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Cozy Cottage Café #1-4
Cozy Cottage Café Series: Volume 1
A group of friends agree to a pact to marry the next guy they each date. What could possibly go wrong?
ONE LAST FIRST DATE
Cassie is sick of dating. It's been ten years and it's time to find The One. It's either that or buy a fetching habit and veil and abandon the whole thing. But Cassie believes in love, and she's not ready to give up yet.
The pressure is on to find Mr. Right. Cassie's the first to find him: Parker Hamilton. He's good-looking, smart, cultured--and a doctor. Despite his obvious credentials, Cassie's not taking any chances. She's vetted Parker so thoroughly she could offer some pointers to the CIA. Needless to say, he passes with flying colors.
Things get complicated when Will Jordan, her irritating work colleague, muscles in on her dream job and her love life. Will is a typical guy, complete with nicknames for everyone, even Cassie. His good looks and relaxed, easy nature can be distracting. But Cassie can do without that kind of distraction right now, no matter how good Will looks with his shirt off.
In the end, is there only One Last First Date?
TWO LAST FIRST DATES
To Paige Miller Two Last First Dates sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
Paige is having a rough time. She's unhappy in her career, and her One Last First Date ended in total disaster. Now, she has to figure out what to do professionally and personally. Life as a spinster with fifteen cats doesn't sound too bad, though.
Deciding to give up on love, Paige begrudgingly befriends Josh Bentley, the friendly coffee delivery guy, while helping out at the Cozy Cottage Café. His T-shirts make her eyes roll, but their runs have become an important part of her day and a blessing to her waistline, because Bailey's cakes are too good to pass up.
Meanwhile, her best friends offer to find Mr. Right for her, and all Paige has to do is let them. Then, the man of her dreams walks through the door. Marcus Hahn is as good-looking as he is charming, and any thoughts Paige had of being alone with those fifteen cats fly out the window. Now, she just has to hope her friends choose him as her Last First Date.
But in the end, are Two Last First Dates enough to find The One?
THREE LAST FIRST DATES
When it comes to men, Marissa Jones is totally committed to not being committed.
Against her better judgment, Marissa agrees to a pact with her friends to marry the next guy she dates. But she isn't going to take any chances. For her, it's a numbers game, and one last first date just isn't enough. So, she ups the ante--three first dates with three very different guys, all in one day.
But can any of these men live up to her high standards?
Despite a few bumps in the road, from the three, she chooses The One. That is until the motorcycle-riding ex she never got over turns up, changing everything.
In the end, do you choose love or does love choose you?
FOUR LAST FIRST DATES
Bailey De Luca is the last of her friends to complete the Last First Date pact--to marry the next guy she dates. But lady luck must be in a bad mood because so far, it's all come to nothing.
Everywhere she looks people are in love. Everyone except her. Is she fundamentally unlovable? Or is it that she's already found--and lost--The One? Whatever the reason, one thing's for sure: Bailey never expected to be alone at thirty.
When one of her friends announces her engagement with a rock that could eclipse the sun, Bailey throws herself into a new business. Starting up Cozy Cottage Catering seems like the perfect way to bury her head in the sand. But fate has other ideas, and soon Bailey is swept off her feet by the oh-so cute Ryan Jones.
Ryan may seem like the perfect combination of Prince Charming meets Thor (without the hammer), but is Bailey ready to be with him?
Or will the ghost of her past love prevent her from finding happiness again?
ONE LAST FIRST DATE
Cassie is sick of dating. It's been ten years and it's time to find The One. It's either that or buy a fetching habit and veil and abandon the whole thing. But Cassie believes in love, and she's not ready to give up yet.
The pressure is on to find Mr. Right. Cassie's the first to find him: Parker Hamilton. He's good-looking, smart, cultured--and a doctor. Despite his obvious credentials, Cassie's not taking any chances. She's vetted Parker so thoroughly she could offer some pointers to the CIA. Needless to say, he passes with flying colors.
Things get complicated when Will Jordan, her irritating work colleague, muscles in on her dream job and her love life. Will is a typical guy, complete with nicknames for everyone, even Cassie. His good looks and relaxed, easy nature can be distracting. But Cassie can do without that kind of distraction right now, no matter how good Will looks with his shirt off.
In the end, is there only One Last First Date?
TWO LAST FIRST DATES
To Paige Miller Two Last First Dates sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
Paige is having a rough time. She's unhappy in her career, and her One Last First Date ended in total disaster. Now, she has to figure out what to do professionally and personally. Life as a spinster with fifteen cats doesn't sound too bad, though.
Deciding to give up on love, Paige begrudgingly befriends Josh Bentley, the friendly coffee delivery guy, while helping out at the Cozy Cottage Café. His T-shirts make her eyes roll, but their runs have become an important part of her day and a blessing to her waistline, because Bailey's cakes are too good to pass up.
Meanwhile, her best friends offer to find Mr. Right for her, and all Paige has to do is let them. Then, the man of her dreams walks through the door. Marcus Hahn is as good-looking as he is charming, and any thoughts Paige had of being alone with those fifteen cats fly out the window. Now, she just has to hope her friends choose him as her Last First Date.
But in the end, are Two Last First Dates enough to find The One?
THREE LAST FIRST DATES
When it comes to men, Marissa Jones is totally committed to not being committed.
Against her better judgment, Marissa agrees to a pact with her friends to marry the next guy she dates. But she isn't going to take any chances. For her, it's a numbers game, and one last first date just isn't enough. So, she ups the ante--three first dates with three very different guys, all in one day.
But can any of these men live up to her high standards?
Despite a few bumps in the road, from the three, she chooses The One. That is until the motorcycle-riding ex she never got over turns up, changing everything.
In the end, do you choose love or does love choose you?
FOUR LAST FIRST DATES
Bailey De Luca is the last of her friends to complete the Last First Date pact--to marry the next guy she dates. But lady luck must be in a bad mood because so far, it's all come to nothing.
Everywhere she looks people are in love. Everyone except her. Is she fundamentally unlovable? Or is it that she's already found--and lost--The One? Whatever the reason, one thing's for sure: Bailey never expected to be alone at thirty.
When one of her friends announces her engagement with a rock that could eclipse the sun, Bailey throws herself into a new business. Starting up Cozy Cottage Catering seems like the perfect way to bury her head in the sand. But fate has other ideas, and soon Bailey is swept off her feet by the oh-so cute Ryan Jones.
Ryan may seem like the perfect combination of Prince Charming meets Thor (without the hammer), but is Bailey ready to be with him?
Or will the ghost of her past love prevent her from finding happiness again?
771 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 11, 2018
113 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Kate O'Keeffe
66 books855 followersKate O'Keeffe is a USA TODAY bestselling and award-winning author who writes exactly what she loves to read: laugh-out-loud romantic comedies with swoon-worthy heroes and gorgeous feel-good happily ever afters. She lives and loves in beautiful Hawke's Bay, New Zealand with her family and two scruffy but loveable dogs.
When she's not penning her latest story, Kate can be found hiking up hills (slowly), traveling to different countries around the globe (back when we used to be able to do that), and eating chocolate. A lot of it.
Get a free book when you sign up to Kate's newsletter at kateokeeffe.com.
When she's not penning her latest story, Kate can be found hiking up hills (slowly), traveling to different countries around the globe (back when we used to be able to do that), and eating chocolate. A lot of it.
Get a free book when you sign up to Kate's newsletter at kateokeeffe.com.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 17, 2018
If you’ve never read a Kate O’Keefe novel and you’re a fan of romantic comedies, here’s what you need to know: the Cozy Cottage Café Series is one delicious serving of ooey gooey, heart-warming storytelling after another.
Friends united by a hankering for the delectable treats at their favorite bakery and their unlucky attempts at finding love make a pact to marry the next man they date. This simple thread unwinds in multiple directions within each book as we get to know unique and uniquely strong women who need to forge their individual paths toward their happily-ever-afters. Their stories are as compelling as the men they meet.
These books are easy to read and equally satisfying. Count on a lot of laughs, even more contented sighs, and a lingering desire to sample each and every one of the cakes from the Cozy Cottage Café.
Friends united by a hankering for the delectable treats at their favorite bakery and their unlucky attempts at finding love make a pact to marry the next man they date. This simple thread unwinds in multiple directions within each book as we get to know unique and uniquely strong women who need to forge their individual paths toward their happily-ever-afters. Their stories are as compelling as the men they meet.
These books are easy to read and equally satisfying. Count on a lot of laughs, even more contented sighs, and a lingering desire to sample each and every one of the cakes from the Cozy Cottage Café.
November 18, 2018
By the time you finish these three books, you will want the fourth! What more could you ask for. There is drama, fun, and romance. These girls will seem like your besties before you finish book one. There are some wonderful moments of friendship and some pretty great boyfriends. Don't miss this set!
April 8, 2019
Cozy Cottage Cafe Series:
One Last First Date - This is my first read by this author. I found the other three books to this series on Booksprout and discovered this one in my library. I did not know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. Well written in a conversational style. Enjoyable characters that came across as realistic and with some brains. Interesting storylines that moved along quickly and plenty of humor. I did not get bored as I usually do with many of this genre. I'll be read the three books to this series. 4*
Two Last First Dates - This book picks up ten minutes after One ends. This book is just as enjoyable and delightful as the first book. Still written in a conversational style with multiple storylines that merge and separate through the friends and their lives with the focus on Paige. The characters still have brains and are still realistic, including their thoughts and dialogs. The humor steady throughout. Mistakes are still made but not the stupidity formula that is common in this genre. The fast pace and interesting lives makes this book quickly read. I found this book on Booksprout. 4*
Three Last First Dates - I chain Three after finishing Two. This book picks up a few weeks after Two ends. It is so hard to write a review on this series without wanting to do spoilers; not a book report so it won't happen. The focus is on Marissa and she's probably the silliest of the bunch with her ideas, but she was fat as a kid and has that old mindset. The friends are still interesting and supportive, and the three dates were so different from each other. I thought she treated her first date badly, but some people look at jobs instead of the person. Anyway, the book was full of humor and interesting storylines and characters. I did not get bored with series since the storytelling never repeated or went stupid, but keep me immersed with the writing style and talent of Ms. O'Keeffe. I found this book on Booksprout. 4*
Four Last First Dates - I enjoyed the first two books immensely, but the third slipped a little with Marissa's behavior, but this one just jumped off the cliff into the abyss of stupidity with a big helping of idiotic. Bailey has been my favorite character, followed closely with Paige (my favorite book, Two) in the other three books. Over half way through Four, I got to the point where I could not stand her anymore with her erratic, childish behavior. It is just too far an extreme from the successful, intelligent character she portrayed in the first three and 1/3 books.
I did not believe in Bailey's character anymore; not realistic. This time Ms. O'Keeffe used the stupid formula that is so common in this genre. Instead of an original idea of creating chaos in B. and Ryan's romance, she falls on making B. stupid, childish and irrational. Oh, she's all crazy for R. until they fall for each other, then it's a dead guy used as excuse to cause the riff.
While I didn't care for Marissa's behavior in Three, I could still finish the book, reading each page. With Four, I skimmed for the highlights because the other storylines were interesting and there were happenings that held my interest. I was disappointed that Bailey had to suffer this stupidity, but I could not read another word about her thoughts and actions against Ryan. Ryan is my favorite of the romantic male characters, which is difficult to pick since they're all great guys. I found this book on Booksprout. 3*
Cozy Cottage Cafe Series End.
One Last First Date - This is my first read by this author. I found the other three books to this series on Booksprout and discovered this one in my library. I did not know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. Well written in a conversational style. Enjoyable characters that came across as realistic and with some brains. Interesting storylines that moved along quickly and plenty of humor. I did not get bored as I usually do with many of this genre. I'll be read the three books to this series. 4*
Two Last First Dates - This book picks up ten minutes after One ends. This book is just as enjoyable and delightful as the first book. Still written in a conversational style with multiple storylines that merge and separate through the friends and their lives with the focus on Paige. The characters still have brains and are still realistic, including their thoughts and dialogs. The humor steady throughout. Mistakes are still made but not the stupidity formula that is common in this genre. The fast pace and interesting lives makes this book quickly read. I found this book on Booksprout. 4*
Three Last First Dates - I chain Three after finishing Two. This book picks up a few weeks after Two ends. It is so hard to write a review on this series without wanting to do spoilers; not a book report so it won't happen. The focus is on Marissa and she's probably the silliest of the bunch with her ideas, but she was fat as a kid and has that old mindset. The friends are still interesting and supportive, and the three dates were so different from each other. I thought she treated her first date badly, but some people look at jobs instead of the person. Anyway, the book was full of humor and interesting storylines and characters. I did not get bored with series since the storytelling never repeated or went stupid, but keep me immersed with the writing style and talent of Ms. O'Keeffe. I found this book on Booksprout. 4*
Four Last First Dates - I enjoyed the first two books immensely, but the third slipped a little with Marissa's behavior, but this one just jumped off the cliff into the abyss of stupidity with a big helping of idiotic. Bailey has been my favorite character, followed closely with Paige (my favorite book, Two) in the other three books. Over half way through Four, I got to the point where I could not stand her anymore with her erratic, childish behavior. It is just too far an extreme from the successful, intelligent character she portrayed in the first three and 1/3 books.
I did not believe in Bailey's character anymore; not realistic. This time Ms. O'Keeffe used the stupid formula that is so common in this genre. Instead of an original idea of creating chaos in B. and Ryan's romance, she falls on making B. stupid, childish and irrational. Oh, she's all crazy for R. until they fall for each other, then it's a dead guy used as excuse to cause the riff.
While I didn't care for Marissa's behavior in Three, I could still finish the book, reading each page. With Four, I skimmed for the highlights because the other storylines were interesting and there were happenings that held my interest. I was disappointed that Bailey had to suffer this stupidity, but I could not read another word about her thoughts and actions against Ryan. Ryan is my favorite of the romantic male characters, which is difficult to pick since they're all great guys. I found this book on Booksprout. 3*
Cozy Cottage Cafe Series End.
April 2, 2021
I'd read the first book in the series by itself and had thoroughly enjoyed it so thought I'd buy the complete set. Unfortunately, the subsequent books didn't live up to the first one's standard. In the first book, Cassie was antagonistic toward Will, a coworker, and misconstrued many of his actions. Because they worked together, there were many opportunities for them to interact so that Cassie was slowly able to change her mind about Will. This was a true enemies to lovers story with quite a bit of comedy thrown in.
The second through fourth books lacked that. The second and third imitated the first in that in each, the heroine was sure that the wrong guy was The One, whereas the Right One was there all along. It just took her quite a while to see it. In the final book Bailey seems to be falling in love with Ryan, but then she suddenly decides that she's being disloyal to her fiancé, who had died three years before. Her conflict seemed forced to me, and by the time she finally realized that she could love Ryan and still hold her former fiancé in her heart, I was more than ready for the book to end.
The subsequent books also lacked the comedy that had been in the first one. In all the books the heroine is the narrator. After a while they all started sounding the same so that no one's personality stood out from the others'. They were all super supportive of one another, which at times made the dialogue too sweet and syrupy. After finishing the fourth book, I was ready for something more serious with more conflict in it. Perhaps it would have been better if I hadn't read all four books one right after the other.
The writing style wasn't bad except for some of the bland dialogue and the many times the author used the word lead when it should have been led. There were a few grammatical errors including a number of sentences with dangling participles. Here's one example: "Closing the door behind me, my tummy performed a fresh flip-flop."
If you're looking for cute, low-angst stories, then I recommend these. But, as I stated already, it might be better not to read them one after the other.
The second through fourth books lacked that. The second and third imitated the first in that in each, the heroine was sure that the wrong guy was The One, whereas the Right One was there all along. It just took her quite a while to see it. In the final book Bailey seems to be falling in love with Ryan, but then she suddenly decides that she's being disloyal to her fiancé, who had died three years before. Her conflict seemed forced to me, and by the time she finally realized that she could love Ryan and still hold her former fiancé in her heart, I was more than ready for the book to end.
The subsequent books also lacked the comedy that had been in the first one. In all the books the heroine is the narrator. After a while they all started sounding the same so that no one's personality stood out from the others'. They were all super supportive of one another, which at times made the dialogue too sweet and syrupy. After finishing the fourth book, I was ready for something more serious with more conflict in it. Perhaps it would have been better if I hadn't read all four books one right after the other.
The writing style wasn't bad except for some of the bland dialogue and the many times the author used the word lead when it should have been led. There were a few grammatical errors including a number of sentences with dangling participles. Here's one example: "Closing the door behind me, my tummy performed a fresh flip-flop."
If you're looking for cute, low-angst stories, then I recommend these. But, as I stated already, it might be better not to read them one after the other.
August 29, 2025
Four fun romcoms about finding forever love
These were fun stories about four young women closing in on age 30 years. They are tired of the dating scene and relationships that go nowhere. So they make a pact to marry "the next man they date." I loved that they decide to get serious about finding a man to date who is worth spending the rest of their lives. They start learning the difference between a "date" and a forever "mate". The guys are really great. They are also looking for forever, and they can quip and banter their way right into these ladies' hearts.
I purchased a copy of this boxset and voluntarily chose to share my review.
These were fun stories about four young women closing in on age 30 years. They are tired of the dating scene and relationships that go nowhere. So they make a pact to marry "the next man they date." I loved that they decide to get serious about finding a man to date who is worth spending the rest of their lives. They start learning the difference between a "date" and a forever "mate". The guys are really great. They are also looking for forever, and they can quip and banter their way right into these ladies' hearts.
I purchased a copy of this boxset and voluntarily chose to share my review.
June 1, 2022
Amazing
These books were so good. I laughed and I cried. These ladies are like friends and I hope there are more stories about them so I can see that they all got married. Kate O' Keeffe is an exceptional writer. I look forward to reading more of her books really soon. Well done ma'am.
These books were so good. I laughed and I cried. These ladies are like friends and I hope there are more stories about them so I can see that they all got married. Kate O' Keeffe is an exceptional writer. I look forward to reading more of her books really soon. Well done ma'am.
December 11, 2021
Fun book set!
Enjoyed this set. The characters were real and likeable. You really wanted them to get their happy endings. Looking forward to reading the spin off set!
Enjoyed this set. The characters were real and likeable. You really wanted them to get their happy endings. Looking forward to reading the spin off set!
September 17, 2023
Enjoyed reading this book
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews