I've done a fair bit of traveling this year some of it even in business class but alas no handsome, or cranky men anywhere in the vicinity fighting me for my seat. I would certainly trade seats with Ava if I had the chance though her tales of fight and flights definitely make an interesting read.
Caleb is traveling to Boston on business while Ava is returning home to Boston after an emotionally challenged trip. When a series of events cause them to compete for a first class upgrade and then an unforgettable night between the sheets on a forced layover. While Caleb makes all her lady parts tingle, Ava is glad to be back to normal after arriving home.
Of course the story's just beginning so circumstances bring the two together again and they settle into a friends with benefits relationship. Between brilliantly executed secondary characters and these two very adversarial delightful primary characters the story unfolds with an emotional intensity that is so characteristic of Ms. Young's writing style.
Ms. Young is an author that I pick up without bothering to read anything about the story as is the case with this one. When I originally saw the title I thought it had something to do with boxing, wrestling type of fighting not the fun, flirty, two opposite types of fighting.

I absolutely loved this enemies to lovers story. When Ave and Caleb meet at the airport it's this instant hate between them with snarky comments and rude behavior. Yet the chemistry is so off the charts, they can't seem to keep their hands off each other. From page one i was hooked. this book has all the feels. it's a definite five star must read.

He’s such a caveman but you’re going to love him. Caleb Scott brings all kinds of butthole to this story but my goodness he’ll steam you right out of your knickers. His accent alone will give you happy thoughts and yummy squirms.

The whole story is swoony, exciting, hot and a total reading experience you can’t help but devour and live in for the duration. Standing on the edge of something spectacular and dealing with old insecurities these two characters learn how to move past the shallow, hurtful people of yesterday and build something that could be wonderful. There are a lot of speed bumps along the way but it’s a wonderful journey of emotional words and we get to watch them it thier rear view mirror.

This will make you want to go out and find your own tatted, hot b*st*rd Scott who will rumble in your ears with his glorious accent and tantalize your fingers with his ripped body.

Ugh! I liked this book BUT! It's only one pov !! Ugh I hate that! If you don't mind single pov then this books for you! It was a great story but I was dying to know his pov! This is Ava and Caleb story, ava is on her way home from her childhood best friend funeral and Caleb is in town for his big companies meeting of the minds they both get stuck at the airport due to volcanic ash cloud! Caleb is a Scottish hottie!! I loved his accent!! To bad we don't know what he's thinking lol he's kind of a big jerk but his accent makes up for that! Lol it really was a cute story and if we had his pov it would have been a five star book! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

I didn't want this book to end! Between the flawed, yet fun characters to the sizzling romance, this book had it all! While most romances attempt (but don't succeed) to build friendships that are realistic and deep, somehow Samantha Young did it and it just added more to love in this book. This is my first Samantha Young novel and I am so happy I picked this up; I can't wait to hand sell it to all my fellow romance reader patrons and check out more of her books!

Fight or Flight by Samantha Young
Standalone Contemporary Romance
Fight or Flight by Samantha Young was completely unputdownable, but I still have very mixed feelings about it. I feel like she started writing a light enemies-to-lovers romcom, had the cover designed, but then maybe it took on a life of its own, because the cover, as cute as it is, does not reflect the angsty, emotional story inside at all.

The beginning feels like a romcom when the hero and heroine meet at the airport and instantly hate each other. Then they find themselves seated next to each other on a flight, and Caleb, the asshole, becomes even more of an asshole. Since I usually love alpha-holes, and this one was tattooed businessman with a Scottish accent, I was waiting to hear his story or POV to find out why he was SUCH A DICK.
“I’d rather sew my eyes shut with cocktail sticks than sit next to an ill-educated dickhole who defies the rumor that Scottish people are the nicest people in the world.”

But this story was a single POV, Ava’s. I’m kind of mixed on that. I think it made it way harder for Caleb to redeem himself in my eyes without his side of the story, yet we were really feeling all the doubt and insecurities Ava felt since she didn’t know his side either.
“You’re going to be as good at this as you look, aren’t you?”
His answer was a devastatingly arrogant grin as he pulled me none too gently into the elevator and pushed me up against the wall as the doors closed. He pressed his long, hard body against mine. “Never fear, babe. I’m about tae ruin you.”

Despite these two hating each other, on an unexpected layover, they gave in to the sizzling attraction of their hate-lust, and it was HOT. I love hate sex!
“You’re not my type. Your hair, your makeup, your clothes, your attitude. You’re too beautiful and you know it. And yet I’m desperate to have you again.”

The lack of manners and the things Caleb said made it really tough to warm up to him, but you can guess he is protecting himself.
“Seriously. Some omnipresent being is playing with us. No two people can keep bumping into each other like this without the help of some twisted fate.”

When Caleb’s visit to Boston gets extended, and they can’t seem to avoid each other, they decide to keep up the sex-only relationship, as long as they don’t get feelings involved, and he continues to push her away with cruel remarks. Ava’s past is painful, and Caleb’s remarks tend to rub salt in her wounds, YET SHE KEEPS GOING BACK FOR MORE. She hates him, but he’s SO HOT, and the sex is SO GOOD. At first, it was fun. Nothing wrong with a little hate sex, right? But then it just became UNHEALTHY, and even though I was still completely sucked into the storyline, I started to get angry with it.
“It’s sex with a guy who somehow manages to make me feel this small”— I gestured with my forefinger and thumb—“every time he opens his mouth."

I loved Ava's friend Harper so much! Harper was going through her own hell, but she knew her friend deserved more.
"A man who knows what you’ve been through, who knows what saying that to you would do to you, doesn’t deserve you."

By almost the end, I decided that this couple is better off apart, because Caleb really couldn’t redeem himself in my eyes.
“Even if he does care about me, I couldn’t be with someone who would choose to inflict that kind of pain on me just to protect himself.”

So although I couldn’t put the book down, I got really frustrated and stopped rooting for the couple. I wish I was able to see more of them together and happy to feel better about them together, but there just wasn’t much of that. It was angst till the very end, though I still enjoyed reading every drop of the journey.

Likes:

•I love banter!
•His Scottish “accent”.
•A tattooed executive with an accent? Yes please.
•I laughed and cried.
•I couldn’t put it down.
•This was a much deeper and more intense story than expected.
•The friendship between Harper and Ava.
•Ava’s character growth.
•I loved Harper and Caleb’s brother, I hope to get their stories soon.

Dislikes:

•The cover is adorable but does not match the story inside AT ALL.
•Not enough in-love and couple together time, I really wished for more of an epilogue.
•There was a point where I didn’t think they would get their HEA and I was actually glad about it, the couple could be toxic together.
•Ava never even let the thought run through her mind that he was treating her so badly because he was fighting his feelings, which was clear to the reader, even without his POV.
•She forgave WAY too easily.

Mixed feelings:

•Not having Caleb’s POV really made the reader feel the angst and not-knowing that Ava felt, but it also made it much harder to redeem Caleb in my eyes.

The Down & Dirty:
I am so torn on Fight of Flight! I could not put it down and pretty much blew off everything and read it in one sitting. But because of the cover, I was expecting fun and light. While the story started out with fun banter, it quickly evolved to angsty and more dramatic. Samantha Young is great at angst and she proved it here. I loved Ava, the heroine. Caleb was a super hot Scot, but his hotness never made up for his assholishness. I thought some of the things he said were just too hurtful to forgive so easily if at all, and I think that this would be a super unhealthy relationship. Maybe if there was more time that the couple was together (like a longer epilogue) I would feel better about them, but it wrapped up quickly without enough couple time for me. There were parts of Fight or Flight that I loved. The first half was 5 stars for me, but the push and pull and Caleb’s cruel comments just went on too long for me, pulling my rating down to a 4 overall because it still kept me sucked in. I loved the side characters and hope we get more from them!

Rating: 4 Stars, 4 Heat

This book is the exact type of story that made me fall in love with Samantha Young's writing when I first read her On Dublin Street series. Caleb Scott really made me want to punch him from the very first time we met him. But I could see the sexual tension jumping off the pages as I read, and with their first connection on their layover, all I could do was wish I could be lucky enough to have a hot Scot for just one night myself! (Sam Heughan, anyone?) Ava had really been given a raw deal with her ex, and the more details we got about that whole situation, the more I respected the fact that she was able to take herself out of that situation and not look back on her ex with longing.

Of course I assumed, as one would, that Caleb's aversion to commitment and more, probably had to do just with him being a man. I should have known better, should have known that Young would have the perfect back story for Caleb. And of course once we heard that back story, it was no surprise the direction that Caleb took their nonrelationship-relationship in. I cried at that part. The same kind of tears I've been brought to with other books by this author. Again, even with that part, I had the thought in my mind of how I just wish I could come back in another life as a character in one of her books. The men may be only after sex, at least they say they are, but they are honest about it up front. Besides that though, they are caring, and gentleman, and stick up for their woman no matter what.

Also similar to other books by this author, there were some great side characters. I don't think this will be a series, but I would love to read about Ava's best friend Harper, or Caleb's brother Jamie. Whether it is the two of them getting together, or finding love with someone we don't know yet, I'd be happy to read more with them.

One more thing, don't you justadore that cover?! And that title! This book is perfection all around!

I love Samantha Young's books. This one though started off a bit rough for me. Caleb was not a likable character. . He was arrogant and rude to both Ava and other characters including flight attendants and waitstaff. He did start to grow on me throughout the story. Ava had a tough life and her backstory was extremely well-written. I loved the relationship that she had with Harper, her BFF. I did feel that their relationship eventually grew into a great love story and I can't wait to see Harper's story.

When Ava Breevort meets Caleb Scott at an airport, there is no love lost between them. Of course, they end up on the same flight, sitting right next to each other no less. Caleb is rough around the edges and lacks politeness. He may be a bit rude, but he's gorgeous, rugged, and Scottish, and Ava finds herself intrigued. With all the animosity floating around them, there is a ton of chemistry, too. They find themselves spending time together during an unexpected and extended layover. After her trip home, she could use a release, plus she knows she'll never see Caleb again. Except when he shows up in Boston...and is staying with one of her clients. What started out as a casual one-time thing suddenly feels all too real, emotions included. review: Fight or Flight is a classic enemies to lovers romance. If you've read (and liked) The Hating Game, The Kiss Quotient, or The Wedding Date, you're sure to devour this one! This was the first book I have read by Samantha Young, but it's safe to say this book has me wanting to read more! While this is a true romance novel - it does tackle some tough subjects such as forgiveness, friendship, and acceptance. I thought this book had a bit more substance than other romance novels! rating: 4 out of 5 stars⭐️

Thank you Berkley for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Whenever my favorite author has an upcoming book AND it has my favorite trope, SIGN ME UP. Samantha Young greatly delivers a classic enemies-to-lovers romance in her latest novel Fight or Flight. The story is slow burn yet so entertaining and you just can't help devouring it.

The story is about a classy and sassy interior designer, Ava Breevort whose flight has been delayed meets a Scottish arrogant guy, Caleb Scott. There is an altercation between them and these two despise each other in the beginning. Their witty exchange of banters are amusing and hilarious. It's fated they sit next to each other having the same flight destination.

The sexual tension is palpable and off the charts! It took a while when Ava and Caleb became an official couple and it's wonderfully built up. I enjoyed majority of the moments especially about their pasts.. Both characters are likable have great character developments but for me, Ava stands out more she's a feisty heroine but have zero tolerance bullshit. I want to cheer her whenever she calls out Caleb's rudeness. There's more to her than just a pretty face. She's a woman with substance. Intelligent and refined.

If you combine Caine Carraway from Hero Braden Carmichael from On Dublin Street, we have Caleb Scott. I think it'll be more interesting if we have Caleb's point of view, just to see his impressions on Ava. Getting to know him more explains his arrogance and impoliteness towards everyone. Is he a redeemable hero? Yes. He sorted out himself before he realize that he loves Ava.

The book isn't purely romance. It's also about self-acceptance, family, grief and friendship. Family doesn't have to be blood related and I'm glad for Ava's friendship with Harper. What they have is beautiful and it'll be treasured forever. They'd been through a lot of good and bad times but no matter what happens, they'll have each other's back.

Fight or Flight is a delightful read. It's better you know less about the book and just let the plot twists take over. It's a balance between fluff and seriousness, I really like it. If you enjoy enemies-to-lovers romance, I recommend this book.

P.S.

Is it possible Jamie and Harper will have their own story? I am crossing my fingers they'll have. After reading the last chapters, there's more story to tell about them. I'm lowkey curious and fangirling. 💗

Ava is a successful young woman who is devastated after a forced visit to her hometown where she not only had to deal with people who did not like her but also with her family who never cared much. In a series of unusual and unlucky situations, she ends up stuck on her way back to Boston with the rude Scottish Caleb.



Caleb is not very keen to make Ava's life easier and does everything in his power to ignore and torment her, but this implication turns into an explosive attraction and they can not stay away from each other.



What they both did not realize is that this casual approach would make them open their hearts to each other and tinker with the barriers they both placed around their hearts to new relationships.



Narrated in the first person by Ava, I accompanied their journey towards fight or flight and I fell madly in love with the heroine. She was a strong, determined, gentle, passionate person and above all she knew how to fight and how to give up at the right moments.




On the other side, Caleb only conquered me at the end of the book, I spent much of the reading angry with him because in addition to being rude he was somewhat prejudiced but thanks God he redeemed after what he did.

As an avid Samantha Young fan, I am always excited to see what she comes up with next. Fight or Flight exceeded my expectations as you are taking on a roller coaster ride of raw emotions and chemistry. With everything that Ava has endured and how much she guards herself to have Caleb come up on her blind side with a chance encounter at the airport that lead them on a comedy of errors. I was giggling and swooning and almost in tears as I read this book. Young evokes so much emotion with her words and this one just blew me away. While their chemistry is evident, they try the no strings but when they spend more time together and learn more about each other, I adore how protective they are of each other and how much they want to be with each other. There are so m heartbreaking revelations on both sides and they really tug on the heartstrings.
Overall, this story was a brilliant one that had me totally glued to my ereader. You have a lot of raw emotions that are exposed in this story but also see how fiercely loyal both Caleb and Ava are. Their banter was priceless but their chemistry was sizzling. I am really hoping we see more of Harper and Jamie though… pretty please Samantha????

Once again, Samantha Young delivers a fabulous and fresh enemies to lovers story with her latest release, Fight or Flight. I've said it before, but it needs said again...Samantha writes amazing characters which is one of my most favorite things about picking up a new book. I love feeling like I'm a part of their lives even for a little bit and I always walk away from her stories feeling like I've made new friends. I greive for them. I laugh at them. I ache with them. And most importantly, I cheer them on. 

In Fight or Flight, we meet broody, rude, arrogant, but sexy Caleb Scott. He steals smart, sophisticated, gorgeous Ava Breevort's first class ticket out of Phoenix and the fighting takes off from there. The witty combacks between these two is unlike any other couple. They are smart and quick with their retorts and it's incredibly entertaining. But despite the fact that they can't stand each other, they can't deny the physical attraction they have towards each other. Neither Ava nor Caleb are looking for a relationship and what they find during a layover in Chicago is a night of passion and sex that is literally out of this world.

"The need to feel is skin against mine, to taste his lips, to touch him, to have him touch me, felt like a basic, necesary requirement to breathe."

The story really takes off when Caleb falls back into Ava's life... on a permanent basis. What started as a temporary arrangement of just enjoying each other physically becomes much more risky regarding their hearts. Learning just why Caleb and Ava refuse to be in a relationship is quite devastating. But no one can ignore the heart. 

"It was like he was drinking from me, a deep, slow, mesmerizing kiss that made my heart slam hard against my chest. It was the kind of sweet, sexy, thorough kiss that confused a woman, because it said I meant more to him than just sex." 

Ava and Caleb are one of my most favorite couples I've ever read. I loved everything about them and we got great secondary characters as well. If you want a book to get lost in, this is THE ONE you are looking for

I had heard some good things about this one and really liked the premise. Sadly, it was pretty disappointing.

I guess I liked Ava? She’s definitely stronger than she thinks and she’s gotten through some horrible things on her own. I just couldn’t settle into her inner monologue. Caleb was jerk from the beginning and for me, didn’t get any better. His alpha bs got old really fast and I couldn’t find a redeeming quality. Ava’s BFF stole every scene she was in and I would definitely read a companion book with her.

Plot wise it was a bit boring and there was more than enough drama and back story to carry it along. I didn’t see the chemistry between Ava and Caleb and I definitely didn’t see any push into friendship or love. There was a lot of tell and not show and even though it’s supposed to be a hate to love trope, there were a lot a lot a lot of horrible things said. Oh, and the grand gesture wasn’t so grand and Ava deserves a lot more.

Overall, something kept me reading, but I’m not sure what it was. I wish I would have seen the spark others did.

FYI: there’s a flashback and talk about an attempted sexual assault and a plot thread with domestic violence, including a scene after someone’s been beaten.

**Huge thanks to Jove/Berkley for providing the arc free of charge**

Samantha Young rocked it again with her latest novel Fight or Flight!

Ava Breevort has tried to put her past behind her. Sadly, the events of her past are out in the open again as she attends the funeral of a childhood friend. After a week spent in her hometown, Ava is ready to get back to her life in Boston. Unfortunately, the trip home includes sitting first class next to the most beautiful and arrogant Scotsman she has ever met. From their first meeting Ava and Caleb develop a strong dislike for each other. But that doesn't mean they have to ignore the physical chemistry that they have.

I loved the banter between Ava and Caleb. Ava was such a strong heroine and I loved her friendship with Harper (hoping Harper gets to tell us her story next!!).

The story between Ava and Caleb flowed so effortless and it was a joy to see how they each helped each other deal with their past.

If you are looking for a enemies to lovers story, then Fight or Flight is the perfect book!

Arc provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Ava and Caleb get off on the wrong foot from the start, but there's a spark of something there that they both can feel and when a "no-strings-attached" situation presents itself, they decide they can use their friction in a more enjoyable way. That's not to say they just start getting along -- oh no, there's more verbal warfare as their situation gradually changes to something else.

I loved that this was told entirely in Ava's POV, It made for a more personal experience to only see her side of things. I don't think it's easy to portray that gradual falling in love story, since it can be subtle things that make a difference but the author does a really nice job of allowing the reader to see Caleb's emotional state without actually having his POV and that's some good writing. And Caleb is just swoony in that alphahole sort of way.

If you like a good enemies to lovers story, you will probably like this one, especially if you are looking for a slow build up to the emotional part of the relationship.

An ARC was provided for review.

3.5 stars

This was an entertaining read. It had a good mix of light, steamy, and depth. Ava and Caleb had that passionate strong connection. These two went back and forth between enemies to friends to enemies to lovers to friends, etc. Whew these two were giving me whiplash. As the story went on you just never knew what they would do but it made for a fascinating read. I enjoyed getting to know Ava and Caleb as the story progressed and they got to know one another-there was so much more to them than the initial meeting. This book had a lot of different facets to it and is so much more than two people with great chemistry. And I liked them all as they gave the book a more deeper feeling. Overall, this was a splendid read.

5/5 STARS

See my review in French <a href="http://isalacroqueusedelivres.blog/2018/10/09/fight-or-flight-samantha-young/">here</a>


Hardly 24 hours…
That’s what it took me to read this book.

Like every single book I read from Samantha Young, it’s like diving in a universe I don’t want to leave.

I let her stories wrap me up, overwhelm me in a perfect and delicious mix of humor, passion and angst.

She never disappointed me. EVER.

I love all her heroes and heroines.
Ava and Caleb aren’t any exception.
I loved fierce and caring Ava, and I loved Caleb too, and everything hiding behind those icy blue eyes and beard.

Of course, I also wanted to slap him. So, so many times.
I wanted to slap-maul-kiss-hug-strangle-slap-undress-kiss him through all the damn book!!!

I don’t know what to add, Samantha Young does it every time, with every book.

I think you could throw any blurb at her, she would deliver a wonderful and addictive love story.

That’s why she is one of my absolute favorite authors, and with Caleb, she definitely knows how to write the best assholes we love to hate (and hug). Got for it, this story is one of my favorite read this year!




***ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review***

Visit my French blog: https://isalacroqueusedelivres.blog

Samantha Young has written some very good books that I have enjoyed. I picked this up because of those books, even though the blurb didn't really grab me. Unfortunately for me, this book was not up to caliber to her past books. There were so many things I took exception to, it would be a double sided typed page! This is an enemy to lover troupe, of which I normally get into, but this book just did not work for me.

First off, these characters are despicable! Ava and Caleb. Talk about snobby, entitled, privileged-whatever word you choose to use-they are it! They meet while travelling and the things that comes out of his mouth right off the bat are just atrocious! If someone said those things to me, while having just met, I would not be swooning all over him. The author tries to make him charming by giving him a Scottish accent and attractive, but it did NOTHING to redeem him in my eyes! What I don't understand, is why Ava would acknowledge what he was doing or saying and think he was awful, and then turn around and accept it because he was freaking gorgeous?? No amount of looks can overcome a rude and obnoxious person! She was a strong girl having worked her way to success by herself, she did not need to degrade herself by keeping him around.

Because of a delay, they have a one night stand. Then Caleb is stuck in the States for longer than anticipated. Why they went back at it had me shaking my head. I felt truly bad for Ava. Why would you subject yourself to the behavior and the judging that Caleb was spouting off throughout this book? There was another red flag every time you turned around.

Aside from the obvious character flaws, I did not care for the overly wordy style the author gave us. The dialogue was cheesy or very dated to say the least. I really couldn't see them talking this way for being two successful business people in today's world. All the political agenda got a bit much as well. Not to mention there are forays into a lot of situations that could be triggers for a lot of people.

It took me a couple of days to digest everything and to figure out what worked for me, and what didn't. If the characters were written differently or at least, Caleb, then maybe it would have fared better for me. I understand this sounds negative, but I definitely wanted to highlight the problems I had with it. If you decide to give this a try, I hope you see things differently than I did.

reviewed by Deb

This was a super cute and easy read. It was everything I want it to be. I will say there were a few lines that were ridiculously cheesy but otherwise I would definitely recommend.