Love Under Quarantine, an all-new feel good strangers-to-lovers romance about finding love in the most unexpected ways from New York Times bestselling authors Kylie Scott and Audrey Carlan, is out now!
Amazon | Amazon Worldwide | Paperback
Blurb
While the world is ravaged by a global pandemic, hotshot NFL running back Evan Sparks is locked in his own personal hell. With a career-ending scandal on his back, Evan hides out in his best friend’s empty San Francisco home, the full city shutdown locking him in a lonely twenty-story apartment in the sky.
Romance writer Sadie Walsh is having the worst case of writer’s block ever…until the incredible, muscular stranger staying next door gets her muse going strong. The pair of loners, never expecting to find a friend in all the madness, meet each day out on their balconies like a modern-day Romeo and Juliet.
Each new day brings unique challenges for the pair as they navigate the unknown and find solace together. They quickly figure out that as long as they have one another, they can handle anything.
Even falling in love under quarantine.
Writing together for the first time, New York Times bestselling authors Kylie Scott and Audrey Carlan team up to tell a story that not only is a beautiful escape during a trying time, but a true lesson on the power of humanity’s ability to survive. Through a sexy, hopeful, strangers-to-lovers romance, the authors prove with love, trust, and faith, we can conquer anything.
Review
4.5 stars
A swoony, sexy, fun and emotional love story set in the all-too-realistic world that we live in as two strangers fall in love while under quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I have seen a few quarantine-related romances in development, and I’m gonna say straight up that I had no intention of reading any of them. Books have been my escape during this time, and I wasn’t keen to let reality intrude upon my escape time. But Kylie Scott is an auto-read author for me, so I dove in, and I’m so glad I did. While this book did hit on a few nerves with the anxiety-inducing reality of the world we are all living in, it does well to capture the emotion of our time, and uses that intensity to deliver an absolutely beautiful love story that completely swept me away.
Evan Sparks is an NFL star who is facing a career-threatening scandal. He has escaped to his best friend’s apartment in San Francisco to hide from the paparazzi and try to figure out his next move, and that’s where he is when the city is put into lockdown. His new neighbour, Sadie Walsh, is a romance writer who has lost her muse. She’s trying to get her groove back when life outside of her apartment comes to a grinding halt due to the unfolding crisis.
Evan and Sadie go through the full range of emotions that I’m sure we’re all experiencing. They’re scared, their anxious, they have friends and loved ones out in the world that they are worried about, and they are doing their best to keep themselves sane while being quarantined in their apartments. Their first fortuitous meeting on their balconies turns out to be a complete game changer both of them as their quick banter develops into a friendship that very quickly morphs into more as they become each other’s lifelines.
“This is so fucked up. You know what I want more than anything?”
“What? Tell me?”
“I want to hold you, tell you everything will be okay. Kiss your forehead…and your lips. Christ, what I wouldn’t give to taste your mouth. Make you feel what I’m feeling deep inside.”
She gasps but then whispers, “I wish that too.”
Unable to actually be together, they get to know each other over balcony yoga sessions, phone calls, shared meals, virtual movie nights and some steamy ‘close-but-not-too-close’ encounters. And in the middle of it all, they fall in mad love. It’s sweet, it’s sexy, it’s fun, and it even made me laugh out loud a few times. And though it’s fast moving it feels so real! They are completely open and honest with each other, and I could feel the emotion developing between them and I fell right alongside them.
I press my palm flat to the wall trying to feel her energy, her presence, just beyond the barrier. “Sadie, this thing between us. It’s growing every day. Do you feel it? Tell me you feel it too and I’m not alone?”
“I…I feel it too. I don’t understand it, but I can’t deny it’s there. The attraction…”
“Is off the fucking charts.” I shake my head and press harder into the wall.“How can this be real?”
“I don’t know, sweetheart, but it’s more real than anything I’ve felt before. I crave you.”
It’s an absolutely beautiful love story that had me feeling all the feels, and when they actually reach the point where they can be together… holy hot damn! It’s hot, steamy and super passionate, and there is so much emotion, and I freaking loved it!
“I’m in love with you, and I haven’t even kissed you,”
While they are falling for each other, Sadie gets her writing groove back, and they are dealing with their loved ones out there in the world going through their own hard times, and the mystery of the threat on Evan’s career. There’s a lot going on, but they find their way around it all functionally and sensibly. There are some hurdles for them to overcome, but they talk through everything so openly, and I LOVED that!
It’s a beautiful, beautiful romance that finishes in a great place, but I would have liked just a little bit more – Did their families comes through ok? What happened with Evan’s relationship with his teammates? What does their future together look like? And Jake! What happened with Jake? I wondered whether the lack of epilogue was intentional because the outcome of the current crisis is unknown, or whether it’s a message to find and embrace happiness wherever and whenever we can despite all that’s going on around us? Or maybe I’m reading too much into it, and they just didn’t write one? Either way, I would love to see more of these characters, and I’m hoping that at least one of the side characters gets a story in the future (*cough* Jake *cough*) so we can catch up with Evan and Sadie down the line a bit further.
I am a long-time fan of Kylie Scott, but this is my first read by Audrey Carlan. The two of them write seamlessly, and I loved this book. Though it hits close to home, I think that was the intention, and it succeeded in sweeping me up in the beauty of the love story, which was just what I was hoping for.
4.5 stars!
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Excerpt
SADIE
Okay, reposition feet hip-distance apart and centered on the mat. Inhale and let it all go on the exhale. I look over the balcony across the barren city and try to find perspective. What did the teacher say? Set your intention? My intention is to maintain a modicum of good health and to not go insane during self-isolation. Fingers crossed on both fronts. Getting some work done wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
“They locked down the fucking city, man!” The voice blocks me from finding my zen spot. Some big blond dude is pacing back and forth in the neighboring apartment. Guess we’ve all got to get our exercise one way or another. A nice quiet doctor owns the place, but he’s overseas right now. No idea who this guy is. The new cat sitter, maybe? If so, I hope Gloria housetrains him quickly because all of this shouty behavior is not okay. Not if I have to share a wall with him for the next few weeks.
My new neighbor’s voice lowers to a more tolerable level and I take a deep, calming breath before moving into my next pose. Much better. Despite having questionable balance and being new to this whole yoga thing, I’m not doing too badly. It’s weird how quiet the city is with everything on lockdown. Peaceful, almost.
“Two weeks! I’ll be stuck here for two weeks!” he rants once more.
Ugh.
Due to the architect’s penchant for floor to ceiling windows—perfect for letting in the light—I have quite the view of my new neighbor’s performance. Much angst. Such woe. Like we’re not all going to go stir crazy during lock in. Even if it has only just started. I for one can’t wait to see how many divorces and break-ups this causes. Call it morbid curiosity. Though, being a romance writer, my mind would be better served dwelling on the possibilities for true love in this situation.
A random casual hook-up turning into so much more due to weeks of forced interaction? Roommates bonding over newly revealed shared interests? Nuh. Roommates entering into a sex pact to stave off boredom! Now that could work. Broken beds and broken hearts. That’s how to get things done. With the requisite happy ever after at the end, of course.
“Excuse me!” he shouts, shoving a frustrated hand through his head of thick, wavy, dark blond hair. New phone call, I think. After all, you can’t yell at the same person all day long. How tedious would that be?
Call me distractible, but watching him is actually a hell of a lot more interesting than perfecting my Downward Dog or doing yet another inventory of my pantry. Damn Oreos. I could have sworn I had another package. Day one and I’m already out of my favorite snack. Just bring on the apocalypse already. Without Oreos my life is already functionally over.
“Are you kidding me!” The man sure has a set of lungs on him. Unfortunately, at this point, he about-faces and strides back into the apartment. Still yelling, of course, though I can’t quite make out what he’s saying.
On the plus side, in those blue jeans, his ass is a thing of wonder. Honest to God. In less pandemic-y times, I’d charge my friends a bottle of wine to
come over and witness the beauty of that thing. So tight. So nice. I lick my lips. Impressively broad shoulders beneath his T-shirt too. When he paces back to the front of the apartment, I’m presented with a strong jawline, high forehead, and a nose that could be slightly crooked. At least, it will be in the book. Readers dig that shit. The hint of a complicated past with a dash of violence thrown in for good measure. Ideally, he’d have broken it defending a small child or rescuing puppies. A combination of the two, perhaps?
Yes, it’s a definite. Apart from the anger management issues, this guy is officially hot stuff. Not that I’m after an actual love interest. Just inspiration for the hero of my next book.
Which is when it hits me…big buff dude reveals surprisingly sensitive side to sexy single introverted neighbor during quarantine. Hmm. It has possibilities. I stop procrastinating and move onto the next pose, arms out in a T, legs wide, and a slow bend at the waist. I exhale, pondering the plot idea along with the thickness of his thighs. The way the denim lovingly embraces every inch of his musculature. It’s like it’s on a loop playing over and over in my head. Okay, maybe I’m a little sex starved. He can feature in my masturbatory fantasies as well. After all, he’s that kind of can-do, helpful guy. Or at least, he is in my mind. And that’s where the man will stay. At a safe and appropriate distance. For both the virus and my heart.
About the Authors
Kylie Scott is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013, 2014 & 2018, by the Australian Romance Writer’s Association and her books have been translated into eleven different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet.
Stay up to date with Kylie by joining her MAILING LIST!
Amazon | Bookbub | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Goodreads | Pinterest | Book+Main Bites
Audrey Carlan is a #1 New York Times and International bestselling author. Her titles have appeared on USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. Audrey writes wicked hot love stories that have been translated in over thirty different languages across the globe. She is best known for the world-wide bestselling series Calendar Girl and Trinity.
She lives in the California Valley where she enjoys her two children and the love of her life. When she’s not writing, you can find her teaching yoga, sipping wine with her “soul sisters” or with her nose stuck in a steamy romance novel.
Facebook | Amazon | Bookbub | Instagram | Goodreads
Join Audrey’s mailing list | Website
