Last Call by Alice Clayton

Last Call (The Cocktail, #5)

by Alice Clayton

From USA TODAY bestselling author Alice Clayton, known for her "deliciously addictive" (The Book Vixen) novels, this Cocktail series novella reunites readers with Caroline and Simon from the wildly successful Wallbanger.

Simon and Caroline are back for another round of baking, banging, and big life changes. Settling in, but never settling down, Caroline has finally struck a balance between the professional and the personal. As one of the top interior designers in San Francisco, she travels all over Northern California between nook time with Simon.

Perpetual globetrotter Simon has cut his frequent flyer miles in half over the last year, preferring to balance his professional and personal life, as well.

The next step in their lives seems preordained-toasts, veils, and the aisle of rose petals. But when an accident on a photo shoot in Southeast Asia brings Caroline the most terrifying phone call she could ever imagine, she has to ask whether "till death do us part" is a more realistic prospect than faces most couples.

It's been a grand adventure, and Caroline and Simon wouldn't go out without the best surprise ending ever. One part sexy, one part laughter, a dash of exotic locales, and one pink nightie, mixed with passion, and you've got Last Call. Served with a side of Clive.

Reviewed by EBookObsessed on

4 of 5 stars

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The cleverly titled final story to her cocktail series is a novella which ties up all the loose ends and lets us say good-bye to Simon and Caroline in style. It also gives us a reminder that it is the marriage and not the wedding which should be the focus of any engaged couple.
As we start out our final Cocktail novella, the day of Ryan and Mimi’s wedding has finally arrived and it isn’t going as smoothly as expected. The very pregnant Sophia has morning, afternoon, and anytime sickness and whoopsed all over Mimi’s wedding dress. The thankfully overly-prepared Mimi has another all ready to go but begins to loose her composure when she sees her only pair of Jimmy Choos have also been violated. It is groom Ryan that ultimately saves the day. Just as Mimi is focusing on how her day has been ruined, it is Ryan who tells her how much he can’t wait until it is all over and they will finally be husband and wife. Mimi forgets all about shoes and runs to marry her man.

While Sophia and Neil prepare to be the next to wed, after their baby is born and the baby weight comes off that is, Caroline and Simon are settling into their new home and their new schedules with no thoughts of needing rings and white dresses to complete their couplehood. Everyone is getting comfortable with their new lives until Sophia pops out her little bundle of joy and it is Simon, rather than Caroline, who is suddenly wanting to get on the baby-train. Ok, maybe baby is jumping the gun, but holding his friend Neil’s new baby makes him realize that Caroline is the only one for him and that in order to move forward from boyfriend to father, he has to convince Caroline that it is time to shop for a white dress of her own.

Never one to resist her Wallbanger, Caroline and Simon get caught up in wedding planning or more appropriately dragged along by Mimi and Caroline’s mother. When Simon has an accident half way around the world at a photo shoot, Caroline rushes to get to him and realizes that they too started putting more stress on the wedding than on the marriage.

Hopefully it is not too late for Simon and Caroline to turn around their priorities and put their all into the marriage rather than the wedding favors.

THOUGHTS:
I love the characters that Alice Clayton has created and thank her for the nod to my favorites, Grace and Jack, in this story too.

It was a quick novella and we didn’t have time for all the fun sexy times we had with Simon and Caroline in the first two Cocktail books. That doesn’t mean we go without. This was more about the saying goodbye to the gang and a reminder to keep your priorities straight then simply wallbanging. We did get to see Clark and Vivian and Chloe and Lucas, one last time as well.

It was a nice bonus story to tie up the loose ends and say goodbye.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 22 January, 2015: Finished reading
  • 22 January, 2015: Reviewed