{"id":30854,"date":"2024-01-04T11:26:01","date_gmt":"2024-01-04T15:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=30854"},"modified":"2024-01-04T11:26:03","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T15:26:03","slug":"review-last-call-at-the-local-by-sarah-grunder-ruiz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/04\/review-last-call-at-the-local-by-sarah-grunder-ruiz\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \u2764\ufe0f Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-30854\" data-postid=\"30854\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-30854 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    \t\t\t<!-- module_row -->\n\t<div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_bpqt601 tb_first tf_w tf_clearfix\">\n\t    \t\t\t<div class=\"row_inner col_align_top gutter-narrow tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n\t\t            <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-1 tb_0224601 first\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_28pt601 rounded drop-shadow customBorderRad_top image-center auto_fullwidth tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n\t\t    <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"987\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz.jpeg?resize=640%2C987&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-post-image wp-image-30855\" title=\"last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz\" alt=\"last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz.jpeg?w=973&amp;ssl=1 973w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz.jpeg?resize=195%2C300&amp;ssl=1 195w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz.jpeg?resize=664%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 664w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz.jpeg?resize=768%2C1184&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz.jpeg?resize=400%2C616&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n    \t<\/div>\n<!-- \/module image --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_jayc601 customBorderRad_bottom repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Raine Hart is used to the challenges of living with ADHD. It\u2019s why she ditched her life in Boston to busk around Europe as a traveling musician. No boss. No schedule. No one to disappoint but herself. But when a careless mistake in Ireland leaves her unable to perform, she sees no other option but to give up her nomadic life.<\/span><br \/><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Since inheriting the Local, Jack Dunne has wanted to make the pub his own. But the baggage of running a family business and the intrusive thoughts that stem from his OCD make changing things a challenge.<\/span><br \/><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Over a pint with handsome, tattooed Jack, Raine accidentally insults him and the pub. Instead of taking offense, Jack,\u00a0impressed by her vision of what the pub could be, offers her a job bringing it to life.<\/span><br \/><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">But when Raine and Jack develop feelings for one another their opposite lifestyles won\u2019t accommodate, it becomes clear the pub isn\u2019t the only thing that needs reinventing. As the end of their business collaboration draws near, they\u2019ll have to find a way past the limits they\u2019ve placed on themselves or let go of a love that could last a lifetime.<\/span><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-2 tb_8t9e601 last\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_r2gb601  repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-16471 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/2_5-hearts-1.jpg?resize=107%2C44&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"107\" height=\"44\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Jan 2, 2024<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong> Sensual<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Penguin Group<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Berkley<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $10.99<\/p><hr \/><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Raine<\/strong> suffers from ADHD and decides to go backpacking through Europe playing her guitar. This is the perfect distraction from her life, but things are not as smooth as she had hoped. When she lands in Ireland, she doesn\u2019t have any of her belongings and is a bit lost. She finds herself venting to a perfect stranger at a pub who offers her a solution.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Jack <\/strong>is the owner of the pub, and has his own set of issues. He is left to run his family\u2019s business but his OCD and anxieties are getting in the way of accomplishing that goal. Raine is full of ideas and charm so he decides to help her out by hiring her. She needs a place to stay and a bit of cash and he could use the help. It is not like she will be there long. Or will she?<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This is a bit of a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed it at times but then again, I kind of felt bored by the whole storyline. This should have ticked my boxes but somewhere along the way, I found myself just not caring as much as I had hoped to. Jack and Raine are both good characters and they do fit each other well they just lacked the excitement that I needed for this to be a perfect romance.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The realistic way that the author wrote the main characters and their issues should be applauded. She really got into details of how someone with ADHD and OCD would behave. Jack and Raine actually have a very healthy relationship. They took time with each other to fully understand what the other would need. However, the passion and excitement did not rev up at any point. The slow burn was a bit too slow for my taste.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The scenery and cozy vibes the author paints of Ireland make the perfect backdrop to the story. I think that is became too much of a focus just as ADHD and OCD took over. It kind of spiked a bit of tension in me as I just wanted them to fall in love and be done with it.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall, I would still recommend this book for fans who need a quiet, low-angst contemporary romance.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>~ Samantha<\/em><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_nzj8601 customBorderRad repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3vqc9Xy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/3vuVRMN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz\/1142562807?ean=9780593549070\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">B&amp;N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/last-call-at-the-local\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Sarah_Grunder_Ruiz_Last_Call_at_the_Local?id=f22XEAAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n            \t    <\/div>\n\t    <!-- \/row_inner -->\n\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/module_row -->\n\t<\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Raine Hart is used to the challenges of living with ADHD. It\u2019s why she ditched her life in Boston to busk around Europe as a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,128,48,50],"tags":[142,216,217,419],"class_list":["post-30854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-berkley","category-penguin-group","category-reviews","category-samantha","tag-2-5-stars","tag-contemporary","tag-contemporary-romance","tag-rom-com"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Review \u2764\ufe0f Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz - Smitten by Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/04\/review-last-call-at-the-local-by-sarah-grunder-ruiz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz - Smitten by Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Raine Hart is used to the challenges of living with ADHD. 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Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5a4181aeb9cd5641e30023b9b4d3e00d","name":"beverley","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"beverley"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog"],"url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/author\/beverley\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz.jpeg?fit=973%2C1500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"builder_content":"<img src=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz.jpeg\" title=\"last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz\" alt=\"last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz.jpeg?w=973&amp;ssl=1 973w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz.jpeg?resize=195%2C300&amp;ssl=1 195w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz.jpeg?resize=664%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 664w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz.jpeg?resize=768%2C1184&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz.jpeg?resize=400%2C616&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 973px) 100vw, 973px\" \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Raine Hart is used to the challenges of living with ADHD. It\u2019s why she ditched her life in Boston to busk around Europe as a traveling musician. No boss. No schedule. No one to disappoint but herself. But when a careless mistake in Ireland leaves her unable to perform, she sees no other option but to give up her nomadic life.<br \/><br \/>Since inheriting the Local, Jack Dunne has wanted to make the pub his own. But the baggage of running a family business and the intrusive thoughts that stem from his OCD make changing things a challenge.<br \/><br \/>Over a pint with handsome, tattooed Jack, Raine accidentally insults him and the pub. Instead of taking offense, Jack,\u00a0impressed by her vision of what the pub could be, offers her a job bringing it to life.<br \/><br \/>But when Raine and Jack develop feelings for one another their opposite lifestyles won\u2019t accommodate, it becomes clear the pub isn\u2019t the only thing that needs reinventing. As the end of their business collaboration draws near, they\u2019ll have to find a way past the limits they\u2019ve placed on themselves or let go of a love that could last a lifetime.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/2_5-hearts-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"107\" height=\"44\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Jan 2, 2024<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong> Sensual<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0Penguin Group<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Berkley<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $10.99<\/p><hr \/><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Raine<\/strong> suffers from ADHD and decides to go backpacking through Europe playing her guitar. This is the perfect distraction from her life, but things are not as smooth as she had hoped. When she lands in Ireland, she doesn\u2019t have any of her belongings and is a bit lost. She finds herself venting to a perfect stranger at a pub who offers her a solution.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Jack <\/strong>is the owner of the pub, and has his own set of issues. He is left to run his family\u2019s business but his OCD and anxieties are getting in the way of accomplishing that goal. Raine is full of ideas and charm so he decides to help her out by hiring her. She needs a place to stay and a bit of cash and he could use the help. It is not like she will be there long. Or will she?<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This is a bit of a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed it at times but then again, I kind of felt bored by the whole storyline. This should have ticked my boxes but somewhere along the way, I found myself just not caring as much as I had hoped to. Jack and Raine are both good characters and they do fit each other well they just lacked the excitement that I needed for this to be a perfect romance.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The realistic way that the author wrote the main characters and their issues should be applauded. She really got into details of how someone with ADHD and OCD would behave. Jack and Raine actually have a very healthy relationship. They took time with each other to fully understand what the other would need. However, the passion and excitement did not rev up at any point. The slow burn was a bit too slow for my taste.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The scenery and cozy vibes the author paints of Ireland make the perfect backdrop to the story. I think that is became too much of a focus just as ADHD and OCD took over. It kind of spiked a bit of tension in me as I just wanted them to fall in love and be done with it.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall, I would still recommend this book for fans who need a quiet, low-angst contemporary romance.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>~ Samantha<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3vqc9Xy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apple.co\/3vuVRMN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/last-call-at-the-local-sarah-grunder-ruiz\/1142562807?ean=9780593549070\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/last-call-at-the-local\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Sarah_Grunder_Ruiz_Last_Call_at_the_Local?id=f22XEAAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30854"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30862,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30854\/revisions\/30862"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}