Genre - Contemporary Romance

Narrator - Mike Lenz and Jeannie Sheneman

A little love and a little home improvement - what can go wrong? Well certainly something must! Grace Worthington’s The Second Chance Fixer Upper is a perfect read for February and Valentine’s Day. Maeve is on her own after her husband leaves her for another woman. She is settling into her very own fixer upper - looking forward to making it her own - with her daughter Violet. When her high school ex Jack helps her out with the house, they hatch a scheme to help her get a second chance at her marriage. What if her second chance is meant to come in a different way?

You get exactly what you expect in the best kind of way here. A spark ignites almost immediately between Maeve and Jack - it’s clear to the reader that they are drawn to each other. But Maeve feels like a failure, and Jack is very busy trying to earn his way in his father’s business to support his ailing mother. Sure, he can help her rebuild her self esteem and perhaps reunite with her husband - for Violet’s sake. She can help his father see him in a relationship, settled, ready for responsibility and leadership. We all know where pretending to be in a relationship will lead them, and the journey is a delight. We root for them as they learn to stand up to the people in their lives who underestimate their value. We root for them as they learn to value themselves. We even get a pretty absurd chase through the airport - movie style.

The Second Chance Fixer Upper by Grace Worthington is a charming contemporary romance if you are in the mood for love. You will like Maeve and Jack - even when you want to smack some sense into them. Add this title to your Valentine’s list!