Twice in a Lifetime

by Dorothy Garlock

Overview

Sunset, Missouri, 1954. As hope flourishes in postwar America, a young widow dares to dream of a second chance at a forever love . . .

Clara Sinclair has learned to live one lonely day at a time. It was the only way she managed to survive her husband's death in World War II and raise their young son alone. But now she's at a loss as to how to handle the defiant teenager he has become, even as she struggles to keep her family financially afloat. She's fresh out of ways to turn her luck around-until a daring stranger's unexpected kindness sparks hope she hasn't felt in a long time...

Drake McCoy lives for risk, speed, and putting his incredible drag racing skills to the test. One night in this quiet rural town is all he needs to win a big score and be on his way . . . until he meets Clara. Drawn in by her quiet strength and her beauty, Drake is tempted to become someone he never imagined-a family man.

But a vicious and unseen enemy is closing in fast, throwing Drake and Clara's fragile future into a dangerous tailspin. Can their love survive?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781455527267
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	02/23/2016
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 6.70(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Dorothy Garlock is the author of more than 50 novels that have sold 15 million+ combined copies and are published in 15 languages. She lives in Iowa.

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/27/2015
Garlock’s terrific story, set in mid-20th-century Missouri, pairs a lonely single mother with a flashy auto racer. Clara Sinclair’s husband died in WWII, and she has no time for dating. Between trying to do right by her rebellious 16-year-old son, caring for her aging mom, keeping her smarmy boss at arm’s length, and nursing an aging pickup truck so it will get her to and from work, she’s got her hands full. Then Drake McCoy zooms into her small town and offers to fix up that rundown truck, with the help of his pit crewman, Amos. As Drake tinkers with the vehicle, his affection for Clara grows, and soon he’s thinking it might be time to quit his wandering ways. Garlock keeps readers so wrapped up in Drake and Clara’s romance that it’s impossible to put the book down. There’s just enough tension, from a few different fronts, to keep things interesting. Thoroughly credible characters and the aw-shucks charm of their small town make this a winner. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"Garlock's terrific story, set in mid-20th-century Missouri, pairs a lonely single mother with a flashy auto racer...Garlock keeps readers so wrapped up in Drake and Clara's romance that it's impossible to put the book down. There's just enough tension, from a few different fronts, to keep things interesting. Thoroughly credible characters and the aw-shucks charm of their small town make this a winner."—Publishers Weekly starred review

"A gentle tale of love lost and found...The charm is in the telling, with historical details and light touches to make the town of Sunset, Missouri, seem real, not idealized. A feel-good love story that comforts...Garlock excels at creating an experience her readers want, one that's still heartwarming..."
—Kirkus Reviews on Twice in a Lifetime

"There is nothing better than Dorothy Garlock at her best."
— Sandra Brown, New York Times bestselling author

"Every Dorothy Garlock book is synonymous with a great read."
— Janet Dailey, New York Times bestselling author

"One of America's most endearing historical fiction authors."
—RT Book Reviews

"A gifted writer."
—Chicago Sun Times

"The latest from romance doyenne Garlock mixes light suspense with traditional romance for an entertaining effect."
—Booklist on Under a Texas Sky

From the Publisher

2015-04-15
With this historical romance, the prolific Garlock (Take Me Home, 2014, etc.) again uses midcentury, small-town America as her backdrop for a gentle tale of love lost and found. Widowed during World War II, Clara Sinclair remains alone in 1954. She supports both her mother, who suffers from increasing memory loss, and her son, Tommy, now a surly teenager. After a string of bad luck, Clara is nearing a breaking point. Then racer Drake drives into town, with his mechanic and friend, Amos. Drake exhibits low-key chivalry from his first encounter with Clara, and the attraction between the two blossoms quickly. Both characters show maturity in every scene—she is 35, he is 42—skipping past coy meet-cutes and neatly avoiding the big misunderstandings that romances so often rely on. Here, the threats to their happiness are external: the two-bit femme fatale, the two-bit fat cat, and the two-bit criminal, each harboring a reason to pull the lovers apart. All are cartoonishly grandiose in their self-importance. No one would bet on their ability to defeat the power of love, and yet a series of dramatic scenes allows every villain a unique chance against the new couple. Though slow starting, the novel hits all the expected romance buttons, from the first kiss to the happily-ever-after. Yet Garlock is an accomplished enough writer that it doesn't matter. The charm is in the telling, with historical details and light touches to make the town of Sunset, Missouri, seem real, not idealized. A feel-good love story that comforts rather than challenges. Garlock excels at creating an experience her readers want, one that's still heartwarming no matter how many times they've seen it.

Kirkus Reviews