Playing Catch Up! The Clayton Falls Series by Alyssa Rose Ivy

Playing Catch Up has really been helping me through my ever growing TBR list. I'd like to welcome all other blogs to participate too! If you do, be sure to post your links in the comments section. I'd love to see your Playing Catch U

p Reviews, and I'm sure others would too!! *wink*

Want to know more about Playing Catch Up? I'll tell you all about it here!

I read the first book in this series quite a while ago, and it's crazy that I haven't read the others until now because Alyssa Rose Ivy is one of my favorite authors ever. Derailed has gotten itself a new cover since I read it, so I'll start this post off with a re-post of my review along with that new cover & a couple extras before we move on to the other books in the series. 

Derailed (Clayton Falls #1) by Alyssa Rose Ivy
Genre: New Adult (Contemporary Romance)
Date Published:  September 23, 2012
Publisher: Self

When you're lost, sometimes the only place you can go is home.

Broken over the death of her fiancé, Molly leaves law school to return to her childhood home in North Carolina. Expecting to lay low until she can figure out what else to do with her life, she finds herself in the arms of her high school sweetheart, the boy who represents everything from the past she tried to leave behind.

Looking for an escape, she instead finds a way back to the girl she almost forgot existed and a future she never dreamed possible. 

Derailed is the first book in the Clayton Falls Series by Alyssa Rose Ivy. Molly's world is turned completely on end, and while reading you begin to feel all her emotions. The authors writing style really pulls you into her story. Molly and Ben were very believable characters. They were truly likable. There are sad moments as well as uplifting moments. Derailed is a story of the heart. It shows what the heart can survive and still carry on.

The ARC of Derailed by Alyssa Rose Ivy was sent to me from the author for review. The opinions are my own.

This is the original cover linked to my original review. This was in the early days of my blogging.

I pulled off my tank as soon as I hit the dock. I hadn’t unpacked my swimsuits yet, and I wasn’t about to let that stop me. I stripped off my skirt, standing alone on the faded wood dock. Dad was the only one who ever took care things like that, and he’d been gone five years. Wearing only a grey bra and panties, I looked down at the black water and hesitated for a second before diving in.
Cool water greeted me. It was too early in the season for the water temperature to have risen yet. I sunk further down—away from two boys, one who left me and one who I left. I came up for air, the saltiness of my tears blending in with the water.
I floated, letting the slight current move me. Part of me hoped it would take me so far out I’d never find my way back again. The lights from the dock lit the night, but with my eyes closed, I could pretend the world had gone dark.
I’m not sure how long I floated when a voice broke me out of my reverie.
“A little late for a swim, isn’t it?”
I opened my eyes and looked up at the dock to see Ben sitting with his legs hanging over the edge. “A little late for a visit, isn’t it?” I shot back, not ready to face him.
“Well, if you recall, we were supposed to be catching up tonight. You left before that could happen.”
“I wonder why I did that?” I swam reluctantly over to the dock.
“You ready to come out yet?”
“Not with you watching.”
“Like I haven’t seen you wet and naked before.” He smirked.
“I’m not naked.”
“See, so really there’s no reason to worry about it.” 

Veer (Clayton Falls #2) by Alyssa Rose Ivy

Genre: New Adult (Contemporary Romance)

Date Published: November 29, 2012

Publisher: Self

Only when you let go can you learn to live.

Between the death of her mother and pushing through law school without her best friend, it's been a tough year for Becca. Needing a break from Boston, she moves to a tiny coastal North Carolina town for a relaxing summer. After bumping heads repeatedly with a local cop, she realizes her summer will be anything but quiet.

Three years after a career ending injury ruins his chance to play Major League Baseball, Gavin has a distrust of northerners and lately girls in general. He wants nothing to do with a girl who is only in town for the summer.

When the two give in to their impossible attraction, they realize that they may just have found the key to freeing themselves from the ghosts of their pasts.  

Veer is the second book in the Clayton Falls Series by Alyssa Rose Ivy. Like all of this author's characters, Becca and Gavin seem so real as you read their story. They could be your neighbor or someone you work with, and you just want them as friends. I really liked Becca. She's down to earth, and even though she's had trauma in her life, she's coping and surviving. Enter Gavin. I'm not quite sure why his reaction to her was to angry and intense in the beginning of the book. I get that he was hurt by a Northerner, but it didn't match his personality from the first book or throughout the rest of this book. He must have been having a bad night. Anyway, I'm glad Gavin got his love story. He deserves it, and I think Becca is a lovely match for him. And what about Clayton Falls in general? Let's find this place and all move to Clayton Falls!

Veer by Alyssa Rose Ivy was sent to me from Mark My Words Publicity for review. The opinions are my own.

“Tell me about your job,” I asked after Gavin popped open our second bottle of wine. I wasn’t sure where the first one went, but it was good, and I wasn’t complaining.

“My job?” He poured more into his empty glass.

“Yeah. Is being a cop like it is on TV?”

He laughed. “Not exactly. Well, unless you watch cop shows that involve ticketing farmers for tractor violations or making sure teens don’t get too crazy with their parties.”

“Come on, there has to be more.”

He took a long sip of wine. “No, really there isn’t. Crime isn’t much of a problem here.”

“You say it like it’s a bad thing.” I guess there were some benefits of living in the middle of nowhere.

“Not bad, just boring.” He stared pensively down into his wine.

“I get that.”

“What do you plan to do after you graduate?” His hazel eyes had more green in them than usual, probably because he was wearing a green t-shirt.

I relaxed back into the arm of the couch, enjoying my wine before answering. “I want to work for the District Attorney in Boston. I’d love to be an assistant D.A. one day.”

“A prosecutor? I can see that. I’d bet you’d be pretty intimidating in the court room.”

“Intimidating?” I laughed. “Not exactly, but I think I’d be good at it. I’m on the trial team at school, and I’ve done pretty well.”

“Well, I definitely wouldn’t want to be a criminal you were trying to put behind bars.”

“I’m not that scary.”

“No, you’re not.” He looked at me for a minute, finishing off his glass. “Are you ready for more?”

“I probably shouldn’t, but why not?” An idle thought about how in the world I was going to get home hit me, but I was already tipsy, and I easily brushed it off.

“Well I know you said you don’t see much action as a cop here, but at least you’d be ready for it if you did.”

He poured a little more wine in my glass. “What do you mean?”

“I just mean you’re in good shape—you could handle whatever.” I was fighting the urge to run my hand down his chest. His t-shirt clung to it tightly, and I remembered what his chest had looked like that day on the beach.

To distract myself, I pulled out my hair tie and let my hair fall down.

A small smile spread across his lips as he reached over to take a lock of my hair between his fingers. “I like when you wear your hair down.”

“Yeah? It’s pretty long. I’m growing it out for Locks for Love.”

“Oh, the wigs for cancer patients? That’s really cool.”

“Yeah. I think it’s almost long enough now.” I didn’t go into all of the reasons it was important to me. Most revolved around my mom.

“I’m sure it’ll still look good short, but I like it now.”

“Thanks.”

Watching him play with my hair undid me. I lost my battle and reached out to touch him, tentatively at first. “Let me rephrase my previous comment. You’re in amazing shape.” I could feel the blood rushing to my face and knew I was blushing, but I got a little braver, moving my hand more.

He chuckled. “You’re not in such bad shape yourself.” I felt his hand on my leg and realized belatedly that my skirt was riding up. This would usually have been the point where I would have moved the guy’s hand and excused myself, but I didn’t want to.

“You know, I had a dream about you last night.” Alcohol made me honest. Very, very honest.

“A good dream?” His hand moved further up my leg.

“A really, really good dream.”

“That’s a coincidence. I had the same kind about you last night. But then again, I’ve been having them all week.”

“Yeah?”

“Uh huh.” His lids were getting heavy. I knew if I wanted to bolt, I was going to have to act fast. I didn't move. 

Wrecked (Clayton Falls #3) by Alyssa Rose Ivy

Genre: New Adult (Contemporary Romance)

Date Published: April 30, 2013

Publisher: Self

When your past catches up, it's time to stop running.

Jake Mathews messed up yet again— but this time his misstep lands him in the hospital. He wakes up to find the girl of his dreams and the memory of having his deepest secret revealed.

Emily Taylor needs a break. She's been working double shifts as a nurse just to pay the bills while trying to heal a broken heart. The last thing she needs is to fall for a patient. 

Strapped with community service and the knowledge that he's disappointed everyone in his life, Jake is determined not to let Emily slip through his fingers. Emily wants Jake, but can she really open herself up to heartache again?

Wrecked is the third book in the Clayton Falls series by Alyssa Rose Ivy. Yay! Jake is getting his story now! Yeah, so Jake might be my favorite of the Clayton Falls guys.*wink* I love his personality. He has just the right amount of attitude, confidence, and humor. Emily is not so outspoken, but she is a sweetie. Their relationship moved fast. I don't guess we'd expect any less from Jake in that regard, but, they sure were cute. They both have issues, clearly, since they met after Jake lands himself in the hospital with a D.U.I. I loved their story, and I'm curious who's story we'll get next!

If you haven't done so already, you need to read Alyssa Rose Ivy's books!! While you're at it take a peek at my reviews too!

Alyssa Rose Ivy is a New Adult and Young Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. 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. 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.

To read more about this author, visit Alyssa Rose Ivy's Blog and Website. You can also find her on Goodreads, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.