I love this yacht world! 

Ollie and Nina were such fun characters in Love, List and Fancy Ships.

But we didn't know their whole intense story! And I can't even tell you any of it cause it was fun having the slow reveal from when they met to present day.

Loved being back with the Chief Stew and the Chef.

And we got to continue more of Jo and Alex romance as they planned their wedding.

Their enemies to lovers, secret love on the yacht was no secret to anyone but there were so many tender moments and Ollie was all in. It was Nina and her trust issues with trusting anyone with her future or happiness cause of what happened when she was in her teens.

This one had so many family conflicts that played into the relationship issues and having to self reflect when that is so hard and painful was the first step.

I loved the end when she finally visualized her happy ending that was the sweetest picture and it sounded perfect!
And the banter throughout this book was amazing!


Thank you berkleyromance and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Happy pub day to Luck & Last Results by the amazing @sarahgrunderruiz. I’m not usually a series person, but I adored Love, Lists & Fancy Ships and I was so excited to dive into Ollie and Nina’s love story.

Nina Lejeune is the chief stewardess on the super yacht where she met Irish chef Ollie Dunne years ago. In Luck & Last Results he’s back for one last season with an ultimatum. Either he and Nina make their relationship work for real or he’s moving back to Ireland. Commitment-phobe Nina isn’t interested in playing, but with years of history and one big secret between her and the irresistible chef, is she willing to risk losing the guy who may be the love of her life?

I’m pretty sure that if you loved the first book, you’ll love this one (and if you haven’t read the first book, can I very calmly ask you, why not?!?). The writing is beautiful and the journey the two go on is painful and sweet. It’s hard not to fall in love with Ollie, and sympathize with the untenable position he’s in. It goes without saying that I will pick up anything this author writes.

Nina was a tad tougher for me to love. Her commitment to not making a commitment is so, so painful to watch and I wanted to ring her neck throughout most of the book. But I also got why she was so scared. And I get that people don’t always (or often) (or even ever??) act the way you’d want them to in a relationship. So even though she drove me nuts, I think she’s a very realistic character.

I absolutely loved the way the trope of a “grand gesture” was handled. I don’t want to give anything away, but I can’t think of another book that addressed it quite this way and I wish more stories showed the problem inherent in some of these big moments (although don’t get me wrong, I love a grand gesture).

The audio for this one is fabulous. The narrator does such an amazing job with the emotional material and Ollie’s accent. If you are an audiobook listener, I’d recommend that format whole-heartedly.

Did I not read the first in this series and decide to be stubborn and read this one first? Yes. Any regrets? None!

Hot Takes
- Wow. This book is exactly why emotional romance is becoming my absolute favorite, whether it be marriage of convenience, second chance or friends to lovers. I was SWOONING hard.
- When there was an early reveal (I won't spoil) I audibly gasped. And I love books like that, where you're caught off guard by something and gets you hooked early on.
- Ollie is a top tier book boyfriend. Full stop.
- The back story ughhhhh give me more!!
- I absolutely loved the background of the ship and I loved even more that the guests of the ship were not the main focus, keeping it all about the main characters.
- Like I said, I didn't read the first and wasn't lost at all. However, I immediately put the first on hold at the library because I must read it!

Read If You Like
- Summer vacations, longggggggg periods of pining and hot chefs.

You’ll define at to have read Love, Lists and Fancy Ships before reading this one because there is a lot of back story that you won’t understand if you don’t. That being said, LL&FS was the better book of the two in my opinion.
Nina has been working as head steward on a fancy super yacht after an injury leaves her unable to fulfill her Olympic career. She meets Olliver on the yacht and they have a back and forth relationship and he is so patient with her as she is seriously messed up! They are now back working together again and in alternating timelines it shows us how they got to this point and all the things they’ve had to overcome in order to have a second chance at love. Ollie has an ultimatum when he comes back this time: Nina continues to deny to everyone that she loves him and he goes back to Ireland and they never see each other again. Nina is meant to be “fun loving “ but she comes across as self sabotaging moreso, which made it hard to connect or feel sorry for her and made it hard to understand why Ollie was so patient with her.
If you’re a fan of reality tv, you’ll probably love this one.
Thanks to Berkley Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I LOVED Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships so I was super excited to dive into this one. Luck and Last Resorts takes place about a later and gives us everything we could want to know about Nina and Ollie and I could not be happier about it!

First off, Ollie is so swoon-worthy. A grumpy Irish chef who's all soft and gooey at heart? Yes, please! And Nina is as enchanting and quirky as ever and I'm even more convinced that I want to be her best friend.

I enjoyed watching their relationship progress over the years with the (incredibly well done) flashbacks. Sarah Grunder Ruiz did a masterful job of giving us these little glimpses and hints of how truly in tune these two were to one another's needs, moods, etc. Their affection was so subtle and comfortable at times that my heart just melted over and over again.

Also, extra points for the the attention given to mental health, family relationships/boundaries, and those unicorn earrings!

Thank you Berkley Pub Berkley Romance for the gifted eARC!

This spin off to Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships was such a delight! I loved following along with Nina and Ollie’s story and seeing where things began (and went wrong) for them. I do think you could easily read this as a standalone, but I’d still highly recommend reading the authors debut novel as well.

Nina drove me a bit crazy throughout the book, but in a lovable way, not an annoying way. I really enjoyed her character development as she worked on addressing past traumas.

This book was a major slump stopper for me and I flew though it after having really struggled finding physical books to hold my attention. I loved it and would highly recommend it!

This book was so good! I absolutely loved the hero in this book, Ollie. I did get a little exasperated with the heroine when she clearly had some issues to get through and was torturing Oliver and the reader before she finally dealt with them!

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy second chance romances with an absolutely lovable hero.

I’ve heard the audiobook for this one is amazing, so consider giving it a try!

4.5 rounded up

Sarah Grunder Ruiz has become my latest contemporary romance author to follow. This was a SOLID followup to Love, Lists, & Fancy Ships and I'm so ready for her third book (about Ollie's brother!!) to come out! I absolutely love her writing and the cast of characters she's created.

If you read her first book, you will love this one too. We got bits and pieces about Ollie and Nina in LL&FS so to see them really fleshed out in this one was a joy. There's a reveal in Chapter 4 that had me SHOOK. So. Good.

To mix up the storytelling a bit I was glad that Ruiz used alternating chapters to flashback to the days when Ollie and Nina first met. Love that backstory and added history.

🛥 ‘BELOW DECK’ MEETS ‘PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION’ 🛥
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Happy Pub Day to Luck and Last Resorts, a fun and thoughtful friends to lovers romance set between two members of a yachting crew!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I found this book to be both funny and interesting, with true character development for the reluctant heroine. Check it out if you’re into:
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
💖 Friends to Lovers
💖 Second Chance Romance
💖 Forced Proximity
💖 Hero Falls First
💖 Marriage of Convenience
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The romantic tension between the hero and heroine was strong, but what made it particularly special was the heroine’s struggle to overcome past trauma. At times, it was frustrating that she couldn’t just “get over it”, but it felt more meaningful that she put in the work to get there.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If you like Below Deck (show) and/or Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation (book), I strongly recommend this new novel for you!!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Thanks to @netgalley @berkleyromance and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! This book is available now!!

This book was an absolute delight! A gem!

So, admittedly, this is one that hooked me by the cover--and then I read the synopsis and was thoroughly intrigued. And then... The book is just so cleverly done and lovely.

It is a part of a series and I'm sure would be better enjoyed reading it in order. However, I did not read the first one and I don't feel I missed a thing. The first book is about another couple that is featured in this one. But, again, it was a great standalone.

This book features Nina Lejeune, chief stewardess on a super yacht, and Ollie Dunne, an Irish cook, she meets on said yacht. This book vacillates between timelines: current and around a decade prior when Ollie and Nina first met.

I love that the story was told this way because the first time we see Nina and Ollie together we know there's some history there and we know that they have some type of feelings--but it's revealed casually, slowly, what they really mean to each other.

And, it's just so fabulous. Because in this story, Nina is the one who is slow to realize and admit her feelings for Ollie. Which, when you read this, you realize how obvious and ridiculous it all is. But poor Nina hasn't had the best example of a good relationship--nor has she had a lot of reason to place her trust in people.

By the end of the book I was just so wrapped up in Ollie and Nina--and at times frustrated by how emotionally stunted Nina was.

But I promise you, it's all worth it in the end! This book was such a treat!

Do you watch Below Deck? I admit it, I love all the drama.

Luck and Last Resorts is coming out today and is the sequel to Love, Lists and Fancy Ships. We pick up with Nina, the chief stew on a super yacht, and Ollie, the chef. These two are both overcoming rocky pasts and their shared secret and complicated relationship adds to their bumpy life. Welp, I loved this one, much more than the first book. There was more drama with the charter guests, more yacht speak (of which I am an expert because of my Below Deck viewing), more entertaining antics with the crew and such a sweet romance that gave me all the feels. Nina and Ollie were just so likable and I am here for the mashup of enemies to lovers and friends to lovers tropes. This is a perfect summer read.

This was a great beach read and had me looking to set sail! Nina is chief stewardess on a yacht and happy just having fun. Irishman and chef Ollie wants more from Nina.
.
I loved how this story told the entire span of their relationship with multiple timelines. I loved Ollie and quite frankly there were times where I just wanted to shake Nina but I guess the book would have been over in twenty pages then, and it was satisfying seeing Nina’s growth throughout.
.
I rooted for this couple and Ollie is one of my favorite characters! This book comes out today!

Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great second chance romance between Nina and Ollie. This is the second book in the series, and could be read as a standalone. We do get introduced to these characters in the first book, but this book delves so much into their characters, you feel like you didn’t know them at all!

There is a slight twist in this book, and I absolutely loved it, it changes the trope of this book, but I won’t give it away *wink*.

Oh Ollie. He loves Nina from the very beginning and it shows page after page, especially when Nina can’t see it for herself. Nina has so much growth in this book. At times I wanted to throttle her, truly. The author did an exceptional job of sharing Nina’s growth, and I easily started to root for the changes she was making.

It was a complete treat for us to see Jo and Nina on page again. Their friendship was hilarious and at times made no sense, but also all the sense in the world.

This book was a little angsty, and emotional. But absolutely worth the read. I’m definitely a purist and would recommend reading the first book prior to starting this one.

Nina Lejeune lives her life by two rules: 1) Always have fun and 2) Never depend on anyone else. As chief stewardess of THE SERENDIPITY, she works hard four months of the year so she can have independence the rest of the time. Single by choice, she doesn’t want her life to change.

Nina’s contentment is threatened when Ollie Dunne shows up on the first day of cruise season. Nina and Ollie had been co-workers and casually hooked-up until the previous year when Ollie left yachting to become the chef for a well-regarded restaurant.

Now, he’s back for Nina. He believes there is something serious between them, but if she can’t admit she loves him by the end of the season, he’s resolved to return to Ireland for good.

This is a clear violation of her rules. Relationships aren’t always fun, and they require depending on and trusting someone else. But can she stand to lose Ollie forever?

To be honest, I struggled with this book in the beginning. Nina’s idea of fun often seemed at best selfish and at worst cruel. It was hard, also, to understand Ollie’s attraction to her. However, as their backstories were revealed, their attitudes and behavior made more sense.

Before reading this book, I knew nothing about working on charter ships, so it was interesting to see how things operated below deck. Nina had to manage her second in command, Britt, as well as two new hires, and their personalities and conflicts provided a respite from the romance. Jo Walker also makes a few appearances in this book.

Most of all, I liked that the book showed a grand gesture is meaningless without real change and that relationships require attention and work to succeed.

Definitely pick this up tomorrow if you enjoy any of these tropes in your romances:

✅ Enemies-to-Lovers
✅ Forced Proximity
✅ Second Chance
✅ Realistic Challenges

Luck and Last Resorts is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone. I recommend reading Love, Lists & Fancy Ships first!

CW: physically abusive parent (past), parent with a gambling addiction, death of a parent

Okay y'all I LOVED this second chance (ish?) at romance. I've been waiting to learn more about Nina and Ollie since LLFS. I loved how this went from the two of them (maybe mostly Nina) being friends that were idiots to lovers. Nina is someone that I loved so much, in her messiness and chaos and her ability to love those around her. I hated what happened to her when she was younger and appreciated how she connected with Ollie and opened up to him.

Ollie was literally my favorite and I loved that he learned how to make pizza rolls for Nina. I loved how strong he was after what he went through as a kid in Ireland. He just felt like the perfect fit for Nina and I loved watching them figure it out (even if my heart broke a few times during the process).

The dual timelines made this book so much stronger and more powerful. It added to the complexity and connection that the two shared from the beginning. Sarah did an amazing job with the big reveal in chapter 4, I was shook. She made me feel so many emotions and I literally couldn't put this one down because I had to see these two knuckleheads figure it out. The journey to love is scary and hard and takes work, but it is so worth it to be yourself and be loved and Ollie and Nina helped me remember that.

Seriously read this book and book one and then read Jack's book when it comes out because I already know it's going to be amazing!!

I don't even know if I can fully put into words how much I freaking loved this book. The banter, the dual timelines, the absolute perfection of these two characters and their love story. Sarah just has the power to completely destroy my heart and then stitch it all back together with her beautiful words and I cannot get enough. This is going to end up being one of my top books of the years.

✨I’ll let you below deck 😏✨

If you’re a Below Deck fan I think you’ll have a very good time with this because that first 75% felt exactly like the show. I’m not normally one for flashbacks but I actually really liked them here! Again, single POV for the win. Ollie was pretty much on board from the start so it makes sense why the POV was just Nina.

On the topic of Ollie . . . KING. He kept calling her kitten and said “easy there killer” on more than one occasion. Historically, when pet names—especially killer—enter the chat, I lose my mind and all of my morals. And in that accent?? Excuse me, I need a moment.

This is super duper fade to black and that was also a let down because, like I said, Ollie was a sex pot with that accent OOF he was like we’re gonna TALK in the bedroom and my god why tease that??? I’m picturing and Irish Tom Hardy. He was also 5’9” which is pretty rare in a hero! A true Tom Hardy.

The first 75% was perfect and then they got off the big boat and Nina went off about wine glasses and I was like ???? It really disrupted the flow for me. But the breakup was necessary, as I did love how Ollie was just done after that and Nina really did have to put in the work to show him she took their relationship seriously.

Overall, this was a very solid book and a very unique take on the second chance trope. Fun and juicy details about their previous relationship were revealed and I had a very good time. The end dragged me down, but attached to the book as a whole it made sense.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶.5/5

Luck and Last Resorts is the second book in the Love, Lists & Fancy Ships series by Sarah Grunder Ruiz and is a captivating story that perfectly blends in enemies-friends to lovers and fake marriage troupes. Though the book can be read as a standalone, I think it would be most enjoyed if read in order since characters from the previous book appear heavily. This story is sometimes heartbreaking, frustrating, and gritty, but it’s also hopeful, romantic, and satisfying. These characters are so realistic and relatable that I couldn’t help being touched by their journey.

Back to the world of the Serendipity and the yacht crew! I am a big fan of this series. I really liked the glimpses into characters from the first book. You don't have to read Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships to follow this one, but it does help to have the background of these characters and their previous interactions. I liked this so much more than the first! There was much more yacht specific talk - which felt very Below Deck to me. I also enjoyed this couple more too. I loved learning more about their complicated past, what was holding them back in the present day. This story is told from Nina's perspective and would have loved one Ollie chapter thrown in as well. This was a great audio book read with Ollie's Irish accent!

Sarah Grunder Ruiz has officially cemented herself on my auto-read list with Luck and Last Resorts. I absolutely loved her debut and I think I can honestly say that I loved her follow up even more. Set in the world of luxury yacht staff, Nina and Ollie’s romance completely stole my heart. I can’t wait for the next book from this talented author!