3.5 stars. There are some elements of this book I really enjoyed and others I still find myself a little unsure on. Overall I’d say I found this to be a pleasant read, with some really likeable characters, but I wouldn’t find myself wanting to re-read I don’t think.

Matt is a single mother. Her wife was an Army nurse who died in Afghanistan six years ago. She hasn’t had the opportunity to have anytime to herself or to think about moving on romantically. The Army, her in-laws and her son have all had negative reactions to her possibly finding a new partner.

Her best friends take the opportunity to send her to a lesbian resort when her son heads to camp for the summer and to make sure she “participates” fully, they decide to go with her.

Kelly is an electrician who planned to go to the same lesbian resort with her now ex-girlfriend. She owns her own business and is looking for the opportunity to relax and get away.

I liked both characters independently and together. They undoubtedly have chemistry and I enjoyed them getting to know each other. Matt’s bumbling lack of confidence was amusing and I enjoyed the interactions that the best friends provided too. Despite the fact the majority of the book takes place over a mere ten days or so, and mainly in one setting I was impressed at the way Cannon succeeded in keeping the narrative fresh.

The ending is the thing that really threw me off giving this a four star review. I liked the reason the Kelly and Matt are pulled apart, and I even liked how they are brought back together, I just didn’t like the where or the situation it took place in. I think it was done in order to show a clear delineation of Matt moving from one partner to another in her life, but it made me uncomfortable that it would take place in that environment. It’s likely to be my own personal opinion though - so don’t let it put you off giving this a try.

I will definitely be checking out more Cannon books in the future.

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a must read. Julie cannon never disappoints. A little mixture of friends, a get away vacation,and some romance. This was for sure one of my favorites so far.

I'm not going to lie... this book made me cry a few times. That's a good example of how much I liked the storyline. I was able to bond with the characters and relate to them. The descriptions of the environs were beautiful. It made you feel like you were watching it all unfold in person. Also, this book has a plethora of steamy scenes! Phew! I agree with other viewers that the ending seemed rushed but any HEA is a good HEA. I definitely recommend this if you like a HOT fling turned love story. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Should have been longer!

This book was great at the beginning and the middle, but man did it rush through the end. Matt and Kelly had some great chemistry, and it was definitely lust at first sight. While they are away on vacation, they have a wonderful and steamy connection. I was there for it.

Then, the normal twist that inevitably tears them apart (like we don't know it's coming) happens and it's basically a rush from there. I wanted to see them try and be a couple outside of paradise. I feel like the reader is left without a big portion of their coming together, so I was a little bummed when it ended.

Overall, I do have to say I was entertained until about the 90% mark when I realized it was going to end very abruptly. Other readers may be ok with it, so I'd still recommend the book, but be warned that some may feel like it wasn't as complete like I did.

I was looking forward to reading this book. But I was disappointed. There were some positive elements to the story. The instant attraction between Matt and Kelly was fun. Matt's best friends, Sandra and Becca, were great, even if they were very meddlesome at times. The tropical resort and island were appealing. But the story just didn't resonate for me. There's a lot of sex - not that I mind that - lust is good! It's just that nearly every sex scene was over the top for me. After a while, all the multiple orgasms were tiring. It would have been been interesting if Matt and Kelly experienced fewer orgasms, and, instead, had more conversations about their lives.

One quibble I have was the ending of the story. It was rushed. Too many loose ends tied up, too neatly. I wonder if the author had a publication deadline to meet, or a word count limit.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.

Matt is having her first real adult vacation ever since her wife died six years ago leaving her to care for their young son alone. And she’s on her way to a lesbian resort located on a warm tropical island. Kelly, after ending a three-year relationship, is also headed for the same resort. The two become acquainted with on the plane ride there and are instantly attracted to one another although neither are looking for a long-term commitment.

This book piqued my curiosity about lesbian tropical resorts and it felt good reading about a fictitious one and the services they provide. This would have made the perfect insta holiday romance if it had just been about the resort because it had the right mood for it.

But honestly, having this as a full length romance is also fine because Matt had an actual story to tell and I think that story itself was strong enough to hold my interest. But I was left disappointed in the way the author concluded the novel without making much effort to address and resolve the real family issues that Matt was facing and had instead chosen to fast forward this to the epilogue. Mind you, these were the same issues that we were repeatedly reminded of throughout the book.

This story was also suppose to be a fling-turned-love one but the love story wasn’t developed properly because everyone was in holiday mood leaving no head space for anything but sex. In fact, the main characters headed straight for love without even knowing much about each other.

Overall, I would say that this book could have been a real good one if it were developed better.

I'm a big fan of this author but this book missed the mark for me. The blurb was intriguing but slightly misleading. The flashbacks were distracting and popping up at rather random moments. Matt was a well-built character with her feelings around the death of her wife depicted very well, but the other main character lacked depth for me and felt immature. The first few chapters were promising but I couldn't feel the chemistry between the main charatcers. The conflicts between them felt contrived, and the ending rushed and unrealistic.

I always enjoy Ms. Cannon's writing so was excited to receive this copy for review. The story is around the main characters Matt and Kelly and the backdrop is a beautiful island. I warmed up to the main characters right away, they seemed to have a connection right away-throw in a romantic island and the story is set to heat up.

My heart tore for Matt and loosing her wife at such a young age, so I can see why she was a bit reserved in sharing with Kelly, but it just gave more depth to her as a character.

Per Ms. Cannon's writing, the sex scenes were hot, just the way I like it, but not overly explicitly graphic, also the way I like it. All in all I really enjoyed the story, it was a quick easy read for me, maybe just a bit rushed at the end but I still loved how it ended.

I will always be looking out for Ms. Cannon's books, enjoy her writings so much

I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, but would have written the same opinion if I had come across this author on my own.

To see my Amazon review, it is under CC-enjoyable winter read

Kelly Newsome had planned a vacation at a lesbian resort when she found her girlfriend in a compromising position with her best friend.  Running a successful business and now newly single, Kelly is ready to blow off some steam. Matt Parker has been too busy to find time to date, or at least that's the excuse she uses since her wife died six years earlier and she now has to bring up their son by herself. With her wife's homophobic parents meddling in her life and criticising her 'lifestyle', Matt is more than ready to take a vacation with her friends at a lesbian resort where they're insisting she have some 'fun'.
This was a pretty easy read with a predictable storyline. I was really hooked after the first couple of chapters but then the story became a little mundane. I must admit I was pretty impressed with how many orgasms Kelly and Matt had during their time together on the resort but we weren't really privy to a lot of their bedroom antics but were just advised that they were both satisfied. Fantastic for them, unfortunately I felt a little unsatisfied. For me this is just an ok read.

This was an enjoyable read. I liked how the two mains got to know each other and the chemistry between the two was pretty hot. I liked that there was a good backstory on each Matt an Kelly and the storyline was well paced and kept me engaged and wanting to get to the next chapter. If your looking for a charming little read then you will be satisfied with this book
I was provided an advance readers copy from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review

Light, sweet and predictable romance. Matt Parker's friends take her to a Caribbean resort for two weeks while her son is at summer camp. She is raising her son alone since her wife died serving in Afghanistan six years ago. On the airplane she has instant attraction to Kelly Newsome. Both are 30 something and not surprisingly they end up at the same resort. There is flirting and the beginning of a vacation fling. There is some sweetness and hesitancy on Matt's part as there has been no one since her wife.

I enjoyed the flirting and easy talking between the MCs. Both are smart and successful and discuss a lot of superficial things. As much as they can't keep their hands off each other they managed not to talk about important things like Matt is a mother. It is hard to feel the relationship is very serious when they don't talk about serious things. There are several bedroom scenes some steamy and others more vague referencing hours spent together. There is a predictable drama moment that causes separation which is made worse by the fact they never address life after vacation. The ending felt rushed. Kelly literally offers something that chapters before she said wasn't an option. I think I would have been happier with the couple agreeing to work on a future together and seeing the result in the epilogue.

Overall I enjoyed the book and it was a diverting quick read. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This is a bit of a mixed bag. If you like hook up on holiday books, then you’d probably enjoy this, but there wasn’t enough substance for me.

This features Matt, a widow on her first holiday since her wife died six years ago. Her 9 year old is at camp so she’s free for the first time. Her best friends gift her the trip and also go with her. Her wife was in the military and is receiving a medal of honour, which Matt is torn about. She also has homophobic in-laws who live across the street.

The other MC is Kelly, who is fresh off a break up with her girlfriend who was sleeping with her best friend. Even though this just happened we’re told multiple times that Matt is not a rebound for Kelly.

The two meet on the plane to their holiday and then again at the resort and it’s insta-attraction turned insta-love. There’s plenty of sexy times for those who like such things. The MCs do discuss some things, but their relationship is mostly superficial. Case in point is that Kelly doesn’t even know Matt has a son.

The book also features a ridiculous amount of flashbacks, some are from the night before, so there was no need to frame those scenes that way. Some serve no purpose in the story, for example, we know Kelly’s ex cheated on her with her best friend, so the extended flashback of her discovering this adds nothing to the story.

There’s the requisite drama at the 80% mark and this is where the wheels really come off, <spoiler>Kelly shows up at an event she is not invited to and professes her love, not just for Matt, but also for her son, who Kelly has never even met. 🙄 </spoiler>

The end is really rushed, and capped off with an epilogue that ties everything up too neatly. 2.5 rounded up.

3.5 rounded up
It is a mixed read. The plot I enjoyed - lesbian resort romance - but I felt like there was too much cliche in the story and that those cliches made up majority of the story.

A steamy story about two women who just need a break and find a whole lot more than they were looking for. Honestly, there isn't a lot of depth until later in the story, but it was an enjoyable and quick read.

Nothing really to hate about this read, but nothing really to love about it either. The story is fairly light with a lot of bedroom scenes, interchangeable best friends on both sides and the typical non-communication that leads up to the 80% crisis and an abrupt ending.


Spoiler alerts below...



What struck me as odd about this book is how Matt can avoid talking about basically every single important thing in her life while still making an emotional connection with Kelly. Luckily the supportive friend spills *everything* at just the right time for the dramatic finish.

A lot of this book is love scenes but I didn’t find them hot or even believable. They make furious love all night—and I mean ALL night, with Matt limping back to her room at five in the morning a couple times—with both of them averaging 300 orgasms at least, many of them “spontaneous”. There were some iffy hygiene bits as well, especially the scene outside on the island. I kept imagining getting sand up somewhere nasty. The scenes aren’t super detailed, the author stays away from explicit vocabulary except for a few instances the CLITORIS bomb gets dropped (I always heard it being said in a prissy old-lady voice).

The way Matt felt like she had to hide the fact she wasn’t having sex was strange, especially how her friends badgered her for details like they were in high school. When Kelly’s friend similarly prodded for sexual details I felt all the best friends were basically the same person.

End spoilers!


Basically a painless read that you don’t want to think about too critically.

My rating: three stars

Overall a good read. Beautiful chemistry between the main characters Matt and Kelly. Some really HOT sex scenes. I loved the supported and love Matt's had for her. The only downfall for me was that I felt the ending was rushed. However i would recommend this book.


Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books Inc

This is a story that if it had been a short story, it would have been better. Because repeating cliché after cliché to fill pages at the end has become boring. And the way the author has inserted the flashbacks, at first caused me a bit of confusion.

While this story is quite common in romances, as are the main characters' refusal to want anything serious even though their refusal ultimately lasts five minutes, or the super-quick-insta -lust/love, it seems that is a favorite of readers and authors, but unfortunately it doesn’t work too well for me.

I have not found many relevant things to highlight in this story, it has been a flat and simple romance, with some uninteresting supporting characters, a rather inconsistent protagonist couple, drama in the 80% and finale.

Let me start by saying the blurb of this book is misleading, this is not the way I would surmise this book.

Matt (short for Mattingly, more on this later) is badgered into coming to a lesbian resort on the Turks and Caicos by her best friends, who are joining her in this trip. They are determined to force some fun and casual hook ups on her. It’s been six years since her wife died and with her son away on army camp, it’s the first time Matt has a grown up vacation. Kelly caught her girlfriend of three years in her bed with her best friend, well and truly done with those two she decides to still go on her trip and just get some sun, laze around and maybe check some sights. When the women meet on a plane there is an instant attraction. When luck is just on their side they end up at the same resort, side by side on the beach. They get to talking and their vacation fling is off, with a little nudging from Matt’s friends. They don’t share their deepest and darkest secrets or feelings, because it’s meant to be just a vacation thing, but is it?

Let’s start with Mattingly, what kind of name is this? I am all for using genderless names or coming up with a name, but where does this come from. To me it isn’t genderless and it is confusing and a weird name. On to the story, it a lot of steamy things, but that’s just about it. There is some mild character development, especially with Matt, but it’s so light, while the subjects are heavy I don’t feel like it is the right thing to do. Maybe if this were a summer release it would fit better with the easy going beach vibes or something. It’s light reading and would be perfect for the beach or the poolside. Some lighthearted reading in the cold dark winter months is nice as well, but then the entire story should be lighthearted in my opinion. I also struggled to really get into this book, only around the 50-60% mark did it settle for me. But I kept checking how much I had to go, it felt repetitive all throughout the book and not until the final chapters did it really change. And I haven’t even mentioned the flashbacks, flashbacks to years ago, a couple days and everything in between. I don’t mind flashback as long as they are outlined in let’s say a different chapter. These italic parts within a chapter to indicate flashback really annoys me, also because the flashbacks aren’t really related to each other, I suppose they are there to reflect inner turmoil and what not, but it doesn’t work for me. I think it would work better if was just described. For instance Matt sits on het balcony while looking out over the resort, emotions wash over her when she thinks about what happens 6 years ago when soldiers showed up at her front door...
It’s 2.5 stars from me.

I really like the title of this book; it resonates a romance so well. And the romance itself? Well it’s rather charming and despite being a holiday fling at a resort for lesbians, kind of old school. Meet the girl, fall in love, want to be with the girl forever old school soothing. That’s not to say there aren’t some hot sex scenes, because there are quite a few. It’s the waiting for the one, the second one after the very special first one that brought a tear to my eye. Plus the friends are such great buddies. We all need friends like them in our lives. Basically this was a comfort read.

The problem with reading a book straight after you've finished a 5-star book means that you'll hold the current book to a certain standard - and that's, unfortunately, what happend to me with The Last First Kiss.

It was OK, but I found myself struggling between the 20%- 50% mark to finish it. Luckily, things brightened up a bit after halfway, but when I finished it I wasn't ecstatic with the ending either.

The story follows Kelly, a newly single 30-something business owner, going on vacation to an exclusive lesbian resort in Turks and Caicos. Matt (short for Mattingly) is also vacationing at the same resort thanks to two meddlesome best freinds, and is a widow of 6 years and single mother to a nine year-old - Jordan. The two MCs are just after some uncomplicated, no-strings-attached vacation sex, but of course, when it comes to matters of the heart, things get a tad complicated.

I think what I didn't connect with was the style of the flashbacks to previous years (or even mere days) and it just kept distracting me. Also, the ending was just too easy/rushed for it to be believable so I was left feeling a little bit... blah. Oh well. If the storyline sounds interesting enough for you to read, I recommend you do!

I was given an ARC by the publisher/Net Galley for an honest review.