Everything done in darkness, will eventually be brought into the light.
I ran, but all it did was keep me one step ahead of my past. I tried to start over; new name, new identity. But you can't change your soul.A fresh start at college was just what I needed. For a while, it worked. I was the party girl, the one that seemed confident, but it was a lie.
When guys kissed me--I felt only pain.
When they touched me--Nothing but fear.
Deep inside, every girl wants to be the beauty in the story, to find someone that will see you as their world.
But the truth? I was the beast. And as much as I wanted redemption, I wasn't fool enough to think I'd ever get it.
Until he walked into my life.
I wasn't prepared to fall for someone. My scars were too deep, the wounds too raw. But he offered me peace, he offered me security. I should have known it was just another lie--I should have known that falling in love with my professor was a bad idea. But I was powerless to stop myself from falling. And he was powerless to catch me.
Because the darkness finally caught up to me, and as fate would have it, a cruel twist almost bled me dry. But I'm stronger than I knew. I'm stronger than you think.
You think you know my story, but you don't....after all everyone has Shame in their lives-- and I'm no longer afraid to show you mine.
ADD TO GOODREADS HERE
Shame by Rachel Van Dyken from Becca the Bibliophile on Vimeo.
Review By Heather
Rachel Van Dyken has killed me again and of
course I loved every minute of it! Shame, book 3 in the Ruin series, is Lisa’s
story and after learning a little more about her in Toxic I could not wait to
get my hands on this book.
Rachel Van Dyken is a fictional genius!
Lisa’s story is quite complex and very riveting I wasn’t able to put it down
and if the house was on fire I most likely would not have even noticed- the
book was that good.
Lisa aka Melanie has a jaded past and when
we learn exactly what it was she ran from it was shocking to say the very
least. Lisa carried a lot of shame, guilt and blame for what she did and the
many lives that were changed by her actions.
Tristan, Lisa’s college professor is hiding
a huge secret. His heart is full of rage and craves vengeance until he meets
Lisa and really gets to know her- then his heart is conflicted. Does he
continue on his path to destroy or does he protect that one person that seems
to get him?
Shame hooked me in from beginning to end.
The plot lines were amazing and the writing just sucked me in from the
prologue. Rachel’s style of writing is what makes her one of my favorites.
Shame is funny, smart and sexy. In this
book there was much more suspense and a few WTF moments. I could really feel for the characters and
their struggles dealing with the shame and guilt of her past and his present.
The camaraderie between the core Ruin
characters- Game, Kiersten, Wes and Lisa is one thing that really drew me to
this series and the fact that they are more of like a family really shines
through in this book.
I HIGHLY recommend reading this series and
read it in order. Shame by far is the best book in this series and sorry to say
but Wes I have a new book boyfriend now- Tristan!
5 STAR READ 100%. This book was an amazing
addition to the Ruin series. Rachel has done it again and added so much more to
this series than I ever thought possible. This was a fantastic read and well
worth the wait!! This book can absolutely be read as a standalone because
Rachel was able to recap the past story lines with absolutely no confusion and
the effort was well appreciated.
Tristan and Lisa were a brilliant choice
for this story line. The way their
individual stories were delicately woven together was flawless. Watching them both struggle individually and
then heal so seamlessly together was beautiful to read. I could envision all of
the angst, fear and triumph as the story unfolded and was glued to the story
from start to finish.
“It won’t be easy,” I whispered. “Letting
you in.” “It won’t be easy,” she repeated. “Keeping you out.” The relationship
that began so softly and without pressure soon became a fire between them that
neither one could deny. I loved watching them build a trust that eventually
help break down the walls that each consumed.
I recommend this book highly. I enjoyed all
of the plot twists and turns and fell in love with this couple. The whole Ruin
series is amazing and this did not fall short at all. It was a wonderful
addition to an already brilliant cast of characters. Rachel as able to bring
out all the feels that hooked me right from the start. The way she writes is
fearless and with total heart and soul and it was clearly evident in this story
line.
Amy. . .5 Stars
It was hard to explain the way he spoke to
me; at times he was flirtatious and well… happy. Other times? It seemed like he
was fighting another side of himself, one that was more reserved, uptight,
controlled. And if you were to ask me which side scared me the most? I’d say
both. Because both sides were dangerous to me — both pushed a person like me
past the point of no return. His seriousness made me curious; his flirtation made
me want more.
“Just dinner?” I asked. “Isn’t that against
the rules?”
“Yeah, well…” He glanced down briefly
before flashing a sensual smile, his eyes dilating. “…it seems to be an impulse
I can’t really control around you.”
“Control’s overrated, you label-making
fool.”
At that he laughed, a rich chuckle that had
my entire body relaxing and heating at the same time. I took a step toward him
and smiled. “So, rule-breaker, where are we going?”
He grabbed his messenger bag and keys.
“You’ll see.”
“Cryptic.” My eyebrows arched as I crossed
my arms over my chest. “This isn’t going to turn into one of those six o‘clock
news things where the crazy professor takes the girl out then buries her in the
woods, is it?” I tried to sound like I was joking, but the minute the words
left my mouth, it was no longer funny. Suddenly, I realized how stupid it would
be to go with him. I knew nothing about him, nothing at all!
He smiled, tilting his head toward me. “Why
am I getting the sudden urge to pull out a list of character references?”
“Because I just scared myself,” I admitted
out loud.
“You want my social security number?” He
winked. “Credit score? First grade class photo? Oh, and by the way, in first
grade I was nominated most likely to own a pet store… so, if you aren’t okay
with that, we probably shouldn’t continue this.”
“This?”
“Dinner.”
“Because you liked pets?”
“I wanted to own a lizard farm.”
I covered my mouth with my hands and nodded
solemnly. “All little boys have dreams.”
“A bully crushed mine when he told me
lizard farms don’t exist.” He shook his head. “In second grade I was voted
least likely to succeed, on account that I didn’t speak for the entire year.”
“Why’s that?” I took another step toward
him.
He took another step in my direction and
shrugged. “It took me a while to get over the lizards.”
“So you stopped speaking?”
“It was more of me trying to make the
public aware of my outrage.”
“Ah, like lizard strike.”
“I made shirts.”
“Tell me, professor, is that when the
label-making started?”
“No.” He nodded toward the door and started
walking. I followed, genuinely interested in what he was going to say and
hating that it was possible he was stringing me along only to go all
cold-crazy-psycho on me again. “That was an entirely different situation.” He
pulled the door open.
“What? No more stories?” I asked.
“Dinner.” He shrugged, his eyes a stormy
gray. “I’ll tell you at dinner.”
“Bribery.”
“My trump card. Label-maker stories. You
know, I do actually know how to romance a woman.”
“Well...” I cleared my throat and broke eye
contact. “…since I’m your student, I’ll just take your word for it.”
“Right,” he said quickly then repeated,
“Right, shall we?”
“Lead the way.” I forced a smile and tried
to remember that this was dinner, nothing romantic, just my very sexy professor
once again apologizing for being a jackass during class.
Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and their snoring Boxer, Sir
Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers! You can follow her writing
journey at www.rachelvandykenauthor.com
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