Review: Luck and Last Resorts by Sarah Grunder Ruiz

 

Luck & Last Resorts (Love, Lists & Fancy Ships #2) by Sarah Grunder Ruiz

Publication Date: August 9th 2022 by Berkley

Pages: 336

Source: Publisher & Library Audio Copy

Rating: ★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I’m not going to summarize the story because the book description (see below) does an excellent job there. I felt really torn about reading Luck and Last Resorts because I thought it would be super angsty (not my thing) and that Nina would try my patience, but I loved the first book, Love, Lists and Fancy Ships so I thought I’d give it a shot.

Nina did try my patience, and I did understand she wanted to guard herself after what her parents put her through, but still, I wanted to shake her on more than one occasion! She pushed Ollie away so many times and I really had no idea why he took this waffling from her for so long. He was an absolute sweetheart. I was glad he gave Nina an ultimatum because it pushed her to finally start to acknowledge her true feelings for him. Of course, she didn’t change completely overnight, and it was painful in parts.

I know it sounds like I didn’t enjoy the story, but I did. The story flashes back to when Nina and Ollie first meet and they started a bit playfully adversarial but grew to be friends and then inseparable. It was fun and passionate. That is until Nina screwed things up. My heart hurt for Ollie, but also for Nina, because she was depriving herself of real joy and happiness by keeping Ollie at arm’s length.

Luck and Last Resorts was an angsty, heart wrenching read, but one that I enjoyed overall.

Karissa Vacker's narration was excellent!

 3.5 Stars

Book Description:

Commitment-phobe Nina Lejeune lives by two rules:
1. Always have fun.
2. Don’t rely on anyone but yourself.
The first rule is easy; the second, she’s only broken once.

Ten years after fleeing home, Nina is the chief stewardess on the super yacht Serendipity, single by choice, and perfectly content with how life has turned out.

But Nina’s ex-coworker and old flame, Irish chef Ollie Dunne, isn’t so happy with the status quo. One year after leaving yachting, he’s returned as the Serendipity’s chef with an ultimatum: if Nina continues to deny she’s in love with him by the end of this charter season, he’ll go back to Ireland for good.

Nina and Ollie’s shared secret from their past threatens to shipwreck not only their relationship, but the entire boat. But as their connection grows amidst chaotic guests and crew drama, could there be smooth sailing in their future?

Review: Love, Lists & Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz

 

Love, Lists & Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz

Publication Date: November 23rd 2021 by Berkley Books

Pages: 336

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads 

My Thoughts:

Josephine Walker “Jo” is working on her “thirty-by-thirty” bucket list, with things like: run a marathon, kiss a stranger, visit 10 countries, but her efforts have stalled since the death of her eleven-year-old nephew, Samson. She’s had a hard time mustering the enthusiasm to check off all the items until her nieces, Mia and Kitty, show up for an unexpected visit (for the summer) and decide they must complete it. "Kiss a stranger" is one of the first things Jo checks off with “Hot Guy from the Bar”, Alex Hayes, a stranger she doesn’t expect to ever see again, but life has other plans!

Jo needed help dealing with her emotions, not only over the death of Samson, but guilt over the death of her father, and a bad breakup making her swear off love and entanglements.  I loved Mia, Kitty and Greyson, Alex’s teenage daughter! Hard to be sad with teenage antics, although the girls had to deal with their grief over their brother, too, making/helping Jo face her emotions even when she didn’t want to. Greyson was a breath of fresh air with no filter, whatever she thought just spilled out of her brain which was pretty funny.

Love, Lists & Fancy Ships a fun, sexy romance full of humor, but also with a serious side. Both Jo and Alex were dealing with their own adult issues, grief, guilt, and vulnerability. Their story sucked me right in and left me with heart happy feelings!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

Sometimes a yacht, a bold bucket list, and a kiss with a handsome stranger are all a person needs to dive into the deep end of life.

For the last year, yacht stewardess Jo Walker has been attempting to complete a bucket list of thirty things she wants to accomplish by her birthday. Jo has almost everything she's ever wanted, including a condo on the beach (though she's the youngest resident by thirty years) and an exciting job (albeit below deck) that lets her travel the world.

Jo is on track until a family tragedy turns her life upside down, and the list falls by the wayside. But when her two nieces show up unannounced with plans to stay the summer, they discover her list and insist on helping Jo finish it. Though the remaining eight items (which include running a marathon, visiting ten countries, and sleeping in a castle) seem impossible to complete in twelve weeks, Jo takes on the challenge.

When she summons the courage to complete item number five--kiss a stranger--and meets Alex Hayes, all bets are off. As her feelings for Alex intensify and Jo's inability to confront difficult emotions about her family complicates her relationships, she must learn to quit playing it safe with her heart before she loses what matters most.