Love in an Elevator: A Romantic Comedy Anthology

Love in an Elevator: A Romantic Comedy Anthology by Aven Ellis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


7 Chick Lit stories, 1 Dick Lit story, some by authors I've read before.

Hold the Lift by Aven Ellis
Age 23, Denver, Writer/reporter, athlete, MF

Woman arrives back to her apartment building after a long day of making fajitas. Smells like that. Is vaguely worried about how bad she smells. Doors begin to close, an English accent calls out 'hold the lift' - woman debates about doing so or letting the doors close. Holds the lift. Man gets on. Elevator goes up. Gets stuck. They are forced to spend hours talking. They get to know each other and like what they find. Eventually elevator repaired and their life (and story) continues.

Neat enough story. First thing I've read by this author.

Rating: 4.25

November 6 2016

Down, then Up by Beth Labonte
Las Vegas, Writer, Age - 31?, Second Chances, Flashbacks

One of the two authors in this collection that I have previously read.

A woman is on a Bachelorette trip, for her sister, to Las Vegas and she thinks it is worse than being on death row for a murder you did not commit, or winning the jackpot but losing the ticket in a fire. All because she gave up alcohol or something like that.

Late one night Lauren Oswald, the star of this particular story, is sent no a mission by her drunk sister and her sister's equally drunk friends - go forth and acquire donuts. Lauren initially thinks of fighting this request but then notices that one of the women seems to be on the edge of barfing. And then she recalls that she might actually like getting away for a while. So she does - darting out the door to find donuts.

The mission is derailed/redirected, adjusted immediately. When the elevator door pops open and Lauren spots the one man she didn't want to see - her ex-boyfriend from college. Who she hasn't seen for something like 10 years.

She briefly thinks of not getting on but does.

Whereupon a series of flashbacks and 'current present events' unfolds. Showing Lauren and Jamie Mullins (that ex-boyfriend) marching forward from introduction to each other, friendship, relationship, then splitsville, to leaping forward 10 years to 'today'. Though the first flashback occurs 13 years earlier.

Quite deep and enjoyable story - complete in and of itself - a full story, not just a snippet like many short stories can be.

Rating: 4.45

November 20 2016

Going Up? by Whitney Dineen
New York, Blue Collar, Mob Boss/Mafia

Another author I've read before.

A woman goes to New York from Western PA to try to succeed at her chosen profession (massage), but fails to get much luck. Takes a job as an elevator operator in an upscale location to pay the bills ($28.50 an hour to operate an elevator, mmphs).

Ends up flirting with one of the people who regularly rides the elevator who she thinks is a handy-man. Gives a massage to a mob boss (different guy), gets conned out of her fee by an old woman, etc etc.

Her grandmother owns and runs a biker bar, her mother . . . um, is equally 'independent' (word choice used in story) but I can't recall what she does, something about pottery, and her grandfather could be a mob boss . . . possibly/potentially.

This is actually a pretty interesting slice of life story involving a young woman finding a long lost family member. Problem, though, is that this story is in a romance collection. And the romance? Very thin. Very. Basically it consisted of 'young woman meets young man, they flirt, now they are a couple'. And so . . . lower rating. Sadly.

Rating: 3.5

November 21 2016

Taking a Chance by Becky Monson
New York, Facing Fears, Age-20s

Haven't read this author before.

A neat story about a woman somewhere around 23 years of age who is attempting to fulfill her dead sister's bucket list - she made a promise. Even if most of the things on the list are things that she's afraid of (like heights, and close spaces, and people, and germs), but she made a promise.

She bumps into a man in the elevator on the way up to the top of the Empire State Building who attempts to help her when she begins to show signs of panicing. panic-ing. hmms. He is about 27 or something like that.

I initially gave the story a rating of 4.45, though it probably deserves something higher than that.

Rating: 4.50

November 29 2016

Happy to be Stuck with You by Rich Amooi
Humor, Finance, Dick-Lit

Certain amount of humor does not overcome some of the short-comings inherent in this story. I was reluctant to read this one, but I figured I shouldn't prejudge a story just because it's by a man and starts in the point of view of a man - and calls itself chick-lit when it's clearly dick-lit.

But then the POV shifted to a woman and . . . I wanted to just toss the story and not finish it. But it is just a short story. And. Stuff. For better or worse it was not easy to read that type of female character and know that it is by a male author - granted it isn't easy to read when know female author, but harder to take with male author.

Then there was that 'smile' 'beautiful' comment and I wanted to shove a ice pick into the guy's dick.

So, this story didn't work for me.

Rating: 1.5 - 2

November 29 2016

Upstairs, Downstairs . . . and the Lift Between by Geralyn Corcillo
England, Class/cultural differences

Haven't read this author before.

A woman has saved up five years so that she can have a 'country estate party' type of 'fantasy' experience in an old Baron estate in England. She herself is from California and works with computers.

She is a bright bubbly type, full of energy and joy. Brightens every room she enters. She's Maisy.

Then there's a fella named Mark. He's always running all over the place, working on/for Drakenfall -the name of the country estate.

Then Mark and Maisy meet, and both take a fancy to the other. But . . . one is a guest, and the other works downstairs. Soooo....

Lovely story. A few things of annoyance, but easily brushed past. Oddness about the narrator - vaguely confused, but I think everything was actually narrated by some old woman who watched everything unfold. Not exactly a POV I've come across a lot in my reading. Some vaguely disinterested/interested third party narrating stuff.

Rating: 4.9

November 29 2016

The Only Way is Up by Lindy Dale
Australia, Writer

Haven't read this author before.

A rather emotional woman, and a rather unprofessional man end up having their lives entangled. Twice. First when the woman fainted in an elevator and woke up to a man kissing her (him: I was giving you mouth to mouth!; her: You were sexually assaulting me!), then again when it turns out that the man had actually being heading to the hotel (in which the elevator was lcoated) to meet the woman (though neither recognized the other upon first meeting - the man didn't know what the woman looked like, and the woman didn't know her publiscist was sick and that his boss would be handling her on her book tour).

Well. PR man acts very unprofessionally. Writer woman acts professionally in public, and quite emotionally out of the public eye. Naturally they are perfect for each other.

The 'neatest' thing about this specific story is the part where it was taking place in Melbourne Australia.

Rating: 3.3

November 29 2016

Out of Order by Dee Ernst
Building Super, Paralegal, Writer, Morristown New Jersey, age: 40s

Haven't read this author before.

The lead female in this story has a rich aunt who lives in Morristown. She's going to Paris for a week, and needs her niece to live in her place to watch her dog. The LF (heh) is a paralegal with a writing fetish. Hmm. That isn't right. Fetish. hmm. Well, she writes in her spare time but is not confident enough to attempt to get her stuff published.

Neat thing about the story - both lead female and lead male are in their 40s.

Lead male is a building super (manager) and, apparently, something of a 'hunk'.

Which can cause 'issues' since the lead female has a lot of trouble acting like herself around handsome men - she turns into the type of woman who tries to guess what the man really wants then force herself to be that. She's attempting to stop being that type of woman.

I rather liked this specific story. So much so I've already picked up another book by this author (well, to be fair, what I picked up was the first book in her mystery series - which was free).

Rating: 4.44

November 29 2016

Overall

Hold the Lift by Aven Ellis - 4.25
Down, then Up by Beth Labonte - 4.45
Going Up? by Whitney Dineen - 3.50
Taking a Chance by Becky Monson - 4.50
Happy to be Stuck with You by Rich Amooi -2.00
Upstairs, Downstairs . . . and the Lift Between by Geralyn Corcillo - 4.9
The Only Way is Up by Lindy Dale - 3.30
Out of Order by Dee Ernst - 4.44

Overall average rating: 3.9175



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