Blog Tour + Excerpt + Review: "The Layover" by Cassie Cross

I am delighted to participate in the blog tour celebrating the release of "The Layover" by Cassie Cross, book #5 of the Love Is... series. This cute, sweet, and funny story reads as a complete standalone, though I note that the female lead character's best friend was featured in the previous book of the series, "The Breakup Bucket List" (which I also enjoyed). The way these two friends looked out for each other was both touching and hilarious, and I enjoyed their friendship almost as much as I did seeing them both fall in love.
 

"The Layover" features a well-crafted second chance romance between former college sweethearts Macy Monroe and Beckett McLane, who broke up four years ago because Macy wanted to travel and have adventures while Beckett wanted to settle down in their hometown of Port City and take over his father's architecture firm. In the present, their circumstances were reversed; Macy was on her way home to Port City and finally ready to settle down in one place, while Beckett had given up the day-to-day grind of architecture and instead found success as a bestselling author based in France. Their accidental meeting in Paris after so many years apart was bittersweet because they were obviously still drawn to each other, but they were once again at very different places in their lives and not sure how to make a relationship work.

Macy and Beckett were both quite likeable, and I was impressed by how much character development the author managed to pack into such a short (novella-length) story. I enjoyed their witty banter as they explored Paris together and fell in love all over again, and it was very easy for me to cheer them on to their HEA.

Overall, I very much enjoyed "The Layover" and highly recommend it for all fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedy. I look forward to the next book in this series, which will feature Beckett's sister, up-and-coming Hollywood actress Skye McLane.

 

*ARC provided by the author via InkSlingerPR.  All opinions expressed are my own.

 

 

 About "The Layover"

Macy Monroe has spent two years living and working in Rome, dreaming about moving back home to Port City. That dream finally comes true when her assignment ends and she finds a new job and new apartment back in the States. As a last hurrah in Europe, she books a layover in Paris for a long weekend full of sightseeing and all the baguettes and cheese she can eat. But her plan hits a snag when a hotel snafu leaves her stranded by the Seine with nowhere to stay.

Fate steps in when she runs into Beckett McLane, her ex-boyfriend from college. He’s in town working on his next novel and offers her a place to stay. Beckett’s the kind of handsome that you never really forget, and Macy’s heart is still a little broken from the breakup. Without any other options, she reluctantly takes him up on the offer.

Macy encourages work-obsessed Beckett to take a much-needed break from his laptop, and as he shows her around town, they get caught up in the romantic City of Light. When they’re together, it’s easy to forget that Macy’s only on a layover and their time together is running out… 

 

 Read an Excerpt from "The Layover"

As I stare at Beckett like a deer in the headlights, I vaguely make out Lindsay calling my name.

“I think someone wants you,” he says, passing the phone over to me.

I blink a couple of times because the world is still a little shaky, then take it from him and press it against my ear.

“Are you okay? Who’s that? Should I dial whatever international nine-one-one is?”

“It’s Beckett,” I say.

She’s quiet for a couple of seconds. “Oh. Are you okay?”

I know she’s not just asking about my physical well- being. Lindsay is well versed in the terms of our breakup. Am I okay? My heart’s still cracked from the last time I saw him and if the pain in my head is any indication, now my skull is too. He tentatively reaches out and presses his hand against mine where it rests near my hairline in an attempt to soothe the ache.

“I’m fine,” I tell her, too distracted by the heat of his skin to be able to elaborate. “Can I call you back?”

She hesitates, but agrees. “Yeah, sure. Should I keep looking for a place?”

“Sure. Thanks.”

“Do I need to run a background check on him or anything, see what he’s been up to over the years?”

I laugh. “No, I don’t think he’s resorted to a life of crime.”

Beckett looks at me like he thinks I might need medical attention.

I’m fine, I mouth to him before gently ducking out from under his touch so I can think straight.

“Okay. Call me if you need anything. If I don’t hear from you by morning, I’ll fly over there myself.”

“Deal.”

We say our goodbyes and I tuck my phone back into my pocket.

“Do we need to go to the hospital?” he asks, half teasing. He’s much taller than I remember. The lines of his face have sharpened, and there’s a peppering of stubble along his jaw that wasn’t there back when we dated and really works for him. His brown hair flops across his fore‐ head, messy from him running his fingers through it. I’m reminded of all the times I’d tease him about needing a cut, how his eyes would flutter closed and he’d hum happily when I’d run my fingers through it.

He’s always been handsome, but he’s gorgeous now. Fit to be memorialized in marble at the Louvre.