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Taking Flight: A Sapphic Screwball Comedy
How long can you pretend to be someone you're not?
Times are tough for Felicity Fitzgerald: once a hotshot designer, now an international disgrace. Stranded in San Francisco after running away from a cancelled wedding back in London, she’s out of money and out of luck - forced to take a job she doesn’t understand in a company she hates, just to make the rent on an apartment she doesn’t want to live in.
But when smart, book-loving ad exec Eva Jensen enters the picture, it seems Felicity’s luck might just be changing. And when the opportunity to actually work with Eva presents itself, how can Felicity say no?
The only catch: she can’t do it as herself. If she wants the gig, she’ll have to pretend to be someone else entirely….
Times are tough for Felicity Fitzgerald: once a hotshot designer, now an international disgrace. Stranded in San Francisco after running away from a cancelled wedding back in London, she’s out of money and out of luck - forced to take a job she doesn’t understand in a company she hates, just to make the rent on an apartment she doesn’t want to live in.
But when smart, book-loving ad exec Eva Jensen enters the picture, it seems Felicity’s luck might just be changing. And when the opportunity to actually work with Eva presents itself, how can Felicity say no?
The only catch: she can’t do it as herself. If she wants the gig, she’ll have to pretend to be someone else entirely….
188 pages, Paperback
Published November 11, 2023
3 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
T.C. Parker
16 books143 followersI'm a writer and researcher based in the fox-ravaged wilds of Leicestershire.
I've been a copywriter, a lecturer and, very briefly, an academic; now I run a semiotics and cultural insight agency by day and dream up horror and crime fiction at night, when the kids are asleep.
I write mostly horror and crime, skeet enthusiastically as @tcparker.bsky.social, and post the occasional poorly-composed photo on Instagram (as @writestc).
For stories, serialised novels and other thoughts about the universe, visit/subscribe to my Substack - tcparker.substack.com
I've been a copywriter, a lecturer and, very briefly, an academic; now I run a semiotics and cultural insight agency by day and dream up horror and crime fiction at night, when the kids are asleep.
I write mostly horror and crime, skeet enthusiastically as @tcparker.bsky.social, and post the occasional poorly-composed photo on Instagram (as @writestc).
For stories, serialised novels and other thoughts about the universe, visit/subscribe to my Substack - tcparker.substack.com
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 30, 2023
I really wish I enjoyed horror more than I do. Because that’s what T.C. Parker is known for and if what I’ve read by her so far, in genres that are not what she’s known for, is this good, I’m pretty sure her favoured genre is all kinds of awesome.
Taking Flight is her first attempt at a romcom and it’s funny and overall delicious. Some breakups have overreaching consequences and Felicity Fitzgerald finds herself unable to find a job, even if she’s a genius and even as far from London as San Francisco is. Out of desperation, she asks a distant cousin for help and, one thing leading to another, ends up assuming someone else’s identity. What could go wrong, eh?
So much. And yet it all fits perfectly in the novella length. The pace is good, the quips and banter are my kind of humour, and the characters are lovely. Felicity and Eva stole my heart as did Lily, intern extraordinaire, Felicity’s voice of reason, who gets all the best lines.
This was seriously sweet and I want more. 4.5⭐️
I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Read all my reviews on my blog (and please buy from the affiliation links!): Jude in the Stars
April 25, 2023
Sam says I rate too high but this book is definitely worth the 5 ⭐️ and more.
I loved the storyline, the two MCs and the secondary characters.
The beautiful wording rounded up a fantastic read.
I hope T. C. Parker will write more books in the romance/romcom genre.
Her horror books are also very good. I haven’t read them all but will remedy that in the near future.
So my thanks go to Kaitlyn for pointing me to Parker.
I loved the storyline, the two MCs and the secondary characters.
The beautiful wording rounded up a fantastic read.
I hope T. C. Parker will write more books in the romance/romcom genre.
Her horror books are also very good. I haven’t read them all but will remedy that in the near future.
So my thanks go to Kaitlyn for pointing me to Parker.
January 24, 2023
Okay, I loved this. I will always be a fan of TC Parker's writing style, whether it's horror, crime, or - now - romcom.
The characters were endearing and unique with banter that was witty as hell and intelligent AF. While there aren't any spicy scenes, there are certainly some steamy fade-to-blacks and the chemistry between these two was 🔥 (maybe I just find intelligent, quippy conversations and professional, bookish women sexy?)
Loved the whole concept, the misunderstandings, and snowball effect. All around excellent first foray into romcom. I've said it before and I'll say it again: TC Parker, MORE PLEASE!
The characters were endearing and unique with banter that was witty as hell and intelligent AF. While there aren't any spicy scenes, there are certainly some steamy fade-to-blacks and the chemistry between these two was 🔥 (maybe I just find intelligent, quippy conversations and professional, bookish women sexy?)
Loved the whole concept, the misunderstandings, and snowball effect. All around excellent first foray into romcom. I've said it before and I'll say it again: TC Parker, MORE PLEASE!
May 11, 2023
With my ass parked on a picturesque beach like a majestic beach whale I read this one and when I finished it I had a hard time making sense of something. My mind marinated in “how does a horror/thriller/dark genre author pull off a lighthearted romcom like this?”.
When an author is known for writing much darker stories you don’t expect a lighthearted romcom to be there next release, most authors wouldn’t be able to pull it off as well as Parker did.
This story is light and fun, it has some pretty lol worthy moments.
If you’re a fan of Parker’s darker work you won’t be disappointed when you pick this one up. Sure, it doesn’t have a bigot tree or some gruesome deaths, but it does have the same excellent writing and attention to detail.
My only complaint? Well, two really, I wanted more and the resolution came too easy.
When an author is known for writing much darker stories you don’t expect a lighthearted romcom to be there next release, most authors wouldn’t be able to pull it off as well as Parker did.
This story is light and fun, it has some pretty lol worthy moments.
If you’re a fan of Parker’s darker work you won’t be disappointed when you pick this one up. Sure, it doesn’t have a bigot tree or some gruesome deaths, but it does have the same excellent writing and attention to detail.
My only complaint? Well, two really, I wanted more and the resolution came too easy.
May 25, 2023
Deception.
This was pleasant and easy to read. The story follows Felicity, a once-renowned designer who finds herself at rock bottom after a failed relationship and tarnished reputation. Desperate for a fresh start, she begs a distant relative for a job in his company where she crosses paths with the intelligent and book-loving ad executive, Eva. An opportunity arises for her to work closely with Eva, but for her to do that, she must impersonate another person.
While I am new to TC Parker's works, I know that this is out her norm. She typically writes horror but I think she did a pretty good job with this one. The chemistry and growing connection between Felicity and Eva are delightful to read and they are sweet together that I want to root for them. The novel also has good pacing with a well-crafted blend of romantic moments, good banter and workplace drama. On top of that, the supporting characters add flavour to the story too.
A good choice for a relaxing read!
This was pleasant and easy to read. The story follows Felicity, a once-renowned designer who finds herself at rock bottom after a failed relationship and tarnished reputation. Desperate for a fresh start, she begs a distant relative for a job in his company where she crosses paths with the intelligent and book-loving ad executive, Eva. An opportunity arises for her to work closely with Eva, but for her to do that, she must impersonate another person.
While I am new to TC Parker's works, I know that this is out her norm. She typically writes horror but I think she did a pretty good job with this one. The chemistry and growing connection between Felicity and Eva are delightful to read and they are sweet together that I want to root for them. The novel also has good pacing with a well-crafted blend of romantic moments, good banter and workplace drama. On top of that, the supporting characters add flavour to the story too.
A good choice for a relaxing read!
June 13, 2023
I read this book for an online Sapphic book club. I see all of these glowing reviews and it’s hard for me to accept that we read the same book. Maybe my silly bone broke, but for me the foundational premises were so far out in crazyland that it was impossible to relate. And the romance (it was supposed to be a romance, was it not?) was thin and dull, instalove without any plausible basis.
TC Parker isn’t a bad writer, but she tries too hard by clogging up her writing with ineffective and artificial similes. Instead of making a description more vivid as such comparisons are meant to do, these act more like an emergency brake, causing this reader to screech to a near-crashing halt as I tried to wrap my brain around them. As in, the police car that was “black and white as a thickset zebra,” or the waiting room sofa that was "shaped like a sherbet fountain."
As a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, I was put off by her lack of basic knowledge of the place where she chose to set her tale. She seems to think it’s hot and sunny here year-round, when in actuality it’s frigidly cold and windy along the coast more often than not. (It’s mid-June today and when I took a little jaunt around the block I nearly froze to death. Brrrr!) And there’s no such thing as a West Coast drawl, to my knowledge.
🌟 UPDATE 🌟
Since for some unfathomable reason this brief and unremarkable review sparked a bunch of controversy, let me add a bit more explanation. I wish now I'd left out the bit about San Francisco weather and drawls (or lack thereof), as that's just a minor quibble and not meriting of so much debate. More essential to my low rating of this book is the plot: It was simply too far-fetched. As others have noted, Taking Flight is more com than rom. But even with com, the actors' actions and motivations have to make some sense. Here, they don't. At the outset, we find Felicity, our protagonist, at rock bottom - down on her luck, unable to find work despite pounding the pavement 24/7, about to be evicted, nowhere to go. She goes begging to her corporate big-dog uncle, yet when he gives her a pity post so she can pay her rent, she blows it all up for no apparent reason (at least, no reason that makes sense or is explained, other than possibly that she feels she is too good for the job she was assigned). This, despite the fact that she's supposed to be a super-smart genius. Another example of things that don't make sense is the phone call that kicks off the entire rest of the plot: A wrong number that Felicity happens to pick up on a random phone line in an unoccupied basement office space. It's the piling up of such random, self-sabotaging, counter-intuitive and/or inexplicable (or at least unexplained) actions that made the plotting feel lazy, and made it impossible for me to suspend my disbelief and get into it. Clearly, others differ and that's fine. Tastes are subjective.
TC Parker isn’t a bad writer, but she tries too hard by clogging up her writing with ineffective and artificial similes. Instead of making a description more vivid as such comparisons are meant to do, these act more like an emergency brake, causing this reader to screech to a near-crashing halt as I tried to wrap my brain around them. As in, the police car that was “black and white as a thickset zebra,” or the waiting room sofa that was "shaped like a sherbet fountain."
As a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, I was put off by her lack of basic knowledge of the place where she chose to set her tale. She seems to think it’s hot and sunny here year-round, when in actuality it’s frigidly cold and windy along the coast more often than not. (It’s mid-June today and when I took a little jaunt around the block I nearly froze to death. Brrrr!) And there’s no such thing as a West Coast drawl, to my knowledge.
🌟 UPDATE 🌟
Since for some unfathomable reason this brief and unremarkable review sparked a bunch of controversy, let me add a bit more explanation. I wish now I'd left out the bit about San Francisco weather and drawls (or lack thereof), as that's just a minor quibble and not meriting of so much debate. More essential to my low rating of this book is the plot: It was simply too far-fetched. As others have noted, Taking Flight is more com than rom. But even with com, the actors' actions and motivations have to make some sense. Here, they don't. At the outset, we find Felicity, our protagonist, at rock bottom - down on her luck, unable to find work despite pounding the pavement 24/7, about to be evicted, nowhere to go. She goes begging to her corporate big-dog uncle, yet when he gives her a pity post so she can pay her rent, she blows it all up for no apparent reason (at least, no reason that makes sense or is explained, other than possibly that she feels she is too good for the job she was assigned). This, despite the fact that she's supposed to be a super-smart genius. Another example of things that don't make sense is the phone call that kicks off the entire rest of the plot: A wrong number that Felicity happens to pick up on a random phone line in an unoccupied basement office space. It's the piling up of such random, self-sabotaging, counter-intuitive and/or inexplicable (or at least unexplained) actions that made the plotting feel lazy, and made it impossible for me to suspend my disbelief and get into it. Clearly, others differ and that's fine. Tastes are subjective.
June 7, 2023
I really enjoyed this totally cryptic book. So much fun and thanks to all my GR friends for putting it on my radar.
January 24, 2023
This is something *very* different from TC Parker. An office romcom with lots of misunderstandings and cracking characters! I hope she writes more of these.
January 18, 2023
Very well written, and full of fun banter and unique characters.
It's a very fast-paced and quick story to read.
However I felt just a tad disconnected, with a lack of insight to the characters feelings.
It's a very fast-paced and quick story to read.
However I felt just a tad disconnected, with a lack of insight to the characters feelings.
December 20, 2022
T.C. Parker has taken a small break from penning horror and crime capers to release Taking Flight, a sapphic office romance, and the results are a decidedly fun and cute romp involving mistaken identity by way of accidental identity theft.
Having left her wife-to-be at the altar, and with her reputation in shambles, Felicity is forced to beg her uncle for a job at his advertising firm. She's stuffed into an HR office and told to spy on her coworkers. Taking a break for herself, she finds an empty office to sack out in and commiserate over all the things that've gone wrong in her life, she automatically answers the ringing telephone and is mistaken for Daphne, a woman who is not actually supposed to be there just yet thanks to international downsizing and reassignments across the ocean. Rather than admit her mistake, and with an ad account now having just landed in her lap, Felicity finds herself back on familiar ground and pretending to be somebody she's not, with her co-workers none the wiser. To make things worse/better, she's falling head over heels for Eva, the exec managing her account and who reports to directly to her uncle.
Laced with plenty of humor, Taking Flight is an utterly charming, completely clean, and preposterously complex romance. At times, it reminded me a bit of that episode of I Love Lucy where she gets a job at the chocolate factory and has to compete against the ramped-up conveyor belt, forced to stuff her face with candy in order to keep up. Only here, instead of chocolates its identities. Felicity is forced, by her own mistakes, to jump from one role to another depending on which floor she's on and who's around, all the while trying to be open and honest with Eva...but as another woman. It's a confounding mess, but entertainingly so!
Taking Flight may be a quirky one-off in Parker's growing oeuvre, but she handles the change of genre with the cool confidence of a seasoned pro. And as much as I've dug what little of her horror works I've read, which is admittedly and shamefully few, I certainly wouldn't say no to another book in this vein from her!
Having left her wife-to-be at the altar, and with her reputation in shambles, Felicity is forced to beg her uncle for a job at his advertising firm. She's stuffed into an HR office and told to spy on her coworkers. Taking a break for herself, she finds an empty office to sack out in and commiserate over all the things that've gone wrong in her life, she automatically answers the ringing telephone and is mistaken for Daphne, a woman who is not actually supposed to be there just yet thanks to international downsizing and reassignments across the ocean. Rather than admit her mistake, and with an ad account now having just landed in her lap, Felicity finds herself back on familiar ground and pretending to be somebody she's not, with her co-workers none the wiser. To make things worse/better, she's falling head over heels for Eva, the exec managing her account and who reports to directly to her uncle.
Laced with plenty of humor, Taking Flight is an utterly charming, completely clean, and preposterously complex romance. At times, it reminded me a bit of that episode of I Love Lucy where she gets a job at the chocolate factory and has to compete against the ramped-up conveyor belt, forced to stuff her face with candy in order to keep up. Only here, instead of chocolates its identities. Felicity is forced, by her own mistakes, to jump from one role to another depending on which floor she's on and who's around, all the while trying to be open and honest with Eva...but as another woman. It's a confounding mess, but entertainingly so!
Taking Flight may be a quirky one-off in Parker's growing oeuvre, but she handles the change of genre with the cool confidence of a seasoned pro. And as much as I've dug what little of her horror works I've read, which is admittedly and shamefully few, I certainly wouldn't say no to another book in this vein from her!
August 3, 2023
I loved so many things about this one, that it got me a little pouty to some opportunities that were lost.
. First, for disclaimer, I do know the author.
. Second, this is not a pace and linguistic development one is used to. Parker show a unique way to conceive her plot and her characters depth. A touch that I can't describe differently than artistic. This is clearly not a instagram-focused narrative, and I could probably read any text from her and identify the unique construction. It is very pleasant and extremely interesting. It makes it a little harder to read as a ESL. It is a book to read on a Sunday afternoon with a hot tea: warm and intelligent. It is a romcom, but not silly.
. Third this is where this book loses a star. Considering what I wrote above, I found myself sighting at the lost opportunities to deepen that nerdy narrative that Parker could do. I was expecting development of the plan and construction of the machinery. Actual notes about the process and the engineering behind it. I am not an engineer, but I would love to see her and Lilly talking about bolts and screws and whatever moving part that I have no idea what is called. I would love to spend a whole chapter devoring that 24 hrs of creation and understanding the inner thoughts and the 'eureka' moment. But in the end, the process of creation was mentioned.
. First, for disclaimer, I do know the author.
. Second, this is not a pace and linguistic development one is used to. Parker show a unique way to conceive her plot and her characters depth. A touch that I can't describe differently than artistic. This is clearly not a instagram-focused narrative, and I could probably read any text from her and identify the unique construction. It is very pleasant and extremely interesting. It makes it a little harder to read as a ESL. It is a book to read on a Sunday afternoon with a hot tea: warm and intelligent. It is a romcom, but not silly.
. Third this is where this book loses a star. Considering what I wrote above, I found myself sighting at the lost opportunities to deepen that nerdy narrative that Parker could do. I was expecting development of the plan and construction of the machinery. Actual notes about the process and the engineering behind it. I am not an engineer, but I would love to see her and Lilly talking about bolts and screws and whatever moving part that I have no idea what is called. I would love to spend a whole chapter devoring that 24 hrs of creation and understanding the inner thoughts and the 'eureka' moment. But in the end, the process of creation was mentioned.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2023
Read this fast paced office romcom in one sitting, it's full of amazingly unique characters and witty banter.
Proof that TC Parker knows how to spin a wonderful story in any genre she chooses.
Proof that TC Parker knows how to spin a wonderful story in any genre she chooses.
January 27, 2023
this book is so chaotic in the best way
April 23, 2023
In full disclosure, I was reading another book. I was having to force myself keep with it. Then this book caught my eye. I read a review, then the synopsis, then a sample and I was hooked. This is a funny book, with a romance at the heart. I wondered how the fake person trope would go. I’d read one before and loved it. This was the same, in that I loved it, not that it was the same plot as another. As the book sped towards its conclusion all the possible pitfalls are coming ever closer. I genuinely cannot wait to find out how the author will handle everything. She does.
Complaints? I would have loved it to be longer!
Complaints? I would have loved it to be longer!
August 4, 2023
I'm honestly surprised that I liked this because the romance was lacking and the MCs didn't really seem to have different voices but the plot itself seemed to work for me.
January 11, 2023
A clever workplace romance, with poetic prose, dry humour, and lots of wit. I really enjoyed it! Its fast-paced, succinct, and humorous (even when it probably shouldn't be, which made it that much more brilliant.)
When Felicity Fitzgerald, a disgraced designer and inventor, practically begs her uncle for a small job so she isn't completely broke and homeless, an empty office and a project that Felicity is keen to work on proves too much of a temptation. Portraying an actual designer without her uncle knowing, Felicity becomes Daisy Mortimer... but when she inadvertently makes more friends than she expects, as well as falling for her colleague Eva, Felicity must come clean.
"So, okay: you knew that she'd lied. She told you that she lied. But you thought it was a different lie than the actual - and let's be honest, pretty spectacular - lie it turns out to be?"
"Pretty much."
I was given a free copy of this book in the form of an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
When Felicity Fitzgerald, a disgraced designer and inventor, practically begs her uncle for a small job so she isn't completely broke and homeless, an empty office and a project that Felicity is keen to work on proves too much of a temptation. Portraying an actual designer without her uncle knowing, Felicity becomes Daisy Mortimer... but when she inadvertently makes more friends than she expects, as well as falling for her colleague Eva, Felicity must come clean.
"So, okay: you knew that she'd lied. She told you that she lied. But you thought it was a different lie than the actual - and let's be honest, pretty spectacular - lie it turns out to be?"
"Pretty much."
I was given a free copy of this book in the form of an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 21, 2023
I loved this one from TC Parker, and loved that she wrote a rom-com. Felicity Fitzgerald is escaping her life in London but having a hard time doing that, even as far away as San Francisico. When she can't find a job to save her life but happens into a little 'situation' she can't help herself. Eva Jansen meets the new transfer from work and they hit it off, doesn't hurt that she's also a genius and helping design the impossible for her impossible client.
The dialogue here is so witty and intelligent and really makes this book amazing. I think that a lot of times the dialogue is lacking and it hurts the ability to really understand the characters and their relationships. Impossible situations, comparisons to Margaret Thatcher and chocolate trivia round out the fun here, making for a really great reading experience.
The supporting characters are just as funny as the MCs and I think they add a lot to the plot. Andy is so oblivious it becomes cute, Trip is a jerk who you hope gets his due and Lily is an enigma. The misunderstandings between Felicity and Eva make this situation even funnier and I loved their interactions with each other. This is going right back into the TBR. Side note, I am very jealous of Eva's book collection, may need some new bookshelves soon to compete with her.
The dialogue here is so witty and intelligent and really makes this book amazing. I think that a lot of times the dialogue is lacking and it hurts the ability to really understand the characters and their relationships. Impossible situations, comparisons to Margaret Thatcher and chocolate trivia round out the fun here, making for a really great reading experience.
The supporting characters are just as funny as the MCs and I think they add a lot to the plot. Andy is so oblivious it becomes cute, Trip is a jerk who you hope gets his due and Lily is an enigma. The misunderstandings between Felicity and Eva make this situation even funnier and I loved their interactions with each other. This is going right back into the TBR. Side note, I am very jealous of Eva's book collection, may need some new bookshelves soon to compete with her.
January 29, 2023
I adore books that make you forget you are actually reading conversations, not hearing them first hand. That’s exactly what this RomCom achieved!
Charming, witty banter between equally engaging characters, not just the main characters, made this book a delight in every sense! The premise and circumstances, outrageous paths that were chosen and the calamity that ensues! Yes, a winner indeed!
I have only read a few books by T.C. Parker. Treat yourself, no matter the genre. You certainly will be glad you did! Now to the rest of her books!
Charming, witty banter between equally engaging characters, not just the main characters, made this book a delight in every sense! The premise and circumstances, outrageous paths that were chosen and the calamity that ensues! Yes, a winner indeed!
I have only read a few books by T.C. Parker. Treat yourself, no matter the genre. You certainly will be glad you did! Now to the rest of her books!
August 6, 2023
4 stars
This was fun and quirky, for the most part. I really liked the banter between Felicity and Eva, and I wish we got more moments with the two of them. I felt like there was a bit too much focus on the Bad Decisions Felicity was making. I would have minded less if Felicity's fake identity plot happened in a fun way, but everyone—including Felicity—seemed to agree it was a bad idea and just stressed about the consequences.
Still an enjoyable (and pretty quick) read!
This was fun and quirky, for the most part. I really liked the banter between Felicity and Eva, and I wish we got more moments with the two of them. I felt like there was a bit too much focus on the Bad Decisions Felicity was making. I would have minded less if Felicity's fake identity plot happened in a fun way, but everyone—including Felicity—seemed to agree it was a bad idea and just stressed about the consequences.
Still an enjoyable (and pretty quick) read!
May 18, 2023
3 stars. Not a favorite from this author for me unfortunately. I just could not connect with the story or any of the characters. The writing was great and quirky as usual and I really do hope that Parker does write more romance because there was definitely potential here but I just wasn’t feeling it. It’s a quick paced read and is very well written so three stars.
April 24, 2023
3 stars. For a "sapphic office romance" there's a not a lot of romance but there is a lot of office shenanigans with a crap ton of side characters. To be fair, it's well written, the plot is good, but I just expected more romance.
August 4, 2023
No idea why this is called a romance, hardly any romance at all
September 28, 2023
couldn't get into it, there was no chemistry at all. but it has all ingredients for a really nice hollywood romcom
September 10, 2024
Delightful read, warm and complex characters and a good premise for a terrible mix-up.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews