More Than You Know (Second Chances 2)
by April Bennett
Publication Date: June 29th 2016
Genre(s): Romance
Pages: 337
When lifelong bachelor Robert decides to reform his rakish ways, he moves from Chicago to the little town of Alandale. Away from the
bustling pace of city living, he settles into a new work partnership with his best friend.
His new assistant Miranda is a mystery to him, and Robert is a thorn in her side. Chemistry sizzles between them, but they have both been burned once. Will they let past heartaches, fear of disrupting the status quo, and a disapproving older brother ruin their future?
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
More Than You Know is the second book of the Second Chances series, though it can be read as a standalone. I adored this book, and it touched me in all the right places. It follows the stories of two people, Miranda and Robert, both hurt by past loves and prevented from that pain to allow themselves to fall in love again … until they meet each other. At first they are hesitant, but the more time they spend together, the more they are willing to give love another chance.
Miranda was an interesting character, but at the same time, she’s a bit flavourless, for the lack of a better term. The devastating event of her divorce was trying, and while it gave her character dimension, she lacks that special edge that allowed me to connect with her. Robert was the same for me. I definitely empathized with what was going on in their lives, but I had just as much attachment to them as I would a stranger with whom I had a pleasant conversation on the bus. I do have to say though, that her characters are all very realistic, save for a few secondary characters that were very obviously only there to stir up drama.
Bennett makes up for this with her writing though, which is both thoughtful and funny. Her talent lies particularly in her diverse writing styles which we see in the main story, the thoughts of the characters, as well as the novel Miranda is writing. It’s very obvious to pick out the differences between Bennett’s work and Robert’s thoughts, or even Miranda’s work and her own thoughts, yet the author is able to blend these together nicely, and make a story around it.
The story itself was decent. I enjoyed following the two main characters on their road to re-discovery, but like my issue with the characters, I wasn’t able to make a special connection with the plot or relate to what was going on. However, there were some steamy bits that I enjoyed, and the chemistry between Miranda and Robert is great.
Overall I rate this book a 3.5/5 stars for a nice romance novel that I’d recommend to anybody looking for a sweet love story without much depth.
The Jinxed Goblet 