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booksuperpower 's review for:
Shameless
by Joan Johnston
Shameless by Joan Johnston is a 2015 Dell publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked the first book in this arc, which is a part of the long running Bitter Creek series. I knew Pippa’s story was next in line, and I was curious about her, so I’ve been looking forward to reading this one.
I was a tiny bit concerned about reading a book centered around a girl Pippa’s age, since, with only one or two exceptions, I have long since jumped off the New Adult bandwagon. So, I was counting on the adult characters to even things out a little, if things got too angsty.
As it turns out, Pippa was exasperating at times, but to be fair, she was very isolated and sheltered while growing up and didn’t have a mother figure in her life. She has a lot on her plate, and no support system. What about her father, Matt, you ask? Well, I had a very difficult time with him. He was more worried about how Pippa’s pregnancy would reflect on him when people learned she was not married and the baby’s father abandoned her because he was already married.
He was controlling and ill tempered, was quick to resort to physical violence, and then he dropped a bombshell that sealed the deal for me. I couldn’t wrap my brain around the logic behind his decisions, and thought he was the ultimate hypocrite. So, no, I felt like Pippa was left floundering with hormones and a house filled with hate, and her father’s disapproval and attempts to manipulate her.
Thankfully, she meets Devon, who turns out be just the stable, patient sort of person she needs right now. But, the odds are against them from the get go, because Devon is one of the dreaded Flynn brothers and of course Pippa is a Grayhawk. (For those just tuning in, the Flynn’s and Grayhawk’s have a long running, bitter family feud, that would give the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s a run for their money) Not only that, Devon discovers a dark family secret of his own, and Pippa is withholding vital information from him, and insisting they keep their relationship platonic.
If you like a good sudsy drama with lots of plot twists and dark family secrets, you will love this one. Every once in a while, this type of book is just what I’m in the mood for. But, I had a few problems with some areas in the book, most of which had nothing to do with the writing or plot, but with my personal feelings about the characters. Matt for one, and then the way Pippa was treated like a high school teen, when she is nearly twenty. She’s old enough to make her own decisions, but she squirmed under her father’s thumb entirely too long. She didn’t appear to be making any plans for how she was going to support herself or her child, but did manage to get herself to a doctor, finally. The concern over her feelings for the baby’s father was absurd, in my opinion. Women love their babies no matter what the situation is with the father. (In most cases)
The guys in this story were just terrible. They were so busy nursing their own wounded pride and hurt feelings to give much thought to what was going on with Pippa. I mean, she is alone, about to have baby, and had just learned some pretty shocking information about her family, and was trying to cope with the feelings she had for Devon. Did she do the right thing at all times? No, and I did wonder what the big deal was, and why she couldn’t tell Devon the whole truth. But, then again, after the way Matt treated her, I could kind of understand her reluctance.
For some reason, the attitudes and actions in this story seem outdated. Many women have children without benefit of marriage and aren’t scorned by the community. Pippa didn’t intentionally begin an affair with a married man, she was just naïve, not to mention the “raising another man’s child’ thing, and the pressure to put the baby up for adoption. This is 2016, and yes, being a single parent is hard work, but it also has its rewards, and it certainly won’t prevent someone from going to school, having a full time career, getting married to the right man, or living a full, happy, contented life. Pippa’s life may have been sidetracked, but she didn’t seem like the college bound, career driven, “I’ve got big plans” type of girl to start off with.
As for some critical plot issues, there are a few open ended threads that were left hanging. Those circumstances were pretty dire and to have Pippa and Devon enjoying a HEA under that cloud didn’t seem right. It was almost too flippant, but, the author did assure us those issues will be addressed in the next book. Hopefully, Matt will get a story of his own, someday, so he can redeem himself. That will be an interesting story, for sure, since he as dug himself quite a hole. But, for now, the cliffhanger parts of this story will have to be addressed first.
Judging by my previous statements it would seem I didn’t care for this installment, and no, it wasn’t as good as the first book, in my opinion, but it was also strangely absorbing and I found myself invested in the characters and going through periods of empathy and righteous indignation, so despite some of my reservations I didn’t completely dislike the book, and I am still interested in seeing how things play out in the next book. Devon did eventually come around, got over his wounded pride and hurt feelings and stepped up for Pippa in a big way, redeeming himself nicely. So, despite their unconventional and rocky road to romance, I ended up liking this couple and am pulling for them all the way.
Naturally, I struggled with how to rate this one, so I’ll go with a nice, safe, middle of the road 3. It was okay, and does have a solid enough entertainment value.
I really liked the first book in this arc, which is a part of the long running Bitter Creek series. I knew Pippa’s story was next in line, and I was curious about her, so I’ve been looking forward to reading this one.
I was a tiny bit concerned about reading a book centered around a girl Pippa’s age, since, with only one or two exceptions, I have long since jumped off the New Adult bandwagon. So, I was counting on the adult characters to even things out a little, if things got too angsty.
As it turns out, Pippa was exasperating at times, but to be fair, she was very isolated and sheltered while growing up and didn’t have a mother figure in her life. She has a lot on her plate, and no support system. What about her father, Matt, you ask? Well, I had a very difficult time with him. He was more worried about how Pippa’s pregnancy would reflect on him when people learned she was not married and the baby’s father abandoned her because he was already married.
He was controlling and ill tempered, was quick to resort to physical violence, and then he dropped a bombshell that sealed the deal for me. I couldn’t wrap my brain around the logic behind his decisions, and thought he was the ultimate hypocrite. So, no, I felt like Pippa was left floundering with hormones and a house filled with hate, and her father’s disapproval and attempts to manipulate her.
Thankfully, she meets Devon, who turns out be just the stable, patient sort of person she needs right now. But, the odds are against them from the get go, because Devon is one of the dreaded Flynn brothers and of course Pippa is a Grayhawk. (For those just tuning in, the Flynn’s and Grayhawk’s have a long running, bitter family feud, that would give the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s a run for their money) Not only that, Devon discovers a dark family secret of his own, and Pippa is withholding vital information from him, and insisting they keep their relationship platonic.
If you like a good sudsy drama with lots of plot twists and dark family secrets, you will love this one. Every once in a while, this type of book is just what I’m in the mood for. But, I had a few problems with some areas in the book, most of which had nothing to do with the writing or plot, but with my personal feelings about the characters. Matt for one, and then the way Pippa was treated like a high school teen, when she is nearly twenty. She’s old enough to make her own decisions, but she squirmed under her father’s thumb entirely too long. She didn’t appear to be making any plans for how she was going to support herself or her child, but did manage to get herself to a doctor, finally. The concern over her feelings for the baby’s father was absurd, in my opinion. Women love their babies no matter what the situation is with the father. (In most cases)
The guys in this story were just terrible. They were so busy nursing their own wounded pride and hurt feelings to give much thought to what was going on with Pippa. I mean, she is alone, about to have baby, and had just learned some pretty shocking information about her family, and was trying to cope with the feelings she had for Devon. Did she do the right thing at all times? No, and I did wonder what the big deal was, and why she couldn’t tell Devon the whole truth. But, then again, after the way Matt treated her, I could kind of understand her reluctance.
For some reason, the attitudes and actions in this story seem outdated. Many women have children without benefit of marriage and aren’t scorned by the community. Pippa didn’t intentionally begin an affair with a married man, she was just naïve, not to mention the “raising another man’s child’ thing, and the pressure to put the baby up for adoption. This is 2016, and yes, being a single parent is hard work, but it also has its rewards, and it certainly won’t prevent someone from going to school, having a full time career, getting married to the right man, or living a full, happy, contented life. Pippa’s life may have been sidetracked, but she didn’t seem like the college bound, career driven, “I’ve got big plans” type of girl to start off with.
As for some critical plot issues, there are a few open ended threads that were left hanging. Those circumstances were pretty dire and to have Pippa and Devon enjoying a HEA under that cloud didn’t seem right. It was almost too flippant, but, the author did assure us those issues will be addressed in the next book. Hopefully, Matt will get a story of his own, someday, so he can redeem himself. That will be an interesting story, for sure, since he as dug himself quite a hole. But, for now, the cliffhanger parts of this story will have to be addressed first.
Judging by my previous statements it would seem I didn’t care for this installment, and no, it wasn’t as good as the first book, in my opinion, but it was also strangely absorbing and I found myself invested in the characters and going through periods of empathy and righteous indignation, so despite some of my reservations I didn’t completely dislike the book, and I am still interested in seeing how things play out in the next book. Devon did eventually come around, got over his wounded pride and hurt feelings and stepped up for Pippa in a big way, redeeming himself nicely. So, despite their unconventional and rocky road to romance, I ended up liking this couple and am pulling for them all the way.
Naturally, I struggled with how to rate this one, so I’ll go with a nice, safe, middle of the road 3. It was okay, and does have a solid enough entertainment value.