When a group of church fundraisers are looking for a new idea to raise money for their ailing church someone suggests writing an "ABC of Erotica". As the members of the group, their partners and some other members of the church begin to reflect on what they would include in the book lots of memories are revived and some hostilities arise.

I must admit that previously I hadn't read anything by Lorna Landvik, even though I have a couple of her books on my TBR pile. Who can resist titles such as Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons or Chronicles Of A Radical Hag.

Books about small town America always appeal to me. They tell the story of community and friendship that I'm sure many of us dream of. This book offers just that kind of feeling. The more I read the more I was comparing this to books by Fannie Flagg, another writer who does strong women in small town America very well.

What the women end up with isn't a book of erotica, it's more a self-help book about relationships. As they think about past and present relationships lots of memories are stirred up and they begin to re-examine their current relationships, realising that over time we begin to take those relationships for granted. As feelings are awakened lots of relationships are rejuvenated, there are also some startling confessions. The women also have to deal with some prejudice from members of the church, realising that there are more people supporting them than against them.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This novel follows a group of “seasoned” women who are all in the same church circle. Their church is losing members and money so they are looking for a way to attract both. They decide to create a cookbook of sorts but the recipes are all suggestions/musings/personal stories about love and sensuality.

I usually love books told from multiple points of view but I found it very difficult to keep track of who was who and whose story was whose. Each character deserves a deeper dive into their own personal history of love. I never felt like I really knew the characters.

The story is cute and uplifting - an easy cozy read for fall/winter. It just didn’t totally work for me.

Last Circle of Love by Lorna Landvik - This was a very enjoyable read. I am impressed by the authors imagination . Ms Landvik always has new ideas to share with us in a smooth writing style. I enjoyed the give and take from all the characters both young and older. She covered a wide range of topics and life styles with knowledge and humor. I look forward to her next novel. Thank you all for the chance to early read such an enjoyable book.

Last Circle of Love by Lorna Landvik is a novel filled with such warmth, humour and a group of feisty women. What's not love?!
I really did enjoy the characters, the story-line and writing.
Mallory “Pastor Pete” Peterson was fun, engaging and just awesome to be around. Ivery much enjoyed her company here.
A warm, tender and quirky read, I simply loved it.
Full of wonderful solid characters... Landvik's creates very likeable people.

Now I must read her backlog!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Lake Union Publishing,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my blog, platforms, BookBub, B&N, Kobo and Waterstone closer to pub date.

This author always writes wonderful novels. This book is no different. I enjoyed all the church ladies, their husbands and the pastor. While I was reading I felt like I was part of their life. This book is heartwarming and good humored. The church ladies just want to raise money for the church and, at the same time, stick it to the big, well-endowed church across town. Forget the cookbook that many churches create as a fundraiser. These gals were going to write an A-Z book of erotica. Needless to say, this didn't go over well with everyone. I was privileged to receive an ARC from Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

I picked Last Circle of Love by Lorna Landvik based on the promises of a "funny, heartwarming story about a feisty group of women who shake, spice, and heat things up with a “recipe” book for romance".

I had not read any of Landvik's books previously, but had high hopes based on reviews of her previous writings including the acclaimed Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons.

The _parts_ of the story are funny and heart warming, but I found it really hard understanding and 'feeling' the storyline; the many good parts just didn't gel properly.

I really wanted to know more about the various member of the All Souls and especially the feisty ladies of the Naomi group, their partners and extended families; but I felt like the 'ABC of Erotica' came in the way and made it all piecemeal, rather than a full story.

Having finished the book, I am left with so many questions. Did all letters of the alphabet get covered? What were the actual stories? Was there a resolution on how to deal with the two stories both beginning with C? Furthermore, we we are sort of left hanging on quite a few characters, e.g. Evan and Zinnia, Velda and Eloise, and LeAnn and Godfrey. These are just a few examples of loose threads leaving me wondering, rather than believing (pun intended).

; have been a fan of Lorna Landvik's work for a very long time; sadly this book in no way lives up to her past novels. It was very hard to engage it and I found both the story line and characters lacking,.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Lake Union Publishing and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Cozy, comforting, heartwarming but too simple.

There were moments I was uncomfortable. As a Christian being brought up in an evangelical church some of the subject matter talked about during “ church get togethers” seemed far fetched. Aside from that I felt as we delved into each character we saw a part of their hidden life giving us a clear understanding of who they were and are now. Their struggles and successes shaped who they are today. As they dug deep inside themselves realized what was really important. Great story and great character development!

I was thrilled to see a new novel by Lorna Landvik, the first since 2019, as I have enjoyed all of her previous standalones. The through-line in this book involves All Souls Lutheran Church's new minister, Mallory Peterson ("Pastor Pete"), who discovers quickly that the church is having financial difficulties. They've lost parishioners to the local megachurch, Prince of Peace (snidely referred to as PRICE of Peace), whose members can't stop bragging about their state-of-the art facilities and activities. The Naomi Circle, a group of women aged 52 to 80, know that another dull cookbook won't raise the funds needed, so they come up with an idea for what some delight in calling an "ABCs of Erotica."

That's when the real heart of the story evolves, told in a series of first-person monologues by each of the women, as well as some of their relatives, the church janitor, and some new acquaintances. We discover that it isn't really sex that they want to write about (well, most of them), but what they've learned, and are still learning, about love--some of it romantic, some bittersweet, some heart-breaking, and most of it life-affirming. And there's enough humor to balance out the heartache. Of course, there are those in the church who, when the project is revealed, are outraged, and the very existence of the project is in jeopardy.

After a slightly slow start, I was enchanted by each of the stories, with many details that the narrators had never revealed to their loved ones. The author excels as a storyteller, and although I am in the same age range as the circle members, I believe readers of any age will benefit, and may even feel a call to action, from the stories they tell.

My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

This was a good book. It was about a church where members came together to wrote a book. I love the interaction between the characters and the storyline was good too. I would definitely recommend this book if you like a character driven storyline.
This book is recommend to me to read and review by netgalley and the publisher.

This book is cozy and familiar. The settings are Minnesota and small church life. I love Lorna Landvik books. This combination of mixing the term erotica with church life was entertaining and endearing. Thank you to netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It has been many years since I have read a novel by Lorna Landvik. This one is as remember her writing. The novel is sweet and fun with sadness and seriousness added in to make it balanced. When Pastor Mallory realizes her church needs to make money to stay afloat, the Naomi Circle of women come together with an idea that might save not only the church, but marriages and other relationships as well. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

Four women, members of the Naomi Circle of the All Souls Church in rural Minnesota, are brainstorming for fundraising ideas. With the help of their young female pastor and her friend, they propose an A to Z book of "erotica," which is more like looking at different perspectives on love and relationships. Of course, some of the more traditional members are deeply disturbed by this suggestion, but we gain insight into the characters and their friends through the anecdotes they share. Lorna Landvik is a master of characterization with humor: we learn about Bunny and her beloved husband now lost in an Alzheimer fog; Velma, a widow missing her first love; Charlene, who has secrets in her marriage she'd rather not divulge;and Edie, whose husband is dealing with a difficult diagnosis. If you are looking for a feel good read, Last Circle of Love might be just the ticket. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was a new author to me and I found the book a little hard to get into. The writing is good but a style I found I personally enjoyed and I found the whole book a bit chaotic and struggled to get into the characters.

This is still a really charming novel, just not quite one to my personal taste but I think would still recommend as one to try.

This is a quirky and surprisingly thoughtful story about a church circle who are desperately keen to fundraise for their church and under the new female minister find themselves considering a book of ‘erotica’ rather than the old reliable but not very profitable cookbook. This isn’t as risqué as it sounds, it’s as much about love as sex but it does make the women look at their love lives and rethink a few things. I found this a great character read and overall it offered very positive examples of both genders contribution to relationships whilst also highlighting where sometimes things are not always healthy. Although most characters are older there's actually a good representation of ages and a brilliant mix of voices. This is a warm read with humour, love and far more food for thought than a cookbook.