Love in The Time of Corona: Vol 2 Anthology – Review

 

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Description:
Seven romances by seven spectacular authors, all set during the coronavirus outbreak. Happy endings guaranteed!
The numbers next to the titles indicate spiciness on a 1-5 scale as judged by each author.

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Defending the Tycoon’s Daughter – Kristi Avalon 4(5) – Romantic Suspense
Escaping a threat against her wealthy family and the global pandemic, Talia Hudson finds herself in an isolated mountain retreat with her handsome, aloof bodyguard. A scandal in Brett’s past gives him good reason to avoid Talia, yet he can’t deny the attraction sparking between them. Will one night of passion lead to regret– or is he ready to risk it all for love?

Review:
Brett is still smarting from his last job, a scandal had him leaving with a black mark on his career and reputation. Joining a new firm, Brett won’t make the same mistake, well that’s what he says, until he sees her….. 

Talia Loves her stepfamily, and all but her stepfather hate her, it’s something she has comes to terms with. And now a threat to her family has her separated from them. Although on the plus side, the new bodyguard is easy on the eyes. 

It’s a fun little read. Bodyguard and heiress is always a little predictable. 

But it’s written well. The fleeting glances, the silent treatment and the denying of ones feelings (and that’s just the bodyguard) 

Loved the video chat with her friends, it’s something a lot of us are doing at the moment. And thank goodness for the canine light relief, you have to love a dog that steers you in the direction of love. 

Luckily we just had the threat of the virus to read and no one came down with it. 

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Ship Mates – Chloe Flowers 2(5) – Contemporary Romance
After a house fire destroys everything she owns, Tara needs a temporary home. In a weak moment, Officer Scott Merrick offers an unorthodox solution: sharing a cabin on his boat. Since he works the graveyard shift and she runs her restaurant during the day, they’ll be like ships passing in the night, which is fine by both of them.
They only communicate by writing notes to each other.
It’s a bad idea to fall in love during a pandemic, but what if they’re soul mates as well as shipmates?

Review: 
Tara is now homeless after a fire. She’s hasn’t got anywhere to go. And with this virus that’s about, Tara doesn’t want to risk making anyone unwell. Being offered a bed from the hunky police offer is ok, isn’t it? She’s known him forever, best friend with his sister, and it won’t be for long….. 

Scott has always been the responsible one, his job at the police station suits him. And after the fiasco with “she who will not be named” he’s a confirmed bachelor. So giving a friend a bed for a few nights won’t be a problem. And as Tara was his sister’s best friend growing up, she’s practically family. But it’s been a few years since he’s seen her, and now she’s all grown up, but he’s on nights, how hard will it be to avoid her? 

Liked this story a lot. Loved the idea of post it notes, that did make me chuckle. And it was a great way to communicate (Scott worked nights and Tara worked days) 

Lucy the parrot made me chuckle and I loved Larry the police dog (every time Lucy told him to sit he did I had to laugh) 

The boat made for an unusual setting, the confined space that Tara and Scott were forced to share made for a different read. 

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Viral Dance – Sheridan Jeane 3(5) – Contemporary Romance
Free spirit Lily Lennon and CEO Josh Graves are opposites, or are they? When circumstances throw them together in a Mt. Rainier cabin during the pandemic, she’s determined to have him teach her to waltz. Can these two dance their way into one another’s hearts?

Review:
Lily’s a dog/house sitter, she works from the hosts home. But with the outbreak of the virus that’s sweeping the country, the owner of both dog and home is due back and lily has to move on, but she’s got nowhere to go, well there is the mountain retreat she can go to….. 

Josh has had three months away, not a holiday, but a retreat, after what can only be called a breakdown, Josh is back and ready to take back his company. But he’s a different man, less about the profit margin and more about his employees. 

A free spirit and an uptight CEO, (except he’s not really uptight anymore) 

Had to admit it wasn’t my favourite in this short story read. But there were a few laughs. Loved the dog Orwell. Liked how Josh thought about asking Lily about before he went to his retreat, but missed opportunities and all that. 

The dancing moments were a lot of fun to read. 

Both finding things about one another that appealed to them. 

The virus might have brought them together, but I think josh would have made his move eventually. 

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Choosing My Own Bananas – Becky Lower 1(5) Seasoned Romance
Claire has lived her life alone and free. But now, as an aging single, she’s facing the coronavirus by herself, and it’s the first time she’s been uncomfortable with her decisions. She ignores her sister’s advice and decides to take advantage of her local grocery’s early Senior Hour to do her own shopping.
Widower Bert can’t believe his luck. The mysterious woman from the health club pool is right behind him in line, waiting for the store to open. He and his friend call her Esther Williams, but now he might get to know her real name. And hopefully a whole lot more.

Review:
Bert a retired policeman with plenty of spare time on his hands. With his local spa closed due to the virus, Bert hasn’t got a lot to do but think, and lots of that time thinking has him thinking of a plan of action, he’s seen a lovely lady who he’d like to know better, but he doesn’t know her name, or where she lives, maybe fate will smile down on him and give him a break…..

Claire’s a control freak, she likes thinks done a certain way, and that’s why she stuck in a queue for her food shopping. She writes romance books, but even that isn’t holding her interest at the moment. She needs a little inspiration…..

This one had me smiling all the way through. A very gentle romance, dog walking (with a dog that’s not his) crazy golf (well golfing in a golf cart) and silly emails that brought a smile to both their faces. 

She’s a feisty control freak with a wicked set of one liners. He’s a man with a plan of action. 

Wooing in a time of lockdown presents it’s own set of challenging rules. No invading of personal space for one!! 

Being a widower has made Bert realise that life is too short, so he goes after the one thing that’s been on his mind for a while. 

Claire is a little more controlled, she likes a certain routine. 

So will Bert capture the fair maidens heart? Well he has her interest peaked, so who knows. 

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The Royal Muse – Judy McDonough 2(5) Contemporary Romance
New Orleans artist, Melody Landry, is done with relationships and cheating men. She’d much rather paint her frustration into money-making masterpieces.
Reece Thomas has had enough heartache for two lifetimes. He’d rather drown his sorrows with his trumpet and whisky than give anyone else a chance to rip his heart out.
Love was the last thing on their minds—until they found each other.
Can the healing powers of music and art bring two bitter souls together in the midst of a pandemic?

Review:
Reece doesn’t want anything more than a bottle to drown out his pain. Two years since the end of his marriage, and a mugging that left him with a constant and painful reminder of how much he lost. His only joy is his music, oh and the cute little artist he spied painting and singing from her balcony. 

Melody loves living in the French Quarter, her artists heart simply adores it. Inspiration runs well here, and even more so on a Thursday evening, her musical inspiration comes from her neighbour, his beautiful music gives her pieces a flow that she just can’t contain. 

But this evening he’s late, and Melody can’t help but wonder as to where he is….. 

I liked this one very much. 

Melody has been hurt before, so she’s not looking for romance. Reece can’t move on from his mugging and failed marriage. 

They’ve known each other a while now, but only from a distance, not a word has passed their lips to each other, but like calls to like, and a tentative friendship springs up.  

So how will a romance spring from this? And when an opportunity arises will they both take it? 

Beautifully written, that could have happily been a longer story. 

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Espresso. Paper. Love. – L.A. McGinnis 1(5) Contemporary Romance
A stir-crazy actress charms her way into a young doctor’s life from the neighboring apartment building. It’s one thing to exchange notes and coffee in a crisis, it’s another to deny their growing attraction.

Review:
Olivia is going to be an actress, well once she gets her big break, but until then it’s serving coffee to the masses. 

She has her regulars that she smiles and says hi to. Including her neighbour “Brandon S” he always smiles and a quick thank you. But after not seeing him at his home for a few days, she takes the initiative and decides to wave….. 

Brandon is suppose to be concentrating on knee surgeries and spine realignments, but with the virus taking a grip, it’s all hands to help. He’s so tired, but he can’t let anyone down. Most of his days he’s on automatic pilot. But today would be a turning point …..

As the time goes by, Olivia and Brandon do more and more together, of course noting the social distancing. Both want more as they’ve gotten to know each other. But when Brandon gets ill, how will Olivia cope? 

Loved the concept of paper plane post it notes. 

I loved Brandon and his thoughtfulness, he could see Olivia was struggling, and to thank her for a coffee and chat he suggests a walk. And it just takes off from there. 

This one deals with people who are now scared to leave their own homes. You feel you shouldn’t be out, not even to exercise. And I’m sure a lot of readers will relate too. 

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Tipsy – Jen Sako 1(5) New Adult Romance
Barbera Piedmont works in one of Manhattan’s top restaurants alongside a hot sommelier named Cavan Mills. One fateful night furloughs them both and there seems to be no end in sight. To Barbera’s surprise, Cavan contacts her for help keeping his career on track. Through a virtual connection, they share wines along with their fears and dreams. Barbera can’t help wondering what will happen to their digital relationship when life returns to normal. Will her services no longer be needed, or will these strange and dangerous times end in love?

Review:
Barbera or “Barbie” enjoys her job. Meeting new people, greeting regulars and catching up with friends she works with. 

But somethings wrong, guests aren’t coming in, some are cancelling their tables, some tables don’t even bother to phone to cancel. 

And when the restaurant is finally closed due to this virus, Barbera wonders what she’s going to do to keep herself occupied. 

Cavan loves his job, wine is his hobby and his passion. He wants to be the best, so an exam is in order. He wanted his girlfriend to help, but being in a different time zone makes it difficult. 

So he asks Barbera to help (after his girlfriend advised to ask a server for help) 

The wonderful World Wide Web came to the fore in this book. 

A sommelier (wine steward or a professional connoisseur) and server come together over wine. Barbera has had a crush on Cavan ever since she clapped eyes on him, so she jumps at the chance to spend time with him. 

As time goes by Barbera falls for Cavan, but it all comes crashing down when his girlfriend makes a surprise return home. Barbera is no longer needed, but the chats they had been having gave her concern, Isabella wanted Cavan to give up his passion and help her run a winery. 

She had to convince Cavan not to give up his dream. 

This one I had mixed feelings about. Loved the on-line wine tasting, i had to chuckle with the drunk chatting. 

I did feel Cavan was only interested in Barbera as help for him wine exam. But was totally surprised with his declaration to Barbera. 

 

Reviews by Julie B

Copy supplied for review