Carla Capshaw's prologue to Second Chance
Cinderella sets the stage for her characters, allowing us glimpses of their
foundational traits. In addition, I felt more forgiving of Samuel Blackstone's
abusive treatment of Rose when he meets her again because of this early
flashback at Sam’s true nature and childhood relationship with Rose. Later, one can read between the lines and see
his ulterior motives of protectiveness towards Rose and notice how he always
seems to be in the right place at the right time.
Rose Smith embodies all that we find
admirable about a single mother struggling to raise her child against all odds.
The years since Rose and Sam parted have not been kind to Rose. And, Sam's
harsh and unjust accusations only serve to fuel her mistrust and hoarding of
secrets even more.
Most of the book revolves around the second
chance that presents itself to the hero and heroine to redeem their
relationship. It becomes a discovering of the events that have transpired
since, the righting of misunderstandings by both, and the identity and true
parentage of Rose’s son. Wrapped around the historical romance package are the
elements of mystery and suspense.
Ms. Capshaw does a fantastic job of winding
sinister characters and plots around the main premise of a "second
chance" with spiritual insights and surprise twists at the end.
I highly recommend this novel as being well
worth your time to read and enjoy. Ms. Capshaw remains one of my all-time
favorite authors.
