The girl next door. Pretty. Sweet. Kind.Submissive.Until I met her, I was alone with the dark desires that I didn’t understand, that I couldn’t reconcile. She became my best friend, and then she became so much more.Desire. Disgust. Shame.Dominance.I wouldn’t have survived until college without her. When we were together, I was at peace for the first time in my life. But it was too good to last.… first time in my life.
But it was too good to last.
Our appetite for pain and pleasure destroyed us. And all the drinks in the world weren’t enough to get used to missing her.
On the verge of earning my degree, Ana walks back into my life, those gray-blue eyes still able to see right through me. It’s the chance I’ve been waiting for. One last chance to overcome my shame.
If only it were that easy.
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WOW!!! Shame by Fiona Cole is such a perfectly written story. I absolutely love Kevin and Ana. They are at the core best friends, that become more. They have trust in each other, enough trust to delve into sexual exploration. As the saying goes though, all good things must come to an end. Their end? A falling out. Don’t worry, they get their HEA! This book, gah!! This book is everything!! The perfect amount of angst, the emotions and holy hot AF!!! This is a must read!!
My first from this author and not my last. The story spans a long period of time, starting in high school and going into adulthood. Submission and domination are not usually my thing but this story does a good job of explaining Anna’s issues with accepting her quirks. The reader knows how both characters feel at each stage in their relationship and it is a wonderful roller coaster ride. The ending was perfect and I highly recommend this book.
“SHAME” – a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior.
“SHAME” – a regrettable or unfortunate situation or action.
“SHAME” – a heartbreaking story about two people who can’t overcome their “shame”.
SHAME, SHAME, SHAME,… it’s the exact word that represents Ana and Kevin’s story perfectly.
If you’ve read Fiona Cole’s stories before than you know that she‘s not afraid to write stories with topics that aren’t always comfortable or mainstream. She doesn’t shy away from difficult situations or emotions – and that’s exactly what makes this book so unique and special. In Shame Fiona writes about two people, Ana and Kevin, who both have desires, desires they are both ashamed of. Yet together in each other they’ve found someone who understands.
It was very emotional reading about Ana and Kevin and their feelings – their desires. Their story is heartbreaking and very emotional. It just has it all – love, sex, friendship, betrayal, SHAME.
“I knew to treat a girl like a lady, to treat her with respect. Not to imagine holding her down as you fucked her mouth.”
When I started reading Shame I didn’t know what I was getting into. The blurb is very mysterious so I was going in with no expectations, and believe me when I say you’ll be more than surprised by this book! It was so much more than I ever expected. Shame is a little bit different than the books I normally read but just as amazing and beautiful (definitely a new favourite!!). It’s unpredictable, lovely, sweet, emotional, smoking hot and even a little bit dark. And normally I’m not into reading dark romance (not that Shame is dark, but sometimes it’s kind of a little bit darkish), but with this one I was all in. My emotions were all over the place. I loved it! I loved Ana and Kevin! They just stole my heart with their beautiful, heartbreaking and turbulent love story.
“With Ana, there should be no shame about who we were, just acceptance.”
First, I’d like to mention that this book has an alternate cover and title. The cover I have chosen to show is the one from the actual version that I purchased which was titled Shame Me Not. The book was renamed Shame (Shame Me Not #1) and given another cover
As far as I am aware, the only thing different about the books are the titles and cover. The story in both are the same. Kevin Harding and Annabelle Montgomery (Kev and Ana) both have a secret. They both crave rough, violent sex. Kev dreams of dominating and shaming his lovers and Ana dreams about being dominated and shamed by her lover. Neither of them can find pleasure without inflicting/feeling pain and shame. As if that isn’t hard enough, they are also only in highschool.
This book spans many years and starts out with Ana moving in next door to Kev. They become fast friends and open up to each other in ways they aren’t able to with anyone else. The only thing they don’t share with each other is their sexual desires. They hide in fear of being called a freak or pervert. Eventually, they both realize they have the same lust for the taboo. Which leads them on an incredible journey of self discovery and letting go of their shame.
Fiona Cole’s writing is magnificent! She will suck you in and break your heart a million times before putting it back together over-and-over again! This book is incredibly taboo and deals with underage sex which could be uncomfortable for some. However, I found it to be refreshing. Yes, even teenagers fantasize about taboo things. It’s COMPLETELY normal! I love that she went there and explored this subject and how it would shape these two individuals. I was brought back to my teenage years and the shame I felt over my fantasies which made the story all the more real for me. It peels back the surface and lets you see the effect of society’s judgement when it comes to sex and what most would find to be an unsavory fetish.
5 out of 5 stars!
Shame Me Not is a BEAUTIFUL story full of love, loss, angst, sex and despair. Don’t skip this one! It’s incredible!
Loved, loved, loved this book! Such a wonderful tale of discovering who you are and learning to be yourself. No one should feel shame for their wants and needs and this story truly signifies the painful journey one takes in finding oneself.
Thank you so much to author Isabel Love for introducing me to this book! Your recommendation is the reason I wanted to read this!
Also, shout out to Cincinnati! Love to read about books close to home and being a UC student I love that I can picture some of the places Kevin and Ana visit!
Definitely want to read more by Fiona!
This book was super hyped up with in reader groups on Facebook. So I decided I needed to see what the fuss was about. I was not disappointed!
This is a story of 2 people, Ana and Kevin, as they struggle to deal with their sexual preferences. They are neighbors. They find, as friends (both 16), that they see something in each other and become best friends because they can completely be themselves. Eventually it progresses into experimenting with each other. After some time they ended up having a falling out and went their separate ways. She comes back home toward the end of college and they end up being best friends again and then again progress to lovers.
This book has so much more than just a lot of hot sex. They have a real friendship. They have relationships with other people. They have other real life problems. And along with it all is the constant fear that some one will find out what kind of kinky things they are up to in the bedroom. I loved that they took turns feeling the severe insecurity of it all. I love that no matter how much Ana runs from him, Kevin is always there for her. I cried so many times. My stomach was constantly in knots. I laughed at their banter. At times my heart was racing, and stayed that way for 15-20 minutes after I put the book down! And I did not want to put it down. I was sad to see it end because I would loved to have spent more time with Kevin and Ana!
Where did Fiona Cole come from. I’m completely blown away by Shame Me Not. What a beautiful and captivating story about friendship and acknowledging your true self. Kevin and Ana are just like any other 16 year olds except they hide who they truly are deep down. They both wear masks but not when they’re around one another. Kevin and Ana are best friends and neighbors. Share everything with each other except their hidden desires and sexual preferences.
Kevin was amazing. I instantly liked him for who he was and how he cared for Ana. No matter what he was there for her. When he had sex it had to be rough, he had to be the one in control. To dominate his partner.
I enjoyed Ana as well. She moved to a new town and just wanted to fit in. Tried to please everyone but only Kevin’s friendship mattered. All her life she’s been the one in charge and making decisions especially when it came to her mother. Ana was sick of sweet and soft. She wanted to be dominated, to be cared for. When Ana and Kevin both revealed their true dark desires they finally let go. It was intense, hard and erotic. But still fears and insecurities hid beneath the surface throughout the years.
Shame Me Not spanned over ten years and no matter how strained their friendship or how intense and rough their sexual relationship became they could always rely on one another. Ana and Kevin’s friendship was extraordinary. I loved witnessing how it evolved from neighbors to best friends. How important they were to each other. There were heartbreaking and enthralling scenes that definitely made an impact on me. Kevin thought himself as a monster when he was young and Ana looked at herself and saw a freak when she became an adult. She just wanted normal whereas Kevin just wanted her to embrace her dark needs.
Fiona Cole depicted their struggles, fears and insecurities beautifully. The incredibly intense and erotic scenes were mesmerizing. At no point did I dislike Kevin because of how rough he was towards Ana. They trusted each other explicitly.
Shame Me Not was a beautiful romance and love story. Fiona Cole shares a powerful message. To be honest, not hide yourself and communicate. Ana and Kevin made me smile, hurt, swoon and frustrated the hell out of me but their love and trust for one another was epic. Shame Me Not was a winner. Definitely a must read. Wow!
5 BadAssDirtyPinkieStars
When I started this book, I didn’t know anything about it. No blurbs, nothing. I was extremely fortunate to have received this amazing book through a giveaway online, and I’m so glad that I had the chance to read this story before it’s official release. It was so beautifully written, and I was drawn in from the start. Typically, I’m not usually drawn to stories with a darker subject matter; but for some reason I completely found myself feeling every emotion that both Kevin and Ana felt throughout the story. They had such a difficult time trying to reconcile the feelings they had regarding their sexuality (especially during their high school years); but Kevin & Ana understood each other in a way that not many people would. They could completely be their true selves with the other, no matter how many times they tried to be ‘normal’ with other people. Yes, Ana loved Kevin even in the years they spent apart; but she needed to come to the realization on her own time that Kevin was the only who would accept her unconditionally.
Fiona Cole did an amazing job of weaving taboo/dark romance with friends-to-lovers storylines all into this awesome story!
Kevin Harding and Anabelle Montgomery become best friends almost from the moment they first meet. As time goes on those feeling morph into something more, but can they open up and share their desires with one another or are they destined to just remain friends? Join Kev and Ana as they learn to accept themselves and each other.
I didn’t really know what to expect from this book, it had been recommended to me and I thought the synopsis sounded interesting but apart from that, I knew nothing about it and therefore didn’t have any expectations going in. Holy crap! This book is AMAZING! Seriously, it blew me away. The story is told in three parts, and it’s almost like reading three different genres because the story covers so much of the lives of this couple. I was mesmerised by this couple and what they were going through and experiencing. I felt every heartache, every happiness, every thing. It was like I was there with them. Ana and Kevin have carved a place in my heart. Fiona Cole writes so beautifully. Fiona is like the dominant person in this story, and the readers are the submissive. She enforces her words onto us and we willingly give up control knowing she’ll take good care of us. This book contains subjects that are tackled with thought and understanding. Her words are raw, and deep, and addictive. Once I started reading I just didn’t want to stop. I really liked this cover, it was different and pretty.
Let’s talk about the characters for a second. My God! Where to begin? Ana and Kevin are ALL THE THINGS. I adored them, they are the type of characters that you become attached to and never want to leave. They each have their demons that they’re fighting, and it makes them even stronger for doing so. Sometimes it takes them longer than the reader (and other characters) hopes it’ll take. I cringed at Kevin, I threw a ‘really?’ question at Ana, and a host of other emotions passed over my face and words out of my mouth as we spend 10 years with them. In the first part of the book Kevin is a young man discovering himself and his desires, and they scare him…a lot, and watching him come to terms and accept that about himself was both beautiful and heartbreaking, as the story progresses we see Ana struggle with some of those same issues but for different reasons and that too is heartbreaking. But with acceptance comes the beauty. We’re introduced to some characters in the first part of the book that you think you’re going to hate but end up loving, and those you thought you’d love and you end up hating. I loved that about it.
Ana and Kevin’s relationship spans the course of 10 years. From friends to lovers, they experience so much. From the last years of high school to college, to their adult lives. They’re there for each other in the best ways they can be. I just can’t get enough of this couple. The draw they have to one another is electric. I dare anybody not to be affected by it. I loved their banter, you believed that they were the best of friends. The physical side of their relationship is smoking hot. Seriously, I gotta check my kindle for scorch marks. There is a lot of sex but it all fits in with the story being told, none of it is misplaced or used as a filler or for shock purposes. Each scene is used to progress the story and explain more about their desires and how it affects them. This book is filled with angst, it made me cry, it made me want to throw my kindle, and at times it gutted me – ‘I’ll be your normal’, however, it is also uplifting, and happy, and sexy. It literally has everything.
This book has my heart, and it has my soul, I happily gave them up to this story. I don’t know if I’ll ever get them back, and I don’t really care. This book is going to stay with me for a very long time. It was a pleasure to read and I’m super excited to dive into the follow-up novella.
**Note: This book contains a lot of sex, and rough sex at that, if you do not like that sort of thing this book may not be for you. However, what I will say is that this book is built on consent, learning how to deal with your feelings and wants and desires. Anybody that doesn’t understand the dynamics of this sort of relationship can learn a lot from experiencing Ana and Kevin’s story.
Can I just say this book was everything and more than what I was expecting.
I was completely consumed with this story to the point where I was unable to put it down!
What do you do when you feel like you shouldn’t want to feel pain when being intimate. Why do you have to feel shame for wanting those things behind your bedroom door.
When Kevin and Ana first found out that they both shared the same fantasies, they started to be more than just friends. But since they were both still in H.S. they didn’t want their friends to find out that they were more than just friends especially because of the kink they both shared. They felt like their friends would shame them for liking pain and inflicting it.
But one day Kevin did not back up Ana when their friends started speculating that Ana was into that and she felt like Kevin betrayed her and/or didn’t care for her and hurt her badly. So what does Ana do? She ran and she didn’t want anything to do with Kevin.
Kevin was distraught and hurt that Ana fled without giving him a chance to explain himself. But they ran into each other again three years later. But can Ana forgive Kevin and start over again? She wanted to be normal and want a normal relationship, but the question was … can she do normal?
Ana loved the whole sadism and even though she felt shame for liking it, she knew that that’s what she liked but was willing to give normal a chance. So when she started dating Andrew she had to choose between Andrew and Kevin. Would she give Andrew a chance and do the normal life or will she choose Kevin and continue the life that she craved and always loved?
I loved the storyline, I loved the characters in this book and I just loved everything about it.
This was a total 5 Star Read for me!