Although I am not a regular reader of romance novels, occasionally one of them catches my eye. I found Mary Flinn’s first novel, “The One,” very enjoyable as I watched the young love blossom between teenagers Kyle Davis and Chelsea Davenport. Her story brought me back to my high school days when I remembered all the drama and confusion that resulted when people first embarked on meaningful relationships, so when Mary Flinn wrote a second novel about older adult characters called ” The second time is a charm, “an appropriate title not only for his characters, but also for the fact that this is his second novel. I loved.

“Second Time’s a Charm” is the love story of Stacie Edmonds and Tyson Garrett. Stacie turns forty at the beginning of the novel as Tyson celebrates his thirty-first birthday. As someone turning 40 this year, I found the love story between these characters more relevant to me than one about teenage romance. In addition, he had already met these characters briefly in “The One” – Stacie is Kyle Davis’ aunt – and although they had only appeared for a few pages, their presence in that novel was significant and memorable, precisely because of their age differences. . and that they were older than your usual romantic leads.

Stacie is the owner of The Sound Side, a successful restaurant in a seaside resort town in North Carolina, but despite Stacie’s success, she still has some issues to resolve with her past, most notably her divorce from her ex-husband, Rick, who It turns out that he owns a restaurant in the same city and that seems enough to irritate her and give her a chance to heal her past. Tyson has his own problems to solve, but he is committed to their relationship, perhaps more than Stacie, who is a little nervous about having a second chance at love.

For the most part, these characters are self-assured and confident. They know who they are and they know their weaknesses: they are not teenagers trying to find themselves, but adults who have made difficult decisions and are still hopeful about their future. In addition to love, Stacie must decide if she will try to have a child after suffering some health problems that could put her and her baby at risk. The way the two main characters support each other and their passion makes them extremely sexy, something that becomes evident with the first chapter of the novel. Apparently, life can begin at forty.

Mary Flinn also brings several characters from “The One,” including Kyle and Chelsea and Kyle’s mother, Shelly. Both known and new characters form a great cast in this novel. The reader is sure to feel like they’re there, working on The Sound Side, enjoying a lazy hour on the beach, and just hanging out with family and friends at parties that Flinn does a great job of bringing to life. I felt like I knew these characters – they are ordinary, hardworking people with the same goals, hopes and dreams that we all have, and I liked them and hoped they weren’t hurt.

It is not revealing to say that in the end everything works out for Stacie and Tyson. The magic is not so much in the plot but in the way that Flinn brings so much life to this fictional world with his references to real North Carolina restaurants and locations. The book may be somewhat predictable, but it still keeps you turning the page to see the details of how everything will turn out. I almost felt ready to go out and buy a wedding gift and try to decide what to wear for the ceremony because after all, Tyson and Stacie had become my good friends and I was looking forward to dancing at their wedding.

In short, “The second time is a charm” is a charm to read. Mary Flinn knows how to make the everyday world real when her words cast a spell on the reader, a spell that only ends too soon. But don’t be too discouraged, your third book “Three Gifts” is coming soon and will bring the reader back to these lovable characters once again, these three novels are “Three Gifts” indeed.