The Second Choice 

• Author: CM Haines
• Genre: Romance
• Publication Date: June 16, 2026
• Publisher: Self-Published
• Series: Love Hunters #3

His only serious relationship was built on a lie of his own doing. Now that it’s over, he feels more lost than ever.

Since Aaron Barnes left his fiancée at the altar, his life has turned upside down. But he couldn’t marry the woman his brother loves. He’d already taken too much time from them.

Which brings him to a new problem. He hasn’t been single since he was sixteen, and he hates being alone. So, when his best friend, Lars, calls him to come play house while his co-parenting ex-wife is out of town, Aaron can’t say no.

They took him in when he had nowhere else to go, and he’s more at home with Lars and his daughters than his own apartment. Together, they feel like a family, but both are holding secrets that could tear them apart.

And despite realizing he might have feelings for this man he has a hidden past with, Aaron refuses to put his heart on the line.

He can’t handle being someone’s second choice again.

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The Second Choice is a MM romance with characters exploring together. One of the men is very active on a dating app, and he is seen with partners of different genders prior to the main relationship starting. There is an openness to said relationship in the beginning, therefore it is not cheating. However, if you do not like seeing a character with anyone but the love interest, please read with caution. This might not be the book for you.

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Love Hunters is a steamy, new adult romance series set in a small town full of drama, gossip, and strong friendships. Each book can be read as a standalone, but there is some overlap, so the later books may spoil the earlier ones.

I had read the first book in this series, but haven’t read the second when I was given the choice to read this one just prior to release. While reading the series in order is ideal, it didn’t have a significant impact that I missed the middle book in the series. I have read the majority of the books Haines has published, and first encountered her as a beta reader. I fell in love with her writing, and I have tried to read each one of her books. Most of those I have also had the pleasure of proofreading, and after all these years, I also call her a friend. But as I always tell her, I’m from New York, so I give the honest truth as feedback during the proofread and in my reviews, even if she’s been an auto-buy author for me since I read her very first book.

To start with, I love the way her plots are built. She creates an intriguing storyline for the romance, with a clever use of tropes and a solid cast of three-dimensional characters, whether they are main characters, love interests, or side characters. The story features a group of long-time friends from a small town, and they’re each so unique. Chapters alternate from the perspective of the two main characters, Aaron and Lars, and they have such different voices that it was never a struggle to figure out who was narrating the chapter.

One of my most favorite things to see in a book is character growth. And this book is packed with growth, and not only in the main characters. Aaron and Lars both undergo huge changes over the course of the book and they learn and change from their experiences. This felt especially realistic in a new adult book, where most of the characters are in their early- to mid-twenties, and experiencing a lot of strong emotions and learning to cope with them. Panic attacks are depicted in the story and are handled with a special sensitivity, with an emphasis on social support from a group of people who are more found family than anything else.

In this book, I was most impressed with how accepting they were of each other. There’s such a strong bond between this group that even major upheavals are adapted to, even if takes some time, and I really enjoyed reading all the supportive relationships in the story as opposed to how it could have been. But then again, Haines is one of my favorite romance writers, and it was fantastic to see her turn up the spice when the slow-burn friends-to-lovers relationship finally does ignites.

Another thing I appreciated seeing was the way the children are given even more support and care. They don’t just appear as placeholders, but have their own personalities, strong opinions, and behavioral patterns, and each child is different and well-rendered. My personal favorite was Chloe, a 3-year-old chaos demon who stole every scene she was in. An author who puts this much development into every one of the central found family group and even their children is giving me exactly what I look for in an ideal read. The only character who wasn’t a fully rendered personality is Maddie, an 18-month-old, but it’s clear she’s working hard at it.

This is a slow-burn queer, M/M romance, and it is written beautifully. Even though the stories are set in our world, it was a beautiful thing to see a group of people in the Midwest (or anywhere else, actually) be so accepting of their friends and loved ones who make the brave and terrifying vision to come out to the people closest to them. And it isn’t just about coming out, this group is a true ride-or-die. I loved that the relationship between Charlie (Aaron’s ex-fiancee, who he left at the altar) and Aaron hasn’t been irreparably damaged, since he did it for *reasons* which I can’t list because spoilers. While his relationship with one of his closest female friends is still very damaged, he has other friends to lean on, and has been relying heavily on Lars. In turn, Lars is heavily relying on Aaron for the support and acceptance of a situation he hasn’t shared widely, and the lifelong bond between these two wonderful, loving, sweet, thoughtful, and loyal men deepens. 

Overall, it feels like my review is a bit all over the place, but I always find it hardest to write reviews for books where I loved so much about it that I didn’t even see anything to be critical about—I mean, aside from my proofreading feedback—but this is the kind of book that I found to be wonderful. Yes, it’s a romance that is both sweet and steamy, with so much tension and emotional investment, but it’s also a book about new adults figuring out their path in the world, especially when things have shifted for them. There was enough going on with each character and in their dynamics one-on-one and as a group, and the read was a fast-moving one that kept me on my toes and held my interest. I actually found myself getting irritable if something took my attention and I had to stop reading, it was that good.

Bottom line: A wonderful, sweet, romantic gem of a book featuring a M/M romance that feels meant to be, and will tug on your heartstrings in the best possible ways.

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