The Stopover (The Miles High Club, 1)

lucked out and got an ARC on this one and I'm totally calling this one - the rest of the year be damned. I know there's still 3 months in 2019 but I'm totally putting this down as my personal favorite read of the year. Yes, I've read some other great books, but T.L. Swan gave me everything I always wanted and never knew I did in The Stopover. Maybe that's because I'm usually the Dark Reads girl and this was definitely not that but Jim, Jay, Jamison Miles - I am here to tell the world I am completely in love with you, no matter how delusional that makes me sound!

The Stopover starts with just that - a flight that is going from London to NYC but gets way laid and ends up having to fly into Boston for the night due to weather. Emily Foster, a young and feisty thing is flying back from London in coach but after an incident in the airport, she's bumped up to first class. And it's there that she meets the slightly older, incredibly hot guy that's seated next to her. From the very get go, these two are funny as hell. If they aren't bantering or arguing, they're flirting up a storm. The internal monologues from Emily's side since she occupies the first chapters had me cracking up and 'Jim', her travel companion for the flight had me cracking up with half his dialogue. Between the two of them, you literally get sucked in from the very first chapter and from there, there's not a place in the book that you find yourself slipping out. When they get deferred to Boston, they end up spending the night together and to say that it's mind-blowing, off the walls sex for them with a one of a kind chemistry would be an entirely accurate statement. However, morning comes and they go their own ways - Jim to NYC and Emily, having missed her job interview in NYC back to LA. No numbers exchanged, just a crazy transatlantic flight and a night to remember.

12 months later, Emily lands her dream job in NYC as a journalist at Miles Media and what would you know? Jim just happens to be Jamison Miles, the CEO of the biggest media conglomerate in the nation and Emily's boss's boss's boss. When she's taken to the upper floors to get the tour and meet management, Jamison is in and he recognizes her on the spot. Jamison has never forgotten that night a year ago and he let's Emily know that he hasn't and that he's more than interested in her. So Jamison starts his rather bossy and brusque pursuit of Emily and that's another thing that I loved about these two. Just as on the plane when he was just 'Jim', they're both bossy, both headstrong and as Jamison refers to Emily at times, she can be a snarky bitch which she readily admits. Jamison is used to having anyone he wants without even trying and Emily is just not that girl. She gives as good as she gets and the back and forth between them is entertaining as hell. I'm so used to the billionaire books where the billionaire has all the control and some dark back secret that makes him put the heroine through a ton of angst and she let's him walk all over her while secretly hoping he'll let her in. This book refreshingly skips the usual power dynamic and unnecessary angst and puts two people together where they both stand their ground.

Jamison was a delightful alpha but when it came to Emily he was also secretly mushy as hell. He runs the gamut from scotch guzzling, uptight, bossy CEO Jamison, to slightly more relaxed and at home billionaire Jay to Emily's 'Jim' when he let's all the stress and position go and just is - that's when he's his lightest and most fun. Emily is completely unimpressed by the money, the power or anything that comes along with it - she fell for her Jim on the plane - and for Jamison this is an absolute first and makes Emily his one of a kind.

Of course, there's a side drama and a huge conflict that comes along. But the B plot was well set up and there was nothing overdone or gratuitously added. Going back and looking over my highlights, it was all there for the taking and it definitely wasn't there to pad the story. And I dug how Emily, even with where the story was at, kept herself together and took on more than most could bite off.

I could quote this book to the high heavens and God knows I have enough of them. There are some classics in here. But I'm not going to add a single one because I don't want to ruin a single line or scene in this book for anybody that decides to read it. Where's the fun in already having somebody giving you some of the all time best exchanges in the book? I will say that anyone that knows me knows that I don't go in for laughter much but even with the flu I found myself laughing so hard I was literally hacking up my lungs and massively alarming the dog.

One final note: I remember reading Mr. Masters and really loving it and I skimmed a couple of her other books also but I have to say this author has evolved with this book. Massively evolved! It has two wonderful MC's who take an organic journey filled with humor, bickering, flat out arguing, great make up sex, flirtation, lust, compromise, misunderstanding and love. I also really enjoyed some of the side characters - my God, her friend Molly has some funny moments to add in and Tristan Miles is a lovely, lovely sidepiece.

So here's to camping in New Jersey, Bessie, Manhattan public transportation with some good old fashioned groveling and a side of Viagra Mike! Long live flight delays and really hot, bossy men!

**********10 Stars and to hell with the rating system. This is my idea of perfection.

(And yes, this is a totally honest review!)