Title: Take Two
Author: Shira Anthony
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novel (214pgs)
ISBN: 978-1-63477-385-0
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (9th September 2016)
Heat Level: Low – Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 4 ½ Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Shiver me timbers! When Professor Wesley Coolidge accepts a summer job as a historical consultant to a pirate movie being filmed in North Carolina, the last person he expects to bump into is his soon-to-be ex, movie star Sander Carson. Just like the flamboyant pirate he’s playing, Sander, aka Sam Carr, is used to getting what he wants, and he makes it clear he wants Wesley back in his life.
Sam acknowledges it’s his fault they split up. He lost Wesley when he left their life in New York City behind for a career in Hollywood. But Wesley has finally managed to put the pieces of his heart back together, and he isn’t interested in Sam and Wesley: The Sequel. Sam soon realizes that convincing Wesley to give their relationship a second chance will take much more than apologies and reminders of good times past. If he wants Wesley back, Sam will have to show Wesley that they really can sail into the sunset together—a real-life happily-ever-after that won’t end once the final credits roll.
Purchase Link: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/take-two-by-shira-anthony-7477-b
Review: When Wesley accepts a summer job on a pirate movie he has no idea that he has been neatly maneuvered by his soon to be ex-husband Sam. Wesley wants to move on with his life, he has a new promotion, a new boyfriend and he is being seriously considered for a huge grant. But being confronted by his ex, the movie star, has Wesley confused and more determined than ever to put Sam behind him.
Sander (aka Sam) sacrificed the one thing he never wanted to lose in his bid for Hollywood fame, determined to get a second chance he puts his plan to win his husband back in motion but Wesley is a harder nut to crack than he thought. Flowers, romantic home cooked dinners and sailing at sunset just doesn’t seem to be enough, Sam will have to pull the big guns out and open his heart if he hopes to have a chance with the man he’s never stopped loving.
This is a wonderful story that is nicely paced and keeps your attention with the ‘will he/won’t he’ storyline. Both Wesley and Sam are wonderful characters, their relationship slowly fell apart as Sam spent more time in LA and Wesley was in New York. Wesley is a history Professor and loves his job, he never really stopped loving Sam but the strain of never seeing him and being ignored for weeks and months at a time took its toll. Sam is the big movie star whose career just took over, he’s left devastated when he gets divorce papers. We can see both sides of the story and we soon begin to root for Sam and hoping Wesley will give him a chance.
Wesley and Sam are wonderful together, their easy camaraderie shows us right off the bat that their feelings for each other are still strong, we watch as Sam tries to woo Wesley and fail miserably. We watch as Sam stumbles around trying to win Wesley over and we watch as Wesley tries to convince himself that he’s over Sam. It’s a fantastic story that just pulls you in as you become invested in their relationship.
I can’t say it’s all easy for Wesley though, he gets disappointing news and then he walks in on his new boyfriend ‘entertaining’ a colleague, he has a rough few moments and his head is a bit of a mess at times. Poor guy just can’t seem to catch a break. Although the story is all about their relationship we do have some great moments with some of Sam’s colleagues, and there’s also a fantastic sea rescue.
The story is beautifully written, it has some interesting tidbits on pirates, Wesley and Sam’s relationship builds up throughout the story and is nicely paced, they have a couple of hot moments and boy are they hot! We fall in love with the characters and become invested in their lives, this really is a sweet, lovely romance of reconnecting and finding the love that was nearly lost.
I recommend this to those who love sweet romances, who love a man determined to get his lover back, who adore characters who pull out all the stops, who love dashing rescues and a wonderful ending.