Review: Sweet read about second chances
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 5, 2013
**I received a copy of this book from the author for the purposes of an honest review. All opinions are mine. This review originally appeared at [...]At some point in their lives, I think every woman, happily married or in a relationship or otherwise, has always thought about the one guy in their past that was more of a "best bud" than a "best they ever had." Karen Stivali gets to explore that same what-if scenario in her book Leave The Lights On which will be published on November 5th.Parker has spent the last two years in a rehab facility after a tragic car accident that ends his plans of being a star baseball player. He returns to his hometown after being released to run his father's landscaping business and take over his childhood home after his father passes.Sophie is coming off a nasty divorce and running a busy event planning business that her soon to be ex-husband has stated was the cause of his philandering ways; he started cheating on her after ONLY TWO MONTHS OF MARRIAGE. (DOUCH AND A HALF!)Secretly each had a huge crush on the other as teens and never followed through, but fate steps in to finally bring these two sweet kids together with the help of a chocolate cake, a dish of lasagna, and a few beers by the pool.Yes, the plot is predictable; boy meets girl again and they get together and have an HEA, but Leave The Lights On is written in way that makes the old new again. Stivali grows the relationship from rekindling an old friendship to a full blown never ending kind of love that I really liked. There was nothing contrived or phony between these two, and any secrets between these two from their pasts were unfolded believably between Parker and Sophie. Sophie is definitely not one of those "oh-my-God-I-would-die-right-now-for-you" simpering female characters and Parker could never be a dominating "you-are-MINE" kind of guy that's popular these days.Overall I really liked this book. It was a quick read that I finished in less than a day and flowed really well from moment to moment. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a sweet love story that keeps you engaged for a few hours!I'd rate this a 3 1/2 stars but will round it up to 4.