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Blurb
From the international and USA Today best-selling author of The Plight Before Christmas and The Ravenhood Trilogy comes a laugh-out-loud, romantic dramedy full of spice, swoon, and ALL OF THE FEELS.
I don’t remember booking a first-class ticket to hell…
An all-expense paid trip to Europe. What could be more enticing than that?
Well, other than having the surgeon I fantasize about daily as my travel companion.
But to me, that’s all Lucian Aston is—a highly sophisticated, posh Englishman who stars in my daydreams. Mostly because of the way he views me as a loud, boisterous, no-nonsense surgical nurse he’s stuck touring London and Paris with up to the day of his groundbreaking surgery.
Until then, we’ve got a lot of downtime to kill. So, it’s only natural that I put my best foot forward to get to know him a little better.
Problem is, Lucian has no intention of taking a single step in his fancy wingtips to meet me halfway. That is until we strike our deal…
For the next six weeks, it’ll be a no-holds-barred, balls-to-the-wall reckoning between me and the prickly heart doctor as I get to know the man behind the scowl and scalpel.
But that’s the thing about the good doctor’s surgical specialty and his skill in the heart department. The more we spend time together, the more I run the risk of losing mine.
Even so, I’m prepared for anything. Or at least I think I am.
You see, there are the best-laid plans for the dream getaway you drum up in your mind, and then there’s reality.
But in all my careful planning, I don’t, at all, recall booking a first-class ticket to hell.
Review
4.5 stars
Oh Kate Stewart, Queen of the dramedy, able to make me laugh, fall in love and break my heart, all in the same book. Add in overseas travel and a deliciously chemistry-filled, grumpy/sunshine love story, and I was completely hooked.
Jane is a surgical nurse who is relishing the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to London and Paris for 6 weeks. She is travelling with a brilliant heart surgeon for a complicated surgical case, but she is determined to explore and experience everything she can, squeezing the excitement out of every moment as she lives her life to the fullest.
Her travel companion, the gorgeous and talented Englishman, Dr Lucian Aston, does not appear to be the best companion to share the experience with. Sophisticated and stand-offish, he doesn’t seem to appreciate Jane’s excitement and enthusiasm, and her bold, filterless outspokenness leaves him hilariously shocked and clueless as to how to handle her energetic spirit.
A series of mishaps force them to become way more up in each other’s business then they anticipated, and they soon strike a deal to speak freely and honestly, and to actually spend time together exploring, setting the scene for the amazing journey to come.
“You should know you’re more than just a billion-dollar set of surgical hands.”
“If that’s true,” he whispers, glancing over my shoulder briefly and then back to me, his gaze probing. The intimacy of the moment is not lost on me as he crowds in closer with his next question, “Who am I then, Jane?”
“I don’t know, but I plan on finding out in the next couple of weeks.”
The tension between Jane and Lucien is there from the beginning. It’s clear that there’s an attraction between them, and as they get to know each other, open up about the dark parts of their life, and support and take care of each other, things quickly change. With their commitment to being open and honest, they don’t hold anything back, and with the sexual tension between them absolutely sizzling, everything between them changes.
“Fair warning, I can be a sexual fucking heathen with an insatiable appetite and I will push every boundary you set for me.”
Holy hotness, this book is SO steamy. The connection between Lucian and Jane, though unlikely, is undeniable, and their wild passion for each other is explored in all the ways. They don’t plan on it turning into anything serious, but the longer they are together, the harder they fall for each other and it becomes the most epic of love stories.
“If you think I don’t love you with every fiber of my being, that you’re not the most precious, most important person in my life, you couldn’t be more mistaken.”
But there’s so much more to this story. Lucian is back in his home town and with Jane’s encouragement, he’s dealing with heartbreaking family dysfunction, and a still-smitten ex-lover. There’s the medical case that they are there for, which brings its own emotional implications. We also have the magical wonder of Jane experiencing being overseas for the first time, and the wildly hilarious mishaps she has along the way – I would think some of these situations are over the top, but they’re based on the real-life experience of the author (which is actually pretty horrifying), and here, they’re entertaining and bring lightness to the story. And combined with Jane’s lust for living and her desire to drag Lucian out of his shell and get him to experience life, there are so many fun moments in this one.
The different storylines in the book kept my emotions all over the place. I’d be laughing, then swooning, then feeling sad and angsty, over and over again. I love how it’s all tied together and appreciated each part of the story. The ending brings a dramatic twist that I wasn’t expecting, ramping the emotion up even more, and my heart was pounding as it all unfolded.
Through it all, we have these two incredible, imperfect characters who love each other deeply, and who are just trying to figure out their happy ending. It’s not an easy road, and it hurts, but it’s so, so worth it.
“I’m the version of myself I’m most proud of when I’m with you.”
On a side note – Jane’s sister, Charlie and her husband are so freaking funny. Their message chain was definitely a highlight. And there’s a much-talked-about cameo which was really sweet.
So why not 5 stars? Well, this book is just soooo long. Longer than it needs to be, with a lot of inner monologing which felt drawn out and unnecessary. And when there’s so much going on in the story in the first place, it did drag a bit.
But overall I loved this book. I loved the characters, I loved their individual journeys, I loved their love story, how deeply and naturally they fell for each other, how committed they were to each other and how hard they fought for their happy ending. I finished this book feeling all loved-up, with a massive smile on my face.
Such a gorgeous read – 4.5 stars!
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author for an honest review.
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author and Texas native, Kate Stewart, lives in North Carolina with her husband, Nick, and her naughty beagle, Sadie. She pens messy, sexy, angst-filled contemporary romance, as well as romantic comedy and erotic suspense. Kate’s title, Drive, was named one of the best romances of 2017 by The New York Daily News and Huffington Post. Drive was also a finalist in the Goodreads Choice awards for best contemporary romance of 2017. Her works have been featured in USA TODAY, BuzzFeed, and translated in five languages.
Kate is a lover of all things ’80s and ’90s, especially John Hughes films and rap. She dabbles a little in photography, can knit a simple stitch scarf for necessity, and on occasion, does very well at whiskey.
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