The Single Mom's Second Chance JustRead Tour {book review and giveaway}
Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for The Single Mom's Second Chance by Tara Randel, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: The Single Mom's Second Chance
Series: A Golden, Georgia Romance #2
Author: Tara Randel
Publisher: Harlequin Heartwarming
Release Date: January 27, 2026
Genre: Wholesome Romance
A fresh start…
Then an unexpected curveball
When Addie Lane returns to Golden, Georgia, to open her own fitness center, she’s surprised to find her late husband’s best friend, professional baseball player Nolan Travers, offering to invest. Recovering from an injury, Nolan finds solace in helping a friend—and coaching her son Jacob’s baseball team. As the summer continues, their close bond threatens to be undone by Nolan’s expected return to pro ball and Addie’s challenging relationships with her mother and sisters. Only time will tell if their separate paths will pull them apart—or if Addie and Nolan can hit their love out of the park together.
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR
From Harlequin Heartwarming: Wholesome stories of love, compassion and belonging.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Harlequin.com | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub
More in This Series
Excerpt 1
Addie knew before she turned that she’d find a tall man with an athletic build
sauntering in her direction. His ash-blond hair gleamed in the sunlight; slate-gray eyes
were focused completely on her. Confidence flowed from him in waves. She felt a smile
stretch across her face.
“Nolan,” she called out in greeting.
He stopped to high-five Jacob and the two started a conversation as they drew closer.
“What are you doing here?” she finally asked when he stopped before her. With
everything Nolan Travers had going on in his life, it had been seven months since she’d
seen him in person. Sure, they texted often, but it wasn’t the same. Suddenly she realized
how much she’d missed him.
Unconsciously, her hand flew up to tuck those flyaway stands of hair into her braided
ponytail. She couldn’t remember what outfit she’d thrown on this morning to supervise
practice, but she hoped she didn’t look a total mess.
He shrugged. “I told you I’d be up for a visit at some point.” The casual gesture
tightened the T-shirt stretching over his shoulders. “You said you had a lead on an
available building to establish the fitness center. I decided to drive up and see what you’d
found. Get away from the city for a while.”
“Without calling first?” She blinked. “How did you find me?”
“Jacob let me know he had practice.”
She glanced at her son who sent her a sheepish smile in return. “We text, Mom.” Then
his attention was drawn elsewhere. “Hey, I’m going to pet Billy’s dog.”
As her son took off, it crossed Addie’s mind that her son communicated with Nolan,
but having him show up out of the blue, while an unexpected treat, had questions forming
in her head.
“Sorry. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision,” he said, stuffing his hands into the
pockets of his cargo shorts.
Was it though?
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Excerpt 2
Since Nolan had pretty much taken over, Addie removed the lanyard with the whistle
attached and held it in her hand, thinking that she wouldn’t need it any longer.
“What’s next?” he asked.
Addie checked her watch, seeing that practice was nearly over. “Not much time left.
What do you recommend?”
“End with relays. If you don’t mind, I’d like to look over your schedule and tweak it to
make sure you hit all the important drills during the week.”
“I’d love that.”
He nodded. “Get them started.”
When she lifted her hand to blow the whistle again, Nolan reached over to grab it from
her. She pulled her arm back, keeping the noisemaker out of reach. Instead of leaving it
alone, Nolan wrapped his good arm around her waist while he yanked her close to his
warm body, taking the whistle from her upraised hand.
“Hey! Give me that.”
He tucked her closer, his breath tickling her ear. “You’re out of control.”
“I am not.”
“A little bit, yeah, you are.”
With a big, put-upon sigh, she stopped fighting him. Sass or no sass, he was right. “I
just want them to listen.”
“They do. You’re a good coach, Addie.”
He let her go. She missed his strength as soon as he moved away. Realizing they had an
audience; she nonchalantly tossed her ponytail over her shoulder as if wrangling with
Nolan was a common occurrence.
His grin grew. “And just so you know, I kinda like you a little bit out of control.”
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Excerpt 3
Without turning from her chore, Addie heard Jacob’s voice. “You’re coming to my
practice, right?”
“Couldn’t keep me away.”
Addie didn’t miss the yearning in Nolan’s tone. Staying away from the team for the
season was tough on him. He was faithful about his regular physical therapy, but Addie
wondered if he was at his wit’s end with all the free time. Perhaps that was why he was
here. To put some distance between himself and the game he loved.
“Mom’s our coach. She’s pretty good for a mom,” Jacob announced.
Her hand froze in midwipe.
“Really.” Nolan held out the word, interest oozing from his tone.
She lowered the cloth and turned to face them. “Only temporarily.”
Humor laced Nolan’s tone. “Because…?”
“Mr. Landry has to work nights and bowed out as coach. He asked a parent to fill the
position. No one volunteered and I was already the assistant coach, so…”
“And since you love baseball so much,” Nolan teased, his voice warm. Which made
Addie’s heart pick up its pace again.
My Thoughts
This is the first book I've read by Tara Randel; I look forward to reading more of her works.
I could relate to Addie, thanks to my own stints as a single mom. Sometimes it's a challenge to try filling the roles of both mother and father to one's children. It's always helpful when friends step in to help, even in small ways.
It was enjoyable watching the relationship grow between Addie and Nolan, and to see Nolan's interest in Addie's son's activities.
If you enjoy small-town, contemporary second-chance romance, with a touch of faith, I recommend this one for your TBR list.
I received a complimentary copy. These opinions are my own.
About the Author
Tara Randel is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author. Family values, a bit of mystery and of course, love and romance are her favorite themes, because she believes love is the greatest gift of all. Tara lives on the West Coast of Florida, where gorgeous sunsets and beautiful weather inspire the creation of heartwarming stories. Tara has received the Heart of Excellence Readers’ Choice Award and the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award.
Connect with Tara by visiting tararandel.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email updates.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card, a reading journal, 'It's a good day to read' tote bag and three autographed print books by the author!
(1) winner will receive a $10 Amazon gift card!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight February 2, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on February 9, 2026. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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