Saturday, February 2, 2013

One Last Chance by Shelby Gates

 
Author: Shelby Gates
Published: Self-Published via Amazon
Published: 2012
format: eBook (not in print)
Source: Amazon *
 
*NOTE: This book was free when I got it. It may not be free by the time of this review.
 
Synopsis from Goodreads:
The last place Claire Woodward wants to be is standing on the dock, waiting to embark on a cruise to celebrate her ten year high school reunion. Her high school career was a disaster and her life following graduation didn't improve—divorced, recently fired from her job and no prospects on either front. But she’s reluctantly talked herself into going, hoping maybe it can jumpstart her life in the right direction. And given that she’s checked the RSVP list obsessively and knows with certainty that Griffin Benson won’t be on the cruise, she figures she can live through it.

Griffin Benson has one regret in his life—breaking up with Claire Woodward before their senior Prom. It’s haunted him for the last decade and he’s been waiting ten years to apologize. When he sees that she’ll be on their high school reunion cruise, he thinks the time has finally arrived to say he’s sorry and to maybe pick up where they left off. He waits until the last moment to sign up, making sure she’ll be on that ship.

When Claire arrives for the start of the trip, her bad luck continues—the cruise line has mishandled her reservation and she’s without a room on a sold-out cruise. There’s only one empty bed on the vessel…and it just happens to be in Griffin Benson’s room, which he’s more than happy to let her have.

Reluctantly, Claire agrees to the arrangement and is immediately torn by her reunion with Griffin—does she hold steady to her vow that she won’t let him break her heart again? Or does she forgive him and rekindle the spark that is so clearly still there? Should she give Griffin one last chance?
 
My Thoughts:
As with any book I get for free on Amazon, my expectations for One Last Chance were not high. I picked it up because I adore second chance romances and this sounded like a good one. I enjoyed the book enough to read it in two hours when I should have been sleeping. That'll teach me to start a book at 1 o'clock in the morning. HA!
 
Meet Claire. Her life since high school hasn't been all its cracked up to be. It took her six years to graduate college and she has yet to find a job that she could use art history skills. She's gained weight (more on that later). She's been divorced. All of this combined makes her feel like one big fat failure. Meet Griffin. His life since high school has been the exact opposite. They meet again on their 10 year high school reunion cruise. He sets out to appologize for breaking her heart two weeks before prom. Not only that, but he also hopes to win her back. All while on a 3 day cruise...
 
I loved Claire and Griffin. It took a lot of courage for Claire to go on the reunion cruise. Honestly, I don't think I could do it without wanting to jump overboard after 30 minutes. Claire is klutzy, intelligent, and a  bit of a smartass with Griffin. The bickering that goes on between them is fantastic. The only thing I didn't like about her was her obsession over gaining weight. Girl, you are a size 4. Give it up! Hell, if I was a size 4, I'd be the first one at the pool in a bikini. As for Griffin, he has a serious TSTL (too stupid to live) moment in high school. One that could have easily given him the "jerk" card for life... He dumps Claire two weeks before prom. Griffin knows that it was his biggest mistake and spends the next 10 years kicking himself in the ass. When wants nothing more than to get Claire back. His determination and love for her is what made me forgive him. He apologizes over and over again to Claire while opening his heart. He tries to give her the prom that she deserves. Although it doesn't go as well as he hopes, Griffin is determined to win her back. Aww...
 
The banter between Claire and Griffin was hysterical. It was a very cute love story. Although  I would never go on a reunion cruise (without major drugs), I loved the setting. It gave Griffin the time he needed to break through Claire's barriors and for the both of them to fall in love again. Don't let the fact that it was free deter you from picking it up. It was well written with an enjoyable plot and loveable characters. I'm really glad that I picked it up when I did and I hope to read more from this author.
 
 


No comments:

Post a Comment