Spotlight & Giveaway: One Night Stand Ever After by Amanda Usen

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Amanda Usen to HJ!

Hi Amanda and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, One Night Stand Ever After!

 
Thank you – it’s great to visit again!
 

Please summarize the book a la Twitter style for the readers here:

A steamy one-night stand with a teenage crush turns into a fiery fling with a rules-obsessed hero, a boundary-pushing heroine, and matchmaking grannies.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

“Let’s get this party started!” Anna kicked off her shoes and boosted herself onto the bar, winking at the tattooed, tough-guy bartender who pretended to hate her shenanigans but had caught her more than once when she shimmied herself off the bar.
No fear was her motto. You can’t fly if you’re worried about falling.
But you can dance when your heart is breaking. She was doing it tonight.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• It’s the final book in the Unforgettable Fire series (unforgettable crushes/one-night to get it out of their systems).
• Tropes: opposites attract, older brother’s friend, small town, one-night stand (of course!)
• As with all my books, you’ll probably get hungry or thirsty while reading. Better prep some snacks!
• The hero is a foster brother, and that’s how the books in the series are connected.
• The hero’s childhood nickname for the heroine is “Pancakes.” She calls him “Book Boy.”

What first attracts your main characters to each other?

He used to tease her when they were teenagers, and she wants to teach him a lesson. She’s all grown up and impossible to resist. They both get surprised by the heat – and emotion – between them.
 

Using just 5 words, how would you describe your main characters”love affair?

Steamy, secret, no strings attached.
 

The First Kiss…

“I want to taste you everywhere.” He feathered her lips with his finger, then traced them, outlining the plush curves. So soft. His mouth watered. “Starting here.”
Her pupils were wide, a thin ring of honey around black pools of frank desire. He bent slowly, moving in on her by inches, cupping her cheek, then her neck, before finally giving in to the hunger she’d inspired the moment he saw that flash of her red hair.
He tilted his head, catching her upper lip and nibbling, smiling against her. She tasted like a lemon drop and all the best parts of summer, sunshine and warm skin, fitting his mouth perfectly. He sought entrance with his tongue, and her mouth opened, her tongue stroking his. He wrapped his other arm around her back, digging his fingers into her silky hair and angling her to take his kiss exactly the way he wanted. Deep.

Without revealing too much, what is your favorite scene in the book?

Max and Anna create rules to keep from catching feelings during their fling. I love the scene where they make a side bet during the town’s Trivia Night, and the winner gets to make the rules :

He bent to speak directly into her ear. “Did your crush on me inspire any other teenage fantasies? If so, I’d love to make them come true.” He just had to win, so he could make the rules.
“You’ve got a deal.” She stuck out her hand, and he took it, feeling electricity shoot from his fingers to his balls. She pumped his hand once—a motion he felt everywhere. “But I’m still going to kick your ass at trivia first.”
Game on.

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would be absolutely crucial to include?

The heroine is a burlesque dancer, so there would need to be dancing, especially on top of bars!

Almost everyone else in the bar was watching them dance. Still—Max wasn’t watching, and she loved a challenge, especially a tall, dark, and sexy one. The heavy grief weighing her down tonight lifted, allowing her to put some extra oomph in her shimmy.
Before their set was over, she was going to get Max to notice her—and hopefully give him the worst case of blue balls he’d ever had, an ache for days that would pay him back for every time he’d made fun of her red hair, every time he’d told her she was too short to be a dancer, and every time he’d called her “Pancake” and casually flattened her budding self-esteem.
Oh, yes, she would make him pay. And she would enjoy every second of it.

Readers should read this book …

If you’re looking for a fun, sexy escape with lots of teasing banter, this is the book for you!

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I’m currently writing the next book in the Matzo Ballers Hanukkah Romance series with my writer BFF, Jessica Topper. It will release in time for Hanukkah 2024!

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: US only: One print or digital copy of any book in the Unforgettable Fire series (One Night Stand After Another, One Night Stand with Benefits, One Night Stand Ever After)

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Max and Anna make rules to keep their fling under control. If you had to make a rule for an affair, what would it be?

 
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Excerpt from One Night Stand Ever After:

“What on earth is going on?” he asked.
The women froze, heads whipping in his direction. “Max?” Anna gasped, her eyes wide. Then they both burst into laughter. Eloise dropped the phone to her lap and clutched the arms of her wheelchair while Anna moved behind her to grasp the handles, bending to lean on Eloise while they both giggled.
“Dance break,” Anna said. “All right, back at it, lady. We’ve got a full dining room.”
“Which begs the question: why are you outside, dancing, when you have customers?” he asked.
“Because when you burn the crap out of bacon, you gotta shake it off,” Eloise said. “Family tradition.”
He held the door for them, trying not to look at Anna’s ass as he followed them into the kitchen. She was wearing form-fitting joggers and a T-shirt that said Runs With Scissors. The scent of apples floated back to him.
“What are you doing in Rainbow Cove?” he asked, surreptitiously putting his hands in his pockets and easing himself into a less obviously happy-to-see-her position.
“I could ask you the same thing. I don’t think our paths have crossed here since we were kids.” She didn’t sound at all excited to see him again, which shouldn’t bother him but made him want to wrap her braid around his fist, tilt her face to his, and kiss her until she looked like she had in the storage room.
“My grandmother asked for a business consult.” He assumed it wasn’t a secret. “Why are you here?”
Anna parked the wheelchair in the kitchen and turned to face him. “Gram’s getting her hip replaced tomorrow. I told her I’m not the right person to handle the cooking, but she still wanted a demonstration.” They both started giggling again.
“Hello, Max,” Eloise said, holding out her hand.
He took it. “Hi, Mrs. Rivera. Sorry to hear about the hip.”
She shook her head. “Don’t be sorry. I’m looking forward to having bionic parts so I can move like Anna.” She lifted her arms again, wiggling in her chair, then wincing.
“Hold your hips still, Gram. Just move your shoulders.” She demonstrated.
Eloise rolled her eyes. “She says that like it’s easy.”
Max peeled his gaze off of Anna’s breasts, which had done some pretty incredible things when she moved her shoulders, to find her looking at him with a friendly smile—and none of the desire currently surging through him.
She tugged an apron over her braided hair and tied it around her tiny waist. “Are you here for breakfast? Lunch? Have a seat in the dining room,” she said. “I’m sure Sally will be right with you.”
Dismissed.
Right. Anna had moved on the second they’d walked out of that storage closet. He was the one who’d hoped for a personal encore and had to leave the bar, when every inch of flesh revealed, every curve, every smile, hell, every move, had made him harder.
“Thanks—I will.” He turned to walk out of the kitchen.
“See you around,” she called.
He lifted a hand to wave but didn’t look back.
He surveyed the dining room and chose a seat at the counter, where he could see what was going on in the kitchen. Masochist.
“What can I get you, honey?” The waitress poured his coffee without asking and set cream and sugar within reach. The hot scent of dark roasted beans wafted to his nose. God that smells good. An urge stronger than thought made him say, “Pancakes.”
“You got it.” She ripped off the ticket and jammed it on the spike in the window, where there was a small pileup.
Guess I’m in for a wait. He took a sip of coffee, the rich, bitter brew instantly awakening his tastebuds. With coffee this good, he wouldn’t mind a wait, but he wasn’t sure about the rest of the room. The hubbub had noticeably increased in pitch and intensity since he’d arrived.
He shifted in his hard chair, wondering if more padding would make happier customers. His grandmother had mentioned owning this building. He doubted she was on the hook for its interior, but it would be nice to bring the antiquated diner into this century with some much-needed updates. At the very least, they needed a digital POS system, so the server didn’t have to write out each order. What if the kitchen lost one? What if that spike went through something essential, like an allergen warning, and Eloise couldn’t read it?
But starting outside with the mildewed awning and the peeling soffits probably made more sense.
The waitress approached again, and he moved his cup to make room for his plate. Instead of the heap of hot pancakes he was expecting, she set a steaming omelet in front of him. “On the house,” she said with a smile.
“I ordered pancakes,” he said, disappointment laced with irritation curling through him. He really wanted pancakes, his favorite food. His mouth watered, ready for the sweet, salty bliss of warm maple syrup and melted butter.
“Sorry, hon. No pancakes for you today.”
He looked over at the table to his left, a table of four, all chowing down on tall stacks of hotcakes. “But—”
“Fresh out,” she repeated. “Apparently, the Universe doesn’t want you to have pancakes.”
Oh, I had pancakes all right. And I want more.

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Anna Rivera may not be ready to say goodbye to her burlesque troupe—or New York City—but she’s determined to go out with a bang. Which is when she sees a face in the crowd that sends her heart rate through the roof. Max Cooper. Her brother’s friend, and the object of many, many teenage fantasies. But while Max may look like sin in a suit, he’s not prepared for the moves she’s got in store…

Max knows he should turn away—Anna’s been off-limits forever—but he can’t help himself. The electric connection sizzles between them, but Max knows better than to play with fire. This calls for rules. Boundaries. Setting out expectations. Just a hot little hook-up and that’s it.

But fate plays dirty. Soon Max and Anna find themselves stuck in their small hometown together, and avoiding that sexy spark is impossible. Now they’re sneaking around enjoying one month of no-holds-barred, unbelievably wicked sex—until Anna leaves for her next gig. And all the consequences in the world might not be enough to stop this fling they’ve started…
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Goodreads |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Amanda Usen has spent most of her life immersed in story—and butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. After graduating from Vanderbilt University, she fortified her English BA with a degree from the Culinary Institute of America, figuring a professional chef would never be a starving writer. Amanda loves chocolate, cheese, yoga, and carbs in all forms. When she isn’t writing or cooking, she can usually be found reading or hanging out with her small menagerie of cats, ducks, and mostly-grown children.
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