Whitestone, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/17/2015 -- When Cheryl Madeleine Lodico was just nineteen, her boss made a pass at her, launching Lodico into a tumultuous self-battle to decide whether or not to leave the incident unreported. With the blessing of her parents, Lodico put it down to one rogue man. In her new novel, she pushes the incident to the nth degree, forcing readers to explore the unspoken conflicts associated with finding love.

Everything is fictionalized in 'Just a Kiss', which puts more than a few twists into the fray of the romance genre.

Synopsis:

"Just a Kiss" is the story of Carolyn Kahn and Bruce Donovan, two seemingly star-crossed lovers. When Bruce Donovan, a young Madison Avenue executive and the son of advertising mogul Kent Donovan, impulsively kisses Carolyn, a young college student working for Bruce, all kinds of sparks fly. When Carolyn tells her parents what happened, she is persuaded by her father to confront the Donovans and threaten to press sexual harassment charges.

Although a win-win out-of-court solution eventually seems to be reached in the opinion of Kent and Phil (Carolyn's father), Bruce and Carolyn are devastated. Running into each other in the most unpredictable of places, they realize that they are falling in love, but they know that their relationship must be kept secret. Filled with humor, pathos, and the resilience of young love, "Just a Kiss" is a warm and sweet romance that brings us back to the wonder and excitement of our own first love and lost youth.

"It's inevitable that, when two young people meet, friends and family will disapprove for a myriad of different reasons. The conflict this creates becomes the cornerstone of this new novel," explains Lodico. "It's a humorous and at times poignant way to showcase the difficulties in finding true love; something many young people are either unaware of or unprepared to handle."

Continuing, "It's vital they understand that conflict with those they love could be around the corner, and that choosing to fight through it isn't a bad thing. The key, as the book depicts, is to fight it in a measured and mature way so that existing relationships are strengthened rather than salvaged. The ultimate message is that, if true love has been found, it will emerge victorious over any adversity."

Since its release, the book has garnered a string of rave reviews.

For example, one Amazon reader comments, ""Just A Kiss" is easy to relate to if we have ever been in love and experienced a lot of obstacles and challenges along the way. I found the many twists and turns compelling enough to finish the novel in two sittings. I was especially intrigued when I discovered that the inspiration of the novel was a real-life incident that the author herself experienced. I highly recommend the book for anyone who enjoys light romance and an enjoyable reading experience."

'Just a Kiss', from Xlibris, is available now: http://bit.ly/1EkDN2g.

About Cheryl Madeleine Lodico
Cheryl Madeleine Lodico completed her undergraduate studies at Cortland State College and received her master's degree from Queens College just a few years later. She taught middle school English for thirty years at Lawrence Middle School on the south shore of Long Island and took early retirement so that she could fulfill her lifetime dream of being a fulltime author. "Just a Kiss" is her sixteenth published book. Mrs. Lodico lives with her husband, Manny, in Whitestone, Queens, where they spend considerable time with their grown children and their three bright and precocious grandchildren. In her spare time, Mrs. Lodico reads, sketches, paints, and does volunteer work for her community.