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.**

DNF at 25%. I think this book will have an audience in Olivia Dade fans, it just wasn't for me. Nothing I learned about these characters in the first quarter of the book compelled me to keep reading to find out how they get together.

Another great book from Olivia Dade. It is always a good bet grabbing novels by her because she shows that romance is for any size and shape whether make or female - and both the main characters are on the plump size!. Great banter between the main characters and get a visit to other well loved familiar characters. This book is set against an eccentric Harlot's Bay backdrop and we get two former classmates that are reunited through an obituary. They were and are beyond smitten but are so emotionally unavailable and scared to be vulnerable they risk losing something real.

This book was such a good book. It made me realize if you never say what you really feel, you’ll never know what the outcome is. I would definitely recommend this book. It was such a fun read. Thank you!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

This book lives up to its namesake, for sure. I mean…it’s a second chance romance. But it read like a 700 page book.

The chapters are LONG, and at times it was hard for me to stay in the zone for long enough to pay attention. At one point I think my Kindle said 26 minutes, and I took a deep breath in and put it down because I couldn’t do it. Not even on a 4-hour plane ride. And because of this, it took me FOREVER to finish it. I thought about DNFing at the 40% mark but decided to continue.

I could have gone without hearing their last names every two seconds, and I could have gone without all the f-bombs (and that’s coming from someone who curses like a sailor).

It took me a while to open up to the characters. I felt like Karl’s only trait was being grumpy for a decent portion of this book. And before knowing Molly’s background, she came off as rude.

And the lack of communication absolutely KILLED me. Even when they were trying to build it up, it kept getting shut down. It was like a game of cat and mouse.

That being said, I did laugh out loud at some of the descriptions and inner monologue. You can tell how much Karl feels for Molly throughout the entire novel. It’s endearing.

Just a little side note, but I did not read the first book in this series before getting this ARC. It was easy to follow without having read it.

All in all, this book wasn’t for me. It didn’t seem to scratch an itch.

Overall Rating: 2/5
Spice: 2.5/5

First time reading a book from this author and now I need to read her past work! I loved this book such a fun quick read

After the FMC inexplicably was eating a sandwich with a fork, I lost interest. I know that sounds petty, but combined with the poor development of characters where the MMC was your typical angry and grumpy guy but they didn't explain why until 3/4 of the way through the book, FMC was an angry divorced lady who didn't trust anyone (no nuance at all), it made the last half of the book really hard to read. The characters were really hard to connect with.

There were certain odd scenes that were incredibly detailed, and then an entire week passes by and they don't address anything that happened during that time with more than a sentence. The sex scenes were SO LONG and a lot of the background details weren't necessary. The side characters weren't really fleshed out and were more props than anything. The description of the gym for the reunion starts too late in the scene and doesn't feel like a natural part of the story. Why did the MMC's bestie and his wife have to leave? How did that move the plot along?

I really had to work to get through this one, and I feel terrible about it. I almost DNF'd about 40% of the way through. I'm sure there's a market for this book, and the writing itself is good. It's just not for me.

A lighthearted romance to take you away! The characters develop from teens into becoming adults and then finding their love reciprocated. Nice story with careers, relationships and emotions of regular seeming characters. Recommend.

Another winner for Olivia Dade. I really enjoyed the complex and nuanced characters in this continuation of the Harlot's Bay books. Also the man as baker element was so fun.

While I rarely am swept away by Olivia Dade’s books, I will always read them due to their representation of characters living in larger bodies. It is incredibly important to me to read about characters who look like me and who are treated as heroines of their own story. It’s rarer than many would think. They are always fun, though quirky in ways that I’m never totally on board with, like all the weird monster stuff again. Enough already. lol.

Second Chance Romance by Olivia Dade was everything I wanted it to be! Second chance romance happens to be one of my favorite romance tropes and this did not disappoint. This story was sweet and swoony and I loved the characters.

This is the kind of second chance romance I can get behind. Olivia Dade is an author whose work I consistently love. Her characters are fully-formed and flawed humans who are also consistent across her books. While the miscommunication, or more accurately, under-communication in this book could be frustrating it read as completely believable for two people who had such strong defenses built up to protect them from pain.
Revisiting Harlot's Bay was a joy, and I hope to read about more residents of the town in the future!

I swear Olivia Dade just gets better with every book. This was so heartwarming and delightful! Karl and Molly shine as characters. They both have so many issues to work through--I simultaneously wanted to shake them and fully understood where they were coming from. Can't wait for the next Harlot's Bay novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

This is a missed connection romance that had all the elements to be a very sweet read. However, this was a pretty mediocre read with adult characters that felt like they were preteens with all of the lack of communication. Just speak up and use your words like a grownup!

I’ll be honest (I mean, I was given an eARC so duh haha) but I DNF’d at 60% . Will I finish at one point? Perhaps.. but not right now.
I think you’ll either love this book or feel kinda meh about it. It’s good, just didn’t capture me. For some reason I quite couldn’t buy the relationship

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of Second Chance Romance by Olivia Dade.

I adored this book! Olivia Dade delivers a hilarious, emotionally resonant second-chance romance that’s both heartwarming and refreshingly real. Second Chance Romance follows Karl, a gruff but lovable baker, and Molly, a confident, independent audiobook narrator, as they reconnect after two decades apart. What follows is a delicious mix of banter, sexual tension, emotional growth, and community support.

Karl completely stole my heart—he’s grumpy, foul-mouthed, and fiercely loyal, with a soft side that slowly comes to the surface. I loved watching him try to win Molly back with patience, baked goods, and genuine vulnerability. The fact that he listened to all of Molly’s erotic audiobooks just to hear her voice? Amazing! Molly is equally wonderful—she’s a plus-size woman who is completely secure in her body and her choices. She’s bold, smart, and refreshingly honest.

The chemistry between Karl and Molly was fantastic, and the sexual tension was built up beautifully. I loved their banter and how much respect they had for one another, even when emotions were high. Their romance felt both mature and playful—perfect for characters in their late 30s with fully lived lives. The spice was hot and didn't shy away from descriptions of larger bodies.

One part that frustrated me was Molly’s lingering tie to her manipulative ex-husband. I was so happy when she finally shut that door for good—especially after Karl stood up for her and refused to let anyone treat her poorly.

The themes of body positivity, emotional healing, and found family were all handled beautifully. And the supporting cast brought a lot of warmth and humor to the story, giving it a vibrant sense of community.

This book was a joy from beginning to end. Second Chance Romance is a funny, sexy, and deeply satisfying love story that celebrates self-worth, second chances, and the power of being seen—and loved—for who you really are. I’ve added Olivia Dade to my auto-buy list!