Jed Thatcher and Eli Marshall are deeply in love but all is not well. Both men have dangerous jobs but Eli is a smokejumper and Jed feels that he needs to switch to something a bit safer. Eli disagrees and argues that Jed’s own job as a pilot isn’t that much safer. While dealing with this tension they are suddenly dealing with even more stress, Jed’s brother Ross returns home to stay with them when his relationship with Kevin hits the skids. His arrival causes increased tensions and lots of second guessing to occur between Jed and Eli. But, when tragedy strikes the men are forced to face their lives and realize that sometimes holding on is the best course while at others letting go is the only way to land with both feet on the ground.

Landing with Both Feet is that book that you love to hate, while at the same time being unable to put it down. Hate because as the third book in the Thatcher Brothers series and you have already come to love characters and suddenly things are going terribly wrong. Focusing on Jed and Ross Thatcher and their relationships, Landing with Both Feet, is a story of parallels. Eli and Jed love each other deeply and it shows. I loved how Ms. Talbot used Ross’ failed relationship to bring their insecurities to the surface and in the process caused them to reevaluate what their love meant to each of them. Now, Kevin and Ross have always had a strained relationship in my opinion. Their ending was inevitable and yet still heart wrenching. Ross is not an easy man to love and his almost taciturn nature and refusal to deal with the fall out from the end of their romance was so stereotypical male. I wanted to smack him around a bit and pull him out of his morose puddle of despair, and yet, at the same time, I wanted to wrap him in a layer of padding and prevent anyone from hurting him again. With characters like these the plot doesn’t have to be strong but Ms. Talbot doesn’t disappoint on that front either. The multiple plot arcs complemented one another and showcase the themes of endings and beginnings occurring in so many aspects in these wonderful men’s lives. Thank you for another wonderful story.

Reviewed by: Hayley