Spending a month filming a reality TV show with your ex is no picnic.Especially when you’ve signed a contract stating that the two of you will not, under any circumstances, have romantic relations while filming. Leanne Simmons and Callum Davidson never had an easy relationship. From enemies to lovers and back to enemies, they’ve been on again/off again for years. Things come to a head when Callum … a head when Callum gets into an altercation with a rival for Leanne’s affections. Their management decide enough is enough and give them both an ultimatum: sign the contract or leave the show.
Unwilling to give up their livelihoods, Callum and Leanne sign on the dotted line. However, like always, they can’t resist making a bet. Callum thinks it’s only a matter of time before they break the agreement, while Leanne is determined to see it through.
Can she resist him for an entire month without losing her sanity? And what if this is the one bet that finally breaks them both?
Off the Air is a contemporary romance and Book One in L.H. Cosway’s brand new “Running on Air” Series. Each book focuses on a different couple and can be read as a standalone.
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4 Stars!
The Review:
A contract, a wager and a limited amount of time to fix all that’s been broken. Told in dual POV’s, Off the Air is a wonderfully fun and exciting second chance romance with plenty of angsts and likable characters … even if it took a while to get to the “like” part.
Story/Characters …
In this series, we meet Leanne Simmons and Callum Davidson in the novella, Air Kiss. The moment they meet, it’s both instant attraction and instant dislike. That one moment sets the stage for the next few years of their tumultuous relationship. After falling in love, they experience the worse kind of heartbreak a couple can. Now, both are trying to recover and find not only themselves through all the pain, but also each other.
Callum wanted nothing more than to earn money doing the thing he loved most. Parkour. He’s now the reality star he wanted to be and has the means to care for his mom and set her up in better living conditions. The only thing out of sync is his relationship with the one woman he’s ever loved. He’s hot-headed and possessive and he knows that if he wants this last chance with Leanne, he needs to change.
Leanne loves parkour. When the opportunity came knocking for her to be able to do the thing she loved most on television, she jumped at the chance to work with her idols. She never imagined falling in love with one of them or experiencing the misery-infecting-pain that came afterward. She’s sworn off Callum and their toxic relationship forever … but the man has pull. There’s something about him she’s never been able to resist and now he’s on a mission to win her back and there seems to be little she can do to keep from falling.
Thoughts …
It took me a few chapters to get into this one. And it was solely because of Leanne. I loved the novella and was instantly intrigued with this couple. And I love second chance romances. They are like air for me, but Leanne was hard to like in this book. Yes, something tragic happened to her … but not just to HER. It took a great deal of the books for her to come to terms with what happened and to accept her part in it and to realize how horribly she’d treated the one person who could have made it all so much easier because he was going through the same kind of pain. By the end, I understood Leanne better and even liked her. But it was hard to see that cool chick I instantly liked in the novella behind the dark cloud she shrouded herself in like a shield.
Callum on the other hand. Oh my! That man was just … a bag full of yum! He knew what he wanted in life and he went for it. When tragedy struck, his pain was just as piercing as Leanne’s, leading to three years of back and forth and tumultuous relationship highs and lows. He comes to the realization that something has to change and in a last ditch effort to make Leanne his, he pulls out all the stops and it was thrilling to read! His character grew so much throughout the whole book. He learned to control himself, have patience and find an inner strength I don’t think he even knew he had.
The side characters, as always in this authors books, were on point and I adored them all. I can’t wait to see more from their stories as this series progresses.
The Wrap Up:
I enjoy the writing of L.H. Cosway a lot. She writes beautiful stories filled with fascinating characters, angsty, emotional scenes and always puts a unique spin on things. Just as she’s done with this book. I may not have liked Leanne for most of the book, but I did like the well-told story and the atmosphere the author created. Parkour has always fascinated me and reading characters who can scale buildings and practically fly was so much fun. I can’t wait for more!
NOTE: I haven’t read all of this authors books … yet. I understand that Callum and Leanne make appearances in Hearts on Air from the Hearts series. I’m very much looking forward to reading that book and getting more glimpses of these two.
L.H. Cosway, writes the best angst filled humorous off centered sexy love stories out there.
Oh my heart ! It got such a workout, from the first chapter till the last word. This story had so many feels. I felt broken, healed, tattered, elated, hopeful, hopeless, and I loved it all. The world was so unique as were the characters. The two main characters were oil and water, mixed with fire and ice. Their intensity was off the charts. Covering years of time the characters develop and mature, so naturally. I couldn’t put it down, I took half a day off work just to finish it.
I really want to see where James and Neil go in this world. I have my fingers crossed for a book on them.**Read the prequel to this (Air Kiss), you don’t want to miss how this all started.
I was given an advanced copy of this book for and honest review no strings attached.
This story left me with such a rush of emotions I’m a bit of a mess.
I loved both Leanne and Cal so much. They were highly dysfunctional but then again they have a shared history of pain that has caused them to be so. Bouncing back and forth from antagonistic to teasing, all of it laced with searing chemistry, this couple has had quite the journey. Watching them both slowly come to realize the problem, individually, and work towards correcting the problem was beautiful.
This is a rather high angst read but it’s softened with witty banter and fun secondary characters. Despite their on again/off again relationship, this actually is a slow burn. One of the issues I had with the previous book was a lack of the hero’s point of view. While we only get a few chapters with Cal, it was enough for me to know exactly what he felt, how heartbroken he was, and how determined he was to win Leanne back, showcasing what a truly great hero he was.
I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to dig into the next book in this new series.
I received this ARC for an honest review. LH Cosway proved to me again why she is one of my favorite authors. She knows how to pull you in and never lets go. This book is about Cal & Leanne. We first met them in “Hearts on Air”. They always had a tumultuous relationship. They would fight then make up. We learn the reason behind their heartache and anger in this story. I’m not going to ruin the story by telling you why. YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK TO FIND OUT! This story is about forgiveness, grief, and healing. I loved every word. This is a must read.
Leanne is just trying to get her life back on track and has decided that Callum is the one thing she doesn’t need in her life. Callum is determine to prove to Leanne that they are perfect for each other and to trust and believe in them once and for all. Loved their story and exited to read the next book!
Oh, y’all. This series is going to be fun!
And I don’t mean that in any sort of lighthearted way, but rather in an addictive, drama-filled, emotional kind of way. I mean, this story had its share of lighter moments – mostly in the interactions of the group as a whole – the overall tone was pretty heavy. Callum and Leanne were riddled with issues – big issues, serious issues, heartbreaking issues – and I struggled with that sometimes.
Leanne, in particular, took me along time to warm up to. She was pretty closed off in a way that kept me feeling like I was outside of the story looking in on it, rather than a part of the story with my heart fully on board. I wanted to love her the way Callum loved her, but that wasn’t always the case. Sometimes I wanted to give her a good shake and a knock on the head. But in the end, she won me over. There was softness under all that hardness, and it was a little hard fought to get to, but it was completely worth it!
By the time I hit the second half of the book, my heart was all-in. Most of that due to Callum. Lord Almighty but I loved Callum. Steadfast, loyal, and intense – he drew me in when Leanne pushed me out. My heart attached itself to him right out the gate, and it hurt with him for the majority of this story. I loved the way he loved Leanne (even when I wasn’t sure she deserved it), and I loved to see his growth throughout the storyline as he owned his mistakes, his role in all their troubles, and made a sincere effort to be better. These two had a very rocky road, and I think that just made their ending so much sweeter.
Because it was sweet. The ending was fantastic, full of tummy flutters and giant happy smiles. And the set-up for the series was fantastic. I’m already intrigued, drawn in by Leanne and Callum’s castmates, and eager to get inside their heads and hearts. This was a solid start of a new series and I’m definitely excited for more!
I love, love, love LH Cosway and couldn’t wait for this book. It gives you lots of what you expect – characters I care about, action, drama, lust and love. And, I enjoyed meeting a new group of people that I will hopefully get to know a lot better in future books.
I’m giving this 4 instead of 5 stars only because it did take me a bit to get invested, even though I read the prequel. Usually I’m all in right away. I think it is because the characters seem younger (and I’m getting older) but everything did eventually click and I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
I was so excited to read this book because I’ve just been curious about Callum and Leanne since I read the book Hearts on the Air.And now that I have had the opportunity to read this story, I can say that L.H. Cosway did it one more time: she created a refreshing, sweet, fun and adrenaline story all at the same time, one that I could not quit until I read the word end.
Funny how the perspectives of the characters can change. When the author showed flash of the story of these two characters in the other book I confess that I have sympathized with Leanne and did not like Callum very much. But here my feelings about these two have changed.
Callum was the character of the book for me and from the front page of this story I fell in love with him and every page my love for this character just grew. He turned out to be a loyal, sweet, patient and incredibly Love for Leanne.And I wish I had his point of view in this story. Leanne is a character that I have to be honest with and say that she is the reason I don’t give 5 stars to this story. While I understood her to some extent, she was an extremely selfish character and sometimes even childish.The romance between them was slow, but the rhythm here did not bother me, I think it all happened in the right time, and although not very fan of Leanne it was incredibly sweet to watch Callum gradually break down her barriers.
Although the story was centered on the journey of these two in pursuit of his second chances, the secondary characters here were great and brought sweet moments is a bit of humor the story.I loved seeing a little more of Paul, James, Trevor and Isaac and hope to see more of them in the near future.
Off The Air It’s a fun, sweet, sexy story with a lot of engaging characters, and a story of second chances that will melt your heart.
After reading the prequal novella, Air Kiss, I was excited to dive into Off the Air for more of Leanne and Callum’s story. Once again, L.H. Cosway’s writing does not disappoint!
The idea of a freerunning reality show is facinating with the crazy stunts and team dynamics. It’s such a unique concept and it was a nice departure from most contemporary romance I read. Especially because it featured Leanne, a strong and capable woman, as a key team member.
Leanne and Callum have had an on and off relationship for years, but show management had finally had enough after Callum punches someone. To have their contracts renewed they must agree to not engage in a romantic relationship.
The push and pull between Leanne and Callum was intense and their banter and chemistry kept me reading way past when I should have gone to sleep for the night. I also really enjoyed the other team members and can’t wait to read their stories!
Thank you to the author for providing an ARC for an honest review!
LH Cosway’s Off the Air is a story of two damaged souls, who after sharing a traumatic event, break completely; but with time and effort they battle themselves to try and find a way back to each other.
Off the Air is an emotion packed, angst riddled page turner I’ve come to expect from this author. I’m not sure what it is but she has the ability to completely immerse you in the story and won’t let you come up for air (pun intended) until the last page. Although not my favourite book from this author, first place is still tied with Six of Hearts and Painted Faces, I enjoyed it thoroughly, and it was great to touch base with Trevor Cross again, and I’m very much looking forward to the new stories featuring the other cast members.
I’d recommend reading the prequel novella, Air Kiss, first. Although it’s not going to ruin the experience if you don’t, it does give a bit of history to Leanne and Callum’s relationship. Plus Air Kiss is currently available for free, so why not???
If you enjoy character driven, emotion packed stories, then I’d recommend you give Off the Air a go.
I received a free copy of this book from the author. This voluntary review is unbiased and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
In Off the Air, the stakes become high when Callum and Leanne’s toxic relationship gets in the way of their career.
This book is the start of a new series,Running on Air, a spin off from one of L.H. Cosway’s book, Hearts on Air . It follows Callum and Leanne’s journey. When they started on their careers as reality TV stars spotlighting a group doing Parkour (and yes its a sport!) Off the Air is not your typical romance, yes boy meets girl, they get on each other’s nerves, they start their affair in secret and it feels like the world is their oyster. Until its not. Circumstances changes the rules and pretty soon Cal and Leanne are floundering engaging in an on again off again relationship that instead of keeping them together seems to be eroding them as a person as well. This romance is also about grieving, of changing, evolving and really starting over. I loved how the relationship changes as you continue reading. There are flashbacks to kind of explain how the relationship got there, the defining moments of the death and rebirth of a romance. I actually loved how this played out and the series, like most of L.H. Cosway’s romance is promising to turn out as addicting!
Ooo that this was so freaking good. The novella doesn’t do this justice of just how much drama there is between Callum and Leanne.
Being handed contracts saying they can’t date?? That’s like asking for trouble!
The whole relationship is up in the air with Leanne staying strong while Callum just wants her to give in.
It’s intoxicating how the pair can’t seem to stay away from each other. I absolutely loved this story and can’t wait until the rest of the gang get their HEA.
What an awesome start to a new series!! I loved Callum and Leanne’s book! I loved learning all about “free running”; an amazing part of parkour. I recommend reading Air Kiss first as it gives some background to Leanne and Cal’s story. These two…man have they been through a LOT. I loved how this book had it all…steamy scenes, angst, and my adrenaline was sure flowing during all of the stunt scenes! I can’t wait to read the next in this series!!
4.5 Stars Wow! This book was so good! Callum and Leanne were fire! They were so good together!! All the sexual tension and the longing!! With every page I read, I loved Callum more and more. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series!!
In ”OFF THE AIR” we dive right into Callum and Leanne’s tumultuous and highly toxic relationship. The novella ”AIR KISS” tells the story of how their romance began and it was a clear indication that their journey was going to be one serious angst-fest.
Cal and Leanne star in the U.K.’s top-rated reality show ”Running on Air”. From the moment they met there was an instant off the charts hot, chemistry burning between them. They ran hot too fast and early into their relationship tragedy hits them. While Cal is going through just as much pain as Leanne, he tries time and again to be there for her. Leanne, however, does everything in her power to push Cal away and to close off her heart to him. But he’s in her blood and letting go completely proves to be an impossible feat. They go through several years of a push and pull relationship.
Cal has a hot temper. He’s passionate and possessive of Leanne, but it’s clear to see how deep his love runs for her. Leanne constantly pushes him away and says hurtful things but still, he never gives up on her. I loved Cal but wished many times for him to stop being her punching bag. What happened wasn’t his fault and he needed comfort and compassion just as much as she did.
Leanne’s stubbornness is what made this story beyond angsty. She wasn’t a character that I found easy to like. It was only when she comes to the revelation of just how awful she had been treating Cal, that I was able to like her a little bit.
Here are my overall ratings:
Hero: 4.5
Heroine: 3.5
Plot: 4
Angst: 4.5
Steam: 4
Chemistry Between Hero & Heroine: 4
4.5 Stars!
Leanne Simmons is a talented freerunner in London who found success when she was chosen to be on a reality show called Running on Air. Each season they tried to create bigger and better stunts. She felt alive and free when running, like she didn’t have a care in the world. She was about to leave to spend the next month filming season 4 where she was the only girl in a crew of mostly men. This included her ex Callum Davidson.
Cal and Leanne had been seeing each other in secret off and on for years until too much happened between them and things changed. They’ve broken up and gotten back together too many times to count. They shared an intense connection, but when they were together they burned bright, and always self destructed in the end. It became dysfunctional and exhausting. Their feelings had forever been tangled up in desire and pain.
Cal & Leanne are both hot-headed, and with constantly fighting and making up, there was usually drama and disaster. After too much bad publicity and scandal, management gives an ultimatum they must sign a contract stating they won’t get involved romantically while filming. Neither is willing to jeopardize their job and livelihood so they agree. They will have to keep things professional and put an end to their on/off friends-with-benefits relationship they often fall back into. They would focus on work. Then Cal offers up a bet. They’d been competitive from the moment they met and couldn’t resist the rivalry between them.
Cal was confident, jealous, possessive, forward, unpredictable, and overwhelming. The one thing Leanne forgot he was is irresistible. She forgot how tempting he was when they shared the same space. She could try to pretend she was immune to his charms, but knew he could seduce her with one look. She had unresolved feelings for him, so being near him was torture. Everything suddenly felt like it was crashing down around her, including her self control. She couldn’t let her defenses down, but his nearness corrupted her thoughts and had her fixating and obsessing over him. He was intoxicating, and one touch and she would be lost in him again. Even though she was conflicted, the more they were around one another, something started to shift between them. He was in her head and her heart, and she didn’t know how to get him out.
Off the Air is book one in L.H. Cosway’s brand new “Running on Air” series. The main events of this story take place 3 1/2 years after the free prequel novella Air Kiss. Each book in this series will focus on a different couple and can be read as a standalone. I loved this enemies to lovers romance that goes from past to present. It was sexy, emotional, and completely addictive! It’s full of fabulous banter, angst, and crazy sexual tension. I fell extremely hard for Cal in this book. We get inside his head, and see a gentle softer side that will make you swoon!
Another wonderful story by LH Cosway. Beautifully written with great characters.
I have been a fan of LH Cosway since I first read Six of Hearts (I say FIRST read because I have since re-read it about 20 times). She is an amazing author who is able to create such wonderfully unique stories and Off the Air did not disappoint! This story was angsty and hot and addictive. I read through it quickly because I just wanted to know what was going to happen to Leanne and Callum.
If you have read Air Kiss, then you have already been introduced to these characters (and you MUST read Air Kiss first!). Leanne is a tough cookie and she has been through hell and is just trying to survive. Now, this means that sometimes you will want to shake her and talk some sense into her… but you end up loving her just the same. Callum, oh Callum. He is another fantastic Cosway hero. He is broken and flawed, but oh so intensely loyal and swoony. These two have had such a rocky road to where they are going, that once the story is done you are just so happy for them because they definitely earned it.
And oh man, the side characters. I have a major thing for great side characters and this book was full of great ones. I am curious to see where this crazy ride leads them all.
LH Cosway has created another magical world that I just want to curl up and live in. I am so excited for what’s next!
Off the Air is a second chance romance set in London and Johannesburg. It is the first book of a new series, but does have a connection to L.H.’s Hearts Series. That connection is through Trevor Cross, who is a supporting character in Off the Air. I had read most of the Hearts Series, but have not read Trevor’s book yet, but that did not affect my enjoyment of this book at all.
Off the Air begins a few months after the end of the prequel, Air Kiss. The prologue consists of a traumatic event that occurs to Leanne and Callum and results in their relationship ending. The majority of the book is told in Leanne’s POV, but there are some chapters that are in Callum’s POV when significant events from their past are described. The bulk of this book deals with Leanne and Callum navigating all of the issues (and their attraction to each other) they’ve had with each other over the past 3 1/2-4 years while they’ve been co-stars (with 3 of their friends) on a reality show, Running on Air. There’s an extra level of stress because Leanne and Callum risk losing their jobs if they become romantically involved again. There is a lot of history between Leanne and Callum and there are a lot of things that they try to work through during the course of this book. There is quite a bit of arguing, drama, and angst galore in this book. At times, I found myself getting frustrated with them both, for different reasons, because they kept rehashing all of their past issues and had difficulty moving on from those issues. I did feel that the resolution of Leanne and Callum’s story happened a little quickly, especially considering how much of the book was spent with them arguing and trying to resist each other. This book does have a HEA and I do look forward to seeing Leanne and Callum when they make appearances in future books in this series.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s been a minute since I’ve read one of L.H. Cosway’s books, but this book reminded me why I do enjoy her writing so much. She is able to create stories with unique storylines and well developed characters. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an angsty, second chance romance featuring characters that do experience some pretty realistic issues (aside from the whole reality show aspect).
L.H. Cosway wrote another epic and CONSUMING LOVE STORY. A perfect combination of anger, pain, heat, passion, love. A rollercoaster of INTENSE emotions. She uses the perfect words to make our hearts beat faster, make us cry, make us believe, make us melt.
But this book is not only a beautiful and powerful love story. It’s also a beautiful and powerful lesson about GRIEF, FORGIVENESS and HOPE.
I love Leanne and Callum. They are REAL, with flaws. They are also PASSIONATE and brave and yes sometimes infuriating.
In “Hearts on Air”, the book which introduced them, Callum seemed selfish, mean, with a very explosive temper, a character i was not sure to like. But OMG i was sooooo wrong. The author BRILLIANTLY shows us that there can be a big difference between what we see and reality. What we think is true because of some words or stolen moments can just be an illusion. We have some flashbacks with Callum’s POV which prove us how much we have been mistaken in “HoA”. But not only us readers, Leanne too. Those scenes give a new perspective to their story.
CALLUM “has a hop temper. His natural instinct was to act now and think later.” Leanne never knows if he’s serious or playing with her. But through the pages we discover Callum is INSECURE and most of all he’s deeply HURT by Leanne’s countless rejections. This man is totally CRAZY IN LOVE with her! Layers after layers, pages after pages… He’s full of surprises. So caring, so romantic, so hot too. HE STOLE MY HEART. He never gives up, he fights and fights again for the love of his life. He makes a lot of efforts to be a better person, to curtail his temper, to deserve her. Each time she run away he chases her. I love this man !!!!
Sometimes LEANNE irritated me, the repetitive push and pull made me want to shake her and tell her to give him a real chance. But let’s be honest, with what she’s been through her behavior is understandable. She lost, she hurt, she needed time to grieve, to HEAL.
In her pain she forgot she was not alone. Callum suffered too. But finally i admire her a lot. It takes a lot of courage and strengh to realize our own issues and flaws and responsibilities, to forgive others, to forgive ourselves, to ask for forgiveness and deserve it, and finally to move on.
LH Cosway’s always beautiful writing still amazes me. I loved everything about parkour, about astronomy, about animals… There are a lot of BEAUTIFUL AND POETIC METAPHORES. Callum and Leanne are both made of fire and together they shine everywhere : in the air, on earth, and even in the water (the pool scene!). Their love conquer every elements 😀 .
Every second characters is useful to the story. They are LOVELY, caring, generous and funny. Especially Neil and the smart and sweet Paul, they both give some great advice. That was a pleasure to know more about Trev and Reya. And now i can’t wait to discover what’s between James and Michaela.
One of my fav quotes (something every woman would love to hear) :
“I was prepared to do pretty much anything if it meant i got to be around her, feel the sun on my face when she smiled at me, the sharp yet pleasurable tightening in my chest when she gave me her full attention.”
Advice 1 = you should read Air Kiss before Off the Air.
Advice 2 = TBR with the playlist on spotify