Title: Last Call
Series: Bad Habits #3
Author: Staci Hart
Release Date: February 15, 2016
Once Rose Fisher makes a decision, that’s it. End of story.
Like when her ex, Patrick, dumped her out of the blue, then showed up with a super hot, tatted up sex kitten on his arm. Then it was over for good. The end. Poof. Dead to her. Except he was everywhere — down the hall, at the bar with their friends, worming his way into her dreams.
But with their friends paired off, they’re left alone more and more. Rose is determined to keep him friendzoned — doesn’t matter that he stares at her with a smolder that drops all panties in a ten foot radius. She’s over him, and she’ll prove it by getting back into the dating game, Patrick be damned.
Patrick Evans is no stranger to consequences. When your mother walks out, your dad drifts away. When you leave home, you’re on your own. And when you run away from the girl you love, you lose her. He finally has an opportunity to rebuild the bridge he burned, and it’s not one he’ll take for granted. But he’ll have to fight for her, even if it hurts. Even if it means he’ll walk away brokenhearted. Because deep down, he knows that she’s it for him.
The trick will be to get her to admit she feels it too.
There's a little part of me that wants to yell from the rooftops about this book. About how it made me hurt but laugh. Ache but smile. Cringe but swoon. About how I loved Tricky and Rose. And about how I couldn't help but be drawn into their story, rooting for them to finally, finally get it right.
Wait. No. I lied.
Not a little part, at all. A BIG part.
I've loved each book in this exceptional series. In different ways, and to different degrees, but it's a BIG love. The kind that makes it okay to read and re-read. To think about the characters to distraction. To wish that you could be a part of this crew of friends that are just so...flawless.
Not literally, of course. Patrick and Rose are plenty flawed. Between his regrets and her pride, they got in their own way more often than not, but the result was this intense, slow burn that flamed BIG and bright and true. I loved these two together; their rightness this living, breathing thing that meant, even as I frowned and bemoaned their choices, I never once doubted they were just meant to be.
Of course, their path was anything but smooth. Staci Hart did an exceptional job of making that bumpy ride worthwhile though, by giving us sassy, snarky and strong Rose. Ballsy Rosie, who I loved for her take-no-prisoners attitude, as much as her fiery passion and conviction. And for the way she loved Tricky.
Oh, it's Tricky, all right. Tricky to avoid falling in love with this battered, complicated man. A man who maybe learned the wrong lesson from his past mistakes, and who needed the comfort of his friendships to help him find his way and his worth.
And what magnificent friendships they are. They exist in this book—in this whole series—like a secondary love story. A tale of this perfectly compatible, funny, caring group of people that together, or in smaller groups (like the sublime Rose and Lily combination), simply make sense. So much sense. The most beautiful and quietly poignant moments of Last Call stem from this platonic love story, and if I could, I would live in this world that Ms. Hart has created.
Now, all of that is a mouthful, and far too much to yell from the rooftops. So, instead I'll just boil it down to one simple but BIG thing...
Read this magnificent book. Please.
~ Review by Beth
Tricky, what the HELL is WRONG WITH YOU!?! This story here had me screaming, cussing, crying, yelling, laughing and swooning in love!
Tricky made a stupid mistake that caused him to lose the woman he loves, and now has to pay the price...that is, unless he finds a way to get her back. Rose—sassy, loyal, strong fighter that she is—is getting by every day since Tricky tore her heart apart, yet she keeps moving on!
I loved the gang; Lily, West, Cooper, Maggie, and Rose’s hilarious cousin, Ellie, were there for her, as well as for Tricky.
I have to give it to Rose and her strength in not killing Tricky for treating her heart the way he did. I'm not sure I could have been that strong. I loved her determination to move on, but also how skeptical she was about falling for someone else, because that meant trusting someone else with her heart!!
Oh, Tricky and Rose… I yelled at both of them for being so stubborn, yet I could not blame them for being so scared. When it really hit them that this was do-or-die, they realized that they had to go all in! And for the record, I loved Tricky's side-note comments every time Rose went on a date.
These were two of the most stubborn people I've ever met, and I honestly felt they were going to be the death of me. Now, the chemistry between these two was panty-melting HOT! I will say that they are, by far, my favorite couple of this series, and I want to be greedy and say that I NEED MORE, please!
Fave Quotes:
"Because I hate you, and I love you, and I hate that I love you."
“Last call,” I echoed, knowing it was the truth. I had to step up and order or walk out. And I wasn’t ready to leave.
"My eyes combed every glistening, glorious square inch of him, every tattoo, the curve of his gorgeous ass, thighs, and then, the motherfucking Promised Land."
~ Review by Kara
AHHHH, you guys! I have been jonesing for Tricky and Rose’s story for what seems like forever! We’ve gotten little glimpses of their tortured relationship over the course of this series and now…the wait is over. It’s Tricky time!
Patrick “Tricky” Evans has a…colorful history. He is a product of a difficult childhood followed by a darker, even more difficult early adulthood—and he has pulled himself together by sheer will and the love of his closest friends to become the person Rose Fisher fell in love with. Unfortunately for Rose, Tricky has no idea what to do with that love and so, he pushes her away. A move he recognizes as a mistake almost immediately, but he doesn’t know how to fix it and, more importantly, he still doesn’t really know how to love her.
Rose is a firecracker—all thorny vines and sharp edges masking the tender, bruised heart underneath. When Tricky wounds her to the core, her walls go up with some kind of military strength enforcement. The distance she puts between herself and Tricky has nothing to do with her love for him. That love is still there, burning brightly, in a dark, closed-off place she refuses to acknowledge. That is, until Tricky sneaks his way back in.
Against all odds, he finds a way through her defenses and it feels amazing. They are amazing. The burn so hot and so bright that they know there may be no chance of a happily ever after without destroying each other in the process…
Oh, Tricky. *Sigh* I loved him. I wanted to hug him. I wanted to lick every inch of his tattooed body. I wanted to shake some sense into him because, Jesus God, man, stop making the same mistakes! But mostly—I just adored him. Sexy and sweet and unexpectedly vulnerable—sometimes he set my heart aflutter with those delicious, swoony feels. And sometimes he took that very same heart and broke it to pieces. He’s a work in progress, but he’s strong and resilient, and once figures his shit out, he’s completely irresistible.
Now, let’s talk about the girl crush I have on Rose. I identified so strongly with her. I was outraged by the way she was treated. I understood her steel enforced walls. I knew how terribly vulnerable she felt when she opened herself up to Tricky—and how devastated it had to have felt when things fell apart. Rose is my girl. I adored her. I loved her pluck, and her wit, and her well-hidden vulnerability.
Oh, my heart. These two are so wounded and scared and it hurt to read about it. I ached for them. I wanted to shake some sense into them. How are two people who fit so perfectly together so hell bent on getting in their own way? I loved their story. I loved their journey. I mean, sometimes I was completely frustrated by them, but they were worth it. When they stop getting in their own way, they’re so easy together. It’s sweet without even trying to be sweet. Sexy and adorable with sparks of fiery temper keeping things interesting.
But the best, the very best thing about this story for me was the Habits crew. The friendships. The updates on relationships and the continued interactions. Rose and Lily’s friendship (Flower Power!) was so authentic and refreshing—seriously, girl crush x 2. I loved it. I loved them! And I loved the crap out of this entire ride.
The road was bumpy and emotional, but the ending left me with happy tears and a happier heart. If you haven’t met the Bad Habits crew yet, just GO! Go read these books! They’re sweet and funny; emotional and sexy! They’re everything and it’s not a journey to be missed!
~ Review by Shelly
Staci Hart has been a lot of things up to this point in her life -- a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom; she has three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife; even though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey. Her favorite word starts with f and ends with k.
From roots in Houston, to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she's not writing, she's sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.
