“Kissing Kendall” by Jennifer Shirk Book Review

By Ruth on January 7, 2013 in book, guest post, review, romance
15
0

 

Kissing Kendall

 

by Jennifer Shirk

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

BLURB:

 

Kendall Grisbaum has been trying to pick up of the pieces of her life since the death of her firefighter husband almost two years ago. The last thing she’s interested in is love and feels the best way to start moving on is to concentrate on opening up her new bakery business. Unfortunately, she’s finding it hard to remember those two points now that her old friend and policeman Brad Mayer is back in her life and giving her a helping hand.

 

After losing her husband in the line of duty, Kendalldoesn’t want to get involved with another man with a dangerous job, and refuses to give in to her attraction to the handsome police officer. But Brad has always loved Kendall from afar and now that he senses she might feel the same, he’s determined to show her the real danger would be to lose another chance at love.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Excerpt:

 

Kendall turned all her frustration at herself onto Brad, who stood there with wide eyes and exaggerated innocence. The Boy Scout routine did not look good on him. She folded her arms, giving him a disapproving look. “So you forgot I had a date with Rick tonight?”

 

He shrugged. “What? It could happen. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”

 

“Wow, you’re right. I can’t imagine shoving another single thought in a head as cramped as yours.”

 

They stared each other down for almost a minute before Brad flung his hands up in the air. “All right, I didn’t forget. So sue me! I wanted to stop by and make sure you were okay. You may not know this, but Rick happens to date a lot of women. A lot of women. And you…I mean, no offense, but you’re a little out of practice in the dating department.”

 

“Out of practice?” Oh, if that wasn’t a proverbial slap in the face, she didn’t know what was. Brad thought she was clueless—which was ridiculous. She didn’t know what had gotten into him, but he was actually treating her like…like… Georgie! Well, that was just great. He was treating her like his sister.

 

“I don’t know what you were so worried about. What did you think was going to happen, Brad? Rick was a perfect gentleman all night. Something you should know, considering he’s one of your friends,” she said over her shoulder as she stormed up her walkway.

 

“Hey, hang on,” Brad called, jogging to catch up with her. “You can’t tell me you actually have a thing for Rick, can you?”

 

She stopped and whirled around. “Well, considering my date was interrupted before it was over, I never really got a chance to figure that out.”

 

“I didn’t ruin anything,” he huffed. “Your date was over before it’d even begun. You would have known five seconds into meeting him whether there was chemistry or not between you two. So go ahead and have a second date—have a hundred dates for all I care! It won’t matter. You’ll come to the same conclusion I did.”

 

Kendall tipped her chin in defiance. “And just what conclusion is that?”

 

He flung to the ground the papers he had in his hand and stepped forward, close enough that she could practically feel his temper radiating from his body. “That Rick is not the man for you.”

 

Her body tensed at the heat in his voice, but for some reason she continued to challenge him. “Ha, like you would know.”

 

“I would know.”

 

She glared at him. “What kind of man is for me then?”

 

Brad’s gaze darkened and something new and intense flickered between them. He took another step forward. “You deserve a man who’ll take you in his arms.” Then in one forward motion, he pulled her to him and that’s exactly where she was.

 

And it felt…heavenly.

 

In his embrace, her thoughts all clogged together and she had a tough time even remembering how they had ended up entwined on her front porch in the first place. She looked up and noticed he was watching her intently, maybe judging her reaction to being held so close to him or whether or not he’d proven his point.

 

His lips slowly traveled to her ear. “You deserve a man who makes your knees go weak.”

 

She swallowed. Weak knees? Check. In fact, her knees were more than weak; they were downright overcooked noodles.

 

Her heart pounded an erratic rhythm, but she cleared her throat, pretending not to be affected. “You seem to think you know a lot about what kind of man is right for me.”

 

“I do,” he murmured. His lips were so close; they grazed her earlobes and were brushing along her jawbone in light wispy movements. “And I definitely know the right man for you is not the kind of man who’s going to settle for a mere good-night peck on the cheek at the end of your first date.”

 

“He’s not?” she whispered, suddenly at a loss for breath.

 

Brad’s lips began drawing closer to her mouth. “No, he’s not. Because the man for you has been dreaming about your mouth ever since he first laid eyes on you. So he won’t be able to handle one more second without knowing the feel of your lips beneath his own.”

Kissing Kendall (Maritime City)Kissing Kendall by Jennifer Shirk
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It is with a big smile that I put my stamp of approval on this wonderful romance.  I loved every minute of this fabulous romance.  Is it cheesy and sappy?  Possibly, but it was so well-written that I didn’t notice.  I loved Brad and Kendall, and their romance just sent chills through me.  There was some very minor profanity that honestly did not bother me, and there was no sex!  Yes!!  Jennifer Shirk has a delightful sense of humor–something I often say is lacking in books today.  The interactions were genuine, and although the book ended as it should, it was well worth the ride.

Even though this is a light read, I so glad there was a message in it that everyone needs to hear.  Don’t ever be afraid to love.  We are not guaranteed tomorrow, and if you live your life in fear, you are certainly going to miss some wonderful times.  Take advantage of the opportunities that are facing you now.  If you wait, they may pass you by!

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

View all my reviews

Hi, all! Jennifer here! (guest post by the author)

Thanks so much to My Devotional Thoughts for hosting me today!

 

So what’s my usual day look like as an author?

 

VERY UNGLAMOUROUS.

 

I’m usually up at 6:30 AM to make breakfast and pack a lunch for the kiddo.

 

Then I can usually jump on the computer from 7 to 8AM and check email and Facebook and if time Twitter.

 

Workout from 8 to 9AM (P90x, baby!)

 

Shower

 

Then write! I usually try to set a page goal of about 2 pages a day. It’s not much, but unless I’m doing a writing challenge with someone or my day is completely free, it’s all I can do.

 

Another email check before lunch and a Twitter peek.

 

On a good day, I’ll go back and do more writing in the afternoon. On a bad day, its errands and/or cleaning, with the occasional email checks thrown in.

 

So I basically try to get the bulk of my writing done in the morning. That’s when the coffee just starts to kick in and I’m most alert. Plus, because I can’t wait to get to it, I make it the first thing I accomplish.

 

And that’s my typical day. J

 

See? Zzzzzzzz.

Now…

If I’m doing edits then anything goes because they must be done and I have been known to work around the clock and put some late nighters in for them!!

 

Thanks so much for having me and I hope everyone gets to check out my newest romance Kissing Kendall now available Barnesand Noble and Amazon!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jennifer Shirk has a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy-which has in NO WAY at all helped her with her writing career. But she likes to point it out, since it shows romantic-at-hearts come in all shapes, sizes, and mind-numbing educations.

She is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of sweet (and sometimes even funny) romances for Montlake Romance and Entangled Publishing. Her novel, FIANCE BY FATE, a 2015 Readers’ Crown Finalist, became an Amazon #1 bestseller for Series Romance. And recently, WRONG BROTHER, RIGHT MATCH, WON the Sweet Traditional category of the 2017 Golden Quill Contest and became a #1 Amazon bestseller for Holiday Romance and USA Today bestseller.

She serves on many volunteer boards in her community, but is most proud of her work on the Ocean City Free Public Library Board of Trustees, where she has served as President for over 3 years. She resides in a beach resort in NJ, and when she’s not involved in all the above, she’s taking care of her most treasured possessions: her husband, daughter, and dog (Sox).

FOLLOW ME
Spread the love
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Subscribe To My Daily Newsletter

Receive the latest interviews and reviews from the film, TV, and writing community!

Invalid email address
You can unsubscribe at any time.

About the Author

RuthView all posts by Ruth
“Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.” — Franz Kafka Ruth is an inspirational entertainment journalist who instinctively sees the best in all and seeks to share universal beauty, love and positivity. She is an artist who leads with her heart and gives readers a glimpse of the best of this world through the masterful use of the written word. Ruth was born in Tacoma, Washington but now calls Yelm, Washington her home. She lives on five acres with her parents, a dog, two miniature goats, cats and a teenage daughter who is a dynamic visual artist herself. Ruth interviews fellow artists both inside and outside of the film/television industry. At the core of all she does is the strength of her faith.

15 Comments

  1. Katie January 9, 2013 Reply

    I love Jennifer’s books!! I’m going to have to give P90X a try sometime–I’m an Insanity girl. 🙂 Keep up the great writing!!

  2. Shelley Munro January 9, 2013 Reply

    I’m a morning writer too. Congrats on the review 🙂

  3. Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell January 8, 2013 Reply

    Whoa, you’re impressive with your P90X ways, girlie! Two pages is a totally reasonable goal!

  4. LadySaotome January 8, 2013 Reply

    Sounds like you’re a morning person, too. 🙂

  5. Nina Croft January 8, 2013 Reply

    Great review, and I’m so impressed with that working out!

  6. SusieQ January 8, 2013 Reply

    I have these on my TBR list..excited to read..love the teaser…Always enjoy hearing from the author…thanks…

    • Jennifer Shirk January 16, 2013 Reply

      SusieQ–your name was picked as winner of one of my ebooks!

      Email me at jennifer At jennifershirk DOT com and claim your prize!

  7. Linda G. January 8, 2013 Reply

    Whew! Sweet AND steamy! Love the exerpt. 🙂

  8. Elaine Smith January 8, 2013 Reply

    The story was sweet and with just enough steam to keep things properly warm.
    ps You don’t seem to have time to fit snoozing into your day!

  9. MomJane January 8, 2013 Reply

    A really touching story. A very good review and i loved the excerpt.

    • Jennifer Shirk January 8, 2013 Reply

      Thanks so much!!

  10. Maria Zannini January 8, 2013 Reply

    I envy your discipline for working out everyday. That’s why you look so thin!

  11. Bossy Betty January 8, 2013 Reply

    Great to see and hear from Jennifer here!!

  12. Jennifer Shirk January 8, 2013 Reply

    Thanks so much for having me today!
    And I’m thrilled you liked the book! Thank you for your lovely comments!

  13. Goddess Fish Promotions January 8, 2013 Reply

    Thank you for hosting today

Add comment

Leave a Reply

Please know that comment moderation is in effect on this site. Comments may not appear immediately. Also, please note that any negative attacks on people, networks, or other comments that are deemed "inappropriate" or "overtly negative" may be removed and/or edited by the administrator.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

CommentLuv badge