Catch Me Twice

Addictive, all-consuming, and downright combustible from start to finish. Clear your schedule because once you pick up Catch Me Twice by Charmaine Pauls, you will not be able to put it down. Catch Me Twice is not your typical love story, but it is a love story. This book is a love story filled with obsession, heartache, drama, and angst, but also forgiveness, hope, and redemption. This story is well written and perfectly laid out and very unique. Ms. Pauls made me feel that I was actually in South Africa, with all its harshness and beauty. She pulls you in with her words, wrapping them around your heart and squeezing till it’s ready to burst. The main characters are meticulously developed and well supported with strong secondary characters. Written using the dual point of view style, we can experience the inner thinking of both complicated main characters. You can’t help but love them and be in their corner even when they make very disappointing decisions. However, there is no denying that the chemistry between Jake and Kristi is explosive! Kristy has been raised by her single mom, who has been loving, understanding, and supportive throughout her entire life. Even though they live in poverty and have a difficult life, you can feel the intense mother-daughter bond the two have. There is an innocence about Kristy, but she is also strong, independent, and determined to make a life for herself and her son. Jake’s family and upbringing are the polar opposite of Kristi. His very wealthy family is stingy, cold, and heartless never showing him any love, affection, or support. He is always told by his parents that he is a disappointment and that he would never amount to anything. Throughout the book, I could feel the self-loathing, anguish, but also the sheer determination from Jake to prove his father wrong. His parents were genuinely horrible. The book is divided into two parts. Part one, Kristi has just finished high school and she is at a bar having her first drink and celebrating with her best friend. She has just turned eighteen and is having her first drink and in walks Jake the boy she has had a crush on since first grade. “I’m still the redhead with the freckles…” “He’s dark and beautiful…” “‘Nothing is going to happen, Kristi Pretorius.’ Only Jake can make my full name sound hot. ‘I’ll take care of you.’ He holds me a little too tightly. ‘Promise.’” Ahh, but something does happen, and Kristi never fulfills her dream of leaving Rensburg to study at university in Johannesburg. An unplanned pregnancy, a marriage of convenience and then Jake leaves for Dubai. Unfortunately, Dubai holds no success for Jake. Part two starts four years later with Jake returning home to the small town where he left Kristi to raise their son, Noah, alone. During those years, letters were written and went unread. Hopes and dreams were shattered, and then Kristi began putting her life back together. However, Jake was back and more determined to make Kristi and Noah his. Ms. Pauls takes Jake and Kristi from young love to heartbreak, loneliness, and disillusionment and then brings them back to the people they were meant to be. Moreover, we, the readers, are lucky enough to experience all of this through her beautiful writing. As a massive fan of all Ms. Pauls’ books, Catch Me Twice was slightly different from her usual dark books. However, there was an edginess to this book that I adored. I highly recommend this book. ** Please note the quotes in my review are subject to change once the book is published** *** I kindly received this book from Charmaine Pauls. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion. ***

4 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for this second chance romance. What I love about second chance romances is reading through all the emotional pain and drama that occurs before recommitting to the person that has wronged them. Jake and Kristi both suffer a hardship of living apart for 4 years. And when the time comes for an eye-opening surprise, these two both have trouble deciding the fate of their relationship. This story is heated and engrossing!!! I could easily escape into the setting in South Africa. My only complaint would be to see a little more fight from Kristi.

It has a HEA, but not the one I wanted for either character. While it's not my favorite of Charmaine's, I would still recommend as it's well written and obviously got me invested enough that I was arguing with the characters the entire time.

I read it, being pulled in by an excellent story with engaging characters I found myself really caring for. And to me, that’s an indication of good fiction writing. I enter into the world created by this author and get so drawn up in the experience of it, the day passes by without my notice. I started and finished this book in one sitting. This is the story of Jake and Kristi, two people absolutely perfect for each other but who almost constantly suffer obstacles in their relationship. This is a story of their struggles and how they come to terms with and work through all that stands in their way. Despite all these odds they do get their HEA. It was a good story, one I’ll heartily recommend. I think you’ll enjoy it too.

Every once in a while there is a read that comes along that has me really struggle with my feelings. This is one of those reads. My biggest struggle was the cheating. I despise cheating in my romance books. For me, it just makes it very hard to believe in love when a significant other can cheat. Now there is always exceptions. I never say never cause sometimes the writer can provide a background that make things make sense? I'm not sure if that is the right way to say it. It doesn't make it ok, but I can see how life can have people do things they normally wouldn't. I do believe that Charmaine Pauls accomplished that in this book. I'm not exactly surprised she did cause her writing has always impressed me. She just has a way of drawing you in so deep into the main characters lives. That's part of the reason I really struggled. I was in deep with Kristi. I felt her pain. I wanted more for her. I understand why Kristi forgave Jake. Life without him, without that forgiveness would have stolen her happiness. I really felt that she would never be happy if she cut him out of her life. She had to move on from his mistakes to be happy again. I think Jake is a very selfish person. He had a lot of growing up to do and he did finally accomplish that. Despite all the mistakes he made, I truly believed he loved Kristi and wouldn't be happy without her either. That is the beauty of Charmaine's writing. She just makes her readers feel so much, good or bad. She gutted me with this book. I'm so happy she loves happily ever after's cause I needed that ending. Another excellent read, albeit a hard one.

This book had me hooked from the beginning! From the beginning, I felt for Kristi, the main female, because I understand unrequited love. But her unrequited love, Jake, finally talked to her & so much more. I loved them together, and I was drawn to Jake’s darkness because she was. They are young at the beginning of the book, and communication is a problem. Life happens, & we meet them again 4 years later. I was worried about the cheating, but I trusted Charmaine Pauls and the journey she was taking us on. I was not disappointed, because even with what Jake did during those 4 years I still felt for him. He had to fight hard for his second chance with Krisit, and it was beautifully written and emotional. Kristi had to come to terms with what happened in his past, and I felt her pain. I felt Jake’s pain too, and I loved that he wanted to be a better man for Kristi. In the end, he does catch her twice, and it made me smile. I loved this beautifully written and emotional book, and I highly recommend it. I received a copy of this ebook from the author/Give Me Books PR for my honest review.