Last Chance Proposal by Barbara deLeo Published by Entangled Publishing on 9 December 2013
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 169
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
wife he needs. The woman he desires.
Cy Hathaway needs a wife, fast, to win custody of his son, Jonty. He returns home to discover the childhood sweetheart he once left behind has become a vibrant, beautiful woman. Even though wanting to sweep her off her feet wasn't part of the plan…
For Ellie, Cy's sudden reappearance awakens a flood of memories—and resentments for the way he’d abandoned her all those years ago. But she has a life now, a career. She can't simply drop everything and get hitched, even if the sight of him still makes her heart race.
But after Ellie meets his little boy, she can't refuse. Certain she has a grip on her old feelings for Cy, she agrees to marry her first love until he gains custody. But when did helping out a friend become something with the capacity to hijack her heart?
*I received a free ARC of Last Chance Proposal from Entangled Publishing via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*
Last Chance Proposal is the perfect holiday romance – it starts with a fake relationship to help Cy win a custody case against his son’s grand-parents, and he thinks the best way to do that is to marry his childhood sweetheart Ellie. It doesn’t really matter to Cy that he and Ellie haven’t seen each other in ten years, and that Cy didn’t exactly leave her on the best of terms. I love stories where a couple meet again after they have both matured and changed a little, and in this one, there are more obstacles in the beginning than in most.
Cy has only one goal in life, and that is to make sure he’ll win custody of his son Jonty from Jonty’s grand-parents. I have no idea where he got the idea that he should be married for that to work out for the best, but apparently, he did, and so he is going for it. This makes for some very funny scenes, though, starting when Cy first sees Ellie again after all this time. Cy is pretty much a typical male (sorry men!!) in that he still thinks about Ellie as the 18-year old she was when they last met, and he is immediately mesmerized by the beautiful and confident woman she has become. It doesn’t stop him from asking her what he came to New Zealand to ask her for, though, and he was right about one thing. Ellie still has her big heart and is always ready to help other people.
Little by little, Last Chance Proposal shows the readers what happened before, and we also learn about a big secret Cy has been keeping for Ellie for all this time. I was amazed at how the story could unfold so fully in only 169 pages, because I really got exactly what I needed. Character development, romance, story and plot are all present and makes for a fun and fluffy read, with some major obstacles in the way for the protagonists.
I will definitely check other books by Barbara deLio, and I look forward to reading one of her longer stories soon. In order to not spoil anything in Last Chance Proposal for you, I’ll simply leave you with some quotes that show how good this is, and let you run to get your own copy for a few hours of contentment.
He was grateful to have her back in his life. Maybe it could be permanent if things went well. A second chance had always been on his mind. Running from her was his single greatest regret.
She loved Cy. Sucking in a breath, she clutched her body as her heart swelled to bursting. Of course she loved Cy. She always had.
About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.
I read this book. . I fell in live with Cy and Ellie. What Cy will do for Jonty is wonderful. Highly recommend. I to will read her other books very soon.
I’m looking forward to reading more of her books, as well 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Shari.
I’m not a fan of fake relationships but other than that, Ellie and Cy sounds brilliant!
Fab review, Lexxie! <33
Yeah, but the thing is that it started out as a fake relationship, but both of them really wanted it to be real.
Thanks for stopping by Melanie 🙂
One of the things that I really admire authors is when they’re able to construct a story by just using very few pages. And I am glad that DeLeo was able to tell her story, developed her characters, and constructed the romance without resorting to instalove in only 169 pages. That’s an outstanding feat, Lexxie. 😀
Great review, Lexxie. 😀
Yes, any book that is able to steer clear of instalove is one to read!
Thanks for stopping by, Charlotte 🙂
Twitter: bmreviewsohmy
Sounds like a good one. I like romances where they marry because of the circumstance and then fall in love. 🙂
Yeah, me too, Stormi. I would have loved to read more about these characters, and I’ll definitely check out more books by this author!
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
This sounds like a cozy read. I didn’t realize it was so short! I love short romances like this for a nice break from the day.
It was very short, but still good. I would have liked to read more about all these characters, though 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Pamela!
I am a bit of a fan of the fake relationship trope, Lexxie. And the second chance romance trope as well. 🙂 This sounds like a sweet read, even if it seems as though it didn’t WOW you. I hope your next read is fabulous!
*hugs*
Oh it didn’t completely WOW me, Brandee, but it was an enjoyable and sweet read. I think that it is very difficult for me to be completely wowed by such short stories 🙂
thanks for stopping by, my dear 🙂 *hugs3