Realtor Laurel Mitchell is married, in her mid-forties, and mother to three grown sons - and she and her husband have no plans to have more children. After all, it has been twenty-one years since she gave birth to her third son. Her husband is looking forward to an early retirement and the couple is satisfied with how things are.
Their plans are railroaded when Laurel finds out that she is pregnant. How could this happen? Well, she knows how it happened – but it certainly is unexpected news, and she does not look forward to her husband, Jason’s, reaction. Regardless, Laurel knows there is no question that she will have this baby, no matter how shocked she is and no matter what Jason’s reaction will be.
As expected, Jason’s reaction is one of shocked silence. He is not supportive toward Laurel; it almost seems that he thinks that Laurel got pregnant by herself. Granted, their love life had not been active for quite some time, but there were a few instances, and only one is needed to result in a pregnancy. Laurel tries to be patient with Jason’s dumbfounded reaction and lack of emotional support.
Gradually, their marriage begins to adjust to the fact that Laurel is having a baby, especially when they receive the exciting news that Laurel is having a girl. Jason has become sexier, more doting on Laurel and more affectionate. He even has taken the time to create a nursery for their daughter, whom they have decided to name Lily.
The Second Time Around is about an unplanned pregnancy later in life and how a couple adjusts to the fact that they will be having a baby in their mid-forties. The author does a good job developing the characters, and I enjoyed reading about the dynamics of Laurel and Jason’s marriage. One word of caution to the reader: this book is almost entirely about Laurel’s pregnancy and her marriage. Only a couple of very small side plots play a small role in the book. That said, I did enjoy the main plot and I recommend this book to fans of women’s fiction.
