The Hazards of a One Night Stand by Alyssa Rose Ivy

Released February 27 2014

 

Momma's Rating

4 sweet on Colton stars

 

Synopsis:

 

One small town boy, one girl who wants more, one roll in the hay...
Hooking up with your high school crush is a bad idea, a really bad idea. It was only supposed to be one night, one brief departure from my real life, but nothing ever works out exactly the way you plan.
Colton Waters was everything from my past that didn't fit into my present, so why did he have to show up at my college and pledge the one frat I couldn't avoid?
Because nothing is ever meant to happen just once. At least not the life changing things that mean the difference between falling apart and falling in love.

Momma's Review

 

I really enjoyed The Hazards of a One Night Stand by Alyssa Rose Ivy.  I picked the book up on the recommendation of a good friend and I am so glad I did.  It was a sweet romance with a bit of heat and some absolutely funny scenes that left me laughing long after the scene was over.

 

There are a lot of books out there that cover college age romance but I found this one, surprisingly, to be  a bit different.  No one was a jock, a fighter or a scared misfit which was a great change from the norm.  I must say that I am a bit of a dork and totally read this one without knowing that there was a first book in the series but  I never would have guessed.  I didn't figure it out until I was looking for the cover photo on Goodreads.  The book was so well written with the story that never at any point did I feel like I was missing a key piece of information.  The books are all written so that each one covers a different couple but I really appreciated that I didn't feel like I was reading a book that was full of inside jokes.

 

The Heroine

Mallory Clark

 

So I've seen some other readers who hated Mallory's character and I'm really confused by it.  Did she frustrate the hell out of me at times......YES...but that's what made her character true.  I think I had a soft spot for her because her relationship with her father really reminded me of my own (not exactly but there were hints of it) and that made me relate to her even more.  If you take into account not only the heartbreak that she experienced at a young age but also look at her screwed up relationship with her dad you'll start to see easily why she acts the way she does!

 

The Hero

Colton Waters

 

Colton where in the hell were you when I was in college!  He is the perfect college boyfriend, sweet, romantic, caring........and a beast in the sack!  I did feel a bit bad for him at points during the book, but I think it was because I wanted to hug him, and kiss him, and keep him all to myself!

Momma's Recommendation

 

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good NA romance, it has a sweet story, a bit of heat and it's not too full of angst or drama which leaves you with a lighthearted fun read.

 

The times............they are a changing!

I've had the amazing pleasure of spending some time with a wonderful handful of Authors, Bloggers and others in the author promotion word and it got me started thinking about how I've been running the blog.  When I started this crazy adventure over a year ago it was on a total whim.  I woke up one day and thought, I think I want to start a blog.  Ok, not really....I'm one of those people that has to research an idea for days on end to figure out the best way to do things and how to do them.  So after googling the hell out of terms like "review blog," "ARCs for review," and "am I crazy to do this" I jumped in.  And at that point I only started it for the love of books.  I had just found an amazing love of books that I didn't know existed and had no idea what a huge community there was of indie authors, bloggers and wonderful readers.

 

Fast forward 1 year and I hate to say it but I'm burnt out.  At some point all bloggers go through it.  Blogging is pretty much an unpaid job.  We read too many books to count, review, and then post on the blog, Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, Pintrest, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads and any other social media site we can find to get our reveiews out to the public.  Add to that the fact that 99% of us have day jobs, husbands, kids, houses, pets etc and at a point it just becomes too much.  If you've followed the blog for any amount of time you may have noticed a drop off in posts.  Am I reading as much as I was......No, not nearly the amount.  And the "want" that I used to have to write reviews has been falling off.  I've read some amazing books but have been so burnt out the reviews never made it to the blog.

 

Things in the blogging world are changing at a rapid pace.  Each week more review blogs are popping up (that's not specifically a bad thing) and even more indie authors (again...not a bad thing) but it starts to become hard to keep up with it all.  It's started to feel like bloggers think they are in a contest for the most likes on facebook instead of posting reviews that are well written and truthful.  Blogging isn't about getting free books or becoming BFFs with Authors.  It's about sharing our mutual love of books in the hopes that you'll share that love with others.  I've always said that if even one person enjoys the blog and finds there next favorite book then I'm doing a good thing.  Unfortunately with my anxiety I fell into the "im not good enough" trap.  Specifically my anxiety about not being liked.  My old demons reared their ugly heads and started a downward spiral that made it hard to blog.  I couldn't figure out why other blogs were going from brand new to 5000+ Facebook likes in a matter of weeks, why some Author/Bloggers were becoming friends and feeling like I was getting left in the dust.  The total truth..........it sucked!

 

Back to my comments about hanging out with some amazing people this past weekend...I was talking with a friend who finally reminded me that it's not about the likes or the follows.  The blogs that continue to produce thoughtful, truthful, well written reviews will still be standing when the craziness dies down.  It's like the old saying of only the strong will survive.  And finally it made sense to me, I am good enough.  It doesn't matter how many people like or comment on my posts, what matters is that I'm putting good content out into the blogosphere.  I don't need to follow the pack and review the same books as everyone else, I don't need to market and join every giveaway known to man for extra likes.  What I do need to do is go back to blogging for the love of books.  To get back to doing it for the one reader who just might find there new favorite book boyfriend.

 

And with that there are changes.  As a blog I'm not going to be participating in very many blog tours, the fact that it's a large group of blogs reviewing the same thing becomes monotonous.  That doesn't mean I wont' be doing any, because some of the books I'm desperately waiting to read are going to be going as blog tours only and truthfully....I'm dying to read them.  I also won't be pushing myself to write so many reviews.  I've been trying so hard to keep up that the quality of my reviews has been declining.  I'm hoping that by reducing the number or reviews means I can put the real time into them like I used to.  But it means that I'll be reviewing more about the books I love, working to clear out my own TBR list that's been neglected for a VERY long time and working to find my love of blogging again.  I'm hoping changing things up and deferring from the norm will help me help you find your next great read.

But this is a good thing, it really is.  Every once in awhile we need a good kick in the ass to get moving again and I am so grateful to my friends who listened, and talked and reminded me of why we do this crazy ass blogging thing!  I'm thankful to my readers who continue to follow the blog because of the reviews and not because I'm doing a giveaway.  To the authors who continue to write amazing books.

Authors, this is a good thing for you!  It means that I have more time to read your books.  If you want to request a review visit the Request A Review page and see how to contact me for reviews.

Blog Tour: Always by Kindle Alexander Review, Giveaway & Scavenger Hunt!

 

Available Now!

 

 

Momma's Rating

 

Synopsis

 

Born to a prestigious political family, Avery Adams plays as hard as he works. The gorgeous, charismatic attorney is used to getting what he wants, even the frequent one-night stands that earn him his well-deserved playboy reputation. When some of the most prominent men in politics suggest he run for senate, Avery decides the time has come to follow in his grandfather's footsteps. With a strategy in place and the campaign wheels rolling, Avery is ready to jump on the legislative fast track, full steam ahead. But no amount of planning prepares him for the handsome, uptight restaurateur who might derail his political future.

Easy isn't even in the top thousand words to describe Kane Dalton's life after his father, a devout southern Baptist minister, kicks him out of the family home for questioning his sexual orientation. Despite all the rotten tomatoes life throws his way, Kane makes something of himself. Between owning a thriving upscale Italian restaurant in the heart of downtown Minneapolis and managing his long-term boyfriend, his plate is full. He struggles to get past the teachings of his childhood to fully accept his sexuality and rid himself of the doubts brought on by his religious upbringing. The last thing he needs is the yummy, sophisticated, blond-haired distraction sitting at table thirty-four.

 

 

 

 

Momma's Review

 

Let me start by saying that I've totally turned into a sucker for M/M books so when I got the chance to read Always by Kindle Alexander I jumped at the chance! 

 

This is an amazingly well written story of two men trying to figure out life not only together but dealing with sterotypes and hatred of being gay during their lifetime.  When I went in I just expected it to be a hot book about hot guys but boy was I wrong!  The prologue had me in tears while I was sitting on a plane full of strangers and I couldn't stop, I just had to know what would happen next.

 

That said I did find the book to be very heavy on the romance.  The sex was beyond hot, like I had to take of my jacket and fan my face hot!  But I warn you that if you're looking for just hot sex there is a lot more to this book than that.  Like I said it is heavy on the romance and I really was just waiting for something bad to happen to help balance out all the lovey dovey stuff but other than that I really loved the book. 

 

Ms. Kindle Alexander thanks for making me cry twice in public!  But damn it's been awhile since I've read a book that had me in tears like that....it actually felt kind of good.  Just awkward to explain to a bunch of macho paintball players why I was having a good cry!

 

I highly recommend this to any of my readers who love a good romance with some really hot sex scenes and a very well written story.

 

About The Author

 

FACEBOOK / GOODREADS / WEBSITE / AMAZON

Best Selling Author Kindle Alexander is an innovative writer, and a genre-crosser who writes classic fantasy, romance, suspense, and erotica in both the male/male and male/female genres. It's always a surprise to see what's coming next!

I live in the suburbs of Dallas where it's true, the only thing bigger than an over active imagination, may be women's hair!

 

Usually, I try for funny. Humor is a major part of my life - I love to laugh, and it seems to be the thing I do in most situations - regardless of the situation, but jokes are a tricky deal... I don't want to offend anyone and jokes tend to offend. So instead I'm going to tell you about Kindle.

 

I tragically lost my sixteen year old daughter to a drunk driver. She had just been at home, it was early in the night and I heard the accident happen. I'll never forget that moment. The sirens were immediate and something inside me just knew. I left my house, drove straight to the accident on nothing more than instinct. I got to be there when my little girl died - weirdly, I consider that a true gift from above. She didn't have to be alone.

 

That time in my life was terrible. It's everything you think it would be times about a billion. I love that kid. I loved being her mother and I loved watching her grow into this incredibly beautiful person, both inside and out. She was such a gift to me. To have it all ripped away so suddenly broke me.

Her name was Kindle. Honest to goodness - it was her name and she died a few weeks before Amazon released their brand new Kindle ereader. She had no idea it was coming out and she would have finally gotten her name on something! Try finding a ruler with the name Kindle on it.. It never happened.

 

Through the course of that crippling event I was lucky enough to begin to write with a dear friend in the fan fiction world of Facebook. She got me through those dark days with her unwavering support and friendship. There wasn't a time she wasn't there for me. Sometimes together and sometimes by myself, we built a world where Kindle lives and stands for peace, love and harmony. It's its own kind of support group. I know without question I wouldn't be here today without her.

 

Find out more by visiting www.kindlealexander.com or email me at kindle@kindlealexander.com

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

**Scavenger Hunt Rules US ONLY PLEASE**

 

Each day 1 blog will showcase 1 of the above photos somewhere in their blog posts. Your job in order to win 1 or 2 prizes is to successfully find the picture and collect all 13 photos and tell me which blog showcased them. 1 blog per day ONLY will have the photo. You need to successfully have all 13 photos with blogs in order to be entered to winner the prize. There will be 2 winners: 1 winner will receive a gift basket that is all things Italian and the other winner will receive a gift basket that is all things naughty! Happy hunting! Bonus Prize: If you can answer a question about one of the graphic you will win a custom Rubick Cube with everything Kindle Alexander on it.....

 

 

Question: What is the reason behind picking the Rubick's Cube as a graphic and bonus

prize in the Scavenger Hunt?

 

Scavenger Hunt Entry Form (Click Here)

 

(Click Here)

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Blog Tour: Deep Haven by TK Tuitt Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

 

Available Now!

 

0.99 at time of posting

3.5 holy Thunder stars!

Thunder McLeod lives his life by one code: live today for tomorrow is never guaranteed. Ex-Special Ops with a dark cloud hanging over his life and a dark past he can’t seem to shake, Thunder has given up on ever finding true happiness after losing something precious. Then he receives the call that will forever change his desolate, guarded existence. His company ‘McLeod Security Firm’ is called in, all hands on deck, to keep flying bullets away from his newest client -the woman that will change everything about his life.

Ivy Snow, computer genius extraordinaire, needs a new change of scenery away from her birth country, England. Living a lonely existence, she decides a change is inevitable. Always fascinated by the charm of the US, she gathers the courage to move there permanently, settling in Blue River, a small town in Montana.

There, she finds solace until her secret weapon is uncovered by a dangerous criminal who will stop at nothing to get his hands on her creation. Then she meets her new protector.

Thunder’s determined more than ever to keep Ivy safe and secure. Ivy, not accustomed to a man like Thunder, must fight to stay alive and unravel the most beautiful man she’s ever had the fortune of meeting.

One soul shattering mistake may cost Thunder the one thing he would give his life for. Can Ivy save Thunder from the thing that haunts him to this day?

This is book one in the ‘Secure Me series’.

**Recommended for ages 18+**

 

*ARC received in exchange for an honest review*

 

Let me start by disclosing that I absolutely LOVE TK Tuitt!  When I first started blogging she helped me navigate the crazy facebook waters and was one of the first blogs to help pimp my page, not only that but she's been a great friend!

 

I really enjoyed Deep Haven and the story of Ivy and Thunder.  For her first novel TK Tuitt gives us a great story full of suspense, romance and steam!  The plotline was very intriguing as I am a sucker for a strong alpha male, throw in the fact that they are ex-military and talk about a total swoon! 

 

One thing to take into account that the heroine is British and for some readers it may be hard to catch up with some of the slang terms but as you start to get to know Ivy it really flows and almost becomes something that you don't even notice.  And I loved reading with a cute British accent in my head!  T.K did a great job with keeping the characters in their proper slang.  I absolutely hate when an American character starts using British Slang and vice-versa, unless it's done because of part of the story.  At no point did I ever find that the characters were using the wrong style or lingo.

 

And Thunder......oh hell his name says it all!  Hot, Alpha, Strong, Sexy and did I mention military....cause CRAP!  He's like my dream hero wrapped in bacon <------did I really just say that! 

 

I decided to give the book 3.5 stars only based on the fact that there were a few small hiccups in the book.  But they really didn't detract from the story and I really see TK growing as an author and giving us more amazing books in the Secure Me series!

 

I can easily recommend this to any reader who enjoys a hot hero, suspense and tons of romance!

 

Giveaway

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway   

 

Excerpt

Lost in cyber world, I didn’t notice the time that had lapsed by. I didn’t even hear Thunder entering my office. I felt him though; his energy filled the room and cocooned me within its folds.
Looking up from what I was engrossed in, I see him leaning against the doorframe, his long legs crossed at the ankles and his arms crossed over his chest. A look so haunting covered his beautiful face.
We stared at each other for a little while before he straightened and walked over to me. He stood behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders and starting to massage them. I moaned with relief as his strong fingers worked on the knots of my achy and sore flesh.
His lips brushed ever so lightly on neck and then he whispered softly in my ear, “Dinner’s ready, baby.”
I leaned fully into my chair and turned my head so I could look at him upside down. His head lowered slowly, like in the movies. Just before our lips met, the song we heard together earlier played from my iPod and he stopped an inch from my lips. “You downloaded our song?” he asked, surprise written all over his face.
Our song?
“Yes, I made a mental note to download it when I got home.” As soon as I uttered the last word, his mouth claimed my lips.
This kiss was demanding, wet and arousing. I grabbed a fistful of his silky hair and pulled him down, my mouth demanding more of his.
He promised to teach me the art of lovemaking and boy was he sticking to his word. He was making love to me with his mouth alone. A whimper passed through my lips and he sucked it in, like a hungry vortex.
A very loud knock penetrated my brain and I moaned in frustration.
Thunder’s guttural string of profanities made me blush bright red. To say he wasn’t happy with the interruption would be an understatement.
“Fucking cock blockers. Somebody better be fucking dying or dead or I’m going to skin whoever that is alive.” He growled through clenched teeth, and then he was stalking from the office.
God help whoever that was out there. It better be life or death because he’s seriously pissed.
I followed him and reached the living room just as he swung the door open with deadly force. I wrapped my arms protectively around my waist and moved closer to see who was at the door.
Bloody hell, another one?
Standing out there was a Greek god, best described from Greek mythology.
He was the same height as Thunder and built like him, but with more muscles, if that was humanly possible. His thighs reminded me of tree trunks and those legs went on and on for miles, leading straight to the narrowest waist I’d ever seen.
The print out of his chest through his skin tight t-shirt reminded me of King Kong’s chest when he was beating on it. Intense hazel eyes stared at me over a perfectly formed nose. His strong facial features would make any model envious. Golden, olive skin indicated he was of Puerto Rican origin.
Yummy.
“Alec, this better be good, man.” Thunder greeted him harshly.
He didn’t even flinch.
This bloke was a badass from the baddest of bad asses.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t need to be.” His deep, husky voice blasted through me.
“Fuck! Come in.” Thunder said, turning to come and stand at my side.
“Alec, meet Ivy Snow. Ivy, this is Alec Suarez. He’s a Bounty Hunter.”
“Do the rest of them look like him? Tell me now so I can prepare myself.” I whispered loudly to Thunder, not taking my eyes off of the Greek god standing in my living room.
A mischievous grin formed on his lips. At the same time I heard Thunder’s growl over my head.
“Fucking hell, Ivy. Are you going to ogle him for the rest of the night?”
“Well, if he stands there all night, who knows?!”
Alec’s grin turned into a huge smile and he crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Thunder.

“Now I understand what Wade and Walker meant.”

Looking up at Thunder, I see he too wore a smile.
Frowning, I asked him, “What does he mean?”
“Since you’re standing there staring at him why don’t you ask him that. Don’t ask me, you’re not ogling me.” he said with laughter bubbling in his voice.
“Bite me!” I snapped, stepping away from his side.
Catching me by my neck, he pulled me back to side and whispered for my ears only, “Careful what you wish for, Petal, because tonight I am your genie.”
Oh my God! Major system overload.
My cheeks heated up and I bent my head to hide the blush from our guest.
Chuckling, Thunder moved so he was now blocking me with his body from Alec. He tipped my chin up with his forefinger and smiled gently down at me. “Dinner’s in the oven, you wanna go share it up? Let me talk to Alec.”
“Is he here about me?”
“Yes, he is. I will fill you in as soon as he briefs me, ok?”
“Ok.” I whispered.
I leaned around Thunder’s bulk and asked Alec, “Do you want something to drink before you guys start discussing whatever your came here to discuss?”
“Sure, you got any beer?” he asked.
Scrunching up my nose in disgust, I shook my head sharply. “I don’t drink that nasty stuff, but he does.” I informed him with my forefinger pointed at Thunder.
Pulling my head back and looking back to Thunder, I asked him, “You bought beer, right?”
Smile still in place, he answered with, “Yeah, in the fridge. Can you grab me one too?”
“Sure. Be back in a jiffy.” I announced before turning to walk towards the kitchen.
As I drew closer to the kitchen, I could smell something so delicious that; my taste buds started watering. Instead of the fridge, I walked towards the oven and opened it.
He’d cooked me lasagne.
Score!
Lasagne was one of my favourite dishes. Aunt Moira used to make it every week for me. The only thing I could remember clearly about my mum was the mouth-watering lasagne she made. She always used to allow me in the kitchen to help her but I always ended up eating more cheese than I did helping her prepare it. Thinking about her always made me sad so I pushed the memories to the back of my mind and walked to the fridge to get the beers.
I grabbed two beers and noticed there was two bottles of white wine chilling next to them. Both bottles looked super expensive, so I check the labels and my eyes bugged out of my head. Not only were they name brand but the price tag that accompanied them, would make even my bank account protest.
Inch by inch this man was claiming me, mind, body and soul.
I returned to the living room and handed off the beers before exiting again for the kitchen to dish out our food.
The lasagne not only smelled good but looked amazing. I wanted to eat the whole lot.
I put out place mats on the island and laid our plates down. I went to get cutlery and just as I closed the draw, Thunder walked into the kitchen. The look on his face letting me know he’d come to deliver bad news.
He stopped in front of me and cupped my face in his hands. “I gotta go to work, baby. I’m sorry I can’t stay and eat dinner with you.”
My face dropped and the disappointment I was feeling shows for him to see. My mind was made up; I was ready for what was about to take place tonight. I had conquered my fear about us becoming intimate and now; it was all for nothing.
“Ivy, look at me.” he whispered softly. I looked into his eyes and see the regret warring there. “We’ll have other nights, baby. But what’s going on with you, it needs my attention now. I want to get this fucker off your back so I can lay you down on it. I’ve had about enough of men shooting at you, aiming to kill. I’m going out so I can get to the bottom of who’s trying to kill you and stop him...permanently.”
“How are you going to stop him? He’s dangerous. He’s proved how dangerous he is already.”
“I will stop him by any means necessary. He thinks he’s dangerous, but he hasn’t met me yet, Petal.”
When he said this, his whole face turned dark with rage. It was scary to see. I stepped into his body and wrapped my arms tightly around his waist. His arms circled around and hugged me snugly into his warm, hard body. We fitted together perfectly, like two missing pieces to a magnificent puzzle.
Breaking our connection, he kissed my temple. “Wade’s coming to stay with you. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He kissed me briefly on the lips then he walked out of the kitchen.
Standing alone in the room, I licked my lips, still tasting him there. I sat down and started eating.
 Half way through my lasagne, Wade strolled into the kitchen and made himself at home, grinning at me all the while. Sitting on the stool across from me, he hijacked the plate of food I had laid out for Thunder and dives right in.
A few bites in, he stopped, “You met our hulk?”
My eyes bulge as I tried to catch his meaning. Then it dawned on me. He must be talking about Alec.
Laughing at his whacky sense of humour, I asked, “You mean the Greek god that graced us with his presence. Yeah, I met him. Doesn’t say much does he?”
“Nope, he lets his fists do the talking ninety nine percent of the time. He only talks when he must.”
“He works for Thunder too? I thought he’s a Bounty Hunter?”
“He is and he does. The team is...let’s just say multi everything.”
“What does that mean?”
“Now if I told you that, I’d have to kill you.” He laughed and winked at me.
“Sod off.”
“What does that mean?”
“If I told you that, I’d have to kill you.” I fired his words back at him.
Wade’s laughter echoed around my kitchen and as I watched him, a smile also spread across my face.
When he’s able to stop, he smiled at me and stated simply, “I like you.”
“I like me, too.” I smiled sweetly at him.