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Showing posts with label New Adult Romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Adult Romance. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

The Bridesmaid's Checklist: Laura's Wedding by K.T. Castle (Book Blast / Book Review / Contest Giveaway)

In association with Goddess Fish Promotions, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the virtual book tour event for The Bridesmaid's Checklist: Laura's Wedding by author K.T. Castle!







Book Review



The Bridesmaid's Checklist: Laura's Wedding by K.T. Castle
Book 1: The Bridesmaid's Checklist Series
Publisher: Independent Self Publishing
Publication Date: Paperback - July 15, 2016 / eBook - July 18, 2016
Format: Paperback - 300 pages
               Kindle - 3725 KB
ISBN: 978-1535318631
ASIN: B01IOOBO0I
BNID: 978-1535318631
Genre: New Adult Romance / Chick Lit



Buy The Book:


Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book blast event hosted by Goddess Fish Promotions.


Book Description:

Kassandra is a single, independent woman who prides herself on her own success. But when she’s asked by her best friend Laura to be the Maid of Honor in her wedding, Kassandra finds herself questioning her lifestyle. Helping Laura plan the wedding is no problem—she’s done it before for all their other friends. The first time was a blast, the second super fun, but doing it without receiving any help from the rest of the girls gets old really fast.

The whole event kicks off with the worst kind of surprise when Kassandra discovers who her friend's fiancĂ© really is, and she's torn between supporting Laura's future happiness and hiding the deeply buried, intimate past she shares with the groom-to-be. Struggling to be the bigger person and do all the hard work on her own, Kassandra finds surprising comfort in Josh, the best man in the wedding and someone she's been avoiding for years. He's charming, thoughtful, handsome, and the worst kind of womanizer, but she just can't seem to stay away. All the while, Kassandra can't help wondering if the wedding could be any more clichĂ©—until she finds unexpected ways to change things up a bit.


Book Excerpt:


From Chapter 1

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. I’d heard that saying more than once now. And I was about to hear it once again.

“Kassie! Kassie, wake up! I’m getting married,” a high-pitched voice squealed at me at 3:00 a.m.

Who the hell is this? I had picked up the phone without even looking at the caller ID. Oh, Laura. Great.

“Kassandra, are you listening? I’m engaged!” Laura screamed from the other side of the phone.

“Yeah, wow,” I said. “Congratulations.”

“I can’t believe you, Kassie. You should be more excited. You’ll get to be my bridesmaid!” The volume of her voice kept rising.

“I’m happy for you, Laura.” I really didn’t know at the moment how I felt. I was trying to look around to see exactly where I was. “Believe me. It’s just…it’s three o’clock, and I was sleeping.”

After looking at my surroundings, I remembered I was in my own house. I had a minor headache, probably from all the drinking the night before, and my body ached a bit. I looked beside me and found the reason for my hurt.

Next to me I found the silhouette of a beautiful man. The memories of the few hours before my abrupt awakening came back at me:

A bar. A blond. My home. Some sex...in that order.

“I know it’s late, but I had to give you the good news.”

“And news it is.” She was the last of my best friends who was single; not so long ago we roamed all the bars in town together, looking for men to hook up with, and suddenly she was engaged.





My Book Review:

In The Bridesmaid's Checklist: Laura's Wedding, the first book of The Bridesmaid's Checklist Series, author K.T. Castle weaves an intriguing new adult romance tale that sheds a whole new light on the crazy dynamics of friendships, romance, and wedding planning.

Told in the first person narrative, the reader follows the crazy trials and tribulations that Kassandra faces when best friend Laura becomes engaged, and she wants Kassandra to be her Maid-of-Honor and help plan her wedding. Kassandra has helped her other friends plan their weddings, so she doesn't think anything will go wrong, that is until she discovers that the groom happens to be her ex-boyfriend! Kassandra struggles with wanting to help plan Laura's wedding while hiding the secrets from her past relationship, and when the trials and tribulations of the whole affair start to build, Kassandra finds unexpected support and comfort from Josh, the best man and womanizer whose charms she has resisted for years. So what's a girl to do when she is torn between the dynamics of friendships and the affairs of the heart?

The Bridesmaid's Checklist is a fun romantic story that has a great mixture of drama, humor, and romance, that easily kept me engaged and turning the pages. Anyone can relate to the craziness surrounding wedding event planning, and how the best laid plans can unexpectedly go awry, especially when romance issues and buried secrets are added into the mix. I really enjoyed following Kassandra's personal journey of self discovery, especially when she makes necessary changes in her life, and finds an unexpected romance in the arms of a charmer like Josh, who is determined to break down the walls that surround Kassandra's heart. I would be remiss if I didn't mention how much I enjoyed the rich description of the tropical South Pacific island setting of Bora Bora.

I really enjoyed reading The Bridesmaid's Checklist, it has a HEA that normally comes with romance stories featuring a wedding theme, but alas, there is a cliff hanger ending that leaves the reader wanting more. I look forward to reading what new wedding adventures await in the next book of The Bridesmaid's Checklist Series.

The Bridesmaid's Checklist: Laura's Wedding is an enjoyable romance tale that will leave a smile on your face.


RATING: 4 STARS 





About The Author



K.T. Castle
is an author/artist in progress. She's on a quest to find the words, forms, and colors to materialize the worlds and people of her imagination. She never saw herself as an incurable romantic, but lately, that's what she finds herself musing about. Love is found everywhere, regardless if it comes from a nice person, an ass — mundane or even vampire. When she's not busy with work, in front of a computer placing many thoughts in order, she makes her best to be creative or relax with a good book and a snack. Some of her favorite characters are Sookie, Rule and Shaw, Bella, Edward, Clary, Jace, Wrath, Hollywood, Blaire, Woods, Ethan, the Sleeping Beauty, and Ariel.


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Contest Giveaway


Author K.T. Castle will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner, and a copy of THE BRIDESMAID'SCHECKLIST: LAURA'S WEDDING plus an ARC of the next book in the series to another randomly drawn winner, both via rafflecopter during the event.


a Rafflecopter giveaway




Book Blast Event



Click on the above link for a schedule of event participants.




Monday, March 7, 2016

Dare To Love by S.B. Alexander (Author Interview / Book Review)

In association with JKS Communications, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the virtual book review promo for Dare to Love by Author S.B. Alexander!







Author Interview


Welcome to Jersey Girl Book Reviews, S.B!

How did the Maxwell Series begin? 

The series was born out of my love for baseball, family and experiences in my life that have challenged me and shaped me into who I am today. 


What will fans of Dare to Kiss and Dare to Dream like about Dare to Love

Dare to Love is based on Kelton Maxwell, brother to Kade, Kross and Kody. Out of the four brothers Kelton is quite cocky, brash, infallible and doesn’t think before he acts. He’s funny, sexy and always keeps his family and his values in the forefront. Fans who’ve read the series so far have a love/hate relationship with Kelton, and they’ll love getting in his head and will be surprised at some of the choices he makes. 


Dare to Love steps away from the lives of Kade Maxwell and Lacey Robinson, whose dramatic love story dominated the pages of Dare to Kiss and Dare to Dream. Was it your intention from the beginning to expand on the stories of other characters in the series? 

The series is all about family and growing from tragedy. The main characters in the series have all been affected by something heartbreaking. From that, I want to take readers on a journey into each of their lives to show how they change and grow, how they help others and at the same time, how they overcome their issues to set a path in life. 


You inserted a piece of your personal life, your experience with PTSD, into Dare to Kiss and Dare to Dream. Did any elements of your life sneak into Dare to Love

The series itself has a lot of elements that I had and didn’t have growing up. And in Dare to Love, I didn’t have a cohesive family unit around me. I didn’t have parents who were open to love, which made it difficult for me to express emotions, and if I did, I always seemed to have gotten hurt by love. 


After writing two Young Adult books, what inspired you to write New Adult fiction, and how was writing this genre different? 

As a writer, when I’m drafting an outline for a story, I don’t think too much about the genre. I let the story unfold. But in both genres the characters are learning life in different states of their pre-teen, teenage or college age years. What I find different in one genre over the other is the character’s decision making. They might’ve learned from an experience in high school, but when faced with that same experience in college how will they react? Will they make the same decision or will they take a different path? 


How do you balance your time between working full time and writing on the side? 

I set a weekly goal for writing, and in between all the daily stuff I have going on, I write. I usually accomplish the goal I set, and if I don’t I make up for it somehow in the following week. 


What’s next for you? 

I still have planned three more books in the Maxwell Series, and the next one will be based on Kross Maxwell, the next triplet. However, I have a new series I’m outlining that will be based on a family that is not as cohesive as the Maxwell family. This new series will be a little darker and will have elements of mystery, romance and suspense. On top of that, I’m working on my fourth book in my vampire series.


Thank you, S.B., for visiting Jersey Girl Book Reviews, and sharing with us a bit about yourself and your writing career. 




About The Author



S.B. Alexander’s passion for writing began when she read her first Stephen King novel, The Shining. Over the years she kept telling family and friends she was going to write a book. Fifteen years later, on the advice of a friend, she sat down and wrote her first novel. One year later, she published two novels with three more slotted for release. Her books are targeted toward the young adult and new adult markets.

Her young adult series, Vampire SEALS, includes three books, On the Edge of Humanity, On the Edge of Eternity, and On the Edge of Destiny, which have garnered high praise from readers. Dare to Kiss was the first book in her new adult series, The Maxwell Series. The follow up, Dare to Dream, was released in 2015. Up next is Dare to Love, that was released on Feb. 16, 2016.

Alexander’s career has been colorful—a former navy veteran, high school math teacher and college professor, sales consultant, coach, and manager. She loves baseball, especially the Boston Red Sox. She enjoys playing golf, is moved by music and great stories, and will go out of her way to help people.

She currently works full time in Corporate America and writes any chance she gets. She believes words are the key to opening the door to extraordinary places with amazing characters that tell a great story.


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Book Trailer




Book Review



Dare to Love by S.B. Alexander
Book 3: The Maxwell Series
Publisher: Independent Self Publishing
Publication Date: February 16, 2016
Format: eBook - 268 pages
              Kindle - 1405 KB
              Nook - 605 KB
ISBN: 9780996935128
ASIN: B01BQX5OM8
BNID: 2940157627539
Genre: New Adult Romance



Buy The Book: 


Buy The Series: The Maxwell Series
Book 1: Dare to Kiss
Book 2: Dare to Dream
Book 3: Dare to Love



Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book review opportunity hosted by JKS Communications.



Book Description:

Sexy, confident, college playboy, Kelton Maxwell has his future right in the palm of his hands. Women want him. Guys want to be him. And he’s got one foot in the door at Harvard Law. All he needs now is just one prestigious internship at a highfalutin law firm to seal the deal. Nothing can stand in his way.

Until…

A blast from the past smacks him right in the face, bringing back memories he tried to forget. Kelton swore he’d never go back--never put himself through that again. He’d rather pledge his allegiance to the devil himself before he drops to his knees to worship a woman—especially her.

He won’t dare to get close

Won’t dare to let her in.

Can’t dare to love.



My Book Review:

In the third book of The Maxwell SeriesDare to Love, author S.B. Alexander weaves a compelling new adult novel that easily draws the reader into triplet brother Kelton Maxwell's story.

Dare to Love is an emotional story that has a great mixture of drama, romance, suspense, and humor. Kelton Maxwell is a senior at Boston University and has aspirations of entering Harvard Law. He's a college playboy who does nude modeling for a college art class, he loves the adrenaline rush and attention from the ladies, but he doesn't do love, and isn't willing to commit. He vows to stay away from women who want more than he can give, his heart and a life of forever. He doesn't do forever, and he won't open his heart to anyone, especially after experiencing traumatic family events from the past. But there is one girl that he can't let go of, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Reardon, his old childhood best friend and teenage girlfriend who left him with a broken heart seven years ago. That is until the past unexpectedly walks back into his life, but Lizzie has her own personal reasons for being in Boston and internal demons to chase .... can Kelton open his heart to Lizzie and once again dare to love, even if it comes with danger?

Kelton and Lizzie's story is interwoven with enough drama, romance, and intrigue that easily kept me engaged and turning the pages. They are both broken but strong people who are dealing with a shared history and troubled pasts. As they reconnect, their relationship develops with enough angst, sizzling chemistry and sexual tension, witty banter, and a sweet romance that makes their reunion exciting enough to heal old wounds, and open their heart to a second chance at love. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I loved the Maxwell brothers, these fun loving bad boys stole my heart, I can't wait to read more about them in the next books in The Maxwell Series!

If you are a fan of New Adult romance novels, Dare to Love is an enjoyable story that will leave you wanting more from the Maxwell brothers!


RATING: 4 STARS