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Review

Such a beautiful story!

4.5 stars.

The third book in the Flight & Glory series, these books are focussed around a group of friends who are training to be military pilots. They feature strong characters and engaging stories with just the right amount of drama, lots of feels, some laughs, and fantastic (and sexy) romance. And this book, featuring Grayson and Samantha, certainly lived up to my expectations.

While this book is technically a standalone, it does tie in very closely with the previous books in the series. Grayson is roommates with Josh (book 1) and Jagger (book 2); and Samantha is best friends with Ember (from book 1), and as a good friend to Josh and Jagger, she moves in with the boys as their fourth roommate. It’s very much Grayson and Samantha’s story, and while you can easily follow it as a standalone, you’ll probably get more out of it having read the other two books in the series first.

Samantha is new to town, having just moved from Colorado. She made a mistake which threw her life into disarray, and she is hoping to make a fresh start. But the hope she had of moving on is scrapped when her past follows her and she is kicked out of College before she even makes a start.

“I’ve crumbled my entire future, shredded any hope of finishing college, and killed off who I used to be. And I don’t…I don’t know how to come back from something like that.”

Grayson is a strong and silent tormented hero… *swoon*. A little quiet and closed off perhaps, but absolutely focussed on his future and dedicated to his flight training. But privately, he is nursing a devastating secret from his past. He has been through hell, and hasn’t been able to drag himself out of it yet, and for five years he has lived his life consumed with guilt and hopelessness.

From the moment Grayson and Sam meet, they are attracted to each other, but with neither of them in a position to start a relationship – or even a ‘friends with benefits’ situation – neither of them act on their feelings. But their connection to each other cannot be denied and they become good friends, and even though they are both guarding their pasts, they are there for each other, they have fun and laugh together, and their friendship cracks their shells and starts to bring them back to life.

“There are broken people in the world, Samantha. But you’re not one of them. Dinged-up maybe, but not broken, and definitely not beyond repair.”

She shone like the sun, fiery, a little temperamental, and she was burning away the darkness I’d lived in for so long.

The secrets of their pasts are hinted at, and I had guessed the actual story with both of them before they’re revealed, but it doesn’t take too long before they’re ready to open up to each other. The secrets of their pasts are tied in with the reasons neither of them have made a move towards something ‘more’, and their situations are definitely complicated, but they soon reach a point where they can’t hold back any longer.

“I’m going to tell you every bad, ugly think about me. You’re going to tell me every bad, ugly thing about you, and then we’ll decide what to do about this insane pull between us.”
I licked my bottom lip. “Oh, you think there’s a pull between us? I thought we were just friends.”
His gray eyes sliced through me, cutting me all the way to my soul. “Samantha, if we weren’t about to discuss our deepest secrets, I’d lay you across the table, strip those sexy little capris off your ass, and bury my tongue between your thighs. God knows I’ve thought about it enough. How’s that for friends. Really, it’s more of a force of nature, but I’ll settle for you admitting that there’s a pull.”
My mouth was suddenly dry. I was never going to look at this table the same way again. “There’s a pull,” I admitted softly.

Holy hotness!!! Yes, Grayson has a surprising (but welcome) dirty side, but this is definitely a relationship based on emotion, and I love, love, love the way things progress between them. Completely open and honest with each other, the strength of the connection between them is beautifully explored and though it’s slow, it’s done really well with lots of sweet and funny moments, a nice amount of sexy time and of course lots and lots of heart.

“Samantha, take the chance. No matter what’s happening between us, whether we’re friends – or more – whatever we decide, I will be here for you. I will not abandon you, no matter what you’ve done, or what you do. If you can still trust me, take a chance on me, and I’ll prove it.”
…
“You’re the only girl I want.”

But then just when they are finding their happy, their world is pulled out from underneath them again, and OMG, the feeeeeeeels! It’s shocking and super emotional, and though I had predicted some of the events, I still read with my heart pounding as it all unfolded. It’s angsty reading – but the good kind of angst – and Grayson and Samantha definitely have a difficult journey ahead of them. Their relationship is put to the test, and individually they are forced to confront the demons of their past in order to find a way to move forward, and their journeys are amazing.

“She’s this wrecking ball who tears down my defences and makes me feel, forces me to live. My need for her is about the same as my need for oxygen.”

All that they go through (past and present) is s heartbreaking reading, but it’s so beautifully written, I loved watching it all play out.

“You kick-started my heart and brought me to life the minute you opened your mouth and dished my own shit back at me. You gave me something to fight for, a reason to see beyond the shit hand fate had given me, and start to imagine a future. And when I think about my life, you’re all I see. You’re it. You are my miracle.”

Rebecca Yarros has a real talent for this kind of story. She mixes romance, drama, angst, heartache and heavy emotion without it overwhelming the story or reaching a point where you get irritated or annoyed with the characters. Yes, they go through a lot, but they handle it honestly and realistically, and I could empathise with both Grayson and Samantha and all that they went through. The emotion drew me right into the story and I felt everything, and I love when a book does that!

I really loved this book, and am definitely looking forward to more from the series.

4.5 stars.