Lady Eve's Last Con is a science fiction romance novel by Rebecca Fraimow. The novel is a F/F romance inspired by a very old rom-com movie, The Lady Eve, which I have not seen and hadn't heard of prior to reading this book. But when an author I trust, Stephanie Burgis, recommended this book as a "sparkly, witty SF screwball comedy romance", well I had to give it a try. And boy was I glad I did.

For Lady Eve's Last Con is an absolute delight. The story features Ruthi, a con artist who used to work with her sister to con and perform small time jobs to make money off rich jerks, as she tries to pull off a con on the rich guy Esteban who broke her sister's heart and left her pregnant and alone. Of course what she doesn't count on, as she attempts to get Esteban to fall in love with her, is Esteban's smooth-talking always-flirting sister Sol who take an immediate interest in Ruthi. The result is a rom-com that is incredibly charming, with an excellent main character and love interest, as both Ruthi and Sol find themselves caught up in the con and their own private interests...and of course their mutual attraction. It's not laugh out loud funny, but it's still always highly entertaining and it reads really well. It also doesn't hurt that the book is at times incredibly Jewish, which just makes it feel like it was written to target me particularly, although I would highly recommend this book for non-Jewish readers as well.

Plot Summary:
Ruthi Johnson is a small time card sharp and con artist. She, along with her sister Jules, have stuck largely to interstellar cruise lines, where she's been able to con rich rubes with more money than sense such that the two of them have been able to make an okay living. Their cons have never gone beyond small time gigs generally and Ruthi is okay with that - after all Jules is the only person she has in the world and getting in too deep could be dangerous.

But when Jules falls in love with the rich introverted Esteban Mendez-Yuki and then finds herself heartbroken, pregnant, and abandoned by Esteban when she reveals her true identity, Ruthi finds the Jules she knows is lost behind Jules' depression. And when Esteban's lawyers refuse to provide Jules with any support, Ruthi decides to take matters into her own hands: by engaging in a bigger con than she ever has before. Ruthi will disguise herself as the provincial rich girl Evelyn Ojukwu and get Esteban to fall in love with HER...and then she'll take Esteban for all he's worth, punishing Esteban for hurting her sister and providing the two of them with the financial support they deserve.

But Ruthi didn't count upon interference from Esteban's half-sister, the debonair Sol, a suave woman who is the real brains and heart in the family, and who cares and wants to take care of her own. And as Ruthi and Sol's affairs get more and more tangled, Ruthi will find herself needing to reconsider what's really important to her, and whether what she's doing will actually help her sister...or will only break Ruthi's own heart.....
Lady Eve's Last Con is told from the first person perspective of Ruthi, who is a lovely and very enjoyable protagonist. Ruthi is an orphan (her mother had roots in Brooklyn's Jewish community, but she's never met them) whose only real family is her sister Jules and for most of her life Ruthi and her sister have wandered around the stars and performed small time con jobs on rich socialites. And Ruthi is the older sister in the relationship and thinks of herself as the one taking care of her sister...so when her sister is heartbroken, pregnant, and no longer the joyous fun conning girl she knows, well Ruth is incredibly shaken and scared (and to be honest, she was a little shaken even before that about her sister possibly leaving her to be with Esteban). And well, despite being the so-called responsible person of the two sisters, Ruthi is more than a little bit impulsive and always has to have the last word. So when Ruthi is confronted by a sister who is depressed and not at all the person she knows, that impulsiveness leads her to leave her sister at a time her sister probably needs support the most and to try and get revenge on her sister's behalf....without telling her sister about it for fear of what her sister might say she wants.

It's a situation that leaves Ruthi adrift and feeling alone and constantly afraid she's made the wrong decision, and propels her to keep moving forward in trying to hook her con on Esteban. But then Sol interferes again and again and Ruthi can't stop paying attention to Sol despite her better judgment. Sol is rich and privileged through her mother and stepfather, but she's also caring towards her poor relatives and wants to be independent...even as she's the real brains for their family's insurance business (Esteban is too self absorbed in his science and her stepfather is dying). Sol and Ruthi's romance is not quick, and delightfully the book does not wind up with Ruthi concealing her identity from Sol for long, but instead has the two of them circling each other with their own schemes and interests - aided by the problems caused by a mobster who has their own interests in Sol and whose attention Ruthi would love to avoid. But the attraction between the two of them is really well done and soon enough Ruthi can't help herself but get involved in matters that threaten her own con but also threaten the mobster's interests....and thus Ruthi and Sol's own lives.

This is all written so incredibly well as Ruthi and Sol are such wonderful characters and Ruthi's first person internal dialogue is incredibly fun and entertaining. It's not a comedy in the sense of making you laugh out loud - it never really came close to that - but the book is really fun, always entertaining and resolves itself in a way that avoids some of the worst tropes that are sometimes overused in romance (it also avoids too many really cringe-y scenes, which I hate). It never feels too slow or too quick, and it just made me repeatedly smile, even as it also occasionally dealt with themes of privilege, family, and the things we do to avoid facing the possibility of being alone.

Also, and this may be important to just a small part of my audience, but this book is incredibly (Ashkenazi) Jewish and I loved that so much. Ruthi and her sister speak Yiddish together and use Yiddish in writing, Ruthi's inner narrative has her make some Jewish references (she describes a girl as having a "face like an etrog" at one point) and the world features references to Shabbat and Kosher product that might just a little bit go over a non Jewish person's head, although they should probably be fine figuring it out. But for me I loved it - it might not quite be a Jewish-normed universe (kosher product is referenced as being for a minority of the population as you'd expect) but it's close and it made this even more enjoyable as an Ashkenazi Jewish reader.

In short, I pretty much loved Lady Eve's Last Con and want to beg my readers, Jewish or not, to read it. This is an excellent F/F romance in a well done science fiction world and I hope its not the last such book from Fraimow.

Ruth is a hustler on a righteous mission of revenge via prenup against a terrible rich person. Then she meets his sister Sol. Then she bumps into a much more dangerous criminal on a not so righteous mission to harm that sister. And that sister's a flirt. And that sister knows Ruth isn't the woman she's masquerading as, even if she doesn't know anything else. Then it gets complicated.

This is a space opera, a con, and a bit of a rom-com in that old-style we're nemeses, no we're into each other way. It's clever and fun, the banter and emotional vulnerability between Ruth and Sol is at times raw and at others steamy. There's also some danger, multiple cunning plans, and a happy ending.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book!*

"Lady Eve's Last Con" was a very fun and entertaining read, especially the beginning was Pride & Prejudice revenge in space, where Elizabeth (Eve) wants to avenge how her sister has been treated by a rich dude and then ends up falling for his sister. Loved the queer twist too.

Sadly the world building and the story in parts did not make a lot of sense, tons of plotholes, the ending was rushed and over engineered, that kinda marred my enjoyment a bit.

I'll still give four stars because the vibe was impeccable and I just enjoyed being in this world!

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley.

I loved the world building in this book. I found this was done so well and the author managed to very quickly create a rich, visual and fascinating world. There so many lovely details like the fashions and how they’ll wear different styles for different gravity. The different planets and satellites and cultural differences. The author managed to evoke this really quickly and I was quite impressed by this.

This was quite an interesting book about a con artist who integrates herself into the wealthy society of New Monte pretending to be a debutante so that she can take revenge on the man who impregnated and abandoned her sister and broke her heart.

There was lots to like in this book and it was good at the start and end. During the middle though some of the dialogue became quite repetitive and I felt like I was reading the same long conversation between two characters multiple times and I wanted them to just move on and advance the story. That aside, there was some entertaining stuff in this book!

Gave up just past halfway through because I didn't care about the characters or the con. To engage with a book like this, I need to care about the con artist (either for or against) and care about the con (either for or against). But for the first third of the book, we don't know who she is, not even her name, and we know almost nothing about the con. We know she has a pregnant sister and is low on cash, that's it. But a con artist is always low on cash (unless they are a sociopath, like Donald Trump). We know a lot about the persona she's playing, but that is a) not her and b) fake, so we can't care about her. All we know about the con is that she's trying to get Esteban to fall in love, but there is no suggestion why or how that is a con instead of just marrying wealthy, e.g. [book:Pride and Prejudice|1885]. I still didn't care after the touching visit to below decks. Sorry.

I was sufficiently disengaged that I started spotting all the minor holes in the plot, like "Where are the escape pods?" and "Why don't these rich people have security that does background checks?" If I'm engaged, those sort of things are fine, but noticing them is a red flag that the book is no longer fun.

Other readers have experienced a "whirlwind adventure" or "stunning con". For me, this was plodding, oscillating between predictable and waiting for the author to reveal the next thing kept hidden from me.

I requested this ARC because I adored "This is New Gehesran Calling" from [book:Consolation Songs: Optimistic Speculative Fiction For A Time of Pandemic|54327781] and put her on my "read this author" list. I'll try other books from her, but I have no desire to finish this one.

THE SAPPHIC SPACE ROMCOM OF MY DREAMS!! This ended up being one of my top reads so far this year. Do you ever read a book and love it so much that you feel like you’re full of bubbles after it’s finished? The bubbles of delight I have right now could float me out to New Monte itself.

Conwoman Julie Jones fell in love with and then was tossed aside by the wealthy Esteban Mendez-Yuki. She’s now with child, and it’s up to her older sister Ruth to get revenge — by seducing Esteban in return and taking his money. But Esteban’s equally seductive sister, Sol, knows something’s fishy about Ruth, and she’s not going to just stand idly by and let Ruth sweep Esteban off his feet.

This was a laugh out loud funny adventure. I loved Sol, I loved the world-building, I loved the fashion and the drinks and the ridiculous socialites. And the atmosphere! 1930s gangster crime, an almost regency-esque high society, a futuristic art deco satellite city. I ate this up with a shovel. This book is like a shot of joy.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

It's exciting to get a science fiction story that leans heavily on the romance side of things. And although I did enjoy this book overall, there were some places where the pacing bogged down a bit and when the story didn't seem to be sure if it was a romance or a story of a con artist who just happens to also find herself in a romance.

Strengths:

Interactions between Ruthi and Sol.

Intricacies of Ruthi's con on top of a con--although all the pieces had to fit just right, it never felt like the plot was manipulated to make it happen; instead, I really liked seeing Ruthi keep finding ways to maneuver herself and the situation to end up with a possibility of "success."

And I really loved <spoiler>when Ruthi's sister enters the scene. I almost wish she had been there earlier on because their interaction was a lot of fun. I'd love to read more about the two of them working their cons together. With Sol would be even better.</spoiler>

Weaknesses:

Esteban was so dull. I mean, he's not meant to be exciting, but it made the parts with him feel dry.

The name Sol--both a character and a world (the Sol System, if I remember right). Why chose to use the same name for both? It wasn't really confusing (only one paragraph where they were both used and I had to pause and figure out the difference) but it seems strange when an author can control naming to do this. (I did read an ARC so perhaps this will be changed?)

Although the worldbuilding felt pretty solid and was easy to understand, I never truly figured out the purposes for the breathers. Did they need to be used all the time? (It seems not.) Did they wear them just in case something happened to the atmosphere? It seemed like a great prop use as the wearer could lift it to reveal their face or put it on to hide their face (a bit like a fan could be used in certain periods), but it bothered me that I couldn't figure out exactly how it should be used.

This isn't listed as a series, but the ending was open enough that there is definitely room for more. And I think I'd give it a shot because I can see possibilities of where it might go and I think it would give me the things I really wanted more of in this book.

This was super interesting. I loved the focus on the sisters, and the romance between the leads was filled with whipsmart banter, which I LOVED. Sapphic enemies to lovers is always a win in my books.

There were pacing issues for me, but I found it hard to tell if this an objective issue, or an "I am struggling with sci-fi terminology and words" personal problem, hence why I rounded it to a 4 rather than 3.5.

I found a lot of the worldbuilding very cool, and the visual descriptions were perfectly done, I could picture everything so well, and it combined a lot of really fun elements.

Lady Eve’s Last Con is a fun, lighthearted sapphic romance, between Ruth, a con artist and Sol, the sister of the guy Ruth is out to scam.

I really enjoyed the setting here! It never gets bogged down on hardcore sci-fi details but it still feels well established. It was also a pleasant surprise to see how the logistics of observing the Sabbath would work during space travel be something of a plot point.

I do think this was one of those genre blends were it ends up less than the sum of its parts, though. I wanted more cool heist stuff, but felt like we were spending a lot of time with the budding attraction. But anytime I was like, okay this is a romance, we would go back to the most boring part of the heist! (Pretending to find a very dull man utterly captivating)

This book was so fun! I love a good heist, and the effortless space 20s energy throughout the book was so fun. It's an Ocean’s 8 in space with flapper dresses and sapphics. What more can anyone ask for?

I am obsessed. I am utterly, and completely, enraptured, with this story. It has everything. Hidden Identities. High Tech Ballroom Scenes. Forbidden Romance. I can’t say any more that the pitch doesn’t already sell you on: a sapphic sci-fi romcom about a con artist falling for her target’s sister… need I say more?

I will.

Fraimrow’s novel is a delicious blend of revenge, tension and, most importantly, heart. Our dear Lady Eve (legally Ruth Johnson) is on a mission to scam a young heir for his money as revenge for breaking her sister’s heart and leaving her without a father for her soon-to-be-born child. Unfortunately, her sister’s ex’s sister seems to be onto her... and into her.

Fraimrow’s character work was just amazing. I was immediately invested in Ruth’s story, and the love she felt for her sister was literally pouring from the page. Their relationship was so funny and fun to read about, especially the “Best Sister in The World” thing, which was so sweet. I especially think it was cool to see the way that their relationship was contrasted by the rather quiet, yet still loving nature of the siblingship between Esteban – the target – and his sister, Sol. Their situation is rather complicated due to the implications behind the status of their family, but there is still a kinship there that can’t be destroyed.

Now, Sol and Eve absolutely killed me. Massacred me. Crushed me. Fraimrow knows how to write banter, and how to write it well. Every interaction between them had me literally screaming, because of the amount of chemistry between them. They played off each other so well, it was insane.

Even in the plot and worldbuilding department, this book did what it needed to do. I was at the edge of my seat trying to discover what was going on the entire time that Ruth was, and I have to admit that that buildup and climax was incredibly satisfying to read about. My greedy self would have liked a little more at the end to see how our characters took everything, but I say this about every 5-star read.

I almost couldn’t believe I was reading this book because of how perfect the premise was, and really look forward to exploring more of Fraimrow’s work. For now, I’ll be buying a copy ASAP and re-reading it over and over. Thank you for coming to my TEDTalk, and to NETGalley as well as Solaris for providing me with an eArc copy in exchange for my honest review.

After a young space mogul has left her sister high and dry, galactic con artist Ruth Johnson masquerades as a debutante in order to get her revenge. Although she dupes most people on New Monte, a playground planet for socialites, the aloof and flirty Sol Yuki-Mendez is hot on her trail.

Overall, I think this book had some clever and humorous plot ideas, and there were moments where the authors unique voice came through. I think it would be enjoyable for people who liked authors such as Becky Chambers—the setting in this book is pretty similar to her Wayfarers setting. The originality of some of the world building (oh my god, the kosher duck subplot) was really fresh.

However, there were some places where the book faltered a little bit. There were a few characters who didn’t feel very fleshed out, especially the Yuki Mendez siblings Sol and Esteban. It was hard for me to believe that Esteban was really so clueless and gullible to fall for Ruth’s ploy. There were also times when the futuristic roaring twenties vibe the book was going for felt a little forced.

I give it a solid 3.75 stars and I am curious to see how this writer develops.

This was a great time if you're looking for a charming sapphic, con artist spacy odyssey. (and to be clear, I am always looking for that).

The world took me a long time to adapt to, as did the actual writing. I couldn't get into the flow until about 50% of the way through. Sol and Evelyn flirting was by far the best part of the whole story and I enjoyed every second of it.

I think a lot of my problems with this story are a "it's just me" issue and I think more avid sci-fi lovers would find their footing easier than I did. The characters and plot had me reeling and I am looking forward to seeing what Rebecca Fraimow puts out next.

For the most part, I really enjoyed this! It was a fun blend of a cat-and-mouse-ish romance, examinations of class and wealth, and the bonds between siblings. There were a lot of sci-fi words and terminology thrown around that weren't always fully explained, but it was still pretty easy to get into the world and its characters. The author did a great job of making these sometimes strange space colonies feel vibrant; it was really easy to picture these places in my head.

I will say that I think the pacing was a little slow at times when it didn't need to be. And I wish that there were a few more moments between Ruth and Jules, even if it was just via flashback.

But other than that, this was definitely fun and the romance was pretty cute. Definitely recommend if you like sci-fi and sapphic romance.

This book is an absolute delight. From the characters, the world-building, the twists and turns of the plot - you can tell the author had a lot of fun writing this book. The result is a queer space opera romp filled with glitz, glamour and a big dose of scheming.

I adored Ruthi as a protagonist and narrator. She’s smart, witty and self-deprecating, and always two or three steps ahead in every game she’s playing. The chemistry between Ruthi and Sol was developed so perfectly - first as a cat and mouse game where Ruthi meets her match in Sol, before it develops into much higher stakes. I also adored the depiction of Sol as the rich, charming cad, always with a beautiful woman on her arm.

One of my favourite touches was the phrases developed for this new futuristic world: “in for a pace, in for a parsec” made me snort. Overall a unique and hugely fun read!

Loved it, I put this as a five star read for me and check out my official review from Goodreads below

I was convinced that this must have been a second in a series - even when I was a third of the way through - but it turns out that the author has just set up a truly impressive amount of backstory for this one to happen. I mean, I know most good stories have their backstory, but this one REALLY felt like I was being given the "in case you don't remember what happened in the last book" spiel.

Ruth is a con artist. Her latest con is playing Evelyn Ojukwu, shy and slightly naive debutant, with the aim of catching the eye - and hopefully a promise of marriage - from the incredibly wealthy Esteban. But she has no intention of marrying him: instead, it's all about the money... and here's where the backstory comes in: because Esteban done Ruth's sister wrong, and this is a revenge game. The fact that Esteban has an awfully attractive, Don Juan-esque, half-sister is a complicating factor that Ruth hadn't expected.

The book is set an unspecified long time in the future; humanity has spread to many different planets and systems (it took me until maybe halfway through to realise that this book was actually set on a satellite of Pluto). The details of how all of that side works are fuzzy and irrelevant. The distances involved, though, are a significant factor - there's no super-fast communication between planets, for instance, and the lag is a critical one for both personal and business reasons, which Fraimow uses well.

I am amused by the idea that partner-catching would still be as much of a big deal in this sort of society as it's portrayed to be in Regency England, and that the class issues are just as real. Because that's basically what this is - it's a Regency-like romance, with space travel and artificial gravity. It's fluffy (that's a positive term!) and light-hearted, with the nods to substance that show the author is quite well aware of what they're doing, thank you very much. If you need something enjoyable, with a bit of tension and drama but the comforting knowledge that things will turn out ok, even if it's not clear how, this book is what you need.

Thank you NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing for providing me with this ARC.

What a delight this was!
I was hooked from the first page and loved every second of it. When I wasn't reading it, all I thought about was picking it up again and finishing it.
Everything about this book was perfect for me. The characters were likeable and fleshed out. The flirting and the slow-burn romance was everything I wanted.
The world was super interesting. It wasn't super dense but it was fleshed out enough that it was easy for me to picture everything.
And of course, the plot was a lot of fun. The pacing was well done and kept my interest the whole time.
It's usually hard to pull off this blend of genres, but this perfectly balanced it all in my opinion.
I can't say that I read anything like it before, and I can't wait to yell about it to other people.

THIS BOOK IS SUCH A MASTERPIECE!
From the moment I opened it, I was whisked away on a whirlwind adventure filled with cunning cons, unexpected romance, and a healthy dose of humor. Lady Eve's Last Con is perfect in every way, with well-developed characters, unique, entertaining plot, wonderful world-building, rich and detailed settings, incredible writing style and much more!!

First off, let's talk about Ruth Johnson—what a character! A masterful con artist who navigates the world with wit and charm, she's the kind of protagonist you can't help but root for. And when she sets her sights on revenge after her sister's heartbreak, disguising herself as the elegant debutante Evelyn Ojukwu, you know you're in for a wild ride.

But what truly sets this book apart is its rich tapestry of genres seamlessly woven together. It's part adventure, part rom-com, with a sprinkle of science fiction and a dash of humor thrown in for good measure. You'll find yourself laughing one moment, on the edge of your seat the next, as the plot twists and turns with each passing chapter.

And let's not forget about the incredible world-building and detailed settings that bring this story to life. From the bustling streets of the city to the opulent halls of high society, every scene is painted with such vivid detail that you'll feel like you're right there alongside the characters, experiencing every twist and turn firsthand.

Now, I will admit, the ending did leave me wanting more—I would have loved a bit more closure to tie up loose ends. But hey, maybe that just means there's another thrilling installment in the works!

"Lady Eve's Last Con" is a must-read for anyone who loves flawed yet endearing characters, refreshing storytelling, and witty dialogue that will leave you grinning from ear to ear. Trust me, once you start this book, you won't be able to put it down. It’s a five-star adventure from start to finish!

4.5 stars

I enjoyed every second of this book! The world-building is incredible. The story was super adventurous, charming and funny.

Thank you NetGalley and Rebellion publishing for the ARC. I can't wait to read more Rebecca Fairnow books!