! And when they finally do get "together" it's hot, steamy and sexy!

Sara provided some a few breath of fresh air what are traditional romance tropes that have been overly done. Even the mystery of of "who done it" was well done as I had no clue and would have never suspected that individual. WELL DONE!  This was truly a great start to Sara contemporary romance genre writing and I can't wait to read the next book in the series!!

Narrator's Review: I really enjoyed Kate's narration. She did an awesome job with the female and children characters.  However, when it came to the male characters, she tended to give them a more silly tone or as if everything they said ended in a question pitch. It seemed she was trying to give Gavin a deeper tone/voice than the rest to make him stand out but it wasn't working. At times it was fine but other it sounded a bit force. I wished she would have just used a lower range of her own voice because it would have worked better than what it was. What I really did enjoy is that Kate provided a different tone/voice to each of the female character that was their own and you knew who was speaking based on that voice. Also, it wasn't forced. It's as if the characters were right there in front of you having the conversation. 

 Rating: 3.5 Stars - REALLY Liked It

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

Book Review, Giveaway & Excerpt: Hollywood Ever After by Sasha Summers

Hollywood Ever After
(Red Carpet #1)
By Sasha Summers

Synopsis:
Happy Endings are for fairy tales. Or the movies. Not for real life. At least, not in Claire’s life. Even though she’s starting over, she knows better than to want too much this time. But when she falls, literally, into the strong arms of Hollywood’s ‘it’ boy Josh Wiley, Claire’s in for some surprises. Her plans for rest and relaxation are forgotten as one incredible night with Josh becomes two… And her heart begins to want him as much as her body. Will two kids, one bastard ex-husband, and Josh’s juggernaut career mean the end of their affair? Or can Claire find her happy ending after all?




Goodreads
Available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Viviana's Review:
This was my first "Sasha Summers" read and I loved it!! "Hollywood Ever After" was an entertaining and an easy read! It has a great mix of heartfelt and smart characters who had depth.