Sometimes moving into a new future means letting go of the past. If two clashing agents of change can change they way they see each other – they might just change the world for good, and build a beautiful future together.
Attorney Sharon Beckett worked hard to lift her life out of the gutter. Her shameful scandalous past keeps her out of the limelight and firmly on the side of the … the side of the establishment. And nothing else. In her mind, a pro-bono case for a skid row non-profit is the opposite of career advancement, but she’ll do what she must to climb that last corporate rung.
Passionate and angry social worker Kent Sawyer is determined to save troubled street kids by opening a much-needed shelter. But getting development approval depends on forging an unlikely alliance with a beautiful cold-hearted ice princess.
Scandal-averse Sharon, assigned to Kent’s project, could take on corrupt city officials and greedy developers to help him succeed, but she won’t. Until secrets from her past surface, and a dark turn of events forces her hand.
Can Sharon and Kent put their differences aside and learn to work together for the greater good, or will Kent’s dreams of righting the past by brightening the future implode before they even break ground?
Before You Knew Me is a full length stand alone novel and can be read independently of other books in the Having It All series.
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A heartfelt story of two different very different persons that discover a strong attraction between themselves. They are brought together fighting for their ideals, although each of them expresses these ideas in different ways and cope with delicate and stressful situations in a totally different manner. Through their effort, they enable a community to fight for their dream and to bring down a whole lot of city employees that were not doing their jobs in an appropriate manner. Their past is also put in check and solved. A very relatable story with strong community beliefs which has also as a backdrop a love story. A very entertaining read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The third book in the Having It All Book series a well written story that kept me turning pages. Attorney Sharon Beckett and social worker Kent Sawyer’s story of lies, drama, a villain, suspense, and romance. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Thank you to the author for a free review copy of this book!
Would you like to read a heartfelt yet sexy romance that will also give you the warm fuzzies? Then you are in the right place! This book has so many facets to it – it’s adorable, sexy, suspenseful, it has everything! The story follows hotheaded social worker Kent and ice queen lawyer Sharon as they try to save the plans for a much needed teen shelter. Over the course of the books they go from clashing to grudgingly working together to something more.
The way that MaryAnn creates characters is my absolute favorite. They seem so realistic and fleshed out that I just want to jump in and help them out! Everything is also very well researched, which as a reader is another thing that I appreciate. I love that attention to detail. Overall, this is a fantastic book and I would highly recommend that you check it out!
The great character and storyline development kept me totally engaged throughout the entire book! I look forward to reading more from this author!
This is my first time reading something by this author and it definitely won’t be my last. This is not only an entertaining story, but one that also has a lot of depth. It sheds light on the more gritty aspects of the world such as prostitution and drug use, and homelessness. You also get a taste of the power of money and corruption in the legal system. I was captivated by this story right from the beginning and could not put it down. Romance and suspense are the name of the game in this intriguing and well-written story. The author has done a good job of bringing attention to some important issues. This is a heartfelt and realistic read I would definitely recommend.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Intense and complex issues make for a page turning read. Interesting characters with issues they each have to deal with to move forward. There are some secrets and drama. Good read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
An outstanding opposites attract romance! Full of emotion, a heartfelt story about Kent and Sharon, great characters!!!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Sharon Beckett is working to better herself. A hard struggling attorney wanting to make partnership in a great firm. She carefully checks and double checks her cases and files. Then, a derailment, she has to work on a pro bono case for the underprivileged in a land dispute. After meeting with Kent Sawyer, social worker, she can feel her partnership fly out the window. Her family has a background which she has been working around. Then, she finds out friends were not really her friends, along with maybe her father was innocent after all. A very interesting book which is well written and the characters blending with the plot. Recommend this read.
A must-read!
This book brings to light certain problems in society, which I think is very important. However, whilst it is a very good book, it is not a light read, so just keep that in mind.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Author Clarke creates an amazing past, present, and future for out main character Sharon. Sharon tries to keep her nose clean, hangs her head low, minds her own business. Because in the past she had enough bad attention to last the rest of her life time. But to get ahead in her career she knows she needs to assert herself more in the fast paced world of attorneys. She takes a pro-bono case in hopes of some name recognition.
Enter out familiar enemies to lovers troupe. Kent is a social fighter, keeps humans living on the fringes of society in the lime light.
the romance is simple enough but like i said in the beginning, it is how the author layered the characters that make it a great r
I loved the dynamics between Kent and Sharon they are total opposites but sparks will fly as tey get to know each other. The storyline is well developed and kept me turning the pages.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Before You Knew Me is definitely a stand alone novel. This is the first book I’ve read in the Having It All series, and I think previous series characters are mentioned in this story but don’t actually make an appearance. You can definitely enjoy this one without having read the others.
This was the first book I’ve read by MaryAnn Clarke and I would be interested in reading more in the future. I thought there was an interesting premise. I would have liked to see a little bit more humor in the story as the events were heavy at times.
I received a copy of this book at my request, and the opinions here are my own.
I had a hard time with this book as the male leads personality reminded me a lot of my ex and of all the reasons why we aren’t together anymore. This was my first encounter with this author and although I had a hard time with it I would be willing to read more. The story was well written, the characters well defined. Everything did seem to work out well for the main characters. Of course there are lots of bumps along the way.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the 2nd book I’ve read written by MaryAnn Clarke; she has done a great job at writing a good book; I can’t wait to read more of her books.
The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.
I loved the characters.
I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.
Important social issues and romance too
Before You Knew Me brings a window on the poor, damaged and disenfranchised in Vancouver in a fictional romance between up and coming attorney Sharon and firebrand social worker Kent. I particularly enjoyed the suspenseful preparation of Sharon’s case as she fights bureaucratic officials in City Hall. And Sharon’s traumatic adolescence and tragic estrangement from her father were truly touching, making her a tragic figure with an opportunity to make amends, better late than never.
Kent, the lead male, was not an easy character to like. I found his idealism gave him a hardness, rigidity and chip on his shoulder that even veered to explosive fits and violence. He’s got major family issues and for good reason. Even his do-gooder mother does not seem able to support him at home when he’s under attack. Not people I’d want for neighbors. Basically, Kent is a guy you don’t want to cross or disappoint and I would be leery of a relationship with a guy that volatile.
Most characters in the story had real flaws and challenges, but, other than a few out and out villains like RJ, you want them to surmount their issues and win the fight. The ending is hopeful and overall it was a good story with some really exciting action segments, a few extended love scenes, and some memorable characters.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book provided through StoryOrigin; this is my voluntary and honest review.
Gritty story about political corruption, social justice /activism issues and rediscovering yourself. Sharon and Kent are very different individuals yet struggle with similar demons from their past. As their relationship evolved, I found it fluctuated from hot to cold- which didn’t really work for me. Sharon was introverted thoughtful and predictable while Kent seemed like a stubborn hothead vigilante. I noted that uncomfortable imagery of all things associated with poverty, homelessness, addiction, prostitution, violence and overall helplessness of vulnerable populations was a regular backdrop of this story. Despite this, I really did enjoy the suspense as Sharon was piecing together her legal case to assist the homeless shelter/school. The ending was quite satisfying and provides closure for several issues raised.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
“Before you knew me” by MaryAnn Clarke is part three within the “Having it all”-series, but it is a standalone in itself. I was able to read the book just fine, without any knowldedge on what happened before in the previous books. I also got the impression, that there are not any / many interconnections between this book and the previous ones.
The center of the story is Sharon, who is a junio-partner at a lawfirm and she has to take over a pro-bono case in order to kinda step up to senior-partner.
But the case she is assigned to, is explosiv. She has to represent a community center, who were promised certain building within Vancouver to extend their social support. But a different firm of investors made some shady deal with the city representatives to get the building. And now she has to fight against them. Helping her is Kent Sawyer, who is a very idealistic social worker, who is doing everything in his power to secure the building and help the community, as he fights against corruption.
During the story, Sharon is more and more blooming up and no longer hiding behind the law, but also fighting for what is right. But only because it involves her directly, due to a very important event in her childhood.
Kent (as mentioned) is very idealistic in his opinions, even though he comes from a more wealthy family, he is doing everything to build up the community and helping those who are weak.
Therefore those two could not be more different, but already during their first meeting they feel this gravity pull towards each other.
But unfortunately this was not really convincing for me. Or not really relatable.
In general the whole love story between those too, was not really convincing. They didn’t have much interaction between each other, but suddenly they are super in love with each other. This just didn’t compute to me.
Also I didn’t really get in a reading flow with the book, that I was debating several times, whether I will continue or just not finish the book. The deciding factor why I continued was more about the overall story and what happens with the law case, than the love story aspect. Especially as this case seems to be somewhat interconnected with Sharons past, that I was curious on what happened and why those things happened back than.
In this aspect there were also some questions raised, which never really got answered, like what was the motivation of the “villian” to do the things that were done, in the past as well as in the present. Also who called Sharon and why shortly before her near-accident.
Like I said just the style of writing was not really my cup of tea. Even though lots of descriptions were used, nothing much was said. I just could’t get into the flow.
Nevertheless I would like to thank the author for an providing an ARC in exchange of an honest review.