The three sisters and the premise of the story are engaging, but I was so frustrated by the non-ending of the story. I understand cliff hangers, but I needed some closure somewhere. There are too many things I wanted to know and very little that made me sigh and say, "Whew!"

The Last Chance Matinee
Mariah Stewart
Available: March 21, 2017
Thank you to NetGalley.com for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
There’s nothing like finding out you have a few sisters to now call your siblings and get to live out your HGTV fantasies all at the same time. Cara, Des and Allie are all a little predictable but I am looking forward to seeing how their relationships grow as they let down their guards. What I am looking for in this trilogy will be that major moment when one of the ladies cannot take being in Hidden Falls anymore and has to leave, threatening all of their inheritances and the project. Will it happen in the next two books? Doubtful, but I can dream.
What I loved: The sister’s basic personalities all came out in the first novel (health nut, animal lover, and alcoholic mama bear) which will shape how these books will flow. Barney is a terrific addition – to have that much energy at her age would be something else – she was beyond her time and an amazing lady worthy of her own prequel.
What I didn’t love: Unfortunately, the love lives for the sisters seem to have already been determined - it is as plain as day who will fall in love with who (whom?). In fact, the couple hook-up in this volume just treated it as expected as the sun coming out to shine.
What I learned: Bluegrass – the depressing, soulful cousin to country – no thanks!
Overall Grade: B

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I finished this book in one day, and now cannot wait to read the continuing story of the Hudson sisters. This book has everything you could want in a great read. This family saga brings three generations together as they learn about long-held secrets and what it means to BE a family. There is plenty of humor interspersed with some truly poignant moments, and you find yourself rooting for each of our protagonists, and the theatre they were tasked with bringing back to life. Mariah Stewart has once again hit a gold-mine with the Hudsons.

What a great start to a series. I cannot wait to read more about the Hudson sisters as this book was just so completely sincere and heartwarming that I’m craving the next installation. Think Hallmark or Lifetime movie kind of setting and characters. I really liked how the author dove into the plot without a whole lot of backstory and long, drawn out descriptions of the characters before they meet. I felt this book was mainly focused on Cara who was my favorite out of the three sisters. Des, or Desdemona, the animal lover was a loving woman and aunt to Nikki, her sister, Allie’s daughter. I loved the relationship that grew between Cara, Des, and Nikki. Allie, on the other hand, sister to Des and half-sister to Cara, is probably the sister who has the most work in store for her when it comes to self-improvement and finding happiness within herself. In the beginning of the book, she’s just a plain ol’ bitch and I kept thinking it’s no wonder her husband, Clint, left her. She seems superficial and really has nothing going for her except that she’s pretty. Nothing except the fact that her 14-year-old daughter may be the sweetest teenager on the planet.

The story brings together the three sisters after their father, Fritz, dies and leaves them to restore and renovate an old theater in the town he grew up in. Allie and Des have the same mother and Cara has a different mother. Allie and Des have no idea Cara exists and vice versa until their Uncle Pete calls them and tells them of the project which they are to complete in order to gain their inheritance. Barney, their father’s sister, is also a surprise, as they arrive in Hidden Falls. The sisters learn to enjoy a different kind of life than they are used to.

I also appreciated the author’s description of the theater and carriage house. The whole set and scenery of the book really came to light with the ornate fixtures and exquisite beauty. I must admit, I read several of these paragraphs over again, picturing what it must have been like to be in this treasure of a building.

Like I said, I cannot wait for the next installment of this series. I’m normally a reader of thrillers and self-help books but this book was such a nice change of pace, I’ve decided I need to read more like this.

Thank you to the author, Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books, and NetGalley for this ARC.

While the premise of the story was implausible, the characters and setting were so charming that I found myself thoroughly entranced. Definitely one of those books that one just enjoys "living in" for a while. The only part of the book I didn't like was the ending - both because I wanted to stay in Hidden Falls longer and because it seemed a bit abrupt.

First of all, I read it in one sitting... it was that good, and though I am "disappointed" that I cannot get the full sorry for quite some time, I appreciate the suspense in trying to imagine what happens next. The author is to be commended for writing so many sorties in one, keeping our interest and then leaving us "hanging" yet fulfilled. Love it!

Thank you to Net Galley for an e-ARC of this title, in exchange for an honest review. This is the 1st in a series on the Hudson sisters. I think I wish I'd have realized that prior to finishing it, because I really felt like I was left hanging...I even kept going back a couple of pages, to see if I'd missed something. That said, 3 women find themselves in a nearly impossible situation. When their father dies, they learn that he basically had 2 lives, and they had sisters they didn't know. In an effort to bring them together, he gives them a project that must be completed, in his home town, to fulfill the conditions of his will. Each woman has her own problems, her own life issues and her own personality. The town is delightful, the theatre restoration information is great, and I cannot wait to see what happens to the girls next!

A Hudson Sisters Book. A new series about 3 sisters who are reluctant as they set out to fulfill father's dying wish. He left a large inheritance to be shared if they meet the conditions. They have to restore an old theater in his hometown together, that was built by their great=grandfather. It was an Art Deco Treasure and should be on the National Register of Historic Places.

You meet these sisters as they meet each other. You will quickly become a part of the family.
I want to move to Hidden Falls.
I will be looking for "The Good-bye Cafe" (the second book in this series)- can I read it now?

And when is the next book coming???? I fell in love with the Hudson family and the town of Hidden falls, now I need to know the rest of the story..READ THIS BOOK

I loved this first book in a brand new series of the Hudson Sisters. The premise is pretty good. A man. Fritz, has a wife on the west coast who is a Hollywood star. However, she's somewhat the type to only think of herself. If something comes up she's the first one to think "what will this do for me?". He also has two daughters, Des and Allie, with this woman (Nora).

A few years after marrying this woman, he meets and marries another woman (Suza) who lives on the east coast. He has one daughter with her, Cara. Neither woman or the daughters know about the other family. He does have a sister, Barney, who knows about both families and his lawyer and good friend, Pete, who knows about both. This goes on for years with Fritz traveling back and forth with neither family catching on. Until Fritz gets cancer. Pete is begging him to tell them - both wives are dead, only the daughters live on. Fritz is too cowardly to do it. He makes Pete to do it.

Not only that, but Fritz has a surprise. He wants his daughters to get to know each other. Fritz grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania where his family established a small town and pretty much owned and built everything. One of those things included an old time art deco movie house that has been boarded up for many years. He wants his daughters to restore it. They will not get any inheritance until they do. They must live in the small town of Hidden Falls, get to know each other and restore the theater.

This is all easier said than done.

Naturally one of the sisters is a witch with a b and the movie house has set empty for about 90 years. That's just the start of their problems.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book of this series and look forward to reading many more. I found the characters wonderfully developed and really wanted to spend more time with them and hopefully I will get to. The author did a great job setting up the premise and the town, as well as the characters and I am ready to become one with the Hudsons!

Thanks Gallery,Threshold, Pocket Books for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I hate to give a bad review as I have loved everything that Mariah Stewart has written but this book is not up to par.. #1 the story was really slow and did not hold my attention. #2 $16 is way to pricey for her books. My customers have decide they are not paying $14-16 for a paperback. I normally order 8 copies of her new releases and this time every customer who normally buys her books have said no. This is happening on a lot of my best selling authors, the books are trade size and cost too much

The ladies in this book find themselves in a peculiar circumstance upon learning that their (shared) father lived a double life. Upon his death, they learned of his past, and learned of their future as he laid out the request for them to restore an old theater before earning any of their inheritance. While I anticipated the story to focus on the drama related to this turn of events, I was pleasantly surprised that the author did not dwell on this. The story continues with the angst brought about by the changes in their lives, the mysteries surrounding their father's past & his family's history, the the excitement and thrill of opening up this theater that had been preserved in time. This book is definitely the start to a series and I look forward to reading future installments. A light, easy read.

The death of a parent is difficult at best. For Cara, Allie and Des it was devestating to lose their beloved father. But when they discover that he was leading two lives and was determined in death to make sure that the girls lives are intertwined, they are hurt all over again and question everything they thought they knew about Fritz Hudson. As Cara meets Allie and Des meet for the first time, and all of them meet Barney, the aunt they didn't know they had,, each woman must examine their life and choices. Will they fulfill the terms of Fritz's will? Will each woman find the happiness that us currently missing in their lives? And will they save the theater Fritz has left in their care?

In the style of Nora Roberts. This is a light hearted story of family. I can't wait for the sequel to see how each sister's future plays out . And looking forward to their completion of the theatre renovations.

This is first book in the Hudson sisters series. When their father Fritz Hudson dies Allie, Des and Cara get a big surprise at the reading of the will. None of them were aware of the secret life their Father was living. Now in order to get their inheritance the 3 sisters have to work together or none of them gets anything from the estate.

This book was a solid 4* rating right up until the ending. You know when you read a book and you get to the end and you are looking for more pages, coz there has to be more? That's how I felt at the end of this book. It's not enough to turn me off on the the rest of the series but it was enough to change my rating. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

I guess I missed the part of being a series. I was happily reading along and suddenly it just ends. I was so disappointed. The premise of 2 families is certainly interesting and the renovation process (and romance) is well described, but to me there isn't enough "there" there to warrant a series. I get it.

Kindle Copy for Review

When a respected agent dies, three women find themselves with siblings that they never knew existed and a dad they never quite knew. Their father left them a sizable fortune if they would renovate a once owned family theatre in a small town where he grew up and they must do it together.

It is about three women learning about each other and in so learning more of their father and the family past. It is about moving on as each woman has their own troubles as they enter a new world and sometimes it is only family that can set us free.

We slowly watch as they bond and become a family as they find themselves. An endearing start as they find a place in our hearts.

Our patrons love Mariah Stewart. Perfect for fans of Robyn Carr. We always buy her for our library.

Hollywood agent Fritz Hudson led a double life. He had a wife and two daughters, Allie and Des, and a daughter, Cara, by the one woman he really loved. Neither family knew of the other’s existence until his death. Now, his daughters stand to inherit money that will allow them to pursue their dreams and/or stave off their nightmares. Allie can pay off all the money she owes after her divorce, Des can start an animal shelter and Cara can start a new life somewhere where she’s not reminded of her husband’s infidelity with her best friend. The only catch? The girls have to restore the crumbling old movie theater in the Poconos that was their father’s childhood inspiration for going into the movie business. No theater – no money. This is the first in a series of books about the Hudson women and like all of Stewart’s books, it’s a pleasant and diverting way to spend an afternoon