A solid well written romance with engaging characters makes this a great book to read when you need a pick-me-up.

Depressed and dissatisfied with the state of her life (job, roomates, finances, etc), Lauren and her friend head out to the Dollhouse - a popular lesbian bar where everyone appears to be having a much better life than she is. Enter Berit, owner of said bar, who doesn't seem to have enough pockets to stash all the phone numbers from patrons who are flirting with her. Obviously, Berit enjoys a challenge and when she sees Lauren sitting at the bar with a long face, she's intrigued but Lauren shuts her down, much to Berit's surprise.

This is a bit of slow burn - with Berit helping to pull Lauren out of her shell. I enjoyed the interactions between them and found both of them engaging with some really good chemistry. Even though Lauren started off as a bit of a downer, she starts coming into her own as she starts changing the circumstances of her life. It's actually kind of nice to see a lesfic main character who isn't super successful at the outset- and it makes it that much more satisfying when you watch her build the life that she wants.

Recommended

I am a bit mixed on this book. I did enjoy reading it, but not nearly as much as I enjoyed other books by Ullrich. Out of all her books, I think this one may be my least favorite. Still a 4 star read though. I struggled to see Lauren as a strong character, and she frustrated me often during the book. I thought the writing was excellent and the secondary characters were good. If you are a fan of Ullrich you will enjoy this one, or if you want an easy weekend read this one would be good.

This was a great story. I just wish it was a little longer. Despite that fact, reading this story makes me want to read other works by this author.

A fun romance set in the lesbian bar of our dreams. The two main characters are interesting and attractive and their chemistry is palpable. The behind the scene descriptions of running a bar were realistic. Berit, the sexy stud bar owner, is the epitome of a player, and it's not surprising that Lauren, the decidedly not bar material paralegal is turned off by Berit's initial advances. As the two become friends, both have a difficult time denying their mutual attraction. When they finally do connect, they absolutely sizzle. This is a fairly forumulaic romance, girl meets girl, they get together, a misunderstanding threatens to separate them for good, but everything resolves and they all live happily ever after. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good romance with some sexy-times included to spice things up.

Give me some angst every day of the week, not in real life, hell no, but in a romance, I live for it. Add that into a good old-fashioned romance and you will have me every time. That's exactly what M. Ullrich does with her latest novel, Love at Last Call.

Lauren Daly's life is a hot mess. Her relationship is off-again, a nightmare situation, because she is forced to continue to live with, said ex because she and her roommate cannot afford the house they currently rent without that extra income. Lauren's a paralegal but her salary and rent doesn't leave a whole lot extra for the serious student loan debt she faces. Add onto that heap that her boss is a tyrant who blames everyone for his ongoing memory failures.

Berit Matthews owns the hottest lesbian bar in New Jersey. Berit has no trouble attracting women, she oozes charisma and has the looks to stop traffic. This good-natured bar owner loves her craft, is a savvy businesswoman and knows when to turn on the charm to keep her patrons coming back for more. Berit has a way with the ladies and isn't opposed to casual hookup but she definitely has one eye opened looking for that special someone to settle down with.

Lauren meets Berit one evening after an especially brutal day at the office. Her bestie drags her out for drinks and she meets Berit who rubs her the wrong way almost immediately. Berit is not phased at all, more than anything she wants to no more about the sad yet dynamic paralegal. Let the romancing begin!

Lauren and Berit have a dynamite chemistry. Lauren pushes back at every move Berit puts on her. Their romance, the little bit of angst and hesitation keep you on your toes and the pages turning. This is a book I highly recommend to anyone looking for a great romance. Loved it!

An honest review thanks to NetGalley. Wow. I loved this book, awesome characters, amazing chemistry and a feel-good plot that made me not able to put this book down. This was a book that all romance lovers will love instantly. It left me with a warm gooey feel-good glow when I finished reading. Obviously, there were some parts where I was frustrated but the plot and characters worked it's self out that in my mind it was all worth it. Fantastic read!

3.5 stars

Pros
*Low levels of angst
*Good leads
*Sexy bartenders
*Fluff

Cons
*Underdeveloped secondary characters
*Both leads had character inconsistency at times

Overall a nice read despite the book's flaws. The biggest hit to the rating is how Lauren is a pushover everywhere and with everyone except when she's with Berit. And Berit also had similar problems in how she treats Lauren throughout the book. The housemates, especially Rebecca seemed underdeveloped for the role they play in the book.

But other than that, it's a nice read with good leads, especially Berit. And I have a taste for sexy bartenders, so there is that.

This book was fun! It made me laugh more than once. The characters are enjoyable while one of them gets a little annoying, there is just the right balance to keep your interest!

Wonderful read! I'm a big fan of the author, but she has had some books that I thought were a bit of a letdown and thankfully this wasn't one of them. The chemistry she can write between her leads, and more importantly in this book the friendship that developed between Berit and Lauren, was all really entertaining. Very intense at some points! Thanks for having two characters who also seem to have a sexual match as well.

I got a little annoyed by how down/depressed Lauren seemed to be for a lot of the book, but I also felt for her. I do wish we had seen her moving out of her terrible house. It would have been satisfying to directly see her deal with all the bad people in her life, but at least she finally stuck up for herself even if it was told nondescriptly in the epilogue. I was just bummed because it was more of a missed moment to show how empowered and changed she had become. Let the girl have her moment!

Overall I thought it was a really fun book to read.

ARc received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The only other Ullrich story I’ve read was part of an anthology, so I wanted to give a longer story a go. I wasn’t blown away by this, it was just ok. Basic premise is that Berit owns a bar, which Lauren ends up in, they become friends and Lauren ends up working for Berit after she loses her job and they fall for each other.

The problem is that Lauren is really unlikeable, she’s an insecure doormat of a character with little to no backbone. She’s also judgemental and continually treats Berit (who inexplicably keeps coming to her rescue) badly by making the same assumption about her over and over. Her situation with her ex also had me feeling no sympathy.

Berit is very sweet and kind, and deserves better than Lauren. I loved the scenes with her and her sister, she’s also great to her staff and customers. Her only flaw is her temper, and in all honesty I felt like she was given that particular flaw just to drive the last piece of drama.

There’s also some dating of other people, which I’m not a fan of, and Berit’s family drama, which spills over onto her work isn’t particularly interesting and is also solved pretty easily in the end. I liked Berit, most of the scenes that take place at the bar, and sometimes even some of the scenes with Berit and Lauren, but Lauren would eventually say something insensitive, or be too needy and ruin it. If I’d liked Lauren, I’d have liked the book more, but I just couldn’t warm to her. 2.5 stars, rounded down.

Quick story of a woman who seems to be on a run of bad luck—loss of her paralegal job, break up with her model girlfriend again, and trapped with horrible roommates. Feeling empathetic for her, yet? Except that she herself was whiny, self centered, and shallow and I disliked her from almost page 1.

It’s hard to finish reading a book when you don’t care at all about the main character and there’s really no plot. The best part of the book and what I felt could have made really good stories were the other characters, Berit, Lauren’s new love interest and boss at a hot Lesbian bar; Rosa, a mysterious bar patron; and Bellamy, both a server and a beautiful and lovely woman who was both a friend and casual lover of Berit’s. Bellamy really shone on the page and I was clueless as to how she and Berit, who was a big old sweetheart, never fell head over heels over each other. Match made in book heaven. Or even the romance of Bellamy and Rosa, a subtle character who definitely piqued my interest, seemed like the perfect slow burn/May-December romance and would have been great to read. Just okay for me.

‘Love At Last Call’ by M Ullrich is a beautifully written romance that took me through a rollercoaster of emotions. Berit Matthews runs her own lesbian club that she is proud to say offers a safe place for women looking for love, a hook-up or just friendship. It’s the hottest place in New Jersey and where she meets downtrodden paralegal Lauren Daly. Lauren wants commitment and happily ever after but Berit comes across as a player. With such different outlooks it seems that never the twain shall meet. Or will they?
I was impressed by the characterisation in this book. Lauren was so down on herself but given her circumstances I couldn’t blame her. Her life, at home and work, is filled with some appalling people. It took a great deal of courage to rise up from that. I loved how Berit saw something in her that was worth pursuing, even if it made her question her own hard-held beliefs about relationships. Seeing a vulnerability in Berit was so unexpected. If anything I expected it from Lauren. Their story was one of hot passion, personal discovery and love. I felt every bit of it with them. Oh and there is a wee surprise for fans of M Ullrich’s previous books! An excellent read.

I was given this ARC from Netgalley for review.

Berit Matthews works the bar at The Dollhouse where lesbians are always welcome. What others don’t know is she is also the owner. Hot and sexy Berit has no problems meeting women who like her are only interested in having some fun. Lauren Daly works as a paralegal at a law office where she feels she not even noticed but for when something goes wrong. Got to blame someone and Lauren makes it easy to do. At home it isn’t any better. Her roommates take her money but has little respect for Lauren. Lauren’s looking for a til death does us part relationship. After losing her job she goes to the Dollhouse where she meets and talks with Berit who offers her a job. Really good read. Liked it very much.
eARC via NetGalley

Review of 'Love at last call' by M. Ullrich.

Lauren Daly is unsatisfied with her life. She's bullied by her boss, her housemates are irritating and her love life is a mess. Almost every evening she goes to a lesbian bar to escape her reality. Berit Matthews is the owner of a successful lesbian bar and has the reputation of a player. When she meets Lauren she wants to casually date her but Lauren is fed up of players. Slowly they become friends and support each other with their issues but is it friendship their only way forward?

This is a slow-burn romance with the interesting setting of a lesbian bar. Both main characters are created skillfully, Lauren with her low self esteem and Berit with her family and relationship issues. It took me some time to warm to Lauren's personality but once I realised the reasons behind her dismissive behaviour, it's easy to like her. Berit, cheerful and sociable, is apparently her opposite but the reader also slowly discovers her fears and conflicts. Together they have great chemistry and Ms. Ullrich makes the most of their flirting and attraction. The lesbian bar is an ideal setting for this romance and the secondary characters have their own voice and stories to tell as well. The intimate scenes are hot and sizzling but the main conflict seemed to me a little forced. However, it's a great entertaining read with a group of lovable characters.

Overall, a very well written slow-burn romance. Another great book by M. Ullrich. 4 stars.

ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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I first read something by M. Ullrich back in the The Boss of Her anthology, and since her story was my favorite of the group, I was eager to check out her next book. Plus, even though I’m not a big drinker – I can’t even tell you the last time I’ve been in a bar – I have a thing for romances about bartenders or wine makers, so this felt like fate. Since this also has the opposites attract trope going on, I was excited to start this one, and, for the most part, it delivered quite nicely.

“Not your type? Honey, she’s everyone’s type. What part of her aren’t you into? Are the dimples too much? Maybe it’s her perfect hair, you know, the way it falls into her gorgeous eyes.” Amber turned back, blatantly checking out their server. “Her tattoos are so unsexy, and the way she moves with such confidence makes me want to gag.”
Lauren shook her head and said, “I’m not saying I don’t think she’s attractive, but she’s a bartender. I’m looking for someone with stability and a grownup job, not someone who flirts for extra money.” Amber’s pinched features startled Lauren. “What?”
“A lot of what you just said was judgey and made you sound shallow.”


Berit runs The Dollhouse, a successful lesbian bar. She’s a very hands-on owner, and on any given night, she’s behind the bar, flirting with customers, getting slipped lots of numbers, and basically living her dream. At the end of the night, every night, she always says that she can’t wait to do it all again tomorrow. Lauren is her polar opposite. I love grumpy heroines, but Lauren verged a bit too much on the doormat side for me to like her much, though she did grow on me. Lauren’s been ground down by a dead-end job with an abusive boss and a living situation with mooching roommates – including her ex-girlfriend, who brings home her new girlfriends and still occasionally sleeps in her bed. She’s an introvert, and part of the only reason she ends up in Berit’s bar is because she can’t stand to be at home with all that craziness. So she’s not exactly in the mood for Berit to flirt with her, which only intrigues Berit more. After a few more trips to the bar – and some alcohol – Lauren opens up to Berit, and they eventually agree to be friends, and then coworkers when Lauren is fired from her paralegal job, with Berit even deciding to play matchmaker for her. But try as they might, they can’t quite ignore the chemistry between them. Can two such different women find true love together?

“What brought you in so early on a Friday?”
Lauren’s sigh didn’t sound like one of annoyance, and Berit’s hopes of getting her to open up shot sky high. “My choices were here or home, and there’s nothing worthwhile at home.”
Berit grinned. “Take me home with you later, and I promise to make it worthwhile.”


Most of Berit’s initial attraction to Lauren seems to be based on the fact that she doesn’t seem interested in her at all, and, like I said previously, Lauren was pretty hard to like at first, but as they spent more time together their chemistry was obvious. Berit’s flirting was hilarious, and once Lauren got her head above all the bad circumstances surrounding her, she was a really great foil for Berit’s outgoing personality and gave as good as she got. I also adored the secondary characters, especially Lou (Berit’s sister) and Hugo (Berit’s dog). One of my favorite parts, though, was just the general day-to-day business of the bar, including all the various special drinks Berit makes for her customers. It was a fun bit that added a lot of authenticity to me, and just underscored how important the bar is in Berit’s life.

As for negatives, there’s also a bit of other-woman-type stuff, with both Lauren and Berit pursuing relationships or hookups with other women after they’ve met each other but before they admitted their feelings. It didn’t particularly bother me – both were handled in line with what each character thought she wanted from a relationship, and just served to highlight how well Berit and Lauren worked together – but I know some readers don’t care for that. While I thought the characterization was overall really excellent, the black moment seemed out of character for Berit – though other characters, including her sister, mention that that’s her normal first reaction to that type of thing, it’s not something I would’ve expected from her, and not something we’d seen hinted at earlier in the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I think if you enjoy opposites attract romances – especially ones set in bars – you’ll love this book! I’ll definitely be looking up the rest of the author’s work!

This really is a good book. It has a fairly normal base story line, but it is developed so well with interesting main characters, very good secondary characters, some great love scenes, and just the right amount of drama. The blurb describes the story quite well, but on top of that the writing is tight and flows well.
I enjoyed reading this book, and if blurb appeals to you, then certainly go for it. Recommended!

I have yet to be disappointed by M.Ullrich, so far I have enjoyed all of this authors book and this was no different.

There was nothing spectacular about the story but I found the characters to be well fleshed out and easy to like. The only character that I had a hard time liking was Lauren and that was because of her constant doorstop mentality.

This is a good book if you are looking for a light read which you can finish in a day.

*3.5 stars

I enjoyed this book. I love M Ullrich writing and this one didn't disappoint. This is a slow burn romance set in a hot New Jersey Bar. The owner bartender Berit Mathews is proud of her bar the Dollhouse. She tries to make her bar the best it can be.. It didn't hurt that I spent some time in bars, however, I never found a really hot bartender. She hits on patron Lauren Daly and is shot down. My 1st thought is are you nuts? I wasn't sure I liked the character Lauren. She was such a downer but as the book progressed there was reasons why Lauren was so leery of people. Berit persisted and through all their trials and tribulation they found each other and lost each other. I love a romance. There was also this really cute dog. Read the book to find out what happened.

M Ullrich has written a a good book here, the chemistry between Lauren and Berit is instant and you start rooting for them immediately. Once I picked it up I found it difficult to put down. There are some graphic love scenes but tastefully written.
My only negative about the book is that I found the situation Lauren found herself in very frustrating through out the book, why didn't she challenge her dismissal, and thought her taking on the law firm would have rounded off the ending. That part of the story didn't make sense.
Overall an really good book that I would recommend....especially if you're looking for that 'something hot' this summer

Not what I expected at all, and I’m really glad it worked out that way. I loved this unique plot line where Berit offers a job to Lauren after she abruptly gets fired not long after Berit hits on her. The story rapidly builds intrigue with the push and pull of their attraction colliding with their need to finally score some grown-up relationship skills. There’s moments of total hilarity mixed in with solemn, contemplative moments and smokin’ hot sexual tension. The addition of Lauren’s lowlife and lazy roommates made for another interesting obstacle for Lauren to overcome. I really enjoyed the progression of their romance coupled with their own personal growth as human beings that was deftly woven in as subplots. Definitely put this gem on your gotta read it list.