The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez Published by Amazon Original Stories on March 1, 2025
Pages: 82
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Julia Whelan, Connor Crais
Length: 1 hr and 48 mins
Genres: Romance
Amazon Audible
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.
I will drop everything to read whatever Abby Jimenez writes: a book, a manifesto, a diary entry, a grocery list. So even though I almost always find novellas disappointing, of course your girl was going to read The Fall Risk. Still, I was surprised by how enjoyable it was.
Neighbors Seth and Charlotte are trapped on the second floor of their apartment building on Valentine’s Day due to a construction mishap. As they wait out their confinement, the two grow close, and Charlotte learns to confront her fears.
The characters are unexpectedly well-developed. Jimenez even manages to introduce likeable supporting characters, who have a side story all their own. The fact that Charlotte is on the run from a demented stalker adds an element of intrigue. This storyline could have easily been expanded into a full-length book, but it makes a very satisfying short story.
The Fall Risk is available with Kindle Unlimited, including free audiobook narration, so I got to enjoy listening to one of my favorite narrators, Julia Whelan. Conner Crais is a narrator that I haven’t heard before, but he was a perfect choice to voice Seth. Duet narration for the win!
Recommended for fans of:
Forced proximity
Damsels in danger
Pet fish
About Abby Jimenez
Abby Jimenez is a Food Network champion, motivational speaker, and contemporary romance novelist living in Minnesota. Abby founded Nadia Cakes out of her home kitchen in 2007. The bakery has since gone on to open multiple locations in two states, won numerous Food Network competitions and amassed an international cult following. Abby has since turned her talents to penning novels. She loves a good book, coffee, doglets, and not leaving the house.
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