Second Go Round? - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

We’re talking about tropes on this week’s blog hop. Specifically, the second chance trope.

Would you rather read (or write) about a rekindled flame or a brand-new passion? Is your choice influenced by the age of the characters?

I love reading about rekindled flames. A story that brings two characters together who’ve totally screwed up once and helps them heal, then shows them love is still there, is so much fun.

As for the second part of our topic question this week, my choice is influenced by the age of the characters. If the characters are younger than thirty, I have a little trouble buying a second chance romance between them. Not that it’s impossible, but I feel older characters are better suited for that trope, because they’ve seen what life can throw at them and understand how precious love is.

That being said, I think I’ve only written two second chance romances. And to be completely honest, one of them, Allegro Court, isn’t a true second chance, because only one of the characters thought their first relationship was long-term to start with. (Intrigued? Find out more here.)

But Turn the Next Page is true to the trope and features older characters. It also has one of my favourite mini-mysteries. You can find out more about it below!

Now hope over to Leslie Hachtel for her take on this topic.

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Turn the Next Page

High school sweethearts, their marriage was shattered by tragedy. Thirty years later, a startling confession reignites long banked embers.

You can read an excerpt here! 

On the outside, politician Aubrey Windt is assured and assertive. On the inside, she’s a confused tangle of nerves and regrets. A lost election is the perfect opportunity to reset her life, and she’s going to take it, no matter what anyone says. This time, she means it.
 
Everything’s fine with Philip Church. Just fine. His second divorce was amicable, his twin sons are grown, and his landscape business runs itself. The fineness is driving him crazy. But reconnecting with his first love provokes an upheaval more potent than he’s ever imagined.
 
When Aubrey and Phillip learn a startling fact that will forever link their lives, they set out to find the brother Aubrey didn’t know she had. To do so, they must forge a new path, unexpectedly abetted by a stray cat and the eclectic members of a unique book club.

(Book Three in the Silverberry Seduction Seasoned Romance Series but can be read as a standalone. Aubrey is 52 and Phillip 53.)

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Stay With Me

Two women. Years apart. Linked by common experience and a cottage that has survived since the Civil War. When Rebecca reaches out from the past, Evelyn finds it life changing.
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And in their own times, each must discover strength and fight to find and keep true love.

A NEST Award winner in Paranormal.