Love in Plane Sight

In this entertaining contemporary, Connolly (PS: I Hate You) brings together two appealing young people trying to make it on their own. Beth Lundberg, the neglected illegitimate daughter of a luxury transportation magnate, has always yearned to become a pilot, but can’t afford it on her diner waitress salary, especially while handling medical bills for her mother, who has cancer. When Beth’s privileged half-brother Shawn’s best friend, George Bunsen, a pilot at their father’s company, offers her free flying lessons, Beth is almost too proud to accept, especially as she and George have never gotten along. But when their first time in the air results in an emergency landing that showcases George’s skill, Beth’s aversion to him turns into red hot lust. Meanwhile, it’s clear to everyone but Beth that George feels the same way about her. For their relationship to succeed, however, Beth will have to let go of her preconceptions about George, face her father’s judgment, and come clean to Shawn about a lie she told him years ago. Readers who dislike plots that over-rely on miscommunication may be frustrated by some of these hurdles, but Beth’s tenacity is admirable and George’s patient devotion is swoon-worthy. Fans of Kristan Higgins and Susan Wiggs looking for something on the raunchier side will want to check this out. (Dec.)