This book just wasn't what I was expecting. An interesting premise, but it fell far below expectations. The characters felt one dimensional and never got the depth that I hoped they would as the novel went on. The dialogue was clunky and unrealistic for the character's age.

I had trouble following the story at parts too. The narrative jumped in the middle of a scene and I couldn't follow where the characters were.

There's potential, and I feel like this author could be successful with a less hard-hitting genre.

Content warning: This book contains strong portrayal of domestic abuse and its aftermath.

Ali Vali is a fabulous storyteller, this one is clearly close to her heart, which is reflected by the the extra passion and strength of her words. There is a classic butch/femme relationship at the heart of the book, with the twist that they are meeting again after years. Desi had to abandon Harry in high school and their reunion takes place in hospital, when Harry, the orthopaedic surgeon is paged to attend to a Domestic violence victim who turns out to be Desi. Their mutual shock and complex feelings of seeing each other again and processing the violence is explored with empathy, particularly of Desi who needs time to heal both physically and emotionally. Desi's ex is determined to get her back and finish what he started, thus turning the book into a thriller, stopping your breath at moments, as his temper escalates.

The story is very well told, a difficult subject is handled with care, believable and empathically told. The relationship between Harry and Desi is fully developed with both going on emotional journeys as well as passionate ones. The side characters of Harry and Desi's family and friends, (especially Harry's 'nephew' Butch) provide much needed light relief and humour. Couldn't put this book down.

With thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.7*

I'll be honest. This was a very difficult read. The story is about Desi, a woman who as been subjected to domestic violence. This maybe a trigger for some people.

Surgeon Harry Basantes is called into the ER when a patient who as been assaulted by her violent husband. She is instantly thrown back sixteen years when she sees Desi Thompson for the first time after just walking away, disappearing without a word.
Desi as always done as shes told, unfortunately that means marrying a man who her father insisted was a better match then Harry. But when she is rushed into the ER at the result of her husbands hands, she cant help wondering if the right thing is worth the cost.
Harry refuses to let Desi go home, even if she as to put her own feelings aside. Can they rekindle their friendship?

Some parts of the story don't feel very realistic to me, so i'm having trouble with the story line. The violence that is described is realistic, but the aftermath, no. The romance that ignites between Desi and Harry was too rushed for my liking. I might be wrong, but anyone who as been beating for many years, along side emotional and financial abuse don't just jump from one relationship to another practically over night. (And i;m speaking from my own personal experiences)

The main characters, Desi is very insecure which led to lots of repetitiveness in the story line. Harry as a bit of a god complex.
I tried to like this book... maybe because I've been through something similar I shouldn't really be writing this review due to comparing my own feelings. SO please take this review with a 'pinch' of salt and read the book for yourself..

I was given a ARC copy for a honest review.

Desi Thompson didn’t have that great a childhood but when she met Harry Basantes on her sister Rachel’s first day of school she felt she’d won the lottery. When her mother died it left both Desi and Her little sister with an abusive father.Harry started inviting her, along with Rachel into her world. A place with parents so far removed from where she was living she couldn’t believe it. Harry's parents quickly became in many respects the mom and dad she longed for. Harry was a friend she could count on, whether it was helping with the lessons from school or introducing Desi and Rachel to a world of fun. As Desi and Harry grew they discovered the feeling they had for each other were more than ‘just friends’ so they started planning a life together. Harry also recognized the fact that where Desi went so did her little sister.
When Desi’s father saw the two girls making out he quickly cut them off from each other. Using threats against Harry, Desi couldn’t do anything but follow her father's orders. She stopped seeing Harry, dropping out of her life all together. While not understanding why all of a sudden Desi wasn’t going to be a part of the life they’d planned.
It isn’t until Desi was rushed to the emergency department with her injuries that Harry realized Desi didn’t leave her behind because that was what she wanted but what her father had made her do, using his fist to keep her in line. Now they were back together and Harry was determined she wasn’t going to lose Desi again.
Ms Vali knows how to tell a great story. A very enjoyable read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

3.5 stars

Harriet (Harry) Basantes is shocked when she discovers the victim of domestic abuse in her emergency department is the woman she once loved, a woman who disappeared from her life without explanation. Her anger and hurt feelings do not stop Harry from doing her job or from accepting the request to ensure Desi’s safety by bringing her home when she is ready to leave the hospital.
Desiree (Desi) Thompson has spent her adult life enduring both physical and emotional abuse in an effort to keep those she loves most safe from harm. She is battered, beaten and broken. She is shocked to see Harry again after sixteen years apart. She wonders if it would have been better to die than risk her husband's wrath directed towards her long ago girlfriend, Harry.

Despite the opening scenes of violence and the persistent threats to Desiree and her sister Rachel, this turned out to be a feel good, second chance romance. The misunderstandings which can drag a romance to a crawl are dealt with quickly and hard feelings between Harry and Desi are soon replaced with the rekindling of their love for one another. The threats Desi has lived with continue, putting her life at risk but having Harry and an entertaining cast of friends and family on her side make Desi hope for a life she thought she would never live to see.

The fanfic origins of this story shine through at times. The Xenaverse allowed many of our best lesfic authors to hone their writing skills. Maybe Harry could have carried Desi less often and maybe the bad guys in this novel are dumber than posts while consumed with homophobic and jealous rage. Hard to know what an abusive spouse will do to control those they think they own. Well done, Ali Vali for shining a light on domestic violence. Most women don’t have a Harry to save them from their violent partners. I’m happy Desi was one of the lucky ones.

ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review.

One evening when Dr. Harry Basantes is working in the ER she comes face to face with her high school sweetheart, Desi, who she hadn't need in sixteen years. Desi has been badly beaten by her husband, and Harry not only fixes her leg but brings her home to give her a safe place to heal in spite of her broken heart, still not healed after sixteen years. Their attraction still sizzles beneath the surface after so many years, but with all their baggage, is there a future for them?

This was a really sweet story and cute romance with great chemistry. I think the author did a really great job showing the connection between Desi and Harry - you could really feel that their connection had been there for years and only strengthened and grew as the story went on. I really enjoyed the secondary characters, Mona, Rachel, Serena and her kiddo Butch (Albert), they added a lot of depth and dimension to the story and made for a really cozy read when some of the subject matter is a little heavy. I would have been interested in reading the full story about Rachel, Desi's sister, and Serena. Harry was just a little too perfect? It's an odd complaint to have because most characters in romances are perfect people with cute flaws and I admittedly love that. However, Harry was next level - she had worked at two hospitals and her private clinic? Ali Vali always writes great books, engaging characters and settings and sweet and steamy romances. Not my favourite but a solid read and a sweet way to spend an afternoon. (There is a lot of violence, and while I'm happy to read Desi getting her happily ever after and her freedom, if you're not comfortable with violence I'd give this a pass.)

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The novel is about Harry, a surgeon, and Desi, Harry's girlfriend when they were kids who then just disappeared, breaking Harry's heart. They meet again when Desi appears in the hospital ER where Harry works. Desi has been beaten very badly by her husband.

Other than her sister, Desi has no one, and both of them have nowhere to go, and so Harry takes them into her place, so that maybe Desi's husband and his family can't find her. Of course, as Desi is finding her inner strength and courage to stand up to her husband and his family, she and Harry are also falling back in love with one another.

This was an amazing book by Vali, it was also, really, really, really intense. I usually fly through the awesome five star lesfic novels when they come around, but, this one was so intense that, despite its amazingness, I had to put it down a few times and take some time in between reading it here and there.

It was worth the read though. It was complex and multi-layered (both characters and plot) and it feels really weird writing that I enjoyed it, but, I did enjoy this read quite a lot.

I was given this ARC by Netgalley on behalf of Bold Strokes Books

Powerful and hard biting story of domestic violence. This story of love for the ages involves Harriet "Harry" Basantes successful yet heart broken orthopedic surgeon and Desi Thompson, in a marriage she did not expect or want and boy does she suffer. This read had some very tough domestic violence passages. But the support of her sister (Rachel), friends (Mona, Albert, Serena, Kenneth, Tony), and especially Harry, make it bearable. Harry proved to be awesome and ready to take on all comers that had ill intentions toward Desi and her sister Rachel. Desi was wounded mentally, emotionally, and physically and you wanted her to pull it together and believe in herself.

Although a challenging subject matter, I thought it was handled well because there was a wonderful and caring support group.

I haven’t read much of Ali Vali, and considering what I’ve seen from her, the intensity of this book was a surprise. Not that I didn’t expect it from the book description, but still....
Desi and Harry were both okay. I didn't find them particularly combustible, but in a book featuring so much abuse and trauma, that was perfectly acceptable. It helps that I'm a huge fan of second chances, especially when the characters were childhood friends. Their story is sad but sweet. I liked the way that Desi's past was revealed; it didn't feel forced at all.
I could rant for an hour about our absolutely delightful spurned ex, Byron. The parts featuring him, his father, and Clyde, so pretty much most of the book, are pretty unbelievable. How in the world, specifically in our 21st century world, can people like them exist? Even in books, I rarely encounter such openly sexist and homophobic pigs, unafraid of the law and wholeheartedly believing in their twisted crap. It’s appalling to wonder if there are actually these people out there. I’m sure internalized homophobia is more widespread than we can measure, but people this audacious have got to stick out like a sore thumb. A father threatening to kill both his daughters, forcing one into a loveless marriage because seeing two girls kissing makes him vomit. A husband who thinks that taking care of his wife includes beating her half to death for the heck of it, plus the father who taught him these values. I just couldn’t wrap my head around the madness.
To say the least, this is no light read. There are so many ways a story like this could go wrong but I think this was skilfully woven. Four and a half stars.

When I first requested this book from NetGalley is was because of the author, I have read every Ali Vali book out there-what I didn't realize until I started reading was this book is I have read this before. I came across it a few years back on a fanfic website that Ms. Vali had so I cannot say how thrilled I was to have the published copy in my hands I know this story is a tough one to read due to the plot line around domestic violence, but the love story between Desi and Harry, for me, was what kept me reading, then and now.

The supporting characters only made the story stronger and I have to say all of them still live in my minds eye way after I finished the book. Ms. Vali has this uncanny way of having you fall in love with all her characters and having them stay with you long after the story is done. Though I have read this story many, many times when it was fist up on the fanfic site, Ms. Vali did it just in this formal published style (but I will say the original will always be my go-to one to re-read :-)). To be able to take topic of domestic violence, as dark and ugly as it is, and present it in a way that you can't help but weep and cheer on Harry, and especially Desi, to survive and come out stronger for all that they endured.

Thank you Ms. Vali for bring this storyline to the masses, from the first time I read about Harry and Desi to now in this formal publication, they will always be one of my favorite couples you bring to life (of course Cain and Emma being number 1 :-)).

I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, but would have written the same opinion if I had come across this author on my own.

To see my Amazon review, it is under CC-A beautiful story of survival

Officially 3.5 stars. This book has a great premise, woman finds the courage to leave her abusive husband, and manages to reconnect with her first love who treats her injuries from said abusive husband. The story begins strong with Desi’s struggles to emerge from years of abuse. Over the course of the book, the story tends to skip on repeat the message of their destiny together with the abusive husband hunting Desi down for some payback. It ends exactly how you think it does. It is sweet, entertaining, and well written, but it would have been served better as a shorter novella to avoid the repetativeness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC of this book.

<b>Content warning: Domestic violence is a major theme in this book.</b>

This book was lukewarm for me, which is weird to say considering the extremely heavy subject matter. The plot was well-crafted, but I don’t think it was much of a romance novel. When I read romance, I’m looking for internal feelings of yearning and sweet butterflies-in-the-tummy moments. Unfortunately, I don’t think this book had much of either. We’re told that Harry and Desi have been the loves of each other’s lives since grade school, but I found their flashback scenes sorely lacking in depth. Harry’s and Desi’s conversations are just them repeating the same thing over and over — “it’s always been you, you’re the love of my life” etc etc. And even though I’m not one to enjoy sex scenes that much, I can appreciate them when they’re well-written. But I just found the sex scenes in this story to be cringe-worthy.

Harry is this magnanimous character who is bursting with gallant traits. I almost feel like she’s the embodiment of the “macho” stereotype. She has no real flaws except for being a really cringey/inappropriate “uncle” to her ex’s kid. And literally everywhere she goes, women are drooling over her. Is that really realistic, considering the proportion of queer women in the population?

And Desi...it’s hard to say. Most of her arc focuses on her being the victim of horrendous abuse, and it makes sense why that part of her life is front-and-center, not leaving room for a lot of her true personality to scratch the surface. But still, I feel like there must be a way to portray that without making Desi an incredibly dull character. Even in the grade school scenes, she’s boring and her only personality trait is being wildly in love with Harry *yawns.*

And now for the side characters. I found Desi’s sister Rachel way more interesting than either of the two mains. And Serena irked me for some reason. It seemed like she was constantly overstepping.

Oh, and don’t get me started on the bad guys. Yes, Ali Vali does a great job of making you loathe them infinitely, but they almost read as caricatures (actually, almost all the characters in this book read as caricatures/stereotypes). And did we really need so many scenes from Byron’s POV?? Ugh, I hated reading those. Why couldn’t we have more sweet Harry/Desi scenes instead?? After all, this is supposed to be a romance novel...

The only time I really felt something was 85% of the way through, and those feelings had nothing to do with Harry or Desi. I did start to enjoy this story a bit more toward the end, but it never really got satisfying for me.

Overall, this wasn’t my favorite read. I can see why people liked it, but it didn’t do much for me.

A second chance romance with a twist. Other reviewers have mentioned the domestic abuse angle of the story, and it is brutal. Every time I read an Ali Vali book I just wish I could be "rescued and saved" by one of her heroines, whether I need it or not, because each one is worthy of swooning over. There are many secondary characters in this book that are very well fleshed out, some great (Mona, Rachel) and some horrible (the ex-husband and his dad).

I loved the "Easter eggs" in this book ... Sept, Blanchard's, references to Big Gino. My only complaint is that I feel like Harry forgave and took Desi back a little too quickly, even before she knew the real story. But I guess that's just how great a person Harry is {swoon}.

Desi Thompson and Harriet (Harry) Basantes were inseparable as they were growing up together.  Then they fell in love and once school was finished they had mapped out their future together. Desi's father stepped in and suddenly forced Desi into a marriage with an abusive man. Desi just disappeared from Harry's life until she unexpectedly turns up in Harry's ER badly beaten many years later.
I thought this book was going ok until Desi and Harry reconnected then I found the story a little boring. Desi and Harry were constantly professing their love for each which started to become monotonous. There's quite a bit of violence that crops up which is relevant to the story but it can be a difficult read for some people. This is not my favourite book from this author.

This story has been a bit repetitive throughout its development. There are situations and above all there are many reflective thoughts of the two protagonists that are repeated often, which makes the story slow down a lot. And the intrinsic violence of the plot is not very inviting, although this author is known for having series with these types of violent characters but with a purpose, no violent for free. In any case, with or without purpose, violence is not something I like to find in novels, so I had a certain discomfort with this one.

But somehow I could have expected this and not been surprised, since in general this author has some patterns that she repeats in her books: a very butch protagonist, which here has been Harry, the other femme, which here has been Desi, normally the femme protagonist has some strength in her personality, here circumstances do not allow it and the character of Desi has been too passive and damaged.

The story itself is not very new, Harry and Desi have a past in high school that was cut short when they had to go to college, but it was in an unexpected way and without explanations on the part of Desi, which left Harry quite stunned. This stunned state has been with Harry to this day, and when the two of them meet again in somewhat tragic circumstances, Harry cannot put that breakup and the lack of explanations that caused it behind.

It is not an easy story in some of its parts and as I said, it is repetitive. Not her best story definitely.

One More Chance was in many ways a difficult story to read. I have not experience domestic violence first hand but have known women who have. Taking such a huge topic can either go in either a good or bad direction. Even though this is a difficult topic to discuss I think Ali does a good job with the scenes and the aftermath of the violence.

Harry Basantes and Desi Thompson met when they were children. They grew to love one another and become girlfriends who planned a future together. Right after graduation Desi disappears from Harry's life leaving Harry to wonder for the last 16 years why. Things change when Harry who is now an orthopedic surgeon is called to consult a woman in the ER. Turns out that woman is Desi.

As I stated One More Chance is a hard one to read. The impacts of domestic violence affects women deeply and it is hard to leave when you are scared for your life. One more chance shows us this violent behavior and the aftermath of this violence. You come to see how the mains have to come to terms with all the things that have happen in the past and are able to move on in the future. My main complaint about this one is that Ali does such a good job showing the violence but I wish more time was spent on the real healing. The coming together of the mains seemed a tad bit too quick considering what has happened. I just needed more on the healing to really be satisfied.

3.75 stars

This arc was provided by the publisher for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It’s over a 3.5 star but not quite a four. It’s really hard to say you enjoyed something with such serious and difficult topics as domestic violence and homophobia. So I think it’s more appropriate to say I appreciated the writing.

The MCs are Harry and Desi - childhood lovers who met in third grade but due to life circumstances we no longer able to be together after high school. Harry becomes a well respected orthopaedic surgeon and happens to be in the ER the day Desi is brought into the ER after her husband makes an attempt on her life - throwing them together again in ways neither had hoped or expected.

I liked both MCs. Desi was written well to illustrate the feelings people in this situation feel (I have no experience in this situation, so I can only presume sensitivity readers were used to ensure this was accurate). Harry is definitely a character written in the ‘hero’ mould.

Once they are thrown back together a relationship does come around quickly which I struggled with slightly but could also understand. I’ve previously enjoyed books where characters have got back together after break-ups but I have tended to prefer ones where that’s a slower burn so this was a bit different for me.

I liked the secondary characters around the MCs - and even the horrible secondary characters had a purpose to the storyline. The inclusion of Serena, Rachel, Mona and Tony ensures that we see the MCs from different points of view and ensures that we get the opportunities to move away from the violence where possible.

The book comes with many warnings from my point of view, it definitely will not be for everybody, but it is definitely a well written book and from that point of view I can recommend it. I would be interested in a second part of the story.

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ali Vali is an amazing writer and I am always happy to see a new book of hers. This book deals with domestic abuse and its aftermath, it is a heavy topic.

Desi is married to an abusive man, one night he almost kills her. When the police barges in and takes Desi to the hospital to fix her broken bones all Desi can think about how it might have been better to not have survived another of his moods. In the hospital, Harry gets called in to attend to a patient with a very serious broken leg. Harry gets a good look at the patient and even through the injuries, she can see it's Desi, the woman who shattered her heart 16 years ago. 16 years ago Desi just disappeared from her life, after spending almost their entire lives together up until that point. They even had plans for the future. What Harry doesn't know is that Desi's father was abusive and he forced her to marry her husband. Harry always protected Desi and her sister Rachel, even with her broken heart and 16 years of anger she decides to help them. Having Desi and Rachel in her home makes Harry realise she never loved another woman, never thought about sharing her life with anyone other than Desi.

After reading this book I read some other reviews and discovered it is a dusted-off version of Xena fan-fic, from what I understood this version is better than the original fan-fic. I've never read any Xena fan-fic so I don't know anything about this, all I know is that this book was good. The subject matter is very serious and the abuse scenes are very descriptive, if this is a trigger for you, don't read this book. Besides the abuse there is some levity in the story, of course, there is the romance, but the secondary characters bring the actual levity. Especially Harry's housekeeper Mona is a hoot. The only thing that rubs me the wrong way is that Harry just seems too good to be true at times. And it might have been nice to see some more interaction between the sisters/ family bond in general. Harry is close to her family but they have no part in the story, which seems weird.
Domestic abuse is a serious topic and it got me thinking about all the women (and men) who are suffering even more during the lockdown. I hope they make it, just as Desi did.

Also, shout out to Ali Vali for pledging a portion of each sale to a local program of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Since I received an ARC (and don't live in the USA) I am donating what this book would have cost me to my local organisation against domestic violence.

I met Harry and Desi a long time ago through fan fiction. So I was happy to see Ali Vali has dusted it, edited it and gotten it published. I like the new polished version.

Harry and Desi met during high school. Harry from an affluent family and Desi from the wrong sides of the tracks. It's a story of domestic violence, young love and misunderstandings.

Harry and Desi had a bond from the beginning. Harry always taking the role of protector. At graduation day Desi cuts of all ties from Harry leaving her behind, broken-hearted. Years later, a battered Desi shows up at Harry's ER.  Years of hurt and returns while they reconnect and truths are exposed.

While a heavy and tragic topic, the book still has its airy and funny moments. Worth the read.

Hard but Good
Harry and Desi were childhood sweethearts then Desi disappeared. Sixteen years later and they meet again… in the ER after her husband had beaten her nearly to death. Harry refuses to let Desi go back to her abuser and does her best to keep her safe even though it means opening up old wounds… When secrets come to light will they have a second chance at the future that once was taken from them both?

WHEW! This book is rough! Domestic violence is a major theme in this story and the abuse Desi suffered is serious and has spanned sixteen years. There are scenes where she is being beaten and nearly killed, there are times where Desi talks about what happened and sexual assault is hinted at, this is NOT something to read if there are triggers for you!! I didn’t realize it would be so… graphic, present and not told from a passive, removed place… The saga also tells of Desi’s legal battles, her husband’s actions and reactions, and other tense things. All that being said, this is an Ali Vali book so the writing is excellent as the woman is seriously gifted! It’s vibrant and gritty, strong and powerful… The story is a hard read but it was not one that I was able to put down. It was compelling and engaging. It was filled with hope and love along with the pain and suffering. It was beautiful to watch Desi and Harry reconnect and get to know each other again. Harry is so sweet and protective, the whole loving romance part of the book is every bit as soft and wonderful as the other stuff is harsh. The ending is perfect and everything I could have hoped for and more and worth the pain it took to get there. I won’t be rereading this one but I did like it very much.