Laura Benson has her life together, thank you very much. Her jewelry store in San Francisco is doing wonderfully. Her design skills will soon have her traveling to London, designing a new line that should build her reputation world wide.
She's on top, which is where she likes to be - especially when it comes to men. Since giving her fiance his ring back a year ago, Laura has kept her relationships light, and short. Sexy pilot Smoke Hamilton might be hot, but she doesn't need a Mr Right, just Mr Right Now. She doesn't need a man holding her down.
From the moment he first saw her, Smoke knew Laura was his kind of sexy. What he hadn't banked on was her being his kind of smart, with a sassy mouth too. He usually prefers his women 'nice and easy', but Laura is a challenge. Smoke has always been a sucker for a challenge, he just can't leave them alone til he's conquered them.
Conquering Laura is a risk, she's Jack's cousin, Jack is not only his friend, but his employer too. Still she's a risk he has to take. As a pilot, his career comes first, and always gives him the option to fly away. He'll never let a woman tie him down again.
The chemistry between them definitely has the sparks flying, but will the scars of the past only lead them to crash and burn?
The Summer Lake series follows a group of friends from a small lakeside town in the California hills. They have kept in touch over the years and now, in their early thirties, their lives are drawing them back to Summer Lake and to each other.
This book is intended for adult readers 18+
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Each Summer Lake Romance can be read as a stand alone book – no cliff hangers here! Each book contains one couple's story. However, they are best read in order to get full enjoyment of the underlying story and friendships.
Book 1: Love Like You've Never Been Hurt Emma and Jack Book 2: Work Like You Don't Need the Money Pete and Holly Book 3: Dance Like Nobody's Watching Missy and Dan Book 4: Fly Like You've Never Been Grounded Smoke and Laura
Hi, I'm SJ. A coffee addict, lover of chocolate and drinker of good red wines. I'm a lost soul and a hopeless romantic. Reading and writing are necessary parts of who I am. Though perhaps not as necessary as coffee! I can drink coffee without writing, but I can't write without coffee.
I grew up loving romance novels, my first boyfriends were book boyfriends, but life intervened, as it tends to do, and I wandered down the paths of non fiction for many years. My life changed completely a couple of years ago and I returned to Romance to find my escape.
I write 'Sweet N Steamy' stories because to me there is enough angst and darkness in real life. My favorite romances are happy escapes with a focus on fun, friendships and happily-ever-afters, just like the ones I write.
These days I live in beautiful Montana, the last best place. If I'm not reading or writing you'll find me just down the road in the park - Yellowstone. I have deer, eagles and the occasional bear for company, and I like it that way :0)
I was so happy when I got an email from SJ saying that this book was almost ready and asking if I would like to read it. I immediately replied yes! I was even more thrilled when I was sent an ARC of Fly Like You've Never Been Grounded.
I have been looking forward to reading about Smoke and Laura since they met in book 2 Work Like You Don't Need the Money. I enjoyed finding out what happened when the girls left Laura behind after noticing the sparks flying between her and Smoke. There was a strong attraction that neither one of them hid from the first moment they laid eyes on one another. Another great thing about this book is that since it took you back to when they first met in book two you also got to find out what happened after they met and exchanged business cards, which had been unknown and I kept wondering about until this book.
Laura is Jack and Dan's cousin. She lives in San Francisco and is a jewelry designer. Her speciality has become engagement rings, and she has even designed engagement rings for her cousins. I liked Laura from the previous books so I was glad to get to know more about her. Smoke is a pilot that takes the guys back and forth to Summer Lake and their business destinations. In the previous books he was a mystery other than the girls said that he was smoking hot so his name was fitting! It was interesting to learn that Smoke had been friends with Jack and Pete for years and that he had deep back story.
Despite the chemistry between Smoke and Laura when they first met, they are both very driven in their careers making it had for them to meet up. When they finally get the time to spend time together they realize how much they have in common. Laura is used to being in control in and out of the bedroom. Due to a previous relationship she never wants to be in a place where she has to give up who she is and what she loves to be with someone else. Smoke is also someone who likes to be in charge and he has an ego to match, which actually made him more attractive and hot! Previous events in his past have led him to beleiving that remaining unattached is the way to maintain his freedom and the career that he loves. The two of them begin to question what they previously believed when they discover that when you find someone who truly understands you, being with them does not mean having to give up who you are and what you enjoy doing.
I absolutely love the Summer Lake series and this book did not disappoint at all. This might just be the steamiest one so far in the series. I enjoyed how the two of them opened up to one another over time. Laura especially had a fear of giving herself to someone else, but she found out with Smoke that there did not have to be a winner and a loser. A true relationship is a balance that opens you up to new experiences while allowing you to maintain your sense of self and that is what Laura and Smoke found in one another. As is common with the books in this series their journey was not an easy one, but that is what makes these stories such page turners.
The next book is Michael's story and I can't wait to learn more about him. I am also eager for Ben's story after getting a peek into his past in this book. He is so sweet and always there for his friends, so I really want to read about him finding (or maybe rediscovering) love.
If you have not read any books in this series, you should definitely start at book one Love Like You've Never Been Hurt. Then read the books in order because all of the characters reappear in each book, and you meet characters and then in later books get more of their story. These sweet steamy romance books are on my list of all time favorites and I am hoping that it will be quite some time before this series ends.
Another great book in the Summer Lake series. Loved catching up on all the characters that I have come to love over the course. Book 4 in the Summer Lake series is set around Smoke ‘the Smoking Hot pilot’ and Laura, the Itty Bitty cousin of Jack and Dan. We have seen these two briefly in the other books along the way but it was a real pleasure getting to know them properly. Smoke has many issues with trust and relationships of any sort (love and family). Laura also has her relationship issues after her previous relationship. I really liked watching the walls crumble around Smoke and Laura and crumble is what they definitely did! Both opening themselves up to the possibilities of love and a future of happiness, not only with each other but also his family. I always love the way that the other friends, Emma, Holly and Missy are all pointing out what is inevitable between the couple (definitely not interfering). Makes me smile that outsiders can always see it before the couple can. Smoke and Laura make an amazing couple, there chemistry is something you can feel oozing from the pages, definitely smoking hot stuff at times! I absolutely adore each and every one of these characters. The books are all written so that you can actually see yourself there with them. Yes they have brought me to the edge of tears on many occasion. They also make me chuckle too. Especially Smoke and his ego, that always brings a grin.
Was such a pleasure to read this book and can’t wait for Michael’s story to come out. Another great book by a talented author. I could not put it down! Thanks
I absolutely loved this book! This series really just keeps getting better and better with each new couple. “Fly Like You’ve Never Been Grounded” is by far the steamiest of the series and I enjoyed every minute of it! These two are just electric together and it was a joy to see their story unfold. Smoke and Laura have an instant attraction from the moment they meet. But can two people with busy, hectic careers and years’ worth of emotional baggage make a relationship work? Do they even want to be in a relationship? Both Smoke and Laura are extremely focused and strong willed and it is a struggle for both of them to reconcile what they think they want with what their hearts are telling them. It’s always great to go back to Summer Lake and see the whole gang (seriously, can I go live there and be friends with everybody??) I loved seeing Emma and Jack, Pete and Holly and Dan and Missy. We got to know Michael a bit better and even got some more info on the ever elusive Ben! I love that this series isn’t overrun with angst but has just enough drama to keep the pages turning! I am eagerly awaiting the next book!!!
"Fly as You've Never Been Grounded" is book four in the Summer Lake series by S. J. McCoy. Laura Benson life was perfect; her career is where she wanted it to be and had no desire to have a permanent relationship with a man until she met Pilot Smoke Hamilton and her life got complicated. The readers of "Parts like Fly like You've Never Been Grounded" will follow Laura Benson and Pilot Smoke Hamilton to see if they both achieve their dreams.
"Parts like Fly like You've Never Been Grounded" were boring. However, on the whole, it is an enjoyable read. I like the characters "Parts like Fly like You've Never Been Grounded" at times they made me laugh. S. J. McCoy described the setting of ''Fly as You've Never Been Grounded" in a way that I felt I was part of the story.
The readers of ''Fly as You've Never Been Grounded" will start to understand the importance of communications with friends and family. Also, the readers of ''Fly as You've Never Been Grounded" will learn about the procedures and thriller of been a pilot in a small plan.
Complimentary copy provided by author for an honest review.
First of all I love this series from SJ, you can read them again and again you get caught up in these friendships and love for each other. So SJ as I see it we definitely need the story of Ben and one of Alexander.
So join the fourth book with Laura and Smoke.
If you read the previous books you know that Laura is the cousin from Jack and that she designs jewelry but lately they all have been engagement rings. When she goes to visit her friends in Summer Lake she did not think to find the sexy mysterious pilot Smoke on her way. What is it about him that makes her heart go crazy and keeps her mind occupied? Not that she's looking for a Mr. Right at the moment, she enjoys to much her life and job.
Smoke the HOT and charming pilot of Pete and Jack can't have this gorgeous woman out of his mind from the moment they met, even with her sassy mouth it seems that she has him in her spell. Is he going to take the risk of getting to know her after all she’s his employer/best friend’s cousin? One thing is for sure after the scars of his past he’s not giving any woman his heart again.
Are they going to Fly together or will one of them get burned again?
Favorite Quote: “Summer Lake is like this magical realm. Once you come here you are assigned your very own hot man, and you get to live here and have a wonderful little life.”
My Review: I read all four books to complete this review – 1,121 pages. It was a slow start, and I almost gave it up nearly a quarter of the way into the first book, as it seemed so tame and chaste. I told my mother I thought I may have stumbled on a book for her and her Sunday School ladies book club. Really glad I didn’t send her the links as it finally started to heat up half way through book one, and the temperature and story line was much more to my liking. Each book focuses on a different couple finding love from the same basic core group of friends. Despite the rocky start, I enjoyed all four books and wonder who the next targeted couple will be. The story lines are easy to follow and deliciously steamy, yet honestly, this is definitely fantasy romance as no mature person would put up with the nonsense these woman and men give each other as they are getting over their various “relationship” issues. It does sound like an ideal place to live, I’d like to give it a try to find my own assigned rich, well endowed, sexually talented, handsome “hot man.”
fly like you've never been grounded is Smoke and Laura's its full of uncertainty, rule breaking,heart breaking and falling in love. their story will keep you on your toes and make you just wanna slap smoke over the back of his head.
smoke is a pilot who was once hurt and left broken and refused to ever let a woman get close to him again or stop him from flying off when ever he wants to. flying is his life its who he is and nothing will ever come between him and flying.
Laura designs jewelry and is finally being recognized and all her dreams are starting to come true, she was once burnt and wont ever let someone stop her from traveling and doing what she needs to do for her job.
will they work it out and find a balance or are they destined to be alone forever read their story today and find out whats going on with the rest of the crew in summer lake today.
Ok so I love this series and have enjoyed every book. This book is about smoke(Cole) and Laura the both have had the share of heartbreak and loss of trust. Smoke is a hot pilot know for being a womaniser until Laura. Laura is a jewellery designer and a passion to travel. They fall for each other fast and are both use to using there flight mode. They have a few hurdles to over come and I have enjoyed following them while they do.
Oh my! I am so totally love love loving the Summer Lake series. These books put a smile on my face, they are beautifully written, with realistic problems that the characters have to overcome. They have to recognise their worth as an individual and their strength as a couple. Smoke and Laura’s story was heart warming, both having been hurt in the past, and felt trapped by their previous relationship, but they simply can’t stay away from each other, their life is brighter and happier with the other in it. They both expressed how they felt about being tied down and showed that communication and understanding help solve anything. I loved seeing the other characters from the previous three books, the one liners between Smoke and Pete were great. Learning more about Ben was great too. I can see his story is building it. These books are sweet, happy and sappy romances but they certainly pack the steam in without it being overly explicit. It is beautifully written.
I have read the rest of the Summer Lake series and was fortunate enough to be gifted this most recent book by he author. If you have read the other books, you will most definitely love this one too. Laura, Jacks cousin has spent a little time coming too and fro to the lake to see her family and friends. She is a busy successful business woman with an expanding career with her jewellery store and design. Coming to the lake means that she has often bumped into the pilot who has flew the whole group from place to place. The pilot being a hot and sexy man who is also friends with Jack and Pete who is known as Smoke. The attraction is instant between Laura and Smoke but with their schedules they find it hard to get together. Eventually when they do with a little help from their friend Ben, it gets all hot and passionate. Both just start out as if its a fling, both have been hurt in the past and are not looking for commitment, in fact both would run a mile if there were any signs of it, plus they both have reputations of not committing. So they play this hot sexy game trying to get the upper hand over the other. But as the fling goes along, they start to feel more for each other, breaking down each others walls that they have put up to protect themselves, and breaking rules that they vowed they would not break. But as always the past comes back to haunt them and the demons that they have rear their ugly heads. Can Laura and Smoke break down the walls enough to let the other in ? Will love win out or will the past come back to hurt them. A heartwarming superb book full of love, lust, flirting, jealousy, trust, friendship, family and all my favourite characters, Smoke is a hot sexy pilot , Laura a hot feisty brunette, with their hot friends Pete, Jack, Dan, missy, Emma, Holly, Ben, Michael and many more, help make this book a fab read that's addictive that you won't be able to put down. Well done S J McCoy, you've done it again and added another great book to this already great series.
This is book four in the Summer Lake series. I actually read all four books back to back when I started this series just a few weeks ago. It is sweet, hot, and is asking an amazing group of people that I want as my real life friends!
This is the story of Smoke and Laura and their story of learning to move on, learning to live, love and opening their hearts again to forever.
Smoke is a pilot. He is a playboy who can have pretty much any woman he wants. He has been burned by love and doesn't want to go back so no real attachments are a must. Laura is a recognized jewelry designer whose career has finally taken off. She is also the cousin of Jack, Smoke's boss. She has past relationship issues so she has closed her heart on love. When these two meet and spend time together, they can't deny their connection or chemistry. As they navigate uncharted territory, they will have to put trust and faith in each other and take chance on love again.
Will Smoke take a chance on love with Laura? Will Laura take a chance on love with Smoke? Can tweet people who have been burned learn to trust again? Or will they run and not give love a fighting chance?
Smoke was delicious. He was sweet, loving, loyal, sexy, charming, determined, and totally alpha. I also loved Laura. She was a stronger character (not the typical weak heroine) so it was a nice change of pace. She has been burned but I loved seeing he and Laura breaking out of their shells and allowing their heart to lead them and learn to love again.
It is not necessary to read this books in order as they are each a standalone but I highly recommend it because each book had crossover characters from the previous books in the series.
This is a fun, sweet, sexy series with alpha men that will make you weak and women who can stand their own ground! I can't wait for the next book in the series and who we will get next! :)
I absolutely loved this book! This series really just keeps getting better and better with each new couple. “Fly Like You’ve Never Been Grounded” is by far the steamiest of the series and I enjoyed every minute of it! These two are just electric together and it was a joy to see their story unfold.
Smoke and Laura have an instant attraction from the moment they meet. But can two people with busy, hectic careers and years’ worth of emotional baggage make a relationship work? Do they even want to be in a relationship?
Both Smoke and Laura are extremely focused and strong willed and it is a struggle for both of them to reconcile what they think they want with what their hearts are telling them. Despite their reservations, every time Smoke and Laura are alone together they can’t seem to keep their hands off each other. These two have crazy chemistry!
It’s always great to go back to Summer Lake and see the whole gang (seriously, can I go live there and be friends with everybody??) I loved seeing Emma and Jack, Pete and Holly and Dan and Missy. We got to know Michael a bit better and even got some more info on the ever elusive Ben!
I love that this series isn’t overrun with angst but has just enough drama to keep the pages turning! It is always a joy to read these stories. Even though this is the fourth book in the series, it can be read as a standalone but I do recommend going back and starting with book one, you will not regret it! I am eagerly awaiting the next one!!!
Wow!! I am now a big fan of SJ McCoy. I have read all her books and I have to admit this is now one of my favorite stories of all time. This is the story of Smoke and Laura, when they first meet there is a small spark, but because of their chosen professions, it takes some time to fan the flames. Once they are together, their passion becomes a raging wild fire. However they find there needs to be more than passion to feed the fire, you need honesty, communication, truth, and most of all TRUST and LOVE. Going without it the fire will die. They discover what all their friends say about the lake is true, "It is a magical place."
I recommend the story to anyone who is a passionate romantic. It is very well written and a fast pace story that will be hard to put down. This high flying story will make you believe everyone needs a little Smoke in their own lives.
Couldn't get into this novel. It's shallow and gratuitous. Within the first few pages, we learn that Smoke likes hot chicks and Laura makes him hard. Readers will see those key words A LOT in the first few pages, and the writing doesn't improve. As a character, Laura isn't treated well. It takes a long time for the reader to learn anything about her, and when we do learn something, it's backwards and only in snippets. We learn she has something going on with diamond people in San Francisco and then pages and pages later, we learn she's been asked to design jewelry. Being an artist might have been one of the first things used to describe her, if she were given respect. One almost wonders if S.J. McCoy is a man with the amount of respect and dignity given the female lead character.
Some people may be incensed by my observations and wonder why any of that makes for a bad book or how I can review a book I haven't finished. Well, I have read hundreds of books, and hundreds of *bad* books over several decades. My experience is this: when a novel begins the way this one does, it means there is absolutely NO plot beyond the two main characters having lots of graphic sex and living "happily ever after" immediately after falling in "love at first sight". There won't be any character development; all epiphanies will be sudden and lack support or substance or even reality. There won't be any originality. It will all be a group of overused romance novel cliches thrown together. I refuse to waste my time and my brain on such nonsense. Give me a romance with a real plot any day, but I won't read drivel. I'm happy to be proven wrong. If someone has read this book and can identify a plot beyond the sex, please let me know what page to begin reading.
I loved this story. Smoke and Laura's story just really got to me I don't know why, it just did, maybe cos I could see some of myself in Laura. There is a bit of backwards and forwards but then again show me a relationship that doesn't have a bit of that in it. There are twists, turns and surprises in this book, there were some I didn't even see coming and I am usually good at guess, what I think some of the secrets are. I laughed with the couple, got mad at the couple and I might of shed a little bit of a tear, I know my son told me of cos I told smoke to get his head out of his arse. I think the reason I love this series is although each individual couple have there own story we are still seeing all the couples from the other books and meeting new ones along the way. I am loving this series, so much, I definitely recommend it, so worth the 5 stars I have given it.
I really enjoyed Smoke and Laura's story. We have meet these two in passing in previous books in the series and they have had an attraction that need to be explored. They are both determined to keep their independence and not be tied down. However, once they start to let their guards down and get over past hurts they find that being a couple doesn't mean they can't be individuals. There are tears, great chemistry, lots of steam and of course all the wonderful characters from the Summer Lake series so far.
We get to have a closer look at The Gorgeous Pilot, college friend of Jack and Pete, since the gang is going to be making Summer Lake the base. Smoke decides he might want that too. Then he sees and finally gets to be with Laura Benson. Pouring out his secrets and falling in love. Captain Cole “Smoke” Alexzander Hamilton, Jr. sours to new heights.
I feel like this book took me an eternity to actually read. I started and stopped it too many times. It wasn’t bad but like all the others nothing kept me compelled to continue reading. The characters are so frustrating for like 99% of the book. Laura and Smoke were a little better, until they weren’t.
2.5 stars, rounded up. The H runs away from the relationship the first time it hits a bump (which is all in his mind). At the first bump, his friends and the h manage to talk him around. The second bump, he runs so far and so fast no one can talk him to his senses. Then he magically comes around by himself, with no credible process to get there. Pffftt.
There was nothing i disliked about this book i loved it!I absolutely could not put it down while I was sad for it to end in so excited about the rest of the story please try it you won't be disappointed!
I found this book boring. Couldn’t have a conversation without having sex. Talked more to their friends than they did to each other. Also spent too much time in their heads talking. And for supposedly being older sure acted like teenagers.
Like all the Summer Lake books this was a great romance. Very in-depth about love & sex. I loved them all and will be looking forward to the NEXT ONES !!!.
I love read her series. The characters feel like ur friends and family. I cant wait to read more of her series. Thanks for the love u give in ur books.