Shameless by Nina Lemay
NA Contemporary Romance
Release Date - Aug. 18th
.jpg)
Girls like me don’t get happy endings.
I know what I am. At worst a cliché, at best a cautionary tale. I put an international border between me and my past, only to wind up working in a low-end titty bar. Even my excuse is as lame as it gets: I’m paying for college, getting my art degree from Montreal’s most prestigious school. Although some days it becomes confusing: am I just a student who moonlights as a stripper, or a stripper who masquerades as a student?
But the inevitable happens and my two lives collide. And now there’s one other person who knows both the quiet, antisocial Hannah and the sensual, shameless Alicia. One person who keeps my secret.
He’s beautiful, he’s sophisticated. He comes from the other side of life, the one where I’m not wanted or accepted. But he calls me la petite Américaine, and his hot, hot hands on my skin promise me things I long ago gave up on.
The problem? He teaches my Classic Photography class.
This is a standalone novel, no series, no cliffhanger.
Nina Lemay is a YA writer by day and author of sinfully twisted New Adult…well, also by day. She loves all things dark and edgy and never tires of tormenting her characters. While Nina is a fan of all things scary,
Gothic, and fantastic, she doesn’t shy away from a gritty contemporary romance when the muse strikes. She
Connect with Nina:
Review by Allison
4 Shameless Stars
Nina Lemay has done a wonderful job on this novel. I was intrigued by the synopsis right away. If you know me, then you know I'm a sucker for the forbidden romance with a great steam factor. Now let me tell you, this book had met all the criteria!
Hannah is as you know, a stripper. But that's not who she really is. She is Hannah by day, a smart, quiet college going girl. By night she is Alicia, the shameless stripper who doesn't take crap from anyone. She brought herself to Montreal on her own running from her past, and trying to make a better future for herself. We see the real deal with being a stripper, through her eyes. There is no sugar coating it to make it seem like it is a glamorous job. Hannah is one of the most REAL characters that I have read in a long time. She has flaws, but that's what makes her so real. She is easy to relate to (although I was never nor do I plan to be a stripper) I feel like I would make some of the same choices she did (minus a couple....ugh I'll get to that in a few).
We are soon introduced to Emmanuel. He comes into her strip and is very uncomfortable with the whole situation, but "Alicia" soon relaxes him. The uncomfortable feelings come back when Hannah walks into her Art class and Emmanuel is staring back at her as a professor, not a client in the club.
I enjoyed the student/teacher forbidden aspect of this book. It wasn't overpowering but you still got the butterflies and anxiety about if they would be caught. The overall storyline is about stereotyping people by their looks and not by who they really are. Hannah feels Emmanuel judging her for her job choice throughout the book. Everyone does. She is at sometimes ashamed of what she does. That's why she has the two separate identities. I enjoyed the fact that Emmanuel was the one who was more open with his feelings and that he had to show Hannah that she really was a good person. At times I could see Emmanuel having a battle with himself for his feelings of Hannah the stripper, and we later learn why.
Throughout the book you will have angst, sadness, hatred, and love. you go through a whirlwind of emotions by the time you finish the book.
There is one particular scene where I had to re-read it to make sure I was actually reading it correctly. This scene (you will know when you get there) left a bitter taste in my mouth and I HATED it, so I applaud Nina for making me as a reader feel this way.
I enjoyed watching Hannah become comfortable within her own skin and I enjoyed the journey she had to get there.
I look forward to more Nina Lemay books!
No comments:
Post a Comment