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Alec Abramson was a notorious player—an unapologetic ladies' man. He lived that lifestyle for years until the day he was reunited with his first love.
Alec was a literal rockstar who had all the women he could handle. But after a chance meeting with Grace, he realized she was the only one he wanted. He had made a mistake by being careless with her feelings all those years ago, and now he had to begin the quest to win her back.
B-Side is the second and final book in the How to Tame a Heartbreaker series. Twin brother rockstars, David and Alec Abramson, find love in this two-part series. The Heartbreaker series is a spin-off of the Bank Street Stories series, which consists of nine books and a novella. You would have a lot of fun reading all twelve books in order, (starting with Easy Does It) but it's not necessary, and each book is a standalone story.
Alec was a literal rockstar who had all the women he could handle. But after a chance meeting with Grace, he realized she was the only one he wanted. He had made a mistake by being careless with her feelings all those years ago, and now he had to begin the quest to win her back.
B-Side is the second and final book in the How to Tame a Heartbreaker series. Twin brother rockstars, David and Alec Abramson, find love in this two-part series. The Heartbreaker series is a spin-off of the Bank Street Stories series, which consists of nine books and a novella. You would have a lot of fun reading all twelve books in order, (starting with Easy Does It) but it's not necessary, and each book is a standalone story.
- GenresRomanceContemporary
200 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 7, 2021
98 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Brooke St. James
115 books955 followersBrooke St. James is a USA Today bestselling author and Amazon Kindle All-Star. She writes contemporary romance novels with Christian and inspirational themes and happy endings. She was born and raised in south Louisiana but has had the opportunity to travel and live throughout the U.S. An avid reader, writer, audio book addict, and fan of all things artistic, Brooke constantly has her hands in some creative activity. She's currently back home in Louisiana enjoying life with her husband, children, and two lazy dogs.
To find out more about Brooke visit her Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/brookesaintj...
Her Official website at:
http://www.brookesaintjames.com/
Follow her on Twitter or Instagram:
@brooke_stjames
To join her mailing list or for specific inquiries:
brookesaintjames@gmail.com
Listen to her audiobooks on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@BrookeStJames
To find out more about Brooke visit her Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/brookesaintj...
Her Official website at:
http://www.brookesaintjames.com/
Follow her on Twitter or Instagram:
@brooke_stjames
To join her mailing list or for specific inquiries:
brookesaintjames@gmail.com
Listen to her audiobooks on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@BrookeStJames
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 9, 2021
A sweet 2nd chance romance, though the messaging is a little confused
Grace is caught off guard when she unexpectedly encounters her first love from high school - who was a jerk that had dumped her when she told him 'no', & gone on to use many women, especially after making it big as a rock star.
In their reunion, she's too squishy with Alec, & he still doesn't respect her boundaries. It had me worried that I wasn't going to like the story because characters that are too weak & the guys who mow over them annoy me. Thankfully, it was more like a 'before' from a 'before' & 'after' change. Though frankly, even after the changes that take place, Grace still gives Alec mixed messages a few times, but I'd say she's pliable rather than an actual pushover.
Anyway, so Alec recognizes that he needs to respect Grace as a person instead of someone he wants to use as he pleases like he did before. And Grace becomes a little more secure about herself (though that aspect was much more opaque & uneven - it made me wonder if that part of the story had been revised a time or two)
The narrative skips forward thru a lot. I would have liked to have read at least a little more about their growth, and how they both learned to value each other & spend time together in healthier ways. I do enjoy the passion & all, but a relationship that was originally damaged by immature attitudes toward & understanding of sex generally needs to be fixed by more than just finding God & putting a ring on it.
Their dream wedding is informal & rock themed. There were sweet aspects, but it felt a bit too informal to be at least minimally reverent for people taking vows before God, & again, the hurry to get it done & over with so they could consummate their marriage was discordant with the "2nd chance at true love waits" theme as well
So it's a classic BSJ happiness-inducing romance, but a little more uneven in its messaging, & the relationship development is getting a little too formulaic (which is probably the main reason for the uneven messaging)
*Romance level: passionate kisses, nothing graphic
Grace is caught off guard when she unexpectedly encounters her first love from high school - who was a jerk that had dumped her when she told him 'no', & gone on to use many women, especially after making it big as a rock star.
In their reunion, she's too squishy with Alec, & he still doesn't respect her boundaries. It had me worried that I wasn't going to like the story because characters that are too weak & the guys who mow over them annoy me. Thankfully, it was more like a 'before' from a 'before' & 'after' change. Though frankly, even after the changes that take place, Grace still gives Alec mixed messages a few times, but I'd say she's pliable rather than an actual pushover.
Anyway, so Alec recognizes that he needs to respect Grace as a person instead of someone he wants to use as he pleases like he did before. And Grace becomes a little more secure about herself (though that aspect was much more opaque & uneven - it made me wonder if that part of the story had been revised a time or two)
The narrative skips forward thru a lot. I would have liked to have read at least a little more about their growth, and how they both learned to value each other & spend time together in healthier ways. I do enjoy the passion & all, but a relationship that was originally damaged by immature attitudes toward & understanding of sex generally needs to be fixed by more than just finding God & putting a ring on it.
Their dream wedding is informal & rock themed. There were sweet aspects, but it felt a bit too informal to be at least minimally reverent for people taking vows before God, & again, the hurry to get it done & over with so they could consummate their marriage was discordant with the "2nd chance at true love waits" theme as well
So it's a classic BSJ happiness-inducing romance, but a little more uneven in its messaging, & the relationship development is getting a little too formulaic (which is probably the main reason for the uneven messaging)
*Romance level: passionate kisses, nothing graphic
November 27, 2021
2.5 I love this author, but this book was not a favorite. There is a lot of negative emotion to overcome. The wedding was cute. I thought we would get to see some lyrics, but that did not happen. The MCs felt one dimensional and acted immaturely.
June 29, 2022
Sweet, Spiritual, and Soulful
B-Side, book 2 of the How to Tame a Heartbreaker series by Brooke St. James, opens with the tearful confession of a fifteen-year-old girl who lost her virginity and, when she tried to tell her boyfriend that they couldn't do it anymore, he considered that she'd dumped him and he moved on. For nine years she spoke to high school girls about abstinence, using her own mistakes as an example, while her former boyfriend Alec moved up in the music industry--and in and out of various women's beds. His social life was full, but his spiritual life was empty. Grace followed the opposite path and had a life that was spiritually full and socially empty.
A chance encounter at the school fair where Grace, now a registered nurse, is running the first aid tent rekindles their relationship--but Grace believes there are no such things as chance or coincidence. Alec, having searched the rock star lifestyle and never found fulfillment, appreciates her repeated declaration that she won't even kiss a man until she marries him. He finds out that she hasn't kissed anyone since him, feels guilty for damaging her, and vows to make it up to her by treating her well and eventually becoming her last kiss--a roundabout way of stating his intention to marry her.
Over the next few months, Alec undergoes a spiritual awakening and releases an album's worth of worship songs. He also patiently waits for Grace to be ready for a romantic relationship, knowing that it won't include the sex that caused them to break up in high school. The book's end reveals Alec's creative and romantic sides, and the Epilogue ties Alec to the Castro / King / Klein clan in Alec's hometown of Galveston, Texas. That series, Bank Street Stories, was my favorite set of books to read on my Kindle, and when I saw a reference to Galveston I hoped that Brooke St. James would tie in that extended family somehow. My hopes were fulfilled!
In most Christian romances, God is mentioned frequently but Jesus doesn't make an appearance. This is a welcome exception. When Grace faces a scary situation, she asks the person threatening her if she has accepted Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior, and she and Alec discuss the ramifications of going "Jesus-freaky" on his next album. He gets both love and hate for it, but his band can then tour churches as well as arenas, and his band members like the church stops more than the frenetic arena dates.
I loved the plot, the characters, and the theme of forgiveness and starting anew, as if your past sins never happened. There were some errors, including a reliance on the misuse of "surreal" that drove me crazy, but overall I overlooked them because I was so eager to find out what came next!
Split Decision is the name of Alec's band, and I see a book called "Split Decision" in my Kindle library. Guess what my next reading selection will be...
B-Side, book 2 of the How to Tame a Heartbreaker series by Brooke St. James, opens with the tearful confession of a fifteen-year-old girl who lost her virginity and, when she tried to tell her boyfriend that they couldn't do it anymore, he considered that she'd dumped him and he moved on. For nine years she spoke to high school girls about abstinence, using her own mistakes as an example, while her former boyfriend Alec moved up in the music industry--and in and out of various women's beds. His social life was full, but his spiritual life was empty. Grace followed the opposite path and had a life that was spiritually full and socially empty.
A chance encounter at the school fair where Grace, now a registered nurse, is running the first aid tent rekindles their relationship--but Grace believes there are no such things as chance or coincidence. Alec, having searched the rock star lifestyle and never found fulfillment, appreciates her repeated declaration that she won't even kiss a man until she marries him. He finds out that she hasn't kissed anyone since him, feels guilty for damaging her, and vows to make it up to her by treating her well and eventually becoming her last kiss--a roundabout way of stating his intention to marry her.
Over the next few months, Alec undergoes a spiritual awakening and releases an album's worth of worship songs. He also patiently waits for Grace to be ready for a romantic relationship, knowing that it won't include the sex that caused them to break up in high school. The book's end reveals Alec's creative and romantic sides, and the Epilogue ties Alec to the Castro / King / Klein clan in Alec's hometown of Galveston, Texas. That series, Bank Street Stories, was my favorite set of books to read on my Kindle, and when I saw a reference to Galveston I hoped that Brooke St. James would tie in that extended family somehow. My hopes were fulfilled!
In most Christian romances, God is mentioned frequently but Jesus doesn't make an appearance. This is a welcome exception. When Grace faces a scary situation, she asks the person threatening her if she has accepted Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior, and she and Alec discuss the ramifications of going "Jesus-freaky" on his next album. He gets both love and hate for it, but his band can then tour churches as well as arenas, and his band members like the church stops more than the frenetic arena dates.
I loved the plot, the characters, and the theme of forgiveness and starting anew, as if your past sins never happened. There were some errors, including a reliance on the misuse of "surreal" that drove me crazy, but overall I overlooked them because I was so eager to find out what came next!
Split Decision is the name of Alec's band, and I see a book called "Split Decision" in my Kindle library. Guess what my next reading selection will be...
November 25, 2021
First time I didn’t finish a book by this author
Normally I adore the books by this author. When I find out it’s a release day I always devour the book day of because I can’t wait to see what HEA comes next. This story felt a little forced to me. It was also extremely repetitive, some in the dialogue but mostly in the internal thoughts and narration. I felt like shaking my kindle and saying okay I get it, but can the story advance now instead of summarizing everything that has happened and how people are feeling every two pages. Then all of a sudden the Rock guy turned into Christian music guy. At that point it became a DNF.
I stopped about half way through the book. I felt like the story was a B side story unfortunately.
Rating: PG-13, clean on page but does mention in a regretful way the main characters previous immoral conduct.
Normally I adore the books by this author. When I find out it’s a release day I always devour the book day of because I can’t wait to see what HEA comes next. This story felt a little forced to me. It was also extremely repetitive, some in the dialogue but mostly in the internal thoughts and narration. I felt like shaking my kindle and saying okay I get it, but can the story advance now instead of summarizing everything that has happened and how people are feeling every two pages. Then all of a sudden the Rock guy turned into Christian music guy. At that point it became a DNF.
I stopped about half way through the book. I felt like the story was a B side story unfortunately.
Rating: PG-13, clean on page but does mention in a regretful way the main characters previous immoral conduct.
March 29, 2022
Redemption
This book is awesome. It truly shows how no one, regardless of their past, is beyond the redeeming power of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Alex and Grace have a past that was hurtful, he has made some choices that hurt himself and others. Grace has built walls around herself to keep her from being hurt again. However, neither one are beyond the power of a loving Heavenly Father.
This book is full of the love of God without being preachy. It is clean, but, has enough chemistry to light up a room.
This book is awesome. It truly shows how no one, regardless of their past, is beyond the redeeming power of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Alex and Grace have a past that was hurtful, he has made some choices that hurt himself and others. Grace has built walls around herself to keep her from being hurt again. However, neither one are beyond the power of a loving Heavenly Father.
This book is full of the love of God without being preachy. It is clean, but, has enough chemistry to light up a room.
November 16, 2021
Alec didn't make good decisions where women were concerned. Something sparks inside him when he sees his first love, Grace, after years of separation. He decides to make better decisions and works hard to earn her trust. I always know I'm getting an interesting storyline and characters I love with every BSJ book. Sad to see this series end but will be stalking to see what fresh new idea I'll have to pleasure of reading next!
July 22, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed Brooke St James’ “B-Side: A Romance”!
It is a sweet spin-off from the Bank Street series, but can easily be read as a standalone.
It is a beautiful story of love, forgiveness, second chances, and fresh starts!
Ms St James is such a talented author, I would easily recommend any of her sweet, inspiring books!
Looking forward to more!
It is a sweet spin-off from the Bank Street series, but can easily be read as a standalone.
It is a beautiful story of love, forgiveness, second chances, and fresh starts!
Ms St James is such a talented author, I would easily recommend any of her sweet, inspiring books!
Looking forward to more!
July 25, 2024
Alec Abramson is a famous singer, and a player until he reconnects with childhood girlfriend Grace who is now a school nurse. As they reconnect, they do things the right way this time, and this second chance love story progresses with some ups and downs along the way. Interesting story about relationships, love, and making things work.
January 3, 2025
What the actual fuck is this joke of a book? The beginning is just fucking sick. I said I won't bother with pt2 after the pt1 was horrible yet I still did this to myself. This is so bad that giving it one single star feels generous. What the actual fuck. "She said". "He said" is half of the book🤡 and the super religious part at the end is just so sick and disgusting. Do not recommend.
December 3, 2021
Another excellent love story
Alec and Grace’s story was a bit different from some of the other Brooke St. James books I’ve read, but it was one of the best. I just love this innocent style of writing!!
Alec and Grace’s story was a bit different from some of the other Brooke St. James books I’ve read, but it was one of the best. I just love this innocent style of writing!!
October 13, 2022
3.5 stars truly but we can round up... overall this was a cute second chance story. There were parts that I felt were poorly written and there were a few situations that seemed a bit odd but in the end, it made me smile several times and I'm a sucker for a happily ever after ❤️
July 5, 2023
Best to read first book first, because they're twin brothers. Grace and Alex have history, and a lot of growing up had to happen first before they got back together. Clean romance and very sweet. Good message about how God can use all of us.
December 20, 2024
Some sensual descriptions of kissing scenes. The whole drama with "Sarah" was really out of nowhere and just too intense for where I wanted this book to go, even for just that scene it just seemed out of place, otherwise I would have rated it higher.
November 15, 2021
Beautiful Love Story
This is a an amazing and interesting love story with endearing and redeemable characters that will have you rooting for their happily ever after.
This is a an amazing and interesting love story with endearing and redeemable characters that will have you rooting for their happily ever after.
August 3, 2022
Review of How to Tame a Heart Breaker
This was a fun book to read. I loved how it talked about repentance and forgiveness. I love clean romances with good values.
This was a fun book to read. I loved how it talked about repentance and forgiveness. I love clean romances with good values.
September 23, 2025
OK
So for me I wasn't sure if this was a 3 or 4 star. The past several books have been so well written and then this one reverts back to double speak and very ya genre feel. It hits within the first few pages and for me (spoiler alert) it was done. Yes it had drama further in and sweetness throughout but....
I always enjoy reading Ms. St. James even though I'm way out of the young adult stage of my life. Will be interested to see where it shall I say whom she chooses next.
So for me I wasn't sure if this was a 3 or 4 star. The past several books have been so well written and then this one reverts back to double speak and very ya genre feel. It hits within the first few pages and for me (spoiler alert) it was done. Yes it had drama further in and sweetness throughout but....
I always enjoy reading Ms. St. James even though I'm way out of the young adult stage of my life. Will be interested to see where it shall I say whom she chooses next.
May 11, 2022
I love ALL Brook St James’s books - this one included. Please tell me you have more being written? I keep looking for them on Amazon
I’m a Christian & love each way the characters turn to the Lord Jesus no matter where they are. Thank you for your stories & how real your characters are.
I’m a Christian & love each way the characters turn to the Lord Jesus no matter where they are. Thank you for your stories & how real your characters are.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews