Shameless by Rebecca J. Clark

3 columns: Worthy Read

Buy it at Amazon

Publisher: Rebecca J. Clark, December 2012

Blurb

Haunted by a tragic accident 20 years ago, John Everest knows he doesn't deserve a family of his own, so he spends his days building the most successful fitness franchise in Seattle...and his nights alone. But that all changes when Samantha Rossi storms back into his life.

Happily single, Samantha feels there are only two types of men in this world: those who are good for nothing and those who are good for one thing. Now she needs that one thing desperately, because she wants a baby. John, a man from her past, is the perfect donor. He doesn't want children. He doesn't want a wife. He just wants her body. She can deal with that.

John agrees to Samantha's no-strings-attached proposal, never expecting to fall for the fiery beauty he'd wronged so many years ago. It'll take more than a shameless proposal to overcome their tragic past, but with a little luck and forgiveness, anything is possible.

Review

Airmid, Lady of Speed Reading, was pleased to read a story with such a sexy premise. She applauded Samantha Rossi's strength and conviction to become a single mother and yet puzzled over Sam's flamboyance and loudly promiscuous advances as she attempted to seduce John Everest once she had decided to invite him to be the sperm donor for her hoped-for child. Samantha's reasoning for her outward appearance and behavior was rooted in her teenage years when she let herself go due to the traumatic events of that one fateful night. So, in order to keep in shape and remind herself not to let that happen again, she wore tight-fitting clothes to alert herself should she put on a few extra pounds. The lady can understand those who use trellises and arbors to train their vines, shrubs and trees, but the realities of nature make this a lovely, yet false impression of the individual. As the story progressed Samantha abandoned those outward features and became someone entirely different. Airmid would have been able to better accept this transformation had Sam admitted from the outset that this was not who she truly was. Airmid admired the way John Everest was portrayed as a caring and thoughtful, and yet he was also demanding of Sam and determined to get the most out of their temporary relationship. Both Sam and John were enigmatic characters, as unpredictable as a bloom of mold on a good patch of tansy and rue.

Airmid was delighted with the secondary characters in the story who carried many scenes where the main characters became less than sympathetic as they failed to find a way to work out their differences and a rift grew between the lovers. The flow of the story was somewhat disjointed, like an ordered bed of herbs left to go wild for a few seasons. Some secondary characters, such as dear Brian, who reminded Airmid much of her beloved and brave brother, Miach, were introduced, and Airmid became quite attached to them, but then they disappeared for a long, lonely time leaving the lady to grieve over their whereabouts and worry what had become of them. Thankfully, they eventually reappeared, though the lady still grieves for Brian's outcome. After finishing the story and with its wonderfully satisfying ending, Airmid decided that there were really two stories in one. The first story had to do with Samatha's brave, bold goal of having a child and the second story had to do with John's growth beyond the terrible events of his youth that made it possible for him to finally find peace and happiness.

The lady Airmid will make one further suggestion to the author and that is not to summarize or skim over scenes that the reader and the lady were looking forward to experiencing in person. One scene that Airmid was disappointed not to find in the book was the scene where Sam announced her pregnancy to John, ending their temporary relationship. The anticipation of this scene was strong in the lady's mind and she was sorely disappointed to find that she was not able to harvest the fruit of the lovely tensions that the author had built toward that scene. Airmid realizes that the story took place over a long period of time and that some summarizing would be needed, but she suggests that if authors are going to build up the anticipation for an announcement they should deliver on that promise and allow the reader to see the scene in full bloom.

Overall, lady Airmid enjoyed reading the story of bringing together these two worthy people to become parents and share the love and joy of children in their lives. The lovely message put forth by this story is that we must all first forgive and learn to love ourselves before we can learn to love another. The author did a wonderful job of touching Airmid's emotions and she freely shed tears at one or two points in the story. If you are looking for a heart-wrenching and enjoyable story to lose yourself in, you would do well to choose Shameless by Rebecca J. Clark.