Luck & Last Resorts by Sarah Grunder Ruiz is an emotional, angsty, and witty romance book!

Nina, a former gymnast, and Ollie, a chef, have a complicated history. Nina, now a chief stewardess on a yacht, is less than thrilled when she finds out Ollie is the chef on the same yacht. When Ollie gives Nina an ultimatum, will it make or break their relationship?

I read Love, Lists & Fancy Ships first, but you absolutely do not need to read it before reading this book. It was fun to see characters from that book make an appearance though! I immediately loved, loved, loved Ollie! He was so sweet and adorable! On the other hand, Nina was a difficult character to like, but she grew on me as more and more of her backstory was revealed. She had so many issues to work through, and I loved how patient and understanding Ollie was with her. The further I got into the story, the more I found myself rooting for them! There was also some below deck drama with the crew that made this book even more entertaining! I really enjoyed this beautiful and heartfelt second chance romance!

Super cute! A great story, I'll read anything Sarah writes! I think I liked book 1 in the series more - I wanted more steam/romance in this one and less time "apart" but I get why it was written the way it was. Overall, a super solid romance!

I am hooked! I read this back when the ARCs were sent out and have been waiting so long for the physical copy. I pre-ordered two copies :)

SGR has a way of making a light romantic read become something so realistic with the issues her characters go through and one cannot help but develop a connection to them.

Nina and Ollie are the perfect romantic couple but they aren’t perfect people - and I absolutely love it.

Grab your copy by any means necessary! Legally, of course :)

After @readingwithremy convinced me to read Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships because of my love of Bravo’s Below Deck, I actually read both books back to back!

I absolutely loved Jo’s book! Jo is a yacht stewardess who is on the cusp of turning 30. She has a list of things she wants to do, but her life flips around after the accidental death of her young nephew. Her sister needs help coping with his death and her marriage falling apart and asks Jo to take her nieces for the summer. They are on board with hoping Jo finish her 30 by 30 list. Jo was a delight and I loved how selflessly she gave up her summer plans to help her family. I knew exactly after she crosses kiss a stranger off her list that we would see Alex again- I’ve watched Grey’s Anatomy to know he was going to be the new yacht chef! This book was genuine and heartfelt and I definitely shed a tear by the end.

In the sequel, Luck and Last Resorts, we follow Jo’s best friend Nina. Nina is also a yacht stewardess after she fled her childhood home. She was a rising gymnast heading towards the Olympics when she suffered a major injury. Her father also stole her identity with gambling and put her in significant debt. She’s working (and flirting) with Ollie, the hot yacht chef from Ireland. The book is mostly about their relationship- Ollie wants more than Nina is willing to give. Nina doesn’t share anything about herself even to her bff Jo and I just couldn’t get into her story as much. Nina was so dramatic and I didn’t feel it was warranted for most of the time. I still really enjoyed this book- especially all the yacht banter between Nina and Ollie. I’ll definitely be back if there’s a book 3.

Love, Lists and Fancy Ships: 4.5 stars
Luck and Last Resorts: 3 stars

Thank you so much to @berkleypub for my ARC of Luck and Last Resorts.

I really enjoyed this book. I didn't read the first one with Jo and Alex (but will deff go back!) so the dealings of chapter 4 and some of the friendship between Jo and Nina was lost on me BUT, I still really enjoyed it. I will say the first few chapters are a bit boring without the backstory of book 1 (imo) - it took me a bit to get into the story but once I got to 40% or so, I was in it to win it. And the last 10% was just magnificent.

Nina will be a hard character to love because she just has walls upon walls upon walls. She is quite frankly a mess (when she finally decides to go to therapy I was like MAAM THANK YOU!!!!!). But I understood her, as much as I didn't understand her choices. Ollie is the best hahah I don't think anyone will not love him. Overall this is a great romance read that is complex - Nina and Ollie has so many layers to their relationship. Great for folks who like a reluctant main character, a love story told in two timelines, and fun descriptions of food and boat life.

This sequel made me still want to take a luxury yacht out, and spy on the crew- seems like they have a lot of fun! I did spend half the book really upset with the main character, she didn’t make sense to me, but I think that was the point. It really illustrates that she didn’t know what she wanted.

After a childhood of deception and betrayal, Nina vows to never rely on anyone else. For the most part, it has worked out fine. Now a chief stewardess of the Serendipity yacht, living and thriving on her own, and a solid group of friends- her rule has served her just fine. Until her former best friend Ollie, who left the yacht a year ago, shows up and demands that Nina admits she has feelings for him. She's given an ultimatum: either explore a relationship with Ollie or else Ollie will move back to Ireland for good. Will Nina's self-inflicted rules stand in the way of true love or are rules only made to be broken?

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One word to describe Nina: ANGST. And I love it. She is unabashedly headstrong, stubborn, and hilarious with her dry sense of humour. I love a good strong-headed heroine whose tough facade only cracks when she truly trusts someone. In this case, that person is Ollie.

I loved the back and forth POV to see how Ollie and Nina's relationship initially progressed from enemies, to friends, to complicated lovers. The stakes are high, and the reader not only feels the inner turmoil, but understands why Nina is hesitant.

Plus, (spoiler) they're married?!? Didn't see that one coming.

This was the first book I've read in the Love, Lists & Fancy Ships world and it reads beautifully as a stand-alone.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second in the Love, Lists and Fancy Ships series. While you could read this one as a stand-alone there are spoilers for the first book. Plus the first book is wonderful so you’re going to want to read it anyway.

Nina is the chief stewardess on the Serendipity, a super yacht that runs charters for the uber wealthy. She’s a commitment-phobe and has a list of rules for herself that include always having fun, and not relying on anyone but herself. The problem is, these rules lead her to constantly push away love, even with her on-again off-again ex-coworker Ollie. It’s clear that Ollie has been in love with Nina for years, and frankly she loves him too, but she refuses to admit it.

I really liked both main characters, although I seem to be reading a lot of romances lately where one character constantly self-sabotages and that aspect of Nina’s character was starting to wear a little thin for me after a while. Having said that, the story was so great, and all of the characters felt very real and well developed. And this book even got me to watch an entire season of Below Deck, which I’d been avoiding up until now. 😆

Anyway, everything finally works out in the end and I don’t want to spoil anything but there is good character growth, which I appreciated.

I read this book in two sittings and loved every second of it!!! Nina and Ollie have my heart ❤️⁣
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I love a flawed and complex character, and precious Nina Lejeune is a brilliantly written example of just that. She is complicated and frustrating at times and vibrant and so dang lovable and hilarious and I just wanted to reach through the pages and give her a hug and a fluffy blanket and tell her everything is going to be okay. ⁣
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And precious *hot yacht chef* Ollie is an actual angel. He’s so patient and loving and IRISH ☘️🤌🏻 and makes the best pizza rolls and worships the ground Nina walks on even though loving her has proved painful. I loved him so much and was not ready to say goodbye to his sweet cinnamon roll soul.⁣
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WHY CAN’T THESE TWO CRAZY KIDS JUST FIGURE IT OUT ALREADY??? 😭⁣
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LUCK AND LAST RESORTS is an exemplary second chance romance between two deeply damaged souls who you root for from the very beginning. The first part of the book is told through alternating chapters set in the present day and in the past, so you really get to know the characters and their personalities and understand why they’re in the tug-of-war situation that they’re in. And when that big secret drops (IYKYK!!!), you know you’re in for a wiiiild ride! @sarahgrunderruiz puts these sweet angels through the wringer 😭⁣
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I loved every second of it.

Like many, I ended up discovering and binge-watching Below Deck during the pandemic. Luck and Last Resorts felt like I was right back watching the show unfold. I could picture the characters as some of my favorite crew members and could envision many of the locations. While that was fun, the story itself was great fun to read and I loved the relationship between Ollie and Nina.

This is part of a series but works completely fine as a standalone (I haven't read the first book yet, but will now!)

This has definitely been one of my favorites I've read so far this summer and I definitely recommend checking it out!

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for the eARC!

So. Freaking. Good. I loved this even more than Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships - the angst, the love story, the flashbacks. Everything - it was also so well executed. Did I cry? Yes. Did I laugh? Yes. Did I crave pizza rolls? BIG YES. I can't wait to see what Sarah has in store next.

Am I interested in yachts now?

I really enjoyed LUCK AND LAST RESORTS, and maybe, just maybe, it started to change my view on main characters who struggle to admit (or acknowledge) their true feelings.

Nina and Ollie have a long history together, full of friendship, fun banter, ANGST, tension, workplace drama, and the list goes on. I loved following along on their journey as I felt their chemistry and that they were made for one another.

When Ollie poses an ultimatum about their relationship, Nina becomes her own worst enemy, letting her insecurities get in the way. This is where I usually find myself rolling my eyes or becoming frustrated by this plot line, but Sarah Grunder Ruiz did a masterful job of still making Nina likeable.
Her backstory felt unique and I found it really interesting. Nina also had to put in the work at the end, and I appreciated that. It made their HEA feel more fulfilling and real.

Ollie was an Irish *chefs kiss*, literally! He was a really great balance for Nina. I would love a reread of this on audio so I can hear the accent. Also, I swear I saw somewhere that Jack is getting a story?? Please say I didn’t dream this, because I need more.

And Chapter 4!! Okay! I haven’t even read the first in this series yet and I was still shocked! (I feel like this was fine to read as a stand-alone but will be reading the first). I liked the fresh twist on this trope.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Ollie and Nina were highlight for me in Love, Lists & Fancy Ships and their book just endeared to them even more. There story was one filled with love and fear and emotions and vulnerability. I wanted to strangle Nina a lot, but I also understood her a lot too. And Ollie was just the sweet Irish cinnamon roll of a character. Both of their back stories broke my heart. All in all I loved this book even more than the first. Also I did not expect the twist and I totally did not have this book making me cry on my bingo card. Make sure you add it to yours...the bingo card and TBR...you won't be disappointed!

I am coming to you today with a raving review and insisting everyone go purchase or borrow this book immediately! I loved Ollie so much and honestly love the way Nina complemented him. They had great banter and the setting was 👌🏼. I always say the first thing I’m going to do if I win the lottery is charter a private yacht…I’ve yet to win the lottery so going there in the setting of my book is the next best thing! I like how this book portrayed Nina and Ollie’s relationship and how it showed the work and effort and change that was needed to make it happen.

This super cute novel had me wanting to book a cruise! I will definitely be reading the first book in the series! This had all the drama and second chance romance that my heart desired.

Thank you Berkley for the gifted copy.

A second chance romance between a chief stew and chef on a yacht? YES PLEASE! I loved the last book by this author, so I was very excited to read Ollie and Nina's story. I adored Ollie - he was so sweet and obviously in love with Nina. Nina was a bit harder to like. She had some issues she needed to work out, but I just wanted to be like GET OVER YOURSELF AND ADMIT YOU LOVE HIM!!

I liked getting their back story with the dual timeline, because it made me understand all of the history between the two of them. Each of them had their own personal issues they were battling, plus they had their problems together. They had major sexual tension, and knowing why made it even more tense!

This is the second book in.a series (duopoly? I don't know) but you could definitely read it as a stand alone. There are characters from the first book, and events are referenced, but you do not need to have read that one first. The author does a good job filling in the gaps.

I can't wait for more by this author - she is an auto buy for me now!

A very fun romantic comedy of friends into lovers. Ollie was a SAINT. I really did feel bad about what Nina put him through for 10 years! She is scared to get hurt after being hurt by her parents and thinks if she isn’t happy then she can’t be disappointed or get hurt. For me this was almost a 5 star but Nina was a tough pill to swallow and there were moments I wanted to slap her. It got annoying after awhile. However she did grow on me by the end and it was a very fun light read. I enjoyed it a lot.

Thank you to the publish for a copy for honest review.

Ruiz is new to me. I'm already a fan. I really liked this book. The story was interesting and had some unique events but the characters really made it grip me. It’s hard to quantify sometimes what makes a book standout. I can’t point to one thing here but the character interactions were just so real.

Nina is completely likable despite some serious dysfunction. She’s smart, a bit lost and entertaining. Ollie is awesome. He’s damaged too but seems to be navigating the world better than Nina. He’s so amazingly good to her. He’s caring and more patient than I’d ever expect. He loves her so deeply. Will she get over herself and commit to their relationship? Well, it is a romance. The journey to get there is bumpy, stressful and takes them a while but eventually they (and the reader) get their happily ever after. I laughed, I cried, I really enjoyed.

Thanks to Berkeley, the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

Luck and Last Resorts was so much fun to read. That's what I kept thinking as I read it, "This is so fun!"

Nina and Ollie have a ten-year relationship that revolves around their work on a yacht. Ollie has decided that this is the summer that they'll either choose one another or be over forever. I found Nina's backstory and reason for her reticence to be super obnoxious, but Ollie was so endearing that it nearly worked.

Overall, any second chance romance on a yacht gets me.

I felt like this was very unique, and much better than the first book in the series! A very well written second chance romance.