Second Chance City

L.A.
Kelley
Genre: 
Paranormal

Nate and Libby were friends for a few poignant years growing up in Coldwater Bay. They both left for the big city - she for New York and Nate to Boston, but eventually Nate came home. Until now, Libby had stayed away. The personal assistant to arrogant, narcissistic comic book creator Payton Debolt, Libby has plans for moving up to bigger and better things but goes back home one last time. Nate doesn’t want to lose this chance with her. It's most likely his final one, but an accident with a comic book lands them both inside Payton’s imaginary world.

 

Before doing any eye-rolling at a comic book-based romance, “traditional” romance readers need to understand that this world is a mesh of the “real” Coldwater Bay and a comic book world that uses it as its core. With layer upon layer of meaning, going well beyond just an HEA for the hero and heroine, this tale’s comic book language is the fluff layer—move beyond it and there is a treasure trove of perfectly intertwined plots and subplots. It’s a fascinating twist on the theme of being pulled into a book, literally, because the blending of “created” vs. “real” is seamless enough to not alienate “traditional” romance readers, while comic books fans will find a recognizable world. Nate and Libby are fully developed characters, and for as flat and ever changing as comic book characters usually are, many in this story are fleshed out enough to bring true humanity to them. Even the most ardent non-comic book fans will find this book pulling them into a new world!

 

Julie York