You know when you see a pretty book cover and get all these hopes that it’ll be a romance that’ll sweep you off your feet? You start believing that this will be some sort of Hallmark feel good romance that you’ll love and read in one sitting. The second I saw the cover of this book it made me wish for a vacation to a B&B by the beach in Maine but from the first page.. for the life of me I could not get into it.

Though the main character had pretty good reasons for leaving her previous life and making a drastic life change, I felt that the romance between her and the “main man” was a bit forced which quickly put me off it. This was my first book from this author and I certainly won’t let that cloud my judgment of reading other books from her but this one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley, HQ Digital and the author for providing a review copy!

(3 out of 5 stars)


April Statham had just left her husband and moved to Shady Pines where she bought a hotel property. The property needs some fixer upper before she can be able to accommodate guest for the upcoming season but she has limited funds since she’s starting a new life.

Cillian is a single father who is broke and (could be described as) flat out miserable if it wasn’t for the angel daughter he was blessed with. His life isn’t exactly a happy one either. He crossed paths with April at the hotel in Shady Pines when Martha, the old lady in town, called him up.

They didn’t exactly had a good relationship in the beginning but it went okay somehow. This story could have been inspiring because the real lesson was how a person can move on or get back up from a huge setback and use that setback as a motivation to be better and stronger. However, i didn’t like it when the narration was about April, the lines were kind of repetitive. For instance, in the earlier chapters it was already stated that April grew up with her mother only. Then on the next few chapters, the same statement was written but para-phrased. April’s side of the story was redundant and dragging. Cillian’s story on the other hand, was intriguing and at a normal pace. You would actually feel progress when reading his chapters.

I just felt like the book was unbalanced and could have been improved if given the time. I would have loved the story if it wasn’t for April’s chapters. It’s just weird that the main character’s story is what made it somehow dragging to read, at least in my opinion.

Could still recommend if you wan’t a book about hope and life! Give this a try if you want. Happy reading!

This story is packed with second chances - but without a hotel, despite the title! Actually, that reference comes from April's Mum but it had me pondering to start with as the story is largely set in a Cornish chalet park. April Statham has left behind her cheating ex-husband and her life in Yorkshire to make a fresh start as the owner of the Shady Pines Chalet Park which she has fond memories of visiting as a child. Unfortunately, it is now rather dilapidated and run down but, after a close encounter with a bat wielding resident and a hunky handyman, she's determined to make the best of her new life, but there are plenty more surprises in store for her and even a possible HEA, if only she can be brave again!

This is an engaging story of adventure, friendships, letters and romance in a seaside setting. There's more than one potential romance involved as well as a traumatised four year old, lots of hard work and plenty of new opportunities. It is a lovely story to escape into, a feel-good read to put a smile on your face ☺ It is a story of family as well as liking yourself and being ready to move on.

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book and this is my honest review after choosing to read it and enjoying doing so.

Such a heartwarming novel, a great read in these uncertain times. Cute and relatable characters, a lovely story and wonderful writing. There isn’t anything to dislike about this book. I liked April, but Cillian and Orla held my heart the most, just so cute. It’s set in Cornwall so that’s a big win for me because it’s my joint favourite setting with Scotland, so I’m going to love a book if it’s set where I love. Just perfection, cute, romantic with lots of feels.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book is the perfect read for these bleak times. I loved the cover and I liked the story with it's great characters and a lovely setting.
The plot flows and it kept me hooked.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

What a lovely, heartwarming novel. I haven't read too much by this author but I was addicted to the storyline from the start. The location, the characters, everything about it was perfect. This was a light and easy read which I enjoyed immensely. I will definitely look out for more novels by this author in future

Thanks NetGalley and HQ Digital for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"The Second Chance Hotel" by Rachel Dove is a sweet, quick read. If you're looking for a fast romance fix, this is it. April and Cillian have a fall together kind of relationship, where despite some ups and downs you know they have to end up together.

I enjoyed the simplicity of this book. April has one goal: to find true love. She thinks she can find it in a new location or a new job, but really she will find it with the man she hires to help set up her chalet park. Outside of this, there isn't much depth to the story, but I don't know that this story needed to be complicated.

Dove creates interesting characters in Martha and April, but I feel like the situations play out a little too perfectly. Probably from reading so many mystery novels I am on edge for some wild twist. I adore the Orla character and how she is a child just trying to adjust to an ever-changing world. I wish we could have seen a little more of her and her transition.

In the end, I gave this book three stars because I really enjoyed it, but I wish it was just a little more complex or trying. I definitely would like to read more by Rachel Dove and see if her style is light and romantic or if other books have more depth.

This is a very sweet story. April Statham thought she was happily married, but when she failed to get pregnant her husband Duncan’s little digs about her weight became more cruel, his absences ‘on business’ more regular, then she found out he was having an affair. Divorce followed, and her dear mother got ill and died. April felt rejected, and alone. Everything came to a head when she went to a baby shower and Duncan turned up with his mistress and announced their imminent marriage. April had found out that Shady Pines Chalet Park, in Cornwall, was up for sale, a place that she and her mother had spent a very happy summer when they ran away from her father. It took nearly every penny she had but she bought it, and basically ran away from Yorkshire without telling any of her friends or acquaintances she was going. She is at a really low point in her life.

Cillian O’Leary is a very unhappy man. He was working very hard to improve life for his family and it all went horribly wrong for him, he is no longer with his girlfriend, but has his young daughter Orla to look after. They live in a grotty little flat, and Orla is very withdrawn, But Cillian Is a wonderful father to her, although he appears rather grumpy to most other people. He really needs a decent local job that he can work around Orla’s time at nursery school, and hopefully save enough to get them a bigger and better place to live.

Martha is an artist who has lived at the Park since her husband Charlie died. She is a sad and grumpy older lady who is also hiding a secret. The three of them are the nucleus around which the story revolves. When April tries to get into her new office she manages to break the door, so Martha phones her friend Cillian to come and fix it. He is a Jack-of-all-trades, and soon has the door fixed, and has come to an agreement to work for April to get the lodges fixed up, as long as he can live on-site. At last Orla will be able to have her own bedroom, and space to play. But he doesn’t like April, except he really does.

The story evolves, and these three unhappy people gradually sort out their lives, and there are several surprises along the way. The book is. bursting with happy endings! It is a delightful read for a lazy sunny day, with a real feel-good factor. And Shady Pines Chalet Park sounds like the most perfect place for a holiday! A gentle story that packs a bit of a punch! Well worth reading.

I adored this sweet gem of a book
about second chances. April, newly divorced,purchases a sweet little place by the sea for vacationers. She grew up going there with her Mom and took the opportunity to revisit and remodel it when it presented itself. She meets Cillian, resident carpenter/handyman and sparks fly. I loved the romance, threaded through with the characters finding themselves after previous losses. My only criticism, and it's a small one, is that occasionally, the British terms used could be a bit beguiling to us in the US. However it did not take away from the storyline. Can't wait to read the author's next book!I
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ok, this is too darn sweet! This whole story was sweet! Ok maybe not the whole book, because some characters were crappy like Duncan, and that’s it! Haha.

April, is newly divorced and wanting to start her new life away from the drama that is Duncan, her ex and his posh lifestyle. Duncan pulled a huge number on April, aside from April having her own insecurities, she couldn’t give Duncan the one thing he wanted which was a family. I can’t even imagine what she is going through.

Anyway, April buys Shady Pines, and she’s excited for the new change, Shady Pines holds great childhood memories, and this was an amazing fresh start. The people that played huge parts in this story were amazing, I fell in love with all of them, they all worked together to help April with her reopening, it was like they were a family all along. There are also so many little stories that go on throughout the book, it’s just the sweetest romance novel.

And since I am a sucker for happy endings and this right here!!! Literally had one of the best happy endings I have seen this year so far.... thanks to the publishers Harper Collins, the author Rachel Dove and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this romantic gem.

April started running from the old and into the new as a child, when her mother spirited her away from a bad situation and they started their life together. Onward to Cornwall and the Shady Pines cottages on the Cornwall coast. But some things stuck, and April married and hoped for a family and more. But when her inability to have children dampened her relationship, and her mother got ill, everything went pear-shaped in an instant. Discovering her husband not only was having an affair, but they were expecting a child was the icing on that cake, and she bought Shady Pines, packed up her life and headed off to recapture some of the connection she once had with her mother.

Intervening years have not been kind to the property –but with one long-term resident in Martha, who is more judgmental than helpful, a local ‘handyman’ in Cillian – who worked for the former owners, and an idea of the sort of place April wanted to build- they all get stuck in. There’s a connection between she and Cillian, and his little near-speechless daughter Orla have captured her interest, even as she feels ‘awkward and inappropriate’ most of the time.

Slowly but surely, we work through April and Cillian’s issues – separately and together, and even Martha gives a bit of an olive branch with letters from her own past story. It’s the people and the chances that they offer one another acceptance, friendship, suggestions and new opportunities. Both in business and personally. April is, despite a rock-bottom level of self-esteem, someone that you want to know, and push her forward when she’s determined to run and hide. It’s only when she finds something worth staying for, or many somethings, that the story comes full circle and new hope and life abound for all.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aIx/”> <a> I am, Indeed </a>

April arrives in Cornwall after the long drive from Yorkshire with her entire life packed up into her car. Shady Pines holiday park is not only a fond memory from her past, it's also her second chance at life. It's also a second chance for handyman Cillian, who is desperately seeking a safe home for him and his young daughter. April must navigate the difficulties of running a holiday park, alongside her attraction to Cillian and managing her new neighbours and tenants.

The plot outline seemed perfectly simple - I could summarise the story really happily (as above). But what let it all down was the execution.

There were just too many things going on - April's mother has recently died, and she's mourning for her. Also she remembers Shady Pines as a safe space after her mother packed up and ran (from what?). April is also running from a bad marriage and unpleasant divorce. She has PCOS and has been unable to have children. It also means that she has intense mood swings. She's a little curvy, maybe, and hates that. Her ex-husband would comment on it too so she has low self-esteem. Also she's super clumsy. And also she put her life savings into the holiday park and is now down to her last pennies.

And that is just April.
Sadly, that level of complicated character and backstory means that so many of these important details are mentioned briefly, forgotten about and brought up again later.

There's also Martha, who is the grouchy permanent tenant of the holiday park. She's also an artist. She's mourning Charlie, her husband, who died years ago. And is also keeping something secret. She also wants to go visit the art gallery in town but doesn't quite dare.

And Cillian, and his daughter Orla, who are escaping their own bad past relationship. Cillian is also short on money, and on work, and is looking for somewhere safe to raise his young daughter.

And there are April's (separate) neighbours, Judith and Henry, who I can count the number of times that I read about on one hand, but are apparently key players by the end of the story.

The novel also starts with a letter to You from the mysterious G. And there are a couple of letters spacing up the chapters, but without any real pattern. It's like they seemed a good idea at the beginning and then were forgotten about partway through. You see how these letters are important later on, but there's no real consistency to them.

That is also part of the problem - the inconsistencies. Reading this book, which wasn't at all badly written, it often felt that it was missing a good strong proof-reader. There were times when a character said something, and then another answered after a couple of pages of inner thoughts and description. By which point you'd forgotten what the question was. Or it was stated that they had read something, but on the next page it said that they hadn't. It seemed like the author had created too many loose threads to keep track of and that meant the reading was muddled at times.

The same goes for the time frame - I think a year had passed by the end of the story? But it could also have been 6 months? And at the beginning I wasn't clear whether we were a week in or a month in at times. I'm not sure the author was either ...

My other big issue was April and Cillian's relationship. They were constantly described as moody, grumpy and hormonal (both of them). This isn't something that was every really sorted out. Instead, it just faded away, having been used an excuse for some big arguments that weren't ever really resolved. It seemed like Cillian was sharing all of his truths, whereas April was just sharing a bad attitude and blowing hot and cold and every now and again remembering to be insecure and not dealing with her own genuine issues at all. She was effectively a great big child.

And finally, the weird non-sex. I read 'boobs', 'boobies', 'thingy', 'family jewels' and 'manhood' but nothing that was actually, you know, anatomy. I also read romance for the intense feelings and, I have to say, the sex. I've read romance where the plot is utter rubbish but the sex is hot. I've read romance where the sex is clumsy or effectively redacted. Here, I couldn't actually tell that it had happened. I had to read the paragraph over twice to work out what was going on. And I think it was sex. Probably?
It wasn't just that it was 'clean' - it was just ... gone.

I know romance can be hit and miss. And I'm often more critical of it than I should be. But oh man, this was not for me. Here, the author could have taken some of the story away to spend more actually developing her characters, or split it into two satisfying couple novels instead. Also, where was the hotel?

I would like to thank HQ Digital for asking me to review this book and be apart of the blog tour.
The Second Chance Hotel is a story about second chances and moving on from the past. Rachel Dove creates a brilliant opening to this story that completely captured me and I had the need to know what would happen to April. Shady Pines Chalet Park is not what it used to be and is in need of some TLC. It is where April goes to escape and move on from her marriage. As the Park gets back onto its feet April begins to see that not only may this adventures be helping her but others too.
The Second Chance Hotel is a lovely story fall of great characters and a setting that is to die for. I perfect summer read and one that was really easy and light to read.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I look forward to more. This book is full of second chances. April finds herself divorced and at odds, so she sells everything, packs what’s left, including her mother’s ashes, and buys a chalet park on the Cornish coast. When she arrives, the park doesn’t resemble the park where she and her mother spent happy summers, the management had let it fall into disrepair.

April enlists the help of Cillian, a local carpenter to help restore the property to its former glory. She meets Martha, who has been the only park resident for some time, and gets to know the local neighbors. Second chances abound throughout, for April and Cillian, for Martha and a past love, and for the park itself.

If you enjoy British fiction and second chances, this book is for you. Clean, no foul language or intimate scenes.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

This is for fans of it takes a village novels. April's life turned upside down and now she's bought a chalet park in Cornwall and hopes to start again. Unfortunately, she's got to deal with Martha, a cranky older woman, and Cilian, the handyman who seems to sulk a lot. Cilian has a little daughter Orla, who has quite mature thoughts for her age. Everyone will eventually work through things and life will get better. There's a number of issues which come up here and are touched on only lights (perhaps too many),. And, the title isn't accurate; we don't have chalet parks in the US (or at least not things termed that) but a chalet park clearly isn't a hotel. That said, it's a bit of an escapist read, which is a good thing! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Modern romance set in Cornwall,lovely setting,interesting characters and a decades old romance. A light,easy read.

This cosy story centres around Shady Pines, chalet park in Cornwall, a beautiful part of the country where second chances are possible. The diverse group of people who live here all have stories to tell of missed chances, lost loves and new beginnings.

The premise could have been a little too sugary, but Rachel managed to convey the characters stories without too much angst.

I enjoyed the story and wondered if a series would be possible? This is an uncomplicated story with a few lose ends but which gives hope to second chances..

A lovely summer read. It didn’t take me long to read this book as I couldn’t put it down.
I loved the way the story developed between April and cillian.
Thank you for letting me read this book

A quick to read, lighthearted romance, set in a holiday village in Cornwall.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book

What a lovely story, you could see the pictures in your mind as things were taking place. Very well written and Rachel Dove just gets better with each novel that she writes. This is a book that most people will enjoy so get your copy as I recommend this and am giving it 5 stars.