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The Miles High Club #1
The Stopover
A memorable night of passion refuses to stay just a memory in this sizzling and scandalous romance from bestselling author T L Swan.
I was upgraded to first class on a flight from London to New York.
The food, champagne, and service were impeccable.
The blue-eyed man sitting next to me, even better.
He was suave and intelligent.
We talked and laughed, and something clicked.
Fate took over and the plane was grounded, and we had an unexpected stopover for the night.
With no plans, we made our own.
We danced and laughed our way around Boston and had a night of crazy passion that no woman would ever forget.
That was twelve months ago, and I haven’t heard from him—until today.
I started a new job and met the CEO. You can imagine my surprise to see those naughty blue eyes dance with delight when he saw me across the mahogany desk.
But I’m not that carefree girl anymore. My life has changed, I have responsibilities.
I just got an email.
He wants to see me in his office for a private meeting at 8:00 a.m.
Naughty blue eyes have no place in the workplace.
What kind of private meeting does he have in mind?
521 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 26, 2019
33203 people are currently reading
106417 people want to read
About the author
T.L. Swan
42 books23.5k followersT L Swan is a #1 Amazon best-selling author and a professional daydream believer. Based on the scenic South Coast of NSW with her husband and three kids, she's seen her books take the romance world by storm with multiple #1 best sellers and translated editions of her books in over 20 languages.
Best known for "The Miles High Club" series, all of her books exist in an inter-connected universe that exudes luxury and desire. Her mission is crafting steamy, tender, and unforgettable romantic stories that stay with you long after you’ve closed the book.
Best known for "The Miles High Club" series, all of her books exist in an inter-connected universe that exudes luxury and desire. Her mission is crafting steamy, tender, and unforgettable romantic stories that stay with you long after you’ve closed the book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 15,814 reviews
October 4, 2019
Sadly I had to DNF this at 40%. I thought that the characters were immature and really irritating. They were either having sex or arguing, and I was so bored reading about it. I can't even believe there was another 60% left! Jameson was a total nut job in my opinion, he spied on Emily through cctv at work, I think he got her phone number illegally from the employer files, he was controlling, possessive and a bit of a dick to be honest! When will books stop glamourising this kind of behaviour and relationship?
Emily.. Well her personality was all over the place.
The writing was quite cringe worthy, the dialogue and so called banter miserable. I just couldn't read on. The only reason I read so far, was because this was rated highly by a few friends on Goodreads. I do apologise to any friends I have who did like this, and I did give it a fair try. Unfortunately I cannot recommend this!
Emily.. Well her personality was all over the place.
The writing was quite cringe worthy, the dialogue and so called banter miserable. I just couldn't read on. The only reason I read so far, was because this was rated highly by a few friends on Goodreads. I do apologise to any friends I have who did like this, and I did give it a fair try. Unfortunately I cannot recommend this!
September 29, 2019
2 STARS
If I could describe a book to you in one gif, well...you're welcome. You may now skip my entire review.
But dang it, I keep telling myself that I'll stop setting high hopes for books with hot covers only to be let down. And yet I keep doing it. Again. And again. And again.
Admittedly it wasn't just the sexy cover that hooked me here, but the blurb as well. It reminded me a little of a crossover between Whitney Gracia's Turbulence and Reasonable Doubt: Full Series. Sadly, the story just didn't deliver on the promise of the eye catching cover. Frankly, it was pretty much a hot mess.
First of all, this was not a story meant for a full novel. It was a novella that had an eye rolling amount of filler in the form of the constant back and forth between the hero and heroine. These two were like a merry-go-round of relationships. They're up, they're down, they're up, they're down. Over and over in a seemingly never ending circle. It was funny and cute in the first 20% but then it just got tiresome and unnecessary. For characters in their 30s and mid 20s, they argued like jealous teenagers. Now I'm a reader that typically loves good enemies to lovers vibe and some deliciously heated barbs traded in the way. But this was not that. This was just...I don't even know. Frustrating? Rage inducing?
I started out loving the characters, only to get so annoyed with them after the 25% mark that I barely forced myself to finish. It was a stretched out story without much holding it together, patched together with bouts of sex, and slapped with a HEA at the end. This would have been a hot 100 page novella, but for a full length book it only served as an exercise in frustration.
ARC courtesy of publisher in exchange for an honest review
Find me on:
If I could describe a book to you in one gif, well...you're welcome. You may now skip my entire review.
But dang it, I keep telling myself that I'll stop setting high hopes for books with hot covers only to be let down. And yet I keep doing it. Again. And again. And again.
Admittedly it wasn't just the sexy cover that hooked me here, but the blurb as well. It reminded me a little of a crossover between Whitney Gracia's Turbulence and Reasonable Doubt: Full Series. Sadly, the story just didn't deliver on the promise of the eye catching cover. Frankly, it was pretty much a hot mess.
First of all, this was not a story meant for a full novel. It was a novella that had an eye rolling amount of filler in the form of the constant back and forth between the hero and heroine. These two were like a merry-go-round of relationships. They're up, they're down, they're up, they're down. Over and over in a seemingly never ending circle. It was funny and cute in the first 20% but then it just got tiresome and unnecessary. For characters in their 30s and mid 20s, they argued like jealous teenagers. Now I'm a reader that typically loves good enemies to lovers vibe and some deliciously heated barbs traded in the way. But this was not that. This was just...I don't even know. Frustrating? Rage inducing?
I started out loving the characters, only to get so annoyed with them after the 25% mark that I barely forced myself to finish. It was a stretched out story without much holding it together, patched together with bouts of sex, and slapped with a HEA at the end. This would have been a hot 100 page novella, but for a full length book it only served as an exercise in frustration.
ARC courtesy of publisher in exchange for an honest review
Find me on:
January 25, 2023
1 ⭐️ Well, that’s 6 hours of my life I’ll never get back
This was my first time reading TL Swan, and most likely my last.
The first 1/4 of the book was fine, in fact, I enjoyed how they met and their first few interactions once she started working for him. But then it all went downhill for there. Here are the main reasons why I hated this book:
1. The dirty talk and some inner dialogue was so cringe. Half the shit they said is not actually sexy or said irl (or maybe it is, and if so…yikes). For example:
- “Is it weeping for me baby? I can feel your pulse in it.”
- “I could blow just by feeling this beautiful, hot pussy.”
- “I want you to blow your load in the car”.
- “Jameson Miles is my new drug. And I am his crack whore.”
- “Milk me, and show me who it belongs to.”
- Calling Emily his ‘fuck bunny’. How about fuck no!
2. The overall writing is bad. There’s so many repetitive words/phrases, the scenes are not very detailed and tend to jump fairly quickly from one to the next, and honestly, just overall elementary writing.
This is one example of the elementary writing in this book:
“He goes to London for a week today. He has meetings all week. We’ve had the most amazing weekend. We stayed here at my apartment the entire time.”
3. I couldn’t stand Emily.
First off, she’s a journalist but doesn’t act like one. She legitimately says, “I wouldn’t even know any celebrities.” You work in media, and you don’t know celebrities???
Also, she’s been dying to work on Miles Media for years and didn’t do her research as to who the CEOs were??? An actual journalist obsessed with getting a job at a specific company would have googled everything about the company. So she would have found info on the CEO and known what he looked like.
Second, for someone who says she doesn’t care about Jameson’s wealth, she brings it up all the time. She’s soooooo uncomfortable being around money that it feels like she's trying to make him feel guilty for it. At one point, she even says, “I would prefer you to be poor.” Why? If wealth doesn’t matter at all, why does she even have a preference at all?? I thought that was an incredibly rude thing to say. He works hard for his family and their success so her saying she wished he was poor seemed like she was diminishing his efforts.
Third, she googled Jameson's ex and met her in person. But when they break up the first time, she sees Jameson walking down the street with a woman who looks “vaguely familiar, but she just can’t place” and asks her friend who she is, to which she replies, “Claudia Mason.” Does Emily have amnesia or is she just a fucking idiot???? She met this woman before! This has to be a mistake on the author's part, right???
Fourth, she legit comes to some realization about her messed up relationship with Jameson after watching Magic Mike XXL…and she quotes the movie….to Jameson!!!! I can’t take this woman seriously.
Fifth, she decides to share private details about her life with co-workers she met two days ago. Why on earth would you admit that you’ve slept with the boss to anyone at work?? Let alone during your first week! Are you kidding? That’s stupid and risky. Anyone with a brain would NOT share this info with strangers!! Call your friends from back home! Oh wait, she apparently doesn’t have any. She’s a 25-year-old without any friends. Make that make sense.
4. Jameson is toxic AF. He is a stressed-out, borderline alcoholic, workaholic CEO who does not know how to manage his emotions properly. Multiple times he calls her a bitch throughout the story! And the gaslighting at the end?????? What the actual fuck? He smashed Emily’s heart into a million pieces, then decided he wanted her back, put in the minimal effort for a week, and then gave her a timeline and ultimatum to be with him. It was appalling to read. These people need to go to fucking therapy.
5. The proposal at the end was supposed to be cute and cheesy, but it was absolute shit. I still can’t believe she took him back. I hate them.
This is one of the worst books I’ve read in a while. The writing is awful, and the characters suck. I would not recommend this book.
This was my first time reading TL Swan, and most likely my last.
The first 1/4 of the book was fine, in fact, I enjoyed how they met and their first few interactions once she started working for him. But then it all went downhill for there. Here are the main reasons why I hated this book:
1. The dirty talk and some inner dialogue was so cringe. Half the shit they said is not actually sexy or said irl (or maybe it is, and if so…yikes). For example:
- “Is it weeping for me baby? I can feel your pulse in it.”
- “I could blow just by feeling this beautiful, hot pussy.”
- “I want you to blow your load in the car”.
- “Jameson Miles is my new drug. And I am his crack whore.”
- “Milk me, and show me who it belongs to.”
- Calling Emily his ‘fuck bunny’. How about fuck no!
2. The overall writing is bad. There’s so many repetitive words/phrases, the scenes are not very detailed and tend to jump fairly quickly from one to the next, and honestly, just overall elementary writing.
This is one example of the elementary writing in this book:
“He goes to London for a week today. He has meetings all week. We’ve had the most amazing weekend. We stayed here at my apartment the entire time.”
3. I couldn’t stand Emily.
First off, she’s a journalist but doesn’t act like one. She legitimately says, “I wouldn’t even know any celebrities.” You work in media, and you don’t know celebrities???
Also, she’s been dying to work on Miles Media for years and didn’t do her research as to who the CEOs were??? An actual journalist obsessed with getting a job at a specific company would have googled everything about the company. So she would have found info on the CEO and known what he looked like.
Second, for someone who says she doesn’t care about Jameson’s wealth, she brings it up all the time. She’s soooooo uncomfortable being around money that it feels like she's trying to make him feel guilty for it. At one point, she even says, “I would prefer you to be poor.” Why? If wealth doesn’t matter at all, why does she even have a preference at all?? I thought that was an incredibly rude thing to say. He works hard for his family and their success so her saying she wished he was poor seemed like she was diminishing his efforts.
Third, she googled Jameson's ex and met her in person. But when they break up the first time, she sees Jameson walking down the street with a woman who looks “vaguely familiar, but she just can’t place” and asks her friend who she is, to which she replies, “Claudia Mason.” Does Emily have amnesia or is she just a fucking idiot???? She met this woman before! This has to be a mistake on the author's part, right???
Fourth, she legit comes to some realization about her messed up relationship with Jameson after watching Magic Mike XXL…and she quotes the movie….to Jameson!!!! I can’t take this woman seriously.
Fifth, she decides to share private details about her life with co-workers she met two days ago. Why on earth would you admit that you’ve slept with the boss to anyone at work?? Let alone during your first week! Are you kidding? That’s stupid and risky. Anyone with a brain would NOT share this info with strangers!! Call your friends from back home! Oh wait, she apparently doesn’t have any. She’s a 25-year-old without any friends. Make that make sense.
4. Jameson is toxic AF. He is a stressed-out, borderline alcoholic, workaholic CEO who does not know how to manage his emotions properly. Multiple times he calls her a bitch throughout the story! And the gaslighting at the end?????? What the actual fuck? He smashed Emily’s heart into a million pieces, then decided he wanted her back, put in the minimal effort for a week, and then gave her a timeline and ultimatum to be with him. It was appalling to read. These people need to go to fucking therapy.
5. The proposal at the end was supposed to be cute and cheesy, but it was absolute shit. I still can’t believe she took him back. I hate them.
This is one of the worst books I’ve read in a while. The writing is awful, and the characters suck. I would not recommend this book.
September 5, 2022
A New York Romance that is Clever and Captivating.
This my perfect romance novel. It had just about everything I look for in a great romance and rated a 5 in just about every one of those categories. It had plenty of steam between the two main characters, dirty talk, witty repartee, bickering between the strong female heroine and the Alpha male Hero, jealousy, an intriguing plot with a mystery, awesome supporting characters and more. The writing was terrific the flow and timing was excellent with no long periods where I was waiting for something to happen. I would recommend this to anyone who likes romance.
It says is is over 500 pages but it truthfully felt like only a few hundred and I rarely say that, if ever. This book went very fast with a lot of laugh out loud moments, sexy scenes and a great background storyline. It starts out with Emily Foster having a terrible day as she waits in line at the airport to check in for her flight to New York. She ends up getting bumped up to first class which has never happened before and though the guy sitting next to her let’s her have the window seat, he just won’t shut up and annoys her.
However, after talking and drinking champagne throughout the entire flight the two have become friendly. They are unable to land in New York where she has a job interview, and instead are routed to Boston for a night due to a snowstorm. After her only one night stand and the best time she has ever had, her traveling companion Jim leaves in the morning without ever asking for her number.
Fast forward one year and Emily has now had that interview at her dream job and moves to New York. On her first day at work, she meets the CEO of the company, Jameson Miles, her former one night stand. Jameson wants to pick up where they left off because he is intensely attracted to Emily. Though Emily is put off with the fact that he never even bothered to ask for her phone number. She has a boyfriend and is not interested in a few nights of fun at the expense of her dream job.
The way Jameson goes about getting Emily to agree to go out with him is pretty funny. He is a wealthy handsome Alpha male who has never heard the word “no”. So he has no idea of boundaries and it is entertaining to say the least. There is also a mystery in the office as someone In Emily’s work area is selling company secrets to the biggest competitor, who happens to be the Miles’ nemesis. Emily figures out what is going on so is brought in with Jameson and his brother Tristan to help.
Tristan is one of three of Jameson’s brothers and is the head of Acquisitions at Miles Media in New York, while Elliot and Christopher both work out of the London office. Tristan is the nice guy to Jameson’s Cranky brooding type, but they work well together and Tristan plays a big part in this book. The other two do make an appearance though.
At the end of The Stopover, we get the first Chapter of The Takeover, book 2 in the Miles High Club. If you haven’t yet guessed, since Tristan is the head of Acquisitions, this is his story and I for one, can’t wait.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
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This my perfect romance novel. It had just about everything I look for in a great romance and rated a 5 in just about every one of those categories. It had plenty of steam between the two main characters, dirty talk, witty repartee, bickering between the strong female heroine and the Alpha male Hero, jealousy, an intriguing plot with a mystery, awesome supporting characters and more. The writing was terrific the flow and timing was excellent with no long periods where I was waiting for something to happen. I would recommend this to anyone who likes romance.
It says is is over 500 pages but it truthfully felt like only a few hundred and I rarely say that, if ever. This book went very fast with a lot of laugh out loud moments, sexy scenes and a great background storyline. It starts out with Emily Foster having a terrible day as she waits in line at the airport to check in for her flight to New York. She ends up getting bumped up to first class which has never happened before and though the guy sitting next to her let’s her have the window seat, he just won’t shut up and annoys her.
However, after talking and drinking champagne throughout the entire flight the two have become friendly. They are unable to land in New York where she has a job interview, and instead are routed to Boston for a night due to a snowstorm. After her only one night stand and the best time she has ever had, her traveling companion Jim leaves in the morning without ever asking for her number.
Fast forward one year and Emily has now had that interview at her dream job and moves to New York. On her first day at work, she meets the CEO of the company, Jameson Miles, her former one night stand. Jameson wants to pick up where they left off because he is intensely attracted to Emily. Though Emily is put off with the fact that he never even bothered to ask for her phone number. She has a boyfriend and is not interested in a few nights of fun at the expense of her dream job.
Oh my God. I have a boyfriend. Shit. “I’m so sorry if I gave you the wrong idea.” I take a step back from him. “I have a boyfriend,” I blurt out.
His face falls in horror. “What?”
“I know.” I wince. “I . . . I . . .” I shake my head because I have no words that can get me out of this. “I have a boyfriend, and I can’t go out with you.”
“Dump him,” he fires back.
“What?” I croak.
“You heard me. Dump him.” He reaches for me.
The way Jameson goes about getting Emily to agree to go out with him is pretty funny. He is a wealthy handsome Alpha male who has never heard the word “no”. So he has no idea of boundaries and it is entertaining to say the least. There is also a mystery in the office as someone In Emily’s work area is selling company secrets to the biggest competitor, who happens to be the Miles’ nemesis. Emily figures out what is going on so is brought in with Jameson and his brother Tristan to help.
Tristan is one of three of Jameson’s brothers and is the head of Acquisitions at Miles Media in New York, while Elliot and Christopher both work out of the London office. Tristan is the nice guy to Jameson’s Cranky brooding type, but they work well together and Tristan plays a big part in this book. The other two do make an appearance though.
I roll my eyes in disgust. “The Miles brothers are overrated, if you ask me.”
They’re not, though. I’m lying through my teeth. All with dark hair, tall, and built . . . square jaws in their designer playboy suits. Everything about the four of them screams power and gorgeousness. Assholes.
At the end of The Stopover, we get the first Chapter of The Takeover, book 2 in the Miles High Club. If you haven’t yet guessed, since Tristan is the head of Acquisitions, this is his story and I for one, can’t wait.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
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December 31, 2020
Me after reading this book:
This book was bad. Just so so bad. The blurb made this book sound so interesting but really? It was a hot mess, actually even worse in my opinion.
This book was just a big whole 'meh' for me
So, these two meet the first time on a plane when she is upgraded first class and spend a wild night together. The next time they meet is about a year later when Emily starts working for Jameson's company. They never forgot each other, the stranger from the night in Boston but he never asked for her number and she, well, she was ANGRY that he didn't.
So, lets just get this over with...
Things I didn't like: Pretty much everything
➢ the start was pretty good, I'll admit the witty banter and their meeting on the plane was nice but after that...*blech*
➢ but after that..it was just too much. I'll admit I liked the first 20% of the book where there was some push and pull between the MC's and how she stood her ground, buuuuttt not for long...
➢ because after 20% there was A LOT of repetition. Honestly, I felt like I was on loop:
MC sleep together → H doesn't want relationship → h wants relationship → H says something rude → h tells him to go away → *dont talk for two days* → H wants to sleep with her again aaannnndd
All of this round-n-round was cute up till the first 20% but after that, it was just frustrating and rage inducing not to mention immature behaviour which is not expected from characters in their 20s and 30s. And the jealousy? Emily leaves at 3:48 in the night from Jay's place because she has to do "work" and the reason? She saw a message on his phone from a girl named Chloe asking where he was last night. Because of course if a girl asks your man where he was, it's cheating.
➢ the heroine says she isn't some one-night stand and nor is she a pushover
BECAUSE...
She says, and I quote, "I'm such a pushover, a dinner was all it took for him to convince me." Weaker than water (is water weak? cause according to the book it is) I mean surprise, surprise she says it herself.
➢ Oh, and frowning much? because the word "frown" appeared at least 261 times, so all Emily did throughout the books was frown.
➢ no wait she did do one other thing. What is that you ask? well, ask questions. "what" "how" "when" "why"... you name it, I mean Whats with all the questions?
Now, do not get me started on Jameson
➢ the push/pull was exhausting!!
➢ he doesnt want a relationship but one morning he wakes up and realises 'she's the one'
➢ he tells her that she'd be moving in with him and dumb little girl doesn't even ask 'why?' because of course, my mistake, it's perfectly normal.
➢ I mean she kept asking unrequired questions throughout the book but not now, not when it counted.
Sighhh. So many people have liked this book but I just don't get it, the book was too long in my opinion and trust me, the ranting? Its only for the first 55% of the book because do not even get me started on the rest of the book. I’m just really annoyed and I wished I dnfed this because it was a huge waste of time.
The major turn-off for this book were the fights and the jealousy and honestly, that was probably why I hated this book so much. No couple fights like this and if they do, well trust me hon' you guys don't wanna be together. These two just couldn't communicate like normal people and just flew accusations here and there.
Anyways, I saw so many great reviews for this book but it just wasn't for me. I just couldn't keep up with the accusations, jealously, fights and absurdity of basically everything in the book. I'm sorry, but this book just wasn't for me. This book may not have been the one for me, but it definitely won't stop me from future reads by this author!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2022
never. NEVER. Trust a mf from booktok with book recommendations, especially romance books, that white girl is not seeing the pearly gates of heaven for making me start this book in good faith.
This book is supposed to be a cutesy office romance with rich guy x poor girl trope it was anything but, i dont know what beef the author got with the main character to make so fucking annoying, bland and out of touch. I also don't want to know what kind of men the author finds attractive because holy hell this guy needs to be IN JAIL behind bars but im supposed to find him swoony i guess.
The love interest, jim jamerson jay whatever his name is, is fucking horrifying he is a misogynistic little fuck who has no respect for the main character -not that she has any for herself for that matter- (he calls her a bitch like 60 times) his behavior is just so ??????? like im supposed to like this man?????
What the hell?
“You’ve been watching me?” I gasp. “Why?”
His dark eyes hold mine. “Because it turns me on.”
Ladies and gentleman this is the correct way a boss checks on his favorite employee 🤩🤩 by placing a camera right above her desk and get mad when she interacts with other male coworkers 🤪 and they say romance is dead.
“If I were a rapist, that’s what I would do.”
um..(?) For the love of God if a man you're seeing says this to you please PLEASE RUN AND DONT EVER LOOK BACK BECAUSE WHAT THE FUCK why would he even entertain the thought let alone say it out loud to the woman he is "romancing" i just...these white guys concern me so much.
"Are we friends?"
"No you're my fuck bunny"
ahahaha 😃😃😃 mom come pick me up this is what people think romance is these days.
I could have dnfed the book and went about my day but that wont do. Being a petty hater is much more fun.
This book is supposed to be a cutesy office romance with rich guy x poor girl trope it was anything but, i dont know what beef the author got with the main character to make so fucking annoying, bland and out of touch. I also don't want to know what kind of men the author finds attractive because holy hell this guy needs to be IN JAIL behind bars but im supposed to find him swoony i guess.
The love interest, jim jamerson jay whatever his name is, is fucking horrifying he is a misogynistic little fuck who has no respect for the main character -not that she has any for herself for that matter- (he calls her a bitch like 60 times) his behavior is just so ??????? like im supposed to like this man?????
What the hell?
“You’ve been watching me?” I gasp. “Why?”
His dark eyes hold mine. “Because it turns me on.”
Ladies and gentleman this is the correct way a boss checks on his favorite employee 🤩🤩 by placing a camera right above her desk and get mad when she interacts with other male coworkers 🤪 and they say romance is dead.
“If I were a rapist, that’s what I would do.”
um..(?) For the love of God if a man you're seeing says this to you please PLEASE RUN AND DONT EVER LOOK BACK BECAUSE WHAT THE FUCK why would he even entertain the thought let alone say it out loud to the woman he is "romancing" i just...these white guys concern me so much.
"Are we friends?"
"No you're my fuck bunny"
ahahaha 😃😃😃 mom come pick me up this is what people think romance is these days.
I could have dnfed the book and went about my day but that wont do. Being a petty hater is much more fun.
April 17, 2023
i hope he chokes
September 16, 2021
5 Miles-High Club Stars ⭐
When upgraded to first class after an incident at the airport, Emily Foster wasn't prepared for her seating companion Jim. Sitting next to an older, rich & gorgeous man, she is totally bewildered when he takes a genuine interest in her.
Not one to be spontaneous, she finds herself having the best sex of her life during a layover after far too many complimentary champagnes and flirtation that Emily hadn’t expected to lead to anything.
"I'm not this kind of girl", I remind him.
"I know", he breathes. "I wouldn't want to corrupt you."
"But there is a drought", I whisper. "So... so dry."
After their one-night stand, they part ways no strings. Fast forward twelve months and Emily lands what she believes is her dream job at Miles Media as a journalist. She is shocked to learn that she now works under CEO Jameson Miles, who is none other than hot fantasy Jim. But the fun-loving sex God has been replaced with an arrogant player demanding a repeat, and who she constantly wants to smack.
Well damn, Jameson and Emily were totally combustible in each other's company. Between their bickering that was genuinely maddening and borderline insanity, their push and pull almost drove me to drink. Fortunately this story redeems itself with the sexual tension and innuendos that were off the charts hot and so deliciously filthy. The bedroom talk between both Jameson and Emily was commendable.
"Nobody has ever ridden my cock the way she did, not before, not since. Not ever. The hickey on my neck wasn't the only thing she branded me with that night."
The Stopover is going to piss a lot of people off. With an asshole hero who can't commit and a heroine that can't decide whether she's in or out, will frustrate many. As for me, I loved TL Swan's books, and this was no different. I couldn't put it down and had no issues with the drama especially because I thought the ending was top notch x
When upgraded to first class after an incident at the airport, Emily Foster wasn't prepared for her seating companion Jim. Sitting next to an older, rich & gorgeous man, she is totally bewildered when he takes a genuine interest in her.
Not one to be spontaneous, she finds herself having the best sex of her life during a layover after far too many complimentary champagnes and flirtation that Emily hadn’t expected to lead to anything.
"I'm not this kind of girl", I remind him.
"I know", he breathes. "I wouldn't want to corrupt you."
"But there is a drought", I whisper. "So... so dry."
After their one-night stand, they part ways no strings. Fast forward twelve months and Emily lands what she believes is her dream job at Miles Media as a journalist. She is shocked to learn that she now works under CEO Jameson Miles, who is none other than hot fantasy Jim. But the fun-loving sex God has been replaced with an arrogant player demanding a repeat, and who she constantly wants to smack.
Well damn, Jameson and Emily were totally combustible in each other's company. Between their bickering that was genuinely maddening and borderline insanity, their push and pull almost drove me to drink. Fortunately this story redeems itself with the sexual tension and innuendos that were off the charts hot and so deliciously filthy. The bedroom talk between both Jameson and Emily was commendable.
"Nobody has ever ridden my cock the way she did, not before, not since. Not ever. The hickey on my neck wasn't the only thing she branded me with that night."
The Stopover is going to piss a lot of people off. With an asshole hero who can't commit and a heroine that can't decide whether she's in or out, will frustrate many. As for me, I loved TL Swan's books, and this was no different. I couldn't put it down and had no issues with the drama especially because I thought the ending was top notch x
April 2, 2021
2.5 stars
I wanted to love this book so bad, and there were things I really liked… but that last 25-30%… yikes. It was not good for me at all. I found myself intrigued at the beginning of this story and liked both Emily and Jameson. I would even say it was looking like a 4 star read for me through most of the first half… then it started to take turns that I didn’t like. Mainly, I had issues with the hero. That’s what it comes down to. I could see how he would be appealing to some, but he was not my cuppa. Now, his brother, Tristian Miles- he was my favorite character in this entire book so I’m sure I will be checking out his book soon! This is a book that seems very popular with a lot of people, so this could definitely be a ‘me, not the book’ thing. Though it was my first TL Swan book, I will definitely try another one by her because I did like her writing style.
I wanted to love this book so bad, and there were things I really liked… but that last 25-30%… yikes. It was not good for me at all. I found myself intrigued at the beginning of this story and liked both Emily and Jameson. I would even say it was looking like a 4 star read for me through most of the first half… then it started to take turns that I didn’t like. Mainly, I had issues with the hero. That’s what it comes down to. I could see how he would be appealing to some, but he was not my cuppa. Now, his brother, Tristian Miles- he was my favorite character in this entire book so I’m sure I will be checking out his book soon! This is a book that seems very popular with a lot of people, so this could definitely be a ‘me, not the book’ thing. Though it was my first TL Swan book, I will definitely try another one by her because I did like her writing style.
Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 2.5 stars
Narrators: Sebastian York and CJ Bloom
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 12 hours and 58 minutes
Want to read
October 15, 2019
THIS IS A CLUB I’M JOINING! Read sample.
Stand-alone book 1
Blurb:
I was upgraded to first class on a flight from London to New York.
The food, champagne, and service were impeccable.
The blue-eyed man sitting next to me, even better.
He was suave and intelligent.
We talked and laughed, and something clicked.
Fate took over and the plane was grounded, and we had an unexpected stopover for the night.
With no plans, we made our own.
We danced and laughed our way around Boston and had a night of crazy passion that no woman would ever forget.
That was twelve months ago, and I haven’t heard from him—until today.
I started a new job and met the CEO. You can imagine my surprise to see those naughty blue eyes dance with delight when he saw me across the mahogany desk.
But I’m not that carefree girl anymore. My life has changed, I have responsibilities.
I just got an email.
He wants to see me in his office for a private meeting at 8:00 a.m.
Naughty blue eyes have no place in the workplace.
What kind of private meeting does he have in mind?
September 21, 2019
I usually don’t rate books I dnf, but this one takes the crown.
September 18, 2019
I 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!)
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!)
December 4, 2025
1.5 stars
This book was nothing but a cringefest.
• Emily Foster, the fmc, was childish, immature and gave me second hand embarrassment everytime she couldn't stand up for herself.
• Jamesom/Jim/Jay, the mmc, is a 37 year-old man-child, who has a temper tantrum of a teenager.
• The MCs had nothing except the sexual connection but they called each other their soulmates (yes, I am giving bombastic side eye.)
• They had sex in chapter 2.
• They said “I love you” in chapter 17.
• There was a third-act break-up in chapter 21 because the mmc thinks he's not good enough for fmc and fmc begged him to take her back because she had no backbone but he didn't took her back. (All that money and still no therapy sessions?)
• They made up in chapter 26 and there was no grovelling.
• And this book has 27 chapters + epilogue.
Make of that what you will.
“Goodbye, my beautiful fuck bunny,” he whispers.
I run my fingers through his hair as I stare at his gorgeous face. “Goodbye, Blue Eyes.”
This book was nothing but a cringefest.
• Emily Foster, the fmc, was childish, immature and gave me second hand embarrassment everytime she couldn't stand up for herself.
• Jamesom/Jim/Jay, the mmc, is a 37 year-old man-child, who has a temper tantrum of a teenager.
• The MCs had nothing except the sexual connection but they called each other their soulmates (yes, I am giving bombastic side eye.)
• They had sex in chapter 2.
• They said “I love you” in chapter 17.
• There was a third-act break-up in chapter 21 because the mmc thinks he's not good enough for fmc and fmc begged him to take her back because she had no backbone but he didn't took her back. (All that money and still no therapy sessions?)
• They made up in chapter 26 and there was no grovelling.
• And this book has 27 chapters + epilogue.
Make of that what you will.
Read
September 21, 2022WTF even is this book? 😂
I have no words. I hate men that are written to be full of themselves, arrogant and instead of coming off as sexy they just come off as SEXIST.
DNF @ 30%
September 22, 2021
“Being in love is like being on a deserted island, Jameson. You focus on them and them only, and you make everything else fit around that person.”
I have 108 Kindle highlights for this book. I'm a highlighter, that's true, but this is a personal record. It should tell you how much I enjoyed it. I'm sure this book will (and has) frustrated some people, especially when it comes to its characters, but it's my second TL Swan book and I loved everything about it.
"This man is everything I’m not looking for, but he’s somehow ticking every box."
Jameson was everything. I'm not going to say he's not an asshole, because he is. And a possessive, argumentative man, who is also a control-freak. He's all those things. But, in his mother's words, he's also more heart than sense. He's insanely protective of everyone, and when he loves, it really is all or nothing. Like I said, he has his flaws, but everything else outweighs them in my book.
"You are the most attractive woman I’ve seen in a long time, and when you smiled, it brought me to my feet."
I had a harder time connecting to Emily. She sometimes gave me whiplash. She seems like her own woman, but what she endured with her ex showed a lack of personality I didn't enjoy one bit. I loved that she's "normal", not some made up Barbie doll. I only realized later that she's not that strong, but she's not a pushover either. She's a bit like all of us, and we've all been both things at least once in our lives. So she grew on me.
“You must have done something stupid in your life, Jameson Miles.”
He smiles softly over at me in the darkness. “Yeah. I have.”
“What?” I smirk.
He reaches over and cups my face in his hand, and his thumb dusts over my bottom lip. “I never asked for your number.”
Emily and Jameson were on the same plane, a fluke, since she got upgraded to first class. There's definitely chemistry when they start flirting with each other, and this leads to one steamy night. He never asks for her number, and she doesn't know who he is. It was meant to be one night only. Until a year later, when she ends up working at his company, and the memory of that night is not enough for either of them.
"I know this is supposed to be friends with benefits. But it’s not . . . it’s more. What kind of more I just don’t know."
They start having no-strings-attached sex. And let me tell you, it's off the charts. They can't stop fighting each other because they're the same: they're both assholes who enjoy being in control, and relinquishing it scares the both of them. I loved the whole pushing and pulling, and I loved it even more when they made up, even though they would inevitably fight again.
Until something changed.
"You stayed with me. I fought it, and still, I couldn’t forget you. I’ve been carrying your scarf around like a lovesick fool for more than a year.”
We can see Emily already has feelings for him, that's clear. But when Jameson understands how deeply he is into her, he's all in. He wants it all.
Their camping trip was incredible, and I totally sympathize with Jameson – I'm not a nature lover, and bugs scare the crap out of me. I was laughing my ass off, though.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
Her eyes search mine.
“For what?”
“For finding me.”
Amidst all of this, there's a power play from another family, and financial issues that precipitate a break up that should never have happened if Jameson wasn't the person he is. If he weren't aware that, being the workaholic, he may not be able to be with Emily the way she deserves it.
I confess I wanted to slap him around a few times, and I think it'd be justifiable.
Also, I really liked seeing the pressure and the stress that came with his job, and not just having the hero be the wealthy billionaire that does nothing but enjoy the money coming in. It was sort of refreshing.
“I swear to you, from this moment on . . . you are my everything. Our new life together . . . starts right now.”
The last 15% or so gutted me. There is so much hurt between them, and so much love at the same time. A lot of stuff went wrong in their story, and I was hurting for both of them for different reasons. But love finds a way. In this case, it wasn't perfect, and I'm sure they'll still be fighting and having make-up sex for years to come, but it makes sense, somehow.
Because they belong together.
What a stopover. What a book.
I have 108 Kindle highlights for this book. I'm a highlighter, that's true, but this is a personal record. It should tell you how much I enjoyed it. I'm sure this book will (and has) frustrated some people, especially when it comes to its characters, but it's my second TL Swan book and I loved everything about it.
"This man is everything I’m not looking for, but he’s somehow ticking every box."
Jameson was everything. I'm not going to say he's not an asshole, because he is. And a possessive, argumentative man, who is also a control-freak. He's all those things. But, in his mother's words, he's also more heart than sense. He's insanely protective of everyone, and when he loves, it really is all or nothing. Like I said, he has his flaws, but everything else outweighs them in my book.
"You are the most attractive woman I’ve seen in a long time, and when you smiled, it brought me to my feet."
I had a harder time connecting to Emily. She sometimes gave me whiplash. She seems like her own woman, but what she endured with her ex showed a lack of personality I didn't enjoy one bit. I loved that she's "normal", not some made up Barbie doll. I only realized later that she's not that strong, but she's not a pushover either. She's a bit like all of us, and we've all been both things at least once in our lives. So she grew on me.
“You must have done something stupid in your life, Jameson Miles.”
He smiles softly over at me in the darkness. “Yeah. I have.”
“What?” I smirk.
He reaches over and cups my face in his hand, and his thumb dusts over my bottom lip. “I never asked for your number.”
Emily and Jameson were on the same plane, a fluke, since she got upgraded to first class. There's definitely chemistry when they start flirting with each other, and this leads to one steamy night. He never asks for her number, and she doesn't know who he is. It was meant to be one night only. Until a year later, when she ends up working at his company, and the memory of that night is not enough for either of them.
"I know this is supposed to be friends with benefits. But it’s not . . . it’s more. What kind of more I just don’t know."
They start having no-strings-attached sex. And let me tell you, it's off the charts. They can't stop fighting each other because they're the same: they're both assholes who enjoy being in control, and relinquishing it scares the both of them. I loved the whole pushing and pulling, and I loved it even more when they made up, even though they would inevitably fight again.
Until something changed.
"You stayed with me. I fought it, and still, I couldn’t forget you. I’ve been carrying your scarf around like a lovesick fool for more than a year.”
We can see Emily already has feelings for him, that's clear. But when Jameson understands how deeply he is into her, he's all in. He wants it all.
Their camping trip was incredible, and I totally sympathize with Jameson – I'm not a nature lover, and bugs scare the crap out of me. I was laughing my ass off, though.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
Her eyes search mine.
“For what?”
“For finding me.”
Amidst all of this, there's a power play from another family, and financial issues that precipitate a break up that should never have happened if Jameson wasn't the person he is. If he weren't aware that, being the workaholic, he may not be able to be with Emily the way she deserves it.
I confess I wanted to slap him around a few times, and I think it'd be justifiable.
Also, I really liked seeing the pressure and the stress that came with his job, and not just having the hero be the wealthy billionaire that does nothing but enjoy the money coming in. It was sort of refreshing.
“I swear to you, from this moment on . . . you are my everything. Our new life together . . . starts right now.”
The last 15% or so gutted me. There is so much hurt between them, and so much love at the same time. A lot of stuff went wrong in their story, and I was hurting for both of them for different reasons. But love finds a way. In this case, it wasn't perfect, and I'm sure they'll still be fighting and having make-up sex for years to come, but it makes sense, somehow.
Because they belong together.
What a stopover. What a book.
February 8, 2021
2 angst for days + un-redeemable alphahole stars
Oh the drama and the angst and the snarkiness and the sneering and the smirking and the bitchy and the a-holiness. This book had all of that and more!
While I own other books by this author, this is the first one I have read, and I enjoyed her style overall. I looked at her bio because some of the word choices she use are decidedly not American, though all of the characters in this story were American. The title is one of the examples because in America, we say "layover" as opposed to "stopover." Turns out, she's an Aussie, so that explains the inconsistencies with the wording.
Jameson (aka Jim, aka Jay) Miles is a 37 year old American billionaire businessman born into a media empire aptly named for his family who runs the business: Miles Media. As the eldest of 4 boys, he is the CEO, and thus carries the bulk of the responsibilities and stress. While on a flight from the London office back to the New York HQ, he meets a beautiful woman on the plane: mid-20's Emily Foster. Emily was unexpectedly upgraded at the last minute when flying back to California via NYC from a wedding she attended, and after seeing her ex hanging all over the new gf the entire time, she is not in the mood for bs. So when the man next to her that introduces himself as "Jim" starts trying to talk to her, she doesn't hold back with what she thinks about his custom tailored suit, Rolex, intellectual airplane movie choices, assumption in asking for champagne for both of them without her input, and the generally snooty air around him. But for the 6 hours they are on the plane with the champagne freely flowing, they end up flirting outrageously, and when the weather in NYC forces the plane to re-route to Boston for the night, they end up having a very passionate night together. When Jim leaves in the morning, Emily is a little put off that he doesn't ask for her number, and while she moves on, she constantly comes back to that night as the very high standard for all passionate encounters.
Fast forward to a year later.... Emily has finally landed a dream journalist job with the company she has always wanted to work for: Miles Media. It took months and many interviews along with a move across the country, but here she is on day 1 walking through the doors and up to the 40th floor to dive right in. When an HR rep comes by her desk to take her on the grand tour, they stop by the executive offices, and when the CEO (who is rarely around) happens to be in his office, he allows them to come in for introductions. And you guessed it - it's "Jim." Emily is floored, and Jameson is surprised too (though he is able to hide it a little better). How can she work for the man she shared the best sex of her life with? But she brushes it off because she is told he is never around, and her job would not have much intersection with his, as some of her co-workers have never even seen him, so all should be fine. Except that she gets an email when she gets back to her desk. From Jameson. Requesting a "private meeting" at 8 AM the next day. This is going to get interesting....
Jameson ("Jay" to family and friends) shared the most passionate night he has ever had with Emily a year ago and has been a little fixated on her since, but he has a complicated life (both professionally and personally), so while he is very interested in hooking up with her, he is not able to be in a committed relationship. This does not keep him from doggedly pursuing her, including watching her while she is working via surveillance cameras (creepy much?). And when Emily comes to him with a major problem she inadvertently stumbles across, it is the perfect chance for Jay to keep her close. But can he convince her to agree to his no-strings sexcapades? What happens when the connection becomes deeper for both of them? And when a rival threatens damage to the woman he has come to care about, will he be able to protect her?
What I liked:
--- Emily was likeable as a "normal" girl in a material world, and as a reader, you definitely found yourself rooting for her
--- The problem Emily unearthed added some twists to the story
--- Oh the steamy goodness, and just the way I like it
What I didn't like as much:
--- The author was constantly using words like "smirk," "sneer," "snarky" in the responses with each other - all of those (to me) have negative connotations, so I was a little put off with the constant attitude
--- For me, there were a lot of unanswered/unaddressed issues
--- Emily was 100% focused on getting a job with Miles Media for years -- there is no way in the real world that she would not have known who the CEO was, and there is equally no way that there wouldn't be photos of him anywhere... especially since it was described as the top MEDIA company in the world (eye roll)
--- Jameson was very hard to like - some of the things he did were terrible, and one (which I will just call "stopover 2" so as not to spoil anything) was straight effed up unforgivable
--- I had a very strong personal reaction to Jameson's behavior
Overall, a solid office romance/second chance story with some steamy goodness but a lot of unresolved and unanswered questions along with a H that was inexcusably cruel at times.
Plot --- 2/5
Main Characters --- 3/5 (Jameson 1/5; Emily 4/5)
Supporting Cast --- 4/5
Steam Level* --- 4/5
Violence --- none
Language --- the f word makes appearances early & often
POV --- Dual POV (but mostly from Emily's)
*Note that steam level is not a rating so much as a how hot was it: 0/5 - clean; 1/5 - mild; 2/5 - sensual but nothing descriptive; 3/5 - now we're getting somewhere; 4/5 - yes please! ; 5/5 - they did EVERYTHING in this one, y'all
As a note, I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Oh the drama and the angst and the snarkiness and the sneering and the smirking and the bitchy and the a-holiness. This book had all of that and more!
While I own other books by this author, this is the first one I have read, and I enjoyed her style overall. I looked at her bio because some of the word choices she use are decidedly not American, though all of the characters in this story were American. The title is one of the examples because in America, we say "layover" as opposed to "stopover." Turns out, she's an Aussie, so that explains the inconsistencies with the wording.
Jameson (aka Jim, aka Jay) Miles is a 37 year old American billionaire businessman born into a media empire aptly named for his family who runs the business: Miles Media. As the eldest of 4 boys, he is the CEO, and thus carries the bulk of the responsibilities and stress. While on a flight from the London office back to the New York HQ, he meets a beautiful woman on the plane: mid-20's Emily Foster. Emily was unexpectedly upgraded at the last minute when flying back to California via NYC from a wedding she attended, and after seeing her ex hanging all over the new gf the entire time, she is not in the mood for bs. So when the man next to her that introduces himself as "Jim" starts trying to talk to her, she doesn't hold back with what she thinks about his custom tailored suit, Rolex, intellectual airplane movie choices, assumption in asking for champagne for both of them without her input, and the generally snooty air around him. But for the 6 hours they are on the plane with the champagne freely flowing, they end up flirting outrageously, and when the weather in NYC forces the plane to re-route to Boston for the night, they end up having a very passionate night together. When Jim leaves in the morning, Emily is a little put off that he doesn't ask for her number, and while she moves on, she constantly comes back to that night as the very high standard for all passionate encounters.
Fast forward to a year later.... Emily has finally landed a dream journalist job with the company she has always wanted to work for: Miles Media. It took months and many interviews along with a move across the country, but here she is on day 1 walking through the doors and up to the 40th floor to dive right in. When an HR rep comes by her desk to take her on the grand tour, they stop by the executive offices, and when the CEO (who is rarely around) happens to be in his office, he allows them to come in for introductions. And you guessed it - it's "Jim." Emily is floored, and Jameson is surprised too (though he is able to hide it a little better). How can she work for the man she shared the best sex of her life with? But she brushes it off because she is told he is never around, and her job would not have much intersection with his, as some of her co-workers have never even seen him, so all should be fine. Except that she gets an email when she gets back to her desk. From Jameson. Requesting a "private meeting" at 8 AM the next day. This is going to get interesting....
Jameson ("Jay" to family and friends) shared the most passionate night he has ever had with Emily a year ago and has been a little fixated on her since, but he has a complicated life (both professionally and personally), so while he is very interested in hooking up with her, he is not able to be in a committed relationship. This does not keep him from doggedly pursuing her, including watching her while she is working via surveillance cameras (creepy much?). And when Emily comes to him with a major problem she inadvertently stumbles across, it is the perfect chance for Jay to keep her close. But can he convince her to agree to his no-strings sexcapades? What happens when the connection becomes deeper for both of them? And when a rival threatens damage to the woman he has come to care about, will he be able to protect her?
What I liked:
--- Emily was likeable as a "normal" girl in a material world, and as a reader, you definitely found yourself rooting for her
--- The problem Emily unearthed added some twists to the story
--- Oh the steamy goodness, and just the way I like it
What I didn't like as much:
--- The author was constantly using words like "smirk," "sneer," "snarky" in the responses with each other - all of those (to me) have negative connotations, so I was a little put off with the constant attitude
--- For me, there were a lot of unanswered/unaddressed issues
--- Emily was 100% focused on getting a job with Miles Media for years -- there is no way in the real world that she would not have known who the CEO was, and there is equally no way that there wouldn't be photos of him anywhere... especially since it was described as the top MEDIA company in the world (eye roll)
--- Jameson was very hard to like - some of the things he did were terrible, and one (which I will just call "stopover 2" so as not to spoil anything) was straight effed up unforgivable
--- I had a very strong personal reaction to Jameson's behavior
Overall, a solid office romance/second chance story with some steamy goodness but a lot of unresolved and unanswered questions along with a H that was inexcusably cruel at times.
Plot --- 2/5
Main Characters --- 3/5 (Jameson 1/5; Emily 4/5)
Supporting Cast --- 4/5
Steam Level* --- 4/5
Violence --- none
Language --- the f word makes appearances early & often
POV --- Dual POV (but mostly from Emily's)
*Note that steam level is not a rating so much as a how hot was it: 0/5 - clean; 1/5 - mild; 2/5 - sensual but nothing descriptive; 3/5 - now we're getting somewhere; 4/5 - yes please! ; 5/5 - they did EVERYTHING in this one, y'all
As a note, I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
October 6, 2019
3.5 stars!
The Stopover is the first book in The Miles High Club Series and my first read by T.L. Swan. Let me first say this is a really good story that I found addictive and well-written. Overall, I definitely enjoyed it more than I didn't. I liked the banter between Jameson and Emily, and I found myself laughing out loud a few times (the camping scene was hilarious). Together they have off-the-chart chemistry, they're flirtatious, and like to work each other up, but personally I had so many mixed feelings about Jameson. He was wayyyy to moody and pushed my buttons wrong sometimes. This is definitely one of those times when I find myself in the minority considering the other reviews and ratings and I was really close to giving this book four stars, but I settled on a 3.5 stars because while I really loved parts of it, there were some things that bothered me....I don't know. I guess the constant drama and fights between the MCs just didn't really work for me and that prevented me from falling in love with this book. That being said, I will definitely read the next book in the series featuring Jameson’s brother, Tristan because he truly was an amazing secondary character in this book.
💝 ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 💝
The Stopover is the first book in The Miles High Club Series and my first read by T.L. Swan. Let me first say this is a really good story that I found addictive and well-written. Overall, I definitely enjoyed it more than I didn't. I liked the banter between Jameson and Emily, and I found myself laughing out loud a few times (the camping scene was hilarious). Together they have off-the-chart chemistry, they're flirtatious, and like to work each other up, but personally I had so many mixed feelings about Jameson. He was wayyyy to moody and pushed my buttons wrong sometimes. This is definitely one of those times when I find myself in the minority considering the other reviews and ratings and I was really close to giving this book four stars, but I settled on a 3.5 stars because while I really loved parts of it, there were some things that bothered me....I don't know. I guess the constant drama and fights between the MCs just didn't really work for me and that prevented me from falling in love with this book. That being said, I will definitely read the next book in the series featuring Jameson’s brother, Tristan because he truly was an amazing secondary character in this book.
💝 ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 💝
May 13, 2022
Oh I loved this.
The characters, the plot twist, the smut.
The entire idea of him being this stuck up man and her kind of influencing him to calm down (camping) and relax.
I loved the side characters and come on, a good office romance with drama is never bad.
Tristan, a side character was my favorite and I cannot wait to read his book.
Jameson was funny and I really, really liked his love confession.
Also the ending was just very sweet
The characters, the plot twist, the smut.
The entire idea of him being this stuck up man and her kind of influencing him to calm down (camping) and relax.
I loved the side characters and come on, a good office romance with drama is never bad.
Tristan, a side character was my favorite and I cannot wait to read his book.
Jameson was funny and I really, really liked his love confession.
Also the ending was just very sweet
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December 12, 2022
R A T I N G: 3 stars to The Stopover ★ ★ ★
“I just like true stories, regardless of what they are.”
“So do I,” I reply.
“That’s why I like romance. Love is true.”
He chuckles into his glass as if amused.
I glance over at him. “What does that mean?”
“Rom-coms are as far from reality as you can get. I bet you’re the type who reads trashy romance novels too.” I stare at him flatly. I think I hate this man.
And there it is—the heat that this man creates with his stare could light up the earth.
This review may be a bit spoilery!
4 pages of notes, lovely readers. I made 4 pages of notes back to front on this book, mostly dedicated to the defamation of Jameson Miles in an unmaidenly fashion, and readers, my notebook is currently sizzling with the heat of all the expletives scorching the pages… not limited to my troubled and double-sided feeling with these characters, their energy and this story…and still, I’m undecided on how I feel.
James Miles has fought valiantly to take his place as arguably one of the most irksome characters I have ever read. Yes, Mr. Miles, you might just have taken the cake…and you ate it too. But what I really wanted to do was to slam that cake not-so-lovingly into your face. Such is the affection this man has brought out in me.
I loved the introduction to my first T.L. Swan novel. I loved the premise even more. It was my reason for clicking ‘buy’ with grabby, gimme now hands. Our protagonists ‘Jim’ and Emily meet on a first class flight. He manages to, in the span of their timely flight, flatter, aggravate, anger, frustrate, offend, flirt and laugh with young Emily. This is very symbolic of what’s to come, a premeditated way to introduce the many tastes of temperament you are going to get with this couple.
I sectioned this book into three chiseled parts, much like Jameson’s multiple personalities. Reading the three different stages of their relationship was almost akin to depicting three different relationships because that’s what it felt like…
➤ Jameson and Emily Part #1 -
Tonnes of fighting and a world record for frequent angst made the first part of this book incredibly frustrating.…It was at this point that I sat in my bed dreading the idea of reading just under 500 pages of back and forth bickering if this is what motivated this story - if this is what I had to look forward to. Not tactile or sensitive, Jameson and Emily pound on each other like minced meat. She moans about being treated a certain way and commits to cutting ties…until she doesn’t. She likes him. She doesn’t like him. She likes him. She doesn’t like him. Emily has backbone, and believe me, you’ll need one, steel-reinforced, if you’re going to pit yourself against Jameson Miles; Emily’s fiery personality allows it, but how many times she says I’m done with him, then climbs right back on the saddle…sigh. OR how many times she says she’s here to focus on her new life and on her new job only to abandon those thoughts around Jameson. Emily is not you’re regular pushover. At times she doesn’t do herself many favours but she always claims her ground when she needs to. I wanted to say to her, have some fun, take in the sights of a new city, explore, take up a hobby, but here’s what no to do…fret over a man that brings you more hassle than he might be worth. God forbid they have a civilised conversation without arguing. Wouldn’t want them to get along now would we.
➤ Jameson and Emily Part #2 -
This part of their relationship made a strong play at changing my washed-out, well-worm feelings over this couple because when they get along, they’re amazing together. I loved seeing them as a couple. This was my favourite part of the book. Loving. Tender. I loved the camping scene - it was my favourite by far. I finally found my sweet spot. And guess what? The fighting phase is nowhere in sight! I loved Jameson. I loved Emily. I loved what they were building together, even though they stepped on the accelerator. I was glad that this wasn’t going to be the 500 page composition of dissonant angst and grating bickering that I thought it was going to be. When I found out Jameson’s reasons for not committing to Emily I had admiration for him. It’s a twist to not come across a male protagonist in this genre who doesn’t have an aversion to commitment, which was proven when he decides to go all in with Emily after tying up loose ends. This is something of a guise though and I felt a bit fooled because, of course, this sweet spot has an expiry date…and it’s because apparently Mr. Abrasive is too selfless for his own good…
➤ Jameson and Emily Part #3 -
It was this testing point in their relationship when sh*t hits the fan that, of course, Jameson steps into his armour of steel and walks into his telltale persona of callousness that I lost of lot of love for him for the way he handles everything. I lost love for this story. Everything sort of fell apart. All I kept thinking was ‘I’m telling you, he better pull out the red carpet, polish some fine china and pull out the performance of his lifetime if he wants her back. Then times that by 10 and perhaps I’ll make allowance for forgiveness.’ Then he uses her for a night of sex (though he knows she’s out of her mind trying to get back together with him) and told her it was a goodbye the morning after. I wasn’t a fan of the play out. Never mind Emily, I didn’t I think I could forgive Mr. Hard-around-the-edges. I didn’t understand why he was so shaken up that he was willing to lose her. The soundtrack in my head went something like this…'she should run a mile from Mr.Miles.’ She was so dedicated to helping him with his stress and uncovering the work scandal, and It seems that she’s always supporting him. His behaviour is then played off as coming from a place of selflessness. I found it hard to stomach because it excused the consequences of his behaviour, which was hurtful and selfish. It took a toll on their relationship. The near-ending lost me because of the way of fell apart. I did feel better once I got to the actual ending because they do get their HEA.
J A M E S O N _ M I L E S
Jameson is best described by his very poliarised personality. He once says that Emily has the whole Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde down to a T…and to that I’d swiftly turn the man around to face a mirror as I ask, have you met yourself? Also, for the record, If any man kept rolling their eyes at me and saying ‘here we go again’ I would most certainly blow a gasket no question so I happily encouraged Emily's heart of fire in these situations.
Jameson had a lot of potential to win me over but my gut just couldn’t handle the whiplash of emotions and hot headed turnarounds. I didn't like the guy. He did win me over just over 1/3 into the story, but when everything comes crashing down he ruined the rest of the story. I only liked him again at the very end when he comes to his long-lost senses and does some grovelling. The love was conditional.
I need to talk about this whole split personality thing. Jameson and Emily are so overcome and haunted with the two sides of his character, Jim and Jameson, and I didn’t understand what purpose this was supposed to play in the story. Nobody is ever just one thing. We have different sides, different temperaments, different temperatures. We present at different times with different people. We're complex. Most of us effect a certain persona for the world and show real heart to the people we love, which is the case with Jameson. So I didn’t buy into the whole you have to be one extreme or the other. People don’t work like that. I didn’t buy into the fact that he’s two people in one body and he can’t be with Emily because he can’t be Jim all the time. We all have a cast of personalities as large as book within us but we're also not singularly any one of them, which is why I found It unbelievable when Jameson has his hallelujah moment; that he can be both people. It’s kind of obvious. Golden sticker for you Mr. Stressed out boss man?
The thing is, there is a very good guy in Jameson, and he does have a good heart, but he made a lot of mistakes and I found it hard to care after some time. I suppose I should have expected a complicated story when a complicated man sits at the helm. Mr. Miles, when you’re not being frustratingly detached, you’re really rather lovely.
E M I L Y _ F O S T E R
Emily was fairly irritating at times, and the truth be told, I’m unsure if I liked her at all. At times I cheered her on for showing spirit and backbone, at others I may have wanted to strangle her. Those notes that I mentioned? The defamation of Jameson Miles that bled over the pages of my A4 pad? Well, I might have done something of the same with Emily too. She definitely puts up a fight and I very much liked that she didn’t jump high when Jameson demands it. My sympathies weren't always with her though. At one point she’s insecure that he might be sleeping around because she believes him to be a player, then gets upset when she thinks he is, but on her part, she never actually made her conditions clear in this arrangement that they have going on. Also, can you trust a man that wants you to break up with your current boyfriend just to have sex with him? Think carefully Em. I think she’s meant to come across as strong and sensible, but she’s not really always sensible and comes off more immature than anything. She can also be quite righteous, but then if you’re dealing with Jameson Miles, one must stack their arsenal to the brim with it.
A N D _ F I N A L L Y
I have a passion for angst, it somehow remarkably lights a fire under me. Sometimes the angst in this story works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it proved to more of a roadblock than anything, but most of all? It was just debilitating…
If you can feel the depletion emanating from my pores through this review, you’re feeling right. I very much had a like/dislike type relationship with The Stopover. The premise got me excited for one of my favourite tropes: an office romance. It didn’t fruitfully pan out that way though. As far as the writing goes, It lacked verve and was very black and white so It wasn’t a particular winner for me. There’s also repetition with the writing and it didn’t seem well-planned. The major parts of the story perhaps were, but not the smaller parts, the smaller details. I’m a little disappointed, mostly because I had a lot of hope for my first T.L. Swan novel. I was convinced it would be something of a winner. My opinion may just be mine so I wouldn’t be discouraged to give it a try. I wish I were one of the many readers who fully loved it. I wish I could channel their love just so I could have been another grateful supporter.
I give this book three stars because, like Emily and Jameson’s relationship, when it was good it was great. A story of two twin flames who burn bright enough to maim and relish.
Trigger Warning: F bombs, swearing and multiple sex scenes.
Some odds and ends…
★ Jameson has a knack for for sharing things with his ex before he tells Emily himself.
★ There were times when some things just happen off the cuff, and I’d wonder when said thing had happened? when did the story-leak threat come to an end, when did Hayden get fired, when did you slap Jake across the face Emily because I read the scene and you didn’t. If Jake wasn’t doing his job properly I really don’t understand why Miles Media kept employing him. It was technical points like these that made the story seem a lazy.
★ There’s a lot of breathing and whispering going on in this book.
★ The sabotage/embezzlement storyline is a great side plot, but the execution was disappointing.
------------------------------------------
Visit my blog for more reviews: V.L. Book Reviews
T W I T T E R: @VicariousHearts
I N S T A G R A M: @Vicarious.Hearts
------------------------------------------
“I just like true stories, regardless of what they are.”
“So do I,” I reply.
“That’s why I like romance. Love is true.”
He chuckles into his glass as if amused.
I glance over at him. “What does that mean?”
“Rom-coms are as far from reality as you can get. I bet you’re the type who reads trashy romance novels too.” I stare at him flatly. I think I hate this man.
And there it is—the heat that this man creates with his stare could light up the earth.
This review may be a bit spoilery!
4 pages of notes, lovely readers. I made 4 pages of notes back to front on this book, mostly dedicated to the defamation of Jameson Miles in an unmaidenly fashion, and readers, my notebook is currently sizzling with the heat of all the expletives scorching the pages… not limited to my troubled and double-sided feeling with these characters, their energy and this story…and still, I’m undecided on how I feel.
James Miles has fought valiantly to take his place as arguably one of the most irksome characters I have ever read. Yes, Mr. Miles, you might just have taken the cake…and you ate it too. But what I really wanted to do was to slam that cake not-so-lovingly into your face. Such is the affection this man has brought out in me.
I loved the introduction to my first T.L. Swan novel. I loved the premise even more. It was my reason for clicking ‘buy’ with grabby, gimme now hands. Our protagonists ‘Jim’ and Emily meet on a first class flight. He manages to, in the span of their timely flight, flatter, aggravate, anger, frustrate, offend, flirt and laugh with young Emily. This is very symbolic of what’s to come, a premeditated way to introduce the many tastes of temperament you are going to get with this couple.
I sectioned this book into three chiseled parts, much like Jameson’s multiple personalities. Reading the three different stages of their relationship was almost akin to depicting three different relationships because that’s what it felt like…
➤ Jameson and Emily Part #1 -
Tonnes of fighting and a world record for frequent angst made the first part of this book incredibly frustrating.…It was at this point that I sat in my bed dreading the idea of reading just under 500 pages of back and forth bickering if this is what motivated this story - if this is what I had to look forward to. Not tactile or sensitive, Jameson and Emily pound on each other like minced meat. She moans about being treated a certain way and commits to cutting ties…until she doesn’t. She likes him. She doesn’t like him. She likes him. She doesn’t like him. Emily has backbone, and believe me, you’ll need one, steel-reinforced, if you’re going to pit yourself against Jameson Miles; Emily’s fiery personality allows it, but how many times she says I’m done with him, then climbs right back on the saddle…sigh. OR how many times she says she’s here to focus on her new life and on her new job only to abandon those thoughts around Jameson. Emily is not you’re regular pushover. At times she doesn’t do herself many favours but she always claims her ground when she needs to. I wanted to say to her, have some fun, take in the sights of a new city, explore, take up a hobby, but here’s what no to do…fret over a man that brings you more hassle than he might be worth. God forbid they have a civilised conversation without arguing. Wouldn’t want them to get along now would we.
➤ Jameson and Emily Part #2 -
This part of their relationship made a strong play at changing my washed-out, well-worm feelings over this couple because when they get along, they’re amazing together. I loved seeing them as a couple. This was my favourite part of the book. Loving. Tender. I loved the camping scene - it was my favourite by far. I finally found my sweet spot. And guess what? The fighting phase is nowhere in sight! I loved Jameson. I loved Emily. I loved what they were building together, even though they stepped on the accelerator. I was glad that this wasn’t going to be the 500 page composition of dissonant angst and grating bickering that I thought it was going to be. When I found out Jameson’s reasons for not committing to Emily I had admiration for him. It’s a twist to not come across a male protagonist in this genre who doesn’t have an aversion to commitment, which was proven when he decides to go all in with Emily after tying up loose ends. This is something of a guise though and I felt a bit fooled because, of course, this sweet spot has an expiry date…and it’s because apparently Mr. Abrasive is too selfless for his own good…
➤ Jameson and Emily Part #3 -
It was this testing point in their relationship when sh*t hits the fan that, of course, Jameson steps into his armour of steel and walks into his telltale persona of callousness that I lost of lot of love for him for the way he handles everything. I lost love for this story. Everything sort of fell apart. All I kept thinking was ‘I’m telling you, he better pull out the red carpet, polish some fine china and pull out the performance of his lifetime if he wants her back. Then times that by 10 and perhaps I’ll make allowance for forgiveness.’ Then he uses her for a night of sex (though he knows she’s out of her mind trying to get back together with him) and told her it was a goodbye the morning after. I wasn’t a fan of the play out. Never mind Emily, I didn’t I think I could forgive Mr. Hard-around-the-edges. I didn’t understand why he was so shaken up that he was willing to lose her. The soundtrack in my head went something like this…'she should run a mile from Mr.Miles.’ She was so dedicated to helping him with his stress and uncovering the work scandal, and It seems that she’s always supporting him. His behaviour is then played off as coming from a place of selflessness. I found it hard to stomach because it excused the consequences of his behaviour, which was hurtful and selfish. It took a toll on their relationship. The near-ending lost me because of the way of fell apart. I did feel better once I got to the actual ending because they do get their HEA.
J A M E S O N _ M I L E S
Jameson is best described by his very poliarised personality. He once says that Emily has the whole Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde down to a T…and to that I’d swiftly turn the man around to face a mirror as I ask, have you met yourself? Also, for the record, If any man kept rolling their eyes at me and saying ‘here we go again’ I would most certainly blow a gasket no question so I happily encouraged Emily's heart of fire in these situations.
Jameson had a lot of potential to win me over but my gut just couldn’t handle the whiplash of emotions and hot headed turnarounds. I didn't like the guy. He did win me over just over 1/3 into the story, but when everything comes crashing down he ruined the rest of the story. I only liked him again at the very end when he comes to his long-lost senses and does some grovelling. The love was conditional.
I need to talk about this whole split personality thing. Jameson and Emily are so overcome and haunted with the two sides of his character, Jim and Jameson, and I didn’t understand what purpose this was supposed to play in the story. Nobody is ever just one thing. We have different sides, different temperaments, different temperatures. We present at different times with different people. We're complex. Most of us effect a certain persona for the world and show real heart to the people we love, which is the case with Jameson. So I didn’t buy into the whole you have to be one extreme or the other. People don’t work like that. I didn’t buy into the fact that he’s two people in one body and he can’t be with Emily because he can’t be Jim all the time. We all have a cast of personalities as large as book within us but we're also not singularly any one of them, which is why I found It unbelievable when Jameson has his hallelujah moment; that he can be both people. It’s kind of obvious. Golden sticker for you Mr. Stressed out boss man?
The thing is, there is a very good guy in Jameson, and he does have a good heart, but he made a lot of mistakes and I found it hard to care after some time. I suppose I should have expected a complicated story when a complicated man sits at the helm. Mr. Miles, when you’re not being frustratingly detached, you’re really rather lovely.
E M I L Y _ F O S T E R
Emily was fairly irritating at times, and the truth be told, I’m unsure if I liked her at all. At times I cheered her on for showing spirit and backbone, at others I may have wanted to strangle her. Those notes that I mentioned? The defamation of Jameson Miles that bled over the pages of my A4 pad? Well, I might have done something of the same with Emily too. She definitely puts up a fight and I very much liked that she didn’t jump high when Jameson demands it. My sympathies weren't always with her though. At one point she’s insecure that he might be sleeping around because she believes him to be a player, then gets upset when she thinks he is, but on her part, she never actually made her conditions clear in this arrangement that they have going on. Also, can you trust a man that wants you to break up with your current boyfriend just to have sex with him? Think carefully Em. I think she’s meant to come across as strong and sensible, but she’s not really always sensible and comes off more immature than anything. She can also be quite righteous, but then if you’re dealing with Jameson Miles, one must stack their arsenal to the brim with it.
A N D _ F I N A L L Y
I have a passion for angst, it somehow remarkably lights a fire under me. Sometimes the angst in this story works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it proved to more of a roadblock than anything, but most of all? It was just debilitating…
If you can feel the depletion emanating from my pores through this review, you’re feeling right. I very much had a like/dislike type relationship with The Stopover. The premise got me excited for one of my favourite tropes: an office romance. It didn’t fruitfully pan out that way though. As far as the writing goes, It lacked verve and was very black and white so It wasn’t a particular winner for me. There’s also repetition with the writing and it didn’t seem well-planned. The major parts of the story perhaps were, but not the smaller parts, the smaller details. I’m a little disappointed, mostly because I had a lot of hope for my first T.L. Swan novel. I was convinced it would be something of a winner. My opinion may just be mine so I wouldn’t be discouraged to give it a try. I wish I were one of the many readers who fully loved it. I wish I could channel their love just so I could have been another grateful supporter.
I give this book three stars because, like Emily and Jameson’s relationship, when it was good it was great. A story of two twin flames who burn bright enough to maim and relish.
Trigger Warning: F bombs, swearing and multiple sex scenes.
Some odds and ends…
★ Jameson has a knack for for sharing things with his ex before he tells Emily himself.
★ There were times when some things just happen off the cuff, and I’d wonder when said thing had happened? when did the story-leak threat come to an end, when did Hayden get fired, when did you slap Jake across the face Emily because I read the scene and you didn’t. If Jake wasn’t doing his job properly I really don’t understand why Miles Media kept employing him. It was technical points like these that made the story seem a lazy.
★ There’s a lot of breathing and whispering going on in this book.
★ The sabotage/embezzlement storyline is a great side plot, but the execution was disappointing.
------------------------------------------
Visit my blog for more reviews: V.L. Book Reviews
T W I T T E R: @VicariousHearts
I N S T A G R A M: @Vicarious.Hearts
------------------------------------------
April 26, 2021
**1.75 stars**
DNF (75 freaking %)
I've literally read more than 250 pages before giving it up! You know how disturbing it is to leave a book after reading more than half of it's content?? So disturbing!!
I'm disappointed for investing my time that I could have given to a much deserving book. I'm disappointed coz I thought maybe seriously MAYBE the MCs will GROW the FUCK UP!!
RANT AHEAD!!
Hero who's 37 years old is the worst kind of MC I've EVER seen.
He was half dating and full fuc*ing the heroine before revealing that he's on hold/break with his ex who's also his ex-fiance! They decided to take a short break before finally getting together and married! What kind of BS is that?? (Heroine didn't know about that and was giving her almost best)
And I literally stopped reading after that coz I didn't want to read that dumb heroine moving in with him immediately after knowing his five freaking year plan with his ex-fiance.
She's so easily manipulated by H with just few kisses and caresses.
Heroine is delusional! So delusional. She's thinking about true love when the hero was still in that I'm-taking-break-from-exfiance zone. He used to yell at her, make her feel embarrassed, belittle her just to run away from the guilt of having an ex-finace on standby AND a new woman who he's screwing on regular basis! That's downright illegal in my world!
Both of them are DUMB!! Hero wants everything according to him and heroine after giving herself long moral speeches end up in his arms yet again.
Did I mention that they literally had dinner + wild sex immediately before having a MASSIVE fight and stomping away from each other THREE times before deciding that they wanna have friends with benefits situation.
I swear they ATE , GOT INTIMATE AND FOUGHT! For three times straight.
It's WORSE than Wattpad!!
That's too much drama I signed up for.
After first 100 pages I thought it will get better but it just got worse😭
Why?? Why dear Author??
I feel quite relieved. Hopefully will forget about this big drama within few days.
DNF (75 freaking %)
I've literally read more than 250 pages before giving it up! You know how disturbing it is to leave a book after reading more than half of it's content?? So disturbing!!
I'm disappointed for investing my time that I could have given to a much deserving book. I'm disappointed coz I thought maybe seriously MAYBE the MCs will GROW the FUCK UP!!
RANT AHEAD!!
Hero who's 37 years old is the worst kind of MC I've EVER seen.
He was half dating and full fuc*ing the heroine before revealing that he's on hold/break with his ex who's also his ex-fiance! They decided to take a short break before finally getting together and married! What kind of BS is that?? (Heroine didn't know about that and was giving her almost best)
And I literally stopped reading after that coz I didn't want to read that dumb heroine moving in with him immediately after knowing his five freaking year plan with his ex-fiance.
She's so easily manipulated by H with just few kisses and caresses.
Heroine is delusional! So delusional. She's thinking about true love when the hero was still in that I'm-taking-break-from-exfiance zone. He used to yell at her, make her feel embarrassed, belittle her just to run away from the guilt of having an ex-finace on standby AND a new woman who he's screwing on regular basis! That's downright illegal in my world!
Both of them are DUMB!! Hero wants everything according to him and heroine after giving herself long moral speeches end up in his arms yet again.
Did I mention that they literally had dinner + wild sex immediately before having a MASSIVE fight and stomping away from each other THREE times before deciding that they wanna have friends with benefits situation.
I swear they ATE , GOT INTIMATE AND FOUGHT! For three times straight.
It's WORSE than Wattpad!!
That's too much drama I signed up for.
After first 100 pages I thought it will get better but it just got worse😭
Why?? Why dear Author??
I feel quite relieved. Hopefully will forget about this big drama within few days.
October 19, 2022
Oh I ate this UPPP no crumbs left 😩 -
He stands and takes me in his arms. "I could be anything, Emily Foster...as long as I'm with you."
He stands and takes me in his arms. "I could be anything, Emily Foster...as long as I'm with you."
June 22, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
''To love is to be brave''
Safety warnings:
- H 37 / h 26
- No cheating
- OW/OM drama
- ONS
- False accusations
- HEA
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
So, I'll be honest and say that the first time I picked this up I actually read maybe 10 pages and was NOT in the right mood to be interested in anything that was happening so I put it aside and debated for a while about picking it up again.
And here we are.....
Jameson and Emily meet by chance when Emily is upgraded to first class seat after a horrible passenger went on a rampage. They are on their way to NY from London and enter a bad storm which results in the flight being forced to stop in Boston for a night layover. Emily and ''Jim'' as he called himself spent the whole flight flirting and end up having a ONS in the hotel. Jim leaves the next morning earlier because of a different flight he is on, and he never asks for her number which causes Emily to feel like shit.
Fast forward to a year later and Emily is starting a new job at Miles Media which surprise is owned by Jameson and his 3 other brothers.
Jameson being absolutely still infatuated with Emily cannot let her go and attempts to get her back in any way possible, eventually Emily cannot stop their attraction and gives in where they start a friend with benefits relationship, but she demands he be only with her and nobody else.
These two are TOXIC in so many ways that would be a NO in real life but in the book world for me this is angsty and causes the drama I usually love to see. Jameson is a workaholic billionaire who is a hot head, they yell and fight and walk out on each other only to get back in bed and move on from it all until the cycle repeats.
OW drama: Jameson's former fiancée (who he believed to have loved) were forced to end things when the girl moved to London and their long distance did not work, they had a 5-year plan where they would get back together and not be with anyone series (which is why he never asked for Emily's number that morning).
Also, there was Jameson's masseuse who he uses to sleep with after getting a massage and that was ICK, I wanted it to be dead and gone but it was brought back too many times.
I will say Claudia (ex-fiancée) caused some drama, but Jameson never allowed it to go further, he told her over and over that they were over, and he was in love and will marry Emily causing Claudia to beg for him back and even move back to NY, but he was done and only wanted Emily. Here is the kicker: all this with Claudia happens AFTER Jameson and Emily fight and he tells her to not love him which prompts him to realize he is in love lol
They spend a nice couple of months happy and in love but sadly nothing lasts forever, right?
Emily is set up and the guy who is handling an investigation in Miles media kisses her and the photo is taken of them and then plastered all over the newspaper/online. She told Jameson she was going to go out with her friends but in reality, she met with Jake as he had info on the investigation which was a lie.
What investigation? Someone is stealing the stories and sending it to a rival media company, and they print it before Miles Media gets to.
OM drama: First is the boyfriend Emily was still with when she moved to NY but they breakup in a really sad scene because he just is in a bad place and Emily cannot let him bring her down. The OM drama though? that causes MASSIVE MASSIVE issues for Emily/Jameson, he is distraught and furious over it. Why? Well Emily lied about where she was that night, and he can't trust her anymore and decides to basically treat her like shit and from a certain angle I understood his pain and decision to hurt her, but he went too far with the ''last layover'' night, and it was shitty of him to do that to her.
She resigns from her job after the investigation is over and Emily helped solve the case, but he is unable to let her go. She gets a job at a place she uses to intern for and is happy there.
BUT do not worry, he grovels HARD and for quite some time. He spends weeks and maybe even a few months (I forgot) trying to win her back and begging for forgiveness.
I have to say I was proud of Emily for not giving in so easily and actually having him feel her pain and basically hatred for him for what he did and how he handled everything. She did not give him a second of her time and even BLOCKED him and admitted it felt great to do that.
Obviously after quite a lot of groveling and speeches she allows him to enter her life again but not fully trusting him until it has proved he has changed and is remorseful.
Why did I give these 4 stars? The OW drama tbh. The fact Claudia obviously had a role played in the photo setup, it was too specific as it happened AFTER he ended it with Claudia and told her Emily's name, and Jake (the OM) was too comfortable doing that and losing his job afterwards, he had no reason to do that and for me it felt like a setup that went beyond an idiotic guy. I needed some answers about this we didn't get anything so it was disappointing.
Also, I wanted him to tell Emily about WHY he was seen with Claudia that day when he walked in front of Emily and ignored her (we the reader find out he was AGAIN ending it with her and being adamant that it was done).
Honestly, a lot more happens in this book but putting it all in the review would take ages BUT there is a highlight for me and that is Molly's (Emily's friend and co-worker) husband Viagra dilemma, that was just so stupid but hilarious. Oh, and Jameson/Emily camping trip that caused him to go absolutely insane haha he is not built for that life.
Another highlight? Tristan (Jameson's brother). He was such a good guy, and I cannot wait to read his book! The other brothers crossed off Emily the second they saw the photo, but Tristan KNEW it was setup and hated how she was being treated.
One last highlight? After their ONS a year ago, Jameson realizes he has a hickey from Emily and cannot be seen with it in public or in his meetings so she gives him a scarf to cover it which we find out he actually used and wore and not only that but he kept it and he admitted that he travelled with it whenever he went somewhere.
Obviously also neither of them was celibate after the first time they met but there was nobody else after they got together, and Jameson even rejects his brother's invite to Vegas after he and Emily are broken up because he still loves her and nobody else appeals to him.
These two end up living together and engaged!
Anyways, my rambling might make no sense to anyone, so I do apologies.
''To love is to be brave''
Safety warnings:
- H 37 / h 26
- No cheating
- OW/OM drama
- ONS
- False accusations
- HEA
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️
So, I'll be honest and say that the first time I picked this up I actually read maybe 10 pages and was NOT in the right mood to be interested in anything that was happening so I put it aside and debated for a while about picking it up again.
And here we are.....
Jameson and Emily meet by chance when Emily is upgraded to first class seat after a horrible passenger went on a rampage. They are on their way to NY from London and enter a bad storm which results in the flight being forced to stop in Boston for a night layover. Emily and ''Jim'' as he called himself spent the whole flight flirting and end up having a ONS in the hotel. Jim leaves the next morning earlier because of a different flight he is on, and he never asks for her number which causes Emily to feel like shit.
Fast forward to a year later and Emily is starting a new job at Miles Media which surprise is owned by Jameson and his 3 other brothers.
Jameson being absolutely still infatuated with Emily cannot let her go and attempts to get her back in any way possible, eventually Emily cannot stop their attraction and gives in where they start a friend with benefits relationship, but she demands he be only with her and nobody else.
These two are TOXIC in so many ways that would be a NO in real life but in the book world for me this is angsty and causes the drama I usually love to see. Jameson is a workaholic billionaire who is a hot head, they yell and fight and walk out on each other only to get back in bed and move on from it all until the cycle repeats.
OW drama: Jameson's former fiancée (who he believed to have loved) were forced to end things when the girl moved to London and their long distance did not work, they had a 5-year plan where they would get back together and not be with anyone series (which is why he never asked for Emily's number that morning).
Also, there was Jameson's masseuse who he uses to sleep with after getting a massage and that was ICK, I wanted it to be dead and gone but it was brought back too many times.
I will say Claudia (ex-fiancée) caused some drama, but Jameson never allowed it to go further, he told her over and over that they were over, and he was in love and will marry Emily causing Claudia to beg for him back and even move back to NY, but he was done and only wanted Emily. Here is the kicker: all this with Claudia happens AFTER Jameson and Emily fight and he tells her to not love him which prompts him to realize he is in love lol
They spend a nice couple of months happy and in love but sadly nothing lasts forever, right?
Emily is set up and the guy who is handling an investigation in Miles media kisses her and the photo is taken of them and then plastered all over the newspaper/online. She told Jameson she was going to go out with her friends but in reality, she met with Jake as he had info on the investigation which was a lie.
What investigation? Someone is stealing the stories and sending it to a rival media company, and they print it before Miles Media gets to.
OM drama: First is the boyfriend Emily was still with when she moved to NY but they breakup in a really sad scene because he just is in a bad place and Emily cannot let him bring her down. The OM drama though? that causes MASSIVE MASSIVE issues for Emily/Jameson, he is distraught and furious over it. Why? Well Emily lied about where she was that night, and he can't trust her anymore and decides to basically treat her like shit and from a certain angle I understood his pain and decision to hurt her, but he went too far with the ''last layover'' night, and it was shitty of him to do that to her.
She resigns from her job after the investigation is over and Emily helped solve the case, but he is unable to let her go. She gets a job at a place she uses to intern for and is happy there.
BUT do not worry, he grovels HARD and for quite some time. He spends weeks and maybe even a few months (I forgot) trying to win her back and begging for forgiveness.
I have to say I was proud of Emily for not giving in so easily and actually having him feel her pain and basically hatred for him for what he did and how he handled everything. She did not give him a second of her time and even BLOCKED him and admitted it felt great to do that.
Obviously after quite a lot of groveling and speeches she allows him to enter her life again but not fully trusting him until it has proved he has changed and is remorseful.
Why did I give these 4 stars? The OW drama tbh. The fact Claudia obviously had a role played in the photo setup, it was too specific as it happened AFTER he ended it with Claudia and told her Emily's name, and Jake (the OM) was too comfortable doing that and losing his job afterwards, he had no reason to do that and for me it felt like a setup that went beyond an idiotic guy. I needed some answers about this we didn't get anything so it was disappointing.
Also, I wanted him to tell Emily about WHY he was seen with Claudia that day when he walked in front of Emily and ignored her (we the reader find out he was AGAIN ending it with her and being adamant that it was done).
Honestly, a lot more happens in this book but putting it all in the review would take ages BUT there is a highlight for me and that is Molly's (Emily's friend and co-worker) husband Viagra dilemma, that was just so stupid but hilarious. Oh, and Jameson/Emily camping trip that caused him to go absolutely insane haha he is not built for that life.
Another highlight? Tristan (Jameson's brother). He was such a good guy, and I cannot wait to read his book! The other brothers crossed off Emily the second they saw the photo, but Tristan KNEW it was setup and hated how she was being treated.
One last highlight? After their ONS a year ago, Jameson realizes he has a hickey from Emily and cannot be seen with it in public or in his meetings so she gives him a scarf to cover it which we find out he actually used and wore and not only that but he kept it and he admitted that he travelled with it whenever he went somewhere.
Obviously also neither of them was celibate after the first time they met but there was nobody else after they got together, and Jameson even rejects his brother's invite to Vegas after he and Emily are broken up because he still loves her and nobody else appeals to him.
These two end up living together and engaged!
Anyways, my rambling might make no sense to anyone, so I do apologies.
April 3, 2022
2.5 Stars
Spoiler Warning
I was so excited to read this book! I don't know why but I love romances that start at an airport/on a flight to somewhere were the Hero and heroine meet and have one unforgettable night together and then meet sometime later and the reviews so far were really good...unfortunately it didn't meet my expectations.
The book started promising with Jameson and Emily meeting on the plane, after Emily was upgraded to first class. I think it was cute and they had good chemistry until chapter 7. I think that's when it went downhill for me. How Jameson was cold one moment and then hot the next second was so annoying after a while. Emily and Jameson were either fighting or fucking. There was nothing in between and it got boring fast. Additionally he was such an control-freak. He forbid Em to go clubbing without him and was so pushy. But at the same time he cracked me up so much! I would probably give one star just for chapter 19, the camping scene, alone. Jameson was literally me when someone would ever force me camping... Honestly I don't know if the scene is funny or not, but I was laughing hard, cause I could relate to Jameson in that moment so much. He was such a diva and absolutely dramatic af, but I loved it! How he said he wouldn't stay anywhere without a bathroom - ME! Let me give you some other examples:
I hear another slap. "What the hell?" he cries.
"What?"
"These bugs are from Jurassic Park." He swings his arms around to get them off him. "No bugs are this big."
not one second later
"Ahh" he cries as he slaps his arms. "I'm getting fucking malaria over here, Emily."
"For God's sake get the bug spray, princess. It's in the bag of supplies in the truck."
"We have bug spray?" He looks at me deadpan. "Now you fucking tell me, after I've lost four pints of blood already."
He storms to the truck and I hear the spray can go ... and go ... and go ... and go.
"Are you saving any for me?" I call.
"This is man versus wild, and every man is for himself. Don't you watch Survivor? I'm voting you off the island tonight," he calls before launching into a coughing attack and waving the air in front of him.
He smirks, and then a crash of lightning hits so close it sounds like it hit a tree right next to us.
"We're going to fucking die tonight," he stammers in a panic.
Jameson, the CEO of Miles Media, pissed me off more often than not, but "Jim" or "Jay" or how he wants to be called when he's outside of work was cracking me up. Emily was just fine. I neither really liked nor disliked her. I just didn't like how she got dependent on Jameson and sounded so whiny and desperate at the "conflict" at the end. Maybe it's the constant use of the words "cries", "cry", "stammer" that makes her seem whiny and desperate, but I was not a fan.
On the positive side the side characters like Aaron, Molly, Tristan and Viagra Mike were a huge plus. I love reading about healthy friendships and family relationships!
Overall this book was just too long. The book is over 500 pages long and some scenes were repetitive (the cold/hot shoulder mentioned above) and unnecessary. I think the author could have told the story in 300-350p as well, but that's just what I think. The Stopover is my first T.L. Swan book and I didn't want to continue with the series, but after reading the Sneak Peak for the Turnover I'm kind of looking forward to read Tristan and Claire's story.
I received a free copy of THE STOPOVER (Book 1 of the Miles High Club) by T.L. Swan in exchange for an honest review.
Spoiler Warning
I was so excited to read this book! I don't know why but I love romances that start at an airport/on a flight to somewhere were the Hero and heroine meet and have one unforgettable night together and then meet sometime later and the reviews so far were really good...unfortunately it didn't meet my expectations.
The book started promising with Jameson and Emily meeting on the plane, after Emily was upgraded to first class. I think it was cute and they had good chemistry until chapter 7. I think that's when it went downhill for me. How Jameson was cold one moment and then hot the next second was so annoying after a while. Emily and Jameson were either fighting or fucking. There was nothing in between and it got boring fast. Additionally he was such an control-freak. He forbid Em to go clubbing without him and was so pushy. But at the same time he cracked me up so much! I would probably give one star just for chapter 19, the camping scene, alone. Jameson was literally me when someone would ever force me camping... Honestly I don't know if the scene is funny or not, but I was laughing hard, cause I could relate to Jameson in that moment so much. He was such a diva and absolutely dramatic af, but I loved it! How he said he wouldn't stay anywhere without a bathroom - ME! Let me give you some other examples:
I hear another slap. "What the hell?" he cries.
"What?"
"These bugs are from Jurassic Park." He swings his arms around to get them off him. "No bugs are this big."
not one second later
"Ahh" he cries as he slaps his arms. "I'm getting fucking malaria over here, Emily."
"For God's sake get the bug spray, princess. It's in the bag of supplies in the truck."
"We have bug spray?" He looks at me deadpan. "Now you fucking tell me, after I've lost four pints of blood already."
He storms to the truck and I hear the spray can go ... and go ... and go ... and go.
"Are you saving any for me?" I call.
"This is man versus wild, and every man is for himself. Don't you watch Survivor? I'm voting you off the island tonight," he calls before launching into a coughing attack and waving the air in front of him.
He smirks, and then a crash of lightning hits so close it sounds like it hit a tree right next to us.
"We're going to fucking die tonight," he stammers in a panic.
Jameson, the CEO of Miles Media, pissed me off more often than not, but "Jim" or "Jay" or how he wants to be called when he's outside of work was cracking me up. Emily was just fine. I neither really liked nor disliked her. I just didn't like how she got dependent on Jameson and sounded so whiny and desperate at the "conflict" at the end. Maybe it's the constant use of the words "cries", "cry", "stammer" that makes her seem whiny and desperate, but I was not a fan.
On the positive side the side characters like Aaron, Molly, Tristan and Viagra Mike were a huge plus. I love reading about healthy friendships and family relationships!
Overall this book was just too long. The book is over 500 pages long and some scenes were repetitive (the cold/hot shoulder mentioned above) and unnecessary. I think the author could have told the story in 300-350p as well, but that's just what I think. The Stopover is my first T.L. Swan book and I didn't want to continue with the series, but after reading the Sneak Peak for the Turnover I'm kind of looking forward to read Tristan and Claire's story.
I received a free copy of THE STOPOVER (Book 1 of the Miles High Club) by T.L. Swan in exchange for an honest review.
June 1, 2022
O carte răvășitoare, care m-a trecut prin toate stările. Glumesc! E chiar opusul, dar am văzut că așa se zice. El o ,,pompează ca un piston", iar ea este ,,binecuvântată de o explozie de lichid preejaculator"... Da, mamă, sunt beată...
Eu citesc destul de rar acest gen de romane și am niște preferințe stricte, unele dintre ele fiind senzualitatea din exprimare și erotismul scenelor, iar când ea spune că el o transformă ,,într-o băltoacă udă'' (a se reține că nu o băltoacă uscată...) și că el ,,lipăie de parcă (ea) e ultima cină" (ghiciți în ce moment!), simt cum dispare estrogenul din mine și intru la menopauză. Pentru mine pare doar o carte scrisă de o femeie neîngrijită, care se iubește așa cum e și, în timp ce amestecă în ceapa călită, visează cum ar fi fost viața ei, dacă soțului nu i s-ar ridica vesta de lână pe burta de bere; prea multă disperare de a forța cât mai multe partide de sex și prea puțină comunicare. Eu am tratat-o ca pe o parodie, așa că, în ceea ce mă privește, și-a atins scopul pentru că am râs de nenumărate ori. Cel mai probabil, cititoarele obișnuite cu genul acesta vor fi cucerite de toate șicanările lor și cantitatea de sex sau măcar vor fi mai îngăduitoare (am văzut note foarte mari pe Goodreads), dar eu simt nevoia subită să mă călugăresc. Recenzia aici: https://bit.ly/3tai66N
,,E tot ce n-am știut niciodată că-mi trebuie.''
Eu citesc destul de rar acest gen de romane și am niște preferințe stricte, unele dintre ele fiind senzualitatea din exprimare și erotismul scenelor, iar când ea spune că el o transformă ,,într-o băltoacă udă'' (a se reține că nu o băltoacă uscată...) și că el ,,lipăie de parcă (ea) e ultima cină" (ghiciți în ce moment!), simt cum dispare estrogenul din mine și intru la menopauză. Pentru mine pare doar o carte scrisă de o femeie neîngrijită, care se iubește așa cum e și, în timp ce amestecă în ceapa călită, visează cum ar fi fost viața ei, dacă soțului nu i s-ar ridica vesta de lână pe burta de bere; prea multă disperare de a forța cât mai multe partide de sex și prea puțină comunicare. Eu am tratat-o ca pe o parodie, așa că, în ceea ce mă privește, și-a atins scopul pentru că am râs de nenumărate ori. Cel mai probabil, cititoarele obișnuite cu genul acesta vor fi cucerite de toate șicanările lor și cantitatea de sex sau măcar vor fi mai îngăduitoare (am văzut note foarte mari pe Goodreads), dar eu simt nevoia subită să mă călugăresc. Recenzia aici: https://bit.ly/3tai66N
,,E tot ce n-am știut niciodată că-mi trebuie.''
January 5, 2023
She giggled.
She faked a smile.
He gave a slow sexy smirk.
🤦🏽♀️ 🤦🏽♀️
The FMC was INSUFFERABLE. She lied constantly, she literally had zero redeeming qualities. She reminded me of ✌🏻that✌🏻 psycho ex I swear every lad has. The one that constantly starts an argument over nuffin, overthinks and blows hot and cold 24/7.
She’s literally thinking during sex that they’re uLtImAtE lOvE mAkInG, he says ‘don’t fall in love with me, that isn’t what we agreed’ and she KICKS OFF, screaming ‘I WASNT, I DONT LOVE U WHY ARE YOU EVEN THINKING THAT U CLEARLY LOVE ME’ but then was raaaaaging when he said no I don’t 🥴💀
And Jim, Jamie, Jay whatever his fucking name is only thought with the wood between his legs. For a CEO not much was going on in his head.
The plot was.. that. Yes it was that.
BUT does it even matter bc I read the whole thing and I’m considering reading the next one so joke is on me 🙃
She faked a smile.
He gave a slow sexy smirk.
🤦🏽♀️ 🤦🏽♀️
The FMC was INSUFFERABLE. She lied constantly, she literally had zero redeeming qualities. She reminded me of ✌🏻that✌🏻 psycho ex I swear every lad has. The one that constantly starts an argument over nuffin, overthinks and blows hot and cold 24/7.
She’s literally thinking during sex that they’re uLtImAtE lOvE mAkInG, he says ‘don’t fall in love with me, that isn’t what we agreed’ and she KICKS OFF, screaming ‘I WASNT, I DONT LOVE U WHY ARE YOU EVEN THINKING THAT U CLEARLY LOVE ME’ but then was raaaaaging when he said no I don’t 🥴💀
And Jim, Jamie, Jay whatever his fucking name is only thought with the wood between his legs. For a CEO not much was going on in his head.
The plot was.. that. Yes it was that.
BUT does it even matter bc I read the whole thing and I’m considering reading the next one so joke is on me 🙃
November 2, 2019
2.5 STARS
If you’re in the mood for angst, drama galore this is the read for you. Personally, at times Jamison came across as a tad too childish and there were moments where I seriously wanted to whack him. Plus, I just wanted things to be consolidated a tad more (I say this as someone who usually hates nearing the end of a book). The heat between Jamison and Emily sizzled, but I have to say at times the sex was a bit much and certain things just felt unreal, for example how could Emily not know who the CEO of Miles Media was when it’s been the dream job she has been aiming for years.
Overall this was an ok one time read, with moments that had me smiling but it’s not left much of a lasting impression on me.
Acquired via KU.
If you’re in the mood for angst, drama galore this is the read for you. Personally, at times Jamison came across as a tad too childish and there were moments where I seriously wanted to whack him. Plus, I just wanted things to be consolidated a tad more (I say this as someone who usually hates nearing the end of a book). The heat between Jamison and Emily sizzled, but I have to say at times the sex was a bit much and certain things just felt unreal, for example how could Emily not know who the CEO of Miles Media was when it’s been the dream job she has been aiming for years.
Overall this was an ok one time read, with moments that had me smiling but it’s not left much of a lasting impression on me.
Acquired via KU.
October 6, 2019
I read everything this author writes.
I love her books.
This book, at the beginning I didn’t like and I almost stoped (of course has cliches a lot), but the story became so good and I enjoyed the reading.
I love her books.
This book, at the beginning I didn’t like and I almost stoped (of course has cliches a lot), but the story became so good and I enjoyed the reading.
January 1, 2026
Frustrating, messy, and exhausting
The Stopover started with a premise that should’ve worked for me — chance meeting, first-class flight, instant chemistry, powerful CEO, second-chance romance. On paper? Fun. In execution? Not so much 😑
The opening had promise ✈️🥂 The meet-cute was flirty, the setup was intriguing, and I was genuinely curious where the story would go. Unfortunately, around the halfway mark, everything started to unravel — fast 😵💫
Emily and Jameson were the biggest issue for me.
Emily felt incredibly inconsistent — her inner monologue often contradicted her actions, and her decisions made me want to scream “WHY?” more times than I can count 😩
Jameson, meanwhile, came across as immature, controlling, and exhausting. For a supposedly brilliant, overworked CEO, his priorities and behavior made very little sense 😬
Their dynamic felt less like adult tension and more like teenage bickering stretched across hundreds of pages. The push-and-pull wasn’t romantic — it was frustrating. Communication was nonexistent, red flags were ignored, and logical decisions were abandoned entirely 🚩🚩
There were multiple moments (especially that London situation 😤) where I almost DNF’d. The plot dragged on far longer than necessary, and scenes repeated the same conflicts without adding anything new. By the end, I was reading out of stubbornness, not enjoyment.
TL Swan’s writing style is fluid and readable, and that’s honestly the main reason I pushed through. But strong prose can’t save characters you don’t believe in or root for.
⭐ 2.3-star read
🖤 strong premise
💙 weak execution
🖤 frustrating characters
💙 bloated pacing
Not unreadable — but definitely not memorable for the right reasons 😐
~pre-read~
I really have extremely high hopes for this series.
I've been putting this aside for way too long.
Finally picked it up.
Please be good🤞🏻💙🖤💙
The Stopover started with a premise that should’ve worked for me — chance meeting, first-class flight, instant chemistry, powerful CEO, second-chance romance. On paper? Fun. In execution? Not so much 😑
The opening had promise ✈️🥂 The meet-cute was flirty, the setup was intriguing, and I was genuinely curious where the story would go. Unfortunately, around the halfway mark, everything started to unravel — fast 😵💫
Emily and Jameson were the biggest issue for me.
Emily felt incredibly inconsistent — her inner monologue often contradicted her actions, and her decisions made me want to scream “WHY?” more times than I can count 😩
Jameson, meanwhile, came across as immature, controlling, and exhausting. For a supposedly brilliant, overworked CEO, his priorities and behavior made very little sense 😬
Their dynamic felt less like adult tension and more like teenage bickering stretched across hundreds of pages. The push-and-pull wasn’t romantic — it was frustrating. Communication was nonexistent, red flags were ignored, and logical decisions were abandoned entirely 🚩🚩
There were multiple moments (especially that London situation 😤) where I almost DNF’d. The plot dragged on far longer than necessary, and scenes repeated the same conflicts without adding anything new. By the end, I was reading out of stubbornness, not enjoyment.
TL Swan’s writing style is fluid and readable, and that’s honestly the main reason I pushed through. But strong prose can’t save characters you don’t believe in or root for.
⭐ 2.3-star read
🖤 strong premise
💙 weak execution
🖤 frustrating characters
💙 bloated pacing
Not unreadable — but definitely not memorable for the right reasons 😐
~pre-read~
I really have extremely high hopes for this series.
I've been putting this aside for way too long.
Finally picked it up.
Please be good🤞🏻💙🖤💙
September 18, 2019
I 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!)
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!)
May 1, 2021
Average office romance. Didnt really like the hero. Wished the epilogue was longer :(
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