Small-town Haven, Georgia, is home to generations of families, plenty of Southern charm, and an airport that’s seen better days. But as three friends are about to discover, love gives everything wings...
At eighteen, Olivia Daniels left Haven behind and never looked back. Doggedly climbing the corporate ladder, she’s finally nearing the top when her father dies -- leaving her part-owner of the run-down airport that was his first love. It’s a complication Olivia intends to wrap up quickly -- buying out her co-owner and selling the land. Good thing her childhood best friends are with her for moral support. Because one look at her new partner is proof that her tidy plan has hit turbulence...
Jackson Morgan practically grew up in Haven’s airport, and no one could have been a better mentor than Olivia’s dad. Flight is in Jackson’s blood, but his roots are firmly planted, and there’s no way he’s giving up the airport -- not even for sassy, headstrong Olivia, his childhood crush. Coming to an agreement won’t be easy, especially when the attraction between them soars to new heights every day. Love definitely wasn’t on the itinerary, but is it enough to keep them together for a lifetime trip?
Very good book with a nice mix of deep emotion and humor. Olivia has reluctantly returned to Haven after the death of her father. She had left at the age of eighteen, along with her mother, when her parents divorced. She hasn't been back since then. Instead, she's made a good life for herself in Atlanta, and is up for the promotion she's been working her butt off for. Now she's discovered that she is half-owner of her father's airport - what she sees as the cause of all her family's heartache. She plans to buy out her partner, then sell the land as quickly as she can - "Get in. Get out. Get the job done." Olivia soon discovers that it isn't going to be that simple.
The last time Jax saw Olivia, he was a thirteen-year-old boy spending every free minute at the airport. Her dad was like a second father to him, and responsible for Jax's love of flying. After leaving Haven for the Air Force, he came home when he became the sole parent of his daughter, Piper. He has no intention of giving up his share of the airport. It isn't just his livelihood; it's part of who he is.
The sparks flew between Olivia and Jax from the moment she appeared at the airport. I have to admit that Olivia did not make a good first impression on me. Her condescending attitude toward the town and Jax grated on my nerves, and I hated her attitude that all it would take was to offer Jax enough money. I loved seeing Jax stand up to her cynical attitude and refuse to even consider her offers. And, yes, I got a teeny bit of satisfaction out of his stunt with the greasy handprint. But underneath the antagonism is an attraction that neither one can deny - though Olivia certainly tries to.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Jax and Olivia. Both of them have issues that keep them from wanting a relationship. Olivia has no intention of staying in Haven. She has a job in Atlanta she wants to get back to, and memories from Haven that are painful. Jax has been burned by a woman before, and opening up to that kind of hurt again is not what he wants. But they are bound together by the airport and have to find a way to make it work. Their chances to do so improve when Olivia's friends, Jade and Melanie, come up with an idea to improve and expand the airport, giving Jax a more secure future and Olivia the ability to go back to Atlanta and forget about it. However, first Olivia has to pin Jax down long enough to convince him of the feasibility. As they were forced to spend more time together, the attraction between them continued to build. I also enjoyed seeing the way that they were constantly being nudged together by Olivia's friends and Jax's daughter. I loved how they gave in to the passion, even though they knew that Olivia still planned to leave. She was willing to give Jax a chance, and he was determined to remind her that there were just as many good memories for her in Haven, if she would let herself remember them. With 20/20 hindsight, Olivia realizes that there were things about her parents' relationship that she had been unaware of, and that now have her reassessing what she believes about her relationship with her father. This is reinforced by a few things that Jax lets drop. As Olivia's time in Haven comes closer to its end, both she and Jax realize that their feelings are stronger than they want to admit, but neither one is willing to risk rejection by talking about them. I was so frustrated with them both at the end because they allowed their fears to push them apart. I also ached for them because they were hurting so much, both for themselves and because they knew the other was hurting, too. The ending was very emotional, as Olivia's friends found a way to force them to face each other. I loved that Jax, even though he wanted Olivia to stay, supported her need for her career. I ached for him and how much it hurt to see her leaving, and cheered when he finally opened up about his feelings. I ached for Olivia, too, because she was so conflicted over what to do. She had worked so hard for her promotion, but she also didn't want to leave. I loved how her feelings burst out of her, how she confessed her fears and admitted her love.
The secondary characters were great. I loved Olivia's friends Jade and Melanie. Both of them had come to Haven with Olivia, to support her as she dealt with her father's estate. Each also has her reasons for wanting to leave Atlanta for a while, though we don't get too much of their backstories yet. As they are the stars of the next books, I'm sure we'll get them then. I loved the way that they teased Olivia about Jax but were also there for her when she needed them. They also had no trouble telling her when she was being an idiot. It was neat to see that they were the ones who came up with the plan for the airport and that they were just as invested in making it work. I laughed out loud at some of their conversations with Olivia, especially when it came to Jax. It was also easy to see that both Jade and Melanie were striking sparks with Jax's cousins, Cash and Tanner. I loved the close relationship that Jax had with both Cash and Tanner. They had been there for him through all his marriage troubles and really stepped up when Jax took on being a single parent to Piper. They teased Jax a lot about what was going on with Olivia, but they also had no trouble showing him that he couldn't deny his feelings for her. I also enjoyed their interactions with Jade and Melanie, especially what was going on between Tanner and Melanie. I laughed at the whole ticket issue.
My favorite secondary character was Jax's daughter, Piper. I'm not sure that I bought that she was only four years old, but overall she was a great character. I loved the close relationship she had with Jax. The love they had for each other was obvious. It was sweet to see some of the things he did with/for her - I laughed out loud at the reason he didn't take his boots off around his cousins. I loved how quickly she connected with Olivia, and the effect she had on Olivia and her views of her future. It was especially sweet to see the parallels that Olivia saw between her relationship with her father and Piper's relationship with Jax. The birthday party scene with Piper, Olivia, Jade, and Mel was sweet and fun.
My only disappointment was a lack of attention to what happened between Olivia and her father. There were a few nuggets of information, such as the few things that Jax told her. Olivia also began to see that maybe she hadn't had the full picture of the relationship between her parents. A fairly big deal was made about Olivia finding her dad's journal, but we got practically no information about what was in it. A few excerpts would have been a nice touch. I did like the way that being back in Haven helped Olivia remember the good times with her dad.
No comments:
Post a Comment