🏡 “Second Chance Inn” (2023) 🏡 – Book Review

MY REVIEW 

 

 

Paperback: 318 pages 
Publisher: Marlayne Giron (October 13, 2023) 
Language: English 
ISBN-13: 979-8218953775
⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information   

“Rachel Winston is suddenly and tragically widowed in her early 30s. She and her adopted, teenaged daughter, Karen, are forced to leave everything behind in Southern California. She purchases an Amish farmhouse in Lancaster County, PA to open an Amish-style Bed & Breakfast Inn. The farmhouse she purchases was put on the market by a young Amish widower, Samuel Miller, who recently lost his wife and five children in a buggy accident. He has moved into the Dawdi house to maintain the farm and Rachel happily cooks, cleans, and does his laundry in exchange for his help.

 

Thrown together by tragic loss, their mutual suffering draws them together against the rules of his community. Solace and friendship soon turn into something deeper, putting him at great risk for shunning. Rachel struggles to adapt while her daughter finds it easier to fit in to the Amish lifestyle.

 

Will Rachel succeed in becoming sufficiently Amish so she can be with Samuel, or will their blossoming relationship doom them both as outcasts?” 

 

Thank you in advance to Kate Rock Book Tours for providing a complimentary review copy. A positive review was not required nor requested, and all words are my own. 

 

I’m absolutely no stranger to Amish fiction, even when it is suspense. And, I love a sweet second-chance romance. It’s more interesting when it is Amish/Englisch. 

 

I also enjoy discovering new-to-me authors. 

 

I’d been seeing this book, or rather information about this book, floating around social media for a few months. So, when I got the chance to read it – I was pretty happy. 

 

I have to admit, that seeing “city folks” transplanted to rural areas, can be amusing in itself. I was born in a small town, but raised in cities. However, some of my family was raised in rural and farm areas, so I got to know that life through them. Also, from a few friends I’d made in my adult years. 

 

Truth be told, I wouldn’t mind living in a farm or rural area. Just need internet, electricity and indoor plumbing. Which, brings me to this read. 

 

Giron introduces readers to:

 

👩🏻 Rachel

👧🏻 Karen 

👨🏻‍🌾 Sam

👒 Ruth

 

Along with Sam’s sister Sarah, brother-in-law Joseph, and their kids. 

 

There are going to be some themes/incidents that could be triggering for some readers. These are: death (brain aneurism), death due to drowning (Sam’s wife and kids), infertility, grief, and mentions of “considered” suicide (slitting wrists, taking pills). There is also a mention of spanking being used as discipline. It isn’t done, but it is mentioned. 

 

Giron wastes no time in getting into the plot – Barry’s death, Rachel’s profound grief, and her bleak financial outlook. Her CPA brings up the high cost of living in California (she isn’t wrong), and what might be best for Rachel and Karen.

 

A year later, Rachel and a very perturbed Karen are on their way back to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Rachel is hoping to turn the Amish farmhouse she bought into a B and B, a dream she’d had with Barry.

 

At the train station, Rachel is greeted by Sam. While Karen is almost rude to her mother, the girl takes to Sam. It is clear that mother and daughter don’t seem to get along. 

 

While the Amish don’t have electricity or internet service, Rachel and Karen are stunned about the residence having no indoor plumbing. Rachel is thinking it is a bad idea, but wants to hang in there. 

 

Karen instantly takes to Sam, but he cannot stand her attitude towards her mother. He thinks to what he would’ve done if Karen had been his. However, Karen seemingly takes to farm life – her favorite part is collecting the eggs from the chickens. This eventually leads her into selling the eggs to make a little money. 

 

Rachel outlines her plan for the farmhouse, which had once been Sam’s home with his family – incidentally his wife’s name was also Rachel. This Rachel wants to have certain Amish “classes”. Sam isn’t sure his bishop will go for that, but the bishop does agree for Rahcel to visit and learn so she can teach. 

 

Karen’s growing discontent at being at the farmhouse with her mother leads Sam to offer to send her to his sister. Karen is first dismayed that she ends up “working”, but grows to like the chores, even dressing like an Amish girl. She even finds herself attracted to one of Sam’s nephews – Willis. 

 

Sam can’t hide his growing attraction to Rachel. And, she is definitely drawn to him. However, even the simplest token of affection between the two is forbidden, despite their shared grief.

 

In addition to Sam, Rachel makes another friend – Ruth. Rachel is not only grateful for the baking lessons, but to have someone to talk to. 

 

As she readies the inn to welcome guests, Rachel’s life is changing at a rapid pace. She and Sam get closer, and Karen drifts further away. 

 

Of course, life happens: misunderstandings, storms, and even financial problems. Faith is constant, which is what Rachel is hanging on to. She’s also wondering if she could be Amish in order to be with Sam, or will she remain the outside? 

 

And, Sam is wondering if the last string tying him to his community is worth breaking. 

 

The Second Chance Inn, aptly named, provides just that – a second chance at life, even love. 

 

Giron doesn’t shy away from reality in dealing with hard topics – teen angst, death and grief, and faith. 

 

What I found interesting was the reversal in faith. Rachel’s whole life had shifted in an instant, yet she still had faith in God. Sam, being raised Amish, was questioning his faith. Both felt the grief of losing their spouses, Sam’s grief was even more profound because of losing his children. It was fitting that Rachel and Karen were dropped on his door. They seemed to give him a sense of purpose and healing. 

 

The sweetest moments were between Sam and Rachel. I was conflicted between wanting him to leave the Amish (he’d left in his heart), and Rachel joining the community. It was interesting to see her as a flawed character – one who was grieving, yet hanging in there. Even when Rachel was learning, she remained a flawed and real person. There was no miraculous shift, just a raw and realistic person. And, she didn’t pretend not to be flawed, she knew she wasn’t going to fit in. 

 

When it comes to favorite and not so favorite characters, I find myself conflicted when it comes to children. Even teens. But, I honestly couldn’t stand Karen at all. It was clear her mother was struggling and the girl was an absolute nightmare – selfish and self-centered. While there were a few cute moments (less than three) between them, her constant rudeness was annoying.

 

I had the utmost sympathy as she’d adopted separate from other siblings, yet it seemed like she had it in for Rachel since the adoption. There was some unresolved anger or resentment against Rachel. The two could’ve benefitted from therapy, especially after Barry’s death. What really destroyed my feelings for Karen was when she saw her mother crying, and upon learning it was because her mother missed Barry, telling her – “Really, mom, it’s been over a year, you really need to get over it already”.  I was quite surprised she took to Amish ways like she did, her admiration for how the Amish girls were content despite living the way they did, and even courting an Amish boy. That didn’t make up for her faults though. 

 

While a very clean read, and having a Christian message, there were too many errors to rate this above 3-stars. I can almost overlook grammatical errors (misspelled words, missing punctuation, wrong word being used). That happens in traditional publishing as well. There was one traditionally published book where a paragraph repeated itself. 

 

There are some distracting errors that stand out, almost screaming. I’m not talking about how Karen tells Sam she’s a Jewish mother, then makes a reference to them being Christian or needing a new church. I’m talking about errors that disrupted the “flow” of the story. What do I mean by disrupt? Going back over already read material to make sure I read things right. Even when keeping notes, it’s possible to misread something. It is hard to describe the errors without going into detail (including some spoilers) though.  

 

#1 – Age discrepancy:

 

As the book begins, Rachel is 32 and Barry is 35 at the time of his passing. In the second chapter, her trip back to Pennsylvania is a year after his death, so she is around 33. No birthdays were mentioned in the book, so I assumed they occurred during that time.

 

On a visit to Sam’s community, Rachel tells one of the Amish ladies she was married for 15 years, but knew Barry for 5 years before (pg. 177). That would’ve been 20 years total. As a result, Rachel would’ve been 12 and Barry 15 when they met. The problem? She had previously told Sam that she and Barry met at a college/career retreat (pg. 116). I can’t see a 12-year-old going to a college/career retreat. I think 15 would be questionable.

 

 

#2 – Timeline Continuity:

 

Reading the book it never occurred to me that it might’ve been set in a different year. I assumed, that unless it is historical or listed in the description or chapters, the book is in modern day (within the past 12-18 months).

 

That was until the end of page 223 and beginning of page 224. 

 

Rachel is recalling her 30^th birthday when Barry took her to New York (so, it would be three years before she moved to Pennsylvania). One of the key moments to that evening is the couple having dessert at Windows on the World at the WTC. Rachel then mentions the 9/11/2001 attack.

 

Even if the couple visited in August 2001, and the story is set 2-3 years later by Rachel’s age, that would place the story in 2003/2004. If that is/was the case, there are certain “modern day” items, websites, and apps mentioned that wouldn’t have existed: 

 

📱 iPhones (first one released June 2007) [first mention pg. 10; multiple after] 

📱 SIRI (2010/2011) [pg. 207]

📱 TikTok (2018) [pg. 103]

📱 Snapchat (2011) [pg. 103]

📱 WhatsApp (2009) [pg. 103]

💻 Airbnb (officially named as such in 2009) [pg. 224]

 

If the story is set in the current timeline (2023/2024) – having dinner at the WTC couldn’t have happened as Rachel would’ve been at least 10. And, it wouldn’t have worked for her 20^th birthday either, especially using the social media sites listed as a timeline. The most recent app was released in 2018, so it’s clear to see that would’ve been in 2008. 

 

 

#3 – The “Karen” issue:

 

This is perhaps the smallest error, but one that needs mentioning. If Karen wasn’t yet 18 (was turning soon [282] had a year or so to go [286]), she should’ve been in school in the last ¼ of the book. According to the Lancaster School District, high school starts around the third week of August, but definitely as of the first week in September. Yet, there was no mention of it. The story ends in February, so that is at least half of the school year being missed. She isn’t Amish and hadn’t been baptized in the faith, so that couldn’t have been a factor. 

 

 

The ending, for me, was a bit abrupt. There was no conclusion between Karen and Willis, nor a real “conversion” moment for Karen’s behavior towards her mother. I would’ve liked to have seen Karen dealing with her mother’s hospitalization, along with Sam’s POV during that time. I also wanted to know how it was going to work with Karen/Willis and Sam/Rachel. 

 

This wasn’t a horrible book by any means. It could’ve benefitted from editing for the three bigger issues to make it a stellar read. 

 

Overall, the premise is sweet, and the characters are mostly real, relatable, and likeable. The clean aspect (no bad language, no intimacy) means it’s suitable for readers of most ages. 

 

 

 

RATING:  

 

3 ⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads  

 

3 ⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub  

 

3 ⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html;update https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2022/07/what-goes-into-my-reviews-2022-edition.html) 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

[Photo taken from author's social media page ©Marlayne Giron]

Marlayne Giron is a happily married wife and mother living in Southern California. She is the author of three other books, the best selling The Victor, Make a Wish, and In Plain Sight. She can be reached at her website: https://thevictorbook.com or email: mmgiron@yahoo.com.

You can find her on the following social media accounts:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormarlaynegiron

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MMgiron/

 

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