Tia Williams, the bestselling author of SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE and A LOVE SONG FOR RICKI WILDE, once again combines her talent for crafting sexy, romantic tales with her keen insight into the minds of women in THE MISSED CONNECTION. 

No one expects a pivotal moment to happen at an airport mini spa, especially not a hot-pink one boasting a table, two chairs and a clairvoyant nail technician. Yet this is exactly where Sasha Cruz finds herself as she prepares to embark on a life-changing career assignment for Seraphina, the global cosmetics retailer, in Paris. A once-notorious casting agent, Sasha is just returning from a sabbatical and has swiftly watched her career change from casting bubbly actors in popcorn romance and thriller films. This contract with Seraphina could put her back on the map and help her discover her self-confidence. 

You see, Sasha’s sabbatical was not exactly voluntary or refreshing. Following a 2022 stalking incident with a vengeful scorned actor, she watched as her fierce independence crumpled, giving way to anxiety and a need to self-isolate. Now, after a year of being so secluded that she hardly recognizes herself, Sasha is ready to put herself out there again, perhaps in more ways than one. And with the Seraphina gig requiring her to cast gorgeous, sexy, diverse men and women with luscious lips, Paris has become the opportunity of a lifetime.

But back to that pivotal moment.

"Starting with her outrageous, swoon-worthy premise, [Williams] immediately hooks readers and asks us to do something that has become increasingly difficult to do in our time: to hope, to believe, and to take a leap of faith."

When she receives a manicure and complimentary palm reading from her tech, Sasha is shocked to hear her future: “You’re gonna experience a chance meeting that’ll set off a chain of events --- events that’ll end in happily ever after…. No one wants to die alone.” With that equal parts exciting and ominous forecast, Sasha boards her plane and within minutes meets a gorgeous “Daddy type” Italian man reading a book with an auspicious title: How Not to Die Alone. Universe? Message received. 

Letting her guard down, Sasha engages in six hours of some of the deepest, most meaningful conversation she’s ever had. It's accompanied by wine...lots of wine. Though the two agree to go on a date when they are back in New York City, they never actually exchange names, numbers or emails. When they lose each other in the tumult of Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, Sasha is left with only the semblance of a name: Seat F. Her blood still predominantly made of liquor, she pens a disastrous email to the Seraphina team: “He’s Italian, I’m American, we’re from diff parts of the planet but love bridged our hearts!... Please help.” Though her act doesn’t cost her the contract, it does inspire a global game of missed connections.

Back home --- and no closer to finding her unnamed soulmate --- Sasha recalls the last time she felt this helpless: when her stalker closed in, prompting her to hire a private investigator, Wesley Dane. Too gorgeous and charming for her own good and definitely not her type, Wes saved her when she needed it most. Despite the fact that their professional relationship blurred some lines, Sasha’s memory of the time is hazy with trauma, and she sees no reason why he wouldn’t help her again. But Wes has completely given up the detective game and has opened a booming BBQ food truck. When Sasha appears in his line one day, begging for his help to track down an anonymous Casablanca, Wes is faced with his own missed connection: the one who changed his relationship with his career, pushed him on his food journey, and may have just broken his heart.

As Sasha and Wes team up to track down Seat F, they begin to see each other anew. Sasha is instantly attracted to Wes’ confidence and sense of balance. No longer the vaguely alcoholic PI, he’s become much surer in his skin, though his savior persona is just as strong as ever. Wes, meanwhile, is beguiled by this confident, assured woman who has gone through the ringer and remains devoted to saving herself again. 

Slowly but surely, and with plenty of jokes along the way, Sasha and Wes adopt an easy, flirtatious banter that has them calling each other late into the night, breaking all the rules of their professional relationship, and coming to see each other as true partners. The only problem? Wes is great at what he does, and they are steadily coming closer to tracking down Seat F. With the pivotal moment that she was promised fast approaching, Sasha must ask herself: Was Wes the real missed connection to begin with? And is Seat F just a way for her to work through her trauma, to prove to herself that even a stranger can be trusted? What will Sasha and Wes do when they find Seat F and are forced to reckon with their own burgeoning love story?

I say this with all the love and compliments in my heart: Tia Williams knows messy --- whether it's messy characters, messy dynamics or messy conflicts. But more than that, she loves messy. THE MISSED CONNECTION is resounding, soaring proof of that love in the form of one of the sexiest and most enticing works of romantic suspense I have read in quite some time. Starting with her outrageous, swoon-worthy premise, she immediately hooks readers and asks us to do something that has become increasingly difficult in our time: to hope, to believe, and to take a leap of faith. 

Pairing Sasha’s traumatic past with her slow return to herself, Williams crafts an instantly relatable and endearing character, and then thrusts her into the most romantic meet-cute known to man. In returning Wes to her life, she forces Sasha to really grow, face her feelings and her past, and let them transform her. It’s an ambitious scope for what initially presents as a rom-com, but there is no author better suited to the task than Williams. 

Combined with the mystery of Seat F’s identity, each of these propulsive elements keeps the novel moving fast yet immersively, with Williams modifying her tempo in subtle yet powerful ways to give readers time to absorb each of her character’s developments. Add to that the truly jaw-droppingly sexy love interests, and you have the makings of a perfect summer read for anyone longing for a hopeful, inspiring celebration of human connection…even the ones we thought we missed.