This novella was really sweet. It's one of those books that made me smile with happiness at the end. This was a very heartwarming story.

Max and a Emily met 7 years prior when Max was contracted by the military to use his polymer to use as body armor for the soldiers. Max is working with Emily's husband, Captain Jake Wade. During the short time Max is on the military base he becomes friends with Jake and Emily. He is immediately drawn to Emily and after a couple of months he realizes he needs to stay away from her.
Despite his friendship to Jake and how much he admires him, he knows he can't stay in contact when his time at the base is over. 7 years later Emily bursts into Max's office hoping he will help give a grant to the K9 Angelz program for the children center she works at. Max learns Jake died in combat 3 years prior.

First let me just say that the way the author dealt with the dead husband was respectful throughout the whole book. Max never wanted anything bad to happen to Jake. He genuinely liked him and kept his distance out of respect. When Jake decides to pursue Emily, it's done respectfully. We do hear about Jake throughout the book because Emily had a daughter with him and when Max met Izzy, that scene was very heartwarming. She asks about his time with her father and it was handled very well. I fell for Max because of that scene.

Max graduated at MIT and has become a very rich CEO, but he's lonely. He's always been lonely. He never had a great home life and his drive to change his life was strong. He may come off cold in this story but I think his character was spot on for for his upbringing. It's what makes the small moments special with him. Add in Diego, a 12 year old boy who plays a big role as a side character as one of the unfortunate children and this book almost had me crying.

For this short novella, it brings the emotions out. I look forward to more in this series. ARC provided by NetGalley.

I am a big Nancy Herkness fan so when I saw that she had a new series, Second Glances releasing I couldn't wait to get my hands on the first book in the series, Second to None. Nancy Herkness more than met my expectations with this story. Her two main characters, Max Varela and Emily Wade are so well written I felt I had met them and became friends with them. The secondary characters are well-developed as well and I especially enjoyed meeting Emily's daugher, Izzy, Diego along with his rescued pup Mario and Violet Johnson, the excellent pie baker.

This is a heart-warming story of two people reconnecting and discovering their love for each other. We also get to feel the great sense of commitment and community at the Carver After-School Center where Emily is the director as well as feeling the dedication and caring of all who work there. The idea of a K9 Angels Program where kids get to take care of and love rescued dogs at the Center is such a wonderful idea. I'd love to see this type of program implemented in inner cities across the country. Adding dogs to the storyline enhanced my enjoyment of the book. I'm sure readers will enjoy the way the very talented Nancy Herkness tells her story.

I'm a new reader to Ms. Harkness' works and after this I'll definitely be looking into her more. Second to None is a quick read perfect for readers on the go. The novella tells the story of Emily and Max, two former friends who've lost touch thrown back together through need. However, this isn't the typical Second Chance Romance or Friends-to-Lovers fare. Emily is the widow of one of Max's friends and Max deliberately distanced himself from Emily because he didn't want to act upon his feelings. While Emily liked Max as a friend, she never saw him as romance material until she needed his help to save the charity she's working for.

I liked that this wasn't typical. The right beats were there. But the tropes were played with just enough to feel fresh and new. I loved Emily's daughter, Izzy. She was a neat and fun kid with just the right amount of innocence and wisdom. Emily herself was a fun character. She wasn't afraid to admit her weaknesses but she also wasn't willing to be bulldozed. I loved that she stuck to her guns especially in the face of some pretty daunting odds. I liked aspects of Max. I liked his science background and his understanding of himself.

What I didn't like was that Max fell into the trope of "throwing money at the problems until it goes away' which is often overused in billionaire romances. I also wasn't overly fond of a few of the dog related events which happened and I had a few concerns about "white savior" in regards to the center.

However the good definitely outweighed the bad and I walked away satisfied with the story. I'll definitely be on the look out for more from the author.

I wish this story had been longer! Emily and Max were wonderful, but it seemed rushed, mainly because of the length. I love the premise and the characters were fun. I'm looking forward to the full length stories in the series!

Max is one sexy man, “so far my memory hasn’t exaggerated a single thing.” That low voice and the intent look that went with it..." max has no problem stating his thoughts, “I’d much rather you sat across from me wearing only your stockings.” This was a quick read that I very much enjoyed.

3.5 stars

Second to None by Nancy Herkness was a quick, sweet and heartwarming second chance/friends to lovers read.

The storyline was enjoyable, I was drawn in from the first few pages and read it in one sitting.
I liked Emily and Max, they were good people with big hearts.
I was touched with Emily's compassion and how giving she was, watching her with Diego and the other disadvantages children pulled at my heartstrings. Then add the adorable puppies and I was gone.
Max took a little more time for me to warm too, he came across a little too stiff and closed off in the start. But the more time he spent at the after-school care centre and with Emily we got to see the real man behind the hard front.
These two were good together and even though I would have loved to see Max relax a little more I totally believed in his feelings for Emily and her daughter and have no doubt they would have a long and happy life together.

Overall, Second to None was a good read and a nice start to the Second Glances series. Looking forward to reading more in the near future.

*Pre-Order*
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06...

*Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy.*

Max, (a chemist!) first met Emily seven years ago when he worked with her husband on a project for the military. He fell in love with her, so he cut all ties to the couple when the project ended and he moved on. He founded a wildly successful company based on that research. Now Emily comes storming into his office asking for his help. She's a widow with a young daughter and he's selling his business and moving to a different city. He's also still in love with her.

The chemist bit was exciting for me; there are not enough science geek heroes in romance, imo.

This was a heartwarming story full of good deeds and good people. That's good and also bad, because there really wasn't much tension here. Perhaps it was the length that forced the story along without allowing for enough detail to make the characters more three dimensional.

I enjoyed the time I spend with Emily and Max, but I won't remember much about them. I hope we get to see more of them in coming books. The abrupt ending felt wrong to me and maybe more time with them would help.

I'm looking forward to the Second Glances series.

Loved this book. The relationship between Emily and her daughter after everything that they have been through is amazing. Through the pain of loss there can be hope and love. Once Emily sees Max again after all these years the sparks start to fly; with faith, love, and hope they might both realize that their lives are incomplete with out each other. Thank you NetGalley and Nancy Herkness for allowing me to read and write a honest review of this book.

I first came to know of Nancy Herkness through her Wager of the Hearts series, a masterful collection of novels about hard-won love. In many respects this book reminds me of those. Its the story of Max and Emily. Max fell for Emily many years ago, but at the time she was married. When they meet again she’s been widowed. She’s lost her husband and he lost a close friend, one that he feels he betrayed by having feelings towards Emily.

How do they find love? This is that story. It’s also a story about the lack of love that some children face and the role that pets can play in all our lives, but especially as companions to those who humans have treated appallingly. Its a novella but as usual Herkness makes it rich and detailed, and its easy to understand and fall in love with the characters. She’s an amazing writer and this is a great introduction to her books.

A heartwarming story is one sure way of describing this book, but it's not all there is to the book.
Max is a Chemist who's just sold his company for millions and while trying to nurse a headache in his office, Emily, storms in. She's the woman he's loved from afar but couldn't make his intentions known because she was married to his friend and the guy he looked up to, known as Jake, a marine. Emily asks for financial support to keep her foundation running, a center that provides shelter and refuge for children and pets at risk.
The story delves into the action and you are immediately drawn into Max's dilemma as soon as he hears that Jake died and he never knew about it.
Whereas Max is still the young man who wore uncertainty on his sleeve, Emily, is a woman trying to make a better life for herself and her daughter and she's busy running the center to think of anything else.
I loved it because it was about a second chance for both the lead characters. I do wish it was longer but a story comes to an end when it does so I guess that's just it. I received a copy of this awesome novella from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review upon reading it.
I would however love to know what Violet's story is, because I have the feeling that it'd be an epic one.

I loved Nancy's last series and am looking forward to reading more in this one! The story is a quick novella about moving on after tragedy and reconnecting with old friends. It left me wanting to know more of their story, as well as more about the secondary characters.

Nancy Herkness delivers a sweet and at times hot second chance at romance story in Second to None and it's one that I absolutely enjoyed and leaves me ready for more in this series.

There was something about this story that drew me in and glued to the pages as I watched Max and Emily gravitate towards each other like they were magnets attracting and seeing them fall for each other was a delight.

Throw in Emily's adorable daughter, an incredible kid in Diego and a program that warmed my heart and you get the perfect Sunday afternoon read. One that will leave you with a series case of the warm and fuzzies and a happy smile on your face.

Bring on more, I can't wait.

Second To None
Nancy Herkness
Emily Wade needs funds to get her program, K-9 Angelz, for disadvantaged children and shelter dogs to get off the ground. She meets with Max Varela, a billionaire chemist, to plead with him to reconsider her grant application which was turned down. They have a history. Seven years ago, Max worked with Emily’s husband Jake, a marine in developing a body armor for the military. After the project was finished, Max no longer kept in touch. The reason, he developed feelings for Emily. After Emily meets with Max, he realizes that he still has these feelings for her and now that she is a widow, she begins to have feelings for him.
This is a second chance at love story. Even though seven years have passed since Emily and Max saw each other, a spark develops. Max has the opportunity for happiness and realizes everything he has worked for doesn’t mean anything without someone to share it with. Emily finds out that it is ok to love again. As their relationship develops, Max does all he can to help the shelter that Emily runs, remembering his dysfunctional childhood in the process. This is a feel- good story. It is a story about second chances, family and community. I look forward to other stories in this series.
Received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story was too brief with too little development. It was based on an interesting idea, and would have been a nice story if properly developed. However, the ending came to quickly and didn't feel believable.

A little deception with this one. Maybe it's the novella size that made the story too fast and hurry ?
I did not agree with the heroin POW and I definitely took the hero's side ;)
Anyway I love Nancy Herkness stories.

Emily needs funds to expand the program for the disadvantaged kids she works with daily. She goes to an old friend who she has not seen in seven years. Max is now a billionaire who lost contact with Emily & her husband because he was in love with Emily and really liked her husband. Now she is widowed which he did not know so when she asks for help he knows he will be there for her. Where can this lead then? Will they act on the attraction they feel?

Max Verala is a billionaire chemist who has just sold his business for an obscene amount of money. A blast from the past arrives when Emily Wade sweeps into his office. Seven years ago Max was friends with Emily and her Marine husband, but he dropped the friendship when he realised he had developed inappropriate feelings for Emily.

Seven years on and Emily is a widow with a young daughter. She runs a community centre for disadvantaged children and has a plan to give them confidence and love through a scheme with the local dog rescue centre but she needs $500,000 to buy an adjoining piece of land. In desperation she turns to her old friend.

As soon as he sees Emily Max is irrevocably as much in love with her as he ever was. But is it possible to start a relationship with your best friend's widow? And what future do they have when Max is leaving New York soon to live and work in Chicago?

I liked this but I didn't love it. Max and Emily were just too nice, too self-sacrificing, too perfect. The novella format didn't really allow us to understand the history between Max and Emily or the angst when Max realised he was in love with her. This was just too much like a Hallmark Christmas special for me, not even the dogs could muster that extra half point.

This was a great story that was a very quick read and left me wanting more right away. It got better as you continued to read as the story unfolded and you got to enjoy everything in the book. The plot is what makes you pick this book up in the first place but it's the story and the characters that keep you turning the pages tills the very end. Would recommend

The hero Max has had a forbidden love for Emily for years, but due to her marriage and his friendship with Jake her husband, he became increasingly reticent in keeping in touch with them before finally cutting all ties. Fast forward to present day and Emily has been a widow for a few years with an adorable,little daughter and is in desperate straits for monetary assistance with her kids rescue center. Enter Max to the rescue and their friendship is rekindled with added benefits. But as with most romances, a wrench in the form of Max's secret, is thrown in the midst of their happiness. The ending had me applauding and whooping for joy at the way it all came together.
I loved the authenticity of the emotions that came into play between the main characters. There was no feeling of incredulity in any of the events and Max was portrayed as a go-getter without the usual ruthlessness associated with this personality type. Emily was seen as a strong, independent, passionate woman who did not capitulate to fear and setbacks, but regrouped and persevered to achieve whatever goals she had set.I continue to love Ms Herkness" work and even though I knew going in that this was a novella, I still felt a little disappointed at the brevity, because her writing is so absorbing and entertaining. I appreciate the opportunity from Netgalley to review this brilliant book.

I really enjoyed the characters and the second chance romance storyline in this heartwarming novella. When Emily Wade barges into the office of wealthy businessman Max Varela she has no idea that he's about to make all of her dreams come true and he has no idea that his life is about to change in a very big way. Emily is the director of an after school program for disadvantaged kids who desperately needs funding from Max's charitable foundation to start a K9 companion program for her kids. When Max learns that Emily's husband died a hero serving his country he has every intention of pursuing and winning the heart of the woman he's been in love with for the seven years they have been apart. I couldn't resist falling for Emily's daughter Izzy, the severely injured puppy named Mario, the millionaire with a heart of gold and the woman who makes all of Max's dreams of a home and family come true. I read a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley and all opinions expressed in my voluntary review are completely my own.