Who knew fate could twist a tragedy into a second chance at love?

Samantha Winters lives her life the way a good accountant should—measured, deliberate, and safe. After watching her father die in a tragic skiing accident, she decided never to allow risk into her life again. But she didn’t count on falling for Nick Chastain, who embodies everything she doesn’t want in her safely constructed world.

Against Samantha’s warnings, Nick plans a dangerous kayaking trip over spring break. Furious that he’s so careless with his life, she ends their fledgling relationship with harsh words.

Two years later, Samantha is desperately in need of a change. When she learns her grandmother has had an accident and is in need of a caretaker, Samantha quickly packs her bags and heads to Thunder Creek, Idaho. But nothing could prepare her for the surprise awaiting her in her grandmother’s hospital room . . . Nick.

With the charming backdrop of small-town friends, beloved cousins, and a whole church congregation rooting for them, can they set aside the disastrous ending of their first try at love? Has Nick changed enough to meet Samantha in the middle—and can she realize that a risk in love might be worth taking?

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This was my second Robin Lee Hatcher book, and it only took a couple of chapters before I had a rock-in-my-stomach feeling. I hate giving unfavorable reviews, but I just could not get into this book, nor did I care what happened to the characters.

Not much happens in the book, and there’s very little chemistry between Nick and Samantha. Instead of moving the plot forward, we keep getting flashbacks to what happened in Nick and Samantha’s past, but those scenes didn’t add anything to the story.

For me, the most frustrating thing was the sheer volume of reflection. Nick and Samantha see each other, then we get a scene showing Nick reflecting on their interaction, then we get a scene showing Samantha reflecting on their interaction, then something different might happen, but — overall — the bulk of the story is Nick and Samantha thinking about their relationship. What little dialogue was in there was stilted and unnatural (especially the scenes between Derek and Nick – men just don’t talk to each other like that).

If you’re looking for a clean romance with Christian influences, you’ll find that in this story, but if you’re looking for intriguing, believable characters, I can’t recommend this book.

*I received a free copy of this book. The opinions are my own.