Lauren AsherRomance · Contemporary Romance
Final Offer
Synopsis
Callahan Kane has spent years running — from his family, from his name, and from the one summer that made and unmade him. When his grandfather's will requires him to spend one last season at the family lake house in Lake Wisteria before it can be sold, he plans to serve his time and leave. He does not plan on finding Lana Castillo already living there.
Lana was his best friend, his first love, and the person he walked away from six years ago. Now she has built a life in the small lakeside town, holds a claim to the very house he came to sell, and wants nothing to do with the man who left. Trapped under one roof for a summer, the two of them have no choice but to reckon with everything they buried — and to decide whether some offers are worth taking a second time.
The third book in Lauren Asher's Dreamland Billionaires series, Final Offer is a second-chance, small-town romance about coming home, making amends, and the love that refuses to stay in the past.
How it reads
Prose complexity 4/10
Content warnings (2)
Sexual ContentSubstance Abuse
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Stars<br><br>If you would have told me, before reading this, that I was going to give this book 4 stars, I would have laughed at your face. 2 stars was my guess, maybe even 3, but 4? No way. This series and I, don't have the best of history. And honestly, I was in such a bad streak of books, what I least expected was Lauren Asher getting me out of it.<br><br>We finally have a book where the kid is actually important for the story and not only used as a potted plant, only moving when necessary. Cami was adorable and her relationship with Cal was very sweet and enjoyable, and I don't really like kids, so this is an achievement. <br><br>Reading from Cal`s perspective on his addiction deepens the story in a way I have not seen before with Lauren Asher books, it’s definitely her best written book so far (that I have read, of course). Although I think it's important to add that I did feel it was a bit romanticized in the end, his recovery felt very rushed in comparison with his struggle with alcohol through the book, so maybe if it would have focus more on that part instead of less meaningful scenes would have helped a lot. <br><br>A lot of people didn't like Lina, but I was fine with her, not my favorite character and needs more personality but I´ve read worse. I also understood her tiredness on dealing with addictions, and would have loved to read more about her sister, to not feel like she was just disregarding Cal´s feelings, but overall I understood she was trying to protect not only her, but her daughter from an alcoholic and not reliable person.<br><br>Even though I disliked Rowand and Declan in the previous books, I also liked to see some development in them. Even if this weren't their book, their appearance, including Iris and Zahra, was very welcome for me. The last part of the book was definitely my favorite, watching all of them get together and overcoming their respective trauma was more than I could have asked for. <br><br>The thing that stopped me from giving it the 5 stars was the length of the book. It was unnecessarily long. At one point I swear I thought I was at least at 60% only to realize I was at 35%. It does get repetitive real fast. And it took Cal up to 80% to go to rehab, even when he already expressed how much he wanted to become the man Cami and Lina deserved. And someone mentioned he was actually doing the recovery for them and not for himself, and I also stand by it. The whole “I'm doing it for me” was very sudden. Also, the entire town were dicks. I understand they were trying to protect Lina, but Cal was dealing with an addiction. Why keep kicking him when he was already on the ground, instead of giving him a safe space to heal? It only made it worse and no one acknowledged it.
- I have been WAITING for this book. This follows Cal moving back to the lakehouse that his grandfather left him to complete his part to get his inheritance. When he gets there, he finds that his childhood friend and love is not only living in the lakehouse, but is shared owner and has no interest in selling. I love Cal so much. Cal is an alcoholic who has spent most of his life being the funny brother with no care in life. Everyone from the get go sees him as a disappointment, except for Lana. Lana was there for Cal throughout their childhood until he walks away from her and breaks her heart. Now that he's back, she fights to protect not only her heart, but her daughter's too. If there's anything I love in a man, its protectiveness. Cal is POSSESSIVE of Lana and its so hot. Despite being the one to walk away, Cal never stopped loving Lana and he makes it known from the get go. I was so hurt throughout the book whenever Cal would have to drink because of his anxiety. Especially whenever he lied to Lana about it and set them back from moving forward. Cal and Cami's friendship and relationship was truly one of the best parts of this book. I love when a guy falls for a single parents child. Cami was such a well developed character and didn't just feel like a plot point. I will never get over Lana and Cal. I'm so proud that Lana held her ground and that Cal went to make a change for himself and not for anyone else. Can't wait to see what else Lauren Asher puts out next!