Title: The Shameless Hour (The Ivy Years, #4)
Author: Sarina Bowen
Genre: NA | Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 14, 2015
Tour Hosted by: As the Pages Turn
Synopsis
The girl who’s had everyone meets the boy who has no one.
For Bella, the sweet-talking, free-loving, hip-checking student manager of the Harkness men’s hockey team, sex is a second language. She’s used to being fluent where others stutter, and the things people say behind her back don’t (often) bother her. So she can’t understand why her smoking hot downstairs neighbor has so much trouble staying friends after their spontaneous night together. She knows better than to worry about it, but there’s something in those espresso eyes that makes her second guess herself.
Rafe is appalled with himself for losing his virginity in a drunken hookup. His strict Catholic upbringing always emphasized loving thy neighbor—but not with a bottle of wine and a box of condoms. The result is an Ivy League bout of awkwardness. But when Bella is leveled by a little bad luck and a downright sinister fraternity stunt, it’s Rafe who is there to pick up the pieces.
Bella doesn’t want Rafe’s help, and she’s through with men. Too bad the undeniable spark that crackles between the two of them just can’t be extinguished.
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The Shameless Hour ~ Excerpt
I held her a little closer as we danced. The band had no vocalist, but I could hear Louis Armstrong’s voice in my head. Give me… a kiss to build a dream on. “I’ve always loved this song,” I confessed.
“Wait, really?” Bella stood up taller so she could look me in the eye. “Have you listened to the lyrics? The guy gets a single kiss, and he basically says that it’s enough — he’s just going to fantasize about it for the rest of his life. I mean… what a rip.”
I bit back a smile. “It’s romantic.”
“It’s unsatisfying,” she countered. “Here, I’ll show you.” Before I knew what was happening, Bella came closer. Her silky thumb stroked once across my cheekbone. Then she stood up on her toes and kissed me.
The first press of her sweet lips against mine stopped my breathing. Though you couldn’t have paid me to resist her. Sheer instinct made me lean into that kiss with my entire being.
Bella’s mouth melted onto mine, and a needy little sound issued from the back of her throat. Heaven. I deepened the kiss, and our tongues touched once. She tasted of red wine and desire. An electric pulse traveled the length of my body. Unbidden, my hands pulled her closer, my fingers in her hair…
The sound of applause brought me back to earth with a thunk. The song had ended, and the band segued into some kind of swing tune. Bella and I broke apart on a gasp. For a second we just stared at each other. “See?” she said eventually.
But I didn’t have the faintest recollection of the point she’d been trying to make. “What?”
Amusement tickled her features. “Never mind. I hear my wine glass calling me.” She tugged on my hand.
What I thought about The Shameless Hour
Fate has a different plan for these two, and when Bella runs into a bit of trouble at the football fraternity, she finds that it's Rafe and his friendship that she needs the most. I loved the relationship between Rafe and Bella. Even though it was hard for her to accept his friendship after what happened between them, it was his strength that gets her through the rough time. I loved watching their relationship grow in this story.
I thought the depiction of college life was very true to real life in The Shameless Hour and I appreciated seeing the good and the bad of it all. The theme regarding slut-shaming worked well in the story. I loved the scenes with Bella and the hockey team as they try to help her as well. This story has some really nice things to say about the strong friendships that can be made in those college years.
I did think the book ended a bit abruptly for me and the tensions from the incident at the frat house sputtered at the end. But the writing is very good and kept me turning the pages. I really like this author and hope to get to more of her titles on my TBR shelf soon.
So 4 solid stars for The Shameless Hour. If you haven't read this author, you should definitely give her a read.
Books in the Ivy Years Series
Purchase Ivy Years Series
Giveaway
The giveaway is open internationally and ends 05/03/2015.
- (1) An Ivy Years Notebook (It’s super cute)
- (1) eBook box set of Ivy Years #1-3
- (1) Signed paperback of The Year We Fell Down
About Sarina Bowen
Sarina Bowen writes steamy, angsty contemporary romance from Vermont’s Green Mountains. (Her ancestors began logging and farming Vermont during the 18th century. These were rugged, outdoor types without benefit of a laptop or a good latte. It boggles the mind.) Sarina enjoys skiing, skating and good food. She lives in Windsor County, Vermont, with her family, eight chickens and too much ski gear and hockey equipment.
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