Wes and Addie Had Their Chance by Bethany Turner: Book Review

 **ARC received via Netgalley for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

Wes left Addie at the altar two decades ago . . . and that was supposed to be the end of the story.

When her life crashes and burns in a flurry of secrets and redacted information, Addie Atwater-Elwyn hightails it home to the tiny mountain town of Adelaide Springs, Colorado--back to living with her dad, back to working a low-paying job, back to a life of disappointments. Growing up, nobody expected their local girl to become a high-ranking CIA analyst, married to a gorgeous CIA operative. But that was Addie's life until she lost . . . well, everything.

Now she's trying to pick up the pieces of her broken life with a little help from old friends. But there's one old friend she knows her life is better without--Wesley Hobbes, her childhood sweetheart who left her standing at the altar when they were eighteen years old. Truth be told, Addie would be perfectly content never seeing Wes's stupid face ever again--which makes it very inconvenient that he's now a beloved senator and presidential frontrunner, his face everywhere she looks. But that has nothing to do with Addie personally. He might make history, but in her book, he is history.

So, when the unwelcome Wes appears back in their hometown, no one rolls out the red carpet--not Addie and not an entire town that was forced to pick sides (and unanimously chose Addie) decades ago. Senator Hobbes certainly won't win the popular vote in Adelaide Springs.

Wes, meanwhile, is sitting on a few secrets of his own, including the political scoop of the decade: he'd seriously rather gouge his eyes out than spend another minute in politics, much less ever go anywhere near the White House. Addie knows there has to be more to the story, and her curiosity is clouding her judgment. You can take the girl out of the CIA, but it's not so easy to shake the CIA out of the girl. Of course, it's not just curiosity (and the acknowledgement that his face isn't so stupid after all) that's been reawakened inside her. But after more than two decades, it's too late. Wes and Addie already had their chance. Right?

The Author

Bethany Turner has been writing since the second grade, when she won her first writing award for explaining why, if she could have lunch with any person throughout history, she would choose John Stamos. She stands by this decision. Bethany now writes pop culture–infused rom-coms for a new generation of readers who crave fiction that tackles the thorny issues of life with humor and insight. She lives in Southwest Colorado with her husband, whom she met in the nineties in a chat room called Disco Inferno. As sketchy as it sounds, it worked out pretty well in this case, and they are the proud parents of two grown sons. Connect with Bethany at seebethanywrite.com or across social media @seebethanywrite, where she clings to the eternal dream that John Stamos will someday send her a friend request.

Book Review

Wes and Addie Had Their Chance is the third book in the series, and while you'll see some familiar characters make appearances, this could absolutely be enjoyed as a standalone as well. 

I've read several books where one of the characters had been left at the altar... but I'm not sure I'd read one where it was a second chance was with the same couple, so that was a really unique aspect to this story. Throw in the fact that the one who left is now running for president? Or that she was previously in the CIA? Yeah, there were definitely a lot of unique aspects that made this story intriguing. One of my favorite things about second chance romance is that idea of the right person, wrong time and that's certainly true here. Both Wes and Addie had grown up, gotten married, lost their spouses and now they're in their 40s and find themselves back in each other's lives. I appreciated seeing how they'd grown up and getting their second chance. While I think there were other books in the series that I enjoyed more, this one was still super cute. As with the previous books, this story is told in both first person (FMC) and third (MMC). Admittedly, this isn't my favorite, but having read the other books, it was both expected and easier to get used to this time around. 

Wes and Addie Had Their Chance is a closed-door romance with kisses only. It does have some minor language. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/42zymPN