Second Chances 101 by Donna K. Weaver
Thirty seven year old Francie Davis, a recent widow and empty nester, gets to attend college at last. She’s sure her luck has changed when she also lands a job on campus that will pay her tuition, as administrative assistant to a history professor. When her handsome new boss yells at her on the first day of work, Francie worries she will never be good enough.
For Professor Alex Diederik, life is going downhill fast. Not only is his bitter ex-wife trying to poison their only daughter against him, but now his one place of solace—his work environment—is being complicated by his attractive new administrative assistant. She drives home his feelings of failure as a husband and father, and Alex wonders if hiring her was the right thing to do.
Francie will have to put aside her hurt and insecurities or risk her dreams, while Alex must look outside himself if he’s to mend the breach with his daughter. And, perhaps, find someone who can help heal his pain.
My Review: I've really enjoyed this series. Each author has such a different way of writing, yet the stories all tie together so well. My heart went out to Francie. It can't be easy to basically start over in your late 30s, yet she manages to do it fairly well. I loved how Francie went back to the basics in life. She doesn't have money, so she grows and harvests a very large garden, so that she's able to cut her food costs drastically. I love how she's willing to share that knowledge with others, especially Rose. Sometimes some hard work brings such a great sense of accomplishment and a person's value is restored.
My heart always went out to her boss, Alex. Life isn't always fair and it can be pretty hard. Unfortunately, Francie's first meeting with him didn't go well. Even though he let his anger get the best of him, it was obvious that his emotions don't define who he is and he went to great strides to try and fix his mistake.
I really enjoyed the romance in this one. The characters were a little older and more experienced, yet it was still gradual and tentative. The Epilogue was especially great!
Content: no language or violence; brief mention of underage drinking/partying and sex in exchange for favors, but they're portrayed in a way that shows it's wrong.
Excerpt:
“I heard
that laugh.” Sam pointed a finger at him. “What have you been doing?
Please don’t tell me you’ve been sitting in that old chair waiting for
me.”
“I did read for a while,” Alex confessed before pointing to his screen.
She
came to stand behind him and looked at the monitor. “Are you kidding
me? Online dating? That’s brilliant. Why didn’t you do this sooner?” She
didn’t give him a chance to speak, but pushed him out of his chair and
sat in it herself. “Let me help. This will be fun!”
Alex bent over her shoulder to see what she was typing. “Hey, wait a minute.Ripped?
Samantha Rosamunde Diederik. Don’t you dare write that. I don’t want to
meet some woman and have her find out that everything she thinks she
knows about me is a lie.”
“Oh, please, Daddy. You might not be tall, but you have a six-pack. And don’t forget your guns.”
“My what?”
“Your biceps. You are so twentieth century.”
Alex shifted uneasily as she kept typing.
Author Donna K. Weaver
Donna K. Weaver has always loved reading and creating stories, thus she’s been ever entertained. An avid cruiser, she’s sailed the Pacific five times. Wife-mother-grandmother-Army veteran-karate black belt-Harry Potter nerd.a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you, Katie!
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy that I had a chance to spread the word! I loved it!
Delete