Susan's Review of the I Do Over by Samantha Chase -- Meet Me at the Altar -- #6

For 48 hours, they were married. But that was a long time ago.

Seventeen years ago, Maddie Christopher told one little white lie, and it has been wreaking havoc on her life ever since. At the time, the lie was worth it–it meant she got to marry the man she loved, however brief a marriage it was–but now she's ready to finally move on. But in order to do that, she needs to find the man whose heart she broke all those years ago and finally apologize.

Knox Channing has everything he could have asked for in life–after a career in the Navy SEALs, he's now running a thriving security firm with his two best friends. The only thing that would make it better is if he wasn't the lone single guy in his friend group. But after having had his heart broken once, he's not looking to go back there.Or at least that's what he thought before Maddie showed up in his office.

He swore that he would never let himself fall for anyone again, much less for the woman who once broke his heart. But sometimes you fall in love with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time. Twice.

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Samantha Chase created two relatable, dynamic characters. Knox Channing is a complex character. The former Navy Seal served with distinction and a partner in a successful security firm. He never, ever dates a girl more than one time. I wanted to discover the reason –was he afraid of commitment? – did he have a broken heart? Maddie Christopher is a successful physical therapist who wants to settle down and get married. Something is stopping her—she needs to ask someone for forgiveness.

Both Maddie and Knox are flawed characters. Samantha Chase switches the story up by having the heroine be the character that needs forgiveness. And it WORKED! Maddie made a big mistake that torpedoed her relationship with her parents, friends and most of all Knox. Knox joined the Navy to avoid the anger of his parents. Ms. Chase does not downplay Maddie’s actions as she owns her mistakes and knows she needs to ask Knox for forgiveness. I related to Maddie’s mistake; she was young in love and terrified of her father’s anger. It doesn’t change what she did—but, I could understand why she reacted the way she did.

Forgiveness is the key element to this romance. Samantha Chase writes a story full of emotion and balances it with a healthy dose of romance, friendship and challenges. Loved this storyline because it’s told with a different twist; it’s Maddie who needs to step up, own her mistakes and ask for forgiveness. Maddie knew she needed to speak with Knox in person—she needed to face the fire—and this had me rooting for Maddie and Knox! Samantha Chase crafts believable story about high school lovers who reunite 17 years later. She adds in the perfect amount of backstory to highlight the couples different career paths and life experiences and keeps the focus on the connection between Maddie and Knox.

Maddie and Knox’s story is a second chance romance with all the feels. Loved the engaging characters who drew me into their love story and had me rooting for their happily ever after from the first page.

Add the I Do Over to your beach bag this weekend—am sure you will love the fireworks between Maddie and Knox as much as I did!!

Reviewed by Susan Gorman

ARC provided by the author