The Second Chance Inn

Megan enters an art contest hoping for a chance to study painting in Italy for a year. But when things heat up between her and Brian, her best friend's brother, will winning the contest mean leaving him behind? Megan is dealing with a lot in this book—especially the challenges of being true to herself and her art, when financial considerations get in the way. And then there's Brian, and her confusion over the messages he's sending. Even though this is comedy, the struggle is real. One of the things I admire about Susan Hatler is how she uses her characters' history to make their present actions believable. When Brian says "no long distance relationships," not even with an ex-girlfriend who moved 45 minutes away, that seems pretty extreme. But in the context of the story, it works. Even though Hatler doesn't spend a lot of time on those wounds. This is chick lit, after all, and it's supposed to be fun. There's just enough to make the characters seem internally consistent—to make them seem like real people. There are hurts underneath the surface, which add poignancy to the humor without giving the books a dark feel. This is an enjoyable, satisfying novel that would make a good beach read. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Wendy Watts is a successful realtor living in Sacramento. She had left Blue Moon Bay right after graduation and had not though about ever coming back. But her grandmother’s lawyer called to tell her grandmother had left her controlling interest in the Inn and she has to return to Blue Moon Bay because of an odd requirement in the Will. She and her brother have to run the Inn for a month, then sell it. When she arrived, her brother, Brian, asked her why she never came back after leaving 9 years ago. The truth was, her boyfriend, Ian McBride, went off to college and dumped her. She had felt so safe with him, but would never make that mistake with a man again. But instead she told Brian her business in Sacramento was thriving so she had no need to come back here. Her brother’s attitude ran hot and cold from moment-to-moment. He didn’t want to have to leave the Inn and he snapped at her as if it were her fault. Brian and Wendy walked through the Inn, listing the work that would need to be done before they could sell it in a month. He finally told her that her never coming back was probably why Grandma wanted the Inn to be sold. She had come home now to sell his home out from under him, and then leave again in 30 days. She had hoped they would get close again, but it didn’t look likely at the moment. Their parents had taught them well when they dumped them with Grandma so they could travel the world – and never came back. Take care of yourself, because you can’t depend on others to do it. She turned and ran out of the house and down to the ocean’s waves where she sat on the wet sand and sobbed her heart out. When she finally got it all out, she stood on shaky legs and walked back to the steps at the bottom of the bluffs – and saw she had not been alone! A man sat in one of the chairs near the steps. He stood and walked over to her to ask if there was anything he could do to help her. Sudden barking made her look up as a huge golden retriever ran at her and pounced on her chest, knocking her to the sand as a wave rolled over her! Her hero picked her up out of the water and carried her to a chair, apologizing because his dog usually didn’t like people and never acted this way. He told her she looked beautiful, like she had been kissed by the Bay… and it reminded her of the local legend about falling in love forever. He invited her to walk on the beach with him, and she accepted. Max introduced himself and told her he was only there for one night on business. His eyes were so caring that, for the first time, she felt she could tell him the truth about everything. When they walked back, they stopped in front of the monument with the Blue Moon Bay Legend and he asked if she would risk a kiss under the blue moon right now. Without a bit of doubt, she said yes as they held each other and kissed with all of the passion they started to feel. And he would be gone in the morning. But Max decides to extend his one-night stay into a one-month stay instead and offers to help with the repairs on the Inn. He obviously cares about Wendy, but she holds back, disappointed with past experiences and a lack of trust that people will stay in her life. Will the legend come true for them? Can she overcome a lifetime of fears and realize that sometimes you really can depend on the one you love? I love this author’s books. They seem to always reach down inside the reader and touch strong emotions that really matter. Grab your copy and see if there is a future for Max and Wendy. I’m sure if she rejects him, there are lots of us ladies ready to take him home!

Cutest story of pining love between a lovely couple that met for the first time without knowing one another and instantly clicked!