A Second Chance

The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 3

By: Jodi Taylor

Narrated by: Zara Ramm

Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

The third book in the best-selling Chronicles of St Mary's series which follows a group of tea-soaked disaster magnets as they hurtle their way around History. If you love Jasper Fforde or Ben Aaronovitch, you won't be able to resist Jodi Taylor.

History happens all around you. And, occasionally, to you.

I could have been a bomb-disposal expert, or a volunteer for the Mars mission, or a firefighter, something safe and sensible. But, no, I had to be an historian.

It began well. A successful assignment to 17th century Cambridge to meet Isaac Newton, and another to witness the historic events at The Gates of Grief. So far so good.

But then came the long-awaited jump to the Trojan War that changed everything. And for Max, nothing will ever be the same again.

With the bloody Battle of Agincourt playing out around her, Max risks everything on one last desperate gamble to save a life and learns the true meaning of a second chance.

©2014 Jodi Taylor (P)2014 Audible Studios

Critic reviews

"Ramm deftly takes listeners through Taylor's temporal shifts, emphasizing Max's dry wit and sense of the ridiculous.... Ramm's smooth voice pivots to a tone of regret and loss as Max confronts the consequences of dabbling in time. Ramm portrays Max's complex nature in all its flawed humanity." ( AudioFile)

This made my head spin

Wow. I just finished this book and I am not sure what happened. But it was good! Very tragic story. I was sobbing so much my throat was closed up, and then thank goodness the cheese rolling contest had me laughing out loud. But that was short lived and by the end I am sobbing again. I have been on a rollercoaster with Max and Leon in this book. I have no choice but to immediately purchase the next book in the series so that I can find out what happened in this book as well as the continuing story.

To note a few highlights of this book, Max, Leon and the rest of the team go to Troy to see if there really was a Trojan horse. A very tragic story. There is another visit to the dinosaur age and a trip to the battle of Asincourt between Henry V and the French. The battles described by Jodi Taylor are vivid, tragic and horrific - but totally spellbinding. A couple of surprises are in store in this book - one about a young boy from Troy. A totally mind bending story about Madeleine Maxwell, aka "Max" and Leon's relationship which I still haven't gotten my head around. Ends with a major cliffhanger. I have got to go now and get the next book so that I can get my head straight - hopefully.

Jody Taylor is an excellent story teller and she is so funny but also tragic. Regardless of which mode, the stories are addictive and it is hard for me to stop listening. The time flies by while I am immersed in the world of the St. Mary's Chronicles. The total abandon and madness of the St. Mary's team is fun to read about. A truly great series.
Zara Ramm is an awesome narrator - I love her sarcastic rendition of Max. I am so glad I started this series.

So friggin good!

Best book in this series so far, and I've loved every one of them so, so much. Just bloody perfect every minute of it! I can't wait to go on to the next one.

incredibly hilarious!

this is the best book so far! the story is very fluid as opposed to the others. loved it!

Second time listening and still love it!!

So I'm working my way through all of the books for a second time and still love them. You almost have to give it a second or third whirl to catch everything.

Be ready for a roller coaster

Is it a second or third chance? What an emotional roller coaster this one is! Newton, Troy, Ronin, Agincourt, life, death, the circles of time...
OMG! Cheese rolling!
I can’t tell you I was smiling so much at the end of this one, but what a ride.
Ramm does a good job of narration.

What Just Happened

The jump back to Troy was one of the best jumps St Mary's has ever done in my opinion. It kept me on my toes from start to finish. Troy is a fascinating and heart breaking story and the author brought it to life so skillfully that I felt as if I was actually there. Well, actually I was mowing my lawn on my riding mower and I swear I don't remember how it got mowed I was so engrossed. That's the great thing about Audible. The choices they had to make before they jumped back to St Mary's should give anyone pause about trying to observe and record history without interfering. Should that be a choice in the not too distant future. The hardest part of this book for me was how Max failed to show emotion when tragedy hit. I know that is how the character deals with hardships, by turning off her emotions, but it was still a particularly hard bit to take. That was nothing compared to what was coming. Buckle up St. Mary's lovers. The twist at the end will have you throwing yourself back in your armchair and screaming "What the F@&$!

Still as interested as I was with book 1

Would you listen to A Second Chance again? Why?

I LOVE the stories, love the accent of the reader, and as usual, this series does not disappoint.

Another winner.

This is another fun, pleasure to listen to, and cannot wait for the next book by Jodi Taylor.
Please do not change narrators.
A very nice voice to listen to and enjoy.

ends in a cliffhanger

But as long as you go in knowing that, this is quality St. Mary’s! Tangled and fun and dark and light.

Great book!

I love all the characters in her books, each book is better than the last!