Secondhand Romance

Secondhand Romance opens with wedding day plans. Everything is in place; everything planned. The story revolves around two people who'd never dreamed of marrying – but their blossoming love has taken only a few short months, marriage plans are happening quickly, and Rita discovers she's a hopeless romantic who just wants to be with Luca for the rest of her life. What isn't in place, and what isn't planned, is a tragedy that turns her life upside down and doesn't offer her even days of marital bliss before everything goes horribly wrong.

Fast forward three years, where Rita's life is still in stasis in many ways, and she's living in limbo. Though Rita's tragedy has changed her, life still moves on, and despite the opener of Secondhand Romance, the rest of the story isn't about the tragedy but about recovery and adaptation. Though her twin sister's pregnancy is a reminder of what she lost on that fateful day of the double wedding, Rita's course in life has been forever altered, and she slowly comes to discover that a different path lies ahead.

Jessica Stevens walks a fine line between producing a romance, a tragedy, and a story of evolution. Readers will find that Rita's many changes are realistic; especially points where she is 'stuck' and can't envision a different future. This sense of reality is one of the strong points of Secondhand Romance and gives the story line an extra, added boost with a flavor of real-world experience that doesn't hold to formula writing paths or results.