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A thought provoking tale of intriguing characters caught in an impossible situation
About the Book
On a flight to Melbourne for a girls’ weekend, Melissa meets Matt. He’s openly attracted to her and over the course of the flight they connect on a rare emotional level that takes them both by surprise. The problem is Matt is engaged and Mel is married with two teenagers. But a return to their lives and respective partners doesn’t cool their desire for what could be and when Matt makes the decision to track Mel down no matter the consequences Mel will have to decide if she’s willing to risk everything to be with this stranger who has captured her heart.
My Thoughts
Over the last few months I’ve been stretching my reading wings, moving between an intense study of suspense and psychological suspense novels and exploring reading territory I haven’t or rarely venture into. So when I kept seeing this novel–which has gone on to win a 2015 Readers Choice award!–I couldn’t resist. And that is what this novel is all about–resisting or giving into temptation; how do you decide if your head or your heart should rule your actions?
Love at First Flight is a story of passion and responsibility. The state of Mel’s marriage and her feelings of rejection are beautifully captured. The writing is lyrical yet never overdone, and the story draws you in right from the start. Mel and Matt narrate alternative chapters and Matt’s narration shows so much of his character that he leaps off the page. Mel, not so much, but her insecurities and longing for the passion and appreciation that is missing in her marriage are very relatable. Both characters are flawed, which makes them real, and like all real people, they are sometimes annoying and sometimes so self-aware it takes you by surprise.
Mel’s dilemma is a moral one and much of her indecision would possibly be difficult to show without it seeming melodramatic, so at times she does come across as self-absorbed and needy. Woods cleverly addresses this by having other characters call her on her behaviour.
There is a lot in this story that will provide the basis for great book group discussions. Yes, her choices may be morally repugnant to some yet doesn’t she have the right to have her needs met, to be appreciated and respected for what she does for others? And doesn’t she have just as much responsibility to her family and the promises she made them–whether implicit or explicit—as a wife and mother? Where does the individual end and the role we take on begin, and should one be consumed by the other? I don’t have the answers to that but as a reader I enjoyed thinking about them as I followed Mel and Matt and the supporting characters through this rather troubled journey.
I found this very reminiscent of Jane Green with a nod to Joanna Trollope, so if you enjoy stories of grown up relationships with the promise of sexy love scenes and a moral dilemma this is definitely worth a read.
Recommended!
I own a copy.
About the Author
Tess Woods is a physiotherapist who lives in Perth, Australia with one husband, two children, one dog and one cat who rules over all of them. Her first novel, Love at First Flight, released by HarperCollins in April 2015, received worldwide critical acclaim, was the winner of Book of the Year in the Readers’ Choice Awards 2015 for AusRom Today and hit the best-seller charts in Australia. Tess was top ten nominated as Best New Author in the Readers’ Choice Awards as well. Tess’s short story, Destiny in a Day, released in the HarperCollins anthology Hot Stuff: Surfing Love in December 2015 was written to honour her beloved author Rosamunde Pilcher and Tess is currently writing her second full-length novel, Flat White with One. When she isn’t working or being a personal assistant to her kids, Tess enjoys chatting with her readers online, reading and all kinds of grannyish pleasures like knitting, baking, drinking tea, watching Downton Abbey and tending to the veggie patch.
Connect with Tess Woods
Website | Facebook | Tess’s page at Harper Collins
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