Book Description:
A heart attack reunites him with the one who got away. But is he too married to his job to invest in a second chance at love?
Joe Robinson made his first million in his twenties and has expanded that in the decades since. Now a billionaire and active in running of all five of his child corporations, he eats, breathes, and sleeps work.
Cynthia Mitchell is a top-tier heart surgeon. Moving to the DC area involved a calculated risk that she might run into Joe—but she didn’t expect to find him on her operating table.
When he awakens after surgery to find Cynthia is his doctor, all Joe’s feelings from their college romance return, and he persuades her to go out with him. But he still has his tech empire to run and she’s not willing to take second place to his job.
Will two driven, successful people make room in their lives for love? Or is their second chance dead on arrival?
About the So You Want to be a Billionaire series
Determined to pass his companies to people who won’t make the same mistakes he did, Joe Robinson undertakes some matchmaking cloaked as a competition. They think they’re vying for a top corporate spot and a chance to be a billionaire, but what they really need to find is love.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading So You Want A Second Chance, the first book in Elizabeth Maddrey’s new So You Want To Be A Billionaire series. The story is set in Washington D.C., and the main characters are in their fifties. Joe unexpectedly meets Cynthia when he has a heart attack and she is his cardiac surgeon. They broke up years ago when their career aspirations took them in different directions.
Joe works all the time. He’s a generous man, and he’s definitely not the stereotypical unlikeable and ruthless CEO. Joe treats his employees well, and he cares about their welfare. Looking back, he knows Cynthia is the one who got away three decades ago. His heart attack is a wake-up call, and he’s delighted to have an opportunity to reconnect with Cynthia. Old habits die hard, and Joe finds the idea of resting and rehabilitating from heart surgery clashes with his work-a-holic tendencies.
Cynthia’s millions don’t match Joe’s billion plus, but she has established herself in a successful career as a cardiac surgeon. She has climbed the ranks in a male dominated work environment, and she’s aware that the rules are different for women. She’s attracted to Joe, and their old friendship is rekindled.
Joe and Cynthia have both struggled over the years to maintain and nurture their faith around the demands of their careers. They have made mistakes in their personal lives, and have chosen to be single. Being set in their ways, they both question if they have the capacity to alter their lives and make a serious romantic relationship a priority.
I liked the dynamics in this second chance romance that are different to romances with younger couples. Cynthia and Joe’s dreams of romance, as they look toward retirement and beyond, are not the same as a younger couple who are establishing their careers and thinking about starting a family.
We also meet a number of interesting minor characters who will feature in future books in the series. Joe’s matchmaking ideas for his top executive employees are fun, and I’m looking forward to reading their romance stories. I recommend So You Want A Second Chance to readers who like contemporary romance stories with well-heeled mature characters in an urban setting.
