Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Single mother Jane can’t believe it when an invitation to Bonnie Bay falls from the pages of a book: the Scottish village she was supposed to run away to with her first love. Until he broke her heart, that is. But he’s far away now – and why shouldn’t she spend a summer there, daughter Beth in tow? They’ll snuggle up reading, stroll by the wild sea, and maybe even banish Beth’s teenage grumps.
But arriving in the charming village, Jane’s jaw drops when she sees a familiar pair of green eyes… it’s Rory Callaghan, her first love, and the boy who broke her heart. The problem? Rory is now very much a man. He’s taller, broader. His Irish lilt still makes her weak at the knees. And the sizzling spark between them crackles just like it used to.
Rory might be a long way from his Irish hometown, but he’s made a new home right here. The cozy bookshop is his refuge, and owner Moira his replacement family. So when Jane arrives it’s like an arrow through his heart. She’s still gorgeous, still his Jane. And the fierce look in her eye tells him she’s just as passionate as he remembers.
After promising to help Moira turn the bookshop into a community hub, and with Beth making friends, Jane can’t walk away. Soon, days at the bookshop turn into very late nights with Rory. And with them both spilling secrets, the real reason they broke up soon comes to light… but will this summer adventure turn into a second chance romance? Or will their hearts end up broken all over again?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of Second Chances at the Hopeful Hearts Bookshop to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Second Chances at the Hopeful Hearts Bookshop is the second book in Debbie Johnson’s Bonnie Bay series. This has been a gorgeous series so far full of warmth, heart and lovely themes being developed of friendship, romance, community and giving back. I settled straight back into the setting and the characters remained as familiar as ever with the addition of some new faces. For those that are discovering these wonderful stories for the first time part one is a detailed prologue which gives you some background information as to the concept behind the bookshop and its owner that perform a little bit of magic and mischief to help those at a time when they desperately need a change in their lives. Moira is in her early 80’s and lives on the rugged Sottish coast in a beautiful and quaint village called Bonnie Bay. For years she ran The Edge of the World Bookshop where the door was always open and everyone from far and wide was always welcomed with open arms to the special shop filled to the brim with books. But this is more than a bookshop and a special project initiated by Moira and her husband Angus is slowly starting to come to fruition.
Moira misses Angus desperately since she lost him several years ago. She didn’t think she could continue with the bookshop as her nephew Robbie had gone to Australia and all her energy and passion has disappeared. Things changed for her in book one and the bookshop has a new incarnation thanks to Kate and Brody from book one who do feature again but are more or less on the periphery. Moira’s plan was a way of giving back to the universe. She wanted to share her home, the bookshop and the happiness that it all brings. Several years previous to when this story takes place she wrote cards with special messages and hid them in books and sent them out into the wide world. Each message was unique and encouraged people to come and stay and visit the bookshop. Advice was given and Moira is someone who can certainly write and find just the right words. So you see the concept is simple but as the story progresses it is an effective one that brings people together and in this case reunites people after trauma.
Jane and Rory are the two new characters that feature this time around and to say they have a history would be an understatement. Jane is on holiday with her daughter Beth, who can be very narky and is not happy to be away with her mother when she was supposed to be seeing her Dad in New York. Jane works for an investment company and her life is more or less work and Beth. You can tell Jane lacks passion and enthusiasm for a lot of the aspects of her life. She is lonely and often thinks about the Irish boy who broke her heart. Her marriage was a bad idea but there has always been the one who got away. He left her in agony and pain and deep down she has never really gotten over it. In a bookshop in Stratford Upon Avon, Jane picks up a book and out falls a card written by Moira. The message calls to her and she bites the bullet and takes Beth to Bonnie Bay. I thought good on her she needs a change and to get a bit of spark back in her life so just go for it.
By coming to Bonnie Bay it means Jane will potentially have to confront her past. The secrets she has kept close to her chest may surge to the surface and once they spring forth, they will not be quashed that easily. I enjoyed reading the backstory of what happened to Jane all those years ago and how Rory fits into the picture. The details of what occurred between them and led to trauma for both involved I will not go into but all I can say is their parents have a lot to answer for. The tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet features heavily throughout and comparisons are made between the star crossed lovers and Jane and Rory. I loved this aspect as it was something different from the norm and added another layer to the story. As Jane meets Moira and is drawn into her embrace and that of the bookshop family she begins to relax and Beth even changes her attitude but at the same time she has to face reality as Rory has been living in Bonnie Bay for a number of years and as with Jane he is not over what happened. Answers need to be found and feelings of hurt and anger confronted. Is there any hope for happiness is their lives? Can Moira work her magic? After all she is like a matriarch/Granny who is so astute and can see what others refuse to. To that end she is a little matchmaker and gives people the nudge they need or puts them into positions where they can’t but talk to one another. She is the glue that holds people together and without her and the bookshop people wouldn’t find the happiness and contentment they deserve.
Throughout the first half of the book it was Rory that I felt sorry for. That’s not to say Jane’s feelings regarding the events of long ago weren’t valid. Both sides had a part to play in what ensued but the way Rory was written I felt every bit of his anguish and pain that he was still affected by to this day. It’s rare if ever that I would say it was the male character that I connected with as opposed to the female but that’s what happened here and it was refreshing. Rory has that Irish charm but deep down he longs to find the one that will fill the hole in his heart. He has never recovered from the events with Jane with both blaming each other for what happened. He often thinks why did he come and live in the place that reminds him of the woman who meant so much to him but the one who ultimately shattered his heart. He had a successful career as a barrister which he ran away from as it was slowly killing him and now he is an artist specialising in metal work. I felt sympathy for Rory because his pain and heartache was radiating from the pages. So when Jane literally arrives on his doorstep thanks to Moira I could only imagine how he felt.
What sets this book apart from a lot of the usual women’s fiction where boy meets girl etc is that there is no endless messing around -will they/won’t they? The story flows and how people feel is said instead of dancing around each other, Yes, there is a bit of angst/a misunderstanding but that adds to the fun of everything. Years of emotion come rushing to the fore when they meet again and things got a bit spicy but it didn’t feel out of place in the book rather it cemented for me how much time had been lost and that the pair should have been together but circumstances beyond their control kept them apart. Loss, forgiveness and friendship all feature heavily throughout this thoroughly enjoyable book and Jane and Rory edge out for me in terms of the romance at the bookshop compared to Kate and Brody. The plot, setting and characters are all great and the wounded creatures we first meet go through transformations that are needed that bring the reader on a lovely journey. I know there will be more to come in this series and I really hope there will be a Christmas book. Meanwhile, this is a fabulous read for the summer season.
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