{"id":59700,"date":"2021-06-08T09:00:46","date_gmt":"2021-06-08T13:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=59700"},"modified":"2024-04-11T03:59:33","modified_gmt":"2024-04-11T07:59:33","slug":"release-arc-review-608-alpha-avenue-a-cherry-falls-romance-by-adriana-locke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=59700","title":{"rendered":"Release & ARC Review: 608 Alpha Avenue (A Cherry Falls Romance) by Adriana Locke"},"content":{"rendered":"

We are so excited to announce the release of Adriana Locke’s new novella, 608 Alpha Ave.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

This is a total standalone story about a grumpy, small-town mechanic and a pocket-full-of-sunshine heroine that gets under his skin.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Buy now – Amazon<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

Free in Kindle Unlimited<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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\r\n <\/div><\/div><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Things heat up (and take an unexpected turn) when a self-proclaimed romantic requests the help of a broody small-town mechanic.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Grayson Blake is a jackass.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no other way to put it.<\/p>\n

He comes into Fireside every day and orders a beer. It\u2019s nearly impossible to get him to have a conversation while he drinks it. Smiles\u2014or anything remotely close to it\u2014are even more rare.<\/p>\n

Despite his cantankerous personality, he\u2019s 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\u2019t even care that he\u2019s ten years older than me. I\u2019m here for the age gap. And his broody, bad-boy persona is entirely more attractive than it should be.\u00a0 I have a thing for the rough-around-the-edges mechanic.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n

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Add to Goodreads<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

3.5 quick, fun and sexy stars<\/b><\/p>\n

This is a quick, fun and sexy read, a part of the Cherry Falls<\/i> series of standalones \u2013 each by a different author, set in the same small town with interconnected characters.<\/p>\n

Hayley is a 21 year old bartender and aspiring romance author. She\u2019s a romantic at heart, but doesn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Grayson is a local mechanic, and is a moody, broody, a-hole who is a bit of a longer, but visits Hayley\u2019s bar in the evenings to wind down after work. When his brother ropes in him to spending time with Hayley, it\u2019s the last thing he needs, because he\u2019s done his best to stay away from the perpetually perky woman who is his biggest temptation \u2013 and at 31 years old, he knows he\u2019s way too old, experienced and jaded for her.<\/p>\n

I keep my attraction to her quiet. The way I feel about her is so wild, so animalistic, that I\u2019m afraid we\u2019d burn the whole town down if I ever unleashed it. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s a fun set-up, and things move pretty quickly for these two. There\u2019s great chemistry, and the sexy time is seriously<\/i> steamy, but while Hayley is looking for love, Grayson isn\u2019t interested in anything beyond a one-time hook-up. Neither of them hide that, they\u2019re 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?<\/p>\n

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\u2026 hot!!!!), work through their feelings and find their HEA.<\/p>\n

On a side note, I loved Hayley\u2019s best friend, Kaylee. She\u2019s so fun, and I was excited to see that she\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n

3.5 stars!<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

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Want more?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cI don’t get it,\u201d I mutter.<\/p>\n

My hand stills against the countertop, a white bar rag clutched firmly in my grasp.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

I roll my eyes and turn my back to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t get it,\u201d I say again, louder this time.<\/p>\n

My gaze fixes on the man\u2014the only man\u2014occupying a barstool on this side of the restaurant.\u00a0Grayson Blake<\/em>. 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\u2019re alive.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve mentally filed that away because it\u2019s something I\u2019ll (sadly) never know for myself. Guys like Grayson Blake? They go for women like Natalia.\u00a0Vixens<\/em>. Women who give as good as they get. Women who understand them or, at the very least, the games they play.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not one of those women. It will be both my personal and professional downfall.<\/p>\n

Grayson lifts his beer bottle, and as if it pains him to do it, he slides his gaze to mine.<\/p>\n

I swallow.\u00a0Hard.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter that I\u2019ve worked at Fireside Bar and Grill for two years or that I\u2019ve spent countless hours behind this very bar while Grayson sits on the other side, I can\u2019t think straight when he looks at me. I also can\u2019t look away. It\u2019s quite the predicament.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just perplexes me,\u201d I say, sinking my gaze into the steely depths of Grayson\u2019s eyes. My voice isn\u2019t quite as confident as it was a few seconds ago. It\u2019ll come back around, though. It just takes a moment to get my bearings.<\/p>\n

Grayson\u2019s features are void of humor. Or emotion. Or curiosity. He watches me as if I\u2019m a toddler and he\u2019s in charge of making sure I don\u2019t choke on a peanut or small coin.<\/p>\n

I bite my lip. \u201cI just \u2026\u00a0Natalia<\/em> \u2026\u201d I shrug, my voice fading into the rock music playing overhead.<\/p>\n

Grayson\u2019s thick, engine grease-stained fingers grip the bottle. \u201cAm I supposed to ask?\u201d<\/p>\n

The grit of his tone washes against my skin, leaving a flurry of goose bumps in its wake. It\u2019s this way every time he talks to me. And whenever he talks to Corbin, the bartender who\u2019s training me in the art of bartending so I don\u2019t have to just waitress anymore. Come to\u00a0think of it, I also have the same physical reaction to him when I\u2019m in the Cherry Street Market Grocery Store buying bagels and I hear him talking from an aisle over.<\/p>\n

Who am I kidding? I react this way every time I\u2019m in Grayson\u2019s proximity. Hell, I shivered in my flip-flops when I caught wind of his cologne outside of Pearl\u2019s Pawnshop and Liquor Store last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you supposed to ask what?\u201d I ask him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout whatever you keep jawing about other there\u2014about Natalia, I reckon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, since you asked\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t.\u201d He smiles a lopsided, amused smile that makes me wonder if he\u2019s smiling\u00a0with me<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0at me<\/em>. \u201cI asked if I was supposed to ask.\u00a0I didn\u2019t ask<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

I narrow my gaze. \u201cYou know what, Grayson Blake? You\u2019re an asshole.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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Follow Adriana Locke, on Instagram<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, Goodreads<\/a>, or join her Facebook group by clicking here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":59445,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":3.5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1548,36,9,29],"tags":[763,48,76],"class_list":["post-59700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-age-gap","category-novella","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-adriana-locke","tag-review","tag-standalone"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/608-Alpha-Avenue.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-fwU","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=59700"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59700\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/59445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=59700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=59700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=59700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}