At Last by Addison Fox: Review

At Last by Addison Fox
Pages: 304


Series: The Brooklyn Brotherhood #1
Genres: Contemporary Romance

Goodreads

Welcome to Park Heights, Brooklyn where three brothers discover the meaning of family, and taking a chance on love.
After a year of turmoil, Emma Vandenburg Bradley returned home to Park Heights to run her family’s business – a Brooklyn institution – Unity brewery. Still trying to get her feet back under her, she definitely doesn’t want to be on the spectacularly bad date that ends with getting caught in a bar fight and her high school crush coming to her rescue.
Nick Kelley’s career in the NFL was cut short, but now he has a successful bar in Brooklyn and his dream of buying the Unity brewery is about to come true. Until he realizes that the mystery woman he saved—and shared a steamy kiss with—is none other than his high school chemistry partner, Emma...who happens to be a part owner of Unity. And she’s not interested in selling her family’s legacy. When Emma and Nick find themselves on opposing sides, both are willing to do anything to win. But as their connection grows deeper, they become torn: Can they choose between their love for Unity and their plans for the future—and for each other?

At Last is a second chance story of Nick and Emma. They were lab partners in high school. Emma left town, went to Chicago, got married, got divorced, got a degree in running a brewery, and is back to her hometown. Nick got a scholarship to play football, was at the top of his game, got injured, and is back to his hometown, running a bar. Nick wants to buy Unity Brewery. Emma doesn’t want her dad to sell it because she wants to run it. Emma and Nick agree to delay the sale for 3 months. In that time, Emma will teach Nick what she learned in getting her degree and then he will take the same proficiency test she had to take. If he can pass, she will agree to the sale.

I liked Emma. She is seriously down on her luck. Her mom died, her dad is being a huge ass, and her husband left her. Coming back home wasn’t easy since her father had been terrible to her since her mom died, and then to find out he is about to sell the reason she came home?! Yeah, her luck sucks. Despite all that, she is whip smart and driven. She could have just given up and gotten a job at another brewery. Honestly, would you be willing to put up with all that shit? I wouldn’t! But, she actually wants the business. She NEEDS to feel that she didn’t lose everything for nothing.

Nick is a great character as well. He isn’t some arrogant ex jock. He is grounded and humble. He is driven and puts in the work required to get what he wants. Both Nick and Emma are respectable people. They aren’t sluts, conniving bitches, etc. Frankly, it was a bit refreshing to see to decent people as characters. The tension comes from the back and forth competition between the 2. But, really, the competition and rivalry between the two are only because they are so passionate about the brewery.

I enjoyed the story a lot! It was a bit slow for me, but I am used to angsty NA or really action packed romantic suspense, so I don’t know that others would find the pace slow at all! There are a LOT of side stories/characters that kind of muddied the water. It make the main story between Nick and Emma feel broken up. It was almost as if Fox was trying to add more drama and tension to the story and did so by adding issues for a different character instead of struggles for our main characters. I found I skimmed a LOT when the focus shifted to Becky/Hector. It just threw me off my reading flow.

 

• POV: 3rd
• Tears: no
• Trope: second chance
• Triggers: none
• Series/Standalone: stand alone
• Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »no « Hide Spoiler
• HEA: View Spoiler »yes with an epilogue « Hide Spoiler

Three Simple Words by AJ Pine, Wasted Words by Staci Hart, Hard to Fall by Marquita Valentine…then you will probably like At Last!

 

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