Cover Image: The Last

The Last

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Girl meets boy, makes marriage pact for if their both single when they hit 30... years later when they are still single they meet up again and.... we’ll youll have to read the book.

Cute story, good book.

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This story features Ian and Sarah. Ten years ago they were best friends and vowed that by the time they were 30, if they weren’t married, they’d marry each other. Now, 10 years later, he’s so jaded against love and wants to marry her for companionship only. This story is about Ian’s struggle against falling in love and Sarah falling in love with someone who doesn’t believe in love.

The story has sad and tragic moments but it’s also about second chances and happiness.

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The character’s Ms Fenske creates are as entertaining as ever. Likeable characters throughout a great series.
Review copy received from Entangled Publishing via Netgalley

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Holy raunchy loofahs, Batman! Boy is The Last one hot book, so if you’re in the mood for sexiness galore, a hunky ginger and a great time don’t miss this one!

Sarah and Ian were best friends in college, with great chemistry but never quite the right timing, they remained distant acquaintances through the years. Sarah’s 30th birthday, lots of champagne and some IMing brings Ian to her door to fulfill a pact that had been forgotten up until that night. If they were still single by age 30 they’d get married.

Both unattached but ready to settle down, they embark in a tryout period to make sure they are compatible to sustain a committed partnership… And although that isn’t exactly the way Sarah imagined her marriage being, well, she can’t deny they get along perfectly in every way and she hasn’t had any luck finding Mr. Right.

Ian’s heart broke with a loss in his past, and he isn’t willing to risk that kind of pain ever again. He has many reasons why this marriage of convenience will go the distance when those fueled by supposed love and passion fail.

I really liked Sarah and Ian both. Sarah was incredibly compassionate and loved her work. She was funny and sassy, sweet and caring. Ian was super sexy with his dirty mouth and bossiness in the bedroom (and the steam room, and the car, and the conference table… you know what I mean) and when he let his guard down and he left himself feel the connection he shared with Sarah was simply amazing.

I especially loved seeing them together, their chemistry was absurdly hot and they scorched my kindle screen every time with their sexnanigans. I will admit that Ian’s unwillingness to open up eventually got on my nerves, but as he eventually got his head out of his butt and went all out to win Sarah, all was forgiven… did I mention he could dirty talk like a boss?

Engaging, sweet and incredibly hot, The Last was an amazing read I enjoyed from start to finish.

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book*

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Fenske makes frustrating endearing. For Sarah and Ian the road less travelled, could end up leading them home. Nobody can make me laugh as frequently and uproariously as she can. The personality flaws that make us human are what makes her characters so irresistible. She never hides the imperfections. She highlights them with wit and heart. The Last is a winner all the way.

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3.75 stars--THE LAST is the third instalment in Tawna Fenske’s contemporary, adult THE LIST erotic, romance series. This is thirty year olds, aviation specialist Ian Nolan, and social worker Sarah Keating’s story line. THE LAST can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.


Told from dual first person perspectives (Ian and Sarah) THE LAST follows the friends to lovers / marriage of convenience relationship between thirty year olds, aviation specialist Ian Nolan, and social worker Sarah Keating. Celebrating her thirtieth birthday, Sarah Keating texted her college best friend Ian Nolan, who reminded our heroine about a pact they made years before promising one another if neither one had married by their thirtieth birthdays, they would become one another’s significant others. In town for a job, Ian Nolan offers Sarah a marriage of convenience that would benefit them both. What ensues is the rebuilding friendship and relationship between Sarah and Ian, and the fall-out as Sarah wants something more than Ian is able or willing to give.


Ian Nolan doesn’t believe in love, and continues to struggle with the death of his younger brother. Reconnecting with Sarah brings with it memories of the past including the losses and regrets of his earlier days. Sarah Keating has always wanted marriage and a family but Ian’s offer of marriage doesn’t include a happily ever after, and no promises of love.


The relationship between Sarah and Ian is a friends to lovers; a marriage of convenience between two people who love one another but are not necessarily in love. As the days turn into weeks, Sarah’s heart is lost to the man that she loves but Ian is unable to offer more. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.


The good-natured and colorful, secondary and supporting characters include Simon and Cassie (The List #1), and Simon’s sister Junie: Lisa and Dax (The Test #2), as well as several friends, co-workers and extended family.


THE LAST is a story of family, friendship, promises and love with moments of heart break and grief. The premise is captivating; the characters are likeable and energetic; the romance is steamy and hot. THE LAST is a fun, sexy and heart felt.




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Rating 4/5

This book was laugh-out-loud one of the most hilarious romances I've read! The dialogue here was witty and sarcastic and I loved it!

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Sweet fluffy friends to lovers second chance romance with a difference.

They were best friends in collage but after a heartbreaking loss Ian left and over the years they only kept in contact via texts around eachothers birthday. Sarah's questioning her life on her birthday and one thing leads to another.. which eventually had Ian popping up. They were never intimate during their collage years but that didn't mean there wasn't feelings flying around for at least one of them.

Fast forward a few years, some drastic life changes and obviously growing up and we're at the now.

Things between Ian and Sarah escalated super quickly physically. Straight up they jumped right into it. Lucky for them it felt natural because despite years apart, they knew eachother. The chemistry between them is palpable and I could feel that connection for the getgo.

Their journey isn't easy because despite having that easy relationship the pair are on different pages emotionally. Ian is locked up tighter that Fort Knox and Sarah has dreamed of marriage,kids and a white picket fence for years. You can see how this would cause an issue right?.

Despite jumping into it quickly their relationship was a slow build. It's never as simple as keeping your emotions at bay and they quickly realised how difficult that was going to be. I think the author did a great job at showing all sides of their relationship, giving us layers to their story. It's emotional but sweet, funny and hella sexy to!. There a good balance without all the unnecessary drama or fillers.

It's a cute read that is easy to love. Both characters are very likeable and easy to relate to. The story is seemlessly written and perfectly transitions the characters from friends to lovers without a hitch!. Also you have some great side characters and old characters from previous books popping in which of course is a absolute pleasure!.

Over all I really enjoyed it!. It a sweet light read that will make you smile! True romance at its best.

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Another great read from Tawna Fenske.
Sarah and Ian haven't seen each other in ten years, since at college. They made a pact to marry if they had not already done so by the time they were 30. It's Sarah's birthday and after encouragement from her friends (and several drinks!) she messages him. When they meet sparks fly - both single they end up going with the pact - Ian has been clear from the start that he won't fall in love, but what will happen when Sarah falls for Ian and wants more from their imminent marriage than a business arrangement?

This is the only book I have read in this series, and is easily read as a standalone - I enjoyed it so much I want to read the rest of the series now!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary and honest review.

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*first off, extreme gratitude to Riki Cleveland and the Entangled Publishing team for granting me this eARC in exchange for an honest review*

The Last is the third book in a series, but it totally works as a standalone as each book focuses on a different lady and her love life. Sarah is our main girl and on her 30th birthday (of all days) suddenly a promise from her college years is called: marriage. Ian and Sarah used to be best friends in college. The hung out all the time, drank beer until the cows came home, and talked about their bucket lists. Each of them cycled through various boyfriends/girlfriends in their time together but they made a pact: if we’re 30 and we’re not married to other people yet, we’ll marry each other.

This is a steamy, passionate romance with long business-deal strings attached. Some of the scene definitely had me blushing like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
Overall, a great read. Use caution: you’ll need a cool afterward!

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I think I’m just not in the mood for this type of book right now, because normally I love Tawna Fenske’s stories, but this one didn’t work for me. Mostly because of Sarah’s incredibly immature idea of love. Ian is right there in front of her, a man she has known for years, who is basically her best friend and she has scorching hot chemistry with. Someone she loves being around, someone she can always be herself with, someone who understands who she is, where she came from, what she dreams of. But she doesn’t want any of that, because love is stalking someone on Facebook and driving past their house in the wee small hours of the morning because you suspect he’s banging the secretary.

Seriously, WTF is the matter with this woman? She’s supposed to be 30 not 13. The kind of marriage he’s offering sounds pretty good. Although I could understand if she wanted to wait for a breath-stealing kind of lover who would sweep her off her feet and wine and dine her, showering her with romantic gestures and being basically unbearable with all the clichés. At least that would be understandable in a hopeless romantic kind of way. But that’s not what she’s looking for. She’s looking for someone to stalk and I… really can’t.

Ian isn’t perfect either with his whole No Emotions! thing for the last decade. I mean I get the reason and all, but it’s pretty hard to believe in it when we only ever see him with Sarah, when he is anything but closed off and remote. He even tells her he loves her, even if it’s not the big romantic love she and he both think they should expect. He’s funny and caring and pretty adorable – the two of them together are. Which I think was my biggest problem with this book. They’re great together right from the start, there is no reason why they wouldn’t be great together while married. There is nothing standing in their way. Which means there is no plot. Only ridiculous obstacles thrown in to stop this from being a two chapter book and a HEA.

Like the contract. What even is that contract? It doesn’t fit at all with the character we see. Sure, it fits the hard working businessman that he tells us he is, but we never see him, so the contract seems ridiculous.

And the love confession. Argh! I hate it when this happens. (Spoiler section removed, but can be viewed on Goodreads.)

Ugh. I haven’t the patience for these manufactured shenanigans (and yes, I know, it’s fiction and all manufactured, but you know what I mean. And if you don’t… you need to read better books). So let’s just say YMMV on this one and probably don’t read it when you’re in a bah-humbug, get-off-my-lawn type mood and instead are in love with the world and want to read some sex. There is sex in this book. Possibly that’s all you need to know. There’s also a very sweet weightlifting scene. And that’s all I got. It didn’t work for me, but that’s because I’m a grouch. If you aren’t, then enjoy!

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The Last Book 3 of the List series (all can be read as a standalone)

5 Stars

Amazing! Fabulous story written by Tawna Fenske! Very well written. Loved the characters and the plot!

"Love-- her face glows with it, her whole body radiates with rays like sun glinting off water. My throat tightens, and I take a few deeper breaths to keep myself from bawling."

Very highly recommend!!

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Ian fell for Sarah when they were young college friends...and he was her very best friend and confidant. But when his brother passed away unexpectedly during their sophomore year and Ian left school the two drifted apart. Now its 10 years later and both have turned 30 - and their college promise to get married if they were both still single at 30 come rushing back.

Since his brothers death, Ian has shored up his heart from love. He wants a marriage of convenience, a partnership and friendship, and he absolutely won't let his heart into the equation. And to his utter delight, Sarah agrees. While the two of them get reacquainted, their passion for each other is the one thing they can both agree on. But when Sarah realizes she's fallen head over heels, she know she has to tell him.

This couple! I adored them from beginning to end. Sarah never thought of Ian as anything but her best guy pal, and Ian shut himself off for ten long years...but he's fooling himself with his assurance that he can shut down the tenderness he once shared with this amazing woman.

The Last is funny, sweet, tender...and sexy as hell! This one will leave you fanning yourself almost from the offset. So. Damn. Good. And an added bonus - fans of Fenske's Ponderosa Resort series will see some familiar characters, totally unexpected, and seemlessly woven in.

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Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 out of 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Heart Level: 💘💘💘💘💘 out of 💘💘💘💘💘

LOL's: 😂😂😂 out of 😂😂😂😂😂

Favorite quotes: "Is that a butthole?" "Yep. The feline variety"

"Love is daisies and mushy cards, sure, but it's so much more than that. It's trusting another person to hold your heart in their hands without breaking it...It's the knowledge that sharing the heartache makes it easier to bear. It's knowing someone else has your back no matter what"

Oh, this book. This book was difficult to read. Not because there was anything wrong with it, but because it had ALL the feels. All of them. And I was not prepared. There were tears. When you are reading a Tawna Fenske book, you expect the laughs, but those pesky tears will sneak on you!

Ian is scarred by his parent's divorce and his brother Shane's death. He's unwilling to suffer again, so he closes himself off and refuses to fall in love. He associates love with suffering and who can blame him, really. Not after what he's been through. He'll soon learn that sometimes, love will sneak on you.

Sarah has a heart of gold, a social worker that manages a group home for adults with Down Syndrome. She's always wanted the whole package: love, kids, and picket fence. At first, she is sure she can settle for what Ian is offering. But she soon discovers that it's just not enough. Not when she has fallen in love with her old best friend.

This book has been the perfect conclusion to this series. It struck the perfect balance of sexy scenes, laugh out loud moments, and emotion. I definitely recommend, but keep a hanky nearby, just in case. Another winner for Tawna Fenske!

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I *really* like this friends-to-lovers story. Although third in The List series, this was the first I'd read and it can definitely be read as a standalone. Yes, there were cameos from previous characters, but I didn't feel as though I'd been dropped in the middle of a story (but I will definitely be going back to read the first two books).

The sexual chemistry between Sarah and Ian was off-the-charts and there was plenty of steam. I just really felt that they truly connected as a couple. Sometimes friends-to-lovers stories feel a bit forced to me but not this one. Despite not having seen each other for a decade, Sarah and Ian seemed to mesh (which I find to be true with good friends I haven't seen in forever) and it just read as "true" to me. Admittedly, I kind of felt that Ian's hang-up about love and commitment was a bit overblown but whatever – it didn't kill the story for me.

I definitely recommend this one! It's one of my favorite reads so far this year!

*eARC provided by the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*

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Really cute! I could have used a little more around the end. The wrap-up seemed really rushed but the overall story was really sweet and something a little outside of the normal tropes we’re all so used to.

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Tawna Fenske has a way with rearranging those 26 letters of the alphabet into words, creating great stories.

Though predictable, most romance novels are, this story of Sarah and Ian is nonetheless hot!

You zip right through the story without realizing how fast you’re going until you get to the end. Once at the end, you sit back, wipe your eyes and exhale, “Wow!”

Grab a copy now, but don’t forget about reading others in the series for some background on the side characters!

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Sarah is turning 30 and she finds herself with every aspect of her life except romance. She has a job she loves as a social worker who works with adults with Down Syndrome and she has great friends who convince her to get into contact with her college friend Ian and her world is about to change.

Ian’s past has made him leery to be in love but after Sarah contacts him he wants to act on the pact that they made when they were in college. If they were both 30 and single, they agreed to marry each other and it seems like the solution to both their problems, what could possibly go wrong?

This friends to lovers story delivers on all fronts with humorous banter, hot chemistry, emotion and is a great addition to this series. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy.

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I get giddy about friends to lovers stories and this one is so good! The affection feels honest, the chemistry palpable and the sexy times envious. You’re going to love it, no question!

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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I always get excited when I hear Tawna Fenske is putting out a new book. She can mix sexy couples with the hilarity that life can often times bring. Her characters read like she took them from my own life and placed them in the story. The idea of being in a marriage pact is nothing new, but it's always intrigued me, especially marriage laid out as a business contract. People can't go through a marriage not being in love, can they? It's understandable why getting to know Sarah and Ian as individuals, as they are remembering and learning about each other's baggage after years apart. They not only have a past friendship, but they also have major chemistry. It has the sexy times, the laugh out loud times, and the sweet & humble times that only friends and family can provide. As a bonus, I always enjoy visiting older, cherished "friends" that the other series books have brought to me.

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