★Frequent Fliers. Noué Kirwan. Canary Street. Aug. 2024. 400p. ISBN 9781335427458. pap. $18.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Travel buff Lanie never expected that her first pandemic-era flight would be to the UK to attend the festivities around the surprise engagement of her longtime crush to her cousin. Lanie’s coerced wedding-planning participation, combined with her grandmother’s precarious health, necessitate frequent trips between NYC and London. On that first trip across the Atlantic, Lanie finds herself seated next to Ridley, a physician and researcher who’s frustrated that he cannot trust his New York colleagues with his latest project. A widowed father who is uncertain how to relate to women, Ridley is ambivalent about adding a romantic partner to a life where he already juggles the demands of parenting and his work. Based on her experiences, Lanie believes that she cannot have what she really wants, so it’s difficult for her to take chances, while Ridley is in a sensitive position when it comes to custody of his daughter and is concerned about adding more upheaval to her world. Kirwan (Long Past Summer) adroitly shows the intimacy and sexual tension that build between Lanie and Ridley with each in-person, digital, and telephonic encounter. VERDICT This sparkling novel is highly recommended for all collections.