****Full Review****

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Carolyn is a former rich girl currently drowning in bills due to her father's mismanagement of money. Working at a country club that she used to stay at has humbled her and revealed her tougher side. When the country club gets bought by none other than Jake, the boy from the wrong side of the tracks her parents had arrested for making out with her, she thinks her world will crumble again. Jake has never forgotten Carolyn and used his anger for motivation to work his way to the top. When he sees her at her lowest, he wants to be glad but old feelings start to be rekindled. Jake and Carolyn are still struggling with the past but have a second chance to make things right for the future.

Once and Again is the first in a new series and it is painfully obvious. Secondary characters, especially a newly acquired friend of Carolyn, get loads of face time with little story tangents that have no real place in this story but are obviously meant to intrigue for future interest in later books. This, along with pages devoted to tedious descriptions and doings by Carolyn, filled the story with unnecessary details that dragged and created a slow pace. I enjoyed and liked seeing the female relationships Carolyn cultivated but I mainly came for the romantic relationship between her and Jake, sadly this was missing.

Carolyn seemed like a stiff character, I could never quite get a read on her and as a consequence never felt attached. She is working to pay off her father's debts, while her sisters apparently got out of Dodge, and while she cries and gets hot for Jake, I never felt true emotion from her. Jake had more vitality to him but, especially for the first half, he felt like a guest star in his own story. We get to see more of his personality through his interactions with two of his business partners but I would have loved to see him with Carolyn more. There were no flashback scenes to the two meeting and falling in love as kids which left them without a foundation in this story. It essentially felt like they see each other again, feel some sparks again, sleep together, spend a lot of the story apart, sleep together, Carolyn has a handful of pages wondering if she should be with Jake, and then are together forever. Sadly, at no point did I feel or understand their romance.

This story basically follows Carolyn's life as she finds her way working at the country club, many side tangents of what I am guessing are future characters, Jake's commercial real estate issues, and Carolyn and Jake's infrequent meet-ups. The writing is technically sound but the actual story drifts into being boring and loses its focus many times. There was promise here with rich girl and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks, unfortunately, the author seemed too focused on setting up characters for future books.
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This one is about Jake Gaffney and Carolyn Rivington being reunited after years of pain, anger, and hurt. Roles are reversed now though. He is rich and powerful and she is down on her luck. When Jake buys the country club she is currently working at, they both know that it is time to deal with their past and let things go. If only it was that easy!

I've been looking forward to this new series from Elisabeth Barrett and after reading this book I am NOT disappointed! I can't wait to see how some of the secondary characters are developed and what their stories are. While parts of this seemed a little drawn out I think it was necessary to introduce all the characters and their roles. Can't wait for more! I definitely recommend this one! ( )

Young and wealthy Carolyn always obeyed her parents so when they made her break up with bad boy, Jake, she did. No longer rich, her family deep in debt, she doesn't know where to turn, but ends up working at the club, Briarwood. When the new owner shows up Carolyn is surprised to see it's Jake, her first love. He's back with a chip on his shoulder and expects Carolyn to keep everything going at Briarwood. What will Jake think when he knows she needs this job and her family is no longer wealthy? Will she be able to work for Jake, when she's already attracted to him and the man he's become?

A great tickle-your-tummy, heartwarming romance you'll love to have on hand for every free moment you have to read. I enjoyed the characters and their self-perceived flaws and how they were able to overcome them and move on to take a second chance at love. They each had their own issues and plans for life and Ms. Barrett meshed their lives together seamlessly. Ms. Barrett gives the reader love, laughter, grief and loyalty within her story and I enjoyed every bit of it. Weaving the story together around the club, first love, maturity, and the trials of life made for a realistic love story. Once and Again was romantic, sexy, funny and sweet. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Barrett and in the meantime I'll be recommending Once and Again to everyone I know! 5 Stars! ( )