The Shameless Hour (The Ivy Years #4) by Sarina Bowen

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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.

So I’m making my way through the Ivy Years series in anticipation of The Fifteenth Minute coming out soon (I’m weird like that – I have to read a series in order) and The Shameless Hour absolutely stops me in my tracks. Not what I expected, possibly because I didn’t read the synopsis carefully but I consider Sarina Bowen a superhero for trying to tackle the very controversial subject of slut-shaming and female empowerment.

Bella is a modern young woman who knows her mind. She sees herself as a feminist with the self-confidence that a lot of other women would envy. And envy her they do. It's no secret that Bella enjoys sex and the company of men. But that’s not all there is to her.  She’s also the hockey team manager for the Harkness men’s team who's very adept and successful at her job which she loves, and is well-respected by the team. However, that coupled with her penchant for hook-ups have earned her a reputation. No matter, she always shrugs off those nasty whispers or looks from other people, especially other women. She has more important things to worry about, mainly what she intends to do after graduation. That's the only area in her life currently with a big question mark. 

Rafe is the good boy any parent wants to see their daughter bring home. His single mother raised him to have a healthy respect for women and he believes in relationships. He’s completely blindsided by his girlfriend on his birthday and the relationship he once thought was rock solid, has crumbled instantly. Bella runs into him at their dorm that night and while commiserating over their respective broken hearts, they wind up hooking up. This is not Rafe’s thing and now he’s plagued with guilt while she sees it as no big deal. Unfortunately a lack of communication leads to some misunderstanding between them, thereby some seriously bad decision-making on both their parts. Later, Bella finds herself in a compromising position with only Rafe there to witness the aftermath.

While The Shameless Hour is well done, I struggled with it. A lot had to do with my personal upbringing. In short, I grew up being told that a woman should behave and dress a certain way in order to convey an appropriate message about herself. So that's what I've always kept in mind. A guy getting lucky is a stud yet a woman who enjoys sex is considered a slut. That double-standard is waning (thankfully), though I still find it hard to reconcile with what has been instilled in me. Harder yet is how as a parent I address this with my own kids. I appreciate that this book made me think about what female empowerment means today. Any time I felt myself being judgey, I’d tell myself to quit it.

The Shameless Hour is gritty and Bowen herself has said that it was hard to write. I can imagine. There were parts where it was like reading it with one eye open because I was so weary of what was happening. But there are also several moments that counterbalance the tough subject matter. When Rafe and Bella flirt with each other, it’s fun. When Rafe turns up his Latin charm, things get downright sexy. But the real hero is Bella. A few good friends in her corner and the love of a man who admires her, she rises above all the crap that’s been heaped on her. She doesn't care to prove herself to anyone, only to declare that she’s not one to be messed with. I encourage you to read this book. It’ll give you plenty to think about and discuss.

~ Bel

The One That Got Away by Bethany Chase

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Perfect for fans of Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner, this bright, funny debut from a fresh voice in fiction offers a delicious take on love, family, and what it means to build a home of one’s own.

Sarina Mahler thinks she has her life all nailed down: a growing architecture practice in Austin, Texas, and an any-day-now proposal from her loving boyfriend, Noah. She’s well on her way to having the family she’s hoped for since her mother’s death ten years ago. But with Noah on a temporary assignment abroad and retired Olympic swimmer — and former flame — Eamon Roy back in town asking her to renovate his new fixer-upper, Sarina’s life takes an unexpected turn.

Eamon proves to be Sarina’s dream client, someone who instinctively trusts every one of her choices — and Sarina is reminded of all the reasons she was first drawn to him back in the day. Suddenly her carefully planned future with Noah seems a little less than perfect. And when tragedy strikes, Sarina is left reeling. With her world completely upended, she is forced to question what she truly wants in life — and in love.

Full of both humor and heartbreak, The One That Got Away is the story of one woman’s discovery that, sometimes, life is what happens when you leave the blueprints behind.

Sarina is a well-respected and successful architect in her early thirties whose career is gaining traction. She’s her own boss, managing her own projects and genuinely in love with what she does for a living. She has a wonderful roommate Danny, a fun best friend Nicole and a devoted boyfriend, Noah. Noah’s a corporate lawyer and currently in Argentina working on a huge merger. This means that they’re apart for months at a time, resorting to phone calls and skyping to keep in touch. Sarina feels happy with her world, that is until Eamon comes back into her life.

Eamon is the one (night stand) that got away. She thought they’d hit it off perfectly but when the next morning came he had an abrupt change in attitude and left after promising to call her. That left Sarina wondering all sorts of things. Could she have done something wrong? Why didn't she ever hear from him? She was understandably hurt by the quick departure and kept their involvement a secret from Danny, his best friend. She eventually met Noah with whom she has found that stability she values. Eamon’s reappearance illicits mixed emotions. She acknowledges that though she’s happy to see him, there’s still some level of hurt there, naturally making things a wee bit awkward. Worse, he’s still as gorgeous and as sweet as ever. Not that she’s willing to admit that aloud. When he announces that he’s ready to move back to Austin to lay down roots, he hires Sarina to help him find a place to rehab. Great, so now he’s a client!

Here’s what I loved about this book: while it’s a romance, it’s not focused solely on Sarina's love life. She is written as a well-rounded character with so many facets to her. She is a career woman who enjoys her job and has ambitions for expanding. I really liked how absorbed she’d get in her projects and how she described her euphoria over light-bulb moments or ideas that inspired her creations. She’s a go-getter who’s smart, calm and confident in her skills. The other side of her is her close relationship with her step-dad whom she adores. He’s the last connection to her beloved mother and the way she looks up to him is just so incredibly sweet.  

Trouble does arise when she starts developing feelings for Eamon just as her relationship with Noah starts to get shakey. The distance hasn’t helped and as they discuss their long-term future, she realizes that they may not want the same thing. Now as she enters the next stage in her life, she has to give serious thought as to how her ambitions fit into a marriage and possibly children. Or is it the other way around – how do marriage and children fit in with her ambitious plans to become a well-known architect? The fact that she and Noah have differing opinions on the matter is troublesome. Then there’s Eamon on the periphery who's praising her talents while encouraging her to pursue her dreams. He finally comes clean about his feelings for her and why he left all those years ago. Now Sarina is not a whimsical little thing and won't drop everything simply because he announces that he's ready. And this is what I love best about her: as confusing and frustrating as life has become, she's still level-headed enough to examine her motives and not throw away years she has invested in a relationship with Noah without some serious contemplation.

The One That Got Away is simply adorable and I fell for it hard. For me personally it was refreshing to read a female protagonist with that level of maturity and self-assurance. And I can't forget the other co-star in this story - the city of Austin. All I know about it is that it's home to Austin City Limits, South By Southwest and incredibly hot in the summer. Bethany Chase's description of some of the local areas and markets has me wanting to visit sooner rather than later. If you're in the mood for a well-written, well-balanced romance, don't pass up The One That Got Away!

~ Bel

Connect with Bethany on Twitter and Instagram. Being an interior designer herself, she often posts gorgeous pictures that capture her attention!

How We Deal With Gravity by Ginger Scott

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When her son Max was diagnosed with autism, Avery Abbot’s life changed forever. Her husband left, and her own dreams became a distant fantasy—always second to fighting never-ending battles to make sure Max was given opportunity, love and respect. Finding someone to fight along her side wasn’t even on her list, and she’d come to terms with the fact that she could never be her own priority again.

But a familiar face walking into her life in the form of 25-year-old Mason Street had Avery’s heart waging a war within. Mason was a failure. When he left his hometown five years ago, he was never coming back—it was only a matter of time before his records hit the billboard charts. Women, booze and rock-n-roll—that was it for him. But it seemed fate had a different plan in mind, and with a dropped record contract, little money and nowhere to go, Mason turned to the only family that ever made him feel home—the Abbots.

Avery loved Mason silently for years—until he broke her heart…completely. But time and life have a funny way of changing people, and sometimes second chances are there for a reason. Could this one save them both?

A while ago, I bypassed this title because it just didn’t seem up my alley. Recently after being thoroughly charmed by This Is Falling I decided to give this a go and what I discovered is another gem from Ginger Scott.

The tone is absolutely heavier than some books I’ve read of late. The first chapter opens with Abby at a grocery store trying her best to console her son Max as he’s having a public meltdown. Those few pages capture the very real hardship of being the parent of an autistic child. And it’s not just learning how to work with their autistic child, it’s also having to endure the judgmental attitudes of people who couldn’t bother to understand that it's not a simple behavioural issue. I was shocked by some of the things Abby describes.

Abby’s whole world is her son. Everything she does and works towards is to make a better future for him. She sacrifices a lot to do that and relies heavily on her father and her best friend for support. Both of them give willingly and it’s comforting that they both adore and love Abby and Max so much. Simply put, they're awesome and Abby is truly blessed to call them family. Mason comes back to town to recover from his band’s disaster of a tour. He expects to just lay low and reevaluate things but he’s thrown when he runs into Abby. They have a history, one of being friends only but seeing her now, Mason would like more than that.

Initially, Mason is a bit of a jerk but something about Abby causes him to refocus his priorities. Hearing of her divorce and what her life is like now, and seeing how special Max is, he finds himself delicately infiltrating their lives. Abby in the meantime is skeptical. The Mason she remembers was a self-centered knucklehead and she has no room for someone like that in her life. She and Max are a package deal and anyone who wants in has to accept that Max and his needs will always come first. Is Mason up to the task? And is Abby willing to find out? 

As I read along, I found myself internalizing a lot of things. Parenting is hard. I’m the mother of three kids and I wonder some days how I manage in between dealing with three very distinct personalities, homework, shuffling them off to their various activities and social events, managing a household and having a job too. Having a child with special needs requires ultimate strength. Getting a glimpse into this life that requires strict order, routine and a bottomless well of patience and humility opened my eyes to the daily challenges that special needs children and their families face.

This is what Mason is exposed to and for the first time in his life, he’s thinking beyond himself. He comes a long way from the beginning of the book to become someone important to Abby and Max. When another career opportunity presents itself, he has to weigh the pros and cons of accepting it. This doesn’t mean that mistakes don’t happen. Screw ups are part of being human and Abby, who knows she doesn’t have it all figured out, is acutely aware of that.

How We Deal With Gravity is revealing and hopeful. Reading is the best kind of magic where you’re transported into a different world. In this case, it’s the world that we live in. But we get to see it through a new lens thanks to Ginger Scott's beautifully crafted and sensitive story.

~ Bel