Cannonball Read 13

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Search This Site

| Log in
  1. Follow us on Facebook
  2. Follow us on Twitter
  3. Follow us on Instagram
  4. Follow us on Goodreads
  5. RSS Feeds

  • Home
  • About
    • About CBR
    • Getting Started
    • Cannon Book Club
    • Diversions
    • Event Calendar
    • Fan Mail
    • Holiday Book Exchange
    • Book Bingo Reading Challenge
    • Participation Badges
    • AlabamaPink
  • Our Team
    • The CBR Team
    • Leaderboard
    • Recent Comments
    • CBR Interviews
    • Our Volunteers
    • Meet MsWas
  • Categories
    • Review Genres
    • Tags
  • Fight Cancer
    • How We Fight Cancer
    • How You Can Donate
    • Book Sale
    • CBR Merchandise
    • Supporters and Friends of CBR
  • FAQ
  • Contact
    • Contact Form
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Follow Us
> FAQ Home
> Genre: Romance > Second chances with dead bodies, mafia hits and inherited mansions

Second chances with dead bodies, mafia hits and inherited mansions

Second Chances by Chace Verity, Dee Holloway, Leigh Landry, Candace Harper

March 29, 2021 by llamareadsbooks 2 Comments

Second ChancesJust like it says on the tin, this is an anthology of four wlw second chances romances! I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that while I own books by three out of the four authors, I’ve only ever read one – the absolutely fluffy and hilarious Deal with the Demon by Chace Verity. I feel like this was a great introduction to all of them and definitely had me shuffling things around on my TBR!

“So far we’ve got a dead guy and a dog in your truck this morning,” Casey said. “Anything else you want to disclose?”
A dead guy, a dog, and Susan’s ex in her truck. But that didn’t seem worth pointing out at the moment.”

“Out for Delivery” – Leigh Landry. ★★★

Susan knows it’s going to be a bad day at her job delivering packages when her first delivery is to her ex Casey’s house. And then she finds her boss’s dead body in the back of her truck. The premise is completely bonkers. Casey insists Susan try to figure out who killed her boss before going to the police, so they ride around together doing deliveries with a dead body in the back of the truck while simultaneously trying to do amateur detective work. Despite the fact that Susan doesn’t completely trust Casey (for good reason), she goes along with it. Despite the bonkers-ness, it’s obvious that Casey cares deeply about Susan and regrets her past actions. The ending of the story was especially sweet, but the whole murder plot didn’t quite work for me. I loved the dog, though!

“There was no note of allure in her voice when she said again, “This is nice stuff, Trace. Let’s just—let’s do business.”
Business, right then, was the last thing Trace wanted to do.”

“Your Mess Is Mine” – Dee Holloway. ★★★★

Trace has a dual business – she sells off her clients’ ex’s possessions, and sometimes even comforts them in a more physical manner. But when her ex Tansy contacts her out of the blue during a messy divorce, Trace has to decide whether the possible paycheck is worth reopening old wounds.

There was a lot I liked about this story. Trace’s business idea was absolutely brilliant, and I loved how butch she was – at one point, she’s chopping wood in her backyard when Tansy shows up unexpectedly. Trace knows what she wants in life. Tansy, however, didn’t, and that’s what ultimately caused the breakdown in their relationship. For a long time she was willing to be led along by someone else, be someone she wasn’t – literally relegated to a guest room in her own house.

My main issue with this is that it felt like it ended too abruptly and left too much unfinished. There was a whole subplot with Tansy’s brother, Colt (who was also Trace’s best friend) that wasn’t resolved. I think this is perhaps more of a 3.5 stars for me, but I’d definitely read this as a full-length novel, just saying.

“Things hadn’t worked with Justine or any other girl in the past because they weren’t Dahlia. She only wanted to commit (fake) crimes with Dahlia.
And more.
She wanted to do more with Dahlia.”

“The (Virtual) Body Guard” – Chace Verity. ★★★★★

Tala started playing a Mafia-themed game during rehab after a car accident that left her in a wheelchair. Now, years later, she can hardly imagine a day where she doesn’t spend time as a bodyguard to her online best friend, Dallas. But when she misses a raid due to a last minute Valentine’s date, Dallas suddenly ghosts her. Tala’s grieving the loss of the friendship when she meets a gorgeous woman at the library she works at, catches a glimpse of her screen, and realizes she’s Dallas. Dallas – Dahlia – is even more wonderful IRL, but how can Tala tell her who she is without ruining this new friendship?

I absolutely loved these two. Tala favors a butch aesthetic, and she exercises religiously, while Dahlia’s a trans lesbian. Dahlia has very good reasons for being so hurt by Tala’s actions, even if it was “only a video game,” and despite those reasons, this is really a comforting and sweet story. I loved how Dahlia would walk Tala to work every day, along with all the other bits and pieces of their “new” friendship. Definitely my favorite of the collection!

“The Best Places” – Candace Harper. ★★★★

After the death of her husband fifteen years ago, Rebecca left her judgmental in-laws and the small town they lived in behind for good. When she receives a letter on Christmas Eve that she’s the executor of her in-laws’ estate, she’s torn, but decides to go along with her daughter Emma. She’s surprised to find the lawyer is her roommate from college, Rosalyn. They were best friends once, but that fractured when Rebecca married Rosalyn’s cousin, Bill, and Rosalyn didn’t support her against her in-laws, who saw her as nothing but a gold-digger.

This was just so unbelievably sweet, and it is the absolute epitome of the “missed chances” version of the second chance trope. It really felt like Rebecca and Rosalyn had a history and it was wonderful to watch them reconnect. I also liked Rebecca’s relationship with Emma. She felt like a real teen, and I liked how her perspective on her (previously unknown) grandparents and “their” town was included. I also liked the rep. Rosalyn’s asexual and panromantic, Rebecca is pan as well, and her daughter is bi.


Overall, this was a great collection, and I’m hoping for more just like it, whether it’s more second chance stories or whether the authors decide to explore a different trope.

I received an advance review copy of this book from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Filed Under: Romance Tagged With: Anthology, Candace Harper, Chace Verity, Chace Verity, Dee Holloway, Leigh Landry, Candace Harper, Dee Holloway, Leigh Landry, Romance

llamareadsbooks's CBR13 Review No:17 · Genres: Romance · Tags: Anthology, Candace Harper, Chace Verity, Chace Verity, Dee Holloway, Leigh Landry, Candace Harper, Dee Holloway, Leigh Landry, Romance ·
Rating:
· 2 Comments

About llamareadsbooks

CBR13 participant

I'm a mom of two and a voracious reader. I love happily-ever-afters and space ships. View llamareadsbooks's reviews»

Comments

  1. Emmalita says

    March 31, 2021 at 2:49 pm

    I have an unfinished review of this that I really need to finish. I thought it was a lovely collection, all good stories with enough difference between them that they don’t blur. Ugh, I just need to write the review and about 5 other half finished reviews.

    Reply
    • llamareadsbooks says

      March 31, 2021 at 10:34 pm

      For some reason anthologies like this one are easier for me because I usually just write the review for each story as I go. I’m procrastinating on so many reviews right now, it’s not even funny!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.



Recent Comments

  • dsbs42 on Immense beauty and infinite kindnessJust read this book, and I love your review.
  • Singsonggirl on Ye Olde ChildrearingCrap, I can't find it on the TV station's website anymore. But it was made by Austrian TV and was in German anyway. One of...
  • Singsonggirl on Perfume – Patrick Suskind (1985)Aaahhh, this is one of my all-time favourite books! I read the ending as a culmination of all the olfactory and sensory impressions? Like it...
  • narfna on Re-reading Mistborn, Era One – Part I: The Final EmpireA re-read would probably be your best bet if you want to continue because Sanderson is the king of bringing back details and making them...
  • wicherwill on Re-reading Mistborn, Era One – Part I: The Final EmpireMy brother suggested this book, and only recently told me / did I realize there were others as well. I don't remember enough of this...
See More Recent Comments »

Want to Help Out?

CBR has a great crew of volunteers, and we're always looking for more people to help out. If you have a specialty or are willing to learn, drop MsWas a line.

  • How You Can Donate
  • FAQ
  • Shop
  • Volunteers
  • Leaderboard
  • AlabamaPink
  • Contact

Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo
© 2021 Cannonball Read | Log in