Lady Eve's Last Con

by Rebecca Fraimow

Overview

Hearts will race and anti-grav boots will fly in this scifi rom-com perfect for fans of WINTER'S ORBIT and THE RED SCHOLAR'S WAKE.

Ruth Johnson and her sister Jules have been small-time hustlers on the interstellar cruise lines for years. But then Jules fell in love with one of their targets, Esteban Mendez-Yuki, sole heir to the family insurance fortune. Esteban seemed to love her too, until she told him who she really was, at which point he fled without a word.

Now Ruth is set on revenge: disguised as provincial debutante Evelyn Ojukwu and set for the swanky satellite New Monte, she’s going to make Esteban fall in love with her, then break his heart and take half his fortune. At least, that's the plan. But Ruth hadn't accounted for his older sister, Sol, a brilliant mind in a dashing suit... and much harder to fool.

Sol is hot on Ruth's tail, and as the two women learn each other’s tricks, Ruth must decide between going after the money and going after her heart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781837861590
Publisher:	Solaris
Publication date:	06/04/2024
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	131,064
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.50(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Rebecca Fraimow is an author and archivist living in Boston. Her short fiction has recently appeared in PodCastle, The Fantasist, and Consolation Songs: Optimistic Speculative Fiction for a Time of Pandemic, among other venues. Her short story in Consolation Songs, "This Is New Gehesran Calling," appeared on the longlist for the 2021 Hugo Award.

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/22/2024

Fraimow (The Iron Children) paints the far future with a Gilded Age aesthetic in this breakneck adventure that hits every beat it should and still manages to surprise. When Evelyn Ojukwu, a debutante from the distant Kepler colony, lands on the old-money satellite New Monte, she immediately catches the eye of Esteban Mendez-Yuki, heir to a corporate fortune. Demure, proper Evelyn is everything Jules, the last girl Esteban courted, was not—a fact she’s well aware of, since her real name is Ruth and she’s actually Jules’s sister. Ruth and Jules spent years running scams on the rich passengers of interstellar liners. Now Jules is pregnant with Esteban’s baby and heartbroken over his abandonment and Ruth’s ready for her biggest score ever and the sweet vindication of making clueless Esteban pay. Then she meets Esteban’s charming and far-too-smart stepsister, Sol, and feels herself start to fall in love. Sol knows something’s fishy about “Evelyn,” and as Ruth tries to charm Sol off the scent, her growing feelings land her in deep trouble—both with her heart and with the criminal syndicate determined to collect on Sol’s debts. The aristocratic milieu that Fraimow explores will put readers in mind of Bridgerton in space—and it’s exactly as fun as that sounds. Spiced with clever sci-fi touches that make the romance feel fresh and exciting, this is compulsively readable and totally delightful. Agent: Bridget Smith, JABberwocky. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"Lady Eve had me hooked from page 1. Charming and funny, smart and unique, Fraimow's novel is perfect for fans of Becky Chambers who want fascinating worldbuilding with unforgettable characters. Ruthi and Sol will have you pining, cheering, and rolling your eyes in utter delight. A must read." — Bethany Jacobs, author of These Burning Stars

"Jazz Age drama smashes into glittering space opera, and boy, the sparks are worth the price of admission! Fraimow takes us on a clever, heartfelt and entertaining romp featuring high society, revenge, gangsters, and a cynical con artist in over her well-coiffed head. Delicious, propulsive fun." — Freya Marske, author of The Last Binding trilogy

"Lady Eve's Last Con is the absolute perfect mash-up of science-fiction, romantic-comedy, and heist adventure. This sapphic enemies-to-lovers had us gasping, laughing out loud, and swooning. From the intricate world-building to the relatable characters who are impossible not to root for, this electrifying story was impossible to put down!" — Elizabeth Helen, author of Bonded by Thorns

“A delightful story about what happens when the billionaire target of your galactic revenge plot has a terrifyingly sexy half-sister. It’s got zest, it’s got style, it’s got society balls, dramatic reversals, incredible outfits, and a beach episode. Fraimow knows exactly what she’s doing.” —Emily Tesh, author of Some Desperate Glory

"Lady Eve's Last Con is the charming, space-hopping, queer rom-com of your dreams! Drop Ocean’s 8 into Fhloston Paradise, stir in a quirky sapphic romance, sprinkle with a host of deliciously daring schemes and witty characters, and imbibe this glittering delight of a debut." — Ren Hutchings, author of Under Fortunate Stars

"Ingenious, heart-warming and hilarious, Lady Eve's Last Con is the sparkling sapphic space caper romcom of my dreams." —Zen Cho, award-winning author of Black Water Sister

"Wildly fun and incredibly romantic, all the glitter of the Jazz Age and the brilliance of space opera in one story."—Everina Maxwell, author of Winter's Orbit

“Compulsively readable and totally delightful.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A romp that builds to a spectacular ending.” —NY Times

“An immensely enjoyable romp.” —Locus

From the Publisher

05/01/2024

DEBUT In this interstellar SF story, con artist Ruth Johnson has invaded the swanky satellite New Monte to fleece one particular mark, Esteban Mendez-Yuki (the corporate scion who seduced her little sister and left her pregnant and crying), by trapping him into a marriage contract he'll have to pay big money to get out of. But Ruth didn't count on the high-level crooks who have their own beef with the Mendez-Yuki megacorp, and she absolutely didn't plan on falling in love with her mark's dangerous, gorgeous stepsister. It will be the con of a lifetime if Ruth can pull this game off—or it will be game over for them all. A high-flying sapphic romance riding on a high-speed hoverbike of a confidence caper among the spoiled rich, wrapped around a conflicted heroine who discovers that she has a heart after all and can't keep up the game, in spite of the stakes. VERDICT Readers who have fallen hard for the recent run of SF caper mysteries, such as The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal, Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis, and You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo, will find similar thrills in this debut.—Marlene Harris

Library Journal