Second Time Around - by Melody Carlson

Mallory Farrell finds herself divorced with grown children and rambling around her huge Victorian home she has remodeled to perfection. She has an upscale thriving home decorating business but feels alone and left behind. What does she do now? Things begin to change when she receives notice that she has inherited her beloved grandmother’s tourist shop in Seaport, Oregon. She packs up to go and prepare it to sell. It holds so many happy memories of her childhood and her grandmother. Seaport is no longer a tourist hub. She is surprised the sad condition the little shop has fallen into and the town. An old high school friend, Grayson Matthews, offers to buy it. Mallory considers selling until she finds out he plans to tear it down along with many other shops to build a modern mall. She is horrified and refuses. Then her strong creativity and passion as an interior decorator is awakened! She decides to remodel and open a new business, one the town has never seen; a home decorating store. She envisions it inspiring business owners to revive their shops too. Fully committed, she sells her home, finds someone to care of her clients at and moves to Seaport. Making a dream come to life is not without obstacles. Her journey is certainly filled with those. Some of them crushing, but she doesn’t give up. This book is so descriptive you will feel you are right there watching everything unfold. Ms. Carlson is a master at using details to bring the story to life. Her first glimpse of her grandmother’s shop made me think of some of the little shops we’d visit while on vacation in Galveston Island 40 years ago. Trinket, shells, plastic toys, all dusty and reminders of the past. Not much you’d want to buy but fun to look at. I so enjoyed watching the shop turn into something amazing. I could picture the beautiful things in her inventory as she arranged them. It was very satisfying to be a part of it and not lift a finger! There are so many unexpected surprises along the way. I felt her overwhelming disappointment with each problem that arose, but felt inspired as she pulled herself and faced them head on. I saw a huge lesson in not judging people’s motives by appearances. They may as with her are the very ones that are your true friends. Also sometimes we have to put aside our pride and ask for help. This was such a fun read! I received this book from Revell Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All the opinions stated are my own.

This is a charming contemporary romance set in a small seaside town in Oregon, USA. The main characters are middle-aged and former high school friends, who meet un-expectedly, unaware that their lives are about to change 360 degrees. The book's title is appropriate for the story, in that there are many different ways people and in-animate objects undergo a "second time around" all according to God's plans. I think this is a delightful romantic story of second chances at life. If you enjoy light hearted romance, mysterious twists and turns, and charming seaside towns with a homelike atmosphere, then you will enjoy reading this book. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.

Mallory has just celebrated her daughter's marriage. It was not the most pleasant with her ex-husband walking back into their children’s lives. She’s now seeking what is next. All of a sudden, she finds out she inherits her grandmother’s tourist shop in Portside, Oregon. Since she’s at a crossroads in life, she’s off to look at the shop and decide what she can do to sell it. Enter her childhood crush Grayson Matthews. What exactly is he up to? What is his role in town? Will Mallory keep her grandmother’s shop? What about all the memories as a young child visiting her grandmother? And why does her grandmother leave the shop to Mallory and not other family members? Melody Carlson writes this exciting novel, that is very similar to a Hallmark movie. I did enjoy the storyline. Melody writes in such a way that keeps the reader intrigued. Simple hometown fun is found in this fantastic contemporary romance. I was given a free copy from the publisher which I highly recommend. Enjoy getting lost in a novel.

After busy years of raising her children as a single mom, while renovating her huge home, and building her business, Mallory finds herself alone as her last child leaves the nest. Her aunt has willed her a tourist shop in a small seaside town. This is the perfect time to go there, clean it out and put it up for sale. When Mallory arrives, she is surprised to find the old building is in horrible shape, and the business has barely hung on the last few years. The whole town seems to be hanging by a thread. Mallory decides she is ready for a change, and wants to start a design business in her aunt's old building. As she pours more and more money into her new idea, she hits lots of snags. To make this work, Mallory has had to partner with another person to take care of her current business--is this person up to it? She gets taken in by a dishonest contractor. Will his shortcuts, lies, and lack of progress cause permanent damage to the old building? Mallory is excited to find her handsome teenage crush still lives there. Grayson is a widower and a successful businessman, who had plans for her aunt's property. Are sparks flying between them, or have they been smothered by her plans to keep the building? Has Mallory bitten off more than she can chew with this project? Will she lose everything she owns because of this? You will walk with Mallory through all the roadblocks, cheering her on, and hoping she succeeds. This is a fun, clean, five-star book told from a Christian viewpoint. Fans of HGTV shows, those who have had to change their plans, or started their life over, will enjoy this book! Thank you, Revell Books, for providing Tickmenot with a book to review. Opinions are my own.

This was an enjoyable read and a sweet story of Mallory who inherits her grandmother's old shop. As she renovates the shop, she finds stress, some family conflict and expenses she hadn't necessarily planned on. Maybe the shop should be sold? It's a fun, relaxing read that I liked reading very much. Mallory is middle-aged and so it was easy to relate to her and fun to see the second chance romance that grows. I liked her independence and despite things not always going in the direction she'd hoped for, she forges forward. Her apartment is a decorator's disaster. I can almost picture it! This was a very nice contemporary fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.

I start every Christmas season reading a Melody Carlson Christmas book and have loved everyone I've read. This is my first non-Christmas book of hers and I enjoyed it! This is a book about an interior designer who finds herself living alone in the large family house and decides to change her life by selling the house, moving to the seaside, and renovates her grandma's seaside shop. I really enjoyed our main character, Mallory. She had such a positive attitude, and her personality definitely drew me in, it was hard not to like her. I really loved the renovation and decorating scenes as well, more than the romance. I am not an avid reader of contemporary romance but this one I did thoroughly enjoy! Rating:🌟🌟🌟

Second Time Around by Melody Carlson is an engaging and entertaining story. I can always count on Melody Carlson to provide a story that will capture and hold my attention. I like the author’s friendly writing style. I was quickly drawn into Mallory Farrell’s story. After the wedding of Mallory’s daughter, Mallory’s home is feeling empty. She loves the house that she spent years lovingly restoring and Mallory likes her interior decorating business. Mallory feels that everyone is moving on but her. When Mallory learns that she inherited her grandmother’s shop in Seaport, Oregon she feels this might be the answer. Mallory decides to turn the business into a home décor shop as well as offering her interior design services. The contractor Mallory hires completes the shop portion of the project, but he ignores the apartment above which is desperate need of a makeover. Mallory opens her store with rave reviews. She is surprised when a design show host wants to feature her shop and her apartment on the show. Mallory must swallow her pride and ask for help. Can the project be completed before the television production crew arrives? Second Time Around is a clean, inspiring story. I liked the characters (well, most of them). They are friendly and relatable. Mallory has some contentious relatives. I like how she dealt with them. I appreciated the life lessons in this story. The setting was delightful. A small, coastal town with friendly residents. I understood why Mallory did not want people to see her colorful, rundown abode. She is an independent woman which made her reluctant to ask for help especially from someone who wanted to demolish her building for a mall. Second Time Around came to an end much too soon. Second Time Around is a cute coastal tale with a wonderful wedding, a hollow home, an unanticipated inheritance, construction quandaries, design dilemma, a tv predicament, and a man with a plan.

Cute, quaint and enjoyable, even if its somewhat predictable. Melody Carlson’s books always have a comforting feel, like coming back home after being gone awhile. I liked how Mallory kept her cool despite life’s setbacks and reminded the reader to leave it in gods hands without preaching at the reader. It was a subtle Christian undertone but not overly so. Id suggest her books. They are quick and easy reads. Great for a flight, beach trip or just some time to yourself! Many thanks to Netgalley for an advanced review copy of this book. #SecondTimeAround #NetGalley

I have been a fan of books by Melody Carlson for awhile now. I feel as though most of the ones I have read by her had younger main female characters in them, but this novel has an older divorced woman as the main character. In my opinion, this makes the book have a different feel. Mallory Farrell inherits a tourist shop with an apartment above from her grandmother. She decides to revamp it into a home decor boutique and to renovate the apartment to live in. Her aunt and cousins are not happy that she inherited it instead of one of them. They are well written antagonists. She runs into an old friend from her visits with her grandmother and is recommended a contractor named Thomas for her renovation. To me, he is also a well written antagonist because he seems to have an attitude with her on several occasions. I really got into this plot because I could feel the emotions that Mallory was feeling. It is written to the point where I feel like I am right there going through everything. Melody Carlson knocks another book out of the park. I highly recommend it. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher.

What a lovely story with all of the good feelings that come with happily ever afters! Mallory Farrell decides to upend her comfortable life when she inherits her grandmother’s tourist shop in a small town in Oregon. She decides to renovate the shop and the apartment above it, open the shop to feature her home design and move to the quaint little town. Once there, she meets mega-rich and super handsome Grayson Matthews, a widower who is not convinced that her business will succeed but he is willing to watch her try. The relationship between these two is puzzling at first as neither of them seemed to have the time to build a relationship together. I loved the interactions between the main characters and the plot that was woven so well around the themes of building and designs. The inspirational themes of redemption and hope were well interwoven into the plot and seemed a natural part of the storyline. With a quick pace, lots of humor, plenty of drama and characters that popped off the page, this is a book that is light-hearted with a deep underlying message that resonated with me. I especially loved the design tips from Mallory and her repartee with Grayson’s assistant Corinna. We could all learn from Mallory’s patience and resilience and her positive attitude in spite of one obstacle after another! Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell via Netgalley as part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

“I think this shop deserves to go a second time around. Maybe I do too because I’m considering using this space myself,” Mallory explains in Melody Carson’s novel, Second Time Around. ~ What ~ This three-hundred-and-four-page paperback targets those who enjoy a clean contemporary romance set in a small coastal town. Topics of divorce, illness, and death may not be appropriate for immature readers. The ending includes a teaser for another novel by the writer, the author’s biography, and advertisements. In this tale set mostly in fictitious Portside, Oregon, almost fifty-year-old Mallory decides to move away from her too-large home and her busy adult children when she inherits her grandmother’s dilapidated tourist shop on the coast. Being an interior decorator, she takes it to task to completely renovate the shop, even as it drains her finances and dampens her creativity. With the help of Grayson, a guy she had a crush on as a teen, and others from the small town, she wonders if it’s possible to get a second chance at happiness. ~ Why ~ Since I live in Oregon, this story piqued my interest as it justly described our state’s idyllic seaside towns. Mallory’s character is realistic as she deals with the disappointments of life and the excitement and promise of starting over. I liked how the story promoted being true to yourself and focused on achieving one’s goals. ~ Why Not ~ Those who do not like predictable romances of overcoming frustrations while accomplishing tasks may want to pass on this one. Some may find the protagonist always being catered to without giving back much to her newfound community. With prayer being mentioned sporadically, some may wish there were more trust in God, and the eternal plan of salvation included. ~ Wish ~ I wish all pronouns of God were capitalized for reverence. ~ Want ~ If you like a romantic story that involves a determined woman reinventing herself in a quaint seaside town and a widow moving on, this read is perfect to cuddle up with during a stormy weekend Thanks to Revell and Interviews & Reviews for this complimentary book. I am under no obligation to give a positive review.

I really enjoyed this book, there are a few twists and turns, and I thought I knew how things would turn out, but the journey to the answers kept me page turning! I loved the setting, on the ocean in Oregon, could almost hear those waves. Can you imagine a woman who is a home designer with an apartment that she doesn't even want her grown children to see. Did love how she uses it to her advantage to dissuade some who want what she has, yes! There is also an old teenage friend that reappears, with no idea how many women are interested in him! He is so oblivious, but we get to know him better and he does save the day! Makes you want to be in the lives of these new friends, and I would love to spend more time with them! I received this book through the Publisher Revell, and was not required to give a positive review.