Try Over

A Second Chance Romance (Aloha Series, Book 4)

By: Jill Brashear

Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith

He wants a second chance.

I want revenge....

And I'll do anything to get it.

Two years ago I left Hawaii with a broken heart and a sunburn and never thought I’d go back.

Then I got the invitation to my best friend’s wedding. She’s marrying the surfing world’s biggest dreamboat. And she wants me as her maid of honor.

There are two big problems:

• The wedding is in Hawaii
• The best man is the same gorgeous tour guide who broke my heart

I never want to see Bones Keakealani again. In fact, I wish a piano would fall on his head. But he doesn’t feel the same way about me. He’s insisting he deserves another chance. He promises he has a good reason for breaking my heart, but it will take more than promises for me to forget my heartbreak or my desire for revenge.

I plan to drive him crazy with my rich, handsome (and fake) wedding date.

Because even though the sexy Hawaiian is every bit as tempting as I remembered, the last thing I want with him is another try.

©2022 Jill Brashear (P)2023 Jill Brashear

Great retro read with amazing narration

Love love love books that take place in Hawaii. Jill does an amazing job sharing cultural information around the traditions, people and land. Penny and Bones are instantly attracted to one another from the start. They have an easy and fun relationship that they know is short lived due to their living arrangements. However they want to make the best of the time they have together….and do they ever!! But with every happy love story comes challenges and real life struggles - differing cultures, family acceptance, living locations, along with compromising on so many other things. There is intense passion, drama, misunderstandings but these two make this second chance romance work. I enjoyed seeing the characters from the other books and learning where they are in their lives. Love this series! Kaleo Griffith and Henriette Zoutomou did a fantastic job with their performance. The emotion and personality they brought to each character was perfect. I’ve read/enjoyed the book but also enjoyed the audiobook and how the amazing narrators bring these characters to life.

Bones & Penny!

Bones & Penny. Our couple that has incredible chemistry and when they finally make a go of it, Bones breaks her heart. Now two years later, Penny returns to Hawaii for her best friend's wedding, and is ready to seek her revenge. Will she be able to do it or will her feelings take over? Will Bones care or even want her back? This is a wonderful story of second chances. First off, Hawaii is a beautiful setting, and it only makes me want to go back! All the snorkeling and diving is enough to keep me on the hook. Bones is the man! But he takes bad advice, at least I think it was. Penny has made her new life, but the niggling in the back of her mind has never let Bones go. The story is packed with good friends, gorgeous scenery, the evil villain and a romance that had me pulling for them the entire time! I didn't not read the other books in the series, but this could stand alone. It's a wonderful escape, almost like a mini vacation!

Kaleo Griffith and Henriette Zoutomou tell this story with a fantastic narration. Full of the emotional pulls and angst without being over the top, this made for total entertainment, tugging the heart strings and making me happy.

Book 4 - Aloha series

This is book 4 in Brashear's Aloha series and while I've read / listened to Brashear before, this is the first in the Aloha series I've had the pleasure to listen to. I really enjoyed this insta love romance. I loved the throwback to the 60's. The storyline took me on an emotional roller coaster, and I was captivated from the very start. Adding to all that already goodness is a great cast of characters and dual narration which for me is always a plus. This is Bones and Penny's story and one that won't disapoint!

This book was given to me for free at my request and I voluntarily provided this review.

Sweet Romance

This is the fourth and last book in the Aloha Series. This is a great addition to the series. I loved Bones and Penny's second chance to love. In this installment, we are back to Hawaii for the wedding of Lou and Keoni (Try Easy, book 1). I liked this setting, and the magnificent scenery. Their story is beautifully written, emotional, passionate, and engaging. Great narration from Kaleo Griffith and Henriette Zoutomou. I enjoyed it.

Another fantastic Brashear 1960's Hawaii throwback

I love Jill Brashear! She writes such unique romances, and I do adore her 1960's throwback "Aloha" series. These ones are very special. Try Over is book 4 in the series, and follows Penny (Henry, from book 3's cousin) when she first visits and falls for Bones, and then a few years later when she returns for her friend's wedding... the friend who stayed behind when she left the first time.

Penny thought she and Bones had fallen in love during that brief holiday, and she was ready to change her life and stay, just like her friend was doing... but he broke her heart and told her he didn't love her and she needed to go home - he only did flings with tourists. Meanwhile, he was listening to the advice of an elder who knew future things (not quite a psychic), but things didn't seem to be quite going the way she promised.

Fast forward the 2 years when Penny returns for the wedding and doesn't even want to set eyes on Bones, who happens to be the best man - so they can't avoid each other. Penny tries to do her best to keep out of his path, spending more time with her cousin, but - well, I'm sure everyone knows how a second chance romance is going to turn out, but with Jill Brashear being the brilliant author she is, she takes us through a very beautiful and loopy rollercoaster with a lot of unexpected twists to get us to the end, and it's worth every tense moment to get there.

I highly recommend this book - especially the audio version! Narrated by Henriette Zoutomou, who is a perfect fit for Penny, and Kaleo Griffith, with an excellent Hawaiian voice, an exact match for who I would expect to hear as Bones, you can't go wrong with this audiobook!!

I received an advance listen copy from the author and Home Cooked Books Promotions, and this is my honest feedback.

Steamy Vacation Romance

Jill Brashear has done it again! Try Over is book four in Jill Brashear’s Aloha series. Jill transports readers back to Hawaii in 1968 for Bones & Penny’s HEA. Jill blends Hawaiian culture, complex characters, and loads of island magic in a beautiful love story. Penny and Bones meet and have instant chemistry. I love that Jill takes the insta-love trope and gives it depth and substance. This tear-jerker made my heart so happy!

Kaleo Griffith and Henriette Zoutomou are new-to-me narrators and I really enjoyed their performances. Kaleo’s portrayal of Bones was charming, sweet, and swoon-worthy. Henriette Zoutomou brings Penny’s story to life with a delightful and emotional narration. Kaleo and Henriette’s narration styles and pacing complement each other nicely; the story flowed beautifully.

Sweet second-chance romance in beautiful Hawaii

At the beginning, Try Over rolls romantically along at a smooth, easy pace. Everything is going so perfectly we are sure the HEA is right around the corner and can’t even image where any conflict could come in. Penny and best friend Lou have come to Hawaii for a vacation. The biggest, best-looking man she’s ever seen (and the not-too-shabby guy with him) just happen to be at the airport to greet Penny and Lou since Penny’s cousin Henry has to work. So far so good. The physical attraction between Penny and Bones is instant, but as they spend time together she sees he is not only big and strong (and handsome, don’t forget handsome) but also good and kind and sometimes easily embarrassed. If soulmates is a thing, these two are it. But Hawaiian tradition and respect are important to Bones, and just when Penny thinks her new address is going to end in Hawaii Bones consults an elder and realizes he can’t be with Penny. She leaves, heartbroken and bitter.

The next time we meet up with them is two years later, just before Lou and Keoni’s wedding. Everybody has moved on (or gotten together – see Lou/Keoni/wedding). Well, almost everybody. Turns out Penny brought back a lot more baggage than just that pink Samsonite suitcase of hers. When she learns he is to be best man to her maid of honor Penny vows to make Bones pay for her broken heart, and the best way she can think of to do that is to bring the most handsome, charming, fantastic wedding date with her. Even if it’s a fake date. And away we go. There’s a lot of miscommunication and a lot of no communication. For soulmates they sure take a long time to honestly talk things out.

Bones makes mistakes and has preconceived ideas that get him into trouble, but bottom line he’s a big, lovable guy. Penny is a bit harder to like. Her initial reaction to Hawaii was negative; she’s kind of the half-empty glass to Bones’ half-full. He found her quick mood change and temper a little appealing – like Pele – but it wore on me at times. She had a boyfriend but he became disposable once she met Bones. The “find your true love and realize you’re with the wrong person” trope is a good one but Penny came across more like why can’t I have fun, I’m done with my boyfriend anyway.” Eeeww. Also not cool the way she bluntly told Lou that she didn’t need to honor the fact she had a boyfriend, either: “he’s a jerk.” Ethics and moral compass just a little skewed for me. But I do love second chance romances and this was a good one. The twists and turns and confusion and humor – and love – made for a good story.

As an audiobook Try Over is perfect. The POV switches between Penny and Bones, and both
Henriette Zoutomou and Kaleo Griffith do an excellent job narrating, giving believable performances of both characters. I don’t know if the accents and language are authentic but they feel as if they are and add much to the story. Henriette Zoutomou and Kaleo Griffith also do a marvelous job setting the scene and describing the lush Hawaiian environment, people, traditions and events. A very enjoyable listen. A new-to-me author and new-to-me narrators and all three will go on my to read/to listen lists. I was given a free audiobook and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

Loving this series!

Try Over is book #4 in the Aloha Series, Penny and Bones' story. Penny and her friend Lou take a vacation to Hawaii to visit her cousin Henry. She's greeted at the airport by Bones and she's captivated by his warrior looks. They spend the week getting to know each other and hearts get involved. But Penny wants to travel the world and Bones sees no reason to ever leave the island. When Penny has to return for her friend Lou's wedding as the Maid of Honor, she knows that Bones is the Best Man, but is she ready to see him again...and keep her heart safe. She's had 2 years to shut down her feelings but is that enough? The chemistry is great between the characters and the HEA is heartstopping!

The narration was superb with narrators that were pretty new to me. Kaleo Griffith was great as Bones. Henrietta Zoutomou is new to me and I just loved her as Penny. Great job by both.