~ Synopsis ~
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.
~ Book Links ~
~ Review ~
4 Stars
I was really looking forward to this book. But it was really hard for me to get into.
Lisa is trying to finally come out of the lie she's been
living since her true identity came out.
People don't know the real reason she is in hiding. Only Gabe does. Even now he doesn't know everything because
Lisa doesn't want to bother him now that he is happy and married. She wants what all her friends has, but she
can't let guys get close to her. What
happens when the one guy she lets close is forbidden? Can she finally be happy?
Tristan is out to find the truth. But the truth to what? Does he even know? All he knows is once he sets his eyes on Lisa
he wants to know everything about her.
He is hiding a huge secret though.
He doesn't know how to tell her and if she finds out it may destroy
her. Can he keep it from her? Will he tell her?
This book is a lot to do with bullying. It was a good read,
but it kist wasn't something that pulled me in for some reason. I recommend that you read it though. It may speak to you.
I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against hers. A shaky breath escaped her lips. “I’m going to kiss you now.”
“Are you trying to prepare me or ask permission?” she whispered, her voice beckoning me like a siren’s call.
“Both.” My lips hovered near hers. “I figure it’s only fair.”
“Fair?” She pulled back slightly. “How so?”
“Ten thousand.” I angled my head and watched the pulse jump on her neck. “That’s how many nerve endings, on average, are in your lips. Consequently, when your body anticipates pleasure, the build-up is the best part. Imagine, those ten thousand nerves are swelling, allowing blood to surge through them in anticipation of… what?” I swept my tongue across her lower lip and whispered, “Of being touched. I ask permission, not because I’m being a gentleman. It’s actually the complete opposite. I ask permission so your brain anticipates the pleasure before I’ve ever even touched you.”
I tasted her lower lip again and abruptly dipped my tongue into her mouth. Then just as quickly retreated. “The human body is an instrument. Know how to master it… and well…” I let my voice drop as I moved my hands slowly to her shoulders and tugged her body flush against mine. Our mouths met softly at first. I deepened the kiss, memorizing her taste, knowing I wouldn’t experience a kiss like this again in my lifetime. The way her scent, her soft moans destroyed my body, wrecked me from the deepest part of me, was nothing short of life-altering.
And I’d like to think I’d kissed a lot of women.
I’d studied the psychology of sexuality.
I was an expert in pleasure.
But she was schooling me, absolutely wreaking havoc on every logical thought as her soft whimper cascaded over me. Blood surged through my body as it tightened with awareness at her proximity.
She pulled back, her lips swollen. “That was… not a good enough warning.”
Laughing softly, I cupped the back of her head and gently drew it toward mine and kissed her again, angling my lips differently, searching her, consuming her, drawing pleasure from her lips as if it was my life goal to discover every single secret she owned.
Her arms wrapped around my neck. She was shy; she didn’t push against me, didn’t wrap her legs around me or moan into my mouth like I was having sex with her rather than kissing her.
My hands moved down her corset to her hips, and I lifted her into the air and walked her backward toward the brick wall. The whole time, our masks collided. In frustration, I ripped hers off, then mine. The shadows of moonlight hid our faces as I kissed her harder, losing myself in her.
Her nails dug at the back of my neck as she jerked my head harder. Groaning, I let her fall to the ground as I placed my hands on the brick wall to keep myself from ripping the dress from her body.
Shouting started from the ballroom.
“Ten, nine…!”
“Eight,” I whispered against her mouth. “Seven.”
“Six.” She sighed, her breathing labored as her tongue found mine again. “Five.”
“Four, three.” I pulled back and trailed kisses down her neck.
“Two.”
We broke apart, both breathing heavy. “One.”
People burst out onto the balcony as the fireworks started, lighting up the sky. And our faces.
And the only thing I could say as she gasped in horror was “Oh, shit.”
~ Author Bio ~
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
~ Social Media Links ~
