Showing posts with label Alyssa Rose Ivy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alyssa Rose Ivy. Show all posts

Thursday, 20 August 2015

Review: The Hazards of Skinny Dipping by Alyssa Rose Ivy

The Hazards of Skinny Dipping (Hazards, #1)The Hazards of Skinny Dipping

Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy
Series: Hazards
Pages: 248
Publisher: Self
Amazon

Synopsis (Goodreads)  This isn't a deep book about first loves or self-discovery. If you want a book like that, I'd be happy to recommend one, but I don't have that kind of story to tell. Instead my story is about rash decisions and finding out that your dream guy is bad in bed. It's the story of when I finally went skinny dipping, and how my life was never the same again. Oh, and it's also the story of my freshman year of college and realizing Mr. Right might have been there all along. 

Review: 2 out of 5 stars

At the beginning of the book our MC, Juliet has a list of ‘to do’s’ from her cousin Amy that she needs to complete before she starts college, the last one on her list is to skinny dip so she takes the opportunity when she is at her grandparents holiday house; it is here her long-time crush, Dylan turns up, one thing leads to another and they end up sleeping together but he turns out to be a dud in bed but they end up dating when they meet up again at school. She had built this guy up to be a dreamboat but she soon finds out he is the complete opposite and someone who suits her perfectly could possibly be right in front of her.

What I liked:

** A likeable hero, Reed was a total sweetheart; I adored their interactions.
** The slow to build relationship between Reed and Juliet
** A light-hearted read, it was without unnecessary angst and over the top drama.
** Interesting details about sororities & fraternities and how they work - for anyone that has read this, does that actually happen??
** The gorgeous cover.

What I didn’t like:

** An MC that came across as weak and needy, I don’t get why every guy in the book wanted her; she lacked strength and the ability to think for herself.
** Besides Reed, lackluster secondary characters.
** A possessive domineering boyfriend, everyone else saw what Dylan was like except for the MC.
** Unfortunately this storyline wasn’t unique amongst others in this genre.
** All of the male characters, besides Reed are portrayed as needy, creepy perverts.

Unfortunately this book didn’t work out for me, there were too many cheesy eye-rolling moments, the writing didn’t work for me and it was extremely cliché.



Alyssa Rose IvyAbout the author: Alyssa Rose Ivy is the bestselling author of more than twenty novels with over half a million books sold worldwide. She loves to weave stories with romance and humor, and she is best known for writing about college boys with wings and skinny dipping. After surviving law school and earning her masters in library science, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.

Wednesday, 19 September 2012

Blog Tour - Flight by Alyssa Rose Ivy (Guest Post & G!veaway)

  I am pleased to be able to participate in the blog tour for Alyssa Rose Ivy's novel, Flight which is the first book in The Crescent Chronicles and hosted by Bewitching Book Tours.

My review

Flight (The Crescent Chronicles, #1)Flight  

By Alyssa Rose Ivy
The Crescent Chronicles, Book 1
Genre: Mature YA/New Adult Paranormal Romance
Number of pages:  250

Book Description:

Sometimes you just have to take flight.

A summer in New Orleans is exactly what Allie needs before starting college. Accepting her dad’s invitation to work at his hotel offers an escape from her ex-boyfriend and the chance to spend the summer with her best friend. Meeting a guy is the last thing on her mind—until she sees Levi.
Unable to resist the infuriating yet alluring Levi, Allie finds herself at the center of a supernatural society and forced to decide between following the path she has always trusted or saving a city that might just save her.

Author Bio:

Alyssa Rose Ivy lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. 


Guest Post:

The setting of New Orleans plays a large part in the story of Flight. So many of Allie’s experiences are unique to the city. Flight is only one of many books set in the Crescent City, here are my five favorites.
1) Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole- Such a great read with lots of laughs. It’s hard to believe it wasn’t a success until after the author’s death. 

2) Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice- It’s hard to talk about New Orleans books without mentioning this one. 

3) The Awakening by Kate Chopin – Loved this one in college when I read it for one of my lit classes. 

4) The Pelican Brief by John Grisham–It’s my favorite legal thriller. Although it isn’t all set in New Orleans, some of the early scenes take place on the campus where I went to college. 

5) A Street Car Named Desire by Tennessee Williams- Okay so this is actually a play, but it was one of the first literary pieces I read that made me curious about New Orleans. Such a classic. 

Giveaway:

1 x print copy of Flight (US only) and
2 x eBook copies of Flight (everyone)

Please complete the rafflecopter form below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

Thursday, 6 September 2012

Cover Reveal - Focus (The Crescent Chronicles #2) by Alyssa Rose Ivy


I have another AMAZING cover reveal for you organized by the wonderful Ashley @ The Bookish Brunette!!

Focus by Alyssa Rose Ivy, which is the second book in the Crescent Chronicles.


 *Cover by PhatPuppy Art 

Focus (The Crescent Chronicles, #2)

by Alyssa Rose Ivy
Expected Pub: January 2013

Freshman year of college is hard even when you’re not tied to the future king of a supernatural society.

Allie dives into college head first with Hailey as her roommate and the city of New Orleans as her backyard. As things within  The Society heat up, Allie realizes that whether she’s with Levi or not, she’s in far too deep to turn back.

Author Bio:

Alyssa Rose Ivy lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. 

Author Links:


Giveaway Details:

  • 1 paperback copy of Flight (The Crescent Chronicles #1) by Alyssa Rose Ivy
  • US Only 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
 What do you think?? 

Monday, 20 August 2012

REVIEW: Flight (The Crescent Chronicles) by Alyssa Rose Ivy

 
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy
Series: The Crescent Chronicles
Publisher: Self
Genre: New Adult
Amazon: Flight


Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Sometimes you just have to take flight.

A summer in New Orleans is exactly what Allie needs before starting college. Accepting her dad’s invitation to work at his hotel offers an escape from her ex-boyfriend and the chance to spend the summer with her best friend. Meeting a guy is the last thing on her mind—until she sees Levi.

Unable to resist the infuriating yet alluring Levi, Allie finds herself at the center of a supernatural society and forced to decide between following the path she has always trusted or saving a city that might just save her.

Review: 3 out of 5 stars

Flight is the first book in The Crescent Chronicles by Alyssa Rose Ivy.

From the moment I saw Flight and read an excerpt, I was anxious to get a hold of it but unfortunately it didn’t fully live up to my high expectations.

The main protagonist Allie has her life planned out, she would attend Princeton, study business and follow in her fathers footsteps but it wasn’t what her heart wanted; it was something she was doing for her parents, when an opportunity arose for her to work in New Orleans at her fathers hotel she looked at it as a great opportunity to avoid her ex-boyfriend and spend some time with her best friend, Jess – it would be her adventure.

Allie was a hard person to like, she was temperamental, abrupt and not the most endearing character but she managed to catch the attention of gorgeous Levi Laurent, a persistent, powerful shifter Pteron - which are hybrid human/crows and he had developed an instant attraction to her. With Jess leaving after an incident, rather than spending time alone Allie agrees to spend her time with Levi and his friends.

Levi was a mystery, he diverted many of Allie’s questions, was sarcastic, overly protective and deceived her in a terrible way, he was extremely powerful amongst the Pteron’s but wasn’t forthcoming with information but despite this he easily welcomed Allie into his world after not knowing her at all. I enjoyed their interaction when the sarcasm was avoided but these times were few and far between and Allie really made him work for her affections.

The premise of Pteron Shifters was original but the big reveal was anti-climatic and their purpose and being not fully understood. I really expected more but the way he showed her what he was I felt was a bit thoughtless, there was no build-up.

My favorite character in the book was actually Hailey, also a Pteron who befriended Allie and revealed more about their secret society than Levi did, I trusted her as Allie did – she was likeable and believable. I was also quite intrigued by Jared, another member of Levi’s group.

I loved the New Orleans setting; you really get a great feel for the amazing surroundings – Ms. Ivy’s vivid imagery was wonderful. I am curious to learn more about why the Pteron’s presence is required to save the city.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t blown away by Flight but I did enjoy it; it was a quick read and the writing flowed well and the concept was certainly intriguing and unique but I just wanted more world-building instead of a focus on the romance – I was also surprised by the abrupt finish.

Despite my issues, I will be picking up the next installment; Levi towards the end of this book did something quite unforgivable so I am curious to see how it all plays out – I think Allie’s attitude throughout the book would have been more apt after this episode.