Even If the Sky is Falling by Taj McCoy, Farah Heron, Lane Clarke, Charish Reid, Sarah Smith and Denise Williams ~ a Review

by MK French

When it feels like the world is about to end, people will often do what they otherwise wouldn't have the courage to do. This book is six tales written by popular romance authors, running with that premise.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

May 2023; Canary Street Press; 978-1335452559
audio, ebook, print (336 pages); romance anthology

We open with Taj McCoy's "All the Stars." She also wrote the epilogue to tie it all together. In our opening, Halley works for NASA, can't stand her partner Willy and just had her ex assigned to her mission last minute. While installing an alert system, Willy creates an error that makes it seem like an asteroid is going to hit Earth. Upset, Halley and her ex wind up talking about their relationship. And more, of course. 

Farah Heron wrote "Keep Calm and Curry On," a cute play on the famous British saying. Maya opened a food stall and sells her sauces, but there's competition in the form of Tarek Mizra. He's the son of her father's former business partner, who had cheated him, so she's less than enthusiastic to be stuck with him during the lockdown. But forced proximity gets involved...

Lane Clarke contributed "My Lucky Stars." Jones and Dianna are the only Black women in their law school class but have never gotten along. Now that they're stuck in the Reserved Section of the library together, forced to get to know each other better. 

Charish Reid wrote "Bunker Buddies," where Shea and Nick danced around each other for a while. Nick works in a bookstore and Shea visits more often than she can afford to buy books. Beneath the store is a bunker that Nick's grandfather had set up, so there's a place to hide out during the alert...

Sarah Smith wrote "Interlude." Jocelyn has a virtual meeting scheduled for the same day that Calab is arriving to check on her kitchen cabinets. It's also the same day as the alert. They're awkward and cute around each other as they hide in the basement until the all clear.

Denise Williams wrote "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better." Of course, there's competition involved with a title like that! Piper and Hale had competed for top grades in college, and fifteen years later now meet again. They're both successful in their respective fields but are stuck together during the alert and forced to work together.

These stories are all romance novellas, so they hit all the main plot points at a speedrun pace. Any romance reader will be able to predict what's going to happen, but that doesn't make it any less fun to read. There's less fluff, no secondary potential romantic partner, and no subplot to complicate matters. I enjoyed "Interlude" the most, actually. The meet-cute and fast setup worked out really well for the couple, and I like these characters the most. If you're a fan of end-of-the-world stories, disaster romance movies, and forced proximity tropes, this is definitely a collection that will work for you.

Buy Even If the Sky is Falling at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

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