by Chantel (link)
Genre het, romance, erotica
Pairings Isaac/OFC, Taylor/OFC, Zac/OFC
Length 24 chapters and epilogue
Status Completed
Chantel may be better known, at least to anyone like me, for her short, smutty fics. She did, however, write a few longer fics, such as A First Class Affair, and unlike with many erotica authors, these longer fics (if this one is anything to judge by) don’t just serve as vehicles for smut scenes.
In fact, in spite of its title, A First Class Affair keeps things quite tame when Taylor and Eva meet on a flight. This scene provides them the ability to get to know each other while also giving the reader plenty of information about their lives. We learn that Hanson isn’t all that famous in this world, but these changes to “canon” seem organic enough, although I am left wondering how Taylor can afford to fly back and forth so many times–especially with some likely hefty student loans from attending Harvard. These minor details nag at me at times, but likely readers less detail-oriented that me wouldn’t even notice.
None of these details are really important to the plot, which centers around Taylor and Eva’s growing relationship. It grows naturally, even slowly at times; they don’t sleep together until quite a while into Taylor’s stay in England. By the epilogue, which skips ahead another year, a year of their long distance relationship has passed and they have grown into a strong couple. The smattering of sex scenes that Chantel throws in add another layer of interest, while not feeling superfluous to the larger plot.
Ultimately, A First Class Affair is nothing deeper than a sweet, smutty piece of chicklit. The British perspective, which thankfully doesn’t bleed over into any of the Hanson’s dialogue, adds something to it, as does the amusing inclusion of women’s magazines in several scenes. It feels a bit like Sex and the City meets Bridget Jones, with sometimes too much focus on fashion and descriptions of various hotspots, but most of it works to create a unique sense of atmosphere. If you’re looking for something super deep, this story isn’t it, but it still has a lot to offer.
Review by Bethany (website)