Alexa Land's Blog, page 2

Firsts and Forever Stories

Two years ago, I began writing Firsts and Forever Stories, a spin-off collection set in the world of my long-running Firsts and Forever Series. These low-angst, opposites attract romances mostly center around an eclectic group of friends living in a pink Victorian in San Francisco. Long-time readers will also recognize familiar faces from the original series in both cameos and supporting roles.

These books can be enjoyed as stand-alones or read in order. The eighth book in this set is called My Brother's Enemy, and it's now on pre-order. All the other books are available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. Here's the link if you'd like to check them out!

My Brother's Enemy is now on Pre-Order!

I'm so excited to announce the next book in my Firsts and Forever Stories is up for pre-order! It's called My Brother's Enemy, and it's set to release on March 25th (though I'll move up that date if I finish it sooner). It follows the events in my last novel, The Thief and The Gangster, but I wrote it to also work as a stand-alone.

Here's the blurb:

 

Marcus

 

I never planned on falling for my worst enemy’s younger brother

 

…but Romy Russo is beautiful, sweet, and totally irresistible. We’ve been growing closer day by day, even though I’ve been keeping a huge secret from him. He has no idea I’m Mario Greco, the criminal who’s been waging a turf war with his gangster brother. 

 

I know Romy deserves the truth. I also know I can’t keep dodging his family forever. But if he finds out who I am, he’s going to hate me. Then there’s the very real possibility of ending up in a shallow grave out in the Nevada desert, courtesy of his mobster relatives…

 

The smart thing to do would be to end this and get the hell out of Vegas while I still can. But I’m falling hard for Romy and can’t seem to walk away, even though this whole thing’s about to blow up in my face. 

 

 

Romy

 

Marcus is everything I’ve ever wanted. It’s not just that he’s gorgeous, or that the heat between us is off the charts. He’s also kind and gentle, and he took care of me when I needed it most. No wonder I’m falling for him. But I can’t shake the feeling there’s something he’s not telling me…

 

So, what’s his big secret? And what’s it going to do to us when it’s finally revealed?

 

 

This is a dual point of view, hidden identity, opposites attract gay romance. It's set in Alexa Land’s Firsts and Forever universe, and it can be read as a stand-alone.

 

 

 

 

 

Ten Year Anniversary!

Ten years ago today, I took a leap of faith and published my first book. It was called Way Off Plan, and it began my Firsts and Forever Series, which lives on to this day. I've published 39 books over the past decade, and I'm so grateful for my readers. Thank you for taking a chance on my books. 

Now Available - My new MMM holiday novella!

I just published my first ever MMM story! It's a lighthearted holiday novella featuring Kel, Hudson, and Noah, who've all been supporting characters in my Firsts and Forever Series. It can also be read as a fun little holiday stand-alone. Here's the universal link, it's available as both an ebook and paperback. 

And here's the description:

A week in a rustic cabin sounds like the perfect holiday getaway to Kel, Hudson, and Noah. Maybe it’s also the perfect time to finally act on the couple’s unspoken attraction to their best friend. But if they do, can what’s started in private survive in the real world, especially when one of them is a public figure who’s struggling with coming out?

This MMM sweet-with-heat holiday novella features characters introduced in Alexa Land’s Firsts and Forever Series, though it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone.

The Thief and The Gangster is LIVE!

Both the ebook and paperback versions of The Thief and The Gangster are now live on Amazon! 

Here's the blurb:

Adriano

It started as the hottest hook-up of my life. Jack was gorgeous, and the spark between us was intense. But the night ended with me chasing him through the streets of San Francisco half-naked, after he stole my late father’s watch. Awesome.

Days later, I finally tracked him down, just as I got the news that all hell was breaking loose back home in Las Vegas. Now I have to bring Jack along while I deal with the mobster who’s targeting my family—as if a road trip with that little thief is even sort of a good idea. But what choice do I have? If I let him out of my sight, he and my most prized possession will disappear forever.

I can’t deny it, I’m still drawn to Jack—but how can I trust him?


Jack

I like to think of myself as a modern-day Robin Hood. I rob from the rich and give to—well, to me. I’m poor, so that counts. Not that I’d planned to rip off Adriano Dombruso when he picked me up in a bar, but that vintage Rolex was just too tempting to pass up.

It sucked when he managed to track me down. Then, before we could retrieve his watch, an urgent call from home set him in motion. Now I suddenly find myself in Vegas. The bad guys are closing in, and the smart choice would be to escape and save myself—after all, self-preservation is what I’m best at. Somehow though, I hate the thought of leaving Adriano to deal with this on his own.

Am I actually falling for that big, burly gangster?


The Thief and The Gangster is a lighthearted gay romance set in the world of Alexa Land’s Firsts and Forever Series. While long-time readers will recognize some familiar faces in supporting roles, this can absolutely be read as a stand-alone.

Coming Soon!

 My latest release, The Thief and The Gangster, is now on pre-order and goes live October 29th. I've been writing stories in the Firsts and Forever universe for close to ten years now, so this book felt like coming home. 

While it can definitely be read as a stand-alone, longtime readers will recognize some familiar faces in supporting roles. I loved checking in with many of my readers' favorite characters and seeing what they're up to a few years down the road! 

Who is Adriano Dombruso?

My latest book, The Thief and The Gangster, will be released on October 29th. The pre-order is up on Amazon, and here's a little information on the characters. If you'd rather be surprised when you read the book, you might want to bail out of this blog post. :) 

The two main characters are Jack Granger, age 34, and Adriano Dombruso, age 37. You''ll be meeting them for the first time in this book. If you've read other books in my Firsts and Forever Series though, you'll recognize a lot of familiar names in the supporting cast. This book has a lot of action and a storyline that includes organized crime, because I wanted it to be reminiscent of the earliest stories in my Firsts and Forever Series.  

Despite the cameos, this book can absolutely be read as a stand-alone! You don't need to be familiar with any of the supporting characters or their books to thoroughly enjoy Jack and Adriano's action-packed story.

But if you have read some of my earlier books, you might notice that Adriano has the same last name as a very prominent family that's appeared throughout the series. So who is he?

Following is a little snippet from the book. This story is told in dual point of view, and this passage is from Jack's perspective:

The journal had fallen open to a page with a list of names and addresses, and I picked it up and asked, “Who are these people with your last name? Dante, Vincent, Gianni, Michael—”

“They’re my half-brothers.”

“I thought you just had one brother named Romy.”

“He’s the only one I grew up with. Those four are my half-brothers on my dad’s side. He went back to his wife after he spent a few months with my mom, so two are younger than me, and two are older.”

“Are you close?”

“I don’t know them at all,” he said. 

 

So there you have it, a fifth Dombruso brother! Adriano's dad, Paulie Dombruso, separated from his wife for six months when Dante and Vincent were toddlers. During that time, he got involved with a woman named Amanda Russo in Las Vegas. Adriano was born after Paulie went back to his wife, and he never got to know his dad, who died just a few years later.

Dante, Vincent, Gianni, and Mike all got their happily ever afters in earlier books, and now it's Adriano's turn. I've had so much fun revisiting the family in this book, and I can't wait to get it into your hands!

A sneak peek at what’s next

In case you missed it, I published the following note and sneak peek at the end of my last book, Every Saturday Night. I'm republishing it here, for those of you who are wondering what's up next.

December, 2022 marks my ten-year anniversary as a published author. Over this past decade, I’ve set most of my books—aside from my paranormal series—in my ever-expanding Firsts and Forever universe. While the next book I have planned for you introduces two brand new main characters, it also brings together the Pink Victorian Crew and some favorite characters from very early on in the original Firsts and Forever Series. It feels like a full circle moment for me, and for my longtime readers. 

Following is a little taste of what’s in store for you with that next book, The Thief and the Gangster. It’ll go live this fall, just ahead of my ten-year publishing anniversary.

My heart’s pounding as I race down the sidewalk. At best, I only have a minute or two on my pursuer. He looked furious too, when he caught me stealing the vintage watch out of his dresser. What can I say? If you don’t want to get robbed, don’t invite strangers into your home, then doze off after you fuck their brains out. You’re really only asking to get ripped off.

This guy though, he wasn’t just pissed—he looked like he was going to do something about it. When I saw him reach for a gun, that was my cue to get the fuck out of there. 

I didn’t do myself any favors by jumping off his second floor balcony, though. In fact, I tweaked my ankle pretty good. Now here I am, running down the middle of the street at three a.m., like I want to get caught or something. 

My solution is to climb over a fence into someone’s backyard, then over another into the yard next door. If I keep doing this, I’ll come out on the other end of the block, and he’ll never find me. 

Only problem is, when I climb over the next fence, I land in a bad way on my ankle, and that’s it—I just took it from twisted to sprained, and now I’m not going anywhere. I also made the mistake of yelping when the pain shot up my leg, so there are lights coming on in the house attached to this backyard. It’s a pink Victorian, and if houses can look friendly, this one does. Let’s just hope whoever lives here doesn’t own a gun, because one per night is more than enough. 

I sit up and brush some flowers out of my dark blond hair. I’ve landed in a bed of lavender. It smells like a fuckin’ funeral. Pretty soon, there are a whole bunch of people standing over me. One of them—a petite brunette that someone calls Yolanda—is wielding a baseball bat. I can tell she’s not afraid to use it, either, if she thinks I’m a threat. Fortunately, people have told me I have the face of an angel. I’m small too, so everyone always underestimates me.

To discourage her from clocking me with the bat, I start crying. I’m good at that, I can do it on cue. I introduce myself as Jack and spin a sad story about a date gone wrong and how I needed to get away from some jerk. They’re buying it. Next thing I know, I’m in their kitchen with an ice pack on my ankle, and a cute guy named Lark is making me a cup of tea. 

They suggest spending the night on their couch. Why not? Frankly, I can think of worse places to hide out until I can walk on this ankle. They don’t have a thing to worry about, either. These are good people. Working class, like my Ma. I’m not going to steal from them. I’m like Robin Hood in that respect—rob from the rich and give to…well, to me. I’m poor, so that counts.

While a big guy named Dylan goes to make up the couch for me, I glance at my new watch. It’s a beauty, a platinum vintage Rolex. I decide I’m keeping this one for myself, instead of pawning it for a few bucks. Something like that doesn’t come along every day.

Then, just because I’ve already forgotten the name of the watch’s former owner, I fish his business card out of the pocket of my suit jacket. He gave it to me when he picked me up in a bar a few hours earlier. 

I flip the card over and read what it says. Turns out his name’s Adriano Dombruso. 

He was sexy as fuck, too—tall, dark, and Italian, a combination I find irresistible. Not that it matters. After tonight, he’s someone I need to avoid at all costs.

And yet I can’t shake the feeling our paths are destined to cross again someday.

 

Checking In

 I'm SO excited about my work in progress! It's called The Thief and the Gangster, and I'm having the best time writing it.

For only the second time in 38 books, I'm going with dual perspective because it suits the story I want to tell, and the main characters are stealing my heart. There's Jack, who's 34 and snarky and makes terrible decisions, and 37-year-old Adriano, who's tough and controlled, and whose world is totally thrown off its axis when Jack smashes into it. In a lot of ways, it's a throwback to some of my earliest books with a sprinkling of crime and action and just a little grit, but it's also lighthearted and so much fun!
It'll be out probably in early October, though late September would make me a happy girl. I'll pin down that date for you as soon as I get a little farther in my first draft. Stay tuned for a cover reveal and more info in the next few weeks!

Every Saturday Night is LIVE!

The sixth book in my Firsts & Forever Stories collection is LIVE! It's available as both an ebook and a paperback, and it's also on Kindle Unlimited. You can find it on Amazon. 

This opposites attract romance is about a young single dad and a smoking hot Cuban-American motorcycle mechanic with a secret. It can be read as a stand-alone, but if you've read some of my other books you'll recognize some familiar faces in supporting roles. I sincerely hope you enjoy it!