Sunday 7 August 2016

Love in an Elevator: A Romantic Comedy Anthology - by Aven Ellis, Beth Labonte, Whitney Dineen, Becky Monson, Rich Amooi, Geralyn Corcillo, Lindy Dale and Dee Ernst


Original Cover
My own copy

The blurb:

Laugh, swoon, and escape with this romantic comedy anthology!

Will an elevator ride change her life? In HOLD THE LIFT by Aven Ellis, Sierra Crawford ends up meeting sexy British hockey player Jude Parker after their elevator sticks. Sierra finds herself getting to know Jude—and she likes what she sees. But he wouldn’t be interested in a food-obsessed assistant editor right? Sierra knows she’s quirky—her fondness of Magic 8 Balls is proof of that—so there’s no way he could look her way. Or can he?

In DOWN, THEN UP by Beth Labonte, Lauren Oswald never expected to see her college love, Jamie, again. Not after the way things ended. She certainly doesn’t expect to see him ten years later at a bachelorette party in Vegas, waiting inside a hotel elevator. Slightly older. Different haircut. No wedding ring. Same eyes. As the pair embark on a late night errand, Lauren is flooded with memories of how Jamie became the one that got away—and she realizes that this one night could be their last chance to make things right.

In GOING UP? by Whitney Dineen, Fiona Kitchen had a dream when she moved to New York and it wasn’t taking a job as an elevator operator in a posh, West Side, apartment building. She also didn’t expect to meet a hot handyman, a Columbian drug lord and a notorious mob boss and then fall for one of them in a big way. Life in the Big Apple isn’t quite turning out the way she planned, but who said that was a bad thing?

In Becky Monson’s TAKING A CHANCE, Liza Parker has a fear of heights, crowds and small spaces. So what’s a girl like her doing on a crowded elevator going to the top of the Empire State Building? Freaking out, that’s what she’s doing. Enter Jay Sanders, a tourist who thinks he might be able to help Liza face her fears, but she has to be willing to spend the day with a complete stranger. Maybe taking a chance on Jay is just what Liza needs.

In HAPPY TO BE STUCK WITH YOU by Rich Amooi, Becca has had an office crush on Daniel—Mr. Delicious—for over a year. Getting stuck in an elevator with him was the last thing she expected. If only she can control her claustrophobia. To make matters worse, they're also stuck with an eighty-year-old man who has a weak bladder, and a penchant for playing cupid. But life is unpredictable. Sometimes, getting stuck is the best thing that can happen.

Computer genius Maisy Potter crosses an ocean to take her dream vacation at an English country estate … where the winsome Mark Prebys works below stairs. With him, Maisy discovers a carefree happiness she's never known. But will the troubles dogging her from back home, a secret or two whispered behind the parlour curtains, and misunderstandings to beat the band extinguish the magic they think they've found in each other? And if not, what happens when Maisy's enchanting holiday ends? Find out in UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS … AND THE LIFT IN BETWEEN by Geralyn Corcillo.

In THE ONLY WAY IS UP by Lindy Dale, Meet Bailey Burns: hottest thing on the literary circuit. And the most reluctant. After fainting in a lift and regaining consciousness to find herself kissing a stranger, Bailey thinks her week can’t get much worse. But it can. Much worse. Bailey is about to be proposed to by a crazed fan wearing a vampire costume. She’s about to discover she’s in relationship with the guy she kissed. Not only that, but said guy happens to be her new PR manager. Oh dear!

In OUT OF ORDER, by Dee Ernst, Grace has sworn off good-looking men.

My Opinion:

Love in an Elevator is a Romantic Comedy Anthology with a collection of eight short stories written by some wonderful authors.
An anthology like this is a great way to discover new authors. I started reading it, because I love Aven Ellis and her stories. Some authors I heard of talking to other bloggers and seeing their reviews and again some of these authors I have never heard of.

I have to say that sometimes short stories tend to be a bit too short, but here it wasn’t the case. I felt like they all had a great length and it’s fab that the all have the same topic with the elevator. It makes this anthology a lovely closed circle with lots of different elements.

Now. Let’s talk about the individual stories, starting with Hold the Lift by Aven Ellis. This story includes a hockey player and when this is the case I’m always over the moon. Sierra meets him in the elevator of their apartment building and when the elevator, or should I say lift is stuck, they get to spend some time together. Sierra embarrasses herself pretty fast, but Jude takes it easy and they get to know each other. Their conversation is easy, free and full of sparks. I really like following it. Aven has this gift of creating amazing atmospheres between the characters and she did it her as well. Of curse there also have to be one or another misunderstanding in this story, which made it all even more exciting. Even though the story is quite short, the characters are wonderfully lined out and the storyline has a great flow, I was hooked immediately and loved every part of this short story. 5/5

DOWN, THEN UP by Beth Labonte follows the story of Lauren Oswald, who is in Vegas for her sister’s hen do. As the only sober one she is sent to get some donuts. The same goes for Jamie, he is the groom’s cousin and the men are in Vegas too. Jamie is not only the groom’s cousin though, no he is also her college love and of course she bumps into him in the elevator. They talk and catch up and their old feelings seem to come back…
This is a really fast-paced and exciting read and I loved getting to know the characters and their past. It kind of moved a bit too fast for me, but I still really enjoyed it. Beth’s writing is fun and vivid and oh well did I mention Las Vegas?! Always a great location. 4/5

The third story in this anthology is Going Up? By Whitney Dineen. It tells the story of Fiona Kitchen, who has moved to New York and dreams of running her own massage studio. To earn money for that she works as an elevator operator in a posh apartment building. That’s where she meets Jeremy and also some other people. Hidden behind it all is a bit of a mystery actually, but that didn’t really come a cross for me. The connections between the characters and some parts of the storyline sadly didn’t make any sense to me at all. It’s a fun read, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hope for. 3.5/5

Becky Monson’s Taking a Chance is a wonderful story. Liza is afraid of heights and is trying to go on top of the Empire State Building. Seeing that she struggles, Jay is there to help and takes her on a little journey around New York, to help her with her fear. These two characters hit it off immediately and it’s actually really sweet to see what Jay does for her. They talk about their present and past and have a fab time together. I have to say, yes it’s a bit unrealistic with the timings and the places they go, but nevertheless it’s a cute and sweet story, written in a really vivid and bubbly way. I was in New York in April, so it was great to read about all these fab places again. Becky also plays around with names and that in a really great way with a deeper meaning. 4.5/5

On we go with Happy to be Stuck with You by Rich Amooi. Becca has a crush on Daniel, but he is leaving the company and isn’t he gay?! On the way up to his goodbye party they get stuck in the elevator, the problem?! She is claustrophobic! A kiss seems to distract her and what kind of kiss. The confusion about thinking he’s gay and then him paying no attention to her during the party is there. But they get another chance and sparks definitely fly!!! A cute story! 4/5

UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS … AND THE LIFT IN BETWEEN by Geralyn Corcillo is the story of Maisy Potter who goes on a vacation across the pond. She falls in love with the English countryside and also meets Mark. They hit it off immediately, but he is hiding something from her. I know it’s a short story, but things moved really quickly and weren’t really explained and it was hard to grip for me. The writing is vivid and exciting, I really liked that. 3/5

THE ONLY WAY IS UP by Lindy Dale follows Bailey Burns is an author, who kisses a stranger after fainting in an elevator. That stranger is much more though. Him announcing that they are in a relationship (PR thing) makes things more complicated. This is the only story I felt that it was too short, I want to know what happens next. I really liked the two characters and I think they are really cute together. This is a fun, entertaining and sweet read. 4.5/5

Last but not least, we have OUT OF ORDER by Dee Ernst. Grace has sworn off men and she is also a writer, afraid to be published. When she is dog sitting for her aunt, she meets Seth. They get to know each other and a relationship builds. It gets more interesting when Grace finds out he’s an author as well. A wonderfully written story with great characters and a gripping storyline, loved it. 4.5/5


So all in all I’d like to give this anthology 4 out 5 stars. It’s a great mixture of stories and authors. Every author brings something different to it and the mixture of styles is awesome.




My Rating:





No comments:

Post a Comment