I loved this book! The storyline is unlike anything I have read, and I did not want it to end.

The author immediately draws you in with various characters with different storylines and how they connect. Jessie is my favorite character. As a trans person who fights against the Travelers with her family, I loved seeing her conflicting emotions in a difficult situation. At times I got angry at her for playing with her life and risking it just for Carly. But at times, I also felt terrible for whatever she goes through. Moreover, I love her conversations with Abigail. Both of them share a special bond, and it was interesting to see how they connected.

Simultaneously, the author also keeps the story fresh by narrating the tale from different perspectives. Millie is also fascinating as she Travels across centuries. However, I wish she was more prominent, as she only appears sporadically. Similarly, Eva and Curtis were all right. While I wouldn’t say I liked their storyline initially, I enjoyed it once Jessie came into the picture. At the same time, Jess is also impressive as the potential ‘villain’ fighting against the Travelers.

However, there were times when I felt the story was slow and repetitious in the beginning. But I still give this book five stars only because of its concept. It surpassed my expectations and turned out to be a very memorable read. I loved the word of the Travelers and the idea of how they survive. Overall, “Second Chances” is an excellent book if you are in the mood for an eerie, fascinating tale of death and resurrection.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Second Chances is the follow-up to P.D. Cacek's 2019 release, Second Lives, which I read and reviewed last year. In that novel, we learn of a global phenomenon where souls, in some cases, a long time dead, are reincarnated in a sense, into the bodies of recently deceased humans.

There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the bizarre occurrences, but the newly matched souls with bodies are known as Travelers, mostly accepted within society and protected under the law. In some cases, the families of the recently deceased people, now inhabited by the souls of other people, agree to take these Travelers in and basically absorb them into their families.

It's an odd concept, but definitely creative and also quite interesting to think about. In this installment, we are mainly following twin sisters, Jessie and Abbie, whose father is the leader of a religious movement known as, True Borns. Daddy's main area of focus happens to be preaching hate against the Travelers, or Imposters, as they call them. Otherwise known as imps.

We also follow a mentally unstable teen boy and his equally unstable mother, as well as a few other people related to the Traveler phenomenon.

I'm not sure how I feel about this one, y'all. It hurts my heart, but I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first novel. It was definitely interesting, particularly the overall picture of what is going on in this world. If you think about the ramifications of what our world would be like if this actually happened, it's creepy AF.

With this being said, there were also large portions, or storylines, of this book that just didn't sit right with me. Frankly, they made me uncomfortable. Particularly, Jessie's storyline as a trans character, but also the treatment of mental health for Curtis and his mother. I would definitely be interested in seeing OWN voices reviews on those two representations here, should they come up.

Overall, I just don't think it was a solid match for my tastes. It is a good book though, don't get me wrong. I would recommend picking it up, especially if you really enjoyed the first book.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Flame Tree Press, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity!

There is a reader for every book, and a book for every reader.

An interesting and engrossing story that can be read as a stand alone.
I liked the style of writing, the world building and the character development.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is the sequel to Second Lives in which lives that were cut short return from the dead, not as newborns and not with new lives, but in the bodies of the recently deceased.

They are called the Travelers, and although there are more of them than ever, and they have been given more rights and protections, there are still those who believe they are an abomination.

I loved the start of the story when we first meet the soon to be "traveler" but as the book progressed she was less of a main character than I had hoped. The plot mostly moves on to a group of religious zealots and a woman who is willfully ignorant of her child's mental instability. I was not nearly as emotionally invested in this sequel and it's new characters. This was just an ok read for me when compared to my love for the first book.

3 out of 5 stars

Review: SECOND CHANCES by P. D. Cacek

Quite some time ago I read and admired Ms. Cacek’s novel SECOND LIVES. SECOND CHANCES is more of a continuation than a sequel. Perhaps it is due to reading in late 2020, a year distraught with a global pandemic, civil unrest, human rights violations, and political chaos, that this novel I found tremendously disturbing. At several points I was impelled to stop reading till I could regain my composure. From the very beginning the novel is heart-wrenching. I felt the author struck on so many aspects of human cruelty and evil, of closed-mindedness and prejudice and blind unthinking bigotry. I predict nightmares.

This is a bit different to the book it follows on from, and would probably be capable of being read as a standalone. Reading the first would help set the scene but the story is its own entity. There are quite a few different threads but they weave together nicely as the book progresses. An interesting exploration of mortality and loss, and how a change to these confronting realities could affect individuals and society in general.

P. D. Cacek wonderfully spins another engaging tale that expands upon the same concept from her previous novel, "Second Lives". People are dying and their body is being taken over by another soul ... a transmigration of a soul that is met with both wonder and disdain. Some refer to these "new" individuals as Travelers or Newcomers, while others call them Imposters ... an abomination to the Lord. World governments have accepted their presence, and adopted new laws protecting their rights ... and, even supplying structured support to pave their way into general society. However, there are the "True Borns" whose dogma espouses "One Body, One Soul" who are adamant in putting an end to the Travelers. They even have come up with a kit to stop the process ... within three minutes of death a syringe full of sodium hypochlorite ( common bleach) is injected through the ear into the brain.
Cacek proves to be a masterful storyteller in this stand alone novel ... weaving together a complex tale of worthy "second chances" ..... Jessie a transgender twin caught in a girl's body, and after a suicide finds herself in Curtis's body ( a so-called genius schizophrenic ).... Ms Samuels , a teacher who runs the high school LGBTQ meetings (who actually in another life was a deeply troubled George Samuels ... who was brutally murdered while cross-dressing) .... Millie Benezet - Guzman whose life purpose now is to help in the transition of fellow Newcomers ( after being brutally murdered by bigots). These stories and more are effortlessly woven together in an exploration of faith, gender, identity , friendship and love. A wonderful example of gestalt, where the whole of this tale is much greater than the sum of its parts.
Thanks to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for supplying an Uncorrected Proof of this gem in exchange for an honest review. Thankfully the Epilogue hints at another tale in this Universe ... which I readily would welcome.
( at readersremains.com )

WOWZERS!!! What an amazing story!! I read the first book in the series. The good news for those who haven't read the first book... no worries!! Both books totally stand apart! I honestly didn't see a sequel coming... but, DANG!!! I'm so glad I got to read, SECOND CHANCES early having received an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) from the publisher.

SECOND CHANCES focuses more on just a few of the "travelers or imps". I love that the author thought to include a set of twins who can speak to one another telepathically! Total genius!! The whole story from beginning to end was a helluva ride!! I totally enjoyed every morsel! This is one of those rare gems that one rarely runs across. The author thinks so far out of the box that the reader has no idea there is a box! lol.

I highly recommend SECOND CHANCES to anyone who wonders what would happen if the body dies and POOF... a person who passed away previously... their soul finds it's way into the body of the recently deceased. The author actively engages folks to think about transgender and what would happen if someone suddenly found themselves in a body that is not the gender they were originally born within their "first" life.

A very thought-provoking adventure that those who like to think and explore the deep recesses of humanity will totally enjoy!

Review Copy 4.5 stars

I was so excited to see a novel by author PD Cacek that I simply grabbed it and started reading without looking at any of the information provided. On opening the cover I ound it was a first draft. Ok, that's fine, that means I have to buy the final copy when it it's published. Poor me. Hope I like it. Ha!

It's been a year and a half since I read SECOND LIVES and with roughly 150 books since it was tough remembering details. I'll be rereading it - just because. But it's not necessary t to read in order. Purists may want to, but you really can walk into SECOND CHANCES and enjoy it on it's own.

The thing I liked most about CHANCES is that it's a book for our times. It's about today's issues as well as family issues. There are so many people that should read this to try to understand other people's points of view. I hope readers don't get bored and dnf because they can't relate to the characters.

The reason I didn't give this 5 stars was because it was a first draft. It was in need of editing and I could see where changes and probable cuts would be made. I'd love to update this review after reading the final version. Hope I remember! I bet it goes to 5 stars.