Shameless by Joan Johnston Series: Bitter Creek #14
Published by Dell
Publication Date: December 29th 2015
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
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Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely mine.
HER SHAMEFUL PAST MAKES HER AN OUTCAST — UNTIL A LONE WOLF TAKES HER INTO HIS HOME.
Scorned, pregnant, and facing a life without promise, Pippa Grayhawk is stunned when her father announces that they’re leaving their home in Australia to take over his estranged father’s sprawling Wyoming ranch. Drawn into bitter family rivalries and feeling like an interloper in her new home, Pippa rides out into the wilderness and meets an intriguing stranger and his pet wolf. The wolf doesn’t scare her, but she’s very much afraid to trust another man with her heart.
Devon Flynn knows all about going it alone. He lives in an isolated cabin, away from his domineering father and the scandal surrounding his family. Devon’s attraction to Pippa is intoxicating and undeniable, but when he tries to get close, she’s as wary as his once-wild wolf. Devon is willing to defy his father, and hers, to claim Pippa as his own, but winning this wounded, wonderful woman’s love might be the greatest battle of all.
Review
SHAMELESS is filled with enough scandal, romance and drama to rival any daytime soap!
Pippa Greyhawk found herself in a tight spot when she turned up pregnant and to save her from the scorn and ridicule, her father sells his Australian Outback ranch and moves them back to his estranged father’s ranch in Wyoming, but all this does is create a different set of problems for them to contend with. Unwelcoming and hostile family members, pressure from her father to give up her baby for adoption and an unexpected attraction to her fascinating neighbor are just a few of the things that Pippa has to contend with.
Devon Flynn is no stranger to tough situations and finds that his loner lifestyle – caring for his animals and working on his isolated ranch – fits him just fine. Pippa is the only woman who’s ever fit in and she’s perfect for him but he’s willing to wait until she’s ready. Unfortunately for them, any relationship between them may be doomed before it even begins because of secrets and feuds that started generations before they were even born.
Pippa is young but her determination to do right by her baby is very admirable. However, on the cusp of adulthood, part woman and part child, she displayed immaturity in some of the choices she made. Luckily for her, she had Devon to look out for her and provide her with refuge while she worked through her issues. Devon was my favorite character in the book. He was honest, real and had integrity. He was also very patient with Pippa, reacting to the hurt in her and giving her the space she needed to make the right decisions. I enjoyed the easy and sweet nature of their romance and how they started with friendship first.
This story gives a glimpse of the harsh reality of life in ranch country, the hard work, harsh conditions and difficult choices to be made. While I liked Pippa and Devon, I cannot say the same about their families, especially the grand-parents. Much of the drama comes from the decisions of the elders – Devon and Pippa’s parents and grandparents – decades ago and how these affected Devon and Pippa. Secrets, lies, fierce competition, deception and pride led to a lot of unnecessary heartbreak and pain. I honestly cannot fault Pippa’s dad for wanting Pippa to have a good life because his advice was based on his own experiences and I was rooting for him to have his own happy ending. There were a lot of loose ends I hoped would be tied up here, that were not and I hope that the next book does that.
I have to point out that some of the material feels a bit dated and unrealistic, but when viewed in the context of the location and the society, especially the way the older generations grew up, some of the heavy handed decisions and rivalries make sense.
SHAMELESS was a welcome break from my usual favorites and I look forward to more from this series.
About Joan Johnston
One of the most popular romance writers in America today, former attorney and college professor Joan Johnston has over 15 million books in print worldwide, and is a top five New York Times bestselling author. In addition, Joan’s books such as Sinful, Montana Bride, Sisters Found, The Cowboy, The Texan, The Loner, The Next Mrs. Blackthorne, and No Longer a Stranger, have also appeared in the top ten USA TODAY and Publisher’s Weekly bestseller lists.
Joan has an eclectic background. Now the bestselling, award-winning author of 57 novels and novellas, she was formerly an attorney with Hunton & Williams in Richmond, Virginia, and Squire, Sanders & Dempsey in Miami, Florida. She also worked as a newspaper editor and drama critic in San Antonio, Texas, as a director of theatre in Southwest Texas, and as a college professor at the University of Miami, Florida. Joan has a B.A. in theatre arts from Jacksonville University, an M.A. in theatre from the University of Illinois, and received her J.D. with honors from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law.
Joan’s passion for travel includes trips to England and Scotland to conduct research for her Captive Hearts series (Captive, After the Kiss, The Bodyguard, and The Bridegroom). She has also visited Tahiti, Australia and Bali for a South Seas, WWII novel she plans to write. For her beloved Bitter Creek series, Joan toured the legendary King Ranch in South Texas and took a course on tracking (humans and animals) from a Deputy Marshal deep in the Big Bend country of West Texas. She has also traveled to Australia to tour the big cattle stations and study life Down Under.
Joan is a member of the Authors Guild, Romance Writers of America, Colorado Romance Writers, a charter member of Florida Romance Writers, and a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and Rocky Mountain Mystery Writers of America. She lives in Colorado and has two children.
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