Book Review: Welcome To Last Chance

Author: Cathleen Armstrong

Publication Date: August 1, 2013
Publisher: Revell Books

The red warning light on her car dashboard drove Lainie Davis to seek help in the tiny town of Last Chance, New Mexico. But as she encounters the people who make Last Chance their home, it’s her heart that is flashing bright red warning lights. These people are entirely too nice, too accommodating, and too interested in her personal life for Lainie’s comfort-especially since she’s on the run and hoping to slip away unnoticed.

Yet in spite of herself, Lainie finds that she is increasingly drawn in to the dramas of small town life. An old church lady who always has room for a stranger. A handsome bartender with a secret life. A single mom running her diner and worrying over her teenage son. Could Lainie actually make a life in this little hick town? Or will the past catch up to her even here in the middle of nowhere?

Cathleen Armstrong pens a debut novel filled with complex, lovable characters making their way through life and relationships the best they can. Her evocative descriptions, observational humor, and talent at rendering romantic scenes will earn her many fans.

What was it those signs said? Last Chance for rest, for the good life? She was still gazing at the stars when, enveloped by the hot smell of her cooling engine, she fell asleep. Maybe one more chance was all she needed.

Lainie just put her head in her hands. It looked like Last Chance was it for her, at least for now.

“Well, one thing you can do is come eat. Everything always looks better on a full stomach.”

She pushed Manny aside and strode to the door. Just before she slammed it she turned for one last show. “’Cause darlin’, believe me, you’re just not that big a deal.”

Lainie Davis is running from a lot of things when she ends up in Last Chance, New Mexico. She needs to get away from her terrifying boyfriend and his worsening drug habit. After she was well into her drive, she realizes that a warning light has flashed on in her car, and Last Chance is the first place she sees on the map. She stops, realizing that her car will needs some works, but plans to be back on the road in only a matter of time. Lainie soon discovers that her ex, Nick, is onto her plan to head to El Paso and live with her best friend, Lindsay. Lainie realizes that she needs a new plan, and for the time Last Chance looks like it will fit the bill!

Welcome to Last Chance is filled with so many wonderful characters! Lainie has the opportunity to meet and share her story with people that are always encouraging her and inspiring her. The character development in this novel was phenomenal. I felt like I knew these people. Cathleen Armstrong really embodied a true small town feel in her writing. Last Chance and the people in it really felt like a cozy new chapter in Lainie’s life.

Lainie’s character changes from the beginning of the book to the end. I believe this is the point. At first, I could tell that Lainie was secretive, cold, and had been dealing with a rough past for some time. She did the right thing by getting away and making a new life for herself. I loved watching Lainie interact with the people living in Last Chance, and I was especially happy when she started working at the local diner. Her love interest was also added some drama and a little bit sparkle back to her life since Nick.

Available August 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

***A copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Revell in exchange for my honest review***