Review - His Second Chance by Stephanie Lake

Series: Second Chances #1

Genre: Historical Romance

Age Group: Adult

Ebook - 96 pgs

Source: Purchased

Published: May 2016 by Loose ID

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Rating: 2/5

The Seventh Viscount of Torring, Randall Blair is more than disgusted with unfaithful lovers. When his last lover announces his engagement to the current reigning belle, Randall decides to suppress his true nature and follow suit. He is determined, once and for all, to forget the dark sailor who slipped in and out of his life five years before.

Lady Prudence Wedgewood has, for a member of the fair sex, unquestioned beauty, and shows a surprising wit, which will entertain Randall, even if her well-proportioned body does not arouse his desires. The marriage should at least be, bearable. The Blair and Wedgewood wedding plans unfold flawlessly, until Lady Prudence’s brother returns.

Lieutenant David Wedgewood has always been beyond discreet with his unnatural attraction to men. An attraction, which years ago, nearly set Randall’s bed aflame for a blissful, torrid week. David returned for only one reason: to save his beloved sister from a marriage destined to bring nothing but pain. He will kill Randall if that’s what it takes to stop the wedding. And he is willing to seduce Randall, to prove that this marriage can only end in disaster and heartbreak.

TW: Vivid description of hanging, flash backs, panic attacks

This novel suffers from a lot of faults.  The concept of the story was good itself and I think the author had all the right elements there. I wanted to like this book and I was excited by the prologue and the first few chapters. Unfortunately things fell apart after that.

The characters are meant to live in 18th Century England, but their dialogue and inner monologue is very modern except for a few words and phrases that are thrown in. The modern words really disrupted my reading and overall the pace was too fast. The pace was fast, which I normally like in a romance, but the breakneck speed was too much. I couldn't connect with the characters. There are so many romance books that I adore and am very attached to the characters. The length and the pace really hurt my connection with this book.

Perhaps the biggest fault is connected to the pace At the end of the story the resolution is forced forward extremely fast without any pause for tension to build. I didn't fear for the characters at all because the person who had leverage over them, had their own secret that the author revealed earlier in the book. Overall, I didn't have time to worry about them and my only reason to worry about them had been neutralized earlier in the book!

Overall, I was really disappointed in this.

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