This review was originally posted on Melissa's Midnight Musings on December 4, 2012.

About 6 months ago, I read and reviewed Last Chance Beauty Queen by Hope Ramsay.

Last Chance Christmas picks up in a similar place. Only this time, the focus is on Stone Rhodes. He is the sheriff in Last Chance. He's also a widow, with two young daughters, one of whom sees angels. This story follows his unexpected journey to loving again, it promotes acceptance on many levels.


The really great thing about these books is that although they are all part of a series, they work extremely well as stand alone books so you can just jump right in and not feel like you're missing something. It's easy to get to know the characters, and they're so well developed that you immediately feel like you know them. It's very easy to put yourself right into Last Chance, because you can see all the events so clearly through the characters' eyes.

I have to say that I love the names that this author has given to the main family that the books focus on. In Last Chance Beauty Queen, the book focused on "Rocky" Rhodes, the matriarch of the family is Ruby Rhodes, and then in this book we have Stonewall "Stone" Rhodes. The little play on words is nice. Also Stones' love interest is named Lark. I love when authors change things up with names that are a little more unique.

This just goes to show how much the characters have grown on me in this book, as when I read Last Chance Beauty Queen, I thought the names were too much of a pun to be realistic. After reading Last Chance Christmas, the names have grown on me, and pun like or not, they really do fit the characters.

There are two current romances in this book, the one between Stone and Lark, and the one between Stones' daughter Lizzy and David. Lizzy and Davids' romance is sweet and easy, as they are young. Stone and Larks' romance is a bit more complicated as they both have a lot of personal baggage that they have to work through to finally figure out that they want to be together. Lark is a war correspondent who has seen horrible things in all the trips she's made and she's dealing with the after effects of the events of her last assignment. Stone is a Marine who's also had some bad experiences, who also has lost his wife and is reluctant to love again. The romance between them is tentative at times, but it's also electric and easy to see that they both want to be with each other.

I'd recommend this to anyone who's looking for a quick, easy, comfort read.
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Last Chance Christmas by Hope Ramsay is a cute Christmas story that makes you believe in angels. This is the fourth book in the Last Chance series, but you can read this book as a standalone and understand and fully love this book. The town of Last Chance that Ramsay creates makes you feel like a part of the town and wish you lived there.

Lark Chaikin is a photojournalist who has returned from an assignment, which shattered her life when her friend and mentor was killed by an insurgent rocket while Lark took pictures of the whole thing. She has been scared of taking pictures after this and she is supposed to be leaving for another assignment in Africa in a few days. Her father, Abe, has recently passed away and he wanted his ashes spread on the eighteenth hole of a mini golf course, Golfing for God, in Last Chance. Lark has never been to Last Chance and she doesn’t know the reason that he wants to be laid to rest there. When she gets to town she meets the Chief of Police, Stone Rhodes, she learns that it might be a little harder than she thought to spread her father’s ashes. She learns that half the town has for many years thought her father had killed Stone’s grandfather, while the other half thinks he is a hero. The town was a little behind the times, when Abe took the first black woman to the town’s diner. This stirred up a lot of trouble, Abe left and Stone’s grandfather was found dead. Will the town allow Lark to lay her father to rest? Will she heal from her horrible experiences overseas? Will Stone be able to let go of his wife that has died several years ago?

I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend it to anyone that likes romance and likes Christmas and believes in angels. ( )

Very good book. Lark has come to Last Chance to scatter her father's ashes at the Golfing for God putt-putt course. She doesn't understand why, but it was his last request so that's what she'll do. When she arrives she discovers that there are some roadblocks to carrying out her plans. Her father was not the most popular guy to have visited the town and there are secrets that are about to be stirred up. She needs to get permission from multiple people to fulfill her father's wishes. And the local police chief isn't any too happy about the trouble she's stirring up. Stone is a widower who is having trouble moving on. His wife was his soulmate and he feels lost without her. He's raising his two daughters, teenage Lizzy and seven year old Haley. Haley has been talking about the "sorrowful angel" she has been seeing since the death of her mother. Having Lark show up in town is creating problems for him. Some people want him to run her out of town and others are glad she's there. Being around her is waking up feelings that make him feel guilty but also seem to be filling a hole in his life. Working together they uncover the secrets that have created problems for their families and bring them to the light of day. There's also a modern murder that ends up being tied to some of the same people.

Lark plans to spread her father's ashes and get back to her work as a war correspondent/photojournalist. Part of her troubles is that she is suffering from some PTSD because of her last job. A friend died as she was taking pictures and she hasn't been able to use her camera since then. Taking care of her father has given her a break, but she still hasn't recovered. Meeting Stone puts a crimp in her plans as he explains the problems. Her father is blamed for the death of his grandfather and there are a lot of people who don't want to help her. At first Stone is among them. Lark finds some that are willing to talk to her and help her take care of her father's ashes. She also finds herself increasingly attracted to Stone, even though there's no future in it. I loved the way that just being around Stone started to lessen her trauma. She also found that she could talk to him about anything, including those bad memories. He understood and didn't try to judge or advise, he just listened. I also loved her reaction to life in the small town, something she had never experienced before. It really didn't take long before she started to fit in to the whole community. I especially loved seeing her with Stone's daughters. She knew just what to say to Haley about Santa and her angel, and she was just as great with Lizzy. I loved the way her independence and experience saved Lizzy and David at the end. Her fears nearly kept her from going after what she wanted, until she admitted to herself that she wanted the love she had seen all around Last Chance.

Stone has been getting by for the last six years since the death of his wife. He has his family around to help and support him but he misses his wife. He is frustrated by his youngest daughter's constant talk of her angel. When Lark arrives in Last Chance he senses that she is bringing a whole bunch of trouble with her. He's heard about how her father was responsible for his grandfather's death for years. He knows his father will never agree to her spreading those ashes at the golf course, though it isn't entirely up to him. He tells her about how she will have to get permission from others too. He really hopes she'll just give up and leave. It doesn't take long before her presence starts making waves and people are telling him to run her out of town. He soon realizes that that's the last thing he wants. I loved seeing him get to know Lark and see the woman behind the tough facade. I also loved the way his feelings for her were growing but he was so unsure about what to do about it. He's the strong, silent type but also somewhat vulnerable. It was sweet seeing the way he kind of bumbled his way around asking her out and taking her places. I also loved the way he tried to protect them both from the gossips of the town, but ended up right in the middle of it anyway. I really enjoyed seeing him finally let go of his past and how Haley and her "angel" were part of it. I must admit that I had my suspicions about that angel from the beginning and was very happy to see that I was right. I enjoyed his conversation with the "matchmaker" who gives advice and how it also opened his eyes to the possibilities for his future.

Besides the terrific romance elements of the book, I really enjoyed the whole small town setting. All the characters are realistic and not cutesy at all. Lark's arrival brought out some of the less savory history of being a small Southern town in the sixties. Part of the mystery involving Lark's father was rooted in his actions with an African-American woman and the segregation that was still being practiced. There was a very interesting twist to that story at the end. Stone also had to deal with a murder that happened just outside town, getting the county sheriff involved. By the end of the book that mystery is solved in a surprising way. There was a sweet teen romance involving Lizzy and a classmate, a Jewish boy that is dealing with some bullying by a teenaged bigot. I really loved Lizzy's attitude, though she was certainly good at pushing her dad's buttons. Lizzy and David found themselves in the middle of some serious danger and it was David who came through for Lizzy. There was a lot of excitement at the golf course that day and a couple very interesting plot twists. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book. ( )

Reviewed by: Crystal B
Book provided by: Publisher
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

I had really been wanting to read a book from Hope Ramsay’s Last Chance series, the titles and covers just looked appealing to me. So when given the opportunity to read and review Last Chance Christmas I jumped at the chance. It lived up to my expectations. I love small town romance series and this one fits the bill in my book.

Last Chance is one of those little towns where everyone knows everyone and everything that is going on. I so enjoy my “trips” to these little towns and enjoy meeting new people when I find another great small town to visit.

In this story I got to meet Lark Chaikin whom is on a mission to full fill her Dad’s last request of placing his ashes at Golfing for God’s 18th hole. However when her father left Last Chance years ago he did not leave on the best of terms so this is makes for an interesting situation. Lark is a strong woman that is dealing with some major trauma from her past. I really enjoyed meeting Lark, she seems like such a wonderful, interesting character that would have plenty of stories to read if we were to sit down and visit.

Stone Rhodes lost his wife and is raising two young daughters. He has a lot of things from his past that he has to deal with before he can move on and find love again. I really liked Stone’s character in this book he seems like a really down home boy that puts his family first. I loved that fact that when Stone’s wife passed away his parents stepped in to help him raise his two daughters. I love that his family is standing with him and lending him support. This is another one of those things that I love about small towns that everyone is always willing to help when someone is in need.

There is also a couple mysteries that has happened in town, one that took place years and one that take place in present day. This adds a lot of drama and suspense too the plot that really kept me intrigued. There are many twist and turns that I did not suspect but really enjoyed.

I would highly recommend this book to all my fellow small town romance fans out there. I think you will enjoy it, I know I sure did. I am most certainly going to be on the look out for more great stories by Hope Ramsay. ( )

Lark Chaikin has come to Last Chance, South Carolina to fulfill her father’s last wish—to have his ashes spread across the 18th hole of the Golfing for God putt-putt course. She soon finds out this won’t be an easy task—the course is owned by Elbert Rhodes, who blames her father for the death of his father some 40 years ago. She finds herself attracted to the chief of police, who just happens to be Elbert’s son, Stone Rhodes.

This book begins as a simple romance, but you are quickly drawn into a much deeper story. Lark is a photojournalist whose last assignment in Libya had her witness the death of a friend and mentor, and has left her with a case of PTSD. Stone—a former soldier and widower, cannot seem to let go of his grief and live again. Stone’s two young daughters play an important role in the story as well. Fifteen year old Lizzy begins a friendship with a young Jewish boy new to town, and young Haley is visited by a “Sorrowful Angel”. Haley is convinced that she must help the angel get to heaven—a tough task for the young girl.

As we slowly learn about the events of the past, the discovery of a dead body brings the past into the present. This novel seems to have it all—romance, mystery and inspiration. The characters are well drawn and engaging.

This book is part of a series set in Last Chance—and as such there are parts of this story I didn’t fully understand, as this is the first of the series I have read. But that did not diminish my enjoyment of the story, and I look forward to reading more of the series.

I received an egalley of this book from the publisher.
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