Lady Eve's Last Con

This is just CHARMING AS HELL!! I’m going to have to come back later with more thoughts, because right now, all I’ve got is !!!! 😍😍😍😍😍

OK, now that I've slept on this book, please allow me to tell you why this book is the bee's knees! Part of the plot of this is a heist of sorts, REVOLVING AROUND KOSHER DUCK IMPORTATION. Like. I just. My people living their best Jewish lives in the future, having ALL of the opinions on transporting meat across galaxies on Shabbat! Gosh that is the BEST subtle bit of world building. But also the relationship between Sol and Ruthie slayed me. I'm just such a sucker for "I don't know who I am without my persona, so I'm going to let my guard down around you to remind myself of the truth" in a romance, but I don't know if I've ever seen it done in conjunction with a con artist and one of the people being conned before. Gosh, that level of shared intimacy is SO GOOD FOR ME! Also the exploration of class and how it impacts how you can move in the world just made me SWOON. Y'all, I will be rereading this book for AGES, it is an absolute DELIGHT.

(This is a review of an advanced copy given to me freely in exchange for an honest review.)

What an absolute ride — I breezed through Lady Eve’s Last Con with a huge grin on my face, enjoying every minute spent with those fabulous characters who could have put Ocean’s 8 to shame in matter of style (and I say that with deepest fondness for the movie) and loathing the thought that I will eventually inevitably run out of this book. It’s full competence, swagger, leather jacket and elder sibling energy, and as much sapphic chivalrous nonsense as my heart can fit and some more. I loved the chemistry between Sol and Ruthi, sizzling from page one, Sol’s every over the top sweeping stupid sexy antics, the similarities between them as elder siblings, the humor running through every description of the glitzy scene Ruthi was in. I am sorely tempted to start rereading this, like, right now.

A million thanks to Netgalley and Solaris for letting me read an ARC. What a good book.

Ruth is on a mission: find the man who broke her sisters heart, make him fall in love with her, marry him, break his heart and walk away with half of his (considerable) fortune. She also has the talent to pull it off from a long life of running cons, barring any unexpected complications. Unexpectedly, the target’s sister is clever, suspicious, and wow she is absolutely gorgeous and interesting too……….. Add in some of Ruth’s old “business partners” showing up and things quickly get unexpectedly complicated.

Lady Eve’s Last Con was good novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was well rounded with a lot of plot to offer aside from the main romance. This one kept me turning the page and pressing forward to find out what happened next.

This novel was very “full”; the writing, plotlines and subplots, characters and side characters, and setting were all rich and detailed. It was sci-fi enough to provide some variety from what I normally read while not being too far out there at the same time. The writing and world building were great. The author painted a clear and detailed picture of the world the novel takes place in without degrading into sci-fi technobabble or overly complex levels of detail.

My only true gripe with this novel was the ending which I found very unsatisfying. The ending left far too much unresolved and up in the air. I realize that open-ended endings can be great when done properly, but in this case it simply felt unfinished or rushed. It was overall still a good novel, this was not enough to ruin the rest of the book, however I think it was still disappointing.

Thank you to NetGallery for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a fabulous, entertaining book! If it's possible to read a novel with sparkles in my eyes, I think I just have done it.

Meet our protagonist, Ruthi Jones, an extremely competent conwoman out for revenge, as she infiltrates a circle of glitterati like it's Ocean's Eight in space. The man she plans to charm -- and then pay through the nose for having scorned her younger sister -- under the guise of a provincial wide-eyed heiress bores her to tears. If you ever wanted to read a comedy about the tedium of romancing a mediocre straight man, look no further: I wheezed through Ruthi narrating her way through her time with Esteban, possibly to avoid falling asleep from just how underwhelming the man is. It doesn't help that he is completely eclipsed by his sister, the fabulous Sol Yuki-Mendez. The favourite Don Juan of all debutantes, the rescuer of damsels in distress, the swoosher of capes, and before you ask, this is not an exaggeration: her sense of style is firmly situated somewhere between Tuxedo Mask and GSNK's very own princely Kashima. She chews the scenery on her every appearance, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

For something that could be pure comedy and deliver on that alone, there is so much more depth in the book. I ate up with the spoon everything on what life is like for an elder sister (and they are both elder sisters, and it shows so much!), observations on race and wealth, the nuance with which all characters were rendered, the way the world was fleshed in just the right level of detail for it to feel real and inhabited without turning into dry infodumps. Oh, and corporate deals featuring mafia and kosher ducks :D :D :D Loved it, 10/5, no notes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Solaris for an advance copy of #LadyEvesLastCon.

"Lady Eve's Last Con" by Rebecca Fraimow is wonderfully unique, and without a doubt, one of the best books I have read in the genre in a long while. In this fantastical sci-fi/space opera/rom-com tale, we get to follow Ruth Johnson, a small-time con artist and one of those characters you don't want to leave behind when the book ends.

Meet Ruth Johnson, a con artist who speaks Yiddish with her younger sister Jules, and lives on her wits. When her sister falls in love with one of their targets, Esteban Mendez-Yuki, and gets dumped by him for lack of class, Ruth decides to take revenge. Disguised as the provincial debutante Evelyn Ojukw, she plans to make Esteban fall in love with her and take him for all he is worth in the process. However, she didn't bargain for falling for his cool sister Sol, a charming and sharp-witted gal who is proving to be far more interesting than her dull brother, Esteban. The plot thickens when the mafia enters the picture, further complicating an already convoluted con.

I loved everything about this book! Kosher ducks, playful and witty banter, great setting, wonderful world-building, aristocratic society in space, gay romance reminiscent of Jane Austen—what's not to like? I loved the Jewish angel, the Rachel and Lea reference, and the use of Yiddish to hide intentions. The concept of shipping Kosher ducks with consideration to Shabbat made me cackle.

The characters are well-rounded, and the author does a great job of establishing them as people you want to root for. Ruth is smart and feisty, and I just love the way she infiltrated her way into the snobbish society. The observations on class and old wealth were right on point, and playing the provincial debutante was a clever move. I enjoyed the interactions between the characters and the relationship between the sisters. The dialogue is quick-witted and clever, building a strong intimacy between characters. Sol was delightful and a good counter to Ruth. Jules was hardly in the picture, which is a pity. She seems more clear-headed than her sister.

The book was well-written, well-plotted, and kept me interested throughout. The pacing of the plot is perfect; it’s not too fast or too slow, and everything has just the right amount of detail. The author paints beautiful pictures of the settings and scenes. You can see every image as she describes it: the balls, the outings, the zero-G restaurant scene—which was hilarious—and the bike rides. I loved it all!

It's a brilliant book—an adventure, a rom-com, science fiction, and humor all rolled into one. The ending was a bit abrupt, and I would have liked a bit more closure. Hopefully, another book is on the cards. In sum, this is one of those books that are very difficult to put down once you've started. I don't have words adequate enough to express how much I enjoyed this book. If you love flawed characters, refreshing tales, and tongue-in-cheek dialogues, then this is totally for you. Lovers of the genre would be well advised to immerse themselves in this story. Full stars from me!

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

A witty, zany, screwball romantic comedy romp across space stations and asteroids that both pays a lovely homage to my favorite-ever rom-com film (The Lady Eve) and transforms that setup into a delicious new romance between two sharp, smart women who can't resist each other. Total fun!

I don't know what I liked best: the fantastic world building, the charming cast and the sizzling chemistry between romantic interests, or the clever plots--both the ones the con artist heroine enacts and the actual storyline of the book. Also an interesting look at how Judaism might look in an interstellar future, both the ways it might change and the traditions that'll continue on. Not to mention the fantastic sibling dynamics!! This book's going to stay with me for a long time.