Second Chance Rival by M. Robinson

Steamy and drama filled, Second Chance Rival is the banter laden second-chance romance I hoped it would be. The fifth book in the Second Chance series brings us Tristian and Belle’s story and starts right in the thick of it with the pair finding out the sort of futures their grandfathers envision for them. For them to each inherit their families’ lucrative businesses, they must marry and produce an heir. Tristian is far more willing in this situation than Belle is, and you’re left wondering what exactly happened in the past to create such fierce tension between the two. From the get-go, we know they were once something way back in high school, but for reasons unknown (until eventually) what they had goes south and then there’s no contact for 20 years. This curious and stressful past follows these two from the beginning and informs how things go down with them throughout the book as they try to navigate their new circumstances.

The chemistry between Tristian and Belle is downright combustible whether they’re arguing or otherwise engaged. They both harbor a lot of complicated feelings from the past that are coming to the surface now as they’re being forced to marry. I love an arranged-marriage romance with a certain level of animosity between the characters fueling the fire, and that’s exactly what this storyline provides. The present-day story juxtaposes their past in well done flashbacks, and I liked seeing how their younger selves wound up together in the first place and how they deal with being forced together now.

Also, I loved Belle from the start. She’s accomplished and sassy but there’s an underlying sweet quality to her, too. She’s feisty, and the way she and Tristian argue is totally entertaining. And then there’s Tristian, who I at first thought was a bit of a bully with Belle. Automatically loving Belle as much as I did reading this book made me a touch annoyed with him, but he made up for all that pretty quickly and turned into the sort of character I root for. The way these characters play off each other with all their drama made for an addictive romance, and I think the amount of angst was just right.

This is another must read in this series, and I absolutely enjoyed Tristian and Belle with all their arguing and spiciness. This fast-paced romance is a must read, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next book.