Living With Shame (The Irish Bastards: Volume 1) by K.J. Bell
TITLE: Living With Shame
SERIES: (The Irish Bastards: Volume 1)
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
AUTHOR: K.J. Bell
RELEASE DATE: May 15th, 2017
At thirteen, I snuck a kiss.
At sixteen, I fell in love.
At eighteen, I despised loving him.
He lied, cheated and killed. He also protected, provided and gave me solace.
I ran the streets, doing whatever I pleased, until Shame showed up to claim me. For five years, the most notorious street gang in Boston became my family. The day I turned eighteen, I didn't want to leave. My heart belonged to Shame. I simply needed to convince him I was more than the little girl he rescued.
I promised to love him, but could he ever love me back?
Not all love was easy.
Not all love was meant to be.
And not all love could survive.
From the author of The Irreparable Series comes a story of forbidden romance. With all the angst you expect from KJ Bell, Living With Shame will bring you to your knees and have you begging for a happy ending.
At sixteen, I fell in love.
At eighteen, I despised loving him.
He lied, cheated and killed. He also protected, provided and gave me solace.
I ran the streets, doing whatever I pleased, until Shame showed up to claim me. For five years, the most notorious street gang in Boston became my family. The day I turned eighteen, I didn't want to leave. My heart belonged to Shame. I simply needed to convince him I was more than the little girl he rescued.
I promised to love him, but could he ever love me back?
Not all love was easy.
Not all love was meant to be.
And not all love could survive.
From the author of The Irreparable Series comes a story of forbidden romance. With all the angst you expect from KJ Bell, Living With Shame will bring you to your knees and have you begging for a happy ending.
LIVING WITH SHAME: by K.J. Bell is the first book in the (The Irish Bastards #1) series where we’re introduced to thirteen year old Breeze Clery and Shame AKA (Seamus O’Rilley). This is spoken in ‘Dual Perspectives’ and transitioned from ‘Present to Past’ until the very end where we're thrown back into Present time again.
A long and complicated story about a forbidden love between Breeze & Shame (Seamus O’Rilley). But to understand all that we need to go back, back to the past, back to where it all happened.
This starts us off in the future, then swiftly takes us back to how these two star crossed forbidden loves met.
At the age of thirteen Breeze and her bestie were going to a party inside the clubhouse of the Irish Bastards, a gang of hardened thugs who ran the streets of Southie. If asked they were to say they were eighteen because no one under the age of eighteen is permitted within the grounds, that was the one rule the club adhered to.
Walking into the clubhouse that night Breeze felt like she’d finally come home, a feeling unknown to her, a feeling like this is the place she was meant to be, where she belonged.
A long and complicated story about a forbidden love between Breeze & Shame (Seamus O’Rilley). But to understand all that we need to go back, back to the past, back to where it all happened.
This starts us off in the future, then swiftly takes us back to how these two star crossed forbidden loves met.
At the age of thirteen Breeze and her bestie were going to a party inside the clubhouse of the Irish Bastards, a gang of hardened thugs who ran the streets of Southie. If asked they were to say they were eighteen because no one under the age of eighteen is permitted within the grounds, that was the one rule the club adhered to.
Walking into the clubhouse that night Breeze felt like she’d finally come home, a feeling unknown to her, a feeling like this is the place she was meant to be, where she belonged.
Breeze’s mission was to find the man that was the talk on the streets who everyone referred to as ‘Shame’ to see if he stood up to his reputation.
His unruly dark hair begged to be brushed and his urban attire screamed, I’m badass. He had possibly the most beautiful lips I had ever seen on a guy, but his full beard reminded me he was a man.
After being questioned by Shame how old she was and replying that she was eighteen Shame sealed his lips to hers.
At thirteen, I snuck a kiss.
At sixteen, I fell in love.
At eighteen, I despised loving him.
His unruly dark hair begged to be brushed and his urban attire screamed, I’m badass. He had possibly the most beautiful lips I had ever seen on a guy, but his full beard reminded me he was a man.
After being questioned by Shame how old she was and replying that she was eighteen Shame sealed his lips to hers.
At thirteen, I snuck a kiss.
At sixteen, I fell in love.
At eighteen, I despised loving him.
I dipped my head and sealed our mouths together. Her lips tasted as sweet as they smelled. The kiss itself though, so innocent, a sweet-natured longing that meant this girl was forbidden. - SHAME
He knew after that kiss that she wasn’t eighteen, that she was lying to him about her age.
That same night like thieves in the night, they stormed into Breeze’s house because of a debt her father owed to the club and unable to come up with the funds to cover it, as collateral damage he took Breeze as payment for the next five years she works off within the club.
You never knew when love would grab hold of you. I didn't. I never saw it coming with Shame, but love took me hostage the moment I laid eyes on him.
Things aren't easy for Breeze, leaving home was out of her hands, moving in with Shame she was set on a road of unchartered feelings for a man ten years older than her, a push and pull ensued she'd push her feelings on him and every time he'd pull away knowing that it was wrong on more than one level, add in underage and being associated with him could get her into situations where she could be killed.
He knew after that kiss that she wasn’t eighteen, that she was lying to him about her age.
That same night like thieves in the night, they stormed into Breeze’s house because of a debt her father owed to the club and unable to come up with the funds to cover it, as collateral damage he took Breeze as payment for the next five years she works off within the club.
You never knew when love would grab hold of you. I didn't. I never saw it coming with Shame, but love took me hostage the moment I laid eyes on him.
Things aren't easy for Breeze, leaving home was out of her hands, moving in with Shame she was set on a road of unchartered feelings for a man ten years older than her, a push and pull ensued she'd push her feelings on him and every time he'd pull away knowing that it was wrong on more than one level, add in underage and being associated with him could get her into situations where she could be killed.
This review is going to be a jumbled mess, this book put me through the wringer and spat me out the other end leaving me gasping for more. A roller coaster of epic proportions, times I loved Shame others I just wanted to stomp on him, he was a hard guy to connect to, hot, cold, up and down, he gave me the worst case of whiplash I have ever encountered in a guy. And then throw in the feels this book threw at you you're on a fast track of heartfelt emotions.
But for all his shortcomings you kind of fall in love with him along the way. I've never read a book like this before, yes it was centered around a forbidden love, was it dark and gritty to what I'm used to yes in some ways but not fully, most dark bits in the book were glossed over and done so quickly you were left wondering wtf had happened. And these guys do not ride harleys *gasps* not a one!! But the storyline grabs you right from the get go and doesn't let you go until your left dangling needing, craving, wanting, screaming for that next book in the series.
But for all his shortcomings you kind of fall in love with him along the way. I've never read a book like this before, yes it was centered around a forbidden love, was it dark and gritty to what I'm used to yes in some ways but not fully, most dark bits in the book were glossed over and done so quickly you were left wondering wtf had happened. And these guys do not ride harleys *gasps* not a one!! But the storyline grabs you right from the get go and doesn't let you go until your left dangling needing, craving, wanting, screaming for that next book in the series.
