Sasha Cruz is fierce and fabulous—but, like most of us, she has some ghosts haunting her. A traumatic experience a few years ago changed her, causing her to slowly shut down and isolate from the world. Now, after her psychiatrist encouraged her to take a year off to face what happened, she’s ready to push through her anxiety, jump back into the work she loves, and live her life again.
Sasha lands a huge job casting a lipstick commercial for the premier global beauty company Seraphina. To get a feel for their brand, the company is even flying her to Paris for their international summit. The last thing she expects is to find a love connection in first class, yet that’s exactly what happens when a hot, wealthy Italian man slips into the seat across from her. With the help of a few glasses of wine, Sasha unexpectedly lets her guard down and, by the time they land, she feels something for this man. But when he disappears without giving her his name or any helpful identifying information, how will she ever find him?
Never fear, drunk Sasha has an idea. Impulsively, she reaches out to her HR contact, asking for help to track down her dream man, “Seat F.” Only, she doesn’t just email her contact … she accidentally sends a rambling, lovestruck email to every single Seraphina employee. Talk about instant mortification! HR helps curb the crisis, but Sasha still can’t seem to get Seat F out of her head. It was more than just meeting an attractive man on a flight—he broke her open, helped her see she still has a shot at happiness out there in the world.
So what is the next obvious step? Track down a different handsome man, of course. Enter Wes Dane: a private detective from her past—the private detective who saved her life, in fact. During the intervening years, Wes dropped his detective gig to launch a food truck and become the barbecue king of Brooklyn, but he can’t say no when Sasha asks for his help.
There’s one big question, though: Does Sasha really just want Wes’s help tracking down Seat F … or is there more than one missed connection in her life?
Thus begins Williams’ twist on the classic romance trope of a (potential) love triangle. Flashing back and forth between the original case that brought them together and the present day, Williams builds out the dynamic between Sasha and Wes so effectively. Alongside this, Sasha continues to yearn for her mystery man as Wes does the footwork to track him down, adding a layer of complexity to the story. Fit these two puzzle pieces together and you get every romance reader’s favorite word: tension!
Here’s the thing about romance books: For the most part, they follow a formula. It’s part of the contract you enter into when you pick up the book. When it’s done right, you don’t even care that you know where the story is going, it’s all about the journey. In fact, it’s comforting to know that, in the end, you’ll get your happily ever after. (As Sasha herself says, “The horrors persist. Might as well have a giggle.” And she’s not wrong. Truly, we all need a little joy wherever we can find it and romance books are a safe place!)
Simply put, Williams does everything right with this journey. She snags the reader with witty chapter titles and keeps them hooked with even wittier banter. I’m talking laugh-out-loud moments, which can be difficult to pull off in books compared to on-screen rom-coms. She also creates a lovable female main character in Sasha. By page two, she is already relatable to the reader and by the end of Chapter 1, she’s a fully formed character with depth and heart.
The Missed Connection is simultaneously romantic and sexy, full of delicious chemistry and connection. Tia Williams’ writing just keeps getting better and better with each new novel, so trust me when I say this one is going to be your favorite yet!
The Missed Connection is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis
New York Times bestselling author Tia Williams returns with an intensely romantic, deliciously sexy tale about a woman searching for her handsome seatmate on a European flight—and the unexpected places her hunt for love leads her.
Sasha Cruz knows types. As a booked-and-busy casting agent, she’s always casting—at happy hour, the grocery store, everywhere. She’s all about finding the perfect person to slot into the perfect role. What she doesn’t do, however, is relationships. Too much energy, not enough time.
On a flight to Paris for work, a chance encounter with her type changes everything. Sasha’s seated next to a broodingly attractive mystery man, and sparks fly—but they never exchange contact information. Convinced she’s lost out on her soulmate, Sasha emails her work friend for help, but accidentally writes to the entire company worldwide! The international manhunt to find Seat F begins.
Meanwhile Sasha takes matters into her own hands. She hires a smoldering detective she knew in another lifetime—who complicates matters in unforeseen (and irresistible) ways.
With a worldwide search underway, will love take flight for Sasha?
