The Pilot by Susan Stoker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Sparks fly when a former bully moves in with her former victim in New York Times bestselling author Susan Stoker’s tantalizing third foray into Alpha Cove, a spicy military romance steeped in emotion.
The Pilot
Ex-fighter pilot Lincoln “Linc” Young is a survivor, masking his PTSD and nightmares behind a calm exterior. When his father’s death brings him back to Maine to help his mom, he never expects to cross paths with his former high school tormentor. But the woman who once made his life hell now stirs completely different emotions in Linc, and when he finds Harper in need, he impulsively offers her and her young son a place to stay.
Harper Bates thought she’d hit rock bottom after returning to her childhood home in Rockville, Maine. Then her father begins judging her every move—and worse, her son Kash, when they discover he’s being bullied at school. The last person she expects help from is Linc, the boy Harper herself had bullied years ago. Now a commanding presence who makes her and Kash feel safe, Linc inspires both a growing attraction…and lingering shame over her past actions.
Temporary cohabitation quickly turns into something more as Harper and Linc reveal intimate secrets that put them both on a path to healing. But they’re unaware someone else has a secret. And it’s about to impact the one person the couple can’t live without—Kash.
Past Hurts, New Beginnings
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💛💚🖤
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍
Character development: 😋😀😍😎
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration
Main Characters and Plot Overview
The Pilot, the third book in Susan Stoker’s Alpha Cove series, brings together Lincoln “Linc” Young, a former Air Force fighter pilot, and Harper Bates, the woman who made his high school years miserable by bullying him. Linc has returned to Maine following his father’s death to help his mother, while also dealing with the PTSD, nightmares, and lingering effects of his military service. Harper is back in her hometown as a single mother trying to rebuild her life with her son, Kash, after things have fallen apart.
What immediately caught my attention was the role reversal between Linc and Harper. Harper once had the power to make Linc feel small, but now she is the one struggling and Linc is the person who offers her and Kash a safe place to stay. After an argument with her father leaves Harper needing somewhere to go, Linc steps in rather than holding her past against her. That decision leads to the forced proximity that drives much of the romance.
Kash ended up being a particularly important part of the story for me. Linc recognizes something familiar in the boy because he remembers what it was like to be bullied himself. When Kash experiences bullying at school, Linc’s protective instincts kick in, and watching their relationship develop was one of my favorite parts of the book. The fact that Kash becomes central to the suspense later in the story gives those earlier scenes even more emotional weight.
Highlights and Limitations
The strongest part of this story for me was the emotional development between Linc and Harper. I appreciated that Harper isn’t allowed to simply forget what she did in high school. Her guilt over how she treated Linc remains part of their relationship, and she has to confront the person she used to be, even though she felt terrible about the way she treated him from the start. I found that much more satisfying than having the bullying treated as something that could simply be brushed aside because the two characters are attracted to each other.
Linc also won me over because his protective nature isn’t limited to Harper. His connection with Kash feels genuine, particularly because he understands the boy’s experience instead of merely swooping in as the heroic adult. I loved seeing Linc become someone Kash could depend on.
The suspense involving Kash adds another layer to what initially looks like a story primarily about forgiveness and second chances. I did think some of the romantic and suspense elements competed for attention at times. I would have liked a little more room for Harper and Linc to work through the emotional consequences of their shared history before everything else intensified. That said, the combination of PTSD, old guilt, single motherhood, bullying, and the developing relationship kept the story emotionally busy in a way that held my attention.
Narration
Andi Arndt and Jeremy York were a strong pairing for this audiobook. Arndt brought the vulnerability and determination I wanted from Harper, particularly during the scenes where she is dealing with her father’s judgment and trying to protect Kash. York gave Linc the steady, controlled quality that fits a character who keeps so much of his trauma beneath the surface.
I especially liked how the narration handled Linc’s more emotional moments. His PTSD and nightmares are part of his character without completely defining him, and York’s performance helped maintain that balance. With the audiobook running just over eleven hours, the two narrators kept the pacing easy to follow and made the shifts between the characters feel natural.
Final Thoughts
I went into The Pilot expecting to be interested in the former-bully/former-victim setup, but I ended up being much more invested in Linc and Kash’s relationship than I anticipated. There is something especially satisfying about seeing Linc, who once experienced the cruelty of being singled out, become the person who makes sure Kash doesn’t feel alone.
Harper also surprised me. I didn’t expect her remorse to play such an important role in the story, and I appreciated that Stoker made her acknowledge the harm she caused instead of giving her an easy pass. Linc’s willingness to see the woman Harper has become, rather than only remembering the teenager she was, became one of the most meaningful parts of their romance for me.
This was an emotional, protective, small-town military romance with a suspense thread that kept the story moving. Andi Arndt and Jeremy York were excellent choices for the audiobook, and I enjoyed spending time with the Young family. For me, The Pilot was a heartfelt addition to Alpha Cove that left me especially attached to Linc and Kash.
Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Pinterest|BookBub
View all my reviews
