Romance – Page 2 – Tara Tries To Write

Scandalized (Backstage Pass #1)

Title: Scandalized
Series: Backstage Pass #1
Published by: Tara Frejas
Contributors: Tara Frejas, Rix Forto, Layla Tanjutco, Chi Yu Rodriguez, Shaira Bea San Jose, Porcupine Strongwill
ASIN: B01EPB5EZU
Release Date: May 5, 2016
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 200

Fi Legaspi is living the dream working in Seoul as a road manager for one of South Korea's hottest bands, East Genesis Project. Until she isn't.

When she finds herself in the middle of a scandal and a hostile fangirl witch hunt, Fi seeks the comfort of home, and to her surprise, not the person she had been pining for for years. All too suddenly it's no longer her career on the line, but also her heart. Will she walk away from everything that matters to her or fight to keep her dream alive?

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scandalized quote

REVIEWS

"Tara definitely shows her fandom bonafides with her expert rendition of a sex scandal, KPop-style. Her depiction shows a much clearer understanding of South Korean fan culture than previous books I’ve read, and her criticism of aspects of this sasaeng culture and the undue sway it holds over Korean idols’ lives makes for interesting reading. Once Tara gets into her groove, I couldn’t put the book down."

Ron Lim, author and book blogger, Ron Reads

"…reading Scandalized was a breeze. I loved Tara’s other books, so I sort of knew what to expect with her writing, and her newest one didn’t disappoint in that area. I loved how real everything felt on the first few pages, and even if I wasn’t into the culture, I could clearly imagine Fi and East Genesis Project, and the Amethyst office and Gabriel like they were fully formed characters who decided to settle in my head. There was a certain kind of sincerity in the pages of this book that would capture even a non-K-Pop fan like me."

Ana Tejano, author of Fall Like Rain and Keep the Faith

"Tara just made everything so beautiful—from the narration to the characters’ own personalities and voices, from the out-of-this-world fans (there’s a harsh reality in that and it happens A LOT) to the crazy industry of music, from taking me places to the comforts of my home country and evendown to the glossary—I was very impressed! And can I just say that I loooove the characters so much?"

April, book blogger, B i n i b i n i

"If you ask me if this is a great novel for KPop fans, especially Filipino ones, to read, I’ll say yes, but that’s not all. If you ask me if it’s perfect for anyone who’s ever crushed on a pop or rock star, I’ll say yes, but that’s not all either. If anyone’s ever been bullied or been a bully, this is a story for you too. It’s just a great novel all around, and while a familiarity with Korean culture and entertainment will certainly go a long way toward your enjoyment of the book, at its heart this is a story about a person overcoming the pain the world throws at her with a little help from her friends. And that’s a win in my book."

Liana Smith-Bautista, editor and book blogger, Will Read For Feels

"...at the end of the book, I felt like I was leaving people I actually knew. Have you ever encountered that? Like, upon closing the book, you start wondering what happens to them after? Whenever I feel like this, I just know that it's a book that I need to share to other people."

Sab, book blogger, Sab the Bookeater

SCANDALIZED
an excerpt, live read by Gio Gahol and Gab Pangilinan
#AllTheFeels at Manila International Book Fair, September 18, 2016

video © Gela Uy

Scandalized is part of the #romanceclass catalogue. Please support Filipino authors by buying their work and encouraging others to do the same! <3

Settle the Score / Hustle Play

Title: Settle the Score / Hustle Play
Published by: Tara Frejas
Contributors: Tara Frejas, Rix Forto
ASIN: B01M0L5SQI
Release Date: October 15, 2016
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Sports Romance
Pages: 66

Settle the Score

College senior Garnet Figueroa lives and breathes basketball. A reliable asset to her varsity team, she is equipped with the skills and smarts to get the De La Sierra Lady Hunters closer to this year’s championship title. But Garnet soon finds out that her good friend (and long-time crush), cheerdancer Charles Crisostomo, is being cheated on by his girl, and she lets her emotions get the best of her.

Will she be able to come up with a game plan to save herself from heartbreak before the buzzer signals Game Over?

Hustle Play

Running on pure adrenaline and working with game strategies is something a basketball player like Garnet Figueroa is trained for. On the court, she is unbeatable. Off the court... that's a completely different story.

Because falling in love is trickier than a ball game, and Garnet finds herself fumbling over her feelings for Charles Crisostomo. The fact that her attention gets divided between him and rival school hard-court hottie Chris Barcelo doesn't help.

Or does it?

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settle the score quote

REVIEWS

The sports aspect is A+ for me. There aren't a lot of basketball romance novels out there and we totally need more. I actually became excited when Garnet describes playing because there are some scenes where she is at that moment playing at a game and stuff. Plus let's not forget Charles is a cheerleader and that is something I have never read before which makes me smile. I loved it plenty.

Sil, The Book Voyagers

Featuring a female basketball player and a male cheerdancer, Settle the Score/Hustle Play is a fun, refreshing read. I've always been a fan of the friends-to-lovers trope and female characters who aren't too girly-girly. The way the couple's chemistry developed into a whole new level was so natural and swoon-worthy, it was so easy to root for them and to fall in love with them.

Agay Llanera, author of This Side of Sunny and Another Word for Happy

I really like how Tara Frejas can create colorful backgrounds for her leads, given that her works are short novels. To be able to establish these characters and their values is a tough feat especially if you have a limited number of pages to work with. And just like with her other books she can also write a solid set of secondary characters to add to the dynamics of the story.

Mabel, book blogger, The Book Nut

hustle play quote

I am not a sports fanatic. I really don’t understand sports terminologies, though I know what foul and rebound might actually mean. But though Settle the Score and Hustle Play revolved around basketball and varsities and championships, I still enjoyed the story, simply because Tara Frejas’ stories of good-friends-turned-lovers bring this good feel of old school kilig that I don’t find in just about any book I read.

Elizabeth Galit, author of If I Knew Then

SETTLE THE SCORE
an excerpt, live read by Salve Villarosa and Herv Alvarez
#AprilFeelsDay, April 17, 2016

video © Will Read for Feels

Make My Wish Come True

Title: Make My Wish Come True
Published by: #romanceclass authors
Contributors: Ysa Arcangel, Ines Bautista-Yao, Racquel Sarah A. Castro, Suzette de Borja, Carla de Guzman, Six de los Reyes, Mina V. Esguerra, Tara Frejas, Dawn Lanuza, Chris Mariano, Bianca Mori, Chrissie Peria, Chi Yu Rodriguez, C.P. Santi, Kate Sebastian, Miles Tan, Ana Tejano, Jay E. Tria, Celestine Trinidad
Release Date: December 1, 2016
Genre: Anthology, Contemporary, Romance

Get ready for feels this holiday season with Make My Wish Come True, a Christmas anthology by #romanceclass authors. Join a Kris Kringle and receive the perfect gift, or learn how to survive your first Christmas in Manila and the steps you need to take to be with the one you love. Go to parties that will not go according to plan, feel the cold (and probably humid) December air as you explore city streets, and count down to five minutes to Christmas. Meet kind strangers and friends that remind you of home, and discover that the one who’ll make your holidays better has been beside you all along.

With seventeen stories, there’s something for you here no matter what feels you want and need. Fall in love this Christmas with #romanceclass!

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Waiting in the Wings

Title: Waiting in the Wings
Published by: Tara Frejas
ASIN: B06WV7BPJ4
Release Date: February 21, 2017
Genre: Contemporary, Romance

At twenty-three, theatre actress Erin Javier has yet to fall in love or kiss a boy offstage, away from the klieg lights. She is the perfect leading lady—whose heart men would fight for, win, and protect—unfortunately, only until the curtains fall and the lights go down. In real life, Erin is a certified NBSB whose heart has been hoping for a song to dance to.

But when two (two!) men enter from stage left and right, Erin is confused. Who deserves to take center stage in her heart—Mr. Theatre Royalty whose attention and displays of affection make her pulse race, or a good friend whose steady support has helped steer her to success and fulfill her dream?

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Waiting in the Wings may be categorized under romance but it also dealt with other important things such as self-worth, perseverance, and trust that things will fall into place if you really want to make something happen.

Ailla, Le Bibliophile

Ramon Figueroa *hello* meet my new book boyfriend. How can someone measure up to him now?

Sil, The Book Voyagers

Waiting in The Wings is a fantastic New Adult novel about how it is to be a part of an amazing family of Theater Performers. Not only that, but it also pays great tribute to plenty of Filipino composed songs which I consider to be great contributions to Philippine literature. Oh, and did I mention that it’s written rather beautifully? It’s an amazing book meant to be read by all those who has ever felt negatively about being a small star in a galaxy filled with constellations.

JM, Book Freak Revelations

Erin Javier is the cutest character I have read so far. She is this cuddly ball of sunshine, and in Ramon’s words, people just can’t help but fall in love with her.

Claridge, booknomnom

This novel taught me that true love waits. Not just the romantic kind of love but also the love you have for something you are passionate about like acting. It may take some time for you to get that role or to be able to shine under that spotlight, but you definitely have a chance. All you have to do is to continue working hard and love it with all your heart.

Samantha, Fictionzoned Fangirl

Erin’s “audition” at the end deserves a standing ovation. I loved the scene so much. Definitely one of the best “grand gesture” scenes I’ve read. So much feels!

Angeli, RX Literature

…this book is a love letter to Philippine Theater, and I can’t imagine anyone but Tara writing it. She’s created a fantastic, but very real world of actors singing original music, creating new things almost every day. She’s featured beautiful songs by original Filipino artists, and showed the family-like camaraderie that we usually find in groups of the same circle here. Reading Tara’s book is familiar and honestly, stress-free. It put a smile on my face from beginning to end.

Author Carla de Guzman

This is such a feel-good story. I liked how this is a chaste romance. It focused on emotions and had a good character development for both main character and love interest. I also found it awesome that Tara mentioned OPM songs. She even penned original ones just for this book. This book is so Pinoy, I love it!

Veronica, Brain Tabs

I love how each character finds what they want and making their dreams happen on and off the stage. There are those who finally realize what their heart desires.

Paula, Perks Be With You

Listen to the Waiting in the Wings playlist here.

WAITING IN THE WINGS
an excerpt, live read by Fred Lo and Gracielle So
#AprilFeelsDay2017 at the U.P. Town Center, April 30, 2017

WAITING IN THE WINGS
an excerpt, live read by Gio Gahol and Gracielle So
#AprilFeelsDay2017 at the U.P. Town Center, April 30, 2017

Waiting in the Wings is part of the #romanceclass catalogue. Please support Filipino authors by buying their work and encouraging others to do the same! <3

Summer Crush

Title: Summer Crush
Published by: Six de los Reyes, Tara Frejas, Jay E. Tria
ASIN: B06Y4CM2CP
Release Date: April 8, 2017
Genre: Anthology, Romance
Pages: 163

When life, love, and rock and roll come together on the sandy beaches of La Union for music festival Summer Crush, expect nothing less than the crashing of lips, bodies, and waves against the shore, against each other, and against your soul.

Allow these three tales of love to take you away for an unforgettable weekend.

Ana’s life as a corporate warrior, graduate student, and girlfriend to indie rock band boy Miki starts to spin out of control, and she wonders if it is love that has to give. (You Only Need Reminding, Jay E. Tria)

Newly reinstated EG Project roadie Filipina Legaspi flies with her band back to the Philippines for Summer Crush, unaware of the emotional waves that engulf her when she sets foot in the beaches of San Juan, La Union. (Almost There, Tara Frejas)

Rhys has three problems: Arabella, the theme song with the Trainguy, and singing live for the first time—and now also on that list is Isaiah, sea-sweet Mango Rum kisses, and long overdue decisions she’s intent on avoiding. (Ocean Eyes, Six de los Reyes)

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Great read that made me long for wild beachside revels as though they were true memories (IDK about you but my youthful beach parties ended with regrets and a wicked hangover and aren't things I remember too fondly.) Each story has a different tone and character but all three blend so seamlessly together that I could almost taste the salt in the air, listen to the waves on the shore and maybe fall in love with a handsome rock star.

Bianca Mori, author of One Night

I call this collab 'The Powerhouse Trio'. Yep, I'm calling this that. Jay, Tara and Six just have mad skills in writing, peeps! And for them to come up with one music festival where all their music/band-related characters meet is just mind-blowing.

Miel, author and #romanceclass reader

Summer Crush is a stand-alone, but I've read all the recommended reading for this - Songs to Get Over You (and the whole playlist series), Scandalized, Feels Like Summer, and Just For The Record - and I believe that made this more enjoyable for me. You get the full experience when you read all those other books, and you'll be awestruck at how these three authors made their universes collide. You'll appreciate all the cameos and the inside jokes more. They've put so much work into making their characters believable that sometimes I forget they don't really exist.

Veron, editor and book blogger

This is one of my recent reads and I love this bec its literally three of my favorite authors merging universes together for this amazing beach music festival weekend, and I NEED some getaway time for myself, even if it’s just through fiction! Hah!

H. Bentham, author of The Other Story (from Start Here)

What if they didn't work well together? What if I didn't like these authors' universes being connected to one another? What if this anthology made me 'see' which author I liked best? They do, I did, it didn't. The authors know their strengths and their limits, and work their way around them and with one another quite flawlessly. I enjoyed each story individually, and the anthology as a whole.

KB of Bookbed

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