And One Last Thing by Molly Harper

And One Last ThingNarrated by Amanda Ronconi

My introduction to the team of Molly Harper and Amanda Ronconi began with the Jane Jameson series of books. A funny look at the life of a southern vampire librarian never failed to crack me up. After completing the series, it was hard to think my listening to this pair had come to a stop, and I started looking for other Harper audios and discovered And One Last Thing. The premise sounded just insane enough to hold my interest and, noting that Ronconi was narrating this book as well, I plunked down the cash (okay, I clicked on “buy” in my virtual cart) and started listening.

The story begins with Lacey Terwilliger discovering that her husband’s late nights at the office and various meetings are nothing more than a front for his affair with his secretary. Feeling like a cliché, and embarrassed that she didn’t catch on sooner, she decides to let everyone in their circle know what he has done via his company newsletter. The newsletter goes viral and, while she becomes the voice of the wife scorned, she is also in a heap of legal trouble from said husband and his secretary. A bit ashamed of her own instant notoriety, and a lot ashamed due to the actions of her husband and her apparent cluelessness, she goes to her family lake house to retreat from the situation. At the lake house she meets Monroe, who is renting a neighboring cabin. Insults and sparks fly.

Harper is queen when it comes to writing hysterical banter and outrageous situations – she could write an entertaining phonebook. If for no other reason, listen to this book to hear the newsletter. It. Is. Perfection. The characters are well thought-out and left me imagining their complete back story, while the main players made me wish they were my friends. From the titles of the chapters (Even Jesus Hates Miley Cyrus) to the local florist (drunk on peach schnapps), it is hard to listen to And One Last Thing in public, or while drinking coffee … I’m going to be honest here, that coffee thing … truth.

Amanda Ronconi’s wry delivery is the perfect pairing for Molly Harper’s writing. After listening to several of this team’s audios, I cannot imagine anyone else doing justice to Harper’s stories. While Ronconi’s male characters sound a bit odd, it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, as her delivery of the one-liners and grasp of the banter’s cadence is just that good. Her light southern accent is believable for the storyline and she excels at voicing the sarcastic and wonderfully snarky heroine, Lacey.

This is one of those stories that is perfect for audio format in the hands of a talented narrator. Amanda Ronconi immediately drew me into the storyline and, as with the Jane Jameson series, I found myself sad that it was all coming to an end as I knew I would miss listening to the zaniness of Harper’s characters. That is what is so great about a book by Molly Harper – her little worlds are so cleverly written and include such interesting characters that I feel each of her books needs to keep going … so I can find out what happens to the wisecracking lawyer, the Goth entrepreneur, Lacey’s equally snarky brother, and even her moron ex-husband.

The romance between Lacey and Monroe is entertaining and the chemistry between the two is believable and infectious. They go to great lengths to try to avoid one another, and Harper instinctively seems to know the exact minute when a reader would be yelling “Oh, come on already!”  She chooses that point to get to the good stuff. The steamy scenes aren’t just a half hour of useless fluff, rather, they move the plot along and feel like a relationship that is unfolding as it should.

Overall, And One Last Thing is a fun, witty story that will please anyone with a sense of humor. (P.S.  Even my husband thought the story was comical…and yes, I made him listen to it.)

Minnie


Narration:  A- (the only points taken off because of the male voices)

Book Content:  A

Steam Factor:  Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence:  None

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Publisher:  Audible, Inc.

2 thoughts on “And One Last Thing by Molly Harper

  1. I’ve never read Molly Harper before, but I have the Jane Jamison books here TBR. Your review makes me want to move them up on the queue.

  2. I’m glad to hear it, you won’t be sorry. I have re-listened more than five times, and I still chuckle. Once you listen, let me know if you like it.

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