Rescuing the Bad Boy (Second Chance #2)by Jessica Lemmon (Goodreads, Twitter, Website)
Published by Forever on May 26th, 2015
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Edition: eBook (424 pages)
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NOT ALL SCARS HEAL
For Donovan Pate, the lake town of Evergreen Cove is a minefield of tough memories—including the day he had to let go of Sofie Martin. Years later, he still can’t forget the taste of her lips and the feel of her killer curves. He knows he’s too damaged, that he should stay away for her own good. But what the head says and the heart wants are two very different things…
Seven years ago, Donovan broke Sofie’s heart. Now her career depends on playing nice in order to pull off the charity fundraiser of the decade. She vows to keep things professional…yet working by his side every day doesn’t make it easy to fight temptation, and it isn’t long before she finds herself falling for this bad boy all over again. But loving Donovan means helping him face his past–so they can fight for a future together.
What is it about Jessica Lemmon that just grabs me every time? To be honest, I haven’t been exposed to much of her books, except for Bringing Home the Bad Boy and her Lovestruck Imprint rewrite, If You Dare, and I absolutely enjoyed these books! Now, I realized I’ve put off the rest of her Second Chance series for quite a long time, and being in a food-induced coma from the Christmas feast, I’ve decided to pick up the series where I left off.
Rescuing the Bad Boy, though this time is a book I expected to love (because hello? Jessica Lemmon, need I say more?) ignited so much feelings. I’ve been a huge sucker for second chance romances, and though the series is about finding another chance at love, this book was the “you-broke-my-heart-once-and-now-you’re-back-to-do-it-again” kind of romance, and usually, those stories bring on the water works (though I definitely did shed quite a lot of tears with the previous book); and this was no exception.
Sofie Martin and Donovan Pate happened seven years ago, and it was definitely a one-time thing, with the way he ran off immediately after, and crushed her heart, and now he’s back to claim the family mansion left behind by his late grandmother, and boy, does he have plans for the home he despised growing up in. (Un)fortunately for him, Sofie needs in on the mansion for the yearly charity event for the abused kids of Evergreen Cove, and as much as she
I absolutely can never not enjoy Jessica Lemmon’s writing. It’s simple yet always so incredibly written, from the plot to the characters. Lemmon’s characters are always so realistic, you would definitely relate to them to an emotional level. Seven years ago, Donovan and Sofie were young and stupid, but with his sudden return, a lot has changed in the past years, but definitely not their repressed feelings.
At the beginning, younger Donovan 'Donny' was a bastard and he’s definitely not the guy you’d think to root for. Honestly, I was appalled by what he did, but I had to give his character the benefit of the doubt, and I needed to find out why he acted that way. And I was right because Donovan’s story which hailed from a terrible childhood filled with scars and a whole lot of emotional baggage, was heartbreaking to read about and it made me felt for him so much. Despite his stoic and impassive demeanor, he was a total sweetheart on the inside and I just couldn’t hold a grudge against his character. I may have adored Evan from Bringing Home the Bad Boy, but I’m going to say this. Donny is now my favorite from the two (and also, another tattooed bad boy, yas! Plus the name Donovan just sounds sexy, rolling off the tongue. Come on, give it a try! *winks*).
Sofie, on the other hand, made mistakes as someone who was young and blinded by infatuation, but her character was amazing and absolutely relatable, especially as she had grown into a mature woman. Once again, Lemmon hasn’t failed to impress me with her female characters, and how strong and realistic they are. I love how Lemmon tackled body insecurities with Sofie and her curvaceous figure, but it wasn’t to the point that it was obnoxious and over the top. Sofie was a confident woman; smart, sexy, and sassy, but she wasn’t 100% confident, just as how every woman is. However, being with Donovan, she grew to love her body as it was.
Rescuing the Bad Boy is a read you’d definitely want to snuggle up with, especially during the holiday season. Lemmon doesn’t disappoint, with a story so simple yet blooms beautifully into a heart-melting story. It’s not exactly fast paced but it's absolutely engaging with every turn of a page. The romance is extremely sexy and steamy, it just gets hot all over (hah!). Although it’s not a very light hearted read as one would want to pick up for supposed cheerful season, it would definitely make your heart flutter, and I almost forgot to mention, not only will Donny make you fall in love, but a special lovely rescue will capture your heart as well!
Give this a series a shot, and Jessica Lemmon will be one of your go-to and auto-buy authors in no time.
Read my review of Bringing Home the Bad Boy.
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