This book made me feel good! It has laughter and even tears at times. A church circle of four women hope to come up with a fundraiser to help their struggling church budget. They hit upon writing a A-Z book of erotica. However, erotica doesn't really enter in the story but a discovery of the love they have for their husbands and families as well as what they have lots or gained by their love choices.The only drawback that I had was that sometimes I confused the characters and there are a lot--the women and their husbands or significant others as well as the church custodiian, pastor and her husband and best friend. Book would make an excellent choice for a discussion. The author did not disappoint me!

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

a cute book that loses a bit with the sheer volume of characters. It gets hard to keep track of who is who

This was my first of Lorna’s books and the premise sounded like it would be a good place to start. In the end though, I found myself conflicted as I didn’t really enjoy it.

First the good points. It’s easy going, relatively short, quick to read and is a bit of fun.

However, I did get lost in several places with the number of characters. It was hard to keep up with who was who and what their purpose was to the story. I feel it would have been better to focus on a handful of main characters and give them more time to develop. Because there’s so many, we didn’t get any standout characters, they all just bled into each other.

I also think I’d have preferred just one narrator. Whilst it is written in the third person, we do get viewpoints from each “third person” as it was, sometimes within the same chapter. This didn’t help with the tone either and it made it hard to settle in to.

The tone didn’t settle for me. I can’t see exactly what felt off, but at times it was just this cosy comedy, then it went down a more adult route, then it became serious, then like teenage whining. It just didn’t settle into one which made it feel a bit bumpy.

It’s quite lighthearted and fun to begin with and then it seems like the author has chucked in as many important and sensitive topics she can think of, including gender identity, relationship troubles, alcoholism, sexuality, dementia, grief etc. And whilst I appreciate the use of them and wanting to give the plot more gravitas, I didn’t feel they added much to the overall story.

I wouldn’t say it’s badly written, I wouldn’t go that far, but it just felt a bit naive, like it was an early work that hadn’t quite been finessed yet. At less than 300 pages it is relatively short, but it still felt too long, too drawn out for me.

Overall, a pleasant enough read, if a little tepid.

A cute little laugh out loud story about friendship and love that I very much enjoyed!
This was a can't put down novel that will definitely make you feel like you're a part of this little church group. Makes me miss my little church at home.
This new to me author has made me a forever fan of hers.
5 stars for a well written book and one that I highly recommend!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this story of Midwest found community, but struggled to keep track of who was talking when and just felt there were too many main characters.

Would encourage the publisher to add who’s perspective the chapter is in under the chapters number to help a bit.

A "different" kind of story about a group of supportive (and not exactly young!) women who come up with a scheme to create a book of recipes for love as a fundraiser for their ever dwindling church and congregation. I'm a long time Lorna Landvik fan and I've enjoyed watching her characters "age" alongside me. Always uplifting.

This is not the first book I have read by Lorna Landvik, and I'm sure it is not the last one. It reminded me a bit of Angry Housewives Eating Bon-Bons as it is also about a circle of women who support each other.
In this book they came up with the idea of publishing an A-Z to 'erotica' in order to save their church. However, the entries are not really about erotica, but the different faces of love. even the love of themselves.
While thinking and writing about love these women take an incredible inner journey that was real joy to witness. I loved the characters,even the unusual pastor, although I am an atheist. I was happy to see the positive changes in these wonderful women's lives.
It is a heartwarming read with a gentle humour,that gave me really enjoyable hours. I am happy to have read it and will watch out for the next novel of the author.

P.S.: The front cover is a real treat. :)

A bunch of women in a church group decide that they need something more than the usual recipe book to sell for fundraising and come up with an idea for a book they call the "ABCs of Erotica," although the stories they contribute are more about love or romance or finding yourself and so on, rather than anything outright sexual. I have mixed feelings about this. It seemed unrealistic in a lot of ways, but then also it wasn't one of those where everything wraps up just perfect. Some things did, but then Burton still has dementia, and one husband is fighting prostate cancer, and the friend struggling with finding the right guy is still single, etc. Not everything had that perfect ending that can make this type of book even less realistic. I didn't dislike it, but some of it just felt a little forced or something. I can't even pinpoint what bothered me. I also should note that in spite of being about a church group, this was not a religious or preachy book and in fact was very inclusive of all types of relationships, which was nice to see. 3 stars.

This had moments I enjoyed but by the end of the story I didn’t really feel like I had a grasp of the characters. The story was stretched and I think it took have benefited by having less people to focus on.

I liked the journey the characters were taking but I wish I could have spent more time with some of them.
There is definitely a market for this book but I don’t think it’s 40 year old men.

Thanks to NetGalley for this eArc for my honest review

The front page of this book is absolutely stunning it's so pretty and instagramable. The story inside is just as beautiful and I absolutely loved it. Don't miss it.

I enjoyed this one! The cover is absolutely beautiful and so is the story inside. I liked the journey of the story and the pacing.

I found this story quite interesting. At first I thought it was going to be a light, quick read about some older women belonging to the same church. It turned out to be much more, though. While it was a fun read, it also touched on many serious topics including romantic love, close friendships between men (and women but that seems to be written about often), love between parents, grandparents, and their kids. How people cope when life gets tough and how we need others to help us through. I liked Paster Pete and how she was pretty wild in college, before she got the calling. The author did a great job incorporating many short, character compilations throughout, yet managing to keep it a feel-good story. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read the ARC. I think this book will appeal to many. Recommend!!

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had me turned pages without even realizing. It was so good!

Last Circle of Love
A Novel
by Lorna Landvik
This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Lake Union Publishing and #NetGalley.

I liked the book. But, there were usually love books told from multiple points of view but I found it very difficult to keep track of who was who and whose story was whose. Each character deserves a deeper dive into their own personal history of love. I never felt like I really knew the characters. I didn't really get to know or attach to anyone.

This is not my first book by this author. It is not a typical choice for me but I have to say that the first few pages pulled me in and I got very involved with the characters, their lives and how everyone melded together. Some parts made me smile and others hit close to home and made me think. I was sorry when the book ended. I would recommend this book to all ages. It started out making me feel like it was targeted to an older audience but younger readers could learn a lot from this book about your body may get older but you have also learned a lot of life's lessons to share.

Really enjoyed "The Last Circle of Love" - very charming & quirky tale about a group of mostly older church women, whose latest fund-raiser is a different "Cookbook" about love, marriage and some sex :) The main characters are all very well-written and a few just shine. Great women's fiction book full of heart - recommend! It was my pleasure to read & review this title and I appreciate the publisher & Net Galley for making it available to me.

My review will appear in Booklist! This is a feel-good read perfect for book clubs, especially those who prefer books that are lighter on conflict.

I am a huge Lorna Landvik fan and I was born in North Dakota and lived in the Minneapolis area for many years. Her books bring me home. The Last Circle of Love is absolutely delightful! It is inclusive, thought provoking, and timely. And, as always, messages of hope, love and forgiveness. A must read for old fans and a great introduction to her wonderful world for new fans.

When a group of church fundraisers are looking for a new idea to raise money for their ailing church someone suggests writing an "ABC of Erotica". As the members of the group, their partners and some other members of the church begin to reflect on what they would include in the book lots of memories are revived and some hostilities arise.

I must admit that previously I hadn't read anything by Lorna Landvik, even though I have a couple of her books on my TBR pile. Who can resist titles such as Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons or Chronicles Of A Radical Hag.

Books about small town America always appeal to me. They tell the story of community and friendship that I'm sure many of us dream of. This book offers just that kind of feeling. The more I read the more I was comparing this to books by Fannie Flagg, another writer who does strong women in small town America very well.

What the women end up with isn't a book of erotica, it's more a self-help book about relationships. As they think about past and present relationships lots of memories are stirred up and they begin to re-examine their current relationships, realising that over time we begin to take those relationships for granted. As feelings are awakened lots of relationships are rejuvenated, there are also some startling confessions. The women also have to deal with some prejudice from members of the church, realising that there are more people supporting them than against them.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This novel follows a group of “seasoned” women who are all in the same church circle. Their church is losing members and money so they are looking for a way to attract both. They decide to create a cookbook of sorts but the recipes are all suggestions/musings/personal stories about love and sensuality.

I usually love books told from multiple points of view but I found it very difficult to keep track of who was who and whose story was whose. Each character deserves a deeper dive into their own personal history of love. I never felt like I really knew the characters.

The story is cute and uplifting - an easy cozy read for fall/winter. It just didn’t totally work for me.