What do you do when you’ve agreed to a pact with your best friends to marry the next guy you date, but the man of your dreams is a hot mess?Bailey De Luca is the last of her friends to complete the Last First Date pact–to marry the next guy she dates. But lady luck must be in a bad mood because so far, it’s all come to nothing.Everywhere she looks people are in love. Everyone except her. Is she … Everyone except her. Is she fundamentally unlovable? Or is it that she’s already found–and lost–The One? Whatever the reason, one thing’s for sure: Bailey never expected to be alone at thirty.
When one of her friends announces her engagement with a rock that could eclipse the sun, Bailey throws herself into a new business. Starting up Cozy Cottage Catering seems like the perfect way to bury her head in the sand. But fate has other ideas, and soon Bailey is swept off her feet by the oh-so cute Ryan Jones.
Ryan may seem like the perfect combination of Prince Charming meets Thor (without the hammer), but is Bailey ready to be with him?
Or will the ghost of her past love prevent her from finding happiness again?
★ ★ ★ ★ ★”I adored it. Very highly recommended!” – Author Laura Heffernan
Escape to New Zealand in this sweet, fun, feel-good chick lit story for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Lindsey Kelk, and Bridget Jones’s Diary, and TV shows like Jane the Virgin.
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Another fabulous escape thanks to author, Kate O’keeffe!
O’Keeffe writes beautifully of the experience of love and loss that prevents Bailey from opening her heart to another man. Her tender, emotional journey toward healing makes this a very special book. Add in a tasty hero, humor, and, oh, those cakes! and Four Last First Dates proves to be a most delicious top layer on the confection that is the Cozy Cottage series.
The writing is good, the inner conflict heart-wrenching and raw, yet the book overall light-hearted and fun. I adored it. Very highly recommended!
I’ve read at least 2 of the prior books in the series. That might be why this one felt so familiar. This is a clean romance, no need to skip any sex scenes. But it expresses love really well. It has some quirky twists that are not closely related to the love pair in this, but add to the entertainment. It has at least a few busybodies messing things up. However the cornerstone of the story is in learning to love anew when a man you love has died. I like how this wasn’t a quick fix.
She is the last one of her group to marry but it is not just happening even though the guy she has a date with is not ready for dating. Will he ever be ready? Will they have a date? Who will she finally marry? or none of them? See who wins out
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Loved all four books. These were very interesting stories and a great group of women and men. I enjoyed the entire series. I recommend this to adventure lovers of romance!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a fun book to read. The characters are fun loving and the storyline had enough chemistry and loads of twists that kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
While this was a good book, it’s my least favorite of the series. I felt Bailey made things a lot harder than it needed to be, but Ryan and Josh really came through. The male characters made this book work for me. There is a lot of emotion, overwhelming at times, but this was a good way to end the series. Everything came full circle and there were no loose ends.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The book starts with a hilarious scene where Bailey is trying to play the numbers to get to her last first date. She’s attempting speed dating at a bar. She only managed to make it through the first four of the ten that she should have participated in after the last guy wanted to measure her so he could make a female robot! Marissa’s brother is at the bar as well; clearly, Bailey and Ryan have a little flirty, bantering relationship. Marissa warns her off though, as she sees Ryan as still broken and cynical about relationships after a bad breakup. Cassie announces her engagement, which triggers a flood of memories for Bailey. She recalls her engagement to Dan some years ago. She had thought he was the love of her life, but then he died in an accident. Ryan and Bailey deepen their flirtation, but their past wounds and hangups with relationships get in the way.
I have so enjoyed this series of books. In the space of a few hours, the author made me laugh at the speed dating (some of those were really bad!) and in tears as I watched Bailey’s struggle with her inability to let her former fiance go and allow herself to move on. Just as in Paige’s book, the heroine’s past tugs at the heartstrings, and you will root for her to be able to embrace the future wholeheartedly. I like how in this book the hero has his own backstory to get beyond as well. I always enjoy the romances where two suffering people—hurting through no fault of their own—help each other heal. In the hands of the right author, it’s beautiful to watch as characters work through their difficulties, going back and forth, trying to do what is best. Bailey’s thoughts and emotions seemed realistic for her kind and compassionate character. Ryan was still a good guy even though he was hurting.
If you enjoy romances that can make you both laugh and cry—like I do—you may very well find this book to be an incredible read.
I received a free copy from BookSprout in exchange for an honest review.
Of all the ladies in this series, I really liked Bailey and was happy to finally read her story. This story was such an emotional battle. One that had my heart heavy for anyone who had loved and lost the way Bailey had. The author did a fantastic job telling Bailey’s story.
The story was well written and had a steady flow. I found myself smiling at the couple’s competitive banter. There were a few things that characters did that I did not like, but that happens in real life, right? Despite everything seeming to go wrong, especially the wedding, I thought it all worked out nicely. I recommend this clean romance series for anyone who likes a little laughter with their romance
Fourth in the series, and still going strong
Sometimes a series will get old and tired, but I’m still enjoying this one. Finally it is Bailey’s turn to find love. I felt like I identified with Bailey a lot, I also know what it is like to see everyone around you (seemingly) in love, and you still not even know where to look to find someone who is your type… and also wonder if you’ve lost your chance. Luckily for both me and Bailey, there was at least one more chance for each of us, lol.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the fourth book in the series. Just like the last three books I fell in love with this one to. This was a wonderful read. It was well written and a good storyline. This bookbis about Bailey the last of the four friends to find love. It kept my instrest through out the whole book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Learning to Appreciate the Past and Live in the Present
I think that I love this episode the best of all four. This is a wonderfully sweet and clean story. The series is best read in order. In this episode, the final girl finds her last first date. While this is still a romantic comedy, Bailey has to let her dead fiance go so she can have a life. There are some tearful parts of this story that make the joy just that much sweeter. In all, I loved the entire series. I received this ARC for free from Booksprouts. This is my honest opinion.
I’ve loved this funny, charming series. And while I’m sorry to see it come to an end (I think?), I’m so glad to see Bailey get her last first date. Bailey’s had a harder time than most, and no one deserves happiness more. Seeing the rest of the cast here is like visiting old friends. Now, if only I could get some of Bailey’s cake!
I really enjoyed this last book in the Cozy Cottage Cafe. These girls have been on an amazing journey and now it is Bailey’s turn to find he last first date. Bailey thought she had found her last first date and then her fiance was killed. She struggles to be true to him but would still like to find love. I’m sure speed dating works for some people, but poor Bailey really started the night with some unusual “dates.” This story is both witty and poignant. I was sucked into Bailey’s life from page one.
Four Last First Dates – I enjoyed the first two books immensely, but the third slipped a little with Marissa’s behavior, but this one just jumped off the cliff into the abyss of stupidity with a big helping of idiotic. Bailey has been my favorite character, followed closely with Paige (my favorite book, Two) in the other three books. Over half way through Four, I got to the point where I could not stand her anymore with her erratic, childish behavior. It is just too far an extreme from the successful, intelligent character she portrayed in the first three and 1/3 books.
I did not believe in Bailey’s character anymore; not realistic. This time Ms. O’Keeffe used the stupid formula that is so common in this genre. Instead of an original idea of creating chaos in B. and Ryan’s romance, she falls on making B. stupid, childish and irrational. Oh, she’s all crazy for R. until they fall for each other, then it’s a dead guy used as excuse to cause the riff.
While I didn’t care for Marissa’s behavior in Three, I could still finish the book, reading each page. With Four, I skimmed for the highlights because the other storylines were interesting and there were happenings that held my interest. I was disappointed that Bailey had to suffer this stupidity, but I could not read another word about her thoughts and actions against Ryan. Ryan is my favorite of the romantic male characters, which is difficult to pick since they’re all great guys. I found this book on Booksprout. 3*
Cozy Cottage Cafe Series:
One Last First Date – This is my first read by this author. I found the other three books to this series on Booksprout and discovered this one in my library. I did not know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. Well written in a conversational style. Enjoyable characters that came across as realistic and with some brains. Interesting storylines that moved along quickly and plenty of humor. I did not get bored as I usually do with many of this genre. I’ll be reading the three other books to this series. 4*
Two Last First Dates – This book picks up ten minutes after One ends. This book is just as enjoyable and delightful as the first book. Still written in a conversational style with multiple storylines that merge and separate through the friends and their lives with the focus on Paige. The characters still have brains and are still realistic, including their thoughts and dialogs. The humor steady throughout. Mistakes are still made but not the stupidity formula that is common in this genre. The fast pace and interesting lives makes this book quickly read. I found this book on Booksprout. 4*
Three Last First Dates – I chain read Three after finishing Two. This book picks up a few weeks after Two ends. It is so hard to write a review on this series without wanting to do spoilers; not a book report so it won’t happen. The focus is on Marissa and she’s probably the silliest of the bunch with her ideas, but she was fat as a kid and has that old mindset. The friends are still interesting and supportive, and the three dates were so different from each other. I thought she treated her first date badly, but some people look at jobs instead of the person. Anyway, the book was full of humor and interesting storylines and characters. I did not get bored with series since the storytelling never repeated or went stupid, but keep me immersed with the writing style and talent of Ms. O’Keeffe. I found this book on Booksprout. 4*
Cozy Cottage Cafe Series End.