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Review
“I know, once again, that all is lost.
All is us.
All is Turbulence.”
4 stars
This was a surprising read – a hot and steamy, ‘no-strings’, forbidden affair with wonderful chemistry, fantastic character dynamics, twists and turns, big reveals and a nice amount of emotion. It’s a little bit angsty, and quite intense, and I was sucked in from the very beginning.
Gillian and Jake meet at a party. There is an immediate attraction between them and they end up sharing an amazing night together. Their night is full of surprises – in more ways than one – and I loved how it all unfolded. The circumstances are original and entertaining, and it shows their personalities brilliantly, and I thought it was so funny! And those initial intense interactions ramp up the sexy time, and holy damn, it’s hot! But Gillian is on the rebound from a cheating boyfriend, and Jake doesn’t do relationships, so after their night they agree to go their separate ways.
It’s months later when they meet up again – both of them surprised to learn that they both work for the same airline – Jake as a pilot, and Gillian as a flight attendant. And though fraternization between employees is strictly forbidden, both are desperate for a repeat performance. Though this time they put rules in place – no emotion, not friendly interaction, just sex – wherever, and whenever they can manage it.
“We’ll share our bodies, not our lives … That’s all I can ever give to you. That’s all I ever will give to you.”
And so begins a forbidden affair that is hot, steamy and deliciously tumultuous. An arrangement like this is new to both of them, but the rules work and they revel in the passion that they have for each other. And OMG, these two are absolutely sizzling! Their chemistry is electric, their insatiable need for each other only grows with each encounter, and Jake’s need for control and dirty mouth give the whole thing a deliciously dirty feel.
“You agreed to the terms, but I’m going to re-iterate them in more serious and final words for you. Until this ends, my cock is the only cock you’re allowed to have, your mouth belongs to me, and if you’re ever wet and in need of pleasure, you’ll wait until I’m available to give it to you.”
I really enjoyed the dynamic between Jake and Gillian. The intensity between them is pretty much constant, and everything is simmering with sexual tension, but there’s a lot of lightness too, with Jake’s dry wit and sarcasm providing unending entertainment, and their emails to each other made me laugh out loud.
Subject: Charlotte
How’s your week going so far? (Mine is very stressful and hectic)Subject: Re: Charlotte
This email isn’t about fucking. (Emails are only supposed to be about fucking.)
– JakeSubject: Charlotte (The Correct Email)
Meet me in Terminal C when you land. Gate 15.
– Jake.
Things between them start to become complicated when Gillian begins to push for more, and feelings become involved. She knows it’s against the rules, she knows she needs to pull back, but as hard as she tries to walk away, Jake isn’t prepared to let her go.
“We need to be far more careful. There was a video of us kissing in the hallway via security camera.”
My eyes widened. “Do you not hear yourself, Jake? Is that not the perfect reason to end this?
“No, and I’m still waiting for you to give me an acceptable one. Are you finished?”
I was silent for a few seconds. “I’m not attracted to you anymore.”
“A reason that doesn’t insult my intelligence.”
It’s clear that Jake’s starting to feel for her too, he just refuses to accept it. And because of that, there is quite a bit of back and forth between these two. Gillian does get a bit whiney, but the push and pull didn’t bother me too much. She is open and upfront with Jake about what she’s feeling, and with their attraction being as strong as it is, the struggle for both of them is understandable – especially when Jake so clearly wants to hold on to what they have.
He pulled me up and onto the bed, locking me in his arms as he kissed my lips.
He ran his hands against my bare back and whispered. “Even if I do like you…”
“I think you do.”
“Shut up, Gillian.” He bit me. “Even if I do like you – which I don’t, you’re going to have to come up with a much better reason that that to get me to stop fucking you…”
OMG, Jake is such a fantastically delicious character! He’s a wonderfully unapologetic asshole – to the extent that you just can’t help but love him – and I love his bluntness and audacity in everything that he says and does.
“You don’t need to like me to fuck me,” he said. “You just need to like fucking me.” He stepped closer, letting his forehead touch mine. “And from the way you still come every time we meet up, it’s clear you still like that.”
He’s rude, arrogant, abrupt, and seems uncaring, but there’s so much more to him than that. He has big secrets, and he’s hiding a lot of pain from his past, and as the truth is finally revealed, my heart broke for him. The unfairness and torment from his past impact everything about his present, and I could completely understand where he was coming from.
And just when I was thinking that Jake was the complex one, the full details of Gillian’s past – that is only hinted at throughout the book – is fully revealed, and brings a huge twist to the story. Honestly, the unload of all of that information had me blinking blankly at my kindle wondering ‘what the?’, and I’m still not too sure what to think about the shift it brought, but I always appreciate being surprised in a story, and this one certainly went in a direction I wasn’t expecting, bringing a unique aspect to the story that was really well done.
I enjoyed this book. It has a ‘different’ feel about it that I really liked, and though the ‘no strings attached’ storyline can often be hit or miss with me, this one was done really well. I could empathise with what both the characters were feeling, I could understand their actions, and I was excited to see how it was all going to play out. But the best part of this book for me, by far, was Jake. He brought so much to the story, making it a highly entertaining read, and I couldn’t wait to see what he was going to do next. The dynamic between him and Gillian was wonderfully explored, and though there’s a fair bit of angst as they figure themselves out and find their way forward, I enjoyed the ride and was really happy with how it ended.
The ending is a bit abrupt, but Whitney G. has since published an epilogue to the story which provides closure on the different plotlines and finishes everything off beautifully.
I loved it – 4 stars.
Review: Epilogue
This is a free bonus for readers of Turbulence. Whitney G. listened to her readers, and has given us the epilogue to Jake and Gillian’s story, which I agree ended a bit abruptly in the first book.
Turbulence details the steamy and tumultuous affair between Pilot, Jake and flight attendant, Gillian, and their story is an angsty one! They did get their happy ending, but this little extra gives us multiple glimpses into their future as the different storylines are all closed off and Jake and Gillian’s story is finished off beautifully.
A must-read for fans of the first book. Thank you Whitney G.!
4 stars.
Turbulence
