REVIEW: Second Chance at the Orchard Inn by Heather McGovern

Second Chance at the Orchard Inn by Heather McGovern is the second book in the Orchard Inn series. If you haven’t read the previous book, don’t worry, you can jump into the here and not feel like you’re missing anything.

After her ex-boyfriend, Jude, broke her heart right before high school graduation, Aurora Shipley took off, leaving her non-supportive mother, her ex, and her sisters behind to follow her dreams of becoming a chef. She spent ten years building her career in Los Angeles, but when her sisters needed help reviving the Orchard Inn, she finds herself taking a leave of absence to go home to help her sisters. What she doesn’t want is to see Jude again, but certain matchmakers are determined to push the pair together.

Jude always regretted breaking up with Aurora, but felt he had to not only due to pressure from his father, but so that she could become the chef she always wanted to be. He’s determined to make it up to her and knows the exact way to do it. She always wanted to run her own restaurant, and he, along with his sisters, wants to open one on the family farm. But when his unsupportive father has a medical emergency, will Jude once again let his father’s opinions push Aurora away?

This is a sweet story of friendship, family, forgiveness, and love. Aurora and Jude start off building up a new friendship before moving on to more, and it was nice to watch the buildup. I did find it hard to believe that Jude never heard the rumors that had been floating around high school about him and Aurora after their break up. It seemed unbelievable that he was that self-absorbed. Then again, he also didn’t pick up on who his sister was dating, so maybe he’s just oblivious to the things that go on around him. I did feel bad for him though, because his father was a difficult person to deal with, and both of his sisters put dealing with him on his shoulders instead of taking some of the load off of him and confronting their father as a unit, which wasn’t particularly fair.

Second Chance at the Orchard Inn would be for readers who enjoy small town romances or the second chance trope.

Book Info:

Publication: June 6, 2023 | Forever | Orchard Inn #2

A charming second-chance romance about a big city chef whose return home to help run her family’s wedding planning business means reuniting with the man who broke her heart.

Chef Aurora Shipley spent years slicing, dicing, and chopping her way up the ladder of L.A.’s competitive restaurant scene, but when her sisters needed her help, she dropped everything to return home to Texas. With her family’s Orchard Inn now on its feet, it’s time for Aurora to head back to the big city. At least there, she won’t keep running into ex-boyfriend Jude Jones or her high school bully Erica, who now needs Aurora and her wedding planning business to throw the celebration of her dreams. Will Aurora let the past go long enough to send the bride off without a hitch and ignore her traitorous heart urging her to stay and try again with Jude?

As a teenager, Jude Jones foolishly listened to his father and let Aurora Shipley slip away. In the intervening years, the sweet, shy girl grew into a stunning, capable, confident woman, and her reappearance is messing with Jude’s focus, which should be on expanding Jones’ Family Herbs. He broke Aurora’s heart once, and she broke his, too. This time will Jude be strong enough to fight for her—for them—and a future together?