Blurb:
Brady…
What the hell do I know about raising a baby? Nothing. Not a goddamn thing.
Yet here I am, the sole guardian of my niece. I’d be lost if it weren’t for Katherine, the beautiful girl who seems to have all the answers. Katherine, who’s slowly finding her way into my cynical heart.
I keep reminding myself that I can’t fall for someone when we don’t have a future. But telling myself this lie and believing it are two different things.
Katherine…
When Brady shows up on a Harley, looking like an avenging angel—six feet, three inches of chiseled muscle, eyes the color of wild sage, and sun-kissed skin emblazoned with tattoos—I’m not sure if I should fall at his feet or run like hell. Because if I tell him what happened the night his family died, he might hate me.
What I don’t count on are the nights we spend together trying to forget the heartache that brought us here. I promise him it won’t mean anything, that I won’t fall in love.
I shouldn’t make promises I can’t keep.
Shameless is an adult contemporary romance/spinoff featuring a character from The Dearest Series, but it can be read as a complete standalone.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1UaR0Fq
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/23SE2CC
Universal Amazon link: http://myBook.to/Shameless
B&N: http://bit.ly/1VnRtFy
Kobo: http://bit.ly/248KdiD
iBooks: http://apple.co/1S3GPBl
Also Available:
The Dearest Series Boxed Set is FREE on KU for a limited time. Get all three Dearest Series books, including Dearest Clementine, Finding Dandelion and Kissing Madeline, as well as Dearest Series bonus scenes and the first chapter of Shameless.
US: http://amzn.to/1U0pB97
UK: http://amzn.to/1YBClSN
Universal Amazon link: http://myBook.to/DearestSeries
http://amzn.to/1VM8ZUo
Kristine's Review:
Reviewed: April 2016.
Brady isn't the kind of man who chases women, he's never really needed to, there was a time when he lusted after his close friend Dani, despite knowing she would never feel the same way, when she found happiness with someone that wasn't him, he nursed his bruised male pride and moved on, he had bigger things to worry about than women, like his dad's ailing health and crumbling family business, his brother had left town to study in order to be an asset to their fathers business, but instead had met a woman and eloped and was now a young father himself, with no intention of returning home Brady faced a future of sacrificing his passion in order to support his father and mother by taking over the family business. Brady is tired, he's worn out, he's frustrated and angry, once again he's stepping up to support everyone else's choices with little regard given to what he truly wants.
A phone call in the middle of the night changes everything for Brady, suddenly he's second guessing himself, he's rethinking every cross word, every heated thought, his baby brother Cal is gone and his last thoughts of him were filled with anger and frustration, there's a heady sense of loss, one the reader feels acutely. With the mounting pressure of a sick father, a family business haemorrhaging money, a dead brother and an estate to deal with Brady heads to Cal and Melissa's farm to try and say goodbye the only way he can.
"Death does that. Sticks everything under a magnifying glass and makes each scratch or cut feel like a gaping wound."
Brady isn't the only person who lost someone that dark night when Cal and Melissa died, Melissa was more than just Katherine's best friend, she was her confidante, her support system, Cal, Melissa and their daughter Isabella were her family, her sense of peace, her safe haven when her world was rocked once before. Katherine found a home with them, she loves Isabella like her own, standing in to care for her after her parents sudden death was never an issue, her bond with the little girl unquestionable, grieving for the loss they both feel so acutely, they are tethered to one another.
"Her chubby little cheek drops to my shoulder, and it's all I can do to keep from breaking down myself."
There's a familiarity between Kat and Brady, one borne out of experiencing the same grief, living through the same nightmare, wishing they would wake up and Cal and Melissa were still alive, that Brady was only visiting, that Isabella still had two parents. Grief and loss weigh heavily on both of them, struggling to keep the farm running, caring for a baby girl, processing and dealing with their own sense of grief, Brady and Kat circle each other, doing what's needs to get, focusing on just making it through, the connection between them growing deeper each day, their chemistry is undeniable, in another time and another place, they would be perfect for one another. Regrettably they are not the care free young adults they should be, Brady is facing the brunt of familial financial expectation, as well as guardianship of his baby niece Izzy, and Kat has secrets that weight heavily on her mind. Finding solace and support in each other is inevitable, an intimate connection borne out of need that would end when Brady and Katherine returned to their own homes.
"Because in another lifetime, in a parallel world - one where he doesn't live on the other side of the country - I think he's the kind of man I could love."
From the title, I expected Shameless to be quick, sexy ride...boyyyy was I wrong, the author demonstrates her range here, making the reader every second of that bleak, shrouded sense of pain and loss, from the very first moments we feel something building, and when that phone rings, it's the feeling of dread, of anguish, of powerlessness, the loss so acute, the pain so real, that you can feel it wash over you, leaving you feel like you're treading water, just trying to stay afloat right along with Brady and Kat. Ms Martin weaves moments of hilarity through the tapestry she created, the connection they share going beyond purely physical attraction, it's a recognition of each other on a soul deep level, the ability to provide comfort and understanding to one another when they both feel so utterly alone. There's a rawness there that makes it impossible to look away, and utterly mesmerising to watch. Set against the backdrop of farm life, complete with animals to care for, Shameless tells the story of love and loss, of hope and most importantly reminds the reader that even after the darkest storms, there's a rainbow.
About Lex Martin:
Lex writes adult novels, the sexy kind with lotsa angst, a whole lotta kissing, and the hot happily ever afters. When she's not writing, she lives a parallel life as an English teacher. She loves printing black and white photos, listening to music on vinyl, and getting lost in a great book. Bitten by wanderlust, she's lived all over the country but currently resides in the City of Angels with her husband and twin daughters.
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