✮✮✮

Jump into THE HOOKUP and grab your copy today!

From New York Times bestselling author Kristen Ashley, comes the first standalone title in the exciting, new Moonlight and Motor Oil series, THE HOOKUP! A rich, emotional love story, THE HOOKUP is available now!✮✮✮

When the new girl in town, Eliza “Izzy” Forrester decides to hit the local drinking hole, she’s not ready to meet the town’s good, solid guy. She’s definitely not prepared to engage in her very first hookup with him.

Then Izzy wakes up the next morning in Johnny Gamble’s bed and good girl Izzy finds she likes being bad for Johnny.

Even so, Izzy feels Johnny holding her at arm’s length. But Johnny makes it clear he wants more and Izzy already knows she wants as much of hot-in-bed, sweet-out-of-it Johnny Gamble.

Floating on air thinking this is going somewhere, Izzy quickly learns why Johnny holds distant.

He’s in love with someone else. Someone who left him and did it leaving him broken. Whoever was up next would be runner up, second best. Knowing the stakes, Izzy will take what she can get from the gentleman that’s Johnny Gamble. And even knowing his heart might never mend, Johnny can’t seem to stay away from Izzy.

Until out of nowhere, his lost love comes back to town. He’s not going back, but Johnny still knows the right thing to do is let Izzy go.

And Izzy knew the stakes, so she makes it easy and slips through his fingers.

But that’s before Johnny realizes Eliza moved to town to escape danger that’s been swirling around her.

And that’s why Johnny decides to wade in.

That and the fact Eliza Forrester makes breakfast with a canary singing on her shoulder and fills out tight dresses in a way Johnny Gamble cannot get out of his head.

Pick up your copy of THE HOOKUP today!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play

Add to your Goodreads

EXCERPT:

“Izzy?” she answered. “Hey, I’m home,” I told her. “Okay, well…how are you?”

How was I? Johnny’s behavior explained by the sad fact it was the anniversary

of his father’s death, but still explained, and he was coming over for dinner the

next night, not to mention, after not being affectionate (at all, unless you

counted sitting me on the countertop, which I kind of did) after the last time

we’d had sex, he made out with me at the door of my car for a good, long,

happy while—I was great. “I’m great,” I told her, opening Serengeti’s stall and

moving in, lifting a hand to pat her jaw while she moved her nose to snuffle my

neck and blow at my hair. “Damn,” Deanna muttered. My hand arrested on

Serengeti and I focused on Deanna. “What?” I asked. “Damn,” she repeated.

“Damn what?” I asked. “Well, just to say Johnny Gamble is Johnny Gamble.”

A specific area in my chest squeezed at the way she imparted that obvious but

still confusing information. “What’s that mean?” I asked. “He’s Johnny Gamble

of Gamble Garages. Did he tell you that?” No he didn’t tell me that. And suddenly

I was embarrassed about something that I hadn’t liked all along. But it was

worse since Deanna knew more about a man I’d slept with than I did.

Serengeti was getting fidgety, so I used my hand on her to lead her out of her

stall, and once in the corridor, she trotted out the open bay at the back, directly

into her pasture. I moved to Amaretto as I shared with Deanna, “No, he didn’t

tell me that. I mean, we talked but we were also doing other things.” I let that

lie. It did, weighty between us on the phone, before I went on, “I don’t know

what that means.” Even though it seemed like I did. Something seemed familiar

about that. “You haven’t lived here long enough,” she murmured while I opened

Amaretto’s stall and moved in for some quick pats before I let him loose. Louder,

Deanna said, “You know the gas station in town?” Oh yes. That was where I’d

seen it. “He owns that?” “That and seven more of them across three counties.

None in the city, just in the counties. Some of them are like mini-mart stores.

All of them sell gas and do work on cars.” Wow. That was impressive.

I've read every single book KA has written (except Mathilda and that's only because it has a love triangle and a cliff- both of which I don't do- and there's no date set for the conclusion- at which time I will read it) But I can honestly say, this is the first time in a while that I have been *this* giddy - Like straight up GIDDY- about one of her books. I mean, I haven't come across a single flaw, not one thing to complain about and its the most thrilling thing ever. Johnny is by far one of her BEST heroes EVER!!!! I just.... I don't even know where to start. Aside from being gorgeous and having a beardgasm from his description, he's amazing. He knows he's broken and he doesn't want to hurt Izzy so he plans to let her go, and he's open and honest about it in a gentle way. He straight apologized (as in "I'm so sorry") when he realizes he wasn't gentle enough in explaining something to her. And he wants to make her AND HER SISTER have a better life than what they grew up with. AND he's awesome with Izzy's nephew. Takes all that on and they haven't even really known each other that long. He's all in. He gets a phone call from the flighty ex and its the come to Jesus he needed to realize that yeah he loved her, emphasis on past tense, but he's moved on and he sees in Izzy what his future holds and he wants that. He doesn't want to do anything that would mess that up. I was really worried about the whole ex thing. I want my hero and heroine to be the love of

each others lives. I don't like when there's the possibility of the ghost of a relationship past to linger and haunt my MC. I don't want him/her (or me) to feel like they are second best. That hurts too much. But I'm not getting that vibe AT ALL with Johnny and, even better, he sure as hell isn't letting Izzy get that vibe. In fact, when she goes to bring that up, he wont even let her finish the sentence and say those words out loud. He immediately disabuses her (and me) of that notion in a way that It. Is. Disabused. I love it so much! He's amazing. Did I say that already?! :)

I really liked Izzy. She was sweet, shy and super awesome but when she got mad or upset she didn't have any problem standing up for herself. Growing up she didn't exactly have it the best. While her mom and her sister were amazing, her dad was pretty much the lowest of low deadbeats, not to mention her ex was psycho and, luckily for us, he never showed up in the book. With all this she didn't exactly have the courage or maybe the nerve I guess to put herself out there when it came to men. She was definitely not a one night stand kind of girl. Which is kind of funny seeing as how she meets Johnny at a bar and goes home with him for a hook up. Luckily for her (and Johnny) this all worked out spectacularly. ❤

In the midst of Johnny and Izzy getting to know each other, Izzy's sister, Addie, shows up with her infant son Brooks after catching her deadbeat husband cheating and they were another great addition to the story, as was johnny's brother Toby. I'm not a 100% sure but I'm hoping that Toby and Addie will be book too because I really want them to be together.

Among Addy and Brooks and Toby we have Diana, Izzy's co worker, and her husband Charlie as well as Margot and David. These were amazing secondary characters that I'm so glad were included in the story. Margot and David were pseudo parents to Johnny and Toby as David was best friends with their dad and Margot was basically the only mother they've ever known. They welcomed Izzy into the fold straight from the start and then when Addie and Brooks came along they were included as well.

As with all KA books this story was amazing from the 1st page to the last, as well as all the characters. And the epilogue, of course, was fantastic and just makes me want book 2 so much more. I'm almost sad that I got the arc so early because now I have to wait even longer for the next book. ;)

As I said before, this has been such an amazing book journey, I feel like this is definitely one of my top top favorites of all time from Kristen Ashley. I honestly can't think of another hero that I love more and that's saying a whole lot because Joe Callahan is my man and I love him but sadly he's been replaced. ❤

I think one of the things that makes Johnny so perfect is there was never a point during the book that he pushed her away or was just royally screwed up or a jerk about it. Yes, there was a point at the beginning where his ex called so he tried to end things with her so that he didn't hurt her. It lasted for about 2 weeks, but you don't really see that time and honestly, with what he was going through, I could understand him doing that, and I was ok with it because he wanted to make sure that he didn't string Izzy along. He knew she was a good woman and he didn't want to hurt her by dragging her down and not being the man she needed him to be, and I feel like he took that time to get his head on straight and come to the realization that he was, in fact, over his ex and didn't want to get back together with her. He realized Izzy was the woman for him because he could totally see a future with her and he knew she was a good woman and he knew that it was time to move on and, like I said before, there was never a point where Izzy was made to feel like she was runner up or 2nd best to the ex and that I think is one of the main things I loved most about this book.

I'm glad the drama factor wasn't too big and overdone or drawn out. I don't know how to explain it but this book had a different feel to it and I think that's why I think its one of her best ever. I really could go on and on about how much I just LOVED this book. But at this point, I think its safe to say you should definitely read it and see for yourself! Even KA fans who have stepped back for one reason or another, I think this is the perfect book to give her another try. ❤

About Kristen Ashley:

Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorize and she hadn't taken her first breath!).

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.