Lucy’s Last Chance Plot Summary

Lucy was a high-powered attorney who had a nervous breakdown after her husband left her. Broken, she came to the town of Moonshire Bay to start over as a yoga instructor; determined to find inner peace in all things this time around.

Brandt is running for Mayor and running after Lucy, but she is scared of his drive and need for success.

Can Lucy realize she’s stronger than she thinks and take a chance on love?

I was sent a copy of Lucy’s Last Chance to review for the Damp Pebbles blog tour!

My thoughts

Lucy’s Last Chance, by Elle Sweet, is a sweet, easy-reading romance. Set in Moonshire Bay, the author does a nice job of creating the ‘small town’ atmosphere. All of the characters seem to be in each other’s business, and you get a sense of the more laid-back vibe that drew Lucy here after she walked away from the law.

It is part of a series of Moonshire Bay romances, although you can totally read it as a standalone. I haven’t read any of the others, and it didn’t hinder my enjoyment of this one at all!

The characters are pleasant

Pretty much all of the characters were basically nice, and I appreciated that there wasn’t a lot of overtly ‘villainous’ behaviour. I didn’t feel that we got to know any of them all that well, although the first-person perspective means we had a decent insight into the two main characters.

Our protagonists were the titular Lucy, ex-lawyer turned yoga teacher and chilled-out chick, and Brandt, ambitious but principled politician. They had some fun interactions! Although I was a little disappointed we weren’t given a chance to get the measure of the relationship for ourselves. As soon as Brandt was introduced, we got a chunk of exposition to explain exactly where they stood with each other and the history of their reactions.

The romance is well-paced

Generally speaking, I prefer a slightly slower burn to romance, but I thought this one played out pretty nicely. There are some interesting ups and downs to the relationships, and if some of the justifications for spending time together were a bit weird… well, it’s a romance. The point is to get them in the same place, one way or another! I did think it was fun that the central conflict that forced them into more interaction was a property dispute. That felt unusual and intriguing.

If you’re looking for a really slow-burn romance, check out Something to Talk About!

Obviously, because we’re in Lucy’s head as well as Brandt’s, we knew from the start that she was more interested in him than she was letting on. With that said, I have to be honest, the ‘persistent’ thing still bugged me. I’ll never not be annoyed by one character thinking that another’s ‘no’ is something to work around, rather than respect. In one particular moment Brandt’s internal monologue basically went “I’m attractive, she doesn’t hate talking to me and she looks at me sometimes. So, I should keep asking her out.” Which, you know, is not how that works. And I know this is a popular romance trope! I just wish it had been done with a little more self-awareness, I guess.

Wrap-Up: Lucy’s Last Chance is an easy read

Nit-picks aside, I had a smile on my face for most of this book. The plot is light and plays out at a decent pace, and the characters are mostly endearing. Other than a slight over-reliance on exposition dumps, the writing is solid, and I enjoyed the dialogue. This was a cute romance, with a decidedly relaxed vibe. If you’re a fan of romance in general, and you’re looking for something light, this would be a strong choice!

You can buy Lucy’s Last Chance at any of the following links:

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2P5Y0WZ
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/31368Nq
Google Books: https://bit.ly/3gaKddL
NOOK: https://bit.ly/30Y7QzR
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2X3cBa7