Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Fly with Me
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S): Cleeton, Chanel Dolz
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.chanelcleeton.com/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/2016/05/04/chanel-cleeton-fly-with-me-inspiration/ * http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/259809/chanel-cleeton
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2016099546
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2016099546
HEADING: Cleeton, Chanel
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100 1_ |a Cleeton, Chanel
370 __ |a Florida |c U.S. |c England |e London |e South Carolina
374 __ |a Romance author
375 __ |a female
377 __ |a eng
670 __ |a Cleeton, C. Fly with me, 2016: |b title page (Chanel Cleeton) page 3 of cover (Chanel Cleeton; author of the Capital Confessions novels; bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master’s degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science; earned her J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law; online at chanelcleeton.com)
670 __ |a Penguin Books USA web site, July 27, 2016: |b bio (Chanel Cleeton; originally a Florida girl; moved to London; planned to stay there forever, until fate intervened on a Caribbean cruise and a fighter pilot … swept her off her feet)
PERSONAL
Born in Fl.
EDUCATION:The American International University in London, bachelor’s degree; London School of Economics and Political Science, master’s degree; University of South Carolina School of Law, J.D.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Romance author.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Chanel Cleeton is a writer of contemporary romance and thrillers, known for the “Wild Aces” and “Capital Confessions” series. Originally from Florida, she earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations from The American International University in London, a master’s degree in global politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. On a Caribbean cruise, she fell in love with a fighter pilot, which provides subject matter for some of her romance novels.
Fly with Me
In 2016, Cleeton began her “Wild Aces” series of the loves of fighter pilots with Fly with Me. U.S. Air Force fighter pilot Noah Miller, call sign Burn, meets sassy clothing boutique owner Jordan Callahan in a bar in Las Vegas. Love and chemistry spark instantly as they dirty dance the night away and have a fling in sin city. But can love be sustained when one is from Florida and the other from Oklahoma, especially after Noah is assigned to South Korea for two years? Noah’s job becomes increasingly dangerous and a tragic accident tests their love and commitment.
Commenting on her military series, Cleeton remarked to Joyce Lamb in an interview on the Happy Ever After Web site: “It’s my depiction of military life, the tough parts and the amazing ones, the culmination of many years of hands-on research. There are plenty of sexy times, lots of laughter and more than a few tears.” Praising Fly with Me for appealing lead characters who have relatable problems, as well as the difficult life of military families, a Publishers Weekly contributor noted: “The multidimensional characters speak from the heart in this emotional page-turner.”
Into the Blue and On Broken Wings
Cleeton’s second book in the “Wild Aces” romance series, the 2016 Into the Blue, finds F-16 fighter pilot Eric Jansen, call sign Thor, returning home to South Carolina after the death of a colleague. To set his life back on track, he hopes to rekindle his love with his ex-fiance Becca Madison. Choosing the Air Force over her, he ditched her ten years ago. Now bumping into her at a teammate’s party, he reconnects with her and hopes she forgives him. However, Becca is reluctant, happy in her life studying to become a lawyer. While she remembers the heartache, she also cherishes the good times. If she gives her heart to him again, will he fly away again?
A writer online at All About Romance commented on the use of modern technology to make the storyline come alive. Facebook is used to re-introduce Eric and Becca, as Eric questions whether he should send a friend request to Becca. The writer also noted overall, “This story is a fine example of what works in a contemporary romance. A setting and plot that is believable, characters that are likable and engaging, modern conveniences that speak to today’s reader and a sexy and exciting romance.”
Cleeton followed up with the third book in the series, On Broken Wings in 2017. Guilt and grief drive both Dani Peterson, widow of Wild Aces squadron commander, known as Joker, and his colleague, pilot Alex “Easy” Rogers as they begin a romance. A year after Joker’s death, when Easy offers to fix up Dani’s house, the two can’t deny an attraction, especially since Easy has been in love with Dani for years. Now on the cusp of Easy’s deployment to Afghanistan, can love transcend guilt and separation? “Cleeton realistically re-creates the emotional devastation wrought by a young spouse’s sudden death,” according to a Publishers Weekly contributor. A writer online at All About Romance said that Cleeton “brings the real-life fears of military families to life in such a way that it squeezes your heart, ties your stomach in knots and stutters your breath.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, April 4, 2016, review of Fly with Me, p. 66; November 21, 2016, review of On Broken Wings, p. 97.
ONLINE
All About Romance, http://allaboutromance.com (March 1, 2017), reviews of On Broken Wings and Into the Blue.
Caffeinated Book Reviewer, http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com (January 4, 2017), review of On Broken Wings.
Chanel Cleeton Home Page, , http://www.chanelcleeton.com (March 1, 2017), author profile.
Happy Ever After, http://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/ (May 4, 2016), Joyce Lamb, author interview.
Smexy Books, http://smexybooks.com (January 6, 2017), review of On Broken Wings.*
After years spent studying international politics in London and a stint in law school, Chanel Cleeton found her passion crafting smart and sexy contemporary romances and thrillers. An avid reader and hopeless romantic, she's happiest curled up with a book, her three dogs lounging beside her. Chanel is a lover of big sunglasses, irresistible handbags, food covered in sprinkles, and pint-sized pups with larger-than-life personalities.
She is published by Harlequin and Penguin and is the author of the International School, Capital Confessions, Assassins, and Wild Aces series. Chanel also writes historical fiction as Chanel Dolz Cleeton. She is represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
Chanel Cleeton: How a summer cruise inspired ‘Fly With Me,’ and so much more
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By: Joyce Lamb | May 4, 2016 12:01 am
Chanel Cleeton, whose Fly With Me (book one in her Wild Aces Romance series) is out this week, joins us to share how a fateful cruise laid the groundwork for marriage and career.
Fly With Me by Chanel CleetonChanel: The summer after I graduated from college in London, I went on a summer cruise with my family. I was charged with planning the vacation that year and the combination of a cold London winter and a childhood love of the movie Weekend at Bernie’s II had me choosing a cruise that took us to the U.S. Virgin Islands. It sounds corny to admit this, but I have to say, something inside me pushed me to choose that cruise, that week, that ship. It was the same little voice that operated like a low-level hum inside me in the weeks leading up to our trip that whispered that this was going to be a big trip for me.
And it was.
A few nights into the cruise, I was standing in the ship’s nightclub when a Shakira song — La Tortura — came over the speakers and a boy came up and asked me to dance. A boy who was in a lot of ways not the guy I expected to find, but turned out to be absolutely perfect for me. I said “yes” — I’m so grateful every single day of my life that I said “yes” — and a week later, a country between us and several eight-hour phone calls behind us, I knew I’d found the man I was going to marry.
I know. Instalove. Total instalove. But as a romance writer, it can’t come as a surprise that I’m also a hopeless romantic and after years of being with the wrong guys, it was so clear when I’d found the right one.
There was only one little wrinkle:
He was in the Air Force, had committed the next 10 years of his life to serving his country, to becoming a pilot — a fighter pilot — and I was headed back to London to start my master’s degree.
Much like my heroine Jordan in Fly With Me, I knew nothing about the military. As soon as I met the boy who would later become my husband, I was thrust into a whole other world with a new vocabulary — words like “TDY” and “IPUG” — and navigating the challenges of an international long-distance relationship with someone whose life was controlled by the military. It was a year of a lot of transatlantic flights, daily phone calls made easier by Skype, so many letters, countless airport greetings and goodbyes, and dedicating each day to building our new relationship. And somewhere along the way, dating turned into marriage and a year turned into 10, and I became a military wife, something I’d never envisioned before that night on the cruise when a fighter pilot stole my heart.
When I began writing and people found out I was married to a fighter pilot, they always asked me why I didn’t write military romance. And honestly, in the beginning the answer was that it hit too close to home, that writing a military romance forced me to open up in ways I wasn’t comfortable with, to spill my emotions on the page. Because the absolute truth is that as much as I love my life, as much as that “yes” was the best decision I’ve ever made, being a military wife is hard. In ways I never imagined. In ways that still surprise me.
It’s changing your whole life, moving away from family and friends, more career changes than you can count, sometimes sacrificing your dreams. It’s short-notice deployments, more holidays and birthdays spent apart than together, so many missed moments even in a normal week, and more than anything it’s fear. The fear that claws at your throat every single time the person you love most goes to work, the fear that this time they won’t come home. It’s watching the people around you lose loved ones to combat missions and training exercises. It’s grief and sadness. But more than anything it’s full of love. So much love. There’s an edge to loving a military man that makes you appreciate every moment because the absence of them and the fear make you hoard and savor the ones you get. It’s a roller coaster and without a doubt, it’s the most incredible ride of my life.
As the years went by, the idea of writing a military romance took root. And then Jordan and Noah’s story came into my mind and as much as it scared me to write a story that hit so close to home, I couldn’t shake them. I wanted to write a book that conveyed those highs and lows. That highlighted all of the sides of a military relationship — the perils and pleasures of loving a fighter pilot.
And Fly With Me was born.
This week you’ll meet the Wild Aces squadron of F-16 pilots and the women who love them. This series has a little piece of my heart — OK, a big chunk — and it’s my depiction of military life, the tough parts and the amazing ones, the culmination of many years of hands-on research. There are plenty of sexy times, lots of laughter and more than a few tears. This series is 10 years in the making and as much as it has a chunk of me in it, my characters did what they always do and took my kernel of an idea and ran with it, taking over the page and leading me in directions I never expected. I hope you fall in love with these stories and with the characters who put it all on the line for love. I can’t wait to share them with you!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Originally a Florida girl, Chanel Cleeton moved to London where she received a bachelor’s degree from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Chanel fell in love with London and planned to stay there forever, until fate intervened on a Caribbean cruise and a fighter pilot with smooth dance moves swept her off her feet. Now, a happily ever after later, Chanel is living her next adventure.
On Broken Wings
Publishers Weekly.
263.47 (Nov. 21, 2016): p97.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
On Broken Wings
Chanel Cleeton. Berkley, $7.99 mass market (320p) ISBN 978-1-101-98700-1
This addition to the Wild Aces fighter pilot series (after Fly with Me) catapults a military widow and her late husband's friend through grief, guilt,
and lust in an emotionally raw love story. One year after Dani Peterson's husband, Joker, died, her life is still in a holding pattern, suffused with
unrelenting grief. Joker's friend Alex "Easy" Rogers has been helpful to Dani, but also a bit distant. Dani is unaware that Easy has been in love
with her for years. He kept his feelings buried out of respect for Joker; now that Dani is widowed, Easy's guilt and stifled lust are a tedious seesaw
of feelings. On the eve of Easy's Afghanistan deployment, he and Dani become lovers. A predictable sequence of events has Dani and Easy
facing their fears and their increasingly complicated relationship. Cleeton realistically re-creates the emotional devastation wrought by a young
spouse's sudden death, followed by a gradual realization of the healing power of love. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"On Broken Wings." Publishers Weekly, 21 Nov. 2016, p. 97. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA471273982&it=r&asid=af89ba807220b8dc6d2d2f48249ebb25. Accessed 4 Feb.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A471273982
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2/4/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1486235975976 2/3
Fly with Me
Publishers Weekly.
263.14 (Apr. 4, 2016): p66.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Fly with Me
Chanel Cleeton. Berkley, $7.99 mass market
(320p) ISBN 978-1-101-98696-7
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
In the Wild Aces contemporary series opener, Cleeton energizes a stock romantic premise with appealing lead characters who have relatable
problems and share a life-changing event. During a weekend visit to Las Vegas, clothing boutique owner Jordan Callahan meets U.S. Air Force
fighter pilot Noah Miller in a bar. After some dirty dancing and raw, hungry lovemaking, Jordan and Noah are head over heels for each other and
envisioning a future together. But their long-distance relationship between Florida and Oklahoma becomes even more of a struggle when Noah
receives a two-year posting to Korea. The characters are profoundly changed after a devastating accident, and Cleeton's prose fittingly addresses
the "fragility of life." This is a sentimental book about two people in love, the military family they are part of, and the danger and difficulty of
military life. The multidimensional characters speak from the heart in this emotional page-turner. Agent Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary.
(May)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Fly with Me." Publishers Weekly, 4 Apr. 2016, p. 66. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA448902710&it=r&asid=3bb47dbfd36704e39ec205d5bb478631. Accessed 4 Feb.
2017.
2/4/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1486235975976 3/3
Gale Document Number: GALE|A448902710
Caffeinated Book Reviewer
On Broken Wings By Chanel Cleeton
January 4th, 2017 kimbacaffeinate Review 36 Comments
4th JAN
On Broken Wings by Chanel Cleeton
On Broken Wings
by Chanel Cleeton
Series: Wild Aces #3
Published by: Penguin on January 3, 2017
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher
Purchase: Amazon
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Heat Level:One FlameOne FlameOne Flame
The author of Into the Blue and Fly with Me returns with the newest, hot and high-flying Wild Aces romance...
A year after losing her husband, Joker, the squadron commander of the Wild Aces, Dani Peterson gets an offer from his best friend, Alex “Easy” Rogers, to help fix up her house. Dani accepts, and their friendship grows—along with an undeniable attraction.
Racked by guilt for loving his best friend’s widow, Easy’s caught between what he wants and can’t have. Until one night everything changes, and the woman who’s always held his heart ends up in his arms. Yet as Easy leaves for his next deployment, he and Dani are torn between their feelings and their loyalty to Joker’s memory.
But when Dani discovers something that sends them both into a spin, the conflicted lovers must overcome the past to navigate a future together…
ROMANCE SWOON TEARJERKER Truffles
The Wild Aces series by Chanel Cleeton has been one I have thoroughly enjoyed. On Broken Wings, the third book in this series shares Easy’s story. I knew going into this tale it might require truffles. As predicted I cried like a baby, even as I smiled. Come meet, Alex “Easy” Rogers your next book boyfriend
Coffee dates (and truffles) with On Broken Wings
First date: The Wild Aces series features a squadron of F-16 pilots and the women who steal their hearts. The Wild Aces fly together and play together, so we get to know all of them throughout the series. I recommend reading these books in order. The emotional connection that forms with each story will only enhance your reading experience. It had been a year since Dani lost her husband and Easy struggles between being there for her and his feelings. I was so worried about how everything would work in this story, but Cleeton pulled me in from the very fist page.
Second date: All of the feels!!! We get updates on the other couples, see Easy, struggle and watch Dani notice Easy in a new light. I love that theirs is a friendship to lovers romance. The story will tug at your heartstrings. Cleeton did such a fantastic job of connecting the reader emotionally to their story. While this story to me was low-heat, we do get some sizzling hot moments. We get to melt along with Dani as Cleeton describes in glorious detail what Dani is suddenly noticing about Easy. The man is pantie melting eye candy with a heart of pure gold.
Third date: Confusion, guilt, need, and more swirl around this couple. At this point, I am completely caught up in the story. Not even a fire could move me from my Kindle. A plot twist didn’t surprise me, in fact, the moment something happened I knew how it would play out. Normally I am not a fan of this particular trope, but never have I been happier. This last date had me laughing, crying, wiping tears, hugging myself and savoring every word. Despite the emotional trauma for the reader, the tale was low in angst. Folks acted like adults and Cleeton didn’t rush things, allowing the reader to experiences everything.
On Broken Wings delivered all the feels and left me with a serious book hangover. Break out the truffles, turn off your phone and enjoy. If you read one contemporary romance series this year, make it The Wild Aces.
Joint Review: On Broken Wings by Chanel Cleeton
January 6, 2017 By Mandi 2 Comments
24820451-1On Broken Wings by Chanel Cleeton (Wild Aces #3)
Released: January 3, 2017
Contemporary Romance
Berkley
Reviewed by Kini and Mandi
Kini: I read Fly with Me, book one in the series, earlier this year. It was a middle of the road read for me, except for the relationship between Dani and Easy. I LOVE the trope where one character loves the other from afar, but doesn’t/can’t make a move. Because I am a horrible person, I felt okay about the circumstances that allowed for Dani and Easy to have their own story. I had no interest in reading book 2. I am sure it’s great, but after I read Fly with Me, I was waiting impatiently for Easy’s story to end up in my greedy little hands.
I was not disappointed with this book. Dani has resigned herself to living a life of being “happy…ish.” Easy was tortured and felt like he isn’t worthy of Dani. Ya’ll know I love the tortured hero.
Mandi: Having a spouse die is tricky for romance readers to accept.. Our hearts love a HEA which means all heroes and heroines live to be at least 100 and die peacefully in their sleep holding hands. So when Dani’s husband dies in a plane crash – it was hard to take! (although they never starred in their own book together). A year passes before this book starts – a year where Dani has grieved and tried to accept her new life by herself. Living on an airforce base for her entire marriage allowed Dani to develop a strong sense of community with fellow spouses of air force pilots. She has a strong network of friends who are there for support – but the most support has come from her late husband’s best friend, Alex aka Easy.
Easy fell in love with Dani the first time he ever laid eyes on her – but she was with her then to be future husband, so Easy never told anyone or ever made a move. But he fell in love with her so hard, it’s been torture to watch Dani be in love with her husband. And then he dies. And Easy doesn’t know what to do with himself. So he protects Dani and cares for her and supports her the best way he knows how and it’s so romantic yet he is SO tortured over it all I could barely stand it!!
Kini, how did you feel about the progression of Dani feeling friendship to Easy to actually loving him? And all the mixed feelings about her late husband swirling around?
Kini: I felt like it was a fairly natural progression from best friend love to romantic love. Easy had already been acting as Dani’s best friend. Easy was there for her when her husband had been away. I think that Cleeton did a great job of portraying Joker as a character but not getting us too invested in him. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have worked for Easy and Dani. To me, all the feelings and apprehension that Dani and Easy had felt very true to their characters and circumstance. Also as someone who is working through the stages of grief, although not a spouse, this part of the book felt authentic without being overloaded. I loved that Cleeton didn’t make it all magically better. The way Easy was just there for her even though it was so painful to love her from afar, it was so agonizing, yet wonderful.
Mandi- What did you think of the progression?
Mandi: I always get nervous when there is a dead significant other because I hate it when the living hero or heroine realize they never really loved the dead person and they truly love the new HEA in the book. You are allowed to love the dead person! And thankfully in this book, Dani truly loved her husband and even though she falls in love with Easy, she recognizes her love for her late husband will never end. And that’s okay.
Let’s talk about how deliciously tortured Easy was in this book. He wants Dani so badly but also feels so guilty and I just wanted to hug him and rub his abs and say it would be okay!
“Don’t you get it by now? There is no one else. There never will be anyone else. There’s just her.”
Oh Easy. Go get her – she wants you too!
Kini: Mandi, I loved that quote too!!!!!
He cuddles with her! Before she is in love with him. If that doesn’t define tortured love, I don’t know what does. He brings her tiramisu after Dani goes on a date with another man. When Jordan and Noah’s baby is born and the way he thinks about Dani and her smile
Most beautiful fucking thing I’d ever seen. I stood there, bathing in her glow, corny as that sounded… I love you. I love you. I love you.
Oh Easy, that was so not corny, go get your lady!!!
The way that Dani starts to recognize she has feelings for Easy that might be more than friends was great. I loved the scenes in the bar when she was ready to throw down when Easy was off talking to other women.
“I told myself I didn’t sound defensive, that I hadn’t imagine Easy, my Easy as a man, a man I could want, a man who could make my body yearn for things I hadn’t felt in a long time.”
This book worked for me on every level. The tension. The love story. Easy’s torture. Dani’s grief and then love for Easy. I wanted to shout from the rooftops how excited I was for Easy to get his love and believe that he deserved it.
Grade: A-
Mandi: I’m glad we get that epilogue too that shows the result of a little surprise during the book. Overall a really nice romance that gave Dani a second chance at love she so deserved.
Grade: B+
Desert Isle Keeper
On Broken Wings
Chanel Cleeton
Buy This Book
I am embarrassed to admit that I avoid books featuring widows. If I see “lost the love of her life” implied or written in the book’s description, I immediately pass on it and search for something with an exclusively happy plot. But I decided to step out of my comfort zone and read Chanel Cleeton’s On Broken Wings, because I thoroughly enjoyed the previous two books in the Wild Aces series and truly love her writing.
Dani Peterson and Alex “Easy” Rogers are prominent secondary characters throughout the series; therefore, I was familiar with them and already emotionally invested in their story, which ensured a more gut-wrenching experience. As I suspected, I started crying on the second page and continued crying intermittently throughout, but On Broken Wings taught me that it is cathartic and even beneficial to tap into those unpleasant feelings within the safe confines of a book.
Easy is a fighter pilot who has no shortage of women willing to fall into his bed. His liaisons last a night – or a few hours – and he has earned a reputation for being a promiscuous ladies man. He isn’t looking for more than casual sex, because his heart is secretly committed to someone he can never have – Dani – the wife of his friend and squadron commander, “Joker.” Easy fell head over heels in love with Dani at first sight and is unable to fall out of love with her – even though he believes his feelings are unforgivable and suffers from unbearable guilt. He hides his love from Dani, sleeps around to fill the void and attempts to be content as her good friend. She never suspects that he is in love with her.
Dani has been a military wife for nine years and deeply loves Joker. They have a happy marriage, and she is devastated and utterly heartbroken when he dies during a routine flight. She knew the risks of marrying a pilot but no amount of accepting the possibility of death can soften the reality of a life without him. She’s grieving and lost, which makes Easy feel even more guilty for loving her. He believes that he should have died that day, and he would rather have been the one to die than see Dani suffer; he loves her that deeply. He does not consider her widowed status as an opportunity for a future with her but views it as the end of any possibility to openly love her.
A year after Joker’s death finds Dani feeling increasingly disconnected from Easy, because he acts distant and awkward with her. He is no less in love with her and even more tortured by it. She still has no clue of his internal battle and believes he is depressed and struggling because he lost his friend and commander. She would like to help him, and she also misses their friendship and the comfort it provided; therefore, she tells him she needs him and his support. He attempts to deal with his emotions in order to be there for her, and they take hesitant steps to repair their relationship, but they stumble as Easy struggles under the weight of his feelings and secrets. Dani also begins to have uncomfortable moments where she sees him as more than a friend, and the thought of a relationship with anyone – especially another pilot – is unimaginable.
Joker’s death brutally and ruthlessly changed Dani’s expectations and dreams for her future. She no longer has a mental image of the years to come, and suddenly not being able to imagine a future is one reason why his unexpected death is so debilitating. Time allows her to accept the devastation of her hopes, but her changing feelings for Easy and the idea of loving him evoke pictures of a new and different life, which can be as painful as it was to lose the old one. When Easy gives himself permission to love Dani and she’s able to accept his feelings, she finds the strength to replace those fears with hope. Hearts are mended – never fully healed – by the power of faith and a future is reborn. My only wish for On Broken Wings was to spend a little more time with Dani and Easy as they made this monumental shift in healing, because their process felt a tad rushed, and I wanted to witness more of this pivotal transformation.
I wasn’t surprised to discover Ms. Cleeton wrote On Broken Wings based on personal experience, because she brings the real-life fears of military families to life in such a way that it squeezes your heart, ties your stomach in knots and stutters your breath. She has my utmost respect for taking the risk to write a romance exploring this and giving her readers this profound experience, which can be – honestly – scary. Personal fears bubble to the surface, but this ultimately makes the journey so powerful and creates an imprint of hope that can be reassuring when we find ourselves in similar places outside the pages of fiction.
On Broken Wings is not for the faint of heart or the emotionally squeamish, but it is worth the brief departure from an everything-is-roses romance mentality. Ms. Cleeton writes with passion and heart, and you’ll find yourself appreciating and loving your own friends and family a little more afterward. Brace yourself, but don’t hesitate to take a chance on Easy and Dani.
Desert Isle Keeper
Into the Blue
Chanel Cleeton
Buy This Book
Into the Blue is the second book in Chanel Cleeton’s Wild Aces series. Think Top Gun but with a bit of a modern twist. Eric, call sign Thor, is finding things tough after the death of a colleague, which is making him question his decisions, in and out of the air. When he runs into his ex-fiancée Becca at a teammate’s bachelor party, he’s struck with remorse over the way things ended between them. Taking a short leave of absence from his job as an F-16 pilot, he comes back to his home town to sort through the options for his future. But he’s also determined to rekindle his friendship, and maybe more, with Becca.
Becca nursed herself through a broken heart when Eric left her ten years earlier, picking up the pieces and moving on with her life. She put Eric into the past and carried on with her career plans of becoming a lawyer. Still single, seeing him again is a reminder of the hurt he caused her but also the good memories they shared. With Eric’s apology heartfelt, and his time at home limited, Becca must decide whether to throw caution to the winds and let him back in, or guard her heart against the man who could fly away again.
Second chance romance is one of my favourite tropes, especially when it involves high school sweethearts who have a chance to reunite. And what’s rather engaging about this story is its use of modern technology in making that storyline come alive. There is a whole section of the story at the beginning – once Becca and Eric have been re-introduced to each other – that deals with the Facebook friend dilemma. Eric worries about sending a Facebook friend request to Becca but does it anyway; Becca wonders whether accepting the request is going to send the wrong kind of signal. For anyone who has graduated from high school and now has old classmates looking them up (or has done their own picture stalking of an ex), this will resonate and it’s that sense of familiarity that definitely pulls the reader more into the story and gives them a vested interest in the outcome.
Eric comes across as a smart, confident, level headed man – who happens to be dealing with a case of PTSD, even though he doesn’t want to admit it to himself. Still, he can’t deny that things don’t feel right and that he’s not comfortable being in the cockpit and doesn’t want to risk making a mistake that could have drastic consequences. He hopes that a few weeks spending time with his grandmother and reconnecting with old friends will help him sort through his issues. On meeting Becca again, he wishes that he’d handled things differently between them. At the time that he broke things off with her, he just didn’t see their futures aligning. She wanted to go to law school and settle in one place. He wanted to join the military, become a pilot, and go wherever the Air Force needed him, but they never sat down together and talked about their options as a couple. Eric worried that she’d choose him over her own career and didn’t want that responsibility, so he took the quick way out and went on to live his dream. But ten years later, his dream is no longer the same. He has pilot friends who are married, have children, and make it work. And while he may not be able to see that far ahead for himself, once he has Becca in his life again he’ll do whatever is necessary to keep her there.
Becca is a lovely woman who has dealt with issues of abandonment in her life. Her parents died tragically when she was young, and then Eric left her when they were in college. She realizes in hindsight that she had a hand in pushing Eric away; he wasn’t ready for the commitment level that she wanted, and even though they were engaged, her idea of a perfect home and family life in their small town was her dream, not his. Her reluctance to get involved with Eric again is understandable, but it’s so easy to forget the heartbreak when they are sitting and talking and laughing like they used to. Eric’s apology is sincere, both in deed and in action. He clearly still cares about Becca (and never stopped) and Becca, though she’s aware of the danger, can’t quite bury the part of her heart that Eric owns. The slow and sweet approach Eric makes to get Becca to give him another chance leads to some sensual and very sexy love scenes between them. He really is a genuinely nice guy and it’s impossible for her not to fall for him again. But the fact remains that once his leave of absence is up, they are in the same boat as they were ten years earlier – his job is going to take him away and a long distance relationship is not something that Becca wants. Clearly, there is going to have to be compromise on both sides to make things work.
Putting the romance aside, the obvious other attraction to this story is the flyboys – yes, Thor’s buddies are adept at stealing the show. There are some excellent scenes both in the air and on the ground that detail the camaraderie of the guys, but also the depth of their friendship and concern for each other. They’ve been on military missions together in Afghanistan, they’ve spent months in training and they are the best of the best, with the coveted F-16 pilot distinction. They are allowed to be a little bit cocky and self-confident. I like that it’s not all show though, and that we get to see under the surface and the stress of their long days and weeks of deployments. Their job isn’t easy, and the author has done a great job of contrasting their reputations with the reality of their work.
This story is a fine example of what works in a contemporary romance. A setting and plot that is believable, characters that are likable and engaging, modern conveniences that speak to today’s reader and a sexy and exciting romance. Into the Blue is a winner for me.