I don’t think my review sent through so I’m trying it again. I hope it didn’t double send. But this was a perfect short read! I fell in love with both Tony and Greg and the spice?! UM YES PLEASE. Also the food and drink descriptions?? Book me a flight nowww!

This is a short and steamy m/m novella from Layla Reyne between a chef and bartender set in New Orleans. There's even a few little easter eggs from her other books.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my chance to review.

The Last Drop is a character driven. Yet, steamy and delicious novella. That easily had me engaged.

As Greg drowning his sorrows after the closure of his third restaurant in New Orleans meets Mr Manhattan aka Tony. A bartender who he immediately feels a connection with.

But after a hot night together Tony leaves New Orleans vowing never to return. That is until an advert placed by Greg almost a year later has him changing his mind. Only now Greg has to convince Tony this time he should stay forever.

This was a sweet little novella with some spice. The characters were lovely and I really enjoyed the backdrop of New Orleans and felt that it added a lot to the atmosphere of the novel. This was a quick, easy, and enjoyable little read and I really liked it. I do wish parts of it were a little more fleshed out though.

Layla Reyne has quickly become one of my top 10 romance authors, and that carried through to the jump off of the “Table For Two” series. One of my favorite books of last year was “Dine With Me”, so the connection to that book were greatly appreciated. A quick read, which is why it’s only 4 stars. It makes my reading experience a tad less enjoyable when a couple like Gregory and Anthony are so great but we get to spend so little time with them. I love a second chance romance, and these two have the makings to be one of my favorite couples…if only we had about 100 pages more. A lovely story despite the length, though!

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

Sexy and spicy characters with New Orleans as the backdrop. Winner, winner. A fabulous edition to the series. We follow Chef Gregory as he navigates work, family and love. You'll be drawn in and won't want to leave.

Aaaack, this book! It's just so sweet and heartbreaking. The pining! I can't!

The Last Drop is a sweet, quick read that was originally published as part of an anthology, and then the author fleshed it out some more and released it as a novella. I was caught up in the sparks and tension between Tony and Greg (aka Manhattan and New Orleans) from the get-go. There's something about a mysterious one night stand where they don't even exchange real names that just GETS to me! Then then Greg trying to find "Manhattan" again, and the way he waits for him - ugh, be still my heart.

This is the first book the the Table for Two series, and can be read as a standalone. That being said, I already want books for a couple of the side characters as well!!

I am not always a fan of novellas, however The Last Drop was a perfect read to cozy up and enjoy this weekend, even if it did leave me a bit hungry. Food and drink are featured heavily in the story, and being a foodie, I wanted it all. Just saying. The story follows two men who meet and have a one night stand that they both can’t forget months later. This novella is the perfect balance of story, action, pacing, steam, and character development rolled into a bite size book.

Greg meets Tony one night and they bond over Tony’s excellent cocktails. They spend a hot night together and Greg wakes up the next morning alone. Months later, Greg is working on his new restaurant Dram and knows this time it will be a success. The only missing ingredient is a bartender to set the bar menu and Greg has only one man in mind. When the men meet again, their chemistry is hot as ever but Tony has no plans to stay long term. Will Greg be able to change his mind?

I loved these two men and their journey to an HEA… even if it did leave me hungry. There is a lot of heart packed into these 100 pages and a sweet and steamy love story that will leave you smiling. I wasn’t ready for the story to end and am glad this is now a series.

This is the first in a novella series surrounding topics of lgbtq and food! This one in particular followed a nomadic bar wizard and an unsuccessful restaurant owner/chef. The two meet at a bar and have a night full of passion where they then each go their separate ways. Our restaurant owner is a native to New Orleans and stumbles upon an opportunity to open a new lgbtq inclusive restaurant bar in a perfect location; he just needs to find his bartender.

This is their love story and I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of food and cocktails and how each main character had their own arc. The negatives for me lied in the pacing and "instalove" qualities. I enjoyed this book regardless though and would recommend for anyone looking for a MM food centered novella!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this arc.

This is an m/m foodie romance that will make you desperate to visit New Orleans! And very very hungry! Sweet and spicy little romance between Greg who is very much rooted in his community and Tony who has embraced a nomadic way of life and vowed to never revisit somewhere he's already been. Of course these two meet on the night Tony is leaving town. And he does indeed leave, but neither one can forget the other. I loved the deep sense of community in this novella, both with blood family, the restaurant family, and the wider LGBTQ family. This is the first book in a series and is actually available for free on Amazon as of the date of this review so definitely check it out if you're even mildly curious. I'll be preordering the next two Blue Plate Special (m/m) and Over a Barrel (f/f) as well as checking out Dine With Me (a stand alone with a related character).


**Received an eARC via NetGalley**

I genuinely struggled with the romance aspect. I was hoping for a buildup of a love story between two queer men but it just seemed like hookup to already committed. It felt like a giant leap from day one first meeting to day two full access. I wanted to see the growth. Yes I know that typically queer men hookup first but is it impossible for us to actually fall in love before sex? Is it possible for us to court and romance each other? I enjoyed the eroticism yes, but I would have loved a sweep you off your feet, notebookish kind of love. I've just grown exhausted with the constant hookup-to-committed relationship pipeline when it comes to love stories between queer adult men. I'll give it a 3 because I rarely get to read stories about black queer love and that is something that I've been desperately looking for.

When I started this book, I did not realize that Greg’s best friend Miller is the Miller from Dine with Me. That book is not associated with this series, but I believe it should be. Anyway, Greg has had 3 failed restaurants and has decided that home is where he needs to be. He meets Tony at a bar and Tony makes him an amazing drink. They end up having a one night stand, and don’t even exchange their names. Come the next morning, Tony is gone. He is a nomad, never staying in one place for very long. I loved how Greg ends up finding him, that was pretty unique. When they see each other again, the attraction is still there. Greg has decided to try one more time and open up a new place and he wants Tony to work on the drinks because he has a major talent for it. These two were perfect for each other. I really enjoy it

The Last Drop is a short and sweet novella focusing on a down on his luck chef, and a nomad bartender who share a night of passion together and continue to find their way back to each other. Greg, who is on his fourth restaurant, and has finally found the right place to truly call his, and he cannot picture a better person to share the restaurant with than bartender Tony, who blew his mind with master craft drink making and later that night as well. This novella focuses on learning to let go of the past, as well as remaining true to your culture and heritage. I really enjoyed the focus on New Orleans, and how everyone comes together to support family and friends. If you are looking for a steamy m/m novella that is based in the heart of New Orleans, I would suggest checking this out. This read was a 3.5 star read for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

I was in the mood for a sweet, happy and smutty read and this book totally delivered.

The start of the book set the tone for all that would follow really well. There was great banter with sweet jokes and cute nicknames given from the start. But it also showed they were hiding things early on which kept being a theme throughout the book. This caused some confusion as expected that was written full with tension which I really enjoyed. When that main character then finally opens up about his secrets I loved it how the other responded. Full with love and giving comfort, it made me feel warm inside.

As expected the book is full of food, snacks and drinks and I got positively hungry while reading it. It was nice that it included dishes in a wide variety making me learn some new things too. It was great to have the sideplot of the new restaurant/bar which gave a sense of urgency to the story with the deadlines that it gave the characters.

Very much enjoyed it and would recommend.

This is a short but good story. I appreciated how the relationship developed between the two characters.
I enjoyed reading it.

I DNFed this book 25% of the way through. I need to care about the characters in a book to get wrapped up in it and these character weren’t doing it for me. I like the writing style and would probably read a different book by this author, but this one was a no go for me!

Loved this unexpected romance! Greg and Tony’s meeting was pure chance but can they turn it into something more that will fulfill both their dreams? I loved the tension between Greg and Tony - they want each other but they also want their freedom, seeing if they could find it together was such a fun ride!

A short spicy foodie m/m read. The characters were great. It was easy to read and progress through the story. Great for someone that’s looking for something adult and romance-y but not looking to invest in reading an entire book

Hot, steamy, full of great character growth and a story that I for sure could have read over and over again. Loved this one!

Hot and steamy novella!! I read this over 2 days, and absolutely loved it. The chemistry between the 2 guys, Mr. Manhattan and Mr. New Orleans, was off the charts! I enjoyed this so much that I made it a point to get the novella and put the next novella on my wishlist! This is definitely a must-read!