Maybe it was the blues of winter. Maybe I was still reminiscing about the days of yore. In any event, I decided to “escape” to the warm climate of Florida, a U.S. southern state I lived in for three years--Miami, to be specific. In this novel however, it’s the city of Tampa that is the scene of the crime!
For this
contemporary romance, I used the “Haven’t I seen you someplace before?”
scenario. In Christine and Eric’s case, the “before” was twenty-six years ago.
The question here is, can two people, who loved each other before, set aside
the baggage in their lives to accept a golden opportunity: a second chance at
love?
RUNNING FROM LOVE
Twice divorced Chris Chambers doesn’t believe in a second chance at
love... or rather, another chance. She definitely isn’t looking for love... or
even a quick hook-up. She’s very happy where she is at this stage in her life.
But at a business convention in Tampa, she comes across an intriguing man she
just can’t say no to. He seems so familiar. When she realizes Eric is the one
that got away twenty-six years ago, or rather her nineteen-year-old self ran
from him all those years ago, she does the predictable thing: she runs again.
But sometimes, Fate won’t be denied. After all, as the old saying goes: third
time’s a charm.
RUNNING TO LOVE
Widower Eric Paulsen has it all: successful career as a medical doctor,
two prospering adult children, a gorgeous house overlooking Tampa Bay... what
more can he want? True, his nights do get lonely; his assistant, Hildi,
imagines herself to be his next wife; and his daughter goes out of her way to
help Hildi accomplish that goal. But when he takes a romantic dinner cruise, a
birthday present from the smitten Hildi, he spots a woman who peaks his
interest on every level. Turning on the charm, he decides Chris is to be his
birthday present. The morning after, he discovers Chris is Christine, his first
love from so long ago. Living all these years without her, without true love,
he’s determined to convince Christine to finally become his, and his alone.
The “one
that got away” catches up with twice divorced Chris Chambers twenty six years
later. Is it too late to have a happily ever after?
In print at Amazon.comTHE ONE THAT GOT AWAY is available for purchase electronically at Amazon.com and Smashwoods.com and Print.
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/ml6oE9
Check out this wonderful reviews:
I’m a sucker for second chance romance stories. Ms. Knight delivers once again in this new contemporary, THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY. We have a couple in their forties who had a bit of a history when they were teens, to finally find themselves together again. Should they take the next step? Will Eric’s adult kids give their blessing? Can Christine overcome her two previous failed marriages? Should she and Eric finally commit? Grab your copy and enjoy the ride! 5 Stars!--Norwood Reviews
A cute meet at a roller skating rink? A romantic dinner cruise? A possessive office assistant? A persistent medical doctor? All this and more in this poignant love story: THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY. Sometimes our soul mate comes along and we’re just not ready for him or her. I could feel Christine’s pain at being burned by her two ex-husbands. I teared up at reading about Eric’s unfaithful wife. Can these two put aside their fears and become a loving couple? Do yourself a favor: don’t let this book get away!--S.G. Reviews
This book is part of the Romantic Contemporaries line.
Real life tidbit: Hmmn, this novel is rife with real life tidbits. Yep, that was me roller skating and then forgetting my orthotic inserts in the rented boots. Alas, there was no Rick or Eric around to be my knight-in-shining-armor! Yep, that was me attending a writer’s conference in Tampa, Florida, and omigosh, yes, three of my novels were finalists for international awards: Best Contemporary Romance, Best Historical Romance, and Best Fantasy/Paranormal/Science Fiction Romance. As for getting pregnant at the tender age of forty-five... no. Thank heavens, no! However, my dear grandmother had that honor at the *very* tender age of forty-seven, giving birth to my close-in-age aunt! Strange but true!
Here’s Christine’s take on her first encounter with her knight-in-shining-armor, helping her find her shoe inserts:
Yuck! A mountainous stack of heavy, smelly roller skates and roller blades waited for me to sort through them. Instead of the workers putting the skates back into their boxes, the boots were thrown into a pile, one on top of the other.
And I had to stick my hand in
each boot... one at a time.
Mentally holding my nose, I
did put my hand in, over and over again. Then, unexpectedly, standing by my
side was my knight-in-shining-armor, asking if he could help. Rick had no idea
what I was looking for, but he gamely inserted his hand into the foul smelling
mass of skating rink boots.
Even then I knew that Rick was
a keeper.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope you enjoy this whimsical second chance at love!
Susanne Marie Knight
Read
outside the box:
Award-winning
Romance Writing with a Twist!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
