Welcome to the Blog Tour for Chasing Kensie by Drew Taylor, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: Chasing Kensie
Author: Drew Taylor
Publisher: Taylor Made Publishing
Release Date: December 23, 2025
Genre: Contemporary Romance
She moved to Alaska for a fresh start. He made her the object of his wry affection.
Kensington Smith, a high school English teacher fueled by coffee and plaid, looks for the good in people. The hot-but-vexing P.E. teacher and football coach, who is unfortunately her best friend’s older brother, is the exception. When he’s tapped to assist her with the annual Winter Solstice Dance, he rewrites Kensie’s long-held lesson plans of loathing as he reveals the man behind the flirtatious façade.
Nicolas Lancaster has a little thing for the pretentious, people-pleasing English teacher of Crescent Cove High School… a thing where he revels in riling her up. But as his proclivities shift and he chases the heart of the woman he’s taught to despise him, Nick begins to understand the pain behind the practiced smile she dons—a mirror that reflects his own inner demons.
Two hearts. Two histories. One source of Hope.
Chasing Kensie is a Christian contemporary romance sparkling with Alaskan winters, unknown feelings, and a love that will light up the darkest of nights.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub
Book Excerpt
“You can always call me, Kensie.”
“I did think to call you, but…”
“But what?”
“I didn’t want to bother you.”
Nick had a feeling that wasn’t the real reason, but the temperature was steadily plummeting, and they needed to get off this road. Nick crept toward her and gingerly placed his hand on her shoulder. He moved like a sloth so she wouldn’t flinch away.
“You are never a bother to me, Kensington.” Then he tacked on with a cheeky smile, “And even when you are a teensy bit bothersome, it’s never the kind of bothersome that makes me upset with you or makes you a burden to me. It’s the kind of bothersome that makes me a little addicted to experiencing it more.”
Kensie’s jaw dropped open, and she blinked a few times as she comprehended his words. He didn’t give her time for a rebuttal, however. “Here.” He handed her the keys to her car, instructed her on guiding the car, when to softly brake, and how much distance to keep between the two of them when rolling to a stop. Then, the two of them were on their way back to his house, and the entire way, Nick found himself genuinely and wholeheartedly praying aloud for the first time in a long time.
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About the Author
Drew Taylor writes modern closed-door chick-lit romance stories from a Biblical worldview. She believes faith-based romance can be full of heart, humor, healing, and hope while showcasing the reality of our fallen human condition. Her redemptive and engaging stories point to the One who embodies true love–Jesus Christ.
Drew lives in the great state of Mississippi where she teaches high school English. When not teaching or writing, she enjoys reading, baking, researching conspiracy theories, and spending quality time with the people who mean the most to her.
Connect with Drew by visiting drewtaylorwrites.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email updates.
Author Interview
Q: What inspired you to write
Chasing Kensie?
Drew: Living in Alaska for three years inspired me to write
Chasing Kensie! The school I taught at, the people I grew to call family, and the place that felt like home all found their way into this novel as I finished it in the blistering summer Mississippi heat. It’s a love letter to Alaska and my experiences there, ultimately.
Q: How long did it take to write this book?
Drew: I started drafting this book during the summer of 2024, but I put it on hold when the idea for my previous novel,
Reverie (released June 2025), took over. I’m so thankful God—in His perfect wisdom—interrupted my plans to publish
Chasing Kensie first. This novel wouldn’t be what it is today if I had opted to publish it before
Reverie. Big picture,
Reverie needed to happen first. I started working on
Chasing Kensie again after moving back to Mississippi in June 2025. *I think* it was a total of 7-8 months of writing, editing, and prepping the launch.
Q: What surprised you while researching/writing this novel?
Drew: I honestly didn’t have to do much research for this one. As a high school English teacher myself, I’m pretty familiar with a school setting! Living in Alaska was enough experience to capture the setting and vibe of the story. I researched character wounds because what my FMC has been through is foreign to me. I wasn’t surprised necessarily, but I was brought to tears while reading several domestic violence survivor stories. Humanity is dark, corrupted, and sinful, and it makes me that much more thankful for Jesus Christ, our Savior, who brings us into the Light.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote from
Chasing Kensie?
Drew: Oh goodness, this is difficult. I have several for very different reasons! As far as romance goes, I love it when Kensie asks Nick what his favorite constellation is, and he responds, “The one found in the freckles across your face.” That moment warms my heart because, growing up, I was ashamed of my freckles and saw them as blemishes rather than something to love.
In terms of faith, my favorite moment is when Nick breaks down to Kensie and talks about getting right with God, but he makes it sound like God must care about him only because Kensie is with him. Kensie replies, “This isn’t about me, Nick. Even if I wasn’t here in this moment, God still cares about you, and He’s waiting for you to run back to Him.” I love how Kensie keeps it about Nick and God, taking herself out of the equation.
If I had to choose one to top them all, though, I would say the quote, “Love him like Jesus,” takes the cake. It’s the heartbeat of the novel and a reminder to us all to love and see others the way that Jesus does.
Q: When did you first know you wanted to be an author?
Drew: Typical of many authors, I’ve always loved writing. However, my writing was confined to story-like lyrics, super short stories, and academic writing. I never really thought I’d write a book, though I did think it would be cool. I started dabbling with a novel concept in 2018, but I couldn’t get past the first few chapters. In 2019, I decided to commit to finishing a novel, but then the pandemic hit, and the dystopian world I was building felt a little too real! It was at this time that I found closed-door rom-coms, and I decided I could write one, but with Jesus at the heart of it. Through a couple of years of writing and rewriting, editing, learning to self-publish, and building a platform, I began to gain confidence that I would finally finish a novel. Voila! My debut rom-com novel,
The Politics of Christmas, was born, and now, by God’s favor and grace, it’s optioned for film by producers Ashley Williams Allen and Cami Kinahan! For any aspiring Christian authors out there, take the leap of faith! You never know what God is going to do with your obedience.
Q: Would you share something about yourself that most readers wouldn’t know?
Drew: Hmm, I’m one of those “open book” types of people because I use my stories of redemption and life struggles to minister to my readers, not only through fiction but also through social media. I guess something people might not realize about me is that I don’t simply talk politics on my social media for the heck of it; I majored in political science, minored in history, and once had my sights set on constitutional law! That’s why my very first book had a political layer—I wanted to explore a version of me who actually went into politics instead of teaching. Aristotle once said that politics is the study of the soul, which means everything we do, say, and think is political. Politics is simply a worldview, and I have a mission to persuade more Christians to be involved in the government arena because we need the biblical worldview present in our legislation at every level of government. The more Christians who raise a voice, the more confident and bold we will all feel doing it! There is strength in numbers, and Christians have been booted from the arena for too long.
Q: What are you currently reading?
Drew: At this moment, I have several books I’m reading because I’m a total mood reader!
- Terms and Traditions by Morgan Giesbrecht (CF–romantic comedy–ebook)
- Wonder of Wonders by B. M. Baker (CF–romantic comedy–ebook)
- Crossfire at the Precipice by Hannah Hood Lucero (CF–military romantic suspense–paperback)
- Even If It Hurts by Molly Barlowe (romantic suspense–audio)
- I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist by Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek (nonfiction–Christian apologetics–paperback)
Q: What is your favorite genre to read?
Drew: Anything with romance! I love romantic suspense, romantic comedy, women’s fiction with a thread of romance, romantasy, and, admittedly, very rarely, historical.
Q: What is your favorite hobby?
Drew: Hobbies? What are those? My life is teaching, college essays, writing, and marketing, haha. Okay, in my free time, when not using it to read, I love digging into conspiracy theories (not saying I believe them all!), writing poetry, and loving on my plants and cat. Yeah, not real hobbies, I guess, lol.
Q: What is your favorite season and why?
Drew: Autumn – the colors, bonfires, apple cider, smores, pumpkins, sweaters… I love it all. It’s the beginning of slowing down and resetting, and well, living in Mississippi, it’s also nice to know cooler weather is on the way!
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive signed paperback copies of Chasing Kensie and Reverie with book swag plus a $25 Amazon Gift Card or Coffee Gift Card of winner’s choice!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight January 5, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on January 12, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
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