Two good neighbors make the best of a bad Valentine’s Day in a funny and improbably romantic short story by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just for the Summer.
It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and Charlotte and Seth are not looking for romance. Armed with emotional-support bear spray, Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation and on guard from men. Having a stalker can do that to a person’s nerves. Just across the hall and giving off woodsy vibes is Seth, a recently divorced arborist. As in today recently. Heights, he’s fine with. Trust? Not so much. But when disaster traps them one flight up and no way down, an outrageously precarious predicament forces a tree-loving guy and a rattled girl next door to embrace their captivity. Soon their defenses are breaking away. Considering how close they both are to the edge, Charlotte and Seth could be in danger of falling—in love.
It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and Charlotte and Seth are not looking for romance. Armed with emotional-support bear spray, Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation and on guard from men. Having a stalker can do that to a person’s nerves. Just across the hall and giving off woodsy vibes is Seth, a recently divorced arborist. As in today recently. Heights, he’s fine with. Trust? Not so much. But when disaster traps them one flight up and no way down, an outrageously precarious predicament forces a tree-loving guy and a rattled girl next door to embrace their captivity. Soon their defenses are breaking away. Considering how close they both are to the edge, Charlotte and Seth could be in danger of falling—in love.
Title: The Fall Risk
Author: Abby Jimenez
Expected Publication Date: March 1, 2025
Actual Publication Date: February 1, 2025
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Review:
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Abby always gives great stories. Her shorts are no exception. It takes a good story teller to capture you and make you fall in love with the characters in just a few pages of a novella.
First I love that she centered it around Valentine's Day weekend, with two characters who had zero reason to celebrate. Of course you knew the outcome of this story would be some kind of attraction between the main characters but it's not about that knowing. It was about how Abby got us there. Insert an event where the main characters are forced to be in the same space and you have the kindling for some love to grow!
Seth is recovering from an injury and a recent divorce. I fell in love with his character right away. I connected with his trust issues and his grieving process.
Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation. Her past has caused her to keep to herself in order to feel safe. She doesn't trust men and she certainly can't trust her new next door neighbor. I could feel her fear and it gave me great empathy for her.
Abby has a way of treating heavy situations with such care. You can see the research she puts into her stories. I knew the ending would have conflict resolution and it was done with kindness and grace. And she inserts a the perfect amount of humor and swoon to keep you connected with the characters and story.
As a side note, the friends, Izzy and Gabe, really need their story! I hope we get that one.
Overall, I wish this story was longer! In just a few short pages, Abby has these characters opening up to each other and becoming friends. If you're looking for a meet cute, forced proximity read with witty banter and great side characters, check this one out!
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