Review: Second Chance Girl by Susan Mallery

Second Chance Girl by Susan Mallery
Publisher: Harlequin Books
Publication date: September 26th 2017
My rating: 2 Stars
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touching modern fairy tale that won't let go of your heart, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fool's Gold romances!

Mathias Mitchell's easy smile hides a world of hurt. After the worst kind of family betrayal, he moves to Happily Inc., California—the wedding destination town supplies a steady stream of bridesmaids, perfect for his "no promises, no pain" lifestyle. Yet he can't stop watching for his beautiful, elusive neighbor on the animal preserve behind their homes.

Gamekeeper Carol Lund knows she's not special enough to attract an alpha male like Mathias, so his offer to help her adopt a herd for her lonely giraffe is surprising—and his determined seduction, even more so. But just as she finally welcomes him into her bed, his careless actions crush her heart. Will she give him a second chance to prove she'll always come first in his heart? 

My Thoughts:

I really wanted to love Second Chance Girl.  It has so many features that should’ve made it a hit for me: cute animals, small town, quirky characters, yet this fell short for me.  The characters were very one-dimensional, making it hard for me to feel any connection to them or their stories.

Part of the story was Sophie, a cute and mischievous beagle, foisted on Mathias by his mother even though he strongly objected at first.  Mathias grew to like her, but the connection seemed tepid at best. I was hoping for emotional bonds that seeped into his human relationships.  Instead Mathias stays with his mantra of “people who were supposed to love you betrayed you”.

Mathias’ relationship with his brother Ronan is strained, and there was really no movement with that.  Hi relationship with his parents was bad from the beginning and no change through the story. His father was a narcissistic jackass, bullying his sons.  Trying to undermine their confidence for his own ego.  His mother wasn’t any better. Yeah, she was nice on the surface, but a classic enabler. I lost complete respect when she defended her husband’s obviously horrid behavior toward their boys.  So, Mathias’ relationship with them was a frustrating addition to the story.

The romance between Mathias and Carol was underwhelming.  I didn’t feel their connection, no sparks, no sexual tension or build-up, IMO.  I wasn’t sure what it was about Carol that was supposed to change Mathias from a bridesmaid-hopping-manwhore into a committed in-love guy.  She was nice and all that, but I wasn’t moved by their “passion”.  Also, I detest relationship drama late in the story, at 87% it doesn’t give you much time to enjoy the couple sorted and happy. It also doesn’t give much time to forgive the characters for their stupidity.  Mathias needed to grovel, and yet Carol was the one stepping up to mend their fracture.  That does not inspire swooning.

I was excited by Violet’s, Carol’s sister, romance with an English Duke. It started out promising, but fizzled out quickly.  Still, I liked their romance better than Carol and Mathias’. 

I see a lot of love for Susan Mallery’s stories, so I want to believe that Second Chance Girl wasn’t her best writing. I haven't given up on her writing yet, but, this was just okay to me.