Going Down

by Cat Wynn

Colin Rush is an overworked hotshot at a Big Four consulting firm. His neighbor Emma Smith is a cutesy but reserved first grade teacher who’s never so much as glanced in his direction. Needless to say, Colin’s positive that Emma’s not his type, and, in turn, Emma thinks Colin is an intimidating player, and probably a jerk. Frankly, they avoid each other at all costs.But they do have one thing in they both hate Valentine’s Day.So, when a rainy-day power outage traps Emma and Colin inside their building's elevator, they inadvertently become each others’ defacto (and begrudging) Valentines. Now they have no choice but to sit in each other's presence...and maybe even find out what else they have in common, too. Will close quarters allow Cupid to work some holiday magic between them? Or will the elevator be the only thing going down on February 14th?

Genres: Novella, Enemies To Lovers, Forced Proximity, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Holiday

125 pages, Paperback

Published February 2, 2024

About the author

Cat is a writer, a night owl, and a lover of dogs. She often stays up deep into the night crafting her stories for hopefully lots and lots of people to read. She also really enjoys being home and doing things that people do at home like lounging in sweatpants and staring at instagram.

www.catwynnauthor.com

www.instagram.com/catwynnauthor

www.twitter.com/catwynnauthor

Reviews

[Romantically Inclined Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

And they would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for that slutty, homewrecking grandma.

[Shannon Mayhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just because this novella takes place on Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean that’s only when it should be read. This is a great spicy palate cleanser any time of the year. Sometimes you need two neighbors that dislike each other but have insane sexual chemistry to get trapped in an elevator on V Day. Sometimes you need that smutty short read with 🔥 scenes and a story line. Just read it and thank me later.

[Kerigan May · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5!

[Noriboo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun, quick, spicy read!
And all the fun goes down in an elevator on Valentines Day. I know that a lot of people aren't a fan of the miscommunication trope, but I think the author has put a great twist on it in this story!

•••

I received a free ARC. My opinions are my own.

[fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

super cute fluffy valentines novella. i loved both MMC and FMC. all i gotta say is f*** ms. rosalie!!

[Caylee Guy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was lacking any substance, the idea was good but wasn’t executed well enough for me to love it. I just don’t understand how they can go from hating each other to being in a relationship (without saying anything) in one night. I was bored through most of it.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC
Blurb…
I don’t like Valentine’s Day and the one thing I hate more is Colin Rush. And on Valentine’s Day of all days there happens to be a storm and now we’re stuck in an elevator. Together.

Tropes
~enemies to lovers
~neighbors
~opposites attract
~forced proximity
~dirty talk
~spicy Valentines read

⭐️4/5
🌶️2/5
Review
I loved this it was such a spicy cute short read and loved that it was a Valentines holiday book. Also can we talk about how Colin liked her from the moment he saw her!! And that man had a mouth on him😏. I had so much fun with this book and I think if your looking for something quick but spicy you’ll love this.

[Helene Svendsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, quick spicy novella.
Colin does have a filthy mouth, but I don’t enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.
Emma was feisty and a bit sassy in the start, but then that just disappeared.

This was an arc read for me, and I arc read Cat Wynns Jingle Bell Games I December, which I absolutely LOVED, but this one fell a bit short for me.

However, I did enjoy the plot, and its enemies to lovers, which I love.

[Kay West · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella had me kicking my legs and wishing I was a third in this elevator.

I've been reading a lot of high fantasy and space operas, and really just needed a short, spicy read to get me back into the romance genre - and man, did this deliver!

In just over 100 pages, we follow the relationship between neighbours turned enemies, Emma and Colin. They get stuck in an elevator when the power goes out, and what else is there for two hot neighbours to do but make clever use of the mirror on the ceiling ;)

Tropes
🔥 Forced Proximity
🔥 Enemies to Lovers
🔥 Opposites Attract
🔥 Miscommunication (third party)
🔥 Grumpy / Sunshine

I love the interior dialogue of the characters. "Oh shit, do I have a latent financial domination fetish?" Cat, please write a novella about this next ;) And "Is knitting horny?" I've never considered this before, but Cat has me convinced it is. I'll never see my library knit and natter the same again ;)

When Colin says, "I'm not sweet in bed", I was expecting a bit more kink, but this is a straight forward spice. He's actually very sweet, but with a dirty mouth. If you love dirty talk, this will hit all the right notes for you.

This is my first book by Cat Wynn, but it will not be my last. Thank you to Cat for the advanced reader copy.

[Kelsey Gustafson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think one of my favorite tropes is stuck in an elevator. I have no idea why, but the forced proximity does it for me. In a fun turn of events, Cat Wynn’s characters Emma and Colin don’t have a panic attack during the predicament, and rather end up voicing some of their issues with one another during the sudden time alone. They take on the stance, what happens in the elevator, stays in the elevator. 10/10, the elevator is a win.

This was a fun face paced read with resolution and laughs. Their equal hatred for Valentine’s Day, and superstition around the holiday definitely added to the enjoyment of this book. Another win by Cat Wynn!

[Shae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, it in fact went down. I loved this sassy little Valentine's Day novella. To be honest, if every novella was like this one I would hit my reading goal in one day. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers vibes with this one because it felt really genuine and not forced. They already had a history of not liking each other when they were trapped in the elevator, but as their attraction grew they didn’t forget the valid reasons that they had beef. I really appreciated that they were like- wait we can admit that we like each other now, but how do we overcome the reasons we actively avoided each other for the past year as enemy neighbors? It turned out to be a series of misunderstandings deliberately orchestrated by a devious neighbor with a vendetta against Emma. Once that was brought to light, it was resolved and fully cleared up any hesitation in their relationship. It could not have gone any better. Books without a third act breakup will always be special to me haha.

Their relationship was actually really cute and it seemed really organic. Like this kind of transition from neighbors to more could easily happen and I think Collin and Emma really suited each other. Their mindfulness and attention to each other was unique for any book, let alone a novella. The author had less time to establish the relationship and STILL did a spot on job. I loved how her confidence skyrocketed with him and just really loved their cute romantic moments. The spice was very sexy and tasteful as well, and I can’t speak highly enough about this book. Loved it.

Added a star while writing this review lol 5/5.

[Ev · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had been super excited to read this new Valentine’s Day novella. To my wonderful surprise I got the ARC to read this!

Happy Release Day!!!
Coming Down by @catwynnauthor
126 Pages
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

Forced proximity
Opposite attract
Mirror play
Neighbors
Enemies to lovers

I loved Emma and Colin. They’re two totally different people with great chemistry. I love what they pull out from each other. I did find myself thinking I might be Emma a bit 🤣

It gives you the perfect amount of spice 🥵 We like a man who can give good dirty talk and girl that comes out of her shell.
I highly recommend this holiday novella!

[Jennifer Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super funny and steamy quick read!

2 neighbors that hate each other take an elevator in a storm, what’s the worst that can happen? Hormones flare as the hours drag on and they discover they don’t hate each other as much as they thought

[plantbookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so cute. The miscommunication had a different spin on it. I liked seeing Emma come out of her shell as the story went on. I do wish she would humble Colin a little bit, I think his ego needs it. Both Colin and Emma had me laughing throughout the book.
This was fun, unique and spicy. It’s short so it’s perfect for Valentine’s Day!

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review

I FREAKING love this book!! It’s so cute and fun, the perfect read to get into the Valentine’s Day spirit. It’s so sweet, a great palette cleanser. And the spice is…chefs kiss. There is so much plot in this novella that it felt like I was reading a 500 page novel, yet I finished it in a day. The chemistry between the two main characters was tense and steamy and sweet all in one. If you’re looking for a quick V day read this is it!

[ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was the perfect valentine’s novella! it was such a cozy read with the best vibes, i enjoyed myself the entire time. i’ve said it before: i’ve never been a fan of novellas until cat wynn. i don’t know how she does it, but she manages to make a short book of just over 100 pages so entertaining from beginning to end, and the spice is always spicing 😮‍💨

[Betts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forced proximity is my jam and Cat Wynn KNOWS HOW TO DO IT.
I loved every page of this novella, it was so freaking cute, fun and hot 🔥 🔥
The ideal Valentine's Day story.

Thanks to the author for the free eArc.

[Book_Babe_Lex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read. It kept me intrigued the whole time and really had me connecting with the characters. It’s a spicy enemies to lovers/neighbors to lovers. Collin the MMC really wanted to show Emma the FMC how beautiful her uniqueness is. I loved how everything wrapped up at the end and it left me still wanting to read more of their story.

[Rebekah | adventuresinpages · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute valentine’s novella that starts with disgruntled neighbors being trapped in an elevate, hooking up in said elevator, and then discovering that the reasons they don’t like each other may be contrived from somewhere or someone else.

[Bethie_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌟 5/5

ℙ𝕆𝕍: first person, dual perspectives

𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪:
Colin Rush is an overworked hotshot at a Big Four consulting firm. His neighbor Emma Smith is a cutesy but reserved first grade teacher who’s never so much as glanced in his direction. Needless to say, Colin’s positive that Emma’s not his type, and, in turn, Emma thinks Colin is an intimidating player, and probably a jerk. Frankly, they avoid each other at all costs.

But they do have one thing in common: they both hate Valentine’s Day.

So, when a rainy-day power outage traps Emma and Colin inside their building's elevator, they inadvertently become each others’ defacto (and begrudging) Valentines. Now they have no choice but to sit in each other's presence...and maybe even find out what else they have in common, too. Will close quarters allow Cupid to work some holiday magic between them? Or will the elevator be the only thing going down on February 14th?

𝕄𝕪 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤:
I am now going to dub Cat as the holiday novella queen! I ARC read her Christmas novella this past December and instantly knew I wanted to continue to read more of the author's books. When ARC sign-ups for her Valentine's Day novella started popping up, I jumped at the chance!🫶

While this book was fairly short, it grips you instantly. I didn't let anyone distract me in the 2 hours it took for me to read and finish this book! These two characters blew my expectations out of the water🤣🫣

Colin and Emma were fun to read about. Their relationship is very low angst, and I had a smile on my face the whole time. If you are looking for a short, sweet, and SPICY novella, then this one could be for you!😏🥵

[BookishBabeJenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this book for review consideration.

If you're looking for a cute bite sized treat for Valentine's Day, this one might be for you.

This novella follows Colin, the stressed and exhausted corporate lackey, and his neighbour, Emma, the buttoned up primary teacher living in her late grandmother's condo. These two have a particular grudge against each other, which makes getting stuck in the elevator an interesting time, but I'll let you read about that for yourselves.

I just love the forced proximity trope, and of course enemies to lovers is always fun. Cat Wynn is a new to me author and I think she did a great job with these tropes and characters. I'm not somebody who likes a lot of misunderstandings and drama enough to frustrate me, and I didn't feel frustrated. There is a delicate balancing act with finding just enough drama to make the plot interesting but not enough to be frustrating and Cat balanced there perfectly. There was also a fair amount of spice for such a short book, and it was pretty hot! The dirty talk in particular was chefs kiss. Another thing I really enjoyed about this novella is the humour. Cat must be hilarious in person because her writing style is witty with little sprinkles of humour throughout and I found myself grinning my head off.

This is fast paced with insta-lust and is a whole lot of fun.

Give this a try if you like:
Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity
Valentine's Day holiday
Neighbours
Low drama/no third act breakup
Funny

[Lizzy East · Rating 5 out of 5]

💕Going Down by Cat Wynn

5 ⭐️
4🌶️

𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤
✨Opposites Attract
✨Neighbors
✨Dirty Talking MMC
✨Spicy Valentine's
✨Forced Proximity

Ⓑⓛⓤⓡⓑ

“Colin Rush is an overworked hotshot at a Big Four consulting firm. His neighbor Emma Smith is a cutesy but reserved first grade teacher who's never so much as glanced in his direction.
Needless to say, Colin's positive that Emma's not his type, and, in turn, Emma thinks Colin is an intimidating player, and probably a jerk. Frankly, they avoid each other at all costs.
But they do have one thing in common: they both hate Valentine's Day.
So, when a rainy-day power outage traps Emma and Colin inside their building's elevator, they inadvertently become each others' defacto (and begrudging) Valentines. Now they have no choice but to sit in each other's presence...and maybe even find out what else they have in common, too.
Will close quarters allow Cupid to work some holiday magic between them? Or will the elevator be the only thing going down on February 14th?”

𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜

HOT DANG 🥵 Everyone, stop what you are doing right now and pick up this book! You WILL NOT regret it.
So, first I want to say well done, and thank you Cat! I think this was well done through and through. Writing a story that ties up beautifully and is completely entertaining in such a short page count is TALENT. Emma and Colin’s POV were distinct and fresh. I was rooting for these two through and through. The spicy scenes were spicing! I loved every minute of it. Seriously, couldn’t put this down. Y’all treat yourself and grab this book.

[ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ✨

Thank you Cat for the ARC!

Tropes:

♡ Enemies to lovers
♡ Trapped in an elevator
♡ Valentine’s Day novella
♡ Neighbors to lovers
♡ Forced proximity

HOW CUTE WAS THIS? Oh my goodness this is the type of novellas I truly hold so dear to my heart, ones that make me giggle and smile to my core. If you need a cute enemies to lovers pick me up in form of a Valentine’s Day novella then Going Down is the one for you.

Emma Smith and Colin Rush is neighbors and swore enemies. They dislike each other and avoid each other at all costs. But they do they have one thing in common and that’s their mutual dislike for Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day comes around and they are forced to ride the elevator together up to their apartments but when the elevator stops and they’re not forced to endure each other’s company, they might learn a thing or two about each other while trying to resist their mutual attraction.

I’m new to Cat Wynn’s writing so I went into it not really knowing much about how writing style or if so would like it but I definitely do like it, it’s so fun and a total breath of fresh air. Emma and Colin were an absolute joy to read about the spice was absolutely not bad at all, very well written. The whole plot around them not liking each other because of a seemingly misunderstanding was so funny and the turn out of that was so rewarding and funny. I could definitely read a whole book about these two, they were so cute.

[Kimberley · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC BOOK REVIEW

I love Cat's novella's so much, being truthful. I have never read a book around the holiday of Valentine's Day, but I absolutely loved this book. Even though the book is quite short, so much happens, and you really get to know the character so well in that short amount of time, which is just something that Cat does time after time.

Going Down was such a sweet, enemies to lovers romance. Emma and her neighbour Colin, who she has hated with an immense amount of passion ever since she moved into the building, end up getting stuck in their apartment elevator together, and eventually, things get pretty steamy in there.

The characters were just so funny, I loved reading from both of their perspectives just to see how one of them was interpreting what the other person was saying or doing. This book had a bit of spice in it, I personally thought that more would have happened between them in the elevator, but that all just mainly happened back in one of their's apartment.

I just loved reading this Valentine's day novella so much, Cat is such a talented author and I love her work so much, she did a perfect job at this book and I adored reading it and just did not want to put it down.

[Skye Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute enemies to lovers, forced proximity read.

A collection of misunderstandings causes Emma and Colin to actively avoid each other, theorising the other is the evil neighbour.
According to Emma, Colin is a self absorbed, playboy jerk.
Colin thinks Emma is rude, thankless and self righteous.

While riding the elavator in awkward silence, the storm outside cuts the power, causing the elevator to screech to a halt, trapping them together in darkness for god knows how long.
Will this time together be enough to work out their differences or will something...combust?


I found Emma to be quite judgy and rude at first. While certain misunderstandings caused the hatred, she had made up her mind upon their first meeting that he was a self important playboy.
While it could be passed off as her being shy in the elevator by not responding, in the end she was just flat out ignoring Colin. I'm a homebody and hate social interactions (yes I even sew, garden and crochet like an old lady 😂) but even a polite generic response would be better than nothing.
Naturally once she actually spoke to him and discovered why he works so much and has the relationships he does; she's more understanding.

A cute quick read perfect in time for Valentine's Day! 🌹💕

[Jasmine Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️: 5/5
🌶️: 3/5

Tropes:
-Enemies to lovers
-Valentine’s Day novella
-Opposites attract
-Forced proximity

Summary:
Colin is a consultant for a big firm. Emma is his neighbor. Colin is positive Emma is not his type and Emma thinks he’s a jerk. They avoid each other at all costs. The one thing they have in common is that they both hate Valentine’s Day. When a rainy Valentine’s Day power outage causes them to get stuck on the elevator. They have no choice but to sit with each other and find out if they have something in common.

My Thoughts:
If you want a quick holiday novella to read, this is it!! I loved this book. It was very cute. Emma is kind and has a good heart. And the more she gets to know Colin her thoughts about him begin to change. The elevator scene was 🔥🔥 but once they’re out of the elevator, OMG!!🥵 Colin has a filthy mouth on him and does not disappoint lol. I loved how this novella touches on work life balance and how sometimes you have to leave work situations when they don’t suit you anymore.

[Sanya Sadiq · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book: Going down

Review: DAMN Colin was such a dirty talker this little novella was short and spicy and I loved it ❤️ loved the fact that they were stuck in an elevator which just got them closer and they opened up with each other and other things 🥵🥵 what happened in the elavator didn’t stay in the elevator 🥰🥵 the misunderstandings between these two cleared towards the end and they were ready to start something by going on a date 😊

What I loved:
* Emma avoiding Colin 🤣
* Colin waiting for her to get out of her car so he can get out at the same time haha
* Their banter 😉
* The scene about knitting 🤣 omg Emma!!
* Like how they’re slowly opening up to each other 🥰
* She thought he was going to kiss her ☺️ but he was only taking the spider out of her hair
* 🥵🥵🥵🥵
* Colin napping in Emma’s lap ☺️
* Colin is such a dirty talker 🥵🥵🥵
* Awiiie Colin knitting for Emma ☺️
* Colin and Emma going on a date

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5

Trope:
•Neighbours
•Enemies to lovers
•Forced proximity

[Jackie Uhrmacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured Going Down in a single day. Colin and Emma were complete opposites whose chemistry exploded in a broken-down elevator, and I HAD to find out how their story ended!

Colin was your typical player with some added benefits. He had no problem getting on his knees and worshipping Emma even after she'd given him the cold shoulder after she moved in.

You see, Colin and Emma were enemies before that fateful elevator ride. A series of off-screen miscommunications made them view the other one as stuck up or rude. All it took was a few hours in an elevator for them to see maybe the other person wasn't the devil incarnate.

There was an opportunity for the miscommunications to continue, and I'm so glad Cat didn't take that route. Instead, Colin and Emma were able to discuss things like adults and find true happiness.

If you're looking for a quick and steamy read with banter, "eyes on me" spice, and and an HEA, grab this adorable novella!

Thank you, Cat Wynn, for the opportunity to read this story!

[AnnaRobyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Swoon 🫦🫦
LMAO 🤣
Banter 😉😉

Enemies to Lovers / Holiday Romance / HEA

It’s a stormy Valentine’s Day … Emma is a school teacher that lives next door to a cocky businessman. They both arrive home at the same time but she dawdles as she doesn’t want to ride in the elevator with him. Turns out he’s doing the same because he’s trying to figure her out. She finally gives up and as soon as she’s out of her car so is he. They ride the elevator only to have the power go out. They’re stuck together in the elevator and are forced to talk to each other, both of them admitting their reasons for hating this holiday. This was a fun short novella that packed a lot of punch and I loved the spider scene … although I think I would have reacted the same way she did. I’m looking forward to reading more from Cat Wynn.

I was gifted this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.