SECOND CHANCE HERO by Winnie Griggs

Nate Cooper was only trying to help his dying sister when he broke the law.  Something he deeply regrets and spent time in prison for.  While in prison, he learned about working with leather and making saddles.  Now he's out of prison and looking to start over again where no one knows his history.  A good friend encourages him to move to Turnabout, Texas.  Verity Leggett is someone who likes things safe.  She's a widow raising her daughter alone and dreams of opening a millinery shop one day.  In the meantime, she works as a nurse in her uncle’s clinic.  Nate and Verity get better acquainted when Verity's daughter, Joy, chases after a cat and runs in front of a stage coach.  Nate saves Joy but sustains injuries of his own.  As Verity cares for Nate, they find themselves drawn to each other.  But what will happen when play-it-safe Verity finds out about Nate's past?

I will start off by saying that the cover is what drew me to read this book.  It intrigued me and I wanted to find out more about the man on the cover.  This is the first time I've read anything by this author and I found her writing style easy to read.  The characters were flesh and blood type characters.  I really liked Nate.  His strength and character came shining through.  I loved how he dealt with Verity and Joy and even his dog, Beans.  Verity had a bubbly personality but I had a hard time connecting with her.  Sometimes she was so unfair in the way she acted, but I know we can be that way too.  The story moved at a steady pace with no major conflicts or catastrophes, which is nice.  I did feel like things were wrapped up a bit to quickly at the end.  It didn't really feel natural to me.  The verse listed at the beginning of the story was "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." - 2 Timothy 1:7.  I thought it went well with what Verity and Nate each dealt with.  This is part of a series but I read it as a stand alone and didn't feel lost.  If you enjoy an easy-to-read historical, you might want to check it out and see if Nate is a Second Chance Hero.

*This complimentary copy was provided by Harlequin through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

For more information about this book or other books by Winnie Griggs, I recommend you visit her website at www.winniegriggs.com/