The past won’t let her go.When Josie Mays returned to her hometown of Castille, Maine, she wanted to say goodbye to the past and start a new future. Then the “past” loomed up in the form of Cole Danforth, Josie’s former love who has now turned into a ruthless CEO out for revenge on the town that failed him.Though Josieis convinced her ocean-loving boy still exists behind Cole’s toughened veneer, … Cole’s toughened veneer, Cole is determined to shut her out. But not even this cold tycoon can resist the cherry-sweet, talented artist he once loved with his whole heart.
Just as Josie and Cole are starting to find their way back to each other, the tragedy that tore them apart years ago returns to threaten everything they are. And when Josie discovers the secret Cole has been keeping, his worst nightmare comes true.
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4.25 stars–IF WE FLY is the second instalment in Nina Lanes’s contemporary, adult WHAT IF romance duet focusing on artist Josie Mays, and distillery owner Cole Danforth. For backstory and history I recommend reading the prequel novella-IF WE LEAP. IF WE FLY should not be read as a stand alone, as it picks up immediately after the events and cliff hanger of book one-IF WE FALL.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Josie and Cole) using present day and memories from the past, IF WE FLY picks up immediately following the events of book one-If We Fall- in which Josie has returned to her home town of Castille, Maine to pay homage to the family she loved. But returning home meant coming face to face with her past, a past that is about to come crashing down when the truth is finally revealed. Ten years earlier Josie May’s life was destroyed, and now she is about to face the destruction once again. Cole Danforth has struggled for close to ten years to move on from the past but memories and pain are all that he has left of the girl that he loved. With Josie’s return to Castille, so too, do the memories that threatened to rip them apart. A lifetime battling his father’s legacy, and the rumors that continue to push him down, Cole Danforth isn’t willing to risk losing Josie again, even if it means revealing the truth about what happened, years before.
IF WE FLY is a story of family, secrets, grief, lies and loss; a story about two sisters who struggle to move on from the past; one woman who searches for the answers to the missing pieces of her mind; and one man who hasn’t stopped loving the girl, now woman, he will always protect even if it means destroying his own reputation in the fall-out. Nina Lane pulls the reader into a revealing and emotional story about forgotten memories, broken souls, a passionate sacrifice, and a love that has endured. Although predictable and a rush to the finish IF WE FLY is an impassioned look at love and sacrifice. My only wish is that the author focuses a little more of the town’s acceptance and understanding of the man that Josie loved.
If We Fly was a sweet, intriguing conclusion to Nina Lane’s What if duet. It tied up all the loose ends from the first book and gave us an incredibly satisfying end to Josie and Cole’s story. It was a pretty short read and every moment of it was full of love, answers, healing, and hope for the future.
Nina Lane packed an emotional punch into If We Fly, in many ways. Some moments were so beautiful they made my heart skip a beat, and there were times when the revelations were so heartwrenching the pain Josie and Cole were experiencing was palpable. Ms. Lane did a remarkable job of conveying the range of feelings her characters were going through in this book and took her readers on that roller coaster right along with them.
I loved that Ms. Lane didn’t add a lot of added drama and suspense to If We Fly. There was already so much going on with Josie trying to recover her memory, the town’s perception and treatment of Cole, and the tenuous rekindling of the relationships in Josie’s life, anything else would have felt gratuitous and unnecessary. Focusing only on healing from the mistakes of their shared pasts made this story more poignant than it would have been if any other elements had been brought in.
If We Fly is the third book in Nina Lane’s What If duet. These books are one story written in three installments – If We Leap, the prequel novella telling the story of Josie and Cole’s relationship ten years ago – and must be read in order; If We Leap isn’t strictly necessary to the understanding of the second and third books but does add a level of understanding about the extent of their love and devotion to one another. If We Fly is written in dual first-person perspective, narrated by Josie and Cole.
Picking up where we left off in book one, Cole and Josie’s story continues and believe me when I say you will need the good ole Kleenex tissues. All the unanswered questions will get answered and all the secrets are spilled leaving no stone unturned.
The journey both these characters have been on has been one of sorrow and sadness and you can’t help but get immersed in their lives and love them fiercely fictional or not. My heart totally went out to Cole because people judged him whilst he wouldn’t let go of the truth in fear of Josie getting hurt. Instead he protected her as long as he could and went on a downhill spiral in life whilst doing so. His life was a lie and Josies was full of hurt and grief. Once everything comes tumbling into the open though it’s a question of who will survive it?
I couldn’t get enough of these characters and their story and I wanted so much more from them. I urge people to pick up this duet as well as the prequel because they were so wonderfully written and the emotion flows from the pages effortlessly. I for one can’t wait to see what Nina Lane writes for us next.
L’heure des révélations a sonné et celle de la dure vérité aussi. Nous avions terminé notre lecture de If we fall sur une attente importante que nous avions certes anticipé mais j’avais hâte de connaître le dénouement final et les diverses réactions qui en découleraient.
Josie Mays va dans ce dernier tome laisser son passé derrière elle et affronter les fantômes qui ne cessent de la hanter. Elle va devoir faire la paix avec elle même et faire des choix. Elle sera tiraillée entre une multitude d’émotions et elle devra faire le tri et se poser les bonnes questions. Josie est un personnage que j’ai adoré découvrir car j’ai été plus qu’émue par son histoire et les rebondissements qu’elle va vivre au fil des années. L’amour qu’elle porte à Colton est unique, pure et formidable et on espère qu’après avoir affronté les tempêtes, elle aura droit à un peu de répit. Revenir à Castille sera lourd de conséquences et je pense qu’inconsciemment , elle aura envie de connaitre les réponses aux questions qu’elle se pose depuis 10 ans. Elle a cette force et cette fragilité à fleur de peau qui ne peut que forcer le courage et l’admiration. Comment va t-elle réagir quand elle saura enfin toute la vérité?
Cole Danforth est un héros que j’ai également adoré car il n’a pas un parcours aisé et dans le 1er tome, nous allons le voir devenir un personnage aux antipodes de celui qu’il était. Son père a laissé des traces incroyables en lui et a forgé l’homme qu’il est devenu. En se refusant de ressentir tout sentiment profond et intense, il est devenu cet odieux personnage détesté de tous et qui se fiche de l’image qu’il dégage. Sans la présence de son oncle, il aurait sans aucun soute sombré dans les ténèbres mais il cache encore de lourds secrets. Nous comprenons ses choix et mon admiration pour ce personnage n’a fait qu’accroître. Derrière l’homme d’affaires se cache encore le jeune homme qu’il a été et son amour pour Josie semble intact. Quel avenir peuvent ils encore avoir ? Une seconde chance au bonheur leur sera t-elle offerte?
Vanessa est la soeur de Josie et j’ai toujours eu un peu de mal avec elle car je la trouvais dure et injuste. Mais en y regardant de plus près, son attitude est une façon propre à elle de se protéger et d’aller de l’avant. Sa vie n’a pas non plus été un longue fleuve tranquille et sa colère a été un moyen d’aller de l’avant et d’essayer d’oublier. Si la souffrance est plus visible ou ancrée chez Josie, elle n’en souffre pas moins. Sa vie a été chamboulée par les drames qui l’ont jalonnée et elle n’est toujours pas heureuse à l’heure actuelle. Je suis persuadée qu’elle se refuse le droit d’être heureuse alors que Nathan serait le candidat idéal. Que fera t-elle en apprenant la vérité?
Bref, si vous lisez en VO , je ne peux que vous recommander de lire cette saga de Nina Lane qui saura vous faire vivre de superbes émotions aux côtés de personnages formidables , attachants qui vont traverser des tempêtes et ne pas en sortir indemne. La saga What if est une superbe romance sur les deuxièmes chances, sur le pardon et sur l’amour qui dure malgré les épreuves.
After that cliffhanger in book 1 I didn’t know what to expect in book 2. I never expected so many heartfelt emotions in this book. Josie and Cole picked up where they left off but had so many worried of what can happen.
Cole was her protector thru and thru and he was really her hero. Josie was strong in her own ways and was ready to face anything that came her way. When things starting get clarified there’s no doubt the extreme Cole will go for Josie.
I loved how everything came together and how things turned out completely than I expected. It actually worked out for these two. Great couple.
‘If We Fly’ picks up right where book one ended and takes us on an unforgettable ride. Seriously, I read the entire book in one sitting.
Josie and Cole are still cautiously figuring out their relationship, but they must confront a lot of demons and some ugly truths before they can move forward.
I guessed what the big secret was at the end of the first book, and I honestly did not know how Josie and Cole would be able to move past such a tragic truth. There was so much hurt and both Cole and Josie had endured so much, but their love proved to be stronger than any hardship.
‘If We Fly’ was a story about love and forgiveness. The heartache and the reconciliation were written perfectly. I loved Josie and Cole together and I loved all the supporting characters. The epilogue had me in tears and left me wanting more. I also loved catching tiny glimpses of past favorites from other Nina Lane stories. Honestly, I loved every bit of this story.
4.25-4.5 STARS
In this second part to author Nina Lane’s What If Duet, “If We Fly” picks up right where “If We Fall” left us hanging. Sexy, yet emotionally-charged, this conclusion to Josie and Cole’s tumultuous journey ties up loose ends as long-held secrets finally come to light.
With Josie Mays back in her hometown of Castille, old ghosts continue to haunt her as she grapples to piece together the missing fragments of her tragic past. In the process, her strained relationship with Cole Danforth quickly eases, as he resumes to infiltrate both her life and heart. But when past truths are eventually revealed, Josie’s world is shaken to its core, and all that has been gained might now be lost for good.
While the “big reveal” was hardly a shock to me, the buildup to that reveal and the resulting emotional fallout held me captive from start to finish. And by the story’s end, I couldn’t have loved Cole more. Complete with an ending that made me cry, Josie and Cole’s relationship came full circle, with a HEA finally within their grasp.
Learning to fly is not easy, yet is something we all must do. For only at our most vulnerable can we truly understand what it means to soar. If We Fly is the journey of two broken hearts trying to become whole. From the innocence of young love to the heartache of adult tragedy, Lane took my heart and wrung it dry. Josie and Cole paint a picture of the glory of love. Even at it’s most fragile, love has a way of conquering each obstacle thrown in it’s way. Quite an exceptional portrait of true love.
Gah!! Nina Lane did it again!! She left me on the edge of my seat after that cliffy in book 1 and just drowned me in a sea of heartfelt emotions in book two. I JUST came up for air and can say I LOVE this book so much!! Josie and Cole were just amazing! The pure emotion, mystery and love in this book just rocked my world.
Without giving anything away, that ending in book 1 was crazy but book two took the cake. I loved everything about Josie and her integrity and love for Cole and her need to do the right thing! And let’s just say that Cole is my new favorite Nina Lane hero (Sorry, Brody!!) His love for Josie was everything! He would do anything for her and proved that. I absolutely loved this so much and seriously was hooked on every word. This series is so unbelievably intense, romantic, mysterious and sexy. I know these books will stay with me for a long time. Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula
If We Fly is one helluva conclusion to the What If Duet. Nina Lane keeps the angst level high as Cole and Josie once again find themselves at a crossroads as past events become blatantly clear and threaten their second chance at true happiness. I have always wanted Josie to figure out exactly what happened that fateful night that changed the course of her life so many years ago. And with the way If We Fall ended, I just knew that when the truth finally came out, we’d all have to watch as everything would helplessly spiral out of control.
My emotions were all over the place as the jagged puzzle pieces of Josie’s memories finally find their rightful place in her mind. My heart was in my throat as Cole tries his hardest to keep shielding her from the pain of the tragedy that continues to haunt both he and his Josie Bird. My shock at the revelations that are finally set free matched Josie’s reactions and her sister Vanessa’s as well. And even though it all made sense and just the thought of what Cole put himself through in order to protect Josie made me sigh more than once, I still hurt badly for all of them. Everyone’s lives were put on hold all because a boy met a girl and loved her enough to make sure nothing would ever take away her happy. Even if that meant being hated by the town he was so desperate to leave. Cole embodies the very definition of selfless and I was both mad at him and wildly in awe at his choices in life. But to think he loved his Josie that much, was beyond beautiful.
I will admit I teared up more than once while reading this book. Nina Lane masterfully delivers the right amount of feeling and creates characters who react in a real way. Seeing members of the small community of Castille come to Josie’s aid, whether it was simple act of asking to help paint her mural or the sincere offer of possible employment, they showed they cared. There isn’t that relentless over the top anger at Cole despite what he may have been alluded to have been doing all of these years at the town’s expense nor is their despair over what really did happen on that bridge after Josie’s parents’s anniversary party many years ago. Instead there is understanding and forgiveness, delivered together with the promise of a love that was clearly always meant to be.
The entire What If Duet (including the prequel novella) is a must read. There are numerous twists, turns and detours as Cole and Josie try to find their way back to each other. Both change throughout this series and in particular, I was thrilled to see Josie take back control of her life and find the determination to set things right. Along with some well-placed easter eggs and some very engaging secondary characters who I wouldn’t mind seeing more of in the future, there is the overwhelming hope that love can and will conquer all. I never want it to be easy though, and this book delivers perfectly. And quite frankly isn’t that what most of us want to see? I know I do and If We Fly checks off all those boxes for me.
If you love a well-written second chance romance, then the What If duet is for you. Start with If We Leap and get lost in the love that is Cole and Josie. It is just wonderful and you won’t want it to end.
5 huge stars!
I have been anxious to get my hands on this book after finishing If We Fall. Nina Lane has captured my heart and broken it and put it back together in this unique, beautiful story about second chances.
This book picks up right were book one left off. I was turning the pages as fast I could needing to know what was going to happen next. Cole and Josie have a love people dream of. Things were great between them until an accident tore them apart. Now it’s ten years later and Josie is back in town. These two have intense chemistry and have a hard time keeping away from each other. After all the secrets come out and Josie remembers what happen, can they have a future together?
I really enjoyed this duet and the characters. This story was a heart breaking love story about forgiveness and second chances. I highly recommend this duet.
Remember that proverb that the road to hell is paved with good intentions? Yeah, that’s how I’ll start off this review as an apt way to describe the emotions and feelings I have after reading this book. Even though this book is a dual POV, it felt to be more about Cole’s experience with the tragedy, even though we often see if from Josie’s eyes. It’s beautifully written, there is no doubt about that. It’s certainly tragic. I did expect more of a climax, but we I got instead was a depth of heartache. And life is like that sometimes; you feel like it’s anti-climatic, but the profoundness of choices and their consequences are more far reaching that a moment of climax.
I was plagued by Cole’s heartache throughout the entire book. He was more than he ever let on to anyone else. I won’t say that he needed to be redeemed, but rather appreciated and understood. You certainly will delve into his emotions and psyche in this book, which is what I wanted for Lane to give us in this story.
I did have a few moments where I was so frustrated with Vanessa, Josie’s sister, until I paused and remembered that everyone processes grief differently. Again, Lane showed us a spectrum of how people try to handle and adapt when their hearts and lives are fractured.
I’m happy with how the story concluded, and even happier I got to see where Josie and Cole went. I’ll simply say, despite his hard exterior, Colton Danforth captured my heart in the first book and kept it firmly in this one.
“Don’t let go,” she says. “I won’t.” I lead her to the glittering wheel spinning against the night sky. “Come on, Josie Bird. Let’s fly.”
Oh, this series…I’m so in love with this series. I can’t say it enough…if you can, read this series!! Nina Lane has such a beautiful way with descriptive words. Her words tore my heart out at times. But read these beautiful examples:
“I keep going, desperate suddenly to run and keep running until the wind pushes me up into the sky, and I disappear.”
“A smile opens up from the middle of my soul, and a strange feeling lifts my heart. For an instant, I don’t recognize it. It’s light and airy, almost sparkly, like a purple balloon rising into the sky….Happiness.”
There were others, but I didn’t want to show you any that gave away anything.
This story about Cole and Josie really is heart wrenching. As I said in my review for IF WE FALL a tragic accident tears their world apart. Now in IF WE FLY, slowly we see things coming together again. But it’s not so easy. Nina Lane did a beautiful job weaving together love between Cole and Josie, love for family, and solving Josie’s mystery from her amnesia as a result of the the accident. By the time the book ended, I was so in love with the story that I wanted to start from the beginning and read it all over again. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
5++ Flying STARS!!!
OMG, Nina Lane wrecked me when I read all 7 books in the Spiral of Bliss series and she’s done it again! What a roller coaster of emotions–I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I jumped for joy, I cried again — if you love emotional, intense reads with well-rounded, in-depth characters that you become invested in, along with a well-written, interesting, intriguing storyline, you can’t go wrong with this author’s books. I fell in love with Dean and Liv and I’d venture to say that Cole and Josie are right up there with them as far as favorites go. Most definitely worth the time to read If We Leap, If We Fall and If We Fly, but fair warning — set aside some time because you won’t want to stop once you start! 5+ star read!
WOW!! I was so excited to read this one and I was not disappointed! This is my new favorite from Nina Lane! Awesome characters in an amazing story!!
If We Fly is the second thrilling book in the ‘What If’ duet by Nina Lane. Book 1 finished with quite a cliffhanger, leaving everyone wondering just what had happened on that night ten years ago. Here we get to the nitty gritty parts where the truth is revealed. It’s not pretty and leaves Josie reeling from the shock.
She’s only just come to terms with the fact that she’d never stopped loving the boy she gave her heart to when she was sixteen, and even before then, he was the only one for her.
This was a rollercoaster of a story, filled with tense drama, fierce emotions and everlasting devotion. It’s definitely left its mark on me.
Josie is still fighting her nightmares and trying to find the answers she needs to help rid herself of them, but the despair the fills her when she finds them took a huge toll of her.
And, Cole? I always knew deep down he was a good guy. He was just the perfect knight in the end, and when that came to light, I gave a fist pump of happiness. Finding out just how far Cole had gone to protect Josie was overwhelming. That boy loved with all his heart.
* A review copy was provided by the author for the Blog Tour *
What happens when saving a little girls Halloween candy turns into the love of your life??
If you want the answer to that question you need to read the What If Duet by Nina Lane. This duet is about love, sacrifice and forgiveness. I dare you NOT to get swept up in this story and the lives of these characters. It’s impossible!!!
If We Fly is the conclusion to this story and the journey of Cole and Josie. I thought this book was the PERFECT ending for their love story!!!
All the questions were answered and all the feelings were felt. This conclusion has sealed the deal on this being my ALL TIME FAVORITE book/series by Nina Lane. I can’t say enough about this story and the characters we fall in love with. But don’t just take my word for it….READ THIS DUET!!!!
This is the final book in this Duet and is told in Dual POV. As with the other book we get to see how Josie and Cole manage the ups and downs of their relationship. I am not going to tell you much about this book, because it is a book/duet that you need to go into blind. This is a quick read and will only take you a couple of hours to read it. My only complaint is that I wish the story was longer…..I didn’t want this to end. Maybe there can be a spin-off of another character we meet in this series 😉
I know this is short and vague, but all I can really say without spoiling anything is READ THIS BOOK!!! You won’t be sorry. Make sure to move this duet up on your TBR list. This is one of my favorite duets of 2018!!!
I’ve been going out of my mind ever since I finished If We Fall cause the ending took me by surprise. I didn’t see it coming so to finally read the conclusion was a relief and one heck of a roller coaster of emotions.
If We Fly picks up right where If We Fall ends and I was instantly on the edge of my seat. Josie and Cole has captured my heart with their amazing love and heartbreaking story.
They’re two strong people who still love each other despite the ten years they’ve been apart. It shows in how they interact with one another. Their connection and chemistry is freaking amazing. That’s one thing the author Nina Lane always masters to perfection in her books. The hero and heroine has dynamite chemistry and when they get together or are just around one another. It’s explosive. It’s the same with Josie and Cole. I enjoyed the flashbacks of their history and also the almighty surprise or twist in If We Fly.
If We Fly is about love, forgiveness and sacrifice. I enjoyed this story so much and certain scenes got me choked up because of the emotion and my investment in Josie and Cole. People can really surprise you and these two did. There’s no limits on what you wouldn’t do for the person you love. If We Fly nailed that to perfection.
4 Lifesaver Stars