Sunday, June 21, 2009

Five Stars for Love at First Flight!

Thank you so much to Kara at the World According to Books blog for her wonderful review of Love at First Flight. Honestly, she left me speechless! Here's what she had to say:

Love at First Flight - Marie Force
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2009
Pages: 383
Genre: Romance

I had the immense pleasure of being asked to review another book written by Marie Force. I absolutely loved her first book Line of Scrimmage, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on her next book.

After reading this book, I have to say that Marie Force has written another hit - at least with this reader. The first pages grab your attention, and the book holds it until the very end. I was ready for the emotional impact from the book (because of her unique writing style), but I wasn't prepared for the suspense and intrigue that encompassed the story. Marie Force certainly knows how to pull on your emotions when penning the romantic aspects of her stories, but I was equally impressed with her ability to draw out the suspense. It had me sitting on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was going to happen next - both with the decisions they each had to make and with the intrigue behind the high profile trial that was going on throughout the book.

To recap the story a bit...Michael and Juliana meet at the airport heading in the same direction to meet their significant others. Michael is an attorney who is meeting his fiance for the weekend, and Juliana is a beautician who is meeting her boyfriend of ten years. They discover that they are on the same return flight and agree to meet and discuss how their weekends went. Needless to say, both were disastrous, with each of them breaking it off with their intendeds. This starts the relationship between Juliana and Michael. Get ready for a roller coaster ride through laughter, tears, nail-biting scenes, and life-altering decisions. Michael is the prosecuting attorney in a high profile case which leads to his life being in danger. Juliana, being connected with Michael, is not safe either. What will happen to their love? Will they get through the trial alive; what will happen in the end - together or back to their old lives?

While some creative license was taken with the legal aspects surrounding witness protection, it did not in anyway detract from the story. I look at it this way - fiction is just that - fiction. I loved how strong both Michael and Juliana were. There wasn't that airhead quality in Juliana - she kept her head on straight, made wise decisions, and didn't take chances concerning her safety during the trial. Michael was everything you could want in a hero - strength, intelligence, protective, and he loved with his whole heart. He was there for Juliana - even in the darkest of hours, and his love never wavered. Ahhhh to be loved like that!!

What else can I say - I loved this book. It is definitely on my keeper shelf. And a HUGE "Thank You" goes out to Danielle from Sourcebooks for giving me the opportunity to read this book and review it. And to you, Marie Force, what a talented author you are - your characters are captivating and come to life through your writing - they jump out of the pages and into the reader's heart. The plot is well-developed, flows smoothly, and engages the reader from beginning to end. Emotions are strong and written with such clarity that you feel them inside as if they were your own. Congratulations on your new release - and here's to many many more!!

Rating: 5/5
Pages: 383
Completed: 6/9/09