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Summary
This whole contest was supposed to be easy. I know, I know. Famous last words.
It’s a long story, but I messed up at work. Big time. To earn back the trust of my boss, I promised to save one of our magazines. Yep. That Hot Dad contest you’ve seen advertised all over the place was my idea. And if I’m successful, if I’m able to increase our online…
Arrogant arrival, by Gail Haris (review before release)
Arrogant arrival, by Gail Haris (review before release)
Summary
Jolene is done with pilots. She’s better than just another quick lay-over. But dating is difficult with her chaotic schedule in and out of airport terminals and hotel rooms all around the world. She’s tired of watching couples fly off to romantic destinations and families spending vacations together. However, she doesn’t plan to be a flight attendant forever. She just doesn’t know what…
When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she doesn’t think it’s love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.
Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.
They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.
Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.
Blurb
“I remain alone on the elevator as it stops on every single floor until it reaches the eighteenth. I step off, pull my phone out of my pocket, and open up my messages to Corbin. I can’t remember which apartment number he said was his. It’s either 1816 or 1814.
Maybe it’s 1826?
I come to a stop at 1814, because there’s a guy passed out on the floor of the hallway, leaning against the door to 1816.
Please don’t let it be 1816.
I find the message on my phone and cringe. It’s 1816.
Of course it is.
I walk slowly to the door, hoping I don’t wake up the guy. His legs are sprawled out in front of him, and he’s leaning with his back propped up against Corbin’s door. His chin is tucked to his chest, and he’s snoring.
“Excuse me,” I say, my voice just above a whisper.
He doesn’t move.
I lift my leg and poke his shoulder with my foot. “I need to get into this apartment.”
He rustles and then slowly opens his eyes and stares straight ahead at my legs.
His eyes meet my knees, and his eyebrows furrow as he slowly leans forward with a deep scowl on his face. He lifts a hand and pokes my knee with his finger, almost as if he’s never seen a knee before. He drops his hand, closes his eyes, and falls back asleep against the door.
Great.
Corbin won’t be back until tomorrow, so I dial his number to see if this guy is someone I should be concerned about.
“Tate?” he asks, answering his phone without a hello.
“Yep,” I reply. “Made it safe, but I can’t get in because there’s a drunk guy passed out at your front door. Suggestions?”
“Eighteen sixteen?” he asks. “You sure you’re at the right apartment?”
“Positive.”
“Are you sure he’s drunk?”
“Positive.”
“Weird,” he says. “What’s he wearing?”
“Why do you want to know what he’s wearing?”
“If he’s wearing a pilot’s uniform, he probably lives in the building. The complex contracts with our airline.”
This guy isn’t wearing any type of uniform, but I can’t help but notice that his jeans and black T-shirt do fit him very nicely.
“No uniform,” I say.
“Can you get past him without waking him up?”
“I’d have to move him. He’ll fall inside if I open the door.”
He’s quiet for a few seconds while he thinks. “Go downstairs and ask for Cap,” he says. “I told him you were coming tonight. He can wait with you until you’re inside the apartment.”
I sigh, because I’ve been driving for six hours, and going all the way back downstairs is not something I feel like doing right now. I also sigh because Cap is the last person who could probably help in this situation.
“Just stay on the phone with me until I’m inside your apartment.”
I like my plan a lot better. I balance my phone against my ear with my shoulder and dig inside my purse for the key Corbin sent me. I insert it into the lock and begin to open the door, but the drunk guy begins to fall backward with every inch the door opens. He groans, but his eyes don’t open again.
“It’s too bad he’s wasted,” I tell Corbin. “He’s not bad-looking.”
“Tate, just get your ass inside and lock the door so I can hang up.””
(review under the cut)
Review
After watching the teaser of the movie-that-will-never-be, I wanted to see what all the hype was about. It wasn’t what I expected.
I’ve read a bunch of no-string-attached stories before, and usually, the man is a playboy who knows what he’s doing and is just here for the sex. Sure, that’s what Miles says he’s here for, but that’s not at all what it felt like. First, before he chooses Tate, he hasn’t had sex for 6 years! He could have had anyone, and yet he wants her. Sure there’s no feeling involve, Miles?
That makes the rest of the story painful. Not because it’s bad, but because the characters suffer a lot for a relationship based on nothing but sex. It’s emotional and heart-wrenching. Especially when we learn why Miles is so afraid to love.
As in most of the romance novels I’ve read, it’s a dual point of view--well, there’s a 3rd at one point--but with different timelines: Tate tells the story of their present, while Miles’s chapters are about his past. As if his past is what defines Miles’s present--and probably future. It’s so true, and an interesting take.
If you check the teaser online, you’ll see a gloomy man with a hot sex life. That’s not what I found in the novel: Miles is a man in pain who barely knows what to do. I really enjoyed this book.
Quickie
Series: standalone
Hashtags: #pilot romance #no string attached #brother’s best friend
Triggers: baby’s death
Main couple: Tate Collins & Miles Archer
Hotness: 3/5
Romance: 5/5
+ we get to see the struggles of a man who refuses to love again