Last Published: 07-28-2020
While First Love Second Chances is the 5th book in the Byrnehouse-Davies & Hamilton Saga, it’s also the 2nd book in a small trilogy within this series!!
Book Details
First published in 1995, this book has not been reissued with any new book covers.
And you’ll also find that this particular author is a LDS author and sells almost exclusively to LDS bookstores and such. I have found it only recently any of these books on Amazon
You’ll find that there’re no sexual details in this story at all.
And this story is a little different in that it actually shares ideas and thoughts of an active LDS person and the things that they go thru.
This story is set in modern times and is classified as a contemporary romance plus a Christian romance.
This book is printed in larger size than just a pocketbook size and is 238 pages long.
You might think that it would be an easy read, but Anita Stansfield brings forward many issues that LDS people think about and the way they think about things makes this story not an easy read!!
To really understand this book, you need to be an LDS person or at least closely acquainted with one to understand the thinking and pondering and studying that an active LDS person does.
Things like when we are faced with problems, we go to the Lord in prayer seeking guidance and help. Or we counsel with our church leaders about our conduct or problems we may be having. Or if we are following the teachings of the Gospel.
All of these types of thoughts and conversations that we do is different. Different than what the rest of the world might do. But not different that we are not any different than any normal person.
So when you read this book, you can know that Emily’s character is a type of what an active, God-fearing, follower of Christ is going to do.
And as Anita Stansfield, and myself, are members of this LDS church, I can relate completely with Emily’s thinking and the way that she makes decisions.
Book Summary
This book is a continuation to book 4, First Love and Forever. But really it was book 1.
In book 4, Emily chose Ryan over Michael because he could take her to the temple to be married. But after living a lonely existence with a husband that was insensitive and was inactive at church, she was ready for things to change. When she encounters Michael on one of his book signings, she’s reminded of what could have been.
In the end, she chooses Ryan over Michael a second time.
But the Lord has more in store for them all. When Ryan is killed in a car accident, and Michael shows up, it can only be God guiding them all.
So now when book 5 starts, Michael and Emily are finally engaged.
And making plans to move to his home in Australia.
But it’s not easy. They have 3 young girls, one of them 9yrs, that they have to help to adjust to the changes that are going to take place.
So the majority of this book is about them adjusting to being together again. Them learning and adjusting to one another again after so many years apart.
Them adjusting to a precocious 9yrs old that has troubles accepting her father’s death and her mother’s new marriage and the changes of moving to another country.
Them learning to live with money when they’ve lived for so long without.
Mixed all in with that is how they live and breathe the gospel of Jesus Christ and how it impacts their lives.
For the first chunk of the book, they are in Utah making preparations to move and helping the girls to adjust to the changes.
Then when they finally get to Australia, they have to help the family adjust there to how different it is then where they were before.
Emily is a survivor and I’d like to think we all are. Life and love can be hard when you are trying to make a marriage work.
And they do get married at the end of this book, but their story doesn’t end here. You can find out even more when you read book 6, Now and Forever, where love and life can get in the way of love and life!!
Conclusion
First Love Second Chances is a poignant and moving story that I read 25yrs ago and I still remember scenes and events that happened.
This book is just as touching and intense as the first book.
We all have to make hard decisions in life and we all want to feel like we are doing what is right and doing what the Lord wants us to be doing.
This book is a great example of faith, of the hard earned faith that we all need to find in order to be able to feel the peace that only comes from the Lord.
Anita Stansfield does a marvelous job of creating characters that are real and realistic, interesting and so compelling.
Her writing is well thought out and you can tell that she’s a master storyteller when I’m crying right along with Emily and the hard things that she has to deal with.
This is one book that I have read over and over again. And I love how Michael’s and Emily’s story is continued in the next book!!
