My Way Back to You (Second Chances Duet)

After reading the very angst filled first book in this duet, Then There Was You, I have to be completely honest when I say I was almost scared to start reading this. I was still holding onto a lot of anxiety, anger, stress, stomach aches every time I thought back to everything that happened in the first part of the story. Was I going to be able to handle any more of those feelings? Did I want to go through more of the same in order to find out what happens with Rowan and Tessa? Well no, but yes! I am way too invested in these two, I had to know what happened.So I read the whole story, and when I finished, I was happy with the ending, and where the characters were in their lives. I was so glad I read it, and I survived it, and didn't get any stomach aches this time around.Claire took us forward in time pretty quickly, so we only got little glimpses of what Tessa and Rowan's lives have been like for the past four years. It is when they reconnect over a joint work project that things got interesting. It is obvious that the feelings they had for each other were still very much alive, no matter how hard they tried to ignore them, or bury them, or whatever they had to tell themselves so that they could make it through each day. Tessa had it a little easier since she's been able to concentrate all of her focus on her gorgeous child and her amazing career. Rowan focused on the takeover and buyout of his grandparent's company.The big question for me once they are around each other again was, how were they going to navigate through the minefield of secrets and the fact that Rowan is still married to Camryn. How is Rowan going to react once Tessa's huge secret is revealed. What do these two even really want at this point? It's been four years, do they even still want the same things they thought they wanted before Rowan pushed Tessa away?Lots of questions were answered for me that I obsessed about while waiting for this release. Rowan finally discovered how to communicate and express his feelings, which I admit drove me crazy in the first book. He and Tessa are obviously much more mature now, less prone to react before finding out all the facts, which I really liked. They worked beautifully as a couple, even through the trauma and drama of Camryn. I hated her in the first book, and I hated her just as much in this book. But I hated the fact that Rowan had no backbone whatsoever when it came to anything that had to do with Camryn. He disappointed me greatly in this aspect. Tessa had no issues putting Camryn in her place, but that really should have been handled by Rowan, and sadly he got a negative grade from me for his lack of action where she was concerned. Ugh...she probably ranks in my top ten of most hated characters.I never thought I would say this about a book, but I almost missed the angst this time around. And I think I feel that way because book 1 had such a huge overload of angst that I figured going in to this one that it would be equally as angsty, but it was not at all. So I'm not sure if I felt let down by that or not, but at the end of the day, Claire told the story exactly how it needed to be told, and I was super happy to see Tessa and Rowan find their happily ever after.

Wow. Wow. WOW!! What an ending to a beautiful duet. Ro and Tessa complete me. I want to gush and gush about My Way Back to You, but I don't want to ruin the beauty of this story for anyone else. I cannot say enough about this book. Just know that this book is the moon, the stars, rainbows, and roses. Sure there is a little bit angst, and lots of vulnerabilities. But what do you expect when you have these two characters that have been vying for one anothers attention for years? A relationship that spans years, is one relationship you try to make work. And work there is.....My Way Back to You starts a few years after the ending of Then There Was You. We are thrown right into the mix from the get. Things are a bit different this time around. Tessa is no longer just an intern, she is the big dog on campus. We see the complexities of her everyday life; job, social aspects, bits of wanting and needing someone, and her all consuming love for a certain someone(s). Tessa GREW tremendously in this book. Imo, I felt she was a little wishy washy with Ro in Then There Was You, but I completely get it. Sheesh, that trainwreck wounded me. Rowan and Tessa were a like a tornado in Then There Was You.....you guys know what I mean. They had a tumultuous, vulnerable love. A love that gripped both so hard, that neither knew what to do with it. Which is why we left off where we did in Then There Was You.So back to Tessa...I thought I loved her in Then There Was You....but I LOVED her more in My Way Back to You. She grew ten fold. Also, she doesn't take crap like she used to because she is now a confident headstrong woman. And I found that new confidence endearing. It made for stronger story.Ro, Ro, Ro!! He is still all around sexy, with his not so broody self these days. Rowan also grew ten fold. Which was so NEEDED!!! He is now an adult and understands his past mistakes. He finally can see through that 'I don't Bleed' mentality. Thank the heavens for that...because that ticked me off in Then There Was You. Badly! Rowan still has some vulnerabilities ingrained in him, and I don't wrong him for that. He has endured a few very unhealthy years, with the worst of the worst. ....ahem....Camryn. Need I say more?Camryn, as we all know and hate, is a terrible person. She is one of those people who has to have what someone else has, and then rub it in his/her face, and we know this her is Tessa. Sheesh, Camryn is pure evil. Anywho, you get where I am going with this. As I see it, Camryn was a stepping stone. One that made Rowan fully see where his life needed to go, and right all of his wrongs.Now onto the greatness of this review....Tessa and Rowan. Guys, these two had my heart beating miles per minute. I found myself laughing, smiling from ear to ear, and even found myself tearing up a few times. There is nothing easy about 'their' relationship. They are moving mountains to try and be something. I say that matter of factly, too. These two have endured some very hard years; each with their own struggles. But today, they are finally able to see the top of those mountains. I did not want to quit Tessa and Ro. I had a hard time leaving "their world." I loved every single word of their story. They built a cracked foundation in Then There Was You, but finally are able to patch that foundation in My Way Back to You.I am a HUGE lover of LOVE! I live for it. With Tessa and Rowan, their love wasn't easy. But they were able to battle their own wills to see where that love could go. These characters took us on a wild ride. It was full of many ups and downs, soul crushing realities, and even the power that is love. I am so happy with this story. I am eager to see if she will write about the secondary characters, and if she does, where she will take them. As always, Claire delivered a real love story that was littered with everything I need in a story. If you read Then There Was You, now is the time to finish Tessa and Ro's powerful journey!!

Pra quem gosta de um bom romance esse aí é ótimo. Cheio de drama e reviravoltas. Muito gostoso de ler.

I love the conclusion to their story. You can’t help but root for Rowan. But at the same time I also love the life Tessa built for herself and her child. She did what every woman aspires to - built a beautiful life and affirmed she had the strength to thrive and succeed all on her own.

ESP ::Este es uno de esos libros que te ayuda a introspectar, pues da pauta para analizar si actuarías diferente o igual a los personajes. Lo que permitirías, lo que harías, cómo lo harías.La historia de Tessa y Rowan continua, hasta llegar a 4 años después del final del libro uno.Ro es uno de los personajes que yo siento que más crece y aprende.Me encantan los finales felices así que este es un libro que da sensación linda al concluir.ENG ::This book is one of those that helps you to play the exercise of “what would I do if I were in those shoes?” Which helps to develop empathy and human growth.Tessa and Rowan continue their journey and 4 years after the end of book 1, we get to see their reunion. I felt Ro was one of the characters that grew the most. This book also has a guaranteed HEA.

All I can say is that I’m so glad Rowan finally pulled his head out of his @$$ and followed his heart. I couldn’t not feel for him in the end, but he finally grew on me.I love how the story developed within the four years for Rowans business arranged marriage and what Tessa had to do to survive her heartaches. Without, a surprise for Tessa I love that she grew into an independent woman with an amazing support system her siblings and especially Sam. I love that family was there for both her and Miles but what I love the most about their story is when Rowan realised what he had to do to end his business marriage. But when a story like this happens you gotta have the crazies and it was a page turner. I kept hoping nothing will happen, but without it you know you’ll be glued just to find out what will he/she do. At first it wasn’t an easy read cause I was so frustrated and mad at Rowan, but I’m so glad they finally got their HEA. I cried and I cheered for Tessa and I wanted to know more about her siblings Sam and even Ryan (idk but I’m curious about him).

My god .. way too much crying, do people actually cry THAT much?! Most of the storylines felt rushed & all of the sex scenes fizzled.. felt very little actual connection between Tessa/Rowan ... skimmed all of them.It was a book worth finishing but I won’t be seeking more from this series.