Review - - Second Chance Season

Second Chance Season

by Emily March

Lake in the Clouds - Book 3

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: November 5, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

Zoey Hillcrest thought the hard part was over once she and her fiancé, Cooper, settled on a venue for their destination wedding. But as the date approaches, Zoey faces professional burnout, her estranged mother’s terminal illness, and a worrisome distance from her fiancé. When presented with an excuse to return to Colorado, she flees to the peaceful lakeside hotel to figure out what she truly wants in life.

After all the hard work Genevieve Prentice and her sister Helen McDaniel put into renovating their rustic waterfront lodge, the two finally have time to take a breath and celebrate the lives they’ve built in Lake in the Clouds, Colorado. Then a chance run-in with their latest bride turns their lives upside down. 

Helen has never laid eyes on Zoey before, but something about her feels familiar. And when the three women uncover a devastating family secret, they must make peace with the past in order to fully embrace what the future has to offer. 

PJ's Thoughts:

Emily March takes readers on another heart-tugging, emotional journey in this third book of her Lake in the Clouds series. I love the way she weaves generations together within this family, giving equal consideration to all ages. And, I especially love that the pillars of the three books are sisters with decades of life behind them. Sisters who still have a thirst for life, for adventure, and for new romantic opportunities. 

Second Chance Season brings new characters to Lake in the Clouds and into Genevieve and Helen's life, bringing unexpected revelations with them. March seamlessly weaves Zoey's journey into those of Helen, Genevieve, and their family, keeping me eagerly turning pages. All of these characters - and their stories - are compelling. March has a way of creating characters who seem so real. I feel as if I know them personally, become invested in their well being, ache when they are hurt, and cheer their happiness. 

You could read Second Chance Season as a standalone but I'm glad I read the three books in order, especially because Helen's and Genevieve's stories - as well as their sibling relationship - unfolds over the course of the three books. The emotional impact of Second Chance Season was much greater having that understanding of where they started and how far they've come. The books, in order, are: The Getaway, Balancing Act, and Second Chance Season (click the titles to read my reviews). I highly recommend all three. 

Review - - Balancing Act

Balancing Act

by Emily March

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: November 28, 2023

Reviewed by PJ

Genevieve Prentice is learning that reinventing herself is a bit like downsizing a house. Deciding what to keep and what needs to go gets complicated. After settling into life in Lake in the Clouds, Colorado, with her sister’s help, she’s finally finding her balance. But Genevieve’s newfound steadiness is threatened when her daughter Willow unexpectedly arrives carrying a mountain of emotional baggage.

Willow Eldridge needs a fresh start, but that can’t happen until she comes clean about her family’s secrets. Thankfully, between caring for her two young children and planning her brother’s wedding, Willow has plenty of reasons to delay the uncomfortable heart-to-heart with her mother. Yet when Willow grows close to her kind but standoffish neighbor and suspects he is keeping secrets of his own, she realizes there’s no moving forward without facing what came before…

Can Genevieve and Willow jettison the pain of the past to create the future they so desperately crave? Beneath the crystal blue skies of Lake in the Clouds, anything seems possible.

PJ's Thoughts:

I've been reading this author for almost thirty years, first as historical romance author Geralyn Dawson and more recently as Emily March. Never has she failed to give me a story I could happily immerse myself into. Her current series, as the Eternity Springs books that preceded it, brings all the feelings and I am here for them. 

March excels at creating family connections. In this book especially, I love how we see the stories unfold from the perspective of multiple generations. It was easy for me to connect with Genevieve, a widow of a certain age struggling to find her identity now that her children are adults and on their own. But March makes it equally easy to relate to Willow, a young single mother dealing with heavy emotional baggage as well as her young son, an inquisitive chatterbox with more worry than a child should have to shoulder. Add in a reclusive - but very hot - neighbor with plenty of emotional baggage of his own, an undeniable chemistry with Willow, and an endearing soft spot for little kids and puppies, and you have the heart-tugging recipe for romance, family, finding one's place, and happily-ever-afters. Not, however, until all of these characters navigate the unexpected obstacles life has chosen to place in their way. 

Those obstacles are one of the things I enjoy about March's writing. Her characters' journeys have real, relatable layers as do the characters themselves. We're only two books into this new series but I'm already wholly invested in them and their well being. I'm eager to watch Genevieve find her footing...and her joy. I'm curious to discover what life has in store for her two remaining single children. And I'm wondering just what role neighboring rancher, Gage will play in it all. 

For maximum enjoyment, I strongly recommend reading book one in this series, The Getaway, followed by Balancing Act.  

Review - - The Getaway

The Getaway

by Emily March

Lake in the Clouds - Book 1

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: September 6, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

Widowed young, Genevieve Prentice dedicated her life to raising her four children. Now, though, they’re all grown and scattered to the wind, and Genevieve is ready for a change. In a flash of inspiration, she puts her home on the market and heads to Lake in the Clouds, Colorado, to renovate a rustic waterfront lodge with her sister. But just as they begin, Genevieve gets the shock of a lifetime: the arrival of her son.

Jake Prentice built a career out of being dependable, one that left him perennially stressed and overworked. Finally heeding his mother’s words of wisdom, he’s quit his job and is ready to find out what truly makes him happy. And now, as he stands surrounded by open sky and fresh, pine-scented air, he’s got no regrets . . . until former colleague Tess Crenshaw appears at the lake, forcing him to reassess what—and who—he really wants.

As they work together to renovate the lodge, Genevieve and Jake embark on a heartfelt and inspiring journey to learn about themselves, each other, and the true meaning of family.

PJ's Thoughts:

Emily March is one of my favorite authors, writing heart-tugging, family-centric stories that always take me on an emotional journey and never fail to leave me with a happy, satisfied smile. 

I really enjoyed the family dynamics in this book and appreciate the fact that characters of different generations not only have compelling life journeys but the potential for romantic ones as well. Genevieve, Jake, and Tessa are all at different points in their lives - and careers - but all still very relatable to me as a reader. I appreciate how March takes her time with each of them individually while also giving care to the development of their relationships, both romantic and familial. 

I enjoy how March weaves all the members of the Prentice family in and out of the story, slowly beginning to peel back the layers of their relationships and whetting our appetites with glimpses of new - and continuing - journeys in future books. She's so good at creating the love, rivalry, hurt feelings, and steadfast support among members of a family unit. I'm eager to watch how they all evolve over the course of the series.

Genevieve is the character I probably most closely identify with. It's so satisfying to watch her emerge from her cocoon, begin to discover her own value as a person - apart from her role as a mother - and embrace new adventures and dreams. If you're a fan of The Sound of Music (as I am) you will probably find yourself singing along and enjoying her adventures vicariously. I did. I'm excited to tag along as she continues to spread her wings and excited to discover what March has in store for her next.

The Getaway launches March's new Lake in the Clouds series and I am already hooked. While this first book centers primarily on Genevieve and her oldest son, Jake, we're also given the opportunity to meet and begin to get to know Jake's siblings as well as Genevieve's sister. By the end of the book I was completely invested in this family, intrigued by a neighboring family, and excited to watch all of their journeys play out over the course of the series. The tie-in to Eternity Springs and a couple cameo appearances are delightful bonuses that fans of the Eternity Springs series are sure to enjoy. 

If you enjoy feel-good contemporary stories with relatable characters you can cheer for, complex family dynamics that tug at your heart, romance, emotional depth, and happy endings, don't miss Emily March's The Getaway. It's a keeper.