Who would have thought a who done it novel would about finance types? This concept totally works for these hot number crunching lesbians. I really enjoyed the airline references and the travel. Take a chance on the wild side of the spreadsheets!

I don’t think I’ve ever read a whistleblower storyline in lesfic before, and I really liked that. It was intricate and confusing, just as it probably was to the characters, that feeling of being in over your head. Kay keeps saying air fare and pricing are complicated (she says it a little too often, IMO), so it makes sense that the fraud would take advantage of that complexity. The first part of the story is rather fast-paced, with Kay, and later Riley, investigating, but then the rhythm slows down as they have to wait for the SEC to look into all the evidence they have brought.

At that point, the whistleblowing storyline gets in the background and the romance becomes more important. For a little while, the story centers on Riley’s personal history, her relationship with her conservative parents, her closeted life, and how she and Kay deal with the situation as a couple.

I liked the characters from the start. While it sounds a little like instalust, they’ve been crushing on each other forever, long before we meet them. The endearments come a bit fast, however, and I didn’t expect Riley to let herself in Kay’s house with her own key so quickly either, but I decided it could work because of the situation they were and the hovering danger and all. The chemistry between them is utterly believable. The author did make a strange choice, though, as the first sex scene is fade to black but later ones are not. Fade to black can be great, but if you decide to give details later on, it’s weird. First kisses and first touches are the best, they’re the ones I want to know about.

This story did very little to keep my attention and interest. This is a mixture of romance and corporate finance, uh, "thriller" but both are given a rushed, cursory execution. Kay and Riley, both employees of a major airline fall into bed on a business trip seemingly out of the blue and from there, their storyline follows the typical insta-love pathway. On the flip side, the financial fraud story is incredibly dull and bogged down with fairly mind numbing explanation of price fixing legalities and the whistle blower process. For billing itself as a thriller, it's missing any sort of elevating stakes for the two main characters nor is there much excitement. Pieces of what could have been an exciting thriller make an appearance (such as being followed by strange cars, mysterious people lurking about, friends turning into high-powered enemies, conversations in dark basements) but with the exception of one extremely out of place scene tacked onto the end of the book, there is no payoff of any of these elements. It's a big irritation of mine to read a book where the author goes out of their way to prove how much smarter their protagonist is than the big bad they're up against. That is especially true here where the major players behind the finance scheme are described repeatedly as dumb or idiots, which again does not make this feel like a high stakes thriller having such weak antagonists.
The story unfolds over the course of about a year or so with both stories (the romance and the SEC/corruption investigation) checking in at various points and again with this style of pacing, it's impossible to feel anything is at stake for the characters; instead it becomes an "a day in the life" story and wholly out of place for what is supposedly billed as a "thriller".

Sometimes realism is a fantastic bonus but too much can make the story drag. Kay Corbett is an airline Vice President and with her new position comes a world of corruption that she’s not comfortable. She does find herself increasingly comfortable with Riley Bauer from the finance department.

The handling of the price fixing was really interesting and explained in such a way that I understood it. I liked how much time the process took which also gave the main characters enough time to get to know each other. However, their dialogue was a little stilted. It makes it really realistic but not very engaging. It's missing the balance between too much information, like discussing menu items in detail, and what to gloss over to move the story forward more enticingly.

It is a reasonable read nonetheless with a plot that was a little different from the usual.

Book received from Netgalley and Bella Books for an honest review.

I did enjoy this book especially the unusual setting of corporate corruption and collusion within a cartel of airline pricing executives. The characters were true and the morality dilemmas felt “real” although I wondered why Kay’s boss would tell her so much about his illegal activities quite so easily. I assume his arrogance meant he thought he was untouchable. The relationship which develops between Kay and Riley was well developed and their ease with each other eventually becomes more as they try to fight the corruption while protecting themselves.

The whistleblowing aspects of the story were fascinating and Ms Haddock Strong did well to keep the plot moving while explaining the ins and outs of the legal processes. I will definitely look for other books by this author. Recommended if you want a romance with a bit of intrigue set in an unusual environment.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This is a story about what can and does happen, probably more than most people realize, when common sense is replaced by pure greed and the fallout that can and does happen in everyday businesses.
Kay Corbett has grown up knowing she’d follow in her father's footsteps but rather than being a pilot for Logan Airlines she decided to work in the corporation’s headquarters as Vice President of International Pricing. She loves her job but when she’s promoted, her Supervisor Greg Brandywine thinks it’s time Kay was brought into Concordia, a group consisting of himself and other players from some of the worlds other big airlines. The business of swindling money from their companies. Now it’s up to Kay to figure out how to stop Greg and his friends without letting anyone else know just what she’s doing.
Riley Bauer works for the Logan to but in Finance. She doesn’t know what is going on but she does want to find a way to make Kay notice her. She’s a lesbian who despite being nearly thirty has yet to let her family know, so every time she’s with them has to endure her mother trying to set her up with some man of her choosing so Kay can have the life she envisions for her only daughter.
A business trip to Tokyo finally brings the two women together and it’s not long until Kay tell’s Riley what she’s investigating. Even though it can be dangerous, the two decide to work together in bringing Concordia down.
Reading Ms Strong's book was not easy. It wasn’t until I’d read a few chapters that the book finally grabbed me, and once it did I had a hard time putting the book down. Very enjoyable read.
ARC via NetGalley/Bella Books

I’m a bit picky when it comes to suspense thrillers where the good girls manage to bring down the evil corporation. Kay is in the thick of it when she uncovers a massive fraud operation within the airline she works for. This story has so much going for it, and that sometimes gets in the way of a good storytelling. There’s almost too many subplots at play that bogged the story down and dulled the suspense. Overall, it was an interesting read and I enjoyed it.

I enjoyed reading this story of corruption and collusion in the airline industry with a nice little romance on the side. Kay Corbett, VP at Logan airlines makes a formidable whistle blower especially when she teams up with and falls in bed with Riley Bauer from finance. Talk about a timely story line. I appreciated learning about the SEC (Securities Exchange Commission) and all the rules that must be followed to ensure the privacy of the whistle blower.

The highlight for me was the time spent in Japan with Kay and Riley. There was a nice ramp up of tension in the second half of the book, although the time it takes for due process may bore some readers. Several story threads were left unfinished or dropped entirely which I think would have made for a stronger, more rounded novel. Justice was served but I wanted more. Greedy me.

I liked what I read and will definitely read more from this author.

3.5 stars

ARC received with thanks from publisher via net-galley for review.

Kay Corbett is a new executive at Logan Air, a powerful international airline company. She's flying high until she realizes the company is conspiring with other airliners to fix prices. At great risk to herself, she starts gathering evidence to help her case. She is a little sidetracked, though, when she meets the beautiful and smart Riley Bauer, a number cruncher in Logan's Finance Department. However, given that Riley is sharp as a tack, Riley finds out about some more interesting numbers that could bolster Kay's evidence. When they decide to blow the whistle on Logan, will their new relationship hold up?

I think that without the whole whistleblower process, this book would be more of a passable romance about two people working for the same company navigating their new relationship. But, the whistleblower plotline gives Kay and Riley something to do outside the scope of their relationship, and allows their characters to grow separately. The stakes are high, and it shows - Kay is losing weight, and is paranoid about all of her friends within the company except Riley and Riley might have to come to terms the knowledge that her mentor might be a part of the scheme. Both women crack a little, but thankfully their relationship gets pushed but doesn't break in dramatic fashion like the trope demands.

This is a good story with a detailed and well thought out thriller that doesn't rely on Kay or Riley to be constantly in peril, rather the stakes are that they both know what it could mean for them personally and for the airline industry as a whole once they expose what was going on. It's an angle that's not often used in thrillers and I appreciate that. Other than that, the Kay and Riley are good together, and in their roles as amateur detectives, but if they were in any other book, I don't think they'd work out as well as they do here. I'd say come for the whistleblower thriller, and stay for a steady romance.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Review of ‘Fare Game’ by Cade Haddock Strong

Kay Colbert is the new VP of International Pricing at Logan Airlines. Unfortunately, she gets dragged almost immediately into the illegal scheme of fare fixing orchestrated by other executives in the company. Kay then begins to gather evidence so she can turn these people in. Riley Bauer works in Logan Airlines’ financial department. She travels to Japan as part of the airline group when she finds herself having an unexpected dinner with Kay. They had both been eyeing each other and now the opportunity presented itself to become more than coworkers. As they return to Atlanta, the illicit activities push Kay to the limit. When she tells Riley about her findings, they embark in a journey to expose the men responsible for the scheme.

I was very excited to read this book after I read the blurb. Boy, is the whistleblower topic a hot one right now. At the end, the book left me with mixed feelings. The writing seemed choppy at times. This is Ms Haddock Strong’s second novel so perhaps it showed some. There are some authors that have such great flow and this book just came up a little short in that department.

I liked the straightforward encounter and flirting. Sometimes things do not have to be so complicated between two single adults. That said, there was a disconnect for me as Kay returned from Japan and was disproportionally stressed out (compared to before the trip) when there was no new information about the scheme. It also seemed too early in the mains’ relationship to tell Riley about the company. It almost made it look like Kay sought out Riley to help gather evidence, which was not the case. Seemed they started with sex and immediately an unshakable partnership formed without even a friendship. Maybe the story would have been better served as Kay recruiting Riley then coming together at the end. Difficult to reconcile a budding relationship through such mental stress. Again, it was just somewhat disconcerting.

Another theme was Riley being in the closet to her family. That was just aggravating to me, as a closeted grown up that does not depend on her family is hard to relate to and something I can not connect easily with. All that said, I think the author handled it well. There was also a friendship that appeared to play a bigger role than what it ended up playing, then basically there was no resolution to that arc.

I did like the idea behind the illegal scheme. However, the action after the mains bring it to light was not very believable to me. Seemed to me there was more opportunity to threaten as it became obvious Kay did not agree with the scheme. I will not go into detail so I do not spoil the events for others but for example, there should have been a threat after they knew Kay had collected evidence. Also, Kay’s relationship with Riley was common knowledge in the company, so that should have been addressed as the events unraveled.

Overall a mixed feeling book for me. I would definitely give this author another go as I did like the central concepts in the book and the mains relationship was well done as the book progresses. 3 stars

ARC generously provided to me by BB via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was given a copy of this book for an honest review.
Kay is a pricing VP of an airline that is involved in an unethical situation. Riley is her co-worker she falls for and both begin to work together to uncover a much larger industry wide price fixing scheme.
Overall the storyline was believable and intriguing, and loved the whistle blowing plot however the romance portion was a little flat to me. It seemed like it happened so quick and felt rushed which dragged the book for me. What kept me reading was the overall story line, which was so well done.
Overall a solid, well written book but the romance portion I couldn’t buy in to.

Kay is a Vice President at Logan, a large airline company. She's begun an insider investigation of some shady business going on inside the company. While on a business trip to Tokyo, Kay and Riley (a junior employee in finance) give into their mutual attraction to one another. But, once they're back at work, lines blur and Kay finds it harder and harder to keep her motives a secret. Riley becomes her ally, but the stakes are even higher and she had the potential to lose it all, including the love of her life.

Things moved along too fast on the romance side of things for my taste, but I liked how the other aspects of the story balanced out the romance. The intrigue side of things definitely worked to move at a fast pace, and I liked how this also balanced out the fast paced romance to draw the two women closer. Overall this story really well rounded out in the second half of this book, between the whistleblowing, family, friends and their deepening relationship, and I found myself really enjoying it.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Whistle while you work.

Kay is a pricing VP for a major airline. Kay has been brought into an unethical situation at work and she is trying to find a way out . Meanwhile, she becomes smitten with a work colleague, Riley, while both are traveling for a project they are assigned to.

I thought that the corporate corruption story line felt unique. I read a lot of pure romance and this this provided a bit of something entertaining to chew on besides a regular formulaic courtship.

I liked the main characters. Both were beautiful, smart, and driven. They were very mature and pragmatic while their feelings grew and required decisions and sacrifices to be made. What I appreciate, is that this was a relationship that developed over time. While this was insta lust and they quickly fell into a domesticated pattern, it didn't feel unnatural. I thought their feelings and thoughts about one another were cute.

Having said that, this book had a few of my no-no personal pet peeves. The endearment 'baby' came too soon and then was used too often. The women cursed a lot and I found that to be a bit weird for a couple of well educated and professional women and it just wasn't necessary in the excessive way it was used. I have no issue with swearing in general, but it seemed oddly placed in the dialogue between the two of them.

I was really excited that the first sexual encounter was fade to black. I love books that allude to intercourse without being explicit. But then there were tons of somewhat brief explicit sex scenes scattered throughout after that. So I was really confused about that decision. If there was any sex scene I would want to see, it would be the first.

The realistic slow timeline of the SEC investigation hurt the flow of the book, in my opinion. I felt like the pacing was off and I'm pretty sure I noticed it during those times they were in a holding pattern and waiting for information. I was excited for a climactic ending, but it just kind of got drawn out. And I felt a little bit let down. There was a confrontation between Kay and a friend who works for another airline. I thought it was promising us some kind of future conflict. But nothing ever came of it.

Overall, this was a good read that offered a unique and complimenting story line to the romance.

I recommend this to those who like to read about romance, business, airlines, corrupt executives, coming out stories, wine, and spreadsheets.

4 stars
This author is new to me but I'll be looking for more of her work because I really liked this story. It's a romantic thriller with two likeable leads, some well done minor characters and very interesting plot that kept me interested from start to finish. The story totally worked for me and I enjoyed it without any real complain.
eARC via NetGalley

3.5. A cute, sappy romance (said with great affection). The romance comes secondary to the story which is about a whistlerblower, and the fears and consequences resulting from becoming one. The whistleblower storyline is engaging and timely. The writing is okay, hence the lower rating for the book.

ARC generously provided by NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This one has a thoroughly intriguing storyline with a major financial crime at its centre, very likeable MCs and great chemistry.

Kay Corbett is a long-time employee at Logan airline and has recently been moved into the upper echelons of the company. Kay’s father had also worked in Logan for decades so fondness for and loyalty to the company is ingrained within Kay. Soon after joining the rarefied senior management, Kay is dismayed to discover that there is a huge cross-airline consortium working together and cheating customers. Willy-nilly Kay is dragged into the whole nefarious scheme. She starts gathering evidence against the consortium hoping to expose them. Hardworking and brilliant Riley Bauer, a new member of the Finance team of Logan, has a huge crush on Kay. On an overseas trip to Tokyo, Riley and Kay realise that their attraction is mutual. Back home things are fraught because of Kay’s secret mission. Taking a leap of faith, Kay shares information with Riley and finds her new girlfriend rock-solid in her affection and integrity.

The high-stakes white-collared crime makes an interesting premise. However, the writing is uneven in the sense that a lot of times it feels like dispassionate narration and at other times there is this fantastic chemistry between Riley and Kay. We loved Riley – she is sexy, risk-taking emotionally, open, loyal, has high levels of integrity, honest and practical. Kay is also a strong and solid protagonist. The whole whistle-blower rules, rights and process is very interesting.

This is an engaging and interesting read.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.


Kay just been promoted to VP of Logan Airlines her family has a long history with the airline especially since her father was a pilot. When she settled in her job her boss Greg introduce her into the fold of some illegal activities with other airlines that deals with controlling airfares. Kay is appalled by this and decide to get evidence that can impose the criminals and it's stressing her out because she can't believe that the airline she loves so much can be corrupt.

Riley is working in finance department at Logan Airlines and she longs for relationship and family she always had a crush on Kay even though they don't interact that much except for meetings and what she don't know is Kay had crush on her since the moment they met.

When they both on project that involve Tokyo airlines they get a chance to get to know each other on the trip we learn that Riley not really out to her family and they both want to travel more and when they both stay another night in Tokyo they act on their feelings for each other.

I like this story even though the romance was kinda quick I didn't mind it because the MC had chemistry and I like that Riley came on board to help Kay impose the crimes that is going on at Logan Airlines.

I was given this book in exchange of an honest review.

The plot has many layers - lust, a whirlwind relationship, intrigue - where is the money going and desperate characters on both sides of the law.

Kay is a high powered exec with a long family history with Logan Airlunes. She's suspicious of her boss and a secret club to meet clandestinely to control air fares..
Kay has had a secret crush on Rye ever since Rye started working at Logan.

Rye is a middle manager in the finance department. Rye has had a secret crush on Kay ever since she started working at Logan.

They navigate coming out to family, growing to trust each other personally and in business, Can they stop the financial ruin of the whole company?

'ARC provided by both NetGalley and The Publisher in exchange for a honest review'

**'Good writing does not succeed or fail on the strength of its ability to persuade.It succeed or fail on the strength of its ability to engage readers, to make them think and to give them glimpses into any writer's head...'

My belief is that when readers pick up this book, they will be enamored by a carefully and skillfully plotted storyline that's also well written and doesn't sacrifice moral complexity to the demands of a fast-moving narrative. Ms.Haddock Strong does such a great job of navigating we as interesting readers through the many twist & turns and the variance of complicated relationships that existed throughout the company. So before readers knew what was happening -- they are been tugged --- gently but insistently -- into this intriguing and teasingly intricate game of whistleblowing. Which they would not be disappointed.
Kay's ability to carry out her clandestine mission of exposing the airlines dirty deeds is hampered not only by her feelings for Riley and her family but also by what it might do to her reputation.
Furthermore, there will be times when readers might ask themselves: Is Kay being manipulated? Is Kay a willing player in this scheme? Or is she being played? Because this might end up being the crux of the on going dilemma that she ultimately might have to face if confronted by both upper management and the legal system.
Her life is at a crossroad. First she has doubts about trusting anyone even Riley -- but with their affair blossoming and her being pulled more into doing things that were beyond the scope of what she had originally tricked into doing, it created some unfortunate communicating issues with Riley, who also noticed her flailing demeanor. Being honest with Riley was a huge step but then Riley surprised her in offering her assistance. This teaming up did cause both to become targets of mysterious office sabotage of unknown motives that almost led to a few tragic outcomes.
By the time this swirling narration concludes, both Kay & Riley's world are forever changed for the better. Recommended to all interested readers!