Second Time Around by JoAnn Durgin

Second Time Around by JoAnn Durgin
Review by Teisha Priest

The majority of romance novels end with the wedding, but in reality, that’s just the beginning of the story. That’s what makes JoAnn Durgin’s book Second Time Around a refreshing change!

Second Time Around takes us on a couple’s difficult journey through trying circumstances. Marc and Natalie Thompson have been married for just two months when tragedy strikes and Natalie is left with no memory of her husband. Now Marc just wants to keep his marriage from falling apart. To that end, he seeks the advice of a psychologist, his pastor, and eventually Sam and Lexa, friends of Natalie’s who head up the TeamWork ministry. It seems for a while that Marc and Natalie take two steps forward and one step back. Could going to a TeamWork two week work camp possibly help them put the pieces of their marriage back together? They face even more challenges while there, and you’ll just have to read the book to find out what happens!

What I particularly enjoyed about Second Time Around, is how it differed from the typical romance formula. The characters must overcome problems that seem almost insurmountable at times. This just serves to remind us that nothing is impossible with God! Marc at times struggles mightily with his faith, and I think that all of us can identify with that at some point in our lives. It’s nice to read a book that honestly deals with the fact that married couples can and do go through really hard times, but also reminds us of the power of faith in God. JoAnn fills the book with a Christian message without sounding “preachy”.

I have to admit that I didn’t particularly like Marc at the beginning of Second Time Around. When his wife is initially injured and taken to the hospital his is certainly less than kind to the staff! Admittedly, that is the type of reaction that some people have to those sorts of situations, but it irritated me nonetheless.

That aside, I did really enjoy reading Second Time Around. The 258 page softcover, also available as an e-book, is just the right length; not too short, but not so long that it becomes boring. It is the second book in a series, but it’s not necessary to read the first book in order to follow the story.

I’d definitely recommend Second Time Around to anyone looking for a good romance novel that’s not your usual ho-hum love story!


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