The Last Lap by Christy Hayes

A man seeking closure after the death of his estranged brother. A woman grieving her sister and best friend. A connection they never saw coming. More than the temperature heats up in USA Today Bestselling Author Christy Hayes’ unforgettable page-turning romance about two tortured souls and their collision course with love.

Megan Holloway has learned a few hard truths in her twenty-eight-years. Life isn’t fair. People she loves always leave. And she’ll be stuck on Key West running her parents’ gift store and raising her twelve-year-old niece for the rest of her life.

Thirty-year-old Bryan Westfall has come to Key West to clean out his dead brother’s apartment and search for answers about the woman who died with his estranged older brother. Bryan didn’t know the woman had a daughter and he sure didn’t expect her sister to floor him with her beauty and biting brashness.

Bryan’s persistent need to help and Meg’s bumbling business skills create an unlikely union. The more time they spend together, the more their feelings become too powerful to deny. Meg knows Bryan is leaving at the end of the summer and Bryan knows Meg is holding back to spare herself needless heartache. When a hurricane forces them to evacuate, Meg mentally prepares to let Bryan go while Bryan wonders if home is where he came from or is with the woman who stole his heart.

My Review

Megan is smart, stubborn, and a little feisty. She is raising her niece, a preteen, the best she can. Life hasn’t been easy for her or her niece. She is running on fumes to raise her right, keep the small family business open, and have enough food and a roof over their heads, all while grieving. 

This book is dual pov, with the main characters sharing a few common threads. Bryan is the high school baseball coach, but his life has also been upturned recently. Apparently, he is in Georgia but has to finalize his deceased brother’s things. They have the right to anger, grief, and emotions, but things get heated quickly. I like Brian’s gentlemen-like nature, and his heart is good. Meg is a firecracker. Is she being unfair in her responses? 

As if this isn’t complicated enough, add in time, distance, and grief as well as a teenager. This romance is doomed before it even begins. Still, I do so like reading the soap opera regardless. I like when she finally caves in; her worries are very valid. This isn’t a new adult romance with no responsibilities but more midlife. Meg has a lot on her plate. Life derailed her plans and safety net. Brian is a fantastic character, almost to perfection, to be honest. I like how the author includes the steamy scenes, but they need to be better described. I love Bryan’s character even more by what he does behind the scenes. I’m pretty sure this story qualifies as women’s fiction because the story seems to focus on family, responsibility, and Meg’s life experience. 

The epilogue of this book is an excellent ending to this unexpected romance. I don’t know what the title of the book is hinting at or how it relates to the phenomenal complicated second chance story inside. But I genuinely enjoy the characters and slow-burn romance in this book. 

If you would like to read The Last Lap by Christy Hayes, you can find this book on Amazon. As an Amazon Assocaite, I earn on qualifying purchases.

If you like this book, you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories Women’s Fiction, Midlife Fiction, and Second Chance Romance.