We are so excited to announce the release of Adriana Locke’s new novella, 608 Alpha Ave.
This is a total standalone story about a grumpy, small-town mechanic and a pocket-full-of-sunshine heroine that gets under his skin.
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Blurb
Things heat up (and take an unexpected turn) when a self-proclaimed romantic requests the help of a broody small-town mechanic.
Grayson Blake is a jackass.
There’s no other way to put it.
He comes into Fireside every day and orders a beer. It’s nearly impossible to get him to have a conversation while he drinks it. Smiles—or anything remotely close to it—are even more rare.
Despite his cantankerous personality, he’s so freaking gorgeous. His thick black hair, broad shoulders, and the tattoos that mark his calloused skin draw me in like a magnet. I don’t even care that he’s ten years older than me. I’m here for the age gap. And his broody, bad-boy persona is entirely more attractive than it should be. I have a thing for the rough-around-the-edges mechanic.
And I’ve heard through the grapevine that he has a thing for me too. But getting him to admit it will be as easy as catching lightning in a bottle.
Review
3.5 quick, fun and sexy stars
This is a quick, fun and sexy read, a part of the Cherry Falls series of standalones – each by a different author, set in the same small town with interconnected characters.
Hayley is a 21 year old bartender and aspiring romance author. She’s a romantic at heart, but doesn’t have much luck with relationships, so when she gets the chance to spend some time with her long-time crush and ask for his help in understanding men, she jumps at it.
Grayson is a local mechanic, and is a moody, broody, a-hole who is a bit of a longer, but visits Hayley’s bar in the evenings to wind down after work. When his brother ropes in him to spending time with Hayley, it’s the last thing he needs, because he’s done his best to stay away from the perpetually perky woman who is his biggest temptation – and at 31 years old, he knows he’s way too old, experienced and jaded for her.
I keep my attraction to her quiet. The way I feel about her is so wild, so animalistic, that I’m afraid we’d burn the whole town down if I ever unleashed it.
It’s a fun set-up, and things move pretty quickly for these two. There’s great chemistry, and the sexy time is seriously steamy, but while Hayley is looking for love, Grayson isn’t interested in anything beyond a one-time hook-up. Neither of them hide that, they’re completely open and honest about it, and they acknowledge those differences right from the beginning, which I appreciated. But what happens when those feelings change?
I really enjoyed this novella. Despite its short length, the characters are well-developed and realistic, I cared for them both, and I was fully invested in them together. I could feel their attraction to each other, and it was so satisfying seeing them come together (again… hot!!!!), work through their feelings and find their HEA.
On a side note, I loved Hayley’s best friend, Kaylee. She’s so fun, and I was excited to see that she’ll also be getting a book. This series is such a fun idea, and I look forward to reading more about the characters of Cherry Falls.
3.5 stars!
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
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“I don’t get it,” I mutter.
My hand stills against the countertop, a white bar rag clutched firmly in my grasp.
Natalia Barlow leans across the end of the bar, putting her ass and the top of her thong on full display for the table of bikers behind her. An unlit cigarette is perched between her cherry-red lips, threatening to topple to the floor as she catches me looking and smirks.
I roll my eyes and turn my back to her.
“I don’t get it,” I say again, louder this time.
My gaze fixes on the man—the only man—occupying a barstool on this side of the restaurant. Grayson Blake. Black hair, scruffy beard, tall, and oh-so muscular with tattoos etched into his tanned skin. Word has it that he has flames inked on his right hip, and when he moves, they dance as if they’re alive.
I’ve mentally filed that away because it’s something I’ll (sadly) never know for myself. Guys like Grayson Blake? They go for women like Natalia. Vixens. Women who give as good as they get. Women who understand them or, at the very least, the games they play.
I’m not one of those women. It will be both my personal and professional downfall.
Grayson lifts his beer bottle, and as if it pains him to do it, he slides his gaze to mine.
I swallow. Hard.
It doesn’t matter that I’ve worked at Fireside Bar and Grill for two years or that I’ve spent countless hours behind this very bar while Grayson sits on the other side, I can’t think straight when he looks at me. I also can’t look away. It’s quite the predicament.
“It just perplexes me,” I say, sinking my gaze into the steely depths of Grayson’s eyes. My voice isn’t quite as confident as it was a few seconds ago. It’ll come back around, though. It just takes a moment to get my bearings.
Grayson’s features are void of humor. Or emotion. Or curiosity. He watches me as if I’m a toddler and he’s in charge of making sure I don’t choke on a peanut or small coin.
I bite my lip. “I just … Natalia …” I shrug, my voice fading into the rock music playing overhead.
Grayson’s thick, engine grease-stained fingers grip the bottle. “Am I supposed to ask?”
The grit of his tone washes against my skin, leaving a flurry of goose bumps in its wake. It’s this way every time he talks to me. And whenever he talks to Corbin, the bartender who’s training me in the art of bartending so I don’t have to just waitress anymore. Come to think of it, I also have the same physical reaction to him when I’m in the Cherry Street Market Grocery Store buying bagels and I hear him talking from an aisle over.
Who am I kidding? I react this way every time I’m in Grayson’s proximity. Hell, I shivered in my flip-flops when I caught wind of his cologne outside of Pearl’s Pawnshop and Liquor Store last week.
“Are you supposed to ask what?” I ask him.
“About whatever you keep jawing about other there—about Natalia, I reckon.”
“Well, since you asked—”
“I didn’t.” He smiles a lopsided, amused smile that makes me wonder if he’s smiling with me or at me. “I asked if I was supposed to ask. I didn’t ask.”
I narrow my gaze. “You know what, Grayson Blake? You’re an asshole.”
He brings the beer bottle to his lips, hiding a satisfied grin, and pulls his gaze back to the hockey game on the television in the corner.
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