His Second Chance (Montgomery Ink Legacy #6)
Carrie Ann Ryan
Blurb:
Kane Montgomery
Carr and Phoebe Dixon's romance went from a fiery temptation to a fizzled-out
heartbreak.
Only Kane has no
idea why.
All he knows is
that he has to keep her safe when a stalker sets Phoebe in their sights.
Yet as the two of
them are forced once again into each other's lives, the truth behind their
breakup surfaces and they are forced to face the facts: the feelings and heat
they buried aren't quite as gone as they'd like.
If they give in,
they'll have to face the demons that broke them up in the first place—including
a startling secret that shocks them both.
Yet if they
don't, they might lose the chance of a lifetime.
That is, of
course, if they can survive what lurks in the shadows for them both.
Themes: Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
Well just to get this out of the way up
front, if you’ve heard the rumors, yes, this story reveals a big secret that
our evil writer queen has been keeping from us from two years now as she built
up to this story and the coming spin-off series, she has been promising
us. While it was a doozy and rocked the
world of many of our favorite characters in this series, including Pheobe, Kane
and many of their closest friends, I won’t be sharing the secret. Just read the story and make sure you are
prepared to have your mind blown as only Carrie Ann Ryan can manage it. Pheobe
and Kane’s story begins with a meet-cute from their past and then we move
forward in time to where they are broken up and their lives are suddenly in the
crosshairs of multiple dangerous enemies.
The drama, emotional turmoil and ultimate relationship development
between these to makes the story so complex and spellbinding that I almost
wasn’t able to put it down to go to work. I am dying to see what comes up not
only for the Montgomery clan, but also in the upcoming spinoff series and there
is just so much more that is going to be coming in this world that I can hardly
contain my excitement.
Pheobe
Dixon first met Kan Montgomery Carr running from a bear and she quickly came to
understand that he was a protective guy, but after a while she couldn’t take
the rift, it caused between them. When
Pheobe broken up with him, Kane never really understood why and only after she
left him did, he truly understand that she’d stolen his heart. When she comes
back into his life, at one of the most dangerous times possible, his
overprotectiveness is at the highest level possible, but he refuses to let her
push him away again even if he just has to protect her without being her man
again. But the more time they are
together the harder Pheobe finds resisting him and when she gives in to her
needs and takes him back, there is soon no fighting the love and need they
share. They decided that this time they
can write their relationship together if they work hard enough, but when a
long-held family secret comes out, pulling the rug out from under Pheobe, they
have to handle the fallout together. But
there are also dangerous enemies out there stalking them and if they aren’t careful,
they won’t live long enough to have their HEA despite all their determination
and the depth of their love for one another.
Wow
Pheobe was a bit of a basket case in this story, not going to lie it annoyed me
here and there, but she did finally get it together in the end. She’s always been the baby of the family,
caught in the grips of some very overprotective family members and it left her
with some strange ideas of what having a strong alpha mate could mean for her
future, so when she truly got to know Kane the first time it sent her running;
but when she came back into his life the second time, forcing him to take a
look at his behavior, she also begins to see that having a loving and caring
man at your side is nothing to sneer at.
She helps him to understand her needs, forcing him to understand the
difference between standing in front of her and beside her as they deal with
issues that come up. Her family was definitely central to the story, and we
learn a lot about them as we learn about Pheobe, and of course we get to learn
a lot about her best friend Claire (who’s story is next with Kane’s cousin,
Kingston). The way she has dealt with issues in her past versus how she deals
with them now that Kane is by her side show us that she too is growing and
coming to understand the goodness of having her man, but I still wish she’d
wizened up earlier. She is sweet and
loving, caring for those around her, even sacrificing for them in the end and I
enjoyed watching her as she offered her love to Kane in the end.
Kane
is one of those guys that never realized just how smothering he could be,
mainly because he didn’t understand that loving someone means having your heart
constantly walking outside your body until Pheobe stole it from him. Once he lost her the first time, he tried to
come to terms with the pain, but when she comes back to him and he is faced
with the fear that she will be hurt because of him he is even more determined,
not only to protect her from outside danger, but also to make sure that he meets
her emotional needs. I loved watching
him examine himself and then make active changes so that Phoebe would accept
his protection and love, even though it made him crazy at times, showing that despite
his alpha needs to protect he could be sweet and thoughtful. He is sexy, smart, loving and there is no
doubt he is both a Carr and a Montgomery through and through. I enjoyed seeing him interacting with his
large extended family and his small nuclear family as well, because the
connections never failed to give him the emotional support he needed at any
given moment. Kane is the perfect boyfriend even if he doesn’t realize it.
Kane
and Phoebe’s story is filled with angst as he gets His Second Chance to
prove to her that he can be everything she needs in her lover, but also with
enemies after them the highest sense of danger increases the fear and drama. I
loved every movement of their story, whether they were fighting, crying or
loving one another, Phoebe and Kane we so obviously made for one another, and
fate would have put them together one way or another (and you’ll understand
that better once you know the BIG SECRET). Kane is a big protective gorilla,
one that doesn’t understand when he is being overbearing sometimes, but he is
determined to always stand between danger and those he loves. Phoebe is determined to stand on her own two
feet, however sometimes she needs to allow others to be there for her to lean
on and Kane is just the shoulder she wants and needs. Together they are a perfect match and I loved
watching them change and grow together, seeing the way they gave and took in
order to be just what the other needed in any given situation. The passion was there for them even when they
weren’t together so honestly, I have no clue how they resisted one another as
long as they did, but when they gave into it, that heat was palpable for
sure. The drama of not only the secrets
revealed in this one, but also the dangerous villains was beautifully written,
and I have to say this is the first time I didn’t fully see it coming (might
have had an inkling, but I was still surprised). The next story promises to be
just as interesting as Claire and Kingston have to overcome their issues and
deal with one another in order to find their HEA together in One
Night With You (coming in Nov-ish). I read a lot of romances, including
everything Carrie Ann has ever written, but I can say with all authority that
this is a read I will not be forgetting any time soon and one I will be
recommending to readers far and wide.
*eARC provided by author for the
purpose of an honest and unbiased review.
No compensation was provided.
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