Last Chance Motel

Last Chance Romance #1

by Abigail Keam

A happily-ever-after sweet romance where love and trust are able to grow in the heart of a woman who has lost everything!Eva Hanover - a brilliant career, a gorgeous brownstone in Brooklyn, and a sexy husband. Or, at least, she thinks so. In a wink of an eye, Eva's husband leaves her. She loses the brownstone and her career. With only the clothes on her back, she flees cold New York for the sunnier climate of Key Largo. As Eva puts it, her marriage went south and so does she. Stuck in Key Largo, it is sink or swim for the devastated Eva. Starting over is hard for anyone, but Eva wonders if she can. Determined to make a new life, Eva buys a rundown mid-century motel and renovates it. She hires Mike Bishop for her general contractor, but from the very beginning they cross swords of how to remodel the Last Chance Motel. It irritates Eva that many of Mike's ideas are betters than hers. It couldn't be that Mike bothers her because he is handsome, sexy, and rugged, could it? Eva needs is a handsome and sexy man around her like she needs another hole in her head. Yet, she finds herself drawn to Mike and is grateful for his help.In the midst of the motel's renovation and her growing feelings for Mike, her ex-husband shows up and begs for her forgiveness, saying the divorce was a mistake. He wants her back. What is Eva to do? Does she throw in the towel on the motel and go back to her ex, or does she stick with the renovation and Mike? One thing Eva does know, as the Last Chance Motel comes back to life, so does she. Step by step, Eva is determined to find purpose and happiness in life again. The question is how and with which man?Last Chance Motel IGasping For Air IIThe Siren's Call IIIHard Landing IVThe Mermaid's Tale V

Genres: Romance, Mystery, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Fiction, Amazon

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 10, 2014

About the author

Hello Gentle Reader,

I am Abigail Keam, the award-winning author of the Josiah Reynolds Mystery Series and the 1930s Mona Moon Mystery Series.

I am a professional beekeeper and have won 16 awards for my honey. I live in a metal house overlooking the Kentucky River. I have the great fortune to live near some of the most beautiful horse farms in the Bluegrass.

In addition to the Josiah Reynolds Mysteries, I also write the Princess Maura Tales (Epic Fantasy) and the Last Chance Motel Series (Sweet Romance).

I love animals, Kentucky bourbon, and chocolate. Now if they could combine bourbon and chocolate together, I would be in heaven.

I come from a family of storytellers, so it was only natural I would put my stories to paper. I do so hope my tales give you some pleasure and enjoyment. I would certainly love to hear from you. Signing off now to get back to writing. Yours truly,
Miss Abigail

AWARDS
2010 Gold Medal Award from Readers’ Favorite for Death By A HoneyBee: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery

2011 Gold Medal Award from Readers' Favorite for Death By Drowning: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery

2011 USA BOOK NEWS-Best Books List of 2011 as a Finalist for Death By Drowning: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery

2011 USA BOOK NEWS-Best Books List of 2011 as a Finalist for Death By A HoneyBee: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery

2017 Finalist from Readers’ Favorite for Death By Design: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery

2019 Honorable Mention from Readers’ Favorite for Death By Stalking: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery

2019 Murder Under A Blue Moon: A 1930s Mona Moon Mystery voted top ten mystery reads by Kings River Life Magazine

2020 Finalist from Readers' Favorite for Murder Under A Blue Moon: A 1930s Mona Moon Mystery

2020 Imadjinn Award for Best Mystery for Death By Stalking

2022 Finalist in Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Finalist for Best Historical Category - Murder Under A Full Moon

2022 Finalist the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award for Best Historical Category - Murder Under A New Moon

2022 Death By Chance: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Finalist for Best Cozy Mystery

Reviews

[Allison Hartman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did I seriously pay for this book? I apologize to the author as I could never write a novel but I felt like this was written by a 15 year old! The characters or the story were never developed in my opinion. It went at too fast a pace without ever knowing how the characters felt. The point of view of the characters were changed from one paragraph to the next making it confusing. This story had potential but failed for me. Big fail:(

[lesley boughton · Rating 1 out of 5]

That's two hours of my life i won't get back.

Derivative cliche riddled and incredulous. There is no character who is believable or a heroine so naiive. Not sure why I bothered to finish it.

[Sheila · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mt mother said that if I couldn't say something nice I shouldn't say anything. I got this book free and that is what it's worth.

[Laura Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a fun read. I was sucked right in. Might be partially because its set in the south and I’m a southern gal. Plus, I love staying in the quaint family owned motels along the coast.

The divorce was tough on Eva and I admired her pluck. She heads to Key Largo and a brand new beginning, buying a worn down little motel and fixing it up.

The author kept the romance real. With Eva just divorced it wasn’t an instant love thing with her contractor, Mike. In fact, the fun thing about it was Eva didn’t like him at first. Those kind of romances are always a delight to read about. The clashes. The first sparks. It makes finding out if they get together or not that much more fun. Especially after Eva’s ex shows up with divorce remorse.

As the motel took shape, it was fun to learn of Eva’s ideas for it and how she puts her own signature on things.

A sweet, fun beginning to the romance series. If you like them light and humorous, this is one for you. Perfect for reading by the pool or a cold winter’s day when you wish for summer to come.

There are four more books in the series and each can be read as a stand alone. Different characters wind up at the Last Chance Motel and we get their stories. I’ll be grabbing them too.

[Elizabeth Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

hooked immediately!! such a great listen. love this author's style ... really feel the narrator needs much credit to this read ... that voice is fun and entertaining!! must read or listen if you prefer!! i love a great series!! beach setting. great characters! ( :

[Sabine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romance is not what I normally prefer to read but this one I liked a lot. After her divorce Eva buys an old, run down motel in Florida and remodels it with the help of her contractor Mike. Will it be a success or is she going to lose all her money? And there might be a future for her and Mike together....

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed a light read after consuming so many serious and rather depressing books lately, and "Last Chance Motel" was just the thing to lighten the mental load for a while! Eva's marriage ended suddenly after the discovery that her husband had found a younger woman, and that the woman was pregnant. The divorce was acrimonious, but she did get her fair share of the valuable restored Brooklyn brownstone that they had both worked so hard on for years. Impulsively, while on a short vacation to the Florida Keys, Eva decides to buy a decrepit, vacant motel that had been owned by the same family for many years. The motel needs so much work that she soon fears she wouldn't be able to afford the rebuilding work required. Along comes a handsome, single contractor, Mike, who has great skills and ideas, and wants to help her realize her dream of restoring all of the period charm of the Last Chance Motel. But Mike has his own baggage; recently widowed with a young daughter to support, he is broke, lives with his mother, and also deals with the side effects of diabetes.

Just as Eva starts to think that she could let her working relationship with Mike start to develop into something more intimate, her husband comes back into the picture, humbled and apologetic, and wishing to start over. Though it's difficult to forgive him, Eva can't turn her back on the many years they had together.

Usually romance stories have a rather predictable story line and ending, but this one had enough drama and twists and turns to keep me interested right up until the end. It definitely fit the bill as a pleasant summer read.

[Valerie Irwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Last Chance For A New Beginning....

I am a fan of Abigail Keam and thoroughly enjoy her Josiah Reynolds mystery series. Her last book included a novella involving her daughter, Asa, who is involved in espionage and needed to lay low after being injured on her last assignment. She needed somewhere off the beaten track and ended up at the LAST CHANCE HOTEL! I loved that book and, knowing I enjoy Abigail's writing style, I thought I would give book one of this series a try. I'm so very glad I did.

The short chapters and fast pace of this story keeps you turning pages. Just one more chapter...just 5 more minutes...then, before you know it, you're writing a review and ordering book 2 from Amazon!!!!!

This story is one of love, rejection and finding ones self again. It's about second chances, forgiveness and trust. It's exciting on so many levels including the hurricane that you don't see coming and the lengths people will go to for those they care about.

Do yourself a favor...grab this book and give it a read. Once you finish the series, as I'm sure you will, check out Ms. Keam's other series! Enjoy!!!!!

[Kate Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first books in a series. I felt like reading a few good book and these seemed perfect. The book got straight into it which was good as the book wasn't about the beginning it was about the moment Eve made her new start. It was your typical romance book - I won't give a full run down as it will spoil the book. It was a book you could leave and come back to. I genuinely ready quite quickly but for someone who doesn't read all the time you can come back to it and pick up where you left off. I got the feeling that Eve is a strong woman and doesn't need a man in her life. Halfway through when someone turns up at the motel I was actually worried what would happen. This shows I was invested in the characters and their lives. It could of been a bit longer but it covered everything it needed to to complete the story.

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A woman scorned. Divorce. Impulsive decisions. Romance. Friendship. Danger. This book has everything you could want in an entertaining story. The main character, Eva, impulsively leaves New York (in her pajamas!) and relocates to Key Largo. There she discovers a midcentury 10 unit motel in disrepair. Being an architect, she can see the renovations and exactly what must be done to transform it to it's original beachside "old Florida" treasure, only better.
First of all, I love "old Florida" in all it's forms. 40 some years ago I was lucky enough to stay at such a place. The author did a wonderful job of painting vivid descriptions to make it easy to "see" what Eva did. The characters interacted well, and and little Jenny tugged at my heartstrings. I loved everything about this book from Eva's self evaluation to the scary Hurricane. So real! I will have to continue the series.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet Key Largo romance that stemmed from a rotten ex-husband in New York City. Eva's marriage abruptly ended when her husband left her for a younger woman. After wallowing in self pity for a while Eva took her money and went to Florida, ending up in Key Largo. She healed and decided to purchase a run down motor court with bungalows. Her foreman, Mike, got on her nerves, but they worked magic together to refresh and rebuild The Last Chance Motel. The annoying ex showed up and Eva put him to work, thus saving some time and money on the project. A hurricane literally pushes Mike and Eva together.

[Meea Parkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. I didn't have to think too hard, and I enjoyed following the progress of the project in the story, the tension building up between the main characters and the feature flamingo. ;)
I didn't like that the ex-husband character was able to waltz into the story again on a breeze and that Eva let him. I don't buy it that a strong, smart woman would let a man like that back into her life, no matter how much history they shared. I would have liked to see the author find a better way of creating tension between Eva and Mike.
I was happy to see it turn out the way it did, though.

[Carole Mckee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging Story

When a city girl goes south, anything can happen. Anything from disaster and doom to finding love. Eva leaves for Florida after her divorce is final. She has no idea where she is going or what she will do when,she gets there. She leaves New York in her pajamas! When she finds the old rundown uninhabited motel she has no idea yet that this is her destiny. When but with a hurricane, things become clear to get about where she belongs. I really enjoyed the story.

[Dystopian Mayhem · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has it all, good plot without any cliches good character development and some humor is thrown in for good measure. It would have been a five stars review but a single scene where a passionate kiss turned into a sexual act ruined it for me, the kiss was enough and it would’ve been better if they stopped there. It really was out of place and I was disappointed because the book is labeled as “clean & wholesome”. Other than that, it was a very enjoyable read.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Page Turner

This book starts in a way that makes it look like the main story is going to be choosing between two men. As the story continues, a sudden tropical storm keeps escalating and every mistake could be deadly.
I stayed up half the night because I had to find out how it would turn out.

[Karen Cino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last Chance Motel was a fast paced story. Eve, coming off a bad divorce starts over again at a dilapidated motel that she turns into a beautiful resort. There was a lot of point of view changes throughout the book, which made it a little confusing at first. I look forward to reading more of the series to see how the characters develop and what else happens at the Motel.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story had potential, but had too many holes in the plot, too many things happened with no explanation, too many things were unbelievable. I felt like I was reading a rough draft at times. The story jumped thru some parts of the plot & dragged in other places. I didn’t hate the main characters, but I didn’t feel very interested in them either.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a romance that's not very romantic. The alleged hero waffles over whether to make his move or not, and the heroine can't decide whether to finally kick her dirtbag ex to the curb even though she already divorced him. They deserved each other. I was thoroughly exasperated with both of them by the last page.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another of those free kindle daily deals that has been on my kindle for years! It is what I endearingly call a trashy book - quick and easy to read with a plot that is predictable and simple to follow. It doesn't take too much concentration and has really short chapters so you fly through it quickly. It filled a couple of hours for me.

[deeann linford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hurricane of a Romance

Liked the different twist on the story and the romance. It is good to see more to life than money and smooth sailing. The animals definitely added to the story.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun Read

This was a good, fast read. I enjoyed the detail the author used as it helped me see everything so clearly - from the motel, to flamingo sign, to the strength of the hurricane. I will read more from this author.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a great beach read. Interesting story, especially given current hurricane events and my own remodeling struggles. And although the book didn't capture me completely, I did find it to be good escape fiction.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

I liked this story. I thought it would be a heavy read because of how it started with a break up, but surprisingly it was still a happy story. I will read more from this author.

[Jill James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whew what a start!

Hooray for second chances, especially if they involve an island. This moved along pretty fast. Glad to see there's no triangle game, about as boring as a car chase . I love flamingos, let's see Where that neon takes us next.

[K.T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice easy read but not great continuity. Some major bloopers in there and some real cheesy moments. But I read it over a couple of hours on my treadmill and overall enjoyed the storyline. I've never been to Key Largo but it made me want to, just not in hurricane season.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great second chance story. Eva thought she had everything. A great husband, job, and a chance to fix up an amazing house. Then things went downhill and her husband asks for a divorce. Eva moves on and gets a second chance for romance

[Sandra Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story about second chances

I enjoyed this story. There is just a page of almost sex, really so unnecessary in my opinion. The story was good. Enjoyed getting to know the characters.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eva was a wonderful, likable person that had to endure an unforgivable betrayal. Her comeback made a very entertaining read while the added drama of a life-threatening weather event served to weed out her undesirable suitor and prepared the way for Eva and her new family. Good Read!!!!

[Quynn Hockema · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was nice reading a book about someone older (in their 40s). The story started out slower and the pacing felt a little off, but I still really enjoyed the story. I wish we could've seen more relationship development between Mike and Eva.

[Lisa Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, it grabbed my attention right away. It made me feel as though the characters were my friends and I was standing by rooting for them to get together. A must read :)