One More Second Chance by @JanaRichards_ is a Snuggle Up Event pick #booksale #romance #giveaway
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    • Nov 19, 2021
    • 6 min read

One More Second Chance by @JanaRichards_ is a Snuggle Up Event pick #booksale #romance #giveaway



Title: One More Second Chance


Author: Jana Richards


Genre: Contemporary small-town romance


Book Blurb:


Dr. Alex Campbell has an agenda—finish his contract to provide medical services in Maine, pay off his medical school debt, and head back to his real life in San Diego. But when he meets Julia, all his carefully laid plans are put in jeopardy.


Julia Stewart, Lobster Cove’s high school principal, swears she’ll never let another man drag her away from the home she loves. Her aging parents need her, and the Cove is where she wants to raise her daughter. When her mother’s illness brings her and the big city doctor closer together, panic sets in. Her marriage taught her men don’t stay.


Can she put aside the heartaches of the past and trust Alex enough to accept the love he’s offering? Or will her fear of abandonment mean she’ll send him away forever?


Excerpt:


Tears slipped down Ava’s cheeks. “My arm hurts.”


Julia couldn’t stand it any longer. She pulled herself to her full height and glared at the doctor. “If you hadn’t made us wait here for so long, Ava might have been able to endure. But she’s tired and she’s hungry and she’s in pain. When are you going to do something about it?”


Dr. Campbell regarded her with cold eyes. “We’re going to cast Ava’s arm right away. But first we have some questions.”


“What questions?” Julia was as baffled as she was angry. She wanted to shout at him, tell him where he could stick his questions, but held back because of Ava.


The woman in the business suit spoke up. “My name is Sharon. I’m with Child Protective Services. I’d like to have a few words alone with Ava.”


Julia stared mutely at the woman. Child Protective Services? Her stomach lurched. Dear God, did they think this was something more than an accident?


“Can I speak to you in the hallway for a moment, Mrs. Stewart?” Dr. Campbell said.


Ava looked up at Julia, her lower lip trembling. “Don’t go, Mommy.”


“It’s only for a minute, baby, I promise. I’ll be right outside the door, and I’ll come back as soon as I can. Okay?”


“I promise it will only take a minute,” Dr. Campbell said, his tone quiet and reassuring. “Sharon and Nurse Linda will stay with you, and Sharon’s going to talk with you for a minute. Is that all right?”


A tear slipped down Ava’s cheek, and Julia nearly told the doctor she wasn’t going anywhere. But then Ava nodded slowly. “Okay.”


Dr. Campbell gave Ava a warm smile and patted her knee. “I knew you were a brave girl. We won’t be long.” When he turned to Julia, the smile was gone.


She followed him out of the examining room and stepped to one side as he closed the door. His jaw clenched as he turned to look at her, and fear wrapped itself around her heart and squeezed.


“What did the x-ray find?” she asked.


“A spiral fracture of the right arm.” He paused for a moment and took a deep breath as if trying to control his emotions. “I’ve seen this kind of injury before. A fracture like this can be the result of a fall, but it can also be an indication of child abuse. An arm as small as Ava’s will break like a twig if it’s twisted hard enough. I’m obligated to contact the authorities if I suspect abuse.”


Julia stared at him in mute shock, her brain struggling to process his words, as if trying to translate some unintelligible language. The words child abuse rang in her ears. Finally she found her voice.


“You think someone deliberately hurt her?”


“Her injuries are consistent with abuse.”


“I don’t give a damn what they’re consistent with. Ava has not been mistreated. My mother said she fell down the stairs, and if that’s what she said, then that’s what happened.”


“I believe there’s more to the story than a simple fall.”


“If it comes down to believing you or believing my mother, I’m going with my mother.”


“Perhaps you don’t know your mother as well as you think you do.”


Julia sucked in a breath and stared into Dr. Campbell’s dark, accusing eyes. The idea that her mother would hurt Ava was ridiculous. She adored Ava, would do anything for her…


She blinked and looked away, remembering an incident the other day. She’d heard her yelling at Ava about the milk she’d spilled on the kitchen floor, making such a huge deal of it that Ava had cried. It had struck her as strange, since she couldn’t remember her mother yelling at anyone, ever. She wasn’t as patient as she used to be. And how did she explain her strange phone call telling her Ava had been hurt? Of course she’d been upset, but her mother had been nearly incoherent with distress. Was something going on she wasn’t aware of? She was seventy-one now. Maybe looking after a rambunctious five-year-old was too much for her.


No. She shook her head to reject the disloyal thought. Dr. Campbell was the one who was wrong.


“I know my mother. She didn’t do this. It was an accident.”


“We’ll soon find out. Sharon is questioning Ava now.”


Julia stared at the door. “She’ll be scared, all by herself.”


“Sharon’s very good at what she does. She has a way of making kids feel comfortable.”


Julia turned on him, the anger and despair she’d been holding inside spilling out. “And you? Do you enjoy upsetting five-year-olds and turning families’ lives upside down? Does it make you feel powerful to sic the authorities on us?”


“Look, Mrs. Stewart, I take no pleasure in bringing in the authorities. But I’ve seen child abuse, up close and personal, and I can tell you it’s damn ugly. The things parents and caregivers are capable of doing to defenseless children…”


He stopped abruptly, his chest heaving. Closing his eyes, he averted his face and took a deep breath. When he turned back to her, his steely control was back in place. “So yeah, if I have even the smallest suspicion that a child has been abused, I’m going to ask questions. And I’m not going to apologize for it.”


Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):


Grab your e-copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple on sale for $1.99!






ibooks:


Barnes and Noble


Goodreads


BookBub



November is a time to be thankful. What are you most thankful for this year?


I’m very thankful that my family has stayed healthy throughout the pandemic. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the people I love will stay well no matter how long the pandemic lasts.


I’m also thankful that I had another book published this year UNEXPECTED, book three in my Masonville series, was released in September. I’m thankful for a productive year writing-wise. I also wrote STRONG ENOUGH, book four in the series, and I’m currently getting it ready to send to my editor. I’m thankful every day to be able to do something I love – write books!


Why is your featured book worth snuggling up to?


ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE is worth snuggling up to because it’s a book about family, the one you’re born into and the one you make yourself. It’s also about finding home, that place you belong and where you’re meant to be. It’s also about finding the one person you’re meant to be with. And learning that when you do find that person, you need to do whatever you have to to be together. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and simply trust.


Giveaway –


One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon gift card.


Open internationally. You must have a valid Amazon US or Canada account to win.


Runs November 1 – 30


Drawing will be held on December 1.



Author Biography:



When not writing up a storm, working at her part-time day job as bookkeeper, or dealing with dust bunnies, Jana can be found pursuing hobbies such as golf (which she plays very badly) or reading (which she does much better).


Jana lives in Western Canada with her husband Warren. You can reach her through her website at http://www.janarichards.com


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