Once again I encounter a novella that should have been a novel. Everything felt too rushed in this one and it just didn't work for me.

Absolutely love Julie Cannon’s romances and this one is no exception. It’s a 100% feel good romance, despite the angst of widowhood and expectations, cheating ex’s and falling in love when you just shouldn’t. Set in a lesbian holiday resort (I need the link please) the main characters are likeable, gorgeous (of course) and hot as hell.

Sex on the beach, the boat, the bike stand (well almost), this is an excellent holiday romance which of course goes further and leaves us with the “will they wont they” question when the happy ever after seems in the balance. Despite the light-hearted theme the characters have depth and substance and face serious real life issues when away from the microcosm of an island in the West Indies.

Charming, full of warmth and light… perfect to lift the mood and bring a smile to your face.

I love all books by this author, can highly recommend. Just wonderful. The main characters are well developed and its so well written you feel personally involved in the journey.

I had to DNF this book at 42% due to Netgalley expiring and being unable to renew the licence because the publisher had archived the book.

From the part that I was able to read, I think the last first kiss has a solid foundation- widowed single parent gets talked into going to a lesbian holiday resort with her friends, to hopefully get back out there and meet someone new for something no-strings-attached. Bumps into gorgeous, newly single woman on plane, who also just happens to be at the resort when they arrive.

I do, however, think that the two friends forcing a grown adult into being ready for something new got really quite repetitive, and got to a point where it felt very pushy.

I obviously don’t know how the book ended, because I was only able to get half way through, but I think if it carried on the way it was going, I would probably give it 2.5 stars. It’s a nice easy read if you just want to get away to a fantasy lesbian world for a little while (with several erotic moments), but it won’t blow your socks off. Very cliche, and I just didn’t connect with the characters in order to get fully invested into the book. Sad to report that this one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed how we get to see how Mattie loved her deceased spouse and fall in love with again. She and Kelly have an undeniable chemistry as they get to spend time with each other at a lesbian resort. Whew, the sex scenes were steamy! I wasn't crazy about was the part when Mattie had to suddenly leave Kelly. The time it took for her to reunite with Kelly seemed rush. Also the backstory for Mattie's judgmental mother-in-law wasn't necessary in my opinion. Overall, I'm a fan of Julie Cannon's writing and hope that her next story will have an ending that feels more earned.

The Last First Kiss by Julie Cannon
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
Genre: LGBTQIA | Romance
Release Date: January 12, 2021

The Last First Kiss by Julie Cannon is a standalone romance novel.

I enjoyed the story and the characters were likable. This is a quick read. There is some definite steaminess to the story line. Overall, this was an interesting read.

I'm so grateful to Julie Cannon, Bold Strokes Books, Inc., and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked this book. I was drawn to Matt’s character right away. I loved the character development that was present in her 2 best friends. They helped the reader understand Matt in a more intimate way. Kelly’s character is a little beaten, but she is definitely not out! While Matt’s friends have booked a vacation for all three of them to enjoy, they are really hoping that Matt breaks the dry spell she has been in since the death of her wife. And Kelly is stuck going to this amazing lesbian resort on her own after walking in on her girlfriend and former best friend! Too back all the extra “couples” perks she paid for are non-refundable. Neither of these ladies are looking for a “relationship”, but sometimes love has a mind of its own.

The Last First Kiss is a great book by Julie Cannon. I have enjoyed reading quite a few books by JC and I have to say that this is a really enjoyable story.

Matt and Kelly are great characters each with their own history and carrying a past. But they are able to put that to one side while living the moment........but every moment comes to an end and they have to deal with that.

Great book, great story and plenty of lady loving action.

Would I recommend.: yes a great easy read

Yumm...a lesbian resort. It was nice to read about the amenities and the beautiful scenery. That was an attraction as well as the story. Matt Parker, author of children's books and lesbian erotica has one foot forward and a half foot back in her life. She is saying one thing but is still dealing with loss, which I can totally understand. She has two friends, Becca and Sandra that are wonderfully supportive and a son, Jordan. Sandra and Becca decide that they should all take a vacation with an emphasis on Matt. They want to help her move forward with her life and relax from the internal and external pressures that reside on her shoulders.

Kelly Newsome, owner of a women only employees electrical company. Kelly witnesses a scene that no one in a relationship should have to experience. Kelly has a vacation planned with her now ex-girlfriend and decides to go anyway and enjoy herself.

As both women deal with internal and external issues, they find a pull toward each other. Although the flashbacks were inserted at times that made the story choppy and the ending was a rush, there were some interesting points presented: military, parenting, in-laws, friendship, loss. The reader may not agree with how these topics were dealt with but in my opinion, I was glad they were a part of the read.

Matt Parker was still living much of her life in the past. She was having a hard time moving on after her wife's death six years ago. She had a young son to raise along with the unwanted help of her late wife’s parents. She has tried dating but the dates never go past the first one. Luckly her best friends, Becca and Sandra decide to take her on to a resort, not just any resort but one who run it with the lesbian community in mind. Matt agrees to go just to get them off her back and another plus is having a few weeks without the in-laws all up in her business.
Kelly Newsome has come to the resort for a vacation she’d planned with her girlfriend but that wasn’t going to happen now, not after finding her GF getting it on with her so called best friend. Now she’s here by herself but surprisingly she isn’t as broken up as she feels she should be. Maybe in the long run finding her ex playing around wasn’t that bad. But she didn’t want to spend all of her time alone.
After the two women finally meet up they find what they’d first thought of as a vacation fling turns into some serious feelings for each other. One problem is the fact that they don’t live anywhere close to each other. Now they have to figure out the next steps in a fling that has turned into a relationship.
Ms Cannon has given us a good read with fun, likable women along with some exotic play. I mean a lot of sex. All in all a good read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

2.5 Stars

“The Last First Kiss” is a steamy, vacation romance.

Matt is going on vacation to a lesbian resort orchestrated by her best friends. Her wife was killed six years ago and they believe it’s time for her to do something for herself after spending the last few years concentrating on her young son. Kelly is going on a solo vacation that was meant for two after walking in on her girlfriend and best friend in a compromising position.

The two first meet on the plane and again at the resort and their attraction is immediate and they decide to take advantage of a vacation fling.

I hate to say it, but this one really didn’t work for me. I mostly liked both main characters but I didn’t believe in their happily ever after love story. To me it was all tell with very little showing of any kind of emotional connection between them. Even in the numerous sex scenes, it seemed they were just going through the motions rather than really connecting on any other level.

I also had issues with all of the repetitiveness. First, the random flashback scenes. Many went into detail on things that had already been discussed without adding anything that had already been said. Second, Kelly mentioned numerous times that she was over her ex…yet it kept coming up, whether she was talking to others or her inner monologue. I noticed the same thing with Matt and her reticence on starting another relationship. It all just became very tiresome after a while.

There were other issues for me with this one but I think this is enough to show why “The Last First Kiss” just didn’t work for me.

One plus, I did enjoy many of Cannon’s electrical puns (Kelly is an electrician.)

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.

The Last First Kiss is a lesbian romance by Julie Cannon. I was glad to get a chance to read this book, as lesbian romances are far and few between. But, it really didn't work for me.

This involves a woman who's afraid to move on since the death of her wife, the other's a woman who recently caught her girlfriend cheating on her with her best friend. Add in a vacation getaway to a lesbian resort, and one can guess where this is going.

I definitely don't love the writing style, and the flashbacks. I would have preferred just the current day. As well, I don't like when flashbacks are just thrown in during the middle of a chapter.

Also, the price tag for this book is way too high. Maybe if it was a couple bucks, I'd say give it a try.

But, overall, The Last First Kiss was just ok. Nothing like what I was hoping for.

3.5 stars. Kelly Newsome is newly single after seeing her best friend and girlfriend in bed together. Instead of going to the resort with her girlfriend, she trades in her girlfriend's ticket for first class ticket and goes alone. Two weeks on the beach alone at a lesbian resort sounds relaxing. Matt Parker is having her first grown up vacation since her wife died six years ago. Matt has been too busy taking care of her son to worry about her own life. Her friends paid for the vacation and are coming with her. Matt sees Kelly on the plane and can't stop thinking about her. When they see each other at the resort, they can't help spending time together.

I enjoyed this book. Their dynamic was good and evolved enough throughout the story. I liked how the characters both seemed to have enough back story and seemed to developed enough through the book. The only thing I didn't really like was how it ended. It seemed a little rushed and I did not like how there wasn't enough context in the ending to really feel how it ended. There needed to be more there for it to be more satisfying in my opinion. I didn't feel like the ending made the most sense and there wasn't really enough between the drama and the ending for me to feel the tension. Overall, decent novel I would recommend if you like the author or just girl meets girl on vacation.

Technically this book would fall under the romance category. I would say that it really could be two separate novellas. The first half of the book was all sex between the two main characters. The second part of the book was the actual story. Needless to say, this type of romantic book generally has the sex intertwined throughout the story. If Ms. Cannon had done this, I think reading The Last First Kiss would have been more enjoyable.

In a nutshell, the two main characters are Kelly Newsome and Matt Parker. The setting is a lesbian resort. Kelly had planned to take her fiancé to this resort, but she ended up going alone. Kelly had discovered her ex in bed with her best friend.

Matt Parker is on her first grownup vacation since her wife died. Matt has been left to raise her son alone over the years. When Matt’s son leaves for camp, Matt’s friends decide that she needs to get out there and have fun, hence the lesbian resort.

When I read the synopsis about this book, I thought I would really enjoy it. Unfortunately, the constant sex, sex, and sex left me pushing through the book until the story finally started. I have read many of Julie Cannon’s books and have enjoyed them all. This one just fell short of my expectations.

I rate this book with 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Sweet and well done. The character development was a joy to read, slow and hot. Lovely read, so much to enjoy. I look forward to this authors next title.

I hate to say it, but this just didn't work for me. Some of that has to do with writing choices that I don't love, some of it has to do with content, and some of it has to do with the characters. I'll forgive pretty much anything in a romance if the characters have great swoony chemistry, and I wasn't feeling it here. I don't think that this is terrible, but it took me such a long time to read, it was such a slog, and if it wasn't an arc I'd have DNF'd this.

So. Some things I didn't love:
- Abrupt POV-switching.
- Extremely clumsy flashbacks. I don't mind flashbacks, but these were dropped awkwardly into the middle or scenes to explain past events or do character building in the weirdest, most clunky way. There were so many of them, and their varying lengths made the book feel badly paced. And this is subjective, but I just hate having long sections of books in italics. I feel like there should be a better way to give us all that information.
- Some casual fatphobia, in the vein of 'main character comments on the bodies of strangers in a way she absolutely doesn't need to'.
- Something about the writing. IDK! Just didn't love it.

I've liked books with these flaws before, but the characters also didn't work for me. This was butch/femme, which I'm always gagging for, but neither of them did anything for me, personality-wise. Both their personal stores were compelling enough, but the events that brought them together weren't super inspired, and didn't get me rooting for them. The arc of their relationship just felt really rushed and unbelievable. At the end I started to get impatient because the book was asking me to believe that they'd formed this super tight bond and I didn't feel it at all.

So, eh. This was unfortunate.

(I will say, I do love the cover. Seeing butch women on f/f book covers is like instant therapy.)

I really recommend this one. It is beautiful to see that you think you found your one love and then you find out maybe you can have this love a second time around. Totally recommend. Thank you

This is a very light romance despite the flashbacks being a bit more intense. The holiday setting was good but at parts it felt like a holiday brochure with all activities you can do at all-inclusive vacation.
Sex scenes were hot and steamy but somehow the romance part lacked for me.

This is a different love story. Matt lost here wife Andrea who was killed while in the arm overseas. Her friends convinced her to go to a lesbian resort in hopes of finding her a fling. Matt also has a 9 year old son who had with Andrea. The plot is how Matt started living again after she met Kelly. They both had issues to overcome to find love. This is a good love story with emotions good and bad. I love the characters and they kept my interest. I recommed this love story. I received this book through Net galley but the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sorry sent review for wrong book before.
Enjoyed this book. Like Julie Cannon's stuff. Liked the MCs.