Last Chance Matinee (The Hudson Sisters #1)

The Last Chance Matinee (The Hudson Sisters #1) by Mariah Stewart
Series: The Hudson Sisters #1
Published by Gallery Books on March 21st 2017
Genres: Women's Fiction
Pages: 432
Format: eBook

From New York Times bestselling author Mariah Stewart comes the first novel in her all-new series, The Hudson Sisters, following a trio of reluctant sisters as they set out to fulfill their father’s dying wish. In the process, they find not only themselves, but the father they only thought they knew.
When celebrated and respected agent Fritz Hudson passes away, he leaves a trail of Hollywood glory in his wake—and two separate families who never knew the other existed. Allie and Des Hudson are products of Fritz’s first marriage to Honora, a beautiful but troubled starlet whose life ended in a tragic overdose. Meanwhile, Fritz was falling in love on the Delaware Bay with New Age hippie Susa Pratt—they had a daughter together, Cara, and while Fritz loved Susa with everything he had, he never quite managed to tell her or Cara about his West Coast family.
Now Fritz is gone, and the three sisters are brought together under strange circumstances: there’s a large inheritance to be had that could save Allie from her ever-deepening debt following a disastrous divorce, allow Des to open a rescue shelter for abused and wounded animals, and give Cara a fresh start after her husband left her for her best friend—but only if the sisters upend their lives and work together to restore an old, decrepit theater that was Fritz’s obsession growing up in his small hometown in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. Guided by Fritz’s closest friend and longtime attorney, Pete Wheeler, the sisters come together—whether they like it or not—to turn their father’s dream into a reality, and might just come away with far more than they bargained for.

**Special thanks to NetGalley & Gallery Books for supplying my copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

How about a sweet soft breeze on a spring night? If you like that, you will most probably enjoy The Last Chance Matinee.

The Last Chance Matinee is the beginning of a new series, The Hudson Sisters series by the lovely Mariah Stewart. With the promises of new beginnings and revealed long time hidden secrets, Mariah Stewart brings us her first book in this very promising series.

The Last Chance Matinee comes like Women’s Fiction at its best. Cara Hudson receives a call from her father’s best friend and lawyer, Uncle Pete, giving her the striking news. Her father, Fritz Hudson, had passed away. He had asked Pete to get through with the cremation before telling Cara. He had also asked that there would be no funeral.

With the sad news and her dad’s unusual requests, Cara is left with so many questions. Not only that, but Fritz had left a will that Uncle Pete requested Cara to visit him at his office to read. Astonished, sad and loaded with questions, Cara goes to Uncle Pete on the agreed date only to meet Allie & Des, her two sisters, previously unknown to her.

There is a huge secret to be revealed. Fritz had laid the burden of revealing the secret and the will on Pete’s shoulder. The Hudson sisters meet each other for the first time in Uncle Pete’s office. As Uncle Pete reveals the will and the secret, Fritz Hudson had been living a double life. Fritz Hudson, the father of Allie and Des and the husband of Honora is also the father of Cara Hudson and the husband of Susa in a parallel life. With the two wives now dead, the sisters have only each other to count on. But can they accept each other?

However, that’s not all. Fritz did regret that his daughters had not known each other. Knowing of his prominent death, he had left a will that would ensure his daughters will come closer. The girls are to receive quite a fortune each only if they can fulfill the terms of the will. With each one of them having her own issues to fix and needing such fortune, the three set to fulfill the will.

Now as the story progresses, we enjoy the fresh breeze of new beginnings and the chances of starting right once again. There are the chances of knowing their real father none of them had really known. Moreover, they have the chance to know their family’s legacy. And as the book title implies, it can be their last chance to knowing their real selves and to freedom. Also, there seems to be more secrets.

Such a delightful read. The book is a big one with almost 500 pages. Yet, Mariah Stewart’s lovely writing style made it a delightful quick read. As I read, the pages flew and I felt I was sitting with the Hudson sisters and enjoying their sisterly talk. It reminded me of sitting with my aunts, sister and cousins. I needed such book in between the thrillers I usually read.

As delightful as the book was, I still had some issues with it, hence my 3.5 stars rating. My main issue was the huge cliffhanger. I like the books within a series to build on each other. However, having so many open issues with nothing resolved felt like I was reading half a book with the other half missing. It might be my own problem, but I really hate cliffhangers. They are totally different from having linked installments in a series. Also, the book was a bit slow to my liking. I could guess what was coming next. I usually prefer things to go faster.

Still, I enjoyed The Last Chance Matinee.  I expect The Hudson Sisters series to be a very interesting and enjoyable series. Also, it’s great to catch a series right from the first book. There seems to be a lot of secrets to be revealed and I can’t wait to know more in the upcoming installments.