The Second First Chance
A Novel
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
"Striking a perfect balance between drama and romance, this is sure to please."—Publishers Weekly
The Second First Chance is a big, wonderful, messy love story about family, heartbreak, strength and courage. It shows us that sometimes what we want is what we least expect, and that everything we need is often right in front of us.
Strength comes in many different forms.
Riya Desai and Dhillon Vora grew up together. Sharing secrets, hiding in their tree house, they were playmates, best friends and later—as teenagers—almost something more. Until the devastating house fire that ripped them apart, claiming the life of Dhillon’s father and Riya’s big brother, Samir. Riya and Dhillon have barely spoken since that terrible night, but they both made big decisions based on that fire.
Riya has chosen to fight fire with everything she’s got, but it’s not easy. As the only female firefighter and one of the only people of color at her fire hall, she has to prove herself over and over. Plus, she’s hidden her career from her family.
Dhillon wanted to heal things, so he became a veterinarian. When a chance encounter with a rescue dog throws Riya and Dhillon together again, he’s furious at her career choice. After what happened to them, how can she run into fires on purpose? For Riya, Dhillon’s anger is unacceptable: How can he not see that she’s protecting others from the very losses they both experienced?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A resolute young woman strives to be a firefighter despite objections from family, friends, and the man she might love, in this touching romance from Shroff (Then There Was You). Veterinarian Dhillon Vora is the first to learn that his childhood best friend, neighbor, and former love interest, Riya Desai, has become a firefighter, leaving him scared and angry. Both Dhillon and Riya are haunted by the fire that killed Dhillon's father and Riya's older brother, and Dhillon can't understand how Riya could choose to run toward the flames. Indeed, Riya's PTSD and frequent flashbacks to the tragedy threaten her success in her chosen profession. Shroff tenderly conveys the complexities of familial relationships, the lingering effects of trauma, and the thorny road to healing, without ever letting things get too heavy. Riya makes for an appealing heroine as she navigates her resurfacing feelings for Dhillon, sexism in a male-dominated field, and her mother's efforts to marry her off. Striking a perfect balance between drama and romance, this is sure to please.
