A heart shattered by divorce, a life destroyed by tragedy...can they heal each other’s hearts and find happiness together?
Recently divorced and working two jobs to help her mother pay off overgrown medical bills, Angela Lewis has no room in her life for love. Yet when her childhood crush finds her at the nightclub where she works as the sexy stripper, Candy Cane, and expresses his interest, Angela can’t resist. She only wants one night to live the fantasy her alter ego provides.
Alex McKinley is still trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered life. It’s the anniversary of the day his wife and daughter were killed by a drunk driver, and he’s come to Vegas to try and forget. One night with sexy Candy is exactly what he needs. He gets more than he bargained for, however, when he discovers she's the little sister of his best friend. Suddenly little Angie’s all grown up and driving him crazy.
When Angela discovers she’s pregnant, Alex doesn’t hesitate to do the right thing. The more time he spends with Angela, the more Alex finds himself falling for the woman she’s become. She makes him want to live again. But can he convince her to take a chance on him?
Excerpt
“What’s your real name?” he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets in an effort not to grab her. He was getting another glimpse at her, and he didn’t want to break whatever spell held them bound.
She quirked a brow. “What makes you think Candy’s not my real name?”
“You don’t look like a Candy. You don’t act like one either.”
She stared up at him for a moment, her face bathed in moonlight that made her skin seem to glow. Then her back stiffened, and she very softly said, “My name is Angela.”
“Angela.” He studied her a minute, flicked his gaze over her, reached out and drew a finger down her arm. “You definitely look more like an Angela than a Candy.”
Even as he said it, images of a fifteen year old with bright blue eyes filled his mind. The similarities were definitely there, but it couldn’t possibly be her. There was just no way Brock’s baby sister would ever be a stripper at the Diamond.
A reluctant smile curled across her mouth. “I should go. It’s late.” She stared at him for a moment, studying his face, then slowly leaned in and placed a gentle kiss to his cheek. “Thanks for being such a gentleman,” she said, pulling back to meet his gaze.
She stood so close her perfume drifted to him on the slight breeze that blew through the buildings, ruffling the edges of her hair. And everything inside of him tightened in response, his arms yearning to reach out and pull her against him.
Unable to help himself, he offered her a smile and stared into those eyes as he tapped his mouth. “I think you missed.”
Professional Reviews
5 books--Reviews by Molly
Due to getting a new job (woohoo!) I got a little behind on some of my reading and am still currently reading this book. But I can tell you kow that J.M. Stewart is a fantastic author! She has created a story full of romance, characters that jump of the page and become real and a plot line that will pull you to the heart of the story. Her writing style is awesome and really captured me from page one.
Alex and Angie are definitely characters that I’ve fallen in love with. Both have a past that I can relate to. They’re filled with inner turmoil and trust issues, but together they make an awesome combination. Watching them grow in their feelings together is fun. I love following them on their journey of discovering what’s meant to be.
If the last bit of this book is as amazing as the beginning and middle have been, I can tell you that this is one of my favorites for 2013 already. The passion is strong, the characters stronger and the story line of second chances, true love, and letting go of the past to embrace the future is awesome. Definitely worthy of two thumbs and 5 Books! Well done, Ms. Stewart!
4 Stars--The Romance Reviews
When a person suffers loss, they may be more likely to do something totally out of character. When two people who have suffered loss meet again, and do something out of character together, it may provide them with A SECOND CHANCE AT FOREVER.
Technical nerd Angela Lewis was devastated when her husband left her for another woman and, to complicate matters, she couldn't stand idly by and watch the bank foreclose on her cancer-stricken mother's home, so she turned to stripping in a Las Vegas club as a second job so she could save the house. Good girl Angela's mom and older brother think she earns the extra money waiting tables at a casino on the weekends, but stripping is actually a coping mechanism for a woman who's trying to start over.
Plain vanilla Angela never dates or goes home with the customers, but it's a balm to her self-esteem to have anonymous men desire her as her alternate ego Candy Cane, plus the extra money she earns as Candy has stopped the foreclosure from proceeding on her mom's home. Dancing at the club on a Friday night, Angela recognizes Alex, who was her big teenage crush and is still her brother's best friend. She gives in to a compulsion to dance just for Alex so she can attract his notice but, all the while, she's just as fearful that he'll recognize her and tell her brother she's become a stripper.
Manhattan attorney Alex McKinley left Vegas years ago, but has returned for a bachelor party weekend and to try and forget the loss of his wife and young daughter in a car accident. He knows he needs to move on with his life, but it's hard trying to adjust to his new normal. He's not a one night stand kind of guy, nor is he sure if he's really ready for a meaningless dalliance with a stranger, but something about the dark-haired stripper named Candy Cane connects with him when they make eye contact at the club. Alex has his business card delivered backstage to the sexy stripper two nights in a row, and is surprised when she actually agrees to a date on Saturday after her shift ends. The attraction seems mutual, so why not indulge in a one-off weekend fling if Candy's willing?
Angela and Alex are both mature, strong characters that are still reeling from the losses they have suffered in their personal lives. Neither is ready for a new relationship, but they feel a mutual attraction and a connection in their troubled hearts that leads to a single night of passion. Despite the connection they feel, they are both still convinced their single night of indulgence scratched an uncomplicated physical and emotional itch that won't be returning when Alex heads back to his life in New York. Darn itches…they can lead to unforeseen complications.
Wow! A SECOND CHANCE AT FOREVER exceeded any preconceived notions I'd made based on the cover blurb that identified the heroine as a stripper. I guess I thought this book would likely be as gritty and clichéd as some other works out there that indulge the stripper girl fantasy and feature a potentially mismatched couple, but I was so totally wrong. Instead, J.M. Stewart created a compelling read that encompasses a well-conceived plot featuring a hero and heroine you can relate to and could easily fall in love with yourself.
The emotional complications this couple experiences are realistically believable, while their lives are grounded by a cast of secondary characters who are warm, supportive, and never judgmental. Ms. Stewart excels at describing the inner-strength and sadness in Angela's and Alex's lives; the underlying feelings of remorse and unworthiness; the unvoiced fears of taking second chances and creating false hopes, and she does it with such a subtle flair that a couple of really moving scenes actually left me teary-eyed and in angst.
I truly loved the openness and honesty between this couple, especially as it would have been so easy to either of them to lie at various times to smooth things over between them. There is so much more to this story than my more detailed summarization of the first few chapters and, once you start this wonderful book, you won't want to stop until you've devoured it in its entirety.
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