A Second Helping

Written by Beverly Jenkins

Narrated by Myra Lucretia Taylor

Author Beverly Jenkins was named one of the top 50 African-American writers of the 20th century and has earned numerous awards for her powerful fiction. After divorcing her faithless husband, Bernadine Brown put her newfound millions to good use reviving the small Kansas town of Henry Adams. Now a local diner named the Dog and Cow could use a facelift, but Bernadine has plenty of other distractions to worry about. Chief among these, her former husband has rolled into town looking for a second chance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 22, 2017
• ISBN: 9781501982620

Beverly Jenkins

Beverly Jenkins is the recipient of the 2018 Michigan Author Award by the Michigan Library Association, the 2017 Romance Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the 2016 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for historical romance. She has been nominated for the NAACP Image Award in Literature, was featured in both the documentary Love Between the Covers and on CBS Sunday Morning. Since the publication of Night Song in 1994, she has been leading the charge for inclusive romance, and has been a constant darling of reviewers, fans, and her peers alike, garnering accolades for her work from the likes of The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, and NPR. To read more about Beverly, visit her at www.BeverlyJenkins.net.  

Reviews for A Second Helping

[nick · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I REALLY enjoyed the first book and the story of this one but the narrator of the first book brought the characters to life more. I enjoyed the unfolding of the character Otis and how he joined the town.

[Brenda Shealey Steele · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Outstanding! So entertaining and memorable! A must read! I plan to read this book again!

[mmoj_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A Second Helping is the second in a series of books about the town of Henry Adams. If it's been awhile since you've read the first book: Henry Adams was turning into a ghost town before Bernadine (a very rich woman thanks to a divorce) bought the town and brought in five foster kids and placed them with families who agreed to live in Henry Adams. The kids are starting to settle into Henry Adams and with the families they have been placed with. Bernadine is busy continuing her plan to grow Henry Adams. This time around she's finishing the local diner improvements, building a school and hiring a teacher for the school. Amari decides he wants to be a part of the July family so must go on a vision quest and come up with a project - he decides to hold an August 1st parade which turns out way bigger - perhaps bigger than even Bernadine can handle. Crystal's mom is still in prison but her dad is back in the picture - will he take Crystal away from Bernadine?

I really enjoy these stories by Beverly Jenkins. She writes a Christian story without being too preachy - yes, perhaps everything works out better than it might in real life but don't you want, even every now and then, to have a place that everything turns out right? I enjoy getting to know the characters and the lay-out of the town. I've been reading some books that are just casual sex with no connections and characters that have been beaten down by life so this is refreshing. Looking forward to more in the series.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Life in the town of Henry Adams is many things but dull isn’t one of them. For a small town, there is a lot happening: romantic encounters, foster kids wanting to be adopted, a widower trying to connect with his own unhappy son, and a fugitive from the law, on the run with a couple of enormous pigs. And this barely scratches the surface! But if you want the real scoop, you need to hie yourself down to the Dog and Cow diner. It’s the real deal for up-to-date info. This novel, too, is many things: entertaining, thought-provoking, amusing, and well-written, but mostly, it is just a very good story told in a very good fashion.

[lrobe190 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Book 2 in the Blessings series continues the lives of the folks who live in Henry Adams, a small African American town in Kansas. It would have been helpful to read Book 1 first (Bring on the Blessings) because it took me awhile to figure out who the characters were.This is an entertaining, gentle read with a little bit of humor, romance, and mystery.

[cyderry · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is the continuation of the tale of Henry Adams, Kansas which had been purchased by Bernadine Brown off of EBay. The characters are rich and invite the reader into a place that they are endeavoring to improve with Ms. Brown's help. They have built a school which they name after the current teacher of 40 years, they support emotionally and mentally the five children that they have "adopted" into their town and their hearts, and they have shown that even while their town is being transformed, their lives can be as well. This book which I won on the Librarything ER program is the continuation of a story started in a book titled BRING ON THE BLESSINGS. Bernadine Brown has divorced her philandering husband and had received a $275 Million divorce settlement which she promptly used to purchase the town of Henry Adams, Kansas off of EBay. The idea is intriguing and I (as an EBay buyer) got caught up in the story - hook, line and sinker. I am definitely going to be looking for the first book. Since this version was a Uncorrected proof I didn't hold the numerous printing errors against the story being told. But it definitely need a good proofreader - not just a spellchecker.

[julyso · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Bernadine Brown has recently been divorced and she received lots of money from her husband in the settlement. She is looking for a new beginning and decides to purchase a town experiencing financial problems, Henry Adams, on eBay. She has lots going on...an ex-husband who decides to make an appearance, a new romance, and several foster children to watch out for. She is also opening a new school and welcoming the new schoolteacher and his son.

[jenniwindsor · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I also won this book through ER and it was a very heartwarming book although a little slow going at first. I will probably go back and read the first book in this series though.

[reads4pleasure · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The second in what I hope becomes a series, A Second Helping is the follow up to 2009's Bring on the Blessings. The residents of the historically black town of Hays Adam, KS are back for more.Readers of the first book will remember that newly divorced millionaire Bernadine Brown bought the struggling town while looking for a project to immerse herself in after she found her husband of twenty-plus years cheating. A woman with a big heart, Bernadine began a project in the first book to unite the families of Hays Adam with hard to place foster children. In her latest sequel, we find the kids and their families thriving and readying for adoption.Eleven year old former car thief, Amari, has found a home with the mayor of the small town and has made the decision to become a part of the July family. In order to do so, he must complete a spiritual quest guided by the matriarch of the July family, Tamar, and complete an unselfish task that brings joy to someone else. Paging through old photo albums, Amari stumbles upon pictures of the August 1st parade and decides to organize one for his new family and new town.Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of an August 1st parade. Most of us are familiar with Juneteenth, which is celebrated on June 19 to commemorate the abolition of slavery in Texas, the last state to free their slaves in 1865. August 1st celebrates the abolishment of slavery in the British empire in 1834 and was celebrated throughout towns in the United States up until 1927. To this day it is also celebrated in Barbados, Bermuda, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Anguilla, The Bahamas, Turks & Caicos and the British Virgin Isles.During the 1830s these annual events were small affairs largely organized in schoolhouses, debating halls, and black churches. Over subsequent decades, however, these annual meetings became much larger, more public, and communal affairs. Thousands of people of African descent would congregate in villages, towns, and city squares during the opening days of August to celebrate the ending of slavery elsewhere and organize for its overthrow in the United States. During the 1850s, these public meetings became breeding grounds for more militant opposition toward American slavery: through the attraction and participation of fugitive slaves; the parade of armed black militias; and, fiery speeches demanding the violent overthrow of American slavery. In British Canada, an older generation of black people, along with fugitives and more recent emigrants, also adapted August First as an important expression of their antislavery actions and political identities. In short, August First Day was to become the most important public commemorative event and popular form of mobilization among people of African descent in the English-speaking Atlantic world between the 1830s and the 1860s. - excerpt from Whatever Happened to August First by J.R. Kerr-RitchieAlong with the adventures that come with planning a parade, readers are introduced to a few new characters and will be delighted to reacquaint themselves with old, familiar characters.What did you like about this book?I loved the introduction of August 1st. The author is known for writing historical romances. Though this is not a romance in the true sense of the word, I'm glad that she introduced the historical aspects of this fictional town.What did you dislike about this book?It ended too quickly. Yes, even with 386 pages, I wanted more.How can the author improve this book?No improvements needed. It's my hope that this becomes a series and that it doesn't take another year for the next edition to be released.

[tanya2009_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the second Blessings book by Beverly Jenkins. I won it on ER. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the residents in Henry Adams Kansas. This book takes place a year after Bernadine Brown buys the town off of ebay. I enjoyed reading about the changes in the town and the residents who live there. I hope there will be another installment for readers to enjoy.