The Second Time Around

Rowan McAllister

Sep 2018 · Dreamspinner Press

About this ebook

Though born into wealth and privilege, Jordan Thorndike can’t keep pretending. He’s never going to become the lawyer his parents hope for... or provide the daughter-in-law and two-point-four grandkids they expect. Faced with an ultimatum—carry on living the lie or get out—Jordan leaves with only what he can pack in his BMW.

Homeless, jobless, directionless, Jordan heads to one of his mother’s pet charities: Better the Second Time Around Rescue ranch. With his family name and charm, he has the staff eating out of his hand in no time—except for one man.

Russ has never been handed anything, and he resents the spoiled rich brat using the ranch to live out a fantasy. Though Jordan is determined to prove himself to Russ through hard work, family and old wounds complicate matters. Will Jordan realize that what he sees as an escape is real life for most people? And can Russ accept that Jordan can grow—and that he wants him?

Ratings and reviews

Jordan expected his coming out to his parent to be bad but not being disowned. As long as he did as his father wanted, becoming a lawyer and marrying a woman they would let things slide, but Jordan decides not to hide any longer. With nowhere to go and is credit cards canceled he decides to go to the charity his mother supported an Animal rescue called the Second Time Around Ranch. B STAR for short. Phyllis welcomes him with open arms and offers to let him stay for room and board since he is good with the animals, However, the foreman, Russ wants him gone ASAP. He doesn't have time to coddle spoiled little rich kids. I liked all of the characters in the story. I even liked that at first Russ comes off as a major butthead, but is redeemed by the end of the story. I loved Jordan and how he was from money but had no problem working to prove his worth. I adored Phyllis. She is just wonderful and the glue that made the story stick. I liked the storyline. There is a lot of raw emotion, and I love the hurt/comfort trope and May/December. You could even say a second chance at life. There are some animals that play a large part in the story as well. so if any one of these or all is your thing I highly recommend this book. I will say that I wish the ending had been a little more conclusive and a more solid HEA but it was a good HFN.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ 4-STAR ✩ REVIEW ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ > > Judging a Book by its Cover < < Multiple layers on the cover. Foremost is a man in a black t-shirt with his hat tipped obscuring his face and a red sports car and ranch arch in the background. Faded into the background on the bottom is a cowboy on horseback, barely noticeable. Author name is legible and well placed but the title font could have stood out a little more. The synopsis was interesting and pulled me in. > > Looking Deeper < < POV ~> Third-person Jordan’s coming out did not go anywhere near as bad as he thought it would, it went worse. Much worse. Homeless, jobless, and clueless as to what to do next, he finds himself at the one place he loved as a child: an animal rescue catering mostly to horses but also some odds and ends, too. Russ was the rescue’s foreman and he did not have time for some rich kid’s whims but the boss lady says let the boy stay and put him to work so that’s what he does. Soon, he sees that there may be more than what meets the eye. Together they work the rescue and grow closer together but the past does not stay in the past and all too soon, the men are facing some unsettling truths while trying to navigate a fresh and fragile relationship. Some of the conversations were repetitive, admittedly by even the characters but the interaction felt real, raw, emotional. A smattering of secondary characters add support to the story, most are likable, others are not. The plot flowed smoothly and the writing style was wonderful. Predictability was low. The conclusion, I felt, could have been a little stronger, more… conclusive. I’d liked to have seen how Phyl recovered and what became of Marina, not to mention a solid HEA for the guys. Overall, it was an enjoyable story that I’d likely recommend to others. . Rating: [R] ~ Score: 4.175 ~ Stars: 4 ========================== ⭐ ⭐ **** Disclosure of Material: I received a copy of this book from the publisher with the hope that I would voluntarily leave unbiased and unsolicited feedback. I was not asked, encouraged, or required to leave a review - nor was I compensated in any way. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising". ***** ⭐ ⭐

I liked the book but it shouldn't have ended like that

About the author

Rowan McAllister is a woman who doesn’t so much create as recreate, taking things ignored and overlooked and hopefully making them into something magical and mortal. She believes it’s all in how you look at it. In addition to a continuing love affair with words, she creates art out of fabric, metal, wood, stone, and any other interesting scraps of life she can get her hands on. Everything is simply one perspective change and a little bit of effort away from becoming a work of art that is both beautiful and functional. She lives in the woods, on the very edge of suburbia—where civilization drops off and nature takes over—sharing her home with her patient, loving, and grounded husband, her super sweet hairball of a cat, and a mythological beast masquerading as a dog. Her chosen family is made up of a madcap collection of people from many different walks of life, all of whom act as her muses in so many ways, and she would be lost without them.
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