Second Chances
by Rita M. Reali
A reader favorite!
Gary Sheldon is about to meet the child he never knew he had. Within months, the popular afternoon-drive radio announcer and music director at Connecticut's Z97-3 initiates a lawsuit seeking full custody of his nine-year-old daughter.
Some years later, after enduring an acrimonious custody battle for the little girl, Gary finds himself embroiled in a shocking legal drama involving a teenage intern at the radio station. The bitter conflict threatens his career, his reputation and his faith.
Amid mounting trauma, Gary faces his steepest challenge yet: to extend forgiveness and second chances (and learn to accept them himself when they're offered). In doing so, he embraces the faith that sustained him when he feared all was lost.
What readers are saying
“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rita Reali is a master at details and dialogue! She draws you into her characters lives so you experience the anguish and joy with them. This book was an emotional roller coaster, with strong messages of faith and family. This was the first book of hers I read, but it will not be the last!”
— Cheryl A. Edwards
“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A beautifully written book. Rita is a master at writing dialogue. Reading this book was like riding an emotional roller coaster. The highs and lows of Gary Sheldon's life had me laughing one moment and crying the next. The Music Director at Z97.3, Gary is the radio station's "Golden Boy"...everyone loves him and his star is rising. If I hadn't read "Glimpses of Emerald" (Book one in the series), I would have though Gary had lived a charmed life. He is handsome, has a beautiful wife, a baby girl, a job he loves and he teaches [religious education] at his local parish. The truth is, Gary has worked hard and risen above a childhood with an abusive father, a disastrous teen pregnancy and alcoholism. The first part of the book sees him battle for custody of a nine-year-old daughter he didn't know existed. We see Gary's strength, character and dedication to family as he fights to win both custody and the heart of his daughter. The second part of the book sees Gary struggling just to survive when an intern from the radio station accuses him of horrific things. Gary immediately becomes headline news and is ruthlessly slandered by the media. In the months leading up to his trial, life becomes unbearable and he considers suicide. This is a beautiful story of facing your demons, embracing family and friends, persevering and never giving up. We see that Second Chances need to be both given and received.”
— Amazon reviewer
“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I think this was my favorite of the Sheldon family saga…so far! It really keeps your attention, wanting to know more about the family and what’s going to happen to them as they go through an horrific life situation thrown at them out of nowhere. Along with a child Gary never knew he had! I loved the characters and the storyline made me care about the people like I knew them. I hope this isn’t the last we hear from Rita and her series of great stories!”
— Patti Pensanti
“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Second Chances by Rita M. Reali was fantastic! All the characters were well developed, realistic and believable. Their actions seemed credible and the entire story was plausible. Nothing about it felt contrived. There wasn’t anywhere I could say, “I saw that coming.” I’ve read all four of Rita’s books and, while the others were also quite good, this one was her best one yet!”
— Amazon reviewer
More books by Rita M. Reali
Glimpse of Emerald
Book One in the Sheldon Family Saga. All books in the Sheldon Family Saga are standalone works.
Abandonment. Abuse. Betrayal. Rejection. By the age of 18, Gary Sheldon has endured all of these things. The one constant is the unwavering love and faith-driven support of Edward, his beloved grandfather. All too soon, the old man dies and all Gary has left is memories – and his granddad’s treasured rosary beads.
When Gary meets Michaela, her spitfire assertiveness shines through her somber façade and they forge an unlikely friendship… which deepens into love. But will the terrible secret Michaela acquires during their courtship derail their relationship?
Over time, a series of harsh revelations makes Gary re-evaluate everything he was certain of. Can he salvage the tattered shreds of his marriage? Will Michaela’s awful secret drive a deeper wedge between her and Gary? Or will their faith enable them to pick up the pieces and heal together?
Diagnosis: Love
Book two in the Sheldon Family Saga. All books in the Sheldon Family Saga are standalone works.
Nighttime radio announcer Marc Lindemeyr always blamed himself for his best friend’s suicide during senior year of high school. Haunted by a prickly incident with Patrick six weeks earlier, Marc’s life spirals into despair while his aspirations of studying architecture at Yale wither and fade.
Dr. Marie Sheldon has never liked her brother Gary’s radio-station coworker and close friend. She acts overtly hostile and disdainful toward Marc whenever their paths cross.
Can Marc make peace with his past and forge a dynamic future with the woman he loves? And can Marie curb her hostility long enough to recognize how deeply she loves Marc before it’s too late?
The Unintended Hero
Book Three in the Sheldon Family Saga. All books in the Sheldon Family Saga are standalone works.
What starts out as an average day ends up being anything but.
When Marc Lindemeyr wakes up the first Tuesday in July, his plans include lunch with his fiancée, Marie, then driving her to JFK International Airport to catch a flight to a medical conference. He fully expects to be back in time for work. But he doesn’t know the half of it.
Before long, Marc finds himself at the center of an international incident – suddenly recognizable and instantly beloved. And that’s just what the shy nighttime radio announcer doesn’t want.
Through it all, Marc learns how – and how not – to navigate life in the spotlight, how to accept comfort when it’s offered… and what being a real hero is all about.
This is the author's favorite book in the series.
Tender Mercies
Book Five in the Sheldon Family Saga. All books in the Sheldon Family Saga are standalone works.
Pregnant and ostracized, 16-year-old Dani seeks out her long-ago religion teacher for help. She never expected his reaction.
Gary Sheldon’s former students could always turn to him with any problem. His wife, Michaela, has been supportive of his involvement in their lives thus far; but when two teens divulge simultaneous life-changing situations, Gary must put their concerns into perspective with his own family’s needs.
In Tender Mercies, Gary and Michaela demonstrate Christ’s love in action as they open their home to a teenage girl with dark secrets. Gradually, horrific surprises emerge as she reveals deeply harbored dysfunction and violence. A compelling tale of hope triumphing over evil.
Brothers By Betrayal
Book six in the Sheldon Family Saga. All books in the Sheldon Family Saga are standalone works.
The last thing Gary Sheldon ever expected was to come face to face with his double. But today was the day his sister always dreaded, and their mother knew might eventually come. The sudden arrival of James Griffin sets in motion a series of relational upheavals for the Sheldon family – coinciding with a chain reaction of tumultuous events for Gary’s teenage daughter, Erin.