Late Flight to Lisbon

by Melynda Taylor

304 pages, Hardcover

Published February 16, 2026

Reviews

[VickydpBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book enjoyed the storyline.

In December 1998, a snowbound delay at JFK changes two women's lives forever.

Louella, an American entrepreneur escaping the emotional wreckage of a narcissistic marriage, and Alexa, a Portuguese painter trapped in a glittering aristocratic cage, begin talking over a shared love of books, art, and the freedom they crave.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read a romance in many years and if this book is any example, they have deepened in a variety of ways. While the rich, handsome hero is fully present and the strong heroine may be swept off her feet, she knows who she is and what she wants.

The beauty of found family and the pleasure experienced by the wealthy sparkle with description. But beneath the glamor, the globetrotting and a magical life when money and time are plentiful, this story explores some very serious issues.

At its heart, it is a story of female strength in a world of changing mores—the ability to overcome the damage of an abusive marriage, the confidence it takes to break from the constraints of expectation, and the beauty of developing deep relationships later in life.

The story is grounded in the stratosphere of immense wealth, the remaining expectations of European royals, and finding love and purpose in unexpected places.

American Louella Bentley, divorced mother of a teenage son meets Alexdrina Viera and her mother, Carolina at JFK when their flight is delayed. The mother and daughter are Portuguese royals. It is kismet. Not only do they become instant friends, but their lives going forward are completely intertwined and reimagined. When Louella visits Alexdrina in Lisbon, she arranges a party for Louella to meet Lucas, and it is love all at once.

Alexdrina or Alex as she is called is married to Thomas and has two children. She is well aware of what her duties are in this lush but closed society and struggles. She is a talented painter eager to emerge from this lovely golden prison she inhabits with a husband who discounts her art as a hobby.

The story takes off with Lucas and Louella at its center. We learn in detail of how abused she was in her first marriage and how the telling of it along with Lucas’s love, will help get her heal. Parallel to that, Alex meets someone who loves and fully supports her art.

The story is layered. It is interspersed with a great deal of history and literature, in addition to the revelations. Through it all, I am uneasy. Louella is vulnerable. Lucas is perfect in everything he does. Too perfect. All the minor players, Lucas’s sons, Louella’s son, the extended family, the friends, are aligned with a happy ending to this fairy tale romance after Louella’s marriage to a psycho is fully behind her.

But will there be a happily ever after for this couple whose past is fraught with trauma? I’ll leave it there…

I must admit I was bogged down by some of the detail in the book. Long lists of descriptions, Louella’s dispassionate recitation of her abuse whenever Lucas asked, the many literary references. And perhaps, most of all, the tidy tightening of connections.

But don’t let that hold you back. I was too knotted up waiting for a shoe to drop. And isn’t that what a good romance does? Especially one like this, weighted with serious issues confronting women who have one foot in the present, one in the past, and hope for the future.

As Louella observes, "no one can damage the eternal part of us." Something we all should remember.



Author Melynda Taylor has had a varied career and brings a wealth of experience to her writing. Her career includes but is not limited to politics, business, media, and international travel. She now lives in the south of France.

[Paula · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book might well be someone's cup of tea, but it wasn't mine. The synopsis sounded like a light, maybe sentimental read I could relax with - a woman making an unlikely friend in a different social class and rediscovering herself.

By definition, these things are factually true to the book. Louella, the protagonist, is not nobility, and she gains confidence through the story with her new love interest, a genteel member of Portugese aristocracy. They have a romantic whirlwind of a time while helping her original strange friend through marital troubles of her own.

The plot is not the problem I had with this book.

It was the way the characters were written and spoke to each other - asked about their homeland, they would list off what sounded like a summary of a Wikipedia page. Everyone has the perfect opinions on everything, and has to hand specific quotations from philosphers to support their argument, or else will give another Wikipedia summary of a school of thought. I couldn't bring myself to be interested in the romance when the leads were expositing or explaining at each other instead of having a conversation.

I also couldn't help but feel dissonance in characters who would take pains to verbally inform the reader how feminist they were, how anti-colonialist they were, how ideallogically perfect they were but who would still make jokes about disability (I had never heard the remark about why men are like parking spaces before) and dismiss mental health struggles as something the villain of the piece must have - all while saying how terrible it was he tried to make people think the protagonist might be mentally ill.
The rant about SSRIs was about where I checked out of this book and began skimming, only slowing back down when I hit the twist right near the end - a twist that I'm still not sure of the point of.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel had interesting history in it about Portugal and the gradual decline of European royalty, woven around a touching love story describing how sweet and healing a second chance at love can be. I enjoy history woven into my reading, and I liked the characters and the old-world sweetness of this modern story. My struggle was with the writing style. It seemed like a question and answer series, rather than natural dialog. Perhaps the author was trying to emphasize the character's formal expression and regionalism, but it seemed forced to me. Despite the style issues within the writing, I was motivated to keep reading. I'm glad I did.

[Farah G · Rating 4 out of 5]

From their initial encounter at an airport, to the life changing impact they will experience as a result of it, Alexa and Louella end up travelling a unique path together.

This is a close look at women's lives, through the experiences of two women in particular - one recovering from a terrible ordeal, the other struggling to meet unreasonable social expectations.

The result is a beautiful story that will touch the emotions of many readers, especially those who enjoy women's fiction.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Christina Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you enjoy stories about the rich and elite; then this is probably a good book for you. I wish I could say I connected to the characters better. I did really enjoy the character Jake (the son). I think he is going to turn out to be a bright young man. His Mom, I just couldn’t relate to. I felt sympathy for her for her past, but I couldn’t relate to her flying back and forth to Europe on a whim every few weeks - who in real life can do this?

Then there was Alexa who was unhappy in her marriage and blamed her high social status for this unhappiness. Then used this as justification to start an affair.

Just when you think the story is going to end happily ever after for everyone, there is a twist. I just don’t know why the twist was there.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book for my honest review.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Late Flight to Lisbon was a book that needed to be pushed at times to carry on and go forward with the story. It had no character connection for me. I wanted more from them and kept waiting to see where it was going to take me in the story.
Thank you NetGalley, Melynda Taylor and Köehler Books for the copy of Late Flight to Lisbon. This is my personal review.

[Glenn R. Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melynda Taylor’s Late Flight to Lisbon is a radiant novel of romance, healing, and emotional intelligence. With rich language and philosophical depth, it explores the power of listening, love, and renewal across glamorous international settings. The characters feel deeply real, the love story profoundly moving. This is a beautiful, intelligent book, one to savor.

[Kimberly Tierney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have been struggling with my feelings about this book. While it wasn't terribly engaging, it wasn't extremely boring either. Those factors made it difficult to want to stick around to the end. I do think that if I had the option all over again, I would pass on this one.

[Azkate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too preachy

While the author made some excellent observations about physical and mental abuse I felt she went too far at times .....I wouldn't buy this book again