Limecello’s review of Love at First Flight by Marie Force
Contemporary romance released by Sourcebooks Casablanca 2 Jun 09

I have to say that I was a little apprehensive starting this book. The premise was interesting, but I wasn’t quite sure how it’d work. I decided to read it because I enjoyed Line of Scrimmage so much, Marie Force’s first book. I have to say, I’m so pleased that I did. This was a complex, engaging romance that really represents and reminded me of my favorite things about this genre.

Juliana Gregorio is a hairdresser, and our heroine. She’s very down to earth and, well, normal. Aside from being gorgeous. (Come on now, could she really be the main character in a romance novel if she wasn’t?) Juliana starts out in a long term relationship, and with a lot of baggage. Her family being a major drain. I liked Juliana’s loyalty, and how she was so kind and sweet across the board. At times I could almost have labeled it naivete, but I knew that’s just her personality. (Juliana is a much nicer person than I am, or most people are.) She’s also resourceful, but not a paragon of virtue or perfect. In fact, at times she takes the easy way out and hurts people. Yet Ms. Force writes such a real and personable character that you can’t hate Juliana for the actions she takes. While reading I was completely invested in the situation, and while disappointed, still rooting for the perfect happy ending.

Michael Maguire is a prosecutor in Baltimore, MD. I actually purposefully didn’t pay too much attention to this, because I didn’t want to get hung up in the details. Also, there were no glaring red flags, so I was good. (I tend to get nit picky about details and hung up in them. That takes me out of the story and book, and makes me unhappy.) Michael is a fantastic character. He seems so perfect, but at the same time you know he isn’t because, well, at the beginning of the book he was engaged to someone else. It seems like it could be so smarmy, but it isn’t. Michael is simply imperfect, and let himself get in a comfortable situation. He can act like a jerk, but only when pushed to his limits. Any girl would be extremely lucky to get a guy like Michael, and I had a great time reading about him.

One aspect I really loved was that yes the romance is natural and believable, but Ms. Force also manages to resolve some of the issues Juliana had with her family. No, it’s not all candy coated and saccharine perfection… but that makes it real. Life is gritty and uncomfortable and often leaves us unsatisfied. But the end result is a happy ending, which is why we love our romances.

At one point, the plot dragged for me. And as I said, the was relegated to a lesser role than usual for me, because I didn’t want to get hung up on details like cost, and whether or not X, Y, and Z would happen during a trial. Or some of the drama at the end. However, every aspect of the storyline was there to showcase certain aspects of Michael and Juliana’s personality, and bring the two together.

I really appreciated that there was no extraneous flashy scene just to push the envelope. The romance and character were the main focus of this book, and it’s a fantastic example of what a romance should be. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I like this book. I’ll definitely be re-reading it, and look forward to more of Ms. Force’s writing. I’m crossing my fingers for a similar experience, and definitely recommend that you read Love at First Flight, and in fact Line of Scrimmage as well.

Grade: A

A Baltimore prosecutor set to begin the murder trial of his career and a hair stylist with a dysfunctional family meet in the airport on their way to visit their significant others in Florida. After they each endure a disastrous weekend, they meet up again on the flight home, striking up an unlikely friendship that leads to love.

Read an excerpt here.