I am not usually a fan of novellas but I really enjoyed this one. It is a cute fast romcom. Ollie works in an airport and notices a handsome passenger that comes on the same flight every week. After a chance encounter they realize they are interested in each other. What does an airport romance look like? This cute story shows you. If you want a quick read with fun and interesting characters definitely check this out.

This was a cute little novella! I found the concept of a dog grooming business inside an airport odd but I did enjoy the relationship between Ollie and Bennett and that it was all in the airport! I’ll definitely be reading her other novellas as well. Love when stories don’t drag unnecessarily!

This was a really fun fast read, I’m really loving the trend of novellas being published, I’m almost sad that it was so short, I think Williams writes really good characters that I want to spend more time with.

Denise Williams never disappoints! This was a perfect quick and fun Novella. Bennet and Ollie were fun to read about and the story didn't feel boring or repetitive in any way to me. The story was short, but I felt like I got enough from the characters and plot that I wasn't left with any questions or unfinished business.

You wouldn’t think romance could blossom within the confines of an airport, but in her new novella The Love Connection, part of her Airport Novellas series, Denise Williams not only convinces me love in an airport is possible, but that it can also be quite a magical experience!

The story follows Olivia Wright (Ollie), who, along with her best friend Jess, owns a pet grooming salon in a busy airport. Having just come out of a bad breakup with a cheating fiancé, Ollie is 100% focused on expanding her business and has no interest in putting herself out there for another man. That said, she does enjoy watching the eye candy that passes through the terminal adjacent to her salon, in particular, the sexy guy in a suit that comes through every week, obviously traveling for work. Ollie is quite content to watch this sexy man from afar, but when a runaway soapy dog leads to the most adorable meet-cute in the middle of the airport, Ollie’s life takes a most unexpected turn and one she’s not sure she’s ready for.

I adored Ollie from the moment we meet her. She’s smart, funny, and I love that she’s willing to take a chance on such an unusual business. I mean, really, a dog grooming salon at the airport? I admired her creativity and her determination, and I immediately wanted her to also have a personal life that made her happy because she deserved so much better than her loser ex.

The sexy stranger, Bennett Baker, is pretty great too. His day job is a professional risk assessor, but in his free time, Bennett actually writes historical romance novels. He is experiencing writer’s block at the time of the meet-cute with Ollie, but inspired by his chance encounter with her, he is suddenly able to write more than he has written in months and the two of them start having the most adorable dates in the airport every time he comes to town – coffee dates, dates at the pretzel kiosk, picnics. I was practically swooning at how romantic each of their meetups were and by the flirty texts they start sending each other.

Normally novellas leave me frustrated and wanting more because they’re just so small, but Williams does a phenomenal job with The Love Connection. The character development is wonderful, the banter is hilarious, and the evolution of their relationship is perfectly paced, from meet cute to some deliciously steamy moments. Nothing felt rushed, and Williams also very realistically explores the theme of taking chances after being hurt as well as the obstacles involved in a long-distance relationship. I did want more and was sad when I reached the end, but it was just because Ollie and Bennett were so perfectly suited to one another, not at all because I felt like I had been cheated by a novella.

The Love Connection is fun, fresh, and oh so sexy. If you’re looking for a quick but satisfying romance to read this summer, be sure to check it out!

This was a super cute novella! I really enjoy Denise William's writing and I am super intrigued to follow all these love stories that take place in the airport! Bennet has been flying through Ollie's airport for months and hasn;t noticed her until he catches a runaway dog. Meanwhile Bennet has been Ollie's airport crush for month. Denise WIlliam's managed to create such depth in these characters in such a short amount of time! I can't wait to read more from her!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review

I really enjoyed this novella! I think the airport pining and meet up was such a fun idea! I also like that even though it was a novella, the time span in the novel is pretty lengthy. I enjoyed the secret male romance author story line and using her as his muse in a sense with "fake dates". I really enjoyed them together, though she got a little annoying to me because she wanted him so badly in the beginning and then she had soooo many doubts. I do think they worked through it and I loved the set up of getting to know his friend before we move onto her in book 2!

This is such a well-done novella: it's perfectly paced, and you get the opportunity to know the hero, the heroine, AND them as a unit. Like, a masterclass in how to structure a novella. I would have liked to know a little more about Bennett's second job and how he got into it, but hey, it's a novella.

The third-act breakup though? Disappointing. What I would love to see in a grovel scene is the person who messed up naming how they did so, apologizing for it, and specifically saying how they'll change their behavior rather than a *waves hands* grand gesture. Like, it was a perfect, perfect read until someone messes up, and it's such a clear, fundamental messing up that it's astounding to me that they were like "wow why did the other person get so mad?"

It pains me to give this book only three stars. I have love all of Denise Williams books but this one just didn't do it for me. It felt to staged and too corny, I also didn't feel the chemistry like in her other books. I did like the fact that the romance was set in an airport and that the hero was British. .

I liked this a *lot*! Great chemistry, fun banter, lots of text messages, a romance-novelist hero, and a heroine who isn't afraid to walk away when she's not getting what she knows she deserves. If, like me, you're struggling to finish anything over 200 pages these days, this is the book for you! I will be recommending this for purchase at the library, and I really can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Denise Williams can do no wrong! This adorable novella is the first in a new airport novella series.

This short story was adorable! I loved the two characters and their connection while they are so different from each other. Some of the beginning of their relationship and Bennet's excuse for talking to Ollie was a little awkward but overall this was a cute story that put a smile on my face!

Denise Williams never disappoints!! I really loved it. The angst and the chemistry was phenomenal. Along with that, I really loved the portrayal of the main characters. I just simply adored them!!

This was fun, short and entertaining read for me. I can’t get enough or how adorable and relatable both the MCs are. They deserved all the happiness and most importantly that perfect ending; I literally swooned.

Denise Williams does it again with this sweet novella, oozing with chemistry and swoon-worthy goodness.

Ollie meets Bennett when a rogue, canine client gets loose in the airport terminal. Following their encounter, the couple sparks up a friendship through emails, texts, and occasional terminal dates.

The characters were so relatable, with their quirks and their pasts, that you couldn’t help but understand their hesitance to jump into a relationship given the obstacles in their way. But will that initial spark be enough to entice them to take that vulnerable next step toward a future together?

I highly recommend this story if you’re in the mood for a fast-paced, sweet romance with fun MCs and a bit of steam. Did I mention that Bennett is a romance author? Because he certainly is.

Looking forward to the upcoming releases in this series!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for a free ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Denise Williams is a master of combining romance and independence. Her characters are honest and relatable! If you love an airport romance, then I highly suggest The Love Connection. It's sexy, fun, and flirtatious. It made me want to go to the airport immediately and find myself a man to fall in love with.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Denise Williams is one of those authors I’ve wanted to try for a while, but wasn’t too sure about, so starting off with a novella like The Love Connection was a great way to get a feel for her writing. The concept is incredibly cute, and totally delivers.
One of the things that drew me to the book right away was the main characters and their jobs. I’m a sucker for a dog lover or someone who works with dogs, and the fact that Ollie is a pet groomer fits the bill perfectly. And the fact that her vocation is a bit unusual, in being a pet grooming salon in an airport, adds to the charm.
Given there’s been constant discourse around whether men belong in the romance community, it’s quite affirming to see Bennett as the romance author of the story, as in most of the stories I’ve read previously, the fictional authors have almost exclusively been cis women. He’s still working in his “safe” career as a professional risk assessor, and his arc sees him work toward making writing romance his full time thing.
Ollie and Bennett complement each other very well, being a risk-taker (with a single caveat) and risk-averse, respectively. They also play off each other very well, and I love how their frequent, distinct airport encounters build up to them pursuing a relationship. The main conflict being internal, regarding whether Ollie will decide a relationship with Bennett is worth risking her heart for and whether Bennett can take the risk and follow his own heart, is assisted by the short length in mitigating the level of angst that might ensue if this had been a longer book, while still maintaining enough buildup to keep the reader engaged.
This book is super cute, and I’m excited to read more from Denise Williams in the near future. If you’re looking for a fun, lighthearted contemporary romance read, I recommend picking this one up.

OMG OMG OMG! I literally screamed when I was approved for The Love Connection. Denise Williams is an auto-buy author for me. She can do no wrong! This was such a cute novella! Bennett had me swooning! I can't wait to rave about this one on pub day! Praying that I get approved for the next novella! 5 stars all around!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: cheating (past)

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f insta attraction
-epistolary elements
-a crush
-an adorable meet cute
-British male romance author

This was a soft and sweet novella. The off chance of meeting at an airport. I adored Bennett. British, bumbling, awkward, earnest, a romance author and just the sweetest. Always doing for others and now doing something for himself when he asks Ollie to be his muse. And sweet Ollie who's been harboring this crush on Bennett. This was a delight to read. If you're looking for something short, low angst and just lovely pick this up. Makes me so excited to read the rest of the novellas Denise has coming our way.

Steam: 3

I thought this was a cute, fun and quick novella. I loved that it was set in an airport and the main character owned a pet grooming business. The one dislike I had about it is that I didn't really feel any chemistry from our two main characters. They just didn't have that spark so that's what lessened this novella for me.
If your looking for a quick, cute novella I would check this one out.

This was a cute and fun novella that I read in one sitting.

I thought the dialogue was a little ~too perfect~ at times, but other than that I enjoyed the quick pacing and the airport setting.