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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
I've given this a C+ at AAR, so 3.5 stars
I've not read anything by Jennifer Probst before, but the blurb for A Brand New Ending interested me, so I decided to give it a try. Sadly, it didn't impress me all that much, although the secondary plotline - about the hero rebuilding his relationship with his recovering-alcoholic father - was truly poignant and very well done. The romance, however, was less impressive; there's no real relationship development or sense of two people who have been apart for almost a decade coming to know each other as they are NOW, which is what always draws me to second-chance romances. Plus, the central characters are fairly bland; I couldn't connect with the heroine who is Practically Perfect in Every Way (when it comes to her business, at least) and the hero isn't one I'm going to remember beyond the writing of this review.
Kristen Donnelly, one of my fellow reviewers at All About Romance, and I decided to team up for this one; she reads a lot of contemporary romances and I don't, so we though it would be fun to get some different perspectives on the novel. You can find our Pandora's Box review HERE.
I've not read anything by Jennifer Probst before, but the blurb for A Brand New Ending interested me, so I decided to give it a try. Sadly, it didn't impress me all that much, although the secondary plotline - about the hero rebuilding his relationship with his recovering-alcoholic father - was truly poignant and very well done. The romance, however, was less impressive; there's no real relationship development or sense of two people who have been apart for almost a decade coming to know each other as they are NOW, which is what always draws me to second-chance romances. Plus, the central characters are fairly bland; I couldn't connect with the heroine who is Practically Perfect in Every Way (when it comes to her business, at least) and the hero isn't one I'm going to remember beyond the writing of this review.
Kristen Donnelly, one of my fellow reviewers at All About Romance, and I decided to team up for this one; she reads a lot of contemporary romances and I don't, so we though it would be fun to get some different perspectives on the novel. You can find our Pandora's Box review HERE.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Once again, I jumped at the chance to be an early reader of a Jennifer Probst title, as she has quickly become one of my favourite authors. By now, I've come to expect certain things from Probst's books, including enjoyable and unique characters, realistic struggles, a fast-paced plot, and tons of steam and swoon. I think, for the most part, "A Brand New Ending" delivered what I was expecting.
Starting with the characters, they were great, as anticipated. Kyle is not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve, which means he's pretty clear with Ophelia - he wants a second chance with her, and he's not giving up without giving it all he's got. Ophelia, understandably, is petrified that she is going to have her heart shattered again if she gives Kyle a second chance, but eventually he convinces her to give their relationship another shot. Hopefully, they won't mess things up again!
I also always enjoy how Probst is able to weave secondary storylines or characters into her novels. In this case, my heart was gradually won over by a geriatric rescue dog, and to a lesser extent, Kyle's dad. I even shed a few tears at the culmination of this book, to my surprise!
As for the pacing, I feel that this is one area that could have been improved. It's possible that because there are several flashbacks from the present to the past, things felt sluggish. Usually, I love dual timelines in romance novels because they seem to add an element of suspense - what on earth happened to make these two so estranged, when they are so obviously meant for each other? - but in this case, I found myself constantly losing focus. I wanted things to move along more quickly, especially in the present.
Of course, just because "A Brand New Ending" wasn't my favourite Probst title, doesn't mean it's not good. I'm still glad I read it, and I'm sure most contemporary romance fans will agree.
Starting with the characters, they were great, as anticipated. Kyle is not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve, which means he's pretty clear with Ophelia - he wants a second chance with her, and he's not giving up without giving it all he's got. Ophelia, understandably, is petrified that she is going to have her heart shattered again if she gives Kyle a second chance, but eventually he convinces her to give their relationship another shot. Hopefully, they won't mess things up again!
I also always enjoy how Probst is able to weave secondary storylines or characters into her novels. In this case, my heart was gradually won over by a geriatric rescue dog, and to a lesser extent, Kyle's dad. I even shed a few tears at the culmination of this book, to my surprise!
As for the pacing, I feel that this is one area that could have been improved. It's possible that because there are several flashbacks from the present to the past, things felt sluggish. Usually, I love dual timelines in romance novels because they seem to add an element of suspense - what on earth happened to make these two so estranged, when they are so obviously meant for each other? - but in this case, I found myself constantly losing focus. I wanted things to move along more quickly, especially in the present.
Of course, just because "A Brand New Ending" wasn't my favourite Probst title, doesn't mean it's not good. I'm still glad I read it, and I'm sure most contemporary romance fans will agree.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Kind of obsessed with this book and Ophelia and Kyle. This a second chance romance at its finest. There was no love triangles or huge setbacks to their reconciliation. They went back in time, so to get a look at their blossoming relationship. I read this first in the series, and it did not make any difference, as it was a true standalone. The character development with the first book, which I went back and read, was nice, but not necessary for me to fall in love with all the characters. I am a fan of Jennifer Probst, and this is just another book of hers that I find to be very good. Read it several times on Kindle Unlimited, and then I just bought it along with the audiobook, as the audiobook is great as well.
I never leave reviews. But this one - I JUST HAD TO. I LOVED how the flashbacks in this 2nd chance story come through one of the characters writing their story. I loved the growth of the characters, the 2nd layer of his father's story, and the forgiveness. Absolutely beautiful!!!
Enjoyed it, just as I did the last one in the series. I'd love to hear more aout all these characters.
After reading the first book, I am already in love with this family and the few side characters that make a repeat appearance. I enjoyed this book and it is personal taste in tropes that is the only reason this one wasn't as good as the first book for me. I'm not the biggest fan of second chance trope and there are so many out there that it makes it even harder for me to really love this trope. I'm more into the first time meeting type of romance. Everything else about this book was great and I'm glad I got to see Ophelia get her HEA.
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I refuse to give up on this series, I don't exactly know what it is, but I haven't been connecting to this series like I want to. The stories are definitely enjoyable, but they seem to be lacking a bit of something.
Now I'm a huge fan of Jennifer Probst, I absolutely adore her Marriage to a Billionaire series, it's one of my favorites and I'll still read anything that she writes. So don't let this review make you think otherwise.
I'm a sucker for second chance romances, so I couldn't wait to dive into this one. And I'd say young love and different dreams (at the time) is what really set them apart for so many years.
Kyle frustrated me a bit to no end, I wasn't quite a fan of his tactics to win Ophelia back. He just implanted himself back in her life and it wasn't really smooth at all. A bit annoying if you ask me, but you can't fault a guy for being persistent towards what he wants. He was going to make her his end game.
I was hoping for more of connection between Ophelia and Kyle, I just didn't see it. And I think the plot needed something a little bit more.
I'm still not giving up on this series, I will see it through to the very end!
Major thanks to Montlake Romance & InkslingerPR for the advance reader's copy!
BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS | INSTAGRAM
I refuse to give up on this series, I don't exactly know what it is, but I haven't been connecting to this series like I want to. The stories are definitely enjoyable, but they seem to be lacking a bit of something.
Now I'm a huge fan of Jennifer Probst, I absolutely adore her Marriage to a Billionaire series, it's one of my favorites and I'll still read anything that she writes. So don't let this review make you think otherwise.
I'm a sucker for second chance romances, so I couldn't wait to dive into this one. And I'd say young love and different dreams (at the time) is what really set them apart for so many years.
Kyle frustrated me a bit to no end, I wasn't quite a fan of his tactics to win Ophelia back. He just implanted himself back in her life and it wasn't really smooth at all. A bit annoying if you ask me, but you can't fault a guy for being persistent towards what he wants. He was going to make her his end game.
I was hoping for more of connection between Ophelia and Kyle, I just didn't see it. And I think the plot needed something a little bit more.
I'm still not giving up on this series, I will see it through to the very end!
Major thanks to Montlake Romance & InkslingerPR for the advance reader's copy!