Another home run from Olivia Dade. Molly and Karl were friends in high school, but never dated. After graduation Molly moves to Los Angeles, and the two are separated for 20 years. A misunderstanding brings Molly back to Harlot’s Bay, and stirs up old feelings. Karl is so grumpy, but with a heart of gold underneath, and I loved watching him fall hard and fast back in love. Molly was cautious, but I loved how Karl was willing to work with her instead of pushing. I can’t wait for the next in the series.

The second novel in the Harlot's Bay series, Olivia Dade has written unforgettable characters, spicy romance, and the perfect steamy story all within the confines of the perfect little bakery.

When Molly sees an obituary of a former friend in her paper, she drops everything and rushes back to attend the funeral. Imagine her surprise when said former friend is super hot, grouchy, a prosperous business owner and absolutely is crushing back on her?

Hijinks ensue. Readers beware though, this is the second book and certain scenes or actions only make sense if you've read the first book.

Steamy, funny, with the perfect amount of heart. I'm anxiously awaiting the third installment.

Thank you to Avon / HarperVoyager and Netgalley for the eARC! I always appreciate the opportunity to read and review ahead of release, and my reviews are always my honest opinion.

I was going to save this book for an upcoming vacation, but after completing At First Spite in anticipation of this eARC I couldn't wait to continue! The premise of this book (a baker and the narrator of monster romance/erotica books?? absurd. I'm obsessed.) combined with the grumpy-yet-sweet Karl that we encountered in At First Spite drew me in immediately after the approval came through on Netgalley.

Second Chance Romance by Olivia Dade was a silly, absurd, slightly confusing, but very endearing romance. I loved the foundation of friendship rather than exes, Molly's job (which we only see one, more absurd, side of in At First Spite - monster erotica secretly written by a local!), and the trust exercises Karl employs to show Molly that he's serious and different from the other men who have let her down since she was a teenager. Specifically branching off of book 1, I really enjoyed seeing more of the bakery's dynamic (with Charlotte especially), seeing more depth to Matthew and Karl's relationship and how it ties into Molly's history, since she knew them both, and getting more of an idea of Karl's background. I loved the banter, the way Molly poked at Karl by correcting his impulsive, but inaccurate, threats, and all the general nosiness your typical small-town romance has to offer. Harlot's Bay will draw me back every single time!

My main gripe with this story is that while I understand Karl is an all-0r-nothing stubborn individual, and Molly is as well but running in the opposite direction, I didn't love that Karl's stubbornness around communicating went hand in hand with stubbornness around accepting nothing less than Molly moving across the country after a month of reconciling and trust exercises. I understood that it stemmed from fear and determination, maybe even a belief in fate (which feels silly for Karl) - but I don't feel like the timeline was anywhere near long enough for her to not only get over past traumas, but also to feel like she should uproot herself and move across the country, leaving behind the only ancestral home she ever really had in her grandparents' house. All of the circumstances that unraveled around this motivation of Karl's did well to serve this end goal - but the fact that even Matthew tried to encourage compromise or patience and Karl rejected it outright rubbed me the wrong way for a good amount of the story. That said, I enjoyed myself immensely because the Harlot's Bay books have a way of smoothing over concerns with the sillier bits of the tale - like a feud between sex shop owners (and Molly's concern at there being enough business in a small town for there to be two) (PLEASE tell me this is the next book).

All in all I rated this 4 stars. Second Chance Romance was a delightful read, as was At First Spite, and I can't wait to see what other Harlot's Bay stories are coming in the future! I would say that you should read At First Spite before Second Chance Romance, if only to familiarize yourself with the setting and the various groups and businesses and their dynamic with Karl specifically.

Ahhh...what a read. Olivia Dade gives us a god-level grump, a heroine with reasonably founded trust issues, a second appearance of the Spite House, the Nasty Wenches book club, rival adult stores, and an epic failure at an escape room. Oh, and a trio of twerking women in petticoats singing at full, enthusiastic volume about whores. As always with Dade, this is an absolutely gorgeous mix of humor and real deep feelings, with the story of two people who have tons of sexual chemistry but hardcore interpersonal communication issues. Figuring out when iron-clad independence is an element of personal strength and when it's a coping mechanism that's no longer serving you is something each of these dummies has to figure out, and it's lovely to be along for the ride/read. Oh, also we have a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside a beard net (he's a baker), and a heroine who's kinda a slut for personalized sandwiches and lattes. And epic levels of swearing, peak teen movie drama including a showdown at the high school gym, and a truly awful bad guy (who once shoved his bride's face into her wedding cake — unforgivable!). A+!

Every Olivia Dade novel feels like a special occasion, but this may have been my favorite of them all. Ever since reading At First Spite, I was curious about the story of Karl and our mysterious audiobook narrator. I was not disappointed in the slightest. In fact, I read this one twice back-to-back.

this features charming world-building and lovable characters. Their dynamic, with Molly’s nitpicking and Karl’s gruff demeanor, is fun but becomes repetitive. While the book has heartfelt moments, the lack of open communication and Karl’s gruff speech patterns were frustrating. The repeated “threats” also felt off, especially coming from a character meant to be a grumpy-softie. Though not my favorite Olivia Dade book, it still has moments of charm for fans of the series.

I thought this book was such a great read. The chemistry between the Karl and Molly is to die for. Their banter was so cute and funny. I appreciated that they were friends but still had a lot to learn about one another. I loved reading this book.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved Karl and Molly together! Although they had many misunderstandings, they overcame them all and got their second chance at love. I love that Karl is a monster smut lover and a big guy, but he's also the sweetest and a baker for a living. I find it adorable that he only started listening to them because he heard Molly's voice as the narrator, wanted to hear more of her, and that he'd listen to them on the loudspeaker at the bakery before they opened.

This is a sweet second chance at love. I really enjoyed the town and all the people there just as much as I loved Molly and Karl.
I liked watching their love story unfold and them learn to trust each other.
I loved that Karl expressed his love through food and had held a torch for Molly for so long.
The silly romance books that Molly narrates and her friend writes were a fun touch.
I loved the romance book club also that was a fun touch and I liked that a lot of men were in the club too.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC

So sweet and verrra steamy, with lots of creative swearing and threats thrown in for your edification…

I really liked the characters in this book. I even liked the plot and side characters. There was some part of the book that I couldn't just connect to, but this is a good book for those who are grumpy cats that secretly want their own love story. Also, the fact that both of the MCs are plus size is a another perk.

Everyone’s favorite grumpy Harlot’s Bay baker is back with his own book. Karl has been thinking about the almost-one who got away for two decades, but it takes his death being reported erroneously in the local paper to bring Molly back to town. Now all he has to do is convince her to stay.

This was an enjoyable read but it was too long. Which was my issue with the first one in this series, too.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

A truly enjoyable and humorous read! The plot moves at a great pace, keeping you hooked from start to finish. The dialogue between the characters is lively and engaging, adding to the overall charm of the story.

Molly and Karl are two very human people who fall in love and while their feelings are very intense, they still have to work at having a good relationship, and I appreciated them showing the struggle of overcoming individual biases and problems to come together and make their love work. They put in the work to communicate and to know each other better, and their journey made the whole book well worth the read!

I was SO excited to find out that there was another installment of the Harlot's Bay series! I've read most if not all of Olivia Dade's published novels, and imo she keeps getting better and better. Her characters are smart, emotionally complex and grounded, and their problems are all realistic. Yes, there's plenty of fluff, but never a conflict predicated on a silly miscommunication.
I am so looking forward to the next installment in the series!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the opportunity to read an advance e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Reports of Karl Dearborn's death are greatly exaggerated in this tale of high school friends who were close but never did it. Romance/erotica writer and audiobook narrator Molly Dean hightails it from Los Angeles CA back to Harlot's Bay, MD upon reading an erroneous news report that the one that got away has passed. Shocked at the blasé demeanor of the staff at his bakery, she is stunned to see the man in the flesh, alive and well. They reconnect, it turns out he's a fan of her work, and he convinces her to stay a month and give him a chance to win her over, after apologizing for his immaturity and miscommunication. Molly, betrayed by her father and her ex-husband, is slow to agree and slower to commit. Baked goods, dirty stories, and trust-building activities ensue.

This second book dovetails nicely with the recurring characters from At First Spite--Molly takes up residence in the Spite House next door to Matthew and Athena. While you don't have to read the first book to enjoy this one, readers who are familiar with the town will delight in the world-building, from Karl's motley crew to the well-intended octogenarian journalist to the wild place names and the erotica book club. Karl and Molly are more blue-collar relatable, and she's plus-size and he's big and tall, and their appreciation for one another's physical attributes is refreshing. Molly is a pendant, and Karl loves to set her up to nitpick his word choices. It's cute, but gets a little repetitive; although, if Molly is being cast as (undiagnosed) on the spectrum, it rings true.

A few things were hard to take: watching both Molly and Karl talk themselves out of having a frank conversations and putting their hearts on their sleeves and confessing their love and their desire to make a relationship work even though one of them would have to move. Equally painful: Karl's affected way of speaking without the "I" pronoun, except in rare or extreme circumstances, giving his patter a caveman-like grunting cadence. As a survivor of an emotionally abusive relationship, it's difficult to read characters who make death threats at one another or at their friends and family as terms of endearment, and Karl, portrayed as a grumpy softie, threatens his friends for teasing him on more than one occasion, and it's a jest I can't get get behind.

I received a free advance reader's review copy of #SecondChanceRomance via #NetGalley, courtesy of #Avon, in exchange for a fair and honest review. This review will post to HLBB on 11/25/2025.

This was the perfect second chance romance book. The story lived up to it's name. Loved the friends to lover angle and Carl and Molly were the prefect pairing. There was just enough to keep me wanting more!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

In this absurd and hilarious second chance romance (truth in advertising) Molly is a romance audiobook voice actor living in LA and Karl is a bakery owner in, get this, Harlot’s Bay in Maryland. In fact that’s where they met in high school and Karl has maintained a serious crush on Molly. He’s even bought every single one of her audiobook CD’s, including “Honk of Desire”- the hero’s a duck shifter, because, of course! He plays them before the bakery opens every day just to hear her voice.

Molly has had a crush on Karl too but thought he was two timing her so cut off all communication. Twenty years later an obituary comes out detailing Karl’s bizarre death- involving violent camping and suspicious muffin ingredients. Molly travels back to Harlot’s Bay to attend his funeral but finds him alive and kicking. Now Karl has a final chance to win her and though he goes about it with the help of trust building exercises found in discarded dental office magazines, the winning, the town, and the characters are just plain hysterical and oh so endearing!

This is part of a series but it can quite easily be read alone. The secondary characters are well drawn and one hopes some of them get their own books. I can’t wait! There are some quite hot sex scenes to further brighten the read. I love a good second chance romance and also love characters who are older, like me. And in the end, I loved this book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love the good second Chance romance trope and this book, conveniently called by exactly that name, did not disappoint. As I read Out of Spite, I wanted to know more about the mysterious grouchy baker with a penchant for monster erotica audiobooks! And everything about bringing Molly back to Harlot’s Bay filled in the gaps.
Really pleased to have this story. Now can’t wait for Charlotte’s. Hope her story is next!

Second Chance Romance completely captivated me from page one. Olivia Dade once again delivers a witty, heartfelt, and unapologetically body-positive love story that had me hooked and happily devouring it in just a few sittings.

Both characters were grumpy in the best way possible, and their banter was sharp, hilarious, and full of tension. Dade’s writing is effortlessly engaging, and the pacing was spot-on—the story never dragged, yet gave enough time to explore the emotional depth behind each interaction. I especially appreciated how the book didn’t shy away from vulnerability and trust, showcasing real growth for both Molly and Karl.

This was a warm, spicy, and utterly charming read that I’d recommend to anyone who loves second chances, curmudgeonly love interests, and stories where the heart leads the way home.