Landing Zone by Erin DuttonLanding Zone by Erin Dutton is an enemies to lovers romance between two women who are tied by a shared loss.

After leaving the army, Lauren Henley is ready for the next chapter in her life to begin as a helicopter pilot in the Nashville Police Department. One of her old military pals hooked her up with the job because he knew she needed it and would be great at it, but he neglected to mention an important detail—someone else from her army days works there too, and that someone happens to hate her.

Kim Montgomery loves her job training new police recruits, but she’s far from happy when Lauren shows up at the department. Kim’s friend Courtney had been a pilot in the army and was involved with Lauren, only to have her heart broken when Lauren wouldn’t come out of the closet and betrayed her in the ultimate way. Courtney’s death in a training accident has stuck with Kim for years and now she’ll be reminded of her every time she looks at Lauren.

As much as they might want to avoid each other, it just isn’t possible. Their forced proximity leads to grudging respect, then attraction, and eventually even more. Can they put the past behind them and create a new future together?

The Characters

Erin Dutton is great at writing relatable characters, and Kim and Lauren are no exception. These are two interesting, strong women who have a lot to figure out if they’re going to be together, and I enjoyed joining them for their journey.

The Writing Style

The story is engaging and paced well, and it made me consider things I hadn’t about what it might be like to go from the military to law enforcement. The romance is also done well, giving that satisfying push and pull that often comes in enemies-to-lovers pairings.

The Narration

I wasn’t always sold on Lori Prince as a narrator (sometimes because she wasn’t the best fit for a story and sometimes because I found the way she voiced men distracting), but I have to say that she’s been doing a fabulous job lately! Seriously, she’s getting better and better with each story I listen to and now I’m keeping an eye out specifically for the stories that she’s narrating. Landing Zone is another great example that showcases her talents, including how much better she’s gotten at voicing men, and I’m glad that I listened to it.

The Pros

I haven’t listened to a really good enemies-to-lovers romance in a while, so it was fun to pick this one up.

The Cons

The theme of cheating comes up in Landing Zone. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say that this book should be safe even for people who never read about cheaters.

The Conclusion

If you’re a fan of contemporary romance and romances with veterans, you’ll want to pick this one up. Landing Zone has a lot of good things to offer and it’s worth checking out.

Excerpt from Landing Zone by Erin Dutton

Across the parking lot, Sergeant Montgomery climbed out of a small, dark car in the parking lot. Lauren guessed she was headed for the largest of the brick classroom buildings, which would take her right by their picnic table. The sudden urge to stand and retreat to the hangar swept through her. She didn’t want to meet her. Maybe, because she’d been watching this woman run for a week now, she didn’t want to spoil the fantasy if reality couldn’t live up to it. As she neared, Lauren could make out her features and thought she recognized her from somewhere.

Thankful for the dark-tinted lenses of her sunglasses, Lauren studied her openly. She wore the navy polyester uniform as well as anyone Lauren had ever seen. Her creases were sharp, and her boots had a military shine. The boxy shape of a Kevlar vest under her shirt distorted the curves of her torso, but Lauren easily retrieved the memory of Officer Montgomery in her running shorts and T-shirt. Her short hair lay smoothly against her head, as carefully tamed as her uniform. Her features were elegant in glorious contrast to her athletic body.

“Hey, Monty, have you met the new pilot?” Buck called.

Lauren pulled off her sunglasses. The nickname tickled something in her memory. Monty glanced over at them, and her posture stiffened. She glanced behind her, as if looking for a reason not to join them.

“Hey, guys.” Monty still seemed uncomfortable, but she finally lifted bright-green eyes to Lauren’s. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Something told Lauren she should already know her. She just couldn’t place from where. Monty. She jerked her gaze to the name on the left breast of Monty’s shirt as a cruel wave of recognition swamped her. K. Montgomery.

“It’s Kim. Montgomery.”

Kim. Courtney’s friend, Kim. Lauren pulled her gaze back to Kim’s and saw her own apprehension reflected there. For whatever reason, Kim didn’t want the guys to know they had a history, of sorts, and Lauren was willing to play along. “Lauren Henley. Nice to meet you.”

Get This Book On Amazon

(this link works for Amazon UK, US, Germany and Canada)

 

 

 


[tweetthis]I just read this review for Landing Zone by Erin Dutton[/tweetthis]

Bits and Bobs

  • ISBN number: 9781635551990
  • Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
  • Audiobook Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Inc
  • Narrator: Lori Prince

Erin Dutton Online

Website 

Facebook 

Twitter 

If you enjoyed this book then you should also look at

A More Perfect Union by Carsen Taite

 

 

 

 

 

Note: I received a free review copy of Landing Zone by Erin Dutton. No money was exchanged for this review. When you use our links to buy we get a small commission which supports the running of this site