FIGHT OR FLIGHT
by Samantha Young
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, AdultPublisher: Berkley Books
Publication Date: October 9th 2018
Source: ARC received for review
Star Quotient: ★★★★
Kiss Factor: ✷✷✷✷
Amazon - The Book Depository
Samantha Young's books are just entirely too hard for me to resist. She writes some of the best romance books and I will read her grocery list if she ever decided to publish it. You can imagine how staggering my expectations were when I went into Fight or Flight, not only because I adore her books, but it has a hate-to-love romance! Fight or Flight delivered so much more than I expected. I'm going to need all of you reading this book to definitely pick it up!
Ava and Caleb have a very sour first encounter at the Phoenix airport when Caleb rudely cuts in line and asks for a first-class seat that Ava desperately wanted after a hellish trip. They bicker, they fight, and somehow, they both end up stranded on a layover which leads to a steamy and satisfying encounter. As the universe would have it, they meet again in Boston, where they decide to carry on with a no-strings-attached relationship. Samantha Young left no stones unturned when it came to the backgrounds of both Ava and Caleb. I love how she took her time to develop these characters and make you understand where their personalities stemmed from. Ava was a character I adored and rooted for from the very start. She was feisty, confident, but also had some esteem issues because she has always been made to feel like just a pretty face. Her past had also left her with shaky trust issues. Regardless, she had made a life for herself and was successful, but it was obvious that she wasn't entirely happy. Caleb was such a grump. Add to that, he was also a bearded Scot. Take about HOT. The guy was definitely an alpha-male, and he tended to be very outspoken and callous. I wasn't sure of his character initially, but when it became apparent why he was that much of a curmudgeon, it was easy to understand his motives. As with most of Samantha Young's heroes, you do get to experience the softer, more romantic sides of his personality as the story progressed. I have no doubt that many readers will swoon for this guy and his hot accent.
Samantha Young is also remarkably talented at writing chemistry between her couples. Ava and Caleb might hate each other, but the tension and the gravitational pull they had on each other were sensual and so passionate. I could feel the heat through the pages of the books every time they had an encounter, even the non-sexual ones, and I could not get enough of it. The banter between them was an added bonus that made this book easy to devour. As I mentioned earlier, both Ava and Caleb had some serious trust issues, so they had obstacles to overcome throughout Fight or Flight. It wasn't always pretty, unfortunately. As you can imagine, their no-strings-attached relationship became complicated when they grew feelings for each other. There was angst here, but trust me, the journey to the happily ever after was more than fulfilling. Besides the romance, I also loved the friendship between Ava and Harper. It was genuinely one of the best parts of Fight or Flight for me. Theirs was a friendship that nothing could ever shatter. It made me happy to see such a positive female friendship written in a romance novel that was just as important as the love interest to the main character.
If you have yet to read a Samantha Young book, then definitely pick Fight or Flight and get ready to fall in love with this all-consuming, sexy and unforgettable novel!
