I loved this story, but then again I love second chances. Jack and Maddie grew up together. Best friends and then the teen years hit and Jack’s feelings had him kissing her. Not knowing how to deal, he stops talking to her. Paths are crossed again when Maddie is heading into her senior year of college and life gives them a surprise. The Do Over gives you flashbacks into what really happened and how things were misunderstood. It was fun watching them learn and grow from the past into the present and finally admitting to their true feelings. This story has it all - friendship, growth, love, sweet and super sexy times that kept me turning the pages wanting more!
ARC provided through NetGalley - this is a voluntary review

I loved this book! Great characters and a sweet story.

I’m home, she’s home, we’re home together…
I have to admit, I was *very* skeptical about this book after reading the first few chapters. The hero of the story initially comes off as a bit of a cocky, egotistical a-hole. But despite my reservations I persevered, and I’m glad I did. A rocky beginning led to a sweet story of young love and misunderstanding and reconciliation.

Jack Parker is twenty- seven and your typical man-child. The son of an abusive father, who abandoned the family when Jack was a teen, he has embraced the view that he isn’t good enough/smart enough/responsible enough to take on anything worthwhile. And although, Maddie, his best friend from childhood tried to tell him differently, eventually he just stopped listening and believing. Even when he accidentally gets her pregnant at twenty-one. Oh he’ll do what he has to do, but he’ll leave the heavy lifting to his mom and his sister. Because, after all, he’s just not good enough to be cut out for family life. Right?

Maddie Adams is essentially a single mom. I mean, Jack will watch Gabe when she asks, but the day to day is left to her. Well, she does have Harris, the perfect-on-paper boyfriend she lives with. But, she has come to realize that he doesn’t actually spend any time at all with Gabe. And then when she catches him in a compromising situation with her best friend, of all people? What’s a girl to do? Maddie considers all the options. And the only one that feels right, is going to Jack for help. Despite their bumpy past, they are actually friends. Or were. And maybe more?

The rest is up to you to read, but safe to say there will be tears, and laughter and possibly some smoking hot scenes, as well… And in the end, it’s a feel good story of discovering that what you wanted was there all along.

Jack & Maddie have been on and off friends since they were little. They shared a kiss when they were young teenagers and never talked again until their early twenties ... well, they did more than talk because the result was Gabe. Jack never wanted to be a husband never mind a father, so Maddie accepted that she would be a single parent. But when Gabe is 4, Maddie catches her live-in boyfriend cheating on her ... with her best friend. She has nowhere to run, but to Jack, so Maddie & Gabe move in with him until she can find a new apartment. The longer they stay, the more Jack wants to have them both in his life, but Maddie can't get her heart broken by Jack ... again.

This is a sweet funny second chance romance. Even though Jack is a player and he broke Maddie's heart, you can't help but like him. He knows his limitations and clearly states them. He doesn't even realize himself that Maddie has been the one for him all along. Maddie is just a brave sole and takes on life as best she can ... even if that means a life without Jack. I really liked the fact that Jack was just an ordinary guy, with an ordinary job ... that both Maddie and Jack were ordinary people.

I received an ARC copy courtesy of Random House-Loveswept through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

I enjoyed this story by Serena Bell. It was both a friends to lovers story as well as a second chance story and wonderfully intertwines the past and the present as both Jack and Maddie deal with what is happening currently in their lives and how they came to be the parents of a wonderful little boy. They were childhood friends...seeing each other through all the difficulties and fears of child hood...and bit by bit they began to pull away from each other. Through Serena's storytelling, you get to see glimpses of the why this happened, why they came together and once again why they were torn apart. Fears and mistrust rule their relationship. You see how sins and actions of a parent can rule someone's future and fill it with fears of one's own ability to parent. Is it even remotely possible for them to come together again when one claims mistrust and the other claims no desire for a relationship?

This was a sweet, sexy second chance story.

Jack Parker is a sexy guy who doesn't do relationships which Maddie Adams learned the hard way. Five years ago Maddie showed up at Jack's door in tears and that night quickly resulted into their 4 year old son, Gabe. All Maddie ever wanted was to be part of a family with Jack but he is too selfish to every be a husband and father.

Fast forward five years....Maddie is in a serious relationship and life is looking good until she walks in on her live in boyfriend with another female! Maddie finds herself heading to Jack's house, where Gabe currently is. After hearing Maddie's story, Jack offers to have Maddie and Gabe stay at his house until Maddie can get back on her feet. Reluctantly, Maddie agrees, plus there will be no sex!

As Jack and Maddie spend more time together and Jack truly is being a dad, he realizes that maybe being a family isn't so bad. When emotions between Jack and Maddie start turning deeper, Jack realizes what he really wants now in his life.....his family.

I really enjoyed this story. It was a fun, sexy second chance story that had a wonderful happy ending.

Starts out with the guy typical story of boy and girl grow up together then veers sharply. This book made me fall in love with the characters and by the half way point I realized that I was on the same emotional roller-coaster ride that they were. There is just enough laughs from the kid and the internal monologs the characters do to keep it from getting too deep but overall a great read that I would recommend to any of my friends.

"So much of parenting is about doing what needs to be done even when you don't believe you have the strength to do it, because you have to." Does this sound like a romance book? It certainly was different from any other I've read, and I loved it.

I have read a lot of second chance romance books, as it is one of my favorite kinds of stories. I love a couple with a complicated history, and boy do Maddie and Jack have that! This story was different from others I've read, as Jack and Maddie share a child and are raising him together, while not being together themselves.

When we first meet them, it is while Maddie is dropping their son Gabe off with his dad for the night, which, while familiar to readers who share custody of their child, is pretty rare to see in a romance book. As the story goes along, we learn about Jack and Maddie's complicated history, which began when they met as children. We see how their relationship changed over the years, and that they are forever bonded by the love they have for their son, even though they both feel that they would never work as a couple and a family.

I really liked Maddie, the strong single mom, doing her best for her son. I also really liked Jack, despite feeling like he isn't cut out to be much of a father to his son, nevertheless takes responsibility for him, sharing custody and paying child support. When circumstances throw them together under the same roof, they both start to question if they could be more to each other than co-parents.

This was my first Serena Bell book, and I really liked her writing style. It's very conversational, which you don't often see. She also knows how to write excellent sexy times! The story moved quickly, was very well written, and had me rooting for the characters and hoping they get their happily ever after

Jack has been in love with Maddie for so long. He has no idea how to tell her he wants to try again. He is trying so hard to be a good dad to their son. He makes room for them in his life. To the consternation of his friends, he makes her a priority.

Maddie has a hot past with Jack. They are making it also a hot present. Can she trust a man who has admitted to cheating on her? Is there a way to meet in the middle? When her current man breaks her heart - it is easier to give up then to trust again.

This was a sweet but completely hot book. I found the sexy times more than sparks that were jumping off the page. You can feel the heat between these two. Their sincere love for their son. It just humbles you to read this and with a surprise ending, is worth every page.


***This ARC copy was given by Netgalley and its publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Maddie Adams is not sure she believes in second chances. She really needs to give it some thought, specially since she’s now moved in with Jack Parker. He’s not only an old friend but also the father of her child. Jack was never a family man, hence the reason they’re not together. Now that her boyfriend dumped her, she has to make nice with Jack until she gets back on her feet. Something that won’t be easy, with all the emotions she’s feeling.
Five years ago Jack made a mistake that he regrets. Letting Maddie go with his son, was the dumbest move he’s ever made. He wants her back, however, he needs to prove to her that he’s a changed man who can be responsible and loving.
This was a wonderful book.

I loved everything about this book! I loved Jack - I loved Maddie -- I loved Gabe! This is a great second-chance romance that hits all the marks for me -- sweet, heartwarming, sexy, steamy, well-developed characters and background story! Perfect name for a perfect "Do Over" storyline! Would definitely recommend if steamy, second-chance romances are your fav!

3.5 Not particularly my kind of hero, very invested in his own manliness and developing same in his 4-year-old son ("If there's one thing I'm determined about, it's that Gabe will know how to throw and catch every kind of ball there is before he goes to kindergarten. I've actually had to talk Maddie into signing him up for sports—soccer, T-ball, pee-wee flat football—which floors me. It's like she just doesn't understand that it's Gabe's ticket to Mandom" [Kindle Loc 113]). But the book doesn't focus on or overly celebrate Jack's stereotypical masculinity, but instead peels back to reveal his vulnerable side, which made the story more appealing to me.

Jack and Maddie grew up as neighbors and friends, Maddie in a fairly stable family, Jack with an verbally abusive father who, just (coincidentally) after the two early adolescents have their first kiss, abandons Jack and his mother and sister. Said abandonment sends Jack's family on an economically downward spiral, and Jack & Maddie go their separate ways in high school, Maddie hanging with the college-bound, Jack with the druggies and slackers. But when Maddie's home from college after her junior year, she and Jack end up together for a hot summer, which leads to unexpected pregnancy. Misunderstandings break them up, and now, at the start of the novel five years later, Maddie is living with another guy and her son, Gabe. Jack gets custody ever other weekend, but mostly allows his mom and sister to take care of 4-year-old Gabe. But when Maddie discovers her boyfriend in a clinch with her best girl friend, she has no one to turn to except Jack. Jack offers her and Gabe a place to stay until she can find her own place, and the sexual chemistry between Jack & Maddie keeps pulling them together.

Bell is great at presenting characters sympathetically, and made me like Jack despite his often impulsive, stereotypically "manly" behavior. She shows how said behavior is both part of his charming personality, but also a defense against his abusive past, his father's deprecation making him deeply suspicious of his own ability to engage in an adult relationship, or to take on the role of responsible parent. Maddie doesn't have much of a character arc, but the two together are appealing and fun.

Thanks to Netgalley and Loveswept publishing for my ARC in exchange for honest review Of course thanks also goes to Serena Bell for writing the novel. 
Jack and Maddie were best friends since they were little. They relied on each other whenever one had trouble. Maddie is afraid of thunder and lightning and Jack's father verbally and some physically abused him since he was a child. I found Gabe so endearing that it made the story so readable. Harris is just another tool who has no idea what he has nor what he wants. There is no place for Maddie to go so she ends up staying with Jack. I have to say the beginning of the story makes me think Jack is not cut out to be a father at all, but as the story progresses I love the relationship between father and son. I knew this was a second chance romance just by the title. I love that Sienna and Maddie form a friendship and that Jack’s mom Barbra. I think that if you like a second chance romance then this is worth the read.

This was such a sweet book. It was hot and intense and just sweet! Read this book people, it will make your heart and other insides melt!

3.5 Stars
Overall I really did enjoy this book. I liked the characters and the story. What detracted from it for me was the seemingly endless sex. I'm not a prude, and usually I have no issue with steam, but it felt repetitive and didn't add to the story at all, and,quite frankly I ended up skimming a lot because I was bored with them. Other than that this was a fun read.

From the title, it was pretty clear that Do Over by Serena Bell would be a second chance romance story. Different from many, there is no big breakup between Jack and Maddie when there is unexpected pregnancy five years earlier. These two had always been friends not lovers except for that one night. Awkward yes, but big romance no. With that in mind, I find it to be more of a “friends to true lovers finally” story.

The characters are imperfect but charming as well as genuine. This gives the whole “live with me until your life” is settles a credibility makes it believable. Also, Jack’s POV as he realizes that being a player and a slacker are not admirable or desirable qualities he wants in his life anymore.

Entertaining story that shines light into the world of the current group of twenty-somethings. Of course, the next generation in line is Gabe, who was sweet but the reader really didn’t get to know him as well as his parents.

Jack and Maddie were best friends since they were little. They relied on each other whenever one had trouble. Maddie is afraid of thunder and lightning and Jack's father verbally and some physically abused him since he was a child. While everything working out on their favor until both shared a kiss. Since their kiss, they drifted apart and both avoided each other at school and they went separate way from then on.
Maddie was in college and in relationship while Jack stayed behind worked in construction and enjoyed his playboy ways. Everything came down when Maddie's boyfriend decided to brake off when she thought he was her one. She was so broken up by it, when she went to a party, she was ready to just enjoy and that's when she faces Jack again.
Jack couldn't handle cries and specially coming from his Maddie. He was trying to comfort her and it lead to another and they slept together and some more. Now she has been seeing Jack for rest of the summer and finds out she is pregnant but when she was ready to reveal it to him, she is faced with old Jack, playboy, who sleeps around. Plus he tells Maddie he doesn't want a commitment and he is not marriage type of guy.
Since then, Maddie moved on and ready for a marriage with someone else when she finds her boyfriend with her best friend in their kitchen. Overwhelm with emotions, she rushes to Jacks arms and sparks are flying all over again. Maddie has no places to go and no friends to rely on. Now she has to rely on Jack for housing and moral support.
Can both live under same roof??? Jack seems more like forever bachelor and Maddie wants to settle down. Both are more than attracted to each other but their point of view on relationship is different or is Jack ready to grow up?
I especially loved Jack's point of view. He was brutally honest and funny and their son was so cute.....
It was great friends to lovers story and I would recommend.

Jake is not going to be nominated for father of the year, but he is a good guy who wants to protect his son, Gabe, and Gabe’s mom, Maddie. When Maddie finds her live-in lover with her best friend in a compromising position, she runs to Jake who will help her any way that he can. Maddie tries not to get her hopes up that Jake is ready to be a family man, but when they start sharing more than a house, it’s hard for Maddie not to imagine the possibilities. Will Jake be the man Maddie and Gabe need or is she bound to be disappointed again?

Maddie is in a bind. Without giving too much away, Maddie needs to immediately move out of the house she’s been living in with her 5-year-old son. So who does she move in with? The father of her son and the man who is not family material!

Second chance love but with a twist. Jack is all about showing Maddie he’s a changed man from the shallow guy he was 5 years ago. Can Maddie offer her heart again, even though he crushed it before? This is a good afternoon read!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Loveswept for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jack and Mattie grew up in Revere Lake, a suburb of Seattle, where they were good friends until an innocent kiss followed by Jack's abusive father leaving his family, had Jack distance himself from Mattie. Years later, he finds her crying after her break up with her boyfriend the summer before her senior year in college. He never could stand to see Mattie cry, and his comforting turns to unprotected sex, which lead to an planned pregnancy and then Gabe. But Jack still hears his father's voice in his head calling him stupid, and a misunderstanding leads them both to loose their trust in the other. Five years later, Mattie walks in to the condo she shares with her boyfriend and finds him with her best friend. With nowhere else to go, she and Gabe move in with Jack temporarily, until she can find an apartment for them. Will Mattie and Jack take advantage of this second chance or will they still be unable to open up and tell the other how they really feel?
I received an advanced copy from netgalley.com for an honest review. I love the characters and found the conflict very real. It hurts to see two people, who care so much for each other, not be able to express their feelings out of fear or feelings of inadequacy, and that is what the author has successfully portrayed.