Ruth is a long time con artist, mostly running low stake hustles with her sister, Jules, on interstellar cruise lines. But she has come to this particular space station for revenge. Disguised as the daughter of a wealthy family, she targets Esteban Mendez-Yuki, the heir to one of the biggest companies here. But everything changes when she begins to have feelings for Esteban’s sister, Sol. The story is set far into the future but the sci-fi aspect is super lite.

The writing is good, both main characters are likable, and a con played out in outer space is a fun idea. I also enjoyed some of the smaller details like what life might look like for poor people in an advanced world. But I could not connect with the story. The pace is slow and creates no tension. Usually with heist books or scam stories, I worry about the mc getting caught before accomplishing their goal. But in this story, I wasn’t invested in Ruth or Sol so I didn’t care. I was disappointed in this one but I would still look for future books by this author.

LOVE LOVE LOVE everything that this book is doing. I requested an arc because I saw Freya Marske post about loving it, and I knew immediately that this style was right up my alley. The genre-mashing commentary on class and consumerism is very well blended and executed. It’s funny, sharp, romantic, and had me laughing out loud constantly.

I loved the concept of a futuristic story that has historical elements to it. Humans truly do run in circles and it’s fun to see this author’s take on history repeating itself. The setting allowed for a great balance of glimpses into the sci fi world building while also staying contained and focused with the characters.

This was a great bite into this world and I have zero complaints. 10/10 would love more books set in this world.

The title tells you the important information, even if the "Last Con" seems almost redundant once you have The Lady Eve there, And the cover should tell you the rest, two androgynes and a rocket ship - this is intergalactic grifting, swindling in space, hustle on a habitat. Our protagonist Ruth, and her sister Jules, have run small-time cons on interstellar cruise liners for years, acting up and baffling the rich set for relatively small paydays. But then Jules only went and fell for a mark, who seems to have left the minute she became pregnant, and so Ruth has decided to use all of her connections and skills to run one big con as revenge. Admittedly she hasn't run this past her sister, might be slowly getting entangled with some quite dangerous organised crime, and is romantically intrigued with her marks sister, which doesn't help one bit.

Lady Eve' Last Con is a whole bunch of fun, from its naturally hard-boiled narration to its unraveling of the perfect con at its heart. Cons, like heists, have to go wrong, and the fun here is watching Ruth roll with the punches, engage her contingencies, and occasionally just have to trust in human nature. All stories of con artists end up being about class too, and whilst this happily uses its future analog of mid-thirties class strata to do most of the heavy lifting, it also paints a plausible oligarch-forward class structure. And while its plot is intricate, as clockwork as it needs to be, it is in the relationships that this thrives. There is more to the story than Ruth assumes, and trying to square the man who wronged her sister with this harmless, somewhat diffident posh kid also gets her to peck away at her other assumptions. It's decent pulpy fun, as if they left Flash Gordon running while Barabra Stanwyck was waiting in the wings.

I think it started quite strong but somewhere along the way I lost interest in the story (maybe because I couldn't connect to the writing style of the book). However, I really enjoyed the setting and I thought it was done quite cleverly because there isn't a lot going on plotwise so the the sci-fi twist definitely added a fresh breath of air.

The romance was good and I did like how it progressed especially in terms of individual character growth - both the female leads were better people because of each other and I always love that element in my romance books.

Overall, I did have a good time with this book for the most part so maybe I will have better luck with the author's next work.

Genre: sci-fi romance

Ruthi Johnson is a woman on a mission. She and her sister are con artists, and on their last big con on a luxury starliner, Jules falls hard for their target, and unfortunately things go sideways fast. Unfortunately for Estaben Mendez-Yuki, that is. Ruthi plans to con this heir to his family fortune out of as much money as possible. Donning the identity of provincial debutante Evelyn Ojukwu, Ruthi makes a splash in New Monte trying to impress Estaben, and instead catches the eye of his sister Sol, a lady rake with the brains, beauty, and poise to stop hearts, including Ruthi’s.

A genre mashup of science fiction, romance, and screwball comedy, Lady Eve’s Last Con is witty and humorous. In her own words, Fraimow is looking for the spaces between the margins of the genres to find the interesting moments, tropes, and plot points recognizable to genre fiction fans but truly unique in execution. There are points of reflection throughout informed by diasporic Jewish identity and religion, queer normativity, and commentary on excess consumerism. For me, successful science fiction is a commentary on society (now and in the future), and Fraimow uses her reflection points to support a wildly funny and unputdownable romantic screwball comedy love story.

One of my favorite things about picking up any romance is the way an author navigates the HEA. The best thing about setting one 200-300 years in the future is that the social rules are different - and so are the people - but human nature doesn’t ever fully change, and Fraimow gives us a sapphic romance that not only suits her characters but feels real and attainable to 21st century readers, too.

Lady Eve is informed by classic works of science fiction, different historical eras - though predominantly 19th and early 20th century because all human trends go through cycles - and the glimpses of worldbuilding are enough to spark the imagination but not bog down the writing. It’s zany and fun, with the appropriate level of conning, grifting, and heisting to keep the plot moving at all times.

I had the pleasure of hearing Rebecca Fraimow speak about this book last night, and it was clear she had a lot of fun writing it, and readers will have a fun time reading it.

I really enjoyed the blending of sci-fi with 1920s aesthetics and society. The first half definitely felt like an opulent space opera.

The book began to lose me when the con artist confessed her scheme with very little prompting. The mark's sister suspects her of lying, there is some plot stuff and then she fully explains her plan to marry her brother for money because he wronged her sister.

The plan doesn't make a whole lot of sense and it makes even less sense to tell that to your mark’s sister, especially when she loves her brother.

The romance was flat with both siblings. I don't know how she was going to get Esteban to marry her, they had zero chemistry, and she was trying to con him. Be a better gold digger.

The book suffers from having too much going on. The characters are never given any depth, their relationships are shallow and a lot of it has to do with the amount of stuff going on.

This is more space opera than con/heist or romance. If you want sapphic space opera then give it a go.

Futuristic, fun book about a con artist who is avenging her sister’s heartbreak. Loved the space setting and descriptions of the world. This story has twists, surprises, adventure, cons, and sapphic romance. I recommend it.

A romantic romp in a Regency-style space opera future, meshing sci-fi and romance tropes with a righteous con artist as the lead. Creative, engaging, full of banter, queerness, and double-crossing. Lots of fun

On a far-future space station that is equal parts Regency marriage market and jazz age (including dark underbelly), a queer biracial Jewish con artist tries to scam the rich boy who broke her sister's heart. Too bad _his_ sister is suspicious of her, and also incredibly hot. This is a bubbly, fast-paced, and generally delightful SF novel, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I would happily read an entire series of adventures with Ruthi, Jules, and Sol.

DEBUT In this interstellar SF story, con artist Ruth Johnson has invaded the swanky satellite New Monte to fleece one particular mark, Esteban Mendez-Yuki (the corporate scion who seduced her little sister and left her pregnant and crying), by trapping him into a marriage contract he’ll have to pay big money to get out of. But Ruth didn’t count on the high-level crooks who have their own beef with the Mendez-Yuki megacorp, and she absolutely didn’t plan on falling in love with her mark’s dangerous, gorgeous stepsister. It will be the con of a lifetime if Ruth can pull this game off—or it will be game over for them all. A high-flying sapphic romance riding on a high-speed hoverbike of a confidence caper among the spoiled rich, wrapped around a conflicted heroine who discovers that she has a heart after all and can’t keep up the game, in spite of the stakes.VERDICT Readers who have fallen hard for the recent run of SF caper mysteries, such as The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal, Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis, and You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo, will find similar thrills in this debut.

4.25⭐
con woman poses as a young and sweet provincial girl, seeking revenge on the filthy rich, young mendez-yuki son who left her younger sister brokenhearted and pregnant. easy job for ruthi johnson! except her plans didn't include falling for her target's older sister, suit-wearing lady charmer, miss chivalry herself, sol mendez-yuki, who's had ruthi's scheme made from day one.
and all this happens in space on an unspecified period. the world building is quite simple and easy to follow, but the characters took some time to grow on me. overall an entertaining sci-fi rom-com fusion.
thanks netgalley, solaris, and rebecca fraimow for my advanced copy! i would love a sequel btw!!

🌟 3.5 Stars 🌟

I’m always a huge fan of a con artist main character and Ruthi did not disappoint. I loved getting to see her meticulous thought process behind every action that she took. Pair that with her suave masc love interest and you’ve got a recipe for a good time. If you’re interested in a fun sci-fi setting I think you’ll really like the world of space debutants the Fraimow creates. This book wasn’t able to be a four star read for me because it felt bit long and dragged around the middle. However, I still think at a fun little romp and I’ll be excited to see what this author puts out in the future.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book…this book wow!
I love a great story that send me into a state of zoning in on the story. The character Ruth Johnson aka Evelyn Ojukwu is totally the definition of getting my revenge, don’t mess with family, and getting your lick back. Between romance, laughter, and an amazing plot this book was amazing. Let’s just say this definitely a rom-com, but surprisingly you get Sci-Fi which I adored. This is a story you can dive into without putting it down because from beginning to end a great book.
.

I LOVED THIS BOOK.

I love science fiction, and I love romance, but it's been hard for me to find a science fiction romance that hits the SF and the romance spot for me. The SF in Lady Eve's Last Con, like in many (most?) sci-fi romances, is primarily window dressing. That said, it's gorgeous window dressing: the logic of the universe holds together, there are no weird physics discrepancies, the new cultures of far future humanity make wonderful, messy, glorious sense. The MCs aren't out to save the universe; this is "cozy" worldbuilding.

At its heart, this is a confidence artist romance. Ruthi is in town ("town" = a satellite orbiting Pluto) to infiltrate high society, get a specific scion of corporate nobility to fall for her, and then take him for all he's worth. This isn't just a con, it's a revenge scheme: Esteban, said scion, was originally Ruthi and her sister Jules's mark on a luxury space liner. But Jules actually fell for him, and when he left her, she was left high and dry. So Ruthi not only wants his money, she wants to break his heart the way he broke Jules's. The only thing standing in her way is Esteban's sister, Sol. She not only thinks there's something fishy about "Evelyn Ojukwu," Sol is also inconveniently (for Ruthi's state of mind) hot.

Everything was just perfect about this book. The identity reveal happens at exactly the right spot. The character chemistry is off the charts. Sol and Ruthi's compatibility makes so much sense. Be prepared for a slooooooow burn; the book is on the longer side, but the pacing is so perfect it never feels too long. The book isn't closed door, but it's also not high heat. The sexual tension, though, is really well calibrated (Ruthi's got to make Esteban fall in love with her while also feeling nearly uncontrollable lust for Sol, and Fraimow never lets the reader forget it).

I really hope Fraimow returns to this universe in the future, but regardless of what she writes, I'll be reading it.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

This story was a mash up of genres that I did not expect. A Sci Fi, High Society intrigue, Heist with Noir undertones.

What worked really well for me was the world building. Ruthi Johnson goes undercover on a wealthy planet to punish the socialite heir, Esteban, who jilter her sister. The plan is to trap Esteban in a matrimonial contract and escape with enough wealth to provide for herself, her sister, pregnant with Esteban’s baby. But Ruthi doesn’t count on running into Sol, Esteban’s sister, who starts to temp Ruthi away from her goal.

The world building was the highlight of this book. A lot of Sci Fi ends up either with long explanations of technology (Rendezvous with Rama) or become a facsimile of earth, but in space. The universe in this book managed to be a truly creative new world. Example: One of the features of the hair salon is that they intentionally vary the gravity regularly so that you can see how your hair will look in different settings. There were a lot of little touches like that.

The heist plot was compelling and had a satisfying ending, but the characters were slightly flat for me, not totally 3D. More like 2.5 D, and the pacing felt a bit slow at times. But against the EXTREMELY vivid world building, it wasn’t too much of a detractor.

Hot lady scammers in space falling in love? Yes please!

I haven't read many sci-fi romances, so this sci-fi romcom was really fun. This was fast paced with a compelling plot and set of characters. I enjoyed the humor present, and the witty banter. I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I would, and I can't wait to get our physical copies of these from our vendors.

Lady Eve's Last Con is a sapphic sci-fi rom-com and one that really had me intrigued from the start! Con-woman Ruthi Johnson is masquerading as a young debutante to con the man who broke her sister's heart - she plans to make him fall in love, break his heart in return and run off with half of his fortune. What she hasn't accounted for, is her target's charming sister, Sol, who seems to see through her right from the start and she somehow finds herself gravitating towards! And when some dangerous figures she knows from her past enter the scene, she also struggles to stay out of the way...

This was such an enjoyable read! I haven't read huge amounts of sci-fi yet, but loved all the explanations about life in space and other planets. There is a scene on a beach, where the MC takes a moment to reflect on how scientists have managed to make a beach work on a satellite with supposedly no gravity - I found all these details so interesting. It made for such great world-building!

The main characters are excellent - Ruthie (/Evelyn) is a planner and an expert at her job. She knows she is unlikely to fail and takes pride in her skills. Sol is a brilliant businesswoman and has a clever mind that helps her scope out trouble around her - well, except when it accidentally leads her into a huge problem she has to deal with throughout the book 👀 The relationship between the two is so well developed, with tension, banter, heated scenes, some yearning and all the chemistry. I kept hoping they'd let go of their resolve to stay away from each other, because gosh are they good together!! The relationship with their families was also interesting to explore (in the present or through memories), and it was clearly a huge driver for both of the women's actions. I also loved that they are both in their late twenties, around my age!

The author's writing was really enjoyable. Although the pacing was a little slow at times and some events felt a bit repetitive in the middle, it remained interesting and really had me wanting to know more. I loved how things were wrapped up at the end, following many cool twists of events and daring plans!

What to expect?
🪐 interesting world-building
💸 con-woman disguised as a debutante
🏳️‍🌈 sapphic romance
🛵 love-interest with a hovering motorbike
⚠️ lurking danger
💭 1st person POV, late-twenties MC

I'm not sure I've ever read a mix of sci-fi and rom com before this novel but I won't surely forget this one.
Fast paced, witty, full of humour, and well plotted
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Revenge-plot scam caper novel! In space! With scorching UST followed by RST between "Evelyn Ojukwu" (Ruthi Johnson's nom de scam) and Solada Alvaria Mendez-Yuki, whose brother is the object of Ruthi's scam, because he impregnated and then dumped Ruthi's sister, Jules. Also there's a super-nefarious criminal syndicate trying to get hold of the contents of Sol's brain and leveraging a warehouse full of kosher ducks to that end. No, I can't explain, and you should just read this, on account of Rebecca Fraimow is a goddess in authorial form.

Thanks to NetGalley and Solaris Books for the ARC.

Lady Eve's last con is a fun, fast-paced space opera! The book follows Ruth, who's planning to take revenge on the man who broke her sister's heart, Esteban Mendez-Yuki. But Ruth forgot to account for Esteban's sister, Sol. Sol is charismatic, charming, and more difficult to trick...
I enjoyed this book so much! I had a great time reading it. At times, some of the sci-fi terminology wasn't explained which could be a tad confusing. I didn't mind this at all, however. And I prefer mild confusion over lengthy exposition. So overall I would highly recommend reading Lady Eve's last con if you're looking for a fun, sapphic sci-fi novel!