Second chance

Brigham Vaughn is a new author to me, but I quite enjoyed her first book in this series. I liked her writing style, which is pleasant and fluid.
The story is told alternately from the point of view of Nathan and Caleb. In between there are flashbacks to the past every now and then. This mixture of present and past I liked quite well.
When Nathan was with Caleb, he was the one who ended the relationship. Now it's a month until graduation and then they go their separate ways. Until then, Nathan had always preferred hockey, but now he wants to win Caleb back and time is running out.
The theater freak Caleb was then deeply hurt by Nathan, his heart is broken into a thousand pieces. He has covered up his heartbreak with casual acquaintances. Caleb loves drama on stage, but in his personal life he no longer needs drama.
I took Caleb to my heart right from the start, he is likeable and incredibly sweet. Nathan, on the other hand, I had my problems with in the beginning. But the more you learn about Nathan's background, the more you can understand him and his behavior.
But do they still have a chance? Can Caleb get involved with Nathan a second time?
I was well entertained by the audio book and I liked the development the story took.

James Edward Jones is a new narrator for me and he did a good job. He has a pleasant voice and he read the different characters in such a way that you could distinguish them well. You could clearly feel the emotions as well.
I received a free copy of this audiobook through Gay Book Promotions and this is my honest review.

An interesting and beautiful story about a second chance that makes you want to read more books by this author!

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1 person found this helpful

Engaging second chance story

I love second chances and this was a very engaging story with likeable characters.

The ‘then’ and ‘now’ telling of the story flowed easily so you gradually came to understand what had happened to separate the main characters.

I liked the narrator very much. His tone and pace were just right for me. He also managed to make different characters sound different which helped with the narration.

I am looking forward to the rest of the series and hope the same narrator will be doing them.

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Second chances

It can be really difficult to write a believable story where one character behaves badly and the second one forgives them and they live happily ever after. I felt so awful for Caleb and the way he was treated here that I wasn't sure I'd buy Nathan's remorse, but author Brigham Vaughn convinced me. Caleb knew who he was even as a young man, but Nathan was too afraid to come out and Caleb paid the price. Finally, Nathan matures enough to realize it's time to own his mistake and try to convince Caleb they can have a future together. It isn't easy and it shouldn't be. James Edward Jones does a wonderful job here both with Caleb's pain, scepticism at Nathan's change and slow thaw and with making us believe Nathan's change is real.

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Awesome

This was such a great audiobook.
I really enjoyed listening to this story.
It was a great start to a new series.
I can't wait to listen to more.

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Making Up For Lost Time

Caleb has managed to totally avoid Nathan for almost the entire four years of college, but then with only one month remaining in the final semester he bumped into him at a party...a party he hadn't even wanted to attend!!
They had secretly been boyfriends during their final year of high school and it hadn't ended well!
This is an opposites attract, second chance love story and it held my attention for most of the day. James Edward Jones did a great job with the narration and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him giving this story its voices.

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Dramatic romance.

A solid second chance romance. However, the road back to happiness is never straightforward, and there's a fair bit of 'will they won't they?' throughout.

I liked that the story was told from both points of view. It would have been easy to dislike Nathan for his earlier actions, but hearing his voice made it easier to understand why he acted as he did.It was also clear just how badly Caleb had been affected, and why he'd held on to his hurt for so long.

As I was listening to the story, it was nice to see a real relationship starting to develop between both broken men; it was made quite poignant due to Nathan's growing awareness of just how fragile Caleb's heart actually was..

I enjoyed the ending, it was good to see both young men come together. This is the start of a series, and I'm interested to see where the author is going to take the secondary characters.

The narrator did a pretty good job at bringing the characters alive, although he did seem to be a little speedy at times. Still, overall, a good story, and a decent recording.

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Unusually beautiful and moving second chance story

It’s been 4 years since Nathan cruelly pushed Caleb away, breaking his heart and choosing the closet and hockey over him. During a chance meeting at a college party, Nathan makes clear to Caleb that he still has feelings for him... could Caleb possibly forgive him and give them another shot at a relationship? I loved Nathan and Caleb’s story, from its beginning as high school seniors a few months shy of graduation to their reunion in the same period four years later. The beauty and pain of an ill-fated first love is masterfully and sensitively depicted, told in flashback, and its particulars are compelling and engrossing. The power that the past can exert on our present is painfully strong and evident here, and must be reckoned with in order to move on. Five stars are not enough for this book, nor can it be described simply in terms of its tropes: opposites attract (geek/athlete), second chance... Nathan’s efforts to win Caleb back and his bid for redemption are cathartic, and these characters will stay with you long beyond the end of the story. I especially enjoyed the narration by James Edward Jones, which brought these characters to life beautifully. Highly recommended!

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Sweet second chance romance!

I really enjoyed this! The story was interesting and kept me hooked waiting for the two MCs to get find each other again and I enjoyed the dual timeline story telling. I thought the narration was done very well! My only complaint is that the pauses between what I assume were the end of the chapters and the beginning on the next one were slightly too short and jarring. Overall a very enjoyable listen!

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So good

I really enjoyed listening to this from start to finish. I love stories where there is a history between the characters and this certainly had that. The story was about protecting your heart and vulnerability and a lot of connection. It shows there are always two sides to every story and it is about overcoming fear and taking a chance on love. It was a good story line and the narrator did an amazing job too.

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A lovely Second Chance

Vaughn's Bully & Exit book was a delightful story. I found Nathan and Caleb to have a great "push & pull" dynamic with some wonderful barbs here and there. I also found Jones to be an interesting narrator with a great performance. It is nice to hear a narrator with a good character vocalizations that keep the story interesting.

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