About the Book:Title: Chance at Redemption (Madison Square #3)
Author: Samatha Harris
Published by: Limitless Publishing
Publication date: May 23, 2017
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Synopsis:
Gwen Stevens had a privileged life until her father spoke three little words that turned her world upside down. “You’re cut off.”
Broke and desperate, Gwen is forced to accept a waitressing job, but this glimmer of hope has a price. As if being a cocktail waitress isn’t bad enough, she has to do it in a dive bar called The Den, and her bad luck doesn’t stop there. She also needs to deal with the new owner, a blue-eyed, self-righteous ass determined to make her life miserable.
Liam Sinclair walked away from the entitlement and obligation his family planned for him, vowing to make his own way in the world…
Adjusting to life as a new business owner, Liam has experienced more than his fair share of setbacks. When his only waitress breaks her leg, his sister takes it upon herself to hire a replacement—a spoiled, self-indulgent hothead with too much makeup and more than enough attitude. Gwen represents the world he’s trying to escape, a world of excess and greed that he was never cut out for.
Appearances can be deceiving, and first impressions aren’t always right…
Despite their apparent differences, the tension between them turns to a fiery passion that neither of them can resist. Together they find balance and learn to appreciate the simpler things in life. But Gwen soon discovers that old habits die hard, and one mistake is all it takes to ruin everything.
Forgiveness must be earned, but even a villain deserves a chance at redemption…
Author Bio:Samatha “Sam” Harris lives near Baltimore, Maryland with her husband David and daughter Ava. Born in Florida, she migrated north which most people agree was a little backwards. She has been an artist all of her life, a Tattoo Artist for more than ten years, and a storyteller since she was a kid.
Sam has a slightly unhealthy love for Frank Sinatra, classic movies, and Jazz and Blues music, but her first love will always be reading. From Romance, to Thrillers, to Historical Fiction and everything in between, she loves to become a part of the story. As a writer she tells the stories that she would want to read.
Review:
I have been a fan of the Madison Square series ever since it came out, so when I was able to read the third book a little early...well I jumped on the chance! Similar to the previous 2 novels, Chance at Redemption can be read as a standalone, but it's so much better when you read them all start to finish. The characters from the prior novels make appearances quite frequently, so it's nice to be able to catch up with them and see how those relationships are going while still enjoying a brand new couple/story. This one focuses on Liam and Gwen, both characters which were featured in other books. I was very excited to read Liam's story, but I wasn't so sure about Gwen. Gwen was always pretty nasty, but I was interested to see where Ms. Harris would take her character. This is a nice, easy read that you'll get through quickly and is the perfect way to start the summer!
Liam was an excellent character in this novel. I loved everything about him from his big heart to his overall good nature. He is easily likable, and I wanted the best for him throughout the entire book. He's had a pretty rough life dealing with his parents, and now that he's finally doing something he loves and making a great name for himself, he's still facing backlash for those choices. But he pushes through and doesn't care for anyone's opinion on his choice of career or lifestyle. The one thing I loved about his character was his characterization. Ms. Harris did an excellent job at developing his character throughout the story. We watch this man who is very closed-off become someone who takes risks and opens himself up to the girl he loves. Gwen on the other hand was a pretty tough character to like. As I mentioned, she has a very strong attitude and is basically mean to the core. She's very entitled, something that I thought was still there in the end, and I did find her "transformation" a little too sudden. But she did grow on me by the end of the book. I would have liked to see her do a little more around Liam to show how much she truly changed (instead of just superficial changes that is).
The one thing I will say that I didn't feel as much in this book as the previous books was the chemistry. I couldn't 100% get into Liam and Gwen's relationship. To me, they seemed more of the type of couple that would stay together for maybe a year and then realize they were just good friends, not soulmates. There wasn't that buyable "spark" or passion between them like I felt with the other relationships featured in this series (which I felt was most obvious when those other couples would be in the scenes with Liam and Gwen). However, I do want to say that I think their relationship was excellently written because it was extremely realistic and in many ways, relatable. Who doesn't have ups and downs when it comes to love? I do think that given some time, Liam and Gwen would be perfect for each other, but I think Gwen still needs to find out who she truly is first before committing to the type of relationship that Liam wants.
The one thing I was thrilled to see was a wedding between a certain couple. I'll refrain from saying who in case you haven't read the other books yet, but it was a long time coming and I'm glad they finally got their happily ever after. My only other complaint is that I felt the story kind of cut off and there was no true resolution. I think an epilogue would have helped a great deal because then I would maybe feel better about how things were left between Liam and Gwen in the end.
I still highly recommend reading this book if you are a fan of contemporary romance or this series! While it isn't my favorite in the Madison Square series, I really enjoyed it and was easily drawn right back into these characters' world. I truly hope there's another book in this series because I don't want to say goodbye yet!
Liam was an excellent character in this novel. I loved everything about him from his big heart to his overall good nature. He is easily likable, and I wanted the best for him throughout the entire book. He's had a pretty rough life dealing with his parents, and now that he's finally doing something he loves and making a great name for himself, he's still facing backlash for those choices. But he pushes through and doesn't care for anyone's opinion on his choice of career or lifestyle. The one thing I loved about his character was his characterization. Ms. Harris did an excellent job at developing his character throughout the story. We watch this man who is very closed-off become someone who takes risks and opens himself up to the girl he loves. Gwen on the other hand was a pretty tough character to like. As I mentioned, she has a very strong attitude and is basically mean to the core. She's very entitled, something that I thought was still there in the end, and I did find her "transformation" a little too sudden. But she did grow on me by the end of the book. I would have liked to see her do a little more around Liam to show how much she truly changed (instead of just superficial changes that is).
The one thing I will say that I didn't feel as much in this book as the previous books was the chemistry. I couldn't 100% get into Liam and Gwen's relationship. To me, they seemed more of the type of couple that would stay together for maybe a year and then realize they were just good friends, not soulmates. There wasn't that buyable "spark" or passion between them like I felt with the other relationships featured in this series (which I felt was most obvious when those other couples would be in the scenes with Liam and Gwen). However, I do want to say that I think their relationship was excellently written because it was extremely realistic and in many ways, relatable. Who doesn't have ups and downs when it comes to love? I do think that given some time, Liam and Gwen would be perfect for each other, but I think Gwen still needs to find out who she truly is first before committing to the type of relationship that Liam wants.
The one thing I was thrilled to see was a wedding between a certain couple. I'll refrain from saying who in case you haven't read the other books yet, but it was a long time coming and I'm glad they finally got their happily ever after. My only other complaint is that I felt the story kind of cut off and there was no true resolution. I think an epilogue would have helped a great deal because then I would maybe feel better about how things were left between Liam and Gwen in the end.
I still highly recommend reading this book if you are a fan of contemporary romance or this series! While it isn't my favorite in the Madison Square series, I really enjoyed it and was easily drawn right back into these characters' world. I truly hope there's another book in this series because I don't want to say goodbye yet!
Happy reading :)
~Cassie
Thanks for reading! Im so glad you enjoyed it
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! Im so glad you enjoyed it
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Cassie! This sounds like a great series overall, and Liam sounds like a very well written, three dimensional character!
ReplyDelete