Second Chance Husband

First Time, Book 3

By: Carrie Ann Ryan

Narrated by: Gregory Salinas, Jo Raylan

Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

The First Time series concludes with an enemies to lovers romance that has been a long time coming. August and Paisley finally figure out what they’ve been missing.

The first time I got married, I watched the man I love walk away from me.

The second time around, I’m the one signing the dotted line first—this one a man who I realized I never loved.

Once burned, twice broken, I’m done looking for love.

Only my first ex-husband seems to be everywhere I turn—at my work, with my friends, and eventually…in my bed.

I didn’t mean for it to happen.

Twice.

But I know if I don’t protect my heart, there will be nothing left of me if he walks away again without telling me why he did so in the first place.

I don’t know if I can trust this new version of ourselves or if it’s merely the heat between us striking hot.

After all, second chances only exist in my dreams.

And there’s no such thing as a second chance husband.

©2024 Carrie Ann Ryan (P)2024 Carrie Ann Ryan

Enjoyed it!

Second Chance Husband (First Time #3) is an enemies to lovers romance.

Paisley and August’s love story was a good second chance romance. You could tell their chemistry never wavered despite years apart. A nice bit of drama and steamy moments. I enjoyed the family dynamic.

Gregory Salinas did a really good job narrating August. Jo Raylan also did a good job, but I wasn’t a fan of her narrating Paisley.

The ultimate heartache.

Ryan is good at breaking a heart, but she has more than a little help in piecing it back together again. Second Chance Husband makes all the right moves. From intense emotions to haunting romance, August and Paisley are the ultimate heartache. Salinas and Raylan are exceptional. From the first moment to the last word, you're captivated.

August and Paisley

I have loved every book in this series all of which have featured Paisley and August, we've always known that they were once married but we have never known why they divorced. We, the readers, are not the only ones neither Paisley nor August's siblings have any idea why, only August knows and he has never said.

At the start of this book, Paisley has just been granted a divorce decree ending her marriage to her second husband James after finding out he has a long-standing mistress. She decides to celebrate her first evening of freedom by going line-dancing at a bar solo where she imbibes one too many drinks.

August happens to be in the same bar on a date with his girlfriend when his Paisley nearly falls as she staggers on her heels. His date insists he ensures Paisley gets home safely, August agrees to take her home but when she passes out he has no way to ask where she lives and so finds himself uncomfortably carrying her into his home where she spends the night in his spare room.

When Paisley wakes up in August’s home, emotionally exhausted and hungover it's all too much for her. August’s two sisters-in-law are her work partners and best friends but so far she's managed to keep herself at a distance from August even though they are married to his brothers. But a long-arranged family vacation forces them to share a suite where the proximity to him and feelings long denied overwhelm her and she calls an Uber and leaves.

August and Paisley find themselves repeatedly in each other's orbit in the weeks and months that follow their aborted vacation and their overwhelming attraction to each other becomes impossible to deny. Their emotions run deep and they become intimate but August wants to keep things casual because he fears repeating the mistakes of his narcissistic parents who always chose each other over their children despite infidelities on both sides divorcing then marrying again then divorcing. But he doesn't tell Paisley of his feelings or fears. Paisley knows that she's never stopped loving August but she refuses to accept anything less than the full commitment she feels she deserves.

Is there any way they can resolve their situation before the whole family is forced to take sides, just how difficult will future family get-togethers become? Add to this her social-climbing, scheming mother and James, her ex trying to get her to remarry him. You can't help but admire Paisley when she finally puts them both in their place.

I loved this story, it's a sexy, steamy, emotional, enjoyable rollercoaster full of characters we have come to know who now feel like friends. There is angst, chemistry, happiness and sadness but most of all there is love, love between siblings, love between partners, love between friends and we finally find out why August left her all those years ago.

The narration is by Gregory Salinas and Jo Raylan who both do a good job of bringing the characters to life.
Edit

Not a fan of the female narrator

I can’t really say why, I just didn’t like the tone of her voice. And her “male” voice during her narration was rough. It made it hard to finish

Emotional and touching second chance romance

I had the opportunity to listen to Second Chance Husband by Carrie Ann Ryan is the third book in the First Time series and gives us August and Paisley’s story and I was all here for it. This series can be read as a standalone, however, I have read the entire series and highly recommend each book. Narrated by Gregory Salinas and Jo Raylan, this story was emotional, touching and a push and pull second chance romance that was angsty and captivating. August and Paisley were once married, but having his reasons, August walked away. Now they are back in each other’s lives more than they ever thought they would be or wanted to be.

Paisley just got divorced for the second time. She was so strong and determined, but vulnerable during these changes in her life. Though August had his reasons at the time for walking away, he never stopped caring about Paisley. But now that that their family and friends are so intertwined, they seem to find themselves together more and more. But what does it mean? August still has his reservations and Paisley knows what she wants and what she deserves. August’s childhood was not easy and he, like his siblings, carry the trauma from it. Can they find a way back to each other or is it too late? I loved this series so much and August and Paisley’s story was so captivating from start to finish.

Happy listening!

Second Chance Husband

A sweet story of finding love again. August and Paisley have past but they are trying to find a way to ignore it while being friends. Soon emotions come into play and it gets harder to ignore the tension between them. The two are hot together but can they survive what August already sees as a failure? I enjoyed getting to see August and Paisley reconnect. Their story moves along quickly and has you rooting for love. Narrators Gregory Salinas and Jo Raylan do a nice job of bringing these characters to life and pulling you into the story.

Never let your past depict your future!!

Just the closure we needed to end a fantastic series!! I would never have guessed that August, ever the grump is a dirty talker, and exceptionally good at it. That man is undeniable. Paisley has one of the best hearts and I just wanted to hug her. I was not ready for Paisley and August’s love story! So much unnecessary pain and anguish rooted so deep, but the intensity of their love that brought them back together to heal one another melted my heart. Gregory and Jo captured the essence of August and Paisley perfectly with their narration. They embraced the pain but also exuded the love!! Carrie Ann Ryan could not have written a better ending to the First Time series!

Amazing second chance romance

I received this as an arc/alc from the author and I’m voluntarily leaving my honest review.

This was an amazing second chance romance. It was such a well written story and it was really emotional and heartwarming as well as steamy. I have been waiting for this story since reading the first book in the series and it was totally worth the wait. Austin and Paisley were everything, they had such amazing chemistry and their HEA was so well deserved.

Audiobook review: The male narrator was amazing and I felt able to completely immerse myself in the story when he was narrating. I wasn’t as much a fan of the female narrator but mainly because her narration pace was so different from his so it drew me a bit of of the story when she narrated. But it was still a great audiobook.

Sorrows and Secrets

Second Chance Husband is the third and final book in The First Time series. It follows Paisley and August as they reconnect with each other and give love a second chance.

They were young when they married the first time. They never thought they would reconnect, let alone have one of her employees marry his twin brother. They have been thrown together on a regular basis due to her friends, and employees, being married to his brothers.

Paisley married once for love. Although she was young, she knew what love was. So she was heartbroken when he left, and filed for divorce. This was not what she wanted.

Paisley married a second time. But she realized that she did not love Jacob. She thought she did when she married him, but circumstances revealed her true feelings. When she filed for divorce from Jacob, she knew it was the right decision.

This core group of family and friends have planned a vacation together. Even though she is now divorced, Paisley still goes on vacation with her friends. She can still have a good time, even if she is the only single one. What she does not plan for is August as a lone wolf as well.

And we all know what happens with these Cassidy boys when they are alone and single with an alone and single woman.

Needless to say Paisley and August agree to one night. But neither of them have forgotten or stopped loving the other.

His brothers give him a hard time about hooking up with Paisley. They remind him that both of their wives work for her. "So don't screw it up."

So will this hookup evolve in to something more? Or will they realize they are better off separate? Will either choice affect the group dynamic?

Jo Raylan is a new to me narrator. She is the perfect pick for Paisley. She has the professional, mature, calm, cool and collected voice that I imagine Paisley has. Gregory Salinas is a good fit for August. He has the alpha protector voice with the quiet sorrow of what was done and what could have been.

4.5 Second Chance Stars

This has been a fun trilogy. I enjoyed getting to know Greer's brothers (Greer's story can be found in Best Friend Temptation) and their kooky parents. In this final installment of the First Time Series, which follows the Cassidy brothers, we have August Cassidy and Piper Cassidy Renee, who were married years ago but sadly ended in divorce. The question has always been why their marriage ended. No one knew, including Piper. August finally lets the truth of the demise of their marriage come out, as well as the fact that he never stopped loving her even though he's been acting as if he hates her since they reconnected when he moved to Denver, where she is currently living.

Piper is what others believe to be a well-put-together businesswoman who is taking on the world. Her business is thriving, and she is a boss for whom employees enjoy working. But there is more to her than meets the eye, and once things start to unravel, my heart truly breaks for her. One thing that can be said about this savvy business woman, when she loves she loves deep and it doesn't matter if your a billionaire or a High School Teacher, she loves the person not the wallet.

Carrie Ann Ryan takes readers on a journey as we watch two people come together again after so much pain and heartache and get what they both need: one another. This story will pull at your heartstrings one minute, have you laughing another, and then want to throw your Kindle across the room a few minutes later. I loved the ride and didn't want it to end.

I listened to the audiobook version, and the narrators, Gregory Salinas and Jo Raylan did a fabulous job bringing August and Piper's story to life. If you listen to audiobooks, I highly recommend this one.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy STEAMY Contemporary Romances, New Adult Romances, second-chance-at-first-love Romances, Family Saga Romances, or Billionaire Romances.

Happy Reading!!!