After reading the obituary of her high school crush, Molly heads to the east coast to attend the funeral. Imagine her surprise when she finds that Karl is not dead. Now they may have a chance to get their relationship to the next level. Cute story, with more sex scenes than needed.

I am a sucker for a second chance love. So the title alone, Second Chance Romance, was right up my alley. This is the first book by Olivia Dade that I have read, and I can now say that I am a fan. Our main character, Molly, left high school right before graduation. Quickly and lost touch with her friends. Karl, stayed in Maryland, became a baker, and longed for his chance with Molly. When Molly hears that Karl has passed away, she comes back to Maryland and finds out that Karl was in fact still alive and still had strong feelings for Molly. Molly loses a bet and has to stay in Harlot's Bay for one month and during that time Karl is hoping and praying that he can make her stay. Will they both get out of their own way and tell each other how they feel? Will Molly stay? You will have to read this fun second chance love story to find out!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

When she gets news that the man she’s never been able to get has passed away, Molly flies back to the town she briefly called home in high school. Grateful that the obituary she was sent was one giant misunderstanding, Molly can’t help but wonder if this is her second chance.

Karl is the town curmudgeon and baker. Twenty years ago, he let the love of his life slip away. When he discovers she’s a voice actor who narrates naughty romance novels, he buys her complete catalog and listens to it every morning while he sets up his bake shop. He never thought he’d see her again until she bursts into his bake shop. This time he’s not going to let her slip away so easily. A man of few words, will he be able to find the right ones to keep her with him.

This was such a sweet story about second chances. I loved the first novel in the Harlot Bay series and was excited to see grumpy Karl get his love story. Though he gives off a surly exterior and has trouble expressing his feelings verbally, Karl is a kind person, constantly doing acts of service for those he loves. I loved watching him show Molly his love for her through his actions, which at times were humorously misguided. His persistence and determination to go outside his comfort zone were heartwarming.

Molly is a strong woman, who was mistreated by her ex husband. Because of this her guard is up, and she’s determined to never put herself in a situation where she feels used and disrespected. Despite this she can’t help but feel the pull towards Karl. Their chemistry is sweet and grounded. Their HEA is earned.

I really enjoyed going on their journey with them and watching their character arcs. It was also lovely to see Matthew and Athena make appearances again in such a meaningful way. I hope hope hope that Lise gets her own story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Olivia Dade is one of my automatic read authors, and I loved being back in Harlot’s Bay, especially since we got grumpy baker Karl’s story. Karl and Molly’s story was such a sweet, hopeful second chance romance. They each had past hurts, fears and self doubt, and had to learn to trust not only other people again, but their own selves too. I loved getting to see Athena and Matthew again, the Nasty Wenches book club is always a good time, and I absolutely adored Lise. I really hope we get more in Harlot’s Bay because I need Lise’s story.

If you're drawn to warm, second‑chance romances with flawed-but-loving characters and witty, grumpy/grumpy chemistry, this is a charming, heartfelt read. It may stumble mid‑book for some, but the emotional payoff, body‑positive representation, and small‑town charm redeem it beautifully.

Rating: 3½ to 4 stars — a cozy, spicy, and emotionally resonant return to Harlot’s Bay.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I did not like this book. The storyline went from 0 to 1000 far to quickly. I didn't find the spice to be particularly good, and I didn't feel the chemistry between the two characters.

This is the second of Olivia Dade's Harlot's Bay novels I've read, and it's just as delightful as At First Spite. As with all her romances, there's a good dose of wry humor in the romantic storyline. I also love that the importance of community and connection, beyond the romantic pairing, remains a focus in this series. Both main characters have trust and communication issues, and falling in love doesn't magically fix them - talking to and seeking help from friends, and learning from mistakes pushes them to grow and take risks individually and as a couple. The main characters push each other to resolve their issues but the work to actually do so is their own. Shoutout as always to Olivia Dade for writing sexy, confident plus size main characters where their size isn't an issue or a fetish, just another aspect of their selves.

Although this is the second book in a series, you don't need to have read the first to follow the story, but it definitely helps to understand the community of friends, coworkers, and neighbors who are an important aspect of the storyline.

I'd recommend the Harlot's Bay series to readers of romances that celebrate beautifully diverse bodies, experiences, and emotional journeys, like Talia Hibbert's Brown Sisters series and Gabriella Gamez's Librarians in Love series.

Unfortunately, I think Olivia Dade is just not a good fit for me. I thoroughly enjoyed her Spoiler Alert series, I couldn't finish the first book in this series, so I won't be reading this one.

I loved this book! Olivia Dade doesn't miss - this is another funny, sexy, romantic, emotional wonderful story about real people acting in real ways. Such a joy to read. I loved being back in Harlot's Cove and rejoining that colorful community, I loved a story that felt real - the people and their connections, their conversations, felt like they could happen in the world (though I'm not sure about the guppy smut... I haven't looked into it). I'm so grateful I got to read this book!

Honestly this book was good I just didn’t feel invested into the characters. I wanted a little more depth.

I had a hard time connecting with the FMC in this one. While the romance was engaging, some of Molly’s behavior—rooted in her past—felt overly insecure or harsh, which made it tough to fully enjoy her character. The storyline itself wasn’t bad, but the lead just didn’t work for me.

This book will resonate with anyone who has trouble conveying their stronger emotions. It was awesome to see effort from both parties to try and better themselves for the ones they love. It's also a great representation for the bigger guys and gals out there!

I love Harlot’s Bay, it’s like Star’s Hollow but smuttier and with more historical cosplay.

Molly and Karl, unlikely high school best friends, yearned for each other as teens but then life happened. The only thing that could get Molly back to Harlot’s Bay after all this time is news of Karl’s untimely demise. Only Karl isn’t dead, he’s increadibly hot and alive and ready to make up for lost time by caring for Molly’s physical and emotional needs while baking her delicious treats!! EEEEEEEE!!!!!! I can’t stand it, they are so perfect!!!!!

This book hits all of my romance buttons: funny, sexy, romantic, thoughtful, healing, inclusive, and most importantly I would definitely hang out with any of these characters. The world is so rich. Who’s going to be next?? Sadie Brazen herself?? I love that the stories are built around smutty books - Olivia Dade knows her genre, her audience and she’s writing those jokes for us. Sexy fish men with dick fins? Yeah, we’re speaking our langauge.

Thank you NetGalley for this mini vacay to Harlot’s Bay, Maryland!

This was 4.5 stars and I rounded up to 5 stars.

I pretty much love everything that Olivia Dade writes. This was no exception. Second Chance Romance is about two childhood friends, Molly and Karl, that never ended up getting together even though they both wanted to. Twenty years later, a friend sends Karl's obituary to Molly. Completely devastated, Molly immediately flies back home to go to his funeral only to find that the obituary was fake.

Karl sees his second chance at romance with Molly, but wants more than a quick fling so he plans to show her that life in Harlot's Bay is better than California.

Read if you like:
-slowburn romance
-plus size FMC
-grumpy MMC

Do not read if you dislike:
-swearing

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a second chance romance and this one was no different. This is the first I've ever Olivia Dade title I've read but I will surely seek more out.

I have read books written by Olivia Dade before and truly have loved each one! This one is probably my favorite now! I loved the connection between the two characters and the humorous moments.

I had a really hard time getting through this one.

This is a story about Karl and Molly who were high school crushes who reunite 20 years later. But, they live on opposite sides of the country. Can Molly learn to trust again and be willing to open herself up to love again? Will Karl open up emotionally and speak in complete sentences? (The answer to the second one is -- barely).

Two things I really liked about this book: I love a mature romance -- these characters are 40! I LOVED that Karl was a big guy and in a soft, rounded belly way. I am not sure I have ever read a book where the MMC was also I'll call it normal-sized and not cut with an eight-pack.

Here are things that I really, really struggled with:
1. Their banter was annoying as fuck. It wasn't cute to me at all and was just completely overblown. Okay, Karl is grumpy, he swears a lot, he threatens people for some reason and Molly likes to point out how unrealistic the threats are. A few well-placed examples paints the picture. But I found myself skipping over words to avoid reading their back and forth.
2. Karl was too one-dimensional for me to really like. Why was he so grumpy and inarticulate? There was enough backstory to understand why Molly was guarded but I didn't feel any connection to Karl or why he had the hang-ups he did.

I'd give it a 2 spice.

The book felt very slow. I liked that Karl was a baker and owned a cafe and the small town of Harlot's Bay is very cozy. I liked that Karl was grumpy but it felt a bit out of my comfort zone to read all the obscenities. It was funny at times but he wouldn't be someone I'd wanna be around all the time.
The lack of communication between the FMC & MMC is a huge turnoff for me. So many things could've been resolved or not a problem at all if they'd just communicate. Especially since the characters are a lot older in this book. Also there were so many moments between the two characters that felt like they just wanted to bang LOL like that's their ultimate end goal. Like "learn to trust me so then we can do the dirty" basically.

This book had a lot of funny parts sprinkled in here and there but I couldn't get into it.

Thank you for the ARC!

This is classic Olivia Dade. While it didn't have the emotional impact of At First Spite, it was still a solid second outing in the Harlot's Bay series. The characters are fully developed, even if I did wish Karl would speak in complete sentences. The third act breakup was minimal and very quickly resolved.

Overall, I always appreciate that Olivia Dade writes stories about people who are older, fatter, and not interested in having children. For a long time, that was rare to find in romance. This will be a book I definitely recommend to my romance book club.

2.5 stars...

Molly left her small town after high school and hasn't been back since. She lost touch with all of her friends from those years, including her then-bestie, Karl, who she'd hoped might one day become more. Molly has lived a lot since that time, getting married, becoming a homeowner, establishing a thriving career as an audiobook narrator, and then getting divorced. When she comes across Karl's obituary, she knows she needs to attend the funeral and pay her respects. Only it turns out Karl is very much alive, very much a successful and beloved member of the community, and still very much hot and in love with her. After her previous let-downs in the love department, is Molly brave enough to risk her heart again on the curmudgeonly, monosyllabic baker who hates talking about icky things like feelings but just might say enough with his actions that she doesn't feel like she's going backwards in time...she feels like she's coming home?

I have loved a lot of Olivia Dade's books, but I think this series might be a little too "cozy" for me. It felt like the characters had all their edges smoothed out. There is still some clever banter, and the humor and heart remain. But despite being set in a place called Harlot's Bay and having some spicy love scenes, the rest of the book just feels really...safe. Slow. Dare I say a little snoozy?

Karl seems modeled on Roy Kent, except somehow written in a way that he comes across as less "no f's given" and more truly emotionally stunted. I really wanted to like him but his awkward sentence fragments and emotional bumbling really frustrated me. I loved his married pals, Matthew and Athena, who came in clutch with the great advice...and thank goodness for them or he'd have been completely screwed (and not in a good way). Molly's character seemed built around her size and while I appreciate body representation in books, I wanted to know more about her than the repeated mention of her strong thighs rubbing together.

My favorite part of the book was the Nasty Wenches book club and all their in-depth discussion of shifter erotica (My Kangaroo, My Kidnapper has to be the greatest made-up titles ever). The extra half-star is for them!

I will say that I haven't yet read the first book in this series, so perhaps I would have enjoyed this more if I had already gotten a better introduction to the town and its people. I think a lot of readers fell in love with Karl in At First Spite, so they couldn't wait for him to get his own book. And I might consider going back and trying #1 at some point to see if that changes my thoughts. As it is, I think I just wasn't the right reader for this book. I like my romances a little less cozy.

**Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.**