So excited to share my FIVE STAR review for Samantha Young’s new book, Fight or Flight. This is a contemporary hate to lovers romance with great characters! — Whitney
Synopsis
A series of chance encounters leads to a sizzling new romance from the New York Times bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series.
The universe is conspiring against Ava Breevort. As if flying back to Phoenix to bury a childhood friend wasn’t hell enough, a cloud of volcanic ash traveling from overseas delayed her flight back home to Boston. Her last ditch attempt to salvage the trip was thwarted by an arrogant Scotsman, Caleb Scott, who steals a first class seat out from under her. Then over the course of their journey home, their antagonism somehow lands them in bed for the steamiest layover Ava’s ever had. And that’s all it was–until Caleb shows up on her doorstep.
When pure chance pulls Ava back into Caleb’s orbit, he proposes they enjoy their physical connection while he’s stranded in Boston. Ava agrees, knowing her heart’s in no danger since a) she barely likes Caleb and b) his existence in her life is temporary. Not long thereafter Ava realizes she’s made a terrible error because as it turns out Caleb Scott isn’t quite so unlikeable after all. When his stay in Boston becomes permanent, Ava must decide whether to fight her feelings for him or give into them. But even if she does decide to risk her heart on Caleb, there is no guarantee her stubborn Scot will want to risk his heart on her….
Buy links
Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Nook, Books a Million, Indiebound, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play
Whitney’s Five Star Review
Oh man, Samantha Young is at her best again with Fight or Flight. If you are into the hate to lovers trope, this needs to be at the top of your TBR because it’s done to perfection.
Ava and Caleb’s (aka the Bastard Scot) meet cute is anything but cute. He’s a jerk and she’s a bit high strung. Since this is told only from Ava’s POV, we soon enough realize why she’s acting a bit crazy and that, despite this, she is a really good person. There are some self worth issues which I think gives her character a lot of depth considering the circumstances of how she grew up and history with past relationships.
Caleb is a man of mystery for most of the book. He is a total anti-hero for a while because he’s not very nice. Yet, the reader can glimpse enough of him behind the mask he puts on to not totally hate him. Now don’t get me wrong, he is NOT your Prince Charming guy we get a lot in romance novels. At his best, he is very flawed. But what I love about this story is how much these two characters make each other better, help each other work through their flaws and how each is able to see the world with a new perspective because of their love. And the super steamy sex scenes don’t hurt either. Ha.
There’s definitely some heat to the book as their relationship is essentially two people who hate each other but physically can’t deny their attraction so they sleep together. Often. It never takes over the story and there’s plenty of plot driven material to really keep you interested. I also thought a couple of the side characters were developed just enough to add a lot of depth to the story and I’m hoping (fingers crossed) that Ava’s best friend gets a book. Possibly with Caleb’s brother. And no, this is NOT a spoiler so keep your panties on.
Anyway, I breezed though this in one day. I’d consider it a low/moderate on the angst scale because has some humor but also deals with some serious subjects. I did shed a couple tears but I’m a leaky faucet when reading or watching Disney movies so take that for what it’s worth.
Bottom line, if you want a contemporary romance that’s easy to read and sexy, give this a whirl. Can’t wait to see what Samantha does next!
About Samantha Young
amantha Young is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of adult contemporary romances, including the On Dublin Street series and Hero, as well as the New Adult duology Into the Deep and Out of the Shallows. Fight or Flight, a new standalone to be published by Berkley Romance, is out October 9th 2018. Before turning to contemporary fiction, she wrote several young adult paranormal and fantasy series, including the amazon bestselling Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy. Samantha’s YA contemporary novels The Impossible Vastness of Us and The Fragile Ordinary are published by Harlequin Teen. Her next adult contemporary romance As Dust Dances releases August 7th 2018. It follows the story of homeless ex-poprock star Skylar Finch and the ambitious Scottish A&R Exec Killian O’Dea who shakes up life as she knows it.
Samantha is from a small town in Central Scotland and is known for her romantic stories set in her beloved home country. She is currently published in 30 countries and is a #1 international bestselling author. When she’s not writing books, she’s buying shoes she doesn’t really need and searching for nooks and crannies to shelve her ever-expanding book collection. To learn more head on over to her website https://authorsamanthayoung.com
A Literary Perusal 