My Carolina Airman by Brittany Fichter
Military Romance. 323 Pages. 5 Stars
Synopsis:
This was a magic I’d long forgotten existed.
***
Alexander
Once upon a time, she’d smiled a lot.
Even in her pain, I could see hints of that girl I’d loved so much. She was smart and adventurous and had the snarkiest sense of humor I’d ever met. And, based on the way she’d nearly grinned at me earlier, I could only guess…or hope, rather, that all of that was still inside.
As I left the base to head to the nearest pharmacy, a plan began to hatch itself in my mind. The family housing had prompted it, but the more I thought about it, the more I knew it was the only way.
It was perfect, really. I could nurse Carly back to health. She’d even have insurance. She’d be independent of her relatives’ care, and I would spend the rest of our lives making up for my mistakes. My heart began to hammer in my chest, and with each passing second, I could see it unfolding perfectly in my head.
The only problem would be convincing Carly. Saying she could be stubborn was like saying winter is chilly.
But I could be stubborn, too.
***
Carly
I don’t know what I’d expected from the kiss, but it wasn’t this. This…my brain ceased producing words. Instead, I felt. Saw. Tasted. His hands were warm on my face, and his lips were like fire on mine. My eyes were closed, but colors flashed behind my eyelids like fireworks. In that kiss, I saw glimpses of two kids who fell in love and all the dreams they’d painted in those bright Carolina sunsets.
Familiar as the kiss was, the boy beneath just wasn’t the same. Like magma pushing through the earth’s crust, a new man was there, breaking through everything I knew. Confidence I hadn’t seen in him before radiated from his gentle hands as they kept me rooted to the spot.
Then he was gone. I opened my eyes in confusion to see him pulling back as the crowd burst into cheers and whistles.
“I present Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Calero,” the judge announced, and the clapping grew even louder. But I couldn’t tear my gaze from him. His eyes smoldered as they met mine, and I knew that we both knew something inside had changed.
If only I knew what it was. This was supposed to be a fake marriage, after all, a way to get me the medical care I needed until Grandpa came back.
So why did kissing him feel like waking up? Why did it feel like coming home?
My Carolina Airman is the second in the My Air Force Fairy Tale series, clean and wholesome standalone novels about life and love with military men. Read it today to find love, truth, and the magic of happily ever after.
My Review:
Man, y’all, that cover is beautiful!! And I’ve been dying to get my hands on this one since I finished the first one! And as much as I enjoyed the last one for many reasons, this one took the cake for me, just as I hoped it would.
It’s straight up bizzarre reading a story where you know the setting so intimately. At least, it is for me. I’m so used to reading fantasy or historical fiction or anything other than contemporaries–and those I have read aren’t set in the places I’ve lived and known my whole life. Seeing Topsail and Surf City and Fayetteville just made the story come alive in a whole new way for me. I mean, Brittany writes such realistic characters anyway that it’s hard to remember I can’t just call them up and hang out, but the setting on top of these characters. My heart went out to them. I truly feel like I’ve met them and lived their story with them, like I could call them and we could be friends. It made the story feel like a story that truly could have happened, not just the far-fetched dream of a hopeless romantic. Haha! It was sweet and intense and had me on the edge of my seat at points. I personally related to Carly and Alexander both in a couple of ways and it amazes me how Brittany can write something so perfectly accurate the way she does. It’s like she can see inside my head and hear my thoughts and understand my feelings. They responded so realistically and watching them hurt and heal was truly, truly a pleasure.
This one was a bit of an unusual romance. I loved the themes of grace, forgiveness, and redemption throughout Alexander’s and Carly’s relationship and past. Watching them come together and overcome their pasts, walking with them as they navigated their present and learned to decide their future was so satisfying. Even seeing how God worked the incredibly difficult situation to make their lives richer and fuller was like a breath of fresh air. People, they don’t write books like this.
Fichter wins the most-amazing-characters-ever award in my book. She writes characters who are so beautifully broken. She doesn’t flood the market with pure fluffy, perfect, or harmful characters. She doesn’t shy away from reality. She writes it like it is. And Alexander, Carly, Wade, and even Alexander’s mom (did she have a name? If she did, I’ve forgotten it…) are just…people. Real people working just like you and me to figure out this thing called life. And she’s nailed the art of human interaction. None of them were perfect and none of them were unrealistic villains either. Fichter draws them together and paints a vivid picture through her plots.
She writes and every element of the story works together seamlessly, from the setting to the characters to the plot to the themes and everything in between. Fichter touches something deeper. She strives for something more than what you find in today’s literature. She brings light into darkness and shamelessly reflects the brilliant hope she’s been given to anyone willing to listen. And that’s why I love her. If you haven’t read any of Fichter’s work yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??!
Clean romance, a few kisses and a little bit of swoon-worthy fluff to melt the heart, but nothing more than mental admiration and a sweet kiss here or there. No violence and no foul language.
More:
My Air Force Fairy Tale Book 1 is My Little Rock Airman (5 Stars)
Book 3 is My Las Vegas Airman (5 Stars)
The above are rated and reviewed on Goodreads. Follow the links for more information. Book 3 is still in the works, but stay tuned and I’ll keep you updated on it as I learn more!
These are standalone novels and don’t need to be read in any particular order.
On GraceBought
Want to see my thoughts on the first book? See them here!