All the romance favourite authors in one book! Enjoyable since the first page

This was a great way to read some authors I have never tried before. Found some new author's I really enjoyed and plan to seek out more. The short stories are great for when you only have a little time but want to read a full romance. And having the second chance theme is great for short stories. Hope that these multi author collections happen more frequently. They are a great sampling of a variety of authors that help bring in new fans.

This was a lot of romance backed in a book; Over 15 short love stories of Second Chances. So many that it’s kind of hard to say what I want so I’m going to make it short and sweet.
Since these were all short stories I figured I’d get through this book fairly quickly. It actually took me quite a while to finish this book though. It’s definitely not something to be read in one setting. I had to put it down, read a few other full length books then come back to it. I’ve decided that short stories aren’t for me. Once I felt like I was really getting into a story, it ended. There were some hits and some misses but the common thread is that each one kind of left me wanting more. Which now that I think about it, maybe that was the point.
There were authors I knew like Christina Lauren, Liliana Hart that didn’t disappoint and while this format wasn’t my favorite, it’s introduced me to other authors that have me trolling Goodreads and Amazon for more info on them.
There were some 4 star reads but not enough to make go above 3 stars.

So admittedly, I only got this anthology for the novella by Christina Lauren. What? I’m an addict when it comes to their writing. If you’re like me, you’re going to be thrilled to be getting Levi’s story. And if you’re not familiar, Levi is Finn’s younger brother from Sweet Filthy Boy.

There are a whole lot of authors packed into this anthology, and this worked out well for me because I got a taste of some authors I’ve been curious to try but haven’t had the chance to yet.

Each story has the same theme of, you guessed it, second chance romance. Being a sucker for this trope, I gobbled each story up.

This is merely a taste for each author more so that a novella, in my opinion. They’re a touch on the short side to be completely satisfying (about 30 pages give or take per story if I had to estimate), but they’re long enough to let you get to know the author and their writing style and fall in love. As short as the stories were, they were surprisingly fulfilling.

The Second Chances anthology was a fun, swoony read that introduced me to several new to me authors that I can’t wait to read more of. If you’re looking for a fun way to get introduced to a wide array of different authors, this anthology is great.

This book is such a treat and a gift. I, of course, loved some of the stories more than others (it's an anthology after all and those are sometimes a crap shoot) but I'm so happy RWA put this together.

I picked this one up because there were a number of authors I really enjoy contributing to the anthology. What I really like about these anthologies is that while I picked it up for the authors I know, I really enjoyed the authors that I haven't read!

Second Chances is a diverse and entertaining novella collection!

This anthology includes a variety of genres within the second chance romance trope—one of my favorites. Many of these stories are written by new-to-me authors, and fall into genres I don’t normally read, acquainting me with diverse writing styles and flavors.

Each novella has its own charm. If you enjoy stories of love and second chances, there’s a treasure trove of them in this anthology.

Two stories that stood out to me:

#1 Just Looking, by CiCi Coughlin
This story is tender, raw, and stirring. With vivid imagery, meaningful subject matter, and exceptional depth—especially for a short story—it is my favorite of the entire collection. Brilliant storytelling!

#2 The Fisher Men: Levi’s Story, by Christina Lauren
Levi’s Story is easy to sink into. It contains a fun and believable storyline, I quickly connected with the main character, Levi, and I didn’t want the story to end.


5 Stars


Cover: Okay
Title: Like
Publisher: Romance Writers of America, Inc.
Pages: 399

I received my copy from NetGalley.

I've always been a sucker for a good second chance romance, so when I saw that RWA was putting together an anthology titled, Second Chances, I jumped at the chance to read it! I actually didn't look at the author list until I was about to start reading it...and when I saw that the first story in the anthology was written by Christina Lauren, I was thrilled! :D

To be honest, I don't typically read anthologies all the way through, but with this one I did! I did it because I wanted to give the entire anthology a fair shot, and I actually really enjoyed the stories and wanted to keep reading it, too. As I've hinted already, the Second Chances anthology starts off with a story by one of my favourite authors, Christina Lauren! It was titled "The Fisher Men: Levi's Story" and it featured, you guessed it!--Finn's brother, Levi! Levi is one of the secondary characters from their Wild Seasons series, and this anthology was worth reading for me for their story alone. I absolutely LOVED Levi's story and I only wish that it had been longer! haha ;)

Other than Christina Lauren, I hadn't actually read anything by any of the other authors in this anthology until I read their short stories here, but I enjoyed them all. I definitely liked some more than others, but they all had their merits and I think this anthology would be great for all romance readers, especially if you're already a fan of any of these wonderful authors! I was surprised that two of my other standout favourites in the anthology were the historical romances: "Scandalous" by Cassandra Dean, and "The Jilt" by Sharon Sobel. And the last few stories had me tearing up, especially "The Family Tree" by Brandi Willis Schreiber! The final story in the anthology, "Jake's Djinn" by Alyssa Day also surprised me! It's the only fantasy story in the anthology so it felt a little out of place at first, but I loved it (made me want to go back and read the author's books from the same series)!

I think what I loved most about this anthology was that the authors interpreted second chances in different ways. Most of them were what you would expect, couples that had their time together, had some kind of breakup/separation, and they came back together, but they were all still completely unique which I really loved! Other were second chances of another sort, which was interesting! I also loved that there was a mix of genres. Some were contemporary, others were historical, and as I previously mentioned, there was even one fantasy! The age range varied too. A couple of the stories were young adult and were sweeter, light romances, while others were a bit steamier and were aimed at a more mature audience. Most of the stories were m/f romances, but there was one m/m, and all of the stories were definitely adorable! Some of them had me laughing, others had me crying, but they all left me smiling in the end!

Overall, I really loved the Second Chances anthology! I don't think you necessarily have to read all of the stories at once--it would be a great anthology to come back to whenever you were craving a quickie romantic novella, but if you do choose to read them all in one go, like I did, I don't think you'll be disappointed! This is the perfect anthology for anyone who has a romantic side, and loves happy ever afters!

A collection of Second Chance Romances from some new and favorite authors.

I confess it was seeing J. Kenner on the list of authors that grabbed my interest in this collection. So, while I was thrilled to read her contribution, it was also lovely to have these short stories to give me a taste of some new authors that I hadn't tried yet. And yes, even some genres that I don't usually read, like Young Adult and Historical Romance.

While I enjoyed some more than others, they all had something to offer that was worth reading. They all focus on second chance relationships, ranging from past to present and innocent to racy.

As I knew I would, I loved One Night by J. Kenner. It's about Blake & Penny. She works for Damien Stark and meets Blake while traveling. They have a passionate night together and she never expects to see him again. Imagine her surprise when he shows up at her office building, not knowing that she would be there. Are you intrigued?

Grab this collection and check out this story along with the others for a little taste what these authors have to offer. There's nothing like a taste test when you're not sure what you are hungry for, right? Enjoy...

I loved every one of these stories.Second Chances was exactly what I needed.I read it so fast.Each story was unique and captivating with cute characters.

A collection of tales that span from sweet to spicy in stories rich with second chances. Can these heroes and heroines find love the second time around? It's time to dive into a fabulous sampler from fantastic writers and discover a few new ones.

I loved how I was pulled in, in just a few chapters to a story that I wanted to go on for pages.

I can't wait for the next collection!

I chose this book because I had not read the majority of the authors that were included. I was very pleased with most of the stories, even though I generally found I wanted more from the stories. I was often disappointed the stories weren't longer, which has inspired me to add some authors to my TBR. My favorite author was J. Kenner. Her short story included well-described characters, enough back story to connect with the characters, and some hot scenes. Overall, I appreciated the opportunity to be introduced to several new-to-me authors.

ONE NIGHT by J. Kenner is a Stark World short story found in the multi-authored SECOND CHANCES: A Romance Writers of America anthology.

Told from first person point of view (Penny) ONE NIGHT is a second chance short story focusing on the rekindling romance between our story line heroine and a one night stand-approximately eighteen months earlier- Blake Thornton. Blake is a New Yorker; a successful real estate developer who just happens to arrive in Los Angeles for a meeting with Penny’s boss Damien Stark. Finding the ‘one that got away’ came as quite a shock to Blake but more so to Penny who was under the mistaken belief that Blake could not have fallen in love so fast. What ensues is the quick, rekindling and close proclamation of love between two people who never forgot about one another.

ONE NIGHT is a very quick read; a sexy and romantic second chance for two people who knew heartbreak and the pain of loss; love at first sight; and a rekindling fascination with the possibility of a happily ever after. Set in the author’s Stark World novellas, ONE NIGHT is a heartwarming and passionate interlude between her full length story lines.

Copy supplied by Netgalley


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I really love anthologies. It's the perfect way of finding new authors or just enjoy a short story by a author you love. Because of all I just said I have to admit that I was very excited about reading Second Chances.

The fact that they are stories about second chance romances makes it easier dealing with how short the stories are. The characters already know each other so all that's left to do is fall in love...again!

I liked most of the stories in this book. Some weren't my cup of tea but that didn't stop me from reading them. I have to tell you that the only authors I read in the collection are Tara Wyatt & Alyssa Day.

So for me this book was like window shopping. My way and looking for new authors. A few of the authors I will be adding to my list of authors I read.

My favorite story from the new authors for me is Scandalous by Cassandra Dean. I really enjoyed her writing and the story was very good. I will for sure add her to my list.

I'm happy so glad that I gave this book a chance and I think you'll enjoy it too. If nothing else you'll find a few new authors that will be added to your ever grow TBR pile.

I love collections like this because I get to read short stories from favorite authors as well as discover new authors. I also love "second chance" love stories, so this book full of them was right up my alley. This had some really fun stories and I definitely found new authors to love!

These were good short (very short) stories. I was entertained.

I love second chance romance stories! They are my fav! I am not a fan of short stories, because I always want more! That is my only complaint with this book! I want more!!

Second chance romance, yes please! J. Kenner a double check yes please! Another Stark International novella with Blake and Penny's story. A sweet but also Scorchingly hot, second chance after a one night stand. I loved another look into the Stark International employees and their lives. I hope to see more of Blake & Penny and many more from the Stark clan.

I love the fact that this is an Anthology and not only get more second chance reads but I also get to check out new authors and their writing styles and hopefully fall in love with new characters and authors!