I feel so bad writing this as I had requested this book before its release and gotten a copy from Net Galley. Thank you to the author and the publisher for granting me this opportunity.

I didn't like this book and stopped reading at Chapter Five.

One of the many reasons I didn't like the book was pivotal scenes were straight up skipped. There was no conversation of them agreeing to a marriage of convenience or the actual marriage or the one night stand or him skipping town or the author letting us know that the FL is pansexual? The sisters were briefly touched upon and so were the friends in the FOOF.

Koa went about his work and then randomly turned up again?
I had to go back and reread the pages thinking I skipped some by mistake....also the time leap with no warning?

I felt very unsettled while reading and quit.

I wish we had gotten the important scenes in detail - not mentioned in mere passing.

This was a fine romance. It was enjoyable enough to read during my commute but it was nothing spectacular.

Overall this was a cute story, I just felt like it was a little rushed, and the author could have developed the characters, their romance, and overall story a little more.

I would recommend this to people looking for a quick and cute read.

I love a marriage of convenience. I actually love that it spans years. It was a great twist on the trope and frankily a breath of fresh air. I need to read the rest of the series because this book was so fun!

Lainey Davis’s Last Call is a fun and flirty addition to the Bridges and Bitters series, blending the ever-enticing "marriage of convenience" trope with the complexities of building a life and pursuing your dreams. While the book has its standout moments, it doesn't quite reach the heights of some of Davis's previous works.

The story centers on Eva, a determined woman focused on her goal of opening her own bar, and Koa, her unexpectedly charming husband of convenience. Their arrangement, made five years prior, was purely transactional: Koa needed a path to citizenship, and Eva needed the financial boost to chase her dream. But when Koa unexpectedly reappears in her life, the boundaries of their agreement—and their emotions—start to blur.

Davis excels at witty dialogue, and the chemistry between Eva and Koa is undeniable. Their banter is engaging, and Koa’s easygoing charisma contrasts nicely with Eva’s more grounded, no-nonsense personality. The sparks fly in their interactions, and the slow-burn tension keeps the reader turning pages.

However, the story falters in a few areas. The pacing feels uneven, with some parts of the book dragging while others rush through key emotional beats. While Koa’s charm is undeniable, his lack of a concrete plan or stability sometimes makes it hard to root for him as a long-term partner for Eva. Similarly, Eva’s determination to save her bar is admirable, but her reluctance to open up emotionally can feel repetitive at times.

The supporting characters, a hallmark of the Bridges and Bitters series, provide warmth and humor, though they don’t shine as brightly in this installment. The found-family element is present but less developed, leaving the story feeling a bit isolated compared to the series' earlier entries.

Ultimately, Last Call delivers plenty of swoon-worthy moments and the kind of playful romantic energy fans of Lainey Davis will appreciate. While it may not stand out as the strongest in the series, it’s a solid read for those who love the marriage of convenience trope, sizzling chemistry, and a touch of heartfelt humor.

I didn’t vibe with this book at all. Felt like the characters didn’t have chemistry really and the timeline was a bit odd and everything just happened so quickly.

Liked some of the story around Koa and his nationality but besides that I didn’t really enjoy it. Quick and easy read though, so it gets points for that.

Koa Koa Koa

I love a marriage of conscience trope and this one didn’t disappoint. The banter was on point and elements of their relationship really made my heart squeeze. I only wish I had read the books before this first so I could have gotten the full build up of the quiet bartender.

This book was advertised as standalone however I was thoroughly confused throughout since I did not read the others. I DNFed because I couldn’t follow.

I read this book in a relatively short amount of time because it reads fast, but it simultaneously feels way too long?? the main girl was also infuriating at points.

I didn't love this one but I also didn't hate this one. However I'm not sure how I feel about this one.

3.5 stars — this is a very quick read, and unfortunately I think the author sacrificed some critical scenes for the sake of length!

Esther & Koa have a marriage of convenience — he gets to solve his immigration issues and she gets the capital she needs to start her dream bar. We get just the quickest glimpse of their meeting and wedding until we are transported to present day, five years later. The two have only communicated through emails and have lived completely separate lives, but they need to convince ICE their marriage is legitimate so Koa can apply for his green card.

This book was sweet & spicy, but I felt like I missed some key elements not having read the other books (didn’t realize it was the fourth in a series) and based on the relationship development the author chose not to include. Good but could have been great!

Who doesn't love a marriage of convinence with a hot rugby player? I sure do. This book was a delight. This was a quick read and I just loved it. It is part of series but can easily be read as a stand alone. It is a slow burn, marriage of convenience, bar owner/ prof rugby player romance and I am here for all of it. I have loved some of the other books in the series, but I think this one is my favorite.

i adored this marriage of convenience book!
it had tension and insta-lust, the characters were well developed and you could feel the chemistry between them.
i haven’t read the previous book in the series and i didn’t think i’ve missed anything, it works really good as a standalone.

i voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, thanks to netgalley for the opportunity. all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book and the two leads a lot, and want to check out the other books in the series as well now.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

3 stars.

I enjoyed Lainey Davis's "Last Call" at first, but the longer it goes on, it feels a bit too repetitive to justify its very short page count. I read this book in a relatively short amount of time because it reads fast, but it simultaneously feels way too long?? How is that possible??? I have no idea???? While I typically love the "marriage of convenience" trope in contemporary romances, I found the storyline in this book to be overly predictable with no real drama/twists/turns to keep me invested in the story. I felt a cavernous disconnect between Koa and Esther from the very beginning of the story. I assume it's because there's no real lead-up to Koa and Esther's marriage, the ceremony is not shown in any way, and most of the minutiae is handled off-page, so readers cannot get invested in their romance until the time-jump five years later. There's no pining, no chemistry, no adoration apart from some emails written back and forth on the page. To be honest, I got tired of the characters and the situations here pretty quickly. This is a shock to me because I thought Esther was going to be one of my favorite female characters this year being that she's a strong, self-sufficient woman. Instead, I found her irritating because she refuses to ask for help from anyone. I get that; it's what I have done myself for decades of my life, but even I know when it's time to throw in the towel and ask for assistance! On top of this, she treats Koa like absolute DIRT despite that he has enmeshed himself in her life on every front. I also got so annoyed with Koa when he was obsessed with her phone going off. WTF? Controlling much? I liked Koa's Aotearoa representation, and some of Esther and Koa's banter is good, but it wasn't enough to detract from the glaring missteps.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lainey Davis, and Xpresso Book Tours for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

I loved the storyline and how the characters grew throughout the book. This was the first book I read from this author, but I will be keeping up with the future publications from this author.

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes
spice: a few open-door spicy scenes
TWs: open relationship, fire (no casualties), ICE/deportation
standalone: book 4 in Bridges and Bitters series - can be read as a standalone
final thoughts: everything you could want in a marriage of convenience novel! Tons of tension and not wanting to fall for your now-spouse, plenty of chemistry with an instalust feel, perfect opposites-attract match


read this book if you love

💓 slowburn
👮 blue collar FMC (bar owner)
😬 angst
💖 marriage of convenience
💞 strangers-to-married-to-lovers
🏡 small town
👮 blue collar MMC (rugby coach)
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 great side characters
🏉 sports romance (rugby)

Honestly I wasn’t too crazy about this book, the storyline was very cute but I just found myself spacing out and not having much interest to pick the book back up. Some moments felt cringy and I think for how short of a story this was I personally was looking for more which could’ve been the main issue.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun book. I have not read the previous book in this series, but I was still able to enjoy this.