Love at First Flight [Mass Market Paperback]

Marie Force (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2009

What if the guy in the airplane seat next to you turned out to be the love of your life?

Juliana, happy in her career as a hair stylist, is on her way to visit her boyfriend of ten years who's working out of state. She's wondering why they're not engaged yet. Michael is going to his fiance's parents' home for an engagement party he doesn't want. A states' prosecutor, he's about to try the biggest case of his career, he hates the distraction, and he's having doubts about the relationship.

They sit together on the plane, and discover they're on the same flight coming back. When the weekend is a disaster for each of them, they bond on the plane ride home. But life is full of complications, including their exes, who don't want to let go, and when Michael's trial turns dangerous, the two must confront what they value most in life...

Praise for Line of Scrimmage:

"I will definitely be reading more Marie Force." -Revisiting the Moon's Library

"It was a book that made me laugh as well as cry. The three-dimensional characters were so vivid... hands down, this is the best romance I've read this year." -J. Kaye's Book Blog

"With its humor and endearing characters, Force's charming novel will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers, reaching far beyond sports fans." -Shelley Mosley, Booklist

(20090420)

Editorial Reviews

Review

LOVE AT FIRST FLIGHT by Marie Force is most definitely a keeper. It is an astounding book. I loved every single word! (Wild on Books 20090420)


(Holly Mercer 20090601)

Love at First Flight is sweet, tender, modern romance, with likeable, real characters that might have you looking at your next airline ticket with a new sparkle in your eye. (Nicola Onychuk Alpha Heros 20090615)

This isn't just a romance novel or a legal story or any other classification but a mixture of many that cannot be separated. It's a fantastic mix of romance against a legal story with danger lurking around every corner. (Night Owl Romance 20090617)

[E]ngaging and engrossing... (Jane Granville All About Romance 20090622)

LOVE AT FIRST FLIGHT by Marie Force is most definitely a keeper. It is an astounding book. I loved every single word! (Natlie S. Wild on Books 20090623)

Ms. Force pens so much more than a simple romance, her voice has that "certain something" which captivates the reader from first word to the last. She creates a story and characters the reader can embrace and cheer on whole-heartedly with a smile and a lump in the throat. (Connie Once Upon a Romance 20090626)

What else can I say - I loved this book. It is definitely on my keeper shelf. (Kara Tulanko World According to Books 20090630)

Marie Force knows how to tell an emotionally charged and entertaining story. (Martina Bexte Book Loons 20090701)

Ms Force did a wonderful job of drawing you in to the story... I will definitely be looking forward to future releases by this author. (Barbara Happily Forever After 20090701)

Love at First Flight is sweet, tender, modern romance, with likable, real characters that might have you looking at your next airline ticket with a new sparkle in your eye. (Nicola Onychuk Alpha Heroes 20090701)

Marie Force really has a knack for getting the reader emotionally involved with her characters. (Casee The Book Binge 20090701)

I can't wait to read more by this talented author. Marie Force is a force to be reckoned with! (Cheryl Koch Cheryl's Book Nook 20090702)

[Love at First Flight] left me crying, laughing out loud and punching my fist in the air with a whoop of joy! (Becky Workman My thoughts... your thoughts 20090707)

A quick read with a nice plot and well drawn characters... the story caught my interest and didn't let go. (Brieana Louis-Jackson Musings of a Bibliophile 20090707)

It's a fantastic mix of romance against a legal story with danger lurking around every corner. (Terri Night Owl Romance 20090707)

Marie writes such real characters in this contemporary romance--complete with work stress, family relationships, and heartbreak. Great read for fans of contemporary romances. (Audrey Salick Drey's Library 20090713)

I can't wait for more by Marie Force!! (Carrie Zimmerman The Book Girl 20090713)

Marie Force has broken the mold with her latest contemporary romance novel... (J. Kaye Oldner J. Kayye's Book Blog 20090713)

Love At First Flight certainly delivers! Marie is someone I'm keeping my eye on, and I'm thrilled with her continued success. (LaDonna Paulette Magical Musings 20090814)

A beautiful heart warming story that any woman could relate to. (Rachel Diamond Enchanted by Books 20100507)

[A] must read novel... Ms. Force's name as one to add to your list of five star authors. (Kerensa Wilson Crave More Romance )

Not many authors can give you a romance novel that is ripe with heart stopping suspense and make it work... Marie Force definitely can and does with Love at First Flight (Larkspur The Long and Short of It Reviews )

A fantastic example of what a romance should be. (The Good, the Bad and the Unread )

From the Author

As a reader of romance, I love turning points. Don't you just live for that moment when these two individuals leave their separate selves behind and become one? Sometimes, one of them realizes the significance of this new relationship before the other. That's what happens in my book, Love at First Flight.
 
My characters, Michael Maguire and Juliana Gregorio, meet at the Baltimore airport on a Friday evening when they are 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. One of the things I love best about this book is the way Michael and Juliana are friends first and lovers second. Their love blossoms slowly and sweetly as they support each other through difficult breakups and challenging work and family situations.
 
I thought I'd share an excerpt from one of Michael and Juliana's turning points, when he puts his heart on the line to tell her how he's feeling . . .
 
Michael kept an arm around her as they went outside. Once they were in the car, he turned to her. "I'm not looking for a rebound, Juliana. That's not what this is."
"Then what is it?" she asked softly.
He ran a finger over her cheek to brush away a lone tear. "It's not a rebound."
"I don't want it, Michael. Whatever it is. I love Jeremy."
"I know you do, but you see, the thing is, I'm falling for you, Juliana."
"What?" she asked, flabbergasted. She pushed his hand away from her face. "You can't mean that!"
He kept his eyes locked on hers. "In the five days I've known you, you've given me more, been there for me more, done more for me than Paige did in four years. I knew I would care for you from almost the first moment I saw you. When I found you crying in the airport on Sunday, all I wanted to do was scoop you up and take you home with me."
New tears wet Juliana's cheeks. "You don't know what you're saying."
He took her hand. "On Friday night I tried to get Paige to marry me right away. Do you know why?"
Juliana shook her head.
"Because I was terrified after I met you. I already knew everything was about to change, and I guess a part of me thought I should try to stop it. But I was powerless to stop it. In those first moments with you, I knew I wouldn't marry her."
"Michael," she sobbed. "Stop. Stop saying these things."
"Juliana, any man who would let you think, for even one minute, that you aren't enough for him doesn't deserve you."
"Please," she whimpered. "Please stop."
With a hand to her chin, he turned her to him. "I knew I was falling for you when you jumped right in with Rachelle on Sunday night and did her hair. I knew it when I found you dancing in the kitchen when you were making me dinner. I knew it because my heart almost stopped when you told me someone hassled you on the street. I knew it when I heard you talking to Rachelle about what she saw, and you said all the right things--all the things she needed to hear." He ran his thumb along her jaw. "And when I felt your fingers in my hair I knew I wanted them there always. Don't tell me I don't know what I'm saying."
He leaned over to kiss her gently, without demand, and for one breathless moment, she let him. Then she pulled away. "Michael. My head is spinning. Please don't."
"I'm sorry. I know this isn't a good time for you to be hearing this, but I couldn't let you think this was about rebounds. I'm not going to pressure you or push you, so you don't have to worry about that. I'm going to be so wrapped up in this trial for the next month or two I won't have time for anything else. I just wanted you to know."
"I can't stay with you anymore. Not now."
"Why? I just said I'm not going to do anything about it."
"Because everything's going to be weird between us."
He took her hand again. "It won't be weird because you'll hardly see me. I don't want you to go."
"I don't know... I'll only stay if you promise not to mention any of this again. I can't deal with it on top of everything else."
"I promise I won't say another word about it until you do."
She pulled her hand out of his grasp. "That's not going to happen."
"We'll see," he said, starting the car to drive them home. "We'll just see about that." --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (July 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402220065
• ISBN-13: 978-1402220067
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (131 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #671,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More Please!, June 29, 2009

By 

Cheryl Koch (CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Love at First Flight (Mass Market Paperback)

Michael Maguire works as a prosecutor. He has a big case coming up. He is hoping to win his case against some of the biggest gang members in the Baltimore area...The ruthless Benedetti brothers. They have been accused of killing three teenage boys.

Juliana Gregorio is a hair stylist at Panache. She and her boyfriend, Jeremy is currently doing the long distance thing. Jeremy got a job down in Florida. Juliana and Jeremy have been dating since high school. Juliana loves Jeremy but she is tired of waiting and wondering if Jeremy will ever propose to her.

Michael doesn't know how much more he can take of his fiancée, Paige and her whiny ways. She comes from a rich family and thinks she can boss Michael around. When Juliana and Michael end up on the same flight, sitting next to each other, it is love at first sight. Neither one of them, expect to see each other again. What they don't realize is that their paths will cross, sooner then they expected.

Another good read from Marie Force. Her last novel, Line of Scrimmage was an instant hit with me. What I like about these books are the characters. They are people that readers can fall in love with. Plus the story lines are very believable. I liked that Michael and Juliana met on an airplane and that they are complete opposites. Like the saying goes...opposites do attract. Juliana and Michael share this great chemistry between the two of them. I can't wait to read more by this talented author. Marie Force is a force to be reckoned with!

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Love at First Flight was, September 11, 2010

By 

KT (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Love at First Flight (Mass Market Paperback)

as average as average can get. Michael and Juliana meet on a flight to Fl to visit their significant others for the weekend. They both have horrible weekends, Michael having called off his engagement with Paige and Juliana finding out Jeremy, her long time highschool sweetheart boyfriend is having curiosity issues because they are all eachother have ever known. Both being broken up (Juliana only for a 3 month break) they are on the same return flight as well. They fall in love pretty much immmediately. The whole book revolves around Juliana working out her feelings for two men and Michael just loving her and trying to win a huge case and put a very bad mobster in jail.

Spoiler alert below!!!

I really like Marie Force's writing style. She creates great characters, Michael and Juliana are well developed and you have a great interpretation of who they really are as "people". The average comes in for me because the things I didn't like completely counter balanced the things I did. The story itself and the conflicts between Juliana and Jeremy, and Michael and Paige is where I feel the book fell short. They just weren't believable to me. There was not enough of a conflict, on eiter side. Jeremy was a great guy. I would have honestly rather read about him. He loved Juliana so much and the climactic fight in the bar when Juliana finally decides she doesn't want Jeremy, didn't he have the right to be upset? I mean he was faithful and true to Juliana during their "break" and he finds out she was with someone else. I think that justifies a bit of bitterness and after that I really didn't look at Juliana as a "heroine".

I felt Michael and Juliana where a bit cheated on the deliverance of their story. I will definatley read Marie Force again but I will most likely be looking to the library instead of the purchase.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful romance, June 27, 2009

By 

S. - "abouthappybooks.com" (Germany) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Love at First Flight (Mass Market Paperback)

Juliana and Michael, both in long-distance relationships, meet the first time when they are waiting for the same plane. Right from the start they have a certain connection and can talk about nearly everything. Flying home some days later they share a plane again and both realize that nothing is like it was. Michael broke up with his fiancee and Juliana is on a three month break from her boyfriend Jeremy because he isn't sure if she really is the one he wants to spend his life with. Once again Michael and Juliana feel a special connection and when back home he helps her out because her car died they become friends and later even roommates. What begins as a friendship soon turns into a serious relationship. For Michael it's clear that Juliana is the one woman he wants to spend his life with. But Juliana still feels loyal to Jeremy who supported her over the years with handling her alcoholic mother and who gave her love and stability, two things she never had before meeting him.
In the end it's up to Juliana to choose the man she wants to spend her future with and decide what's really important in her life.

"Love at first flight" is an awesome book. Right from the start I enjoyed reading about Michael and Juliana. It's interesting to see them first in relationships with others and then together as a pair. The differences between these realtionships are really absorbing and show that love doesn't come in one only form. Michael is a great guy who knows what he wants and Juliana is a very loyal person who feels that the ten years she spend with Jeremy are too important to let go, especially because he is the only man (besides Michael) she was ever with. Juliana's conflict is very believable even though once or twice during the book I wanted to give her a good shake so that she comes to her senses about what really counts (and who's the right guy for her) but mercifully she manages to do this on her own at the end.
So all in all "Love at first flight" by Marie Force is a great book that you shouldn't miss.