Love and Other Flight Delays by Denise Williams Book Review

Love and Other Flight Delays by Denise Williams Book Review

Love and Other Flight Delays was a fun three-novella collection featuring six people who all managed to find love in the least likely place: the airport. In the first story, we meet Ollie, an airport dog groomer whose shop – Pre-Flight Paws – looks like it’s finally taking off. But a busy workload won’t stop Ollie from noticing the handsome man who always arrives at the gate across from her shop, every Tuesday like clockwork. Bennett manages risk during the day, but even his secret career as a romance novelist can’t make him see the love around him in the terminal. With writer’s block hanging over his head, Bennett turns to the mutual attraction between him and Ollie for some inspiration. But these two opposites will quickly realize their series of airport dates won’t be enough to calm the feelings taking off between them.

First Novella

This first story was such a cute introduction to this collection. Ollie and Bennett had such a fun meet cute, and I loved how their circumstances put them together. Setting this romance primarily in an airport was perfect: the setting allowed for both chaos and routine which allowed both main characters to thrive in their environment. This novella was both an opposites attract romance as well as an acquaintances-to-lovers. I love a romance where ulterior motives turn into real feelings, and Ollie and Bennett had that in spades.

second Novella

In the second novella, we spend some quality time with Bennett’s friend, Gia, whom we met in Bennett’s story. When Gia finds out that her academic arch-nemesis is the very same guy she shared a hot NYE kiss with while snowed in at the airport, she’s shocked. Spending time with him in airports as they travel for work is not in her plans, and Felix isn’t sure he can handle that much time with the extroverted Gia. But these two opposites soon realize that their NYE chemistry wasn’t a one-off, and their newfound close proximity will bring them closer than they ever imagined.

After getting to briefly meet Gia in the friend role, I loved to see her feature in her own romance. She’s feisty and loud, and she definitely gave the introverted Felix a run for his money. This academic romance managed to be both related to the first story and yet nothing like it. From their first kiss to all their traveling from school to school, Gia and Felix spent a lot of time at the airport, yet this second novella squeezed in a lot of time outside the terminal as well. I enjoyed both the grumpy/sunshine trope and the academic rivals trope; Williams made scholarly travel steamy and fun.

third Novella

In the third and final novella, a familiar face gets her own turn as main character. Due to several chocolate cravings in the previous novellas, we’ve already met Teagan when both Bennett and Gia pick up something from her candy shop (or shoppe, to Ollie’s discontent). Giving us yet another trope, Williams crafted two best friends – Teagan and Silas – who try to solve a mystery within the airport. As they both try to track down which airport employee might have written the mysterious love letter, Teag and Si realize there might be a love story unfolding right in front of them as well.

After getting opposites attract, ulterior motives, and academic rivals-to-lovers, I loved that Williams gave us a friends-to-lovers, workplace romance. I thought this third and final novella was the cutest; Silas had been pining for so long, and watching him love Teagan from afar while simultaneously helping her help others find their lost love was something straight out of a Hallmark movie.

Overall, Williams gives readers something to love in each of these novellas. This is a solid collection that covers multiple tropes in each novella and has surprisingly unique storylines for each couple, despite the primary location of an airport.

While all three novellas can be read as standalones, Williams did use just enough detail from the previous novella to enhance the story when read in order. I enjoyed all three novellas for different reasons, but Williams ability to craft entertaining characters in unique situations remained constant throughout.