ARC Review: Shame by Rachel Van Dyken

I am a huge fan of Rachel Van Dyken's and I have been waiting for Lisa's story since I first read Ruin. I was so intrigued by her character, and as the series progressed I couldn't wait to get to know all about her. You could tell that there was so much that had happened to her, and I honestly had no idea what it was. This book was really good and I was glad to finally see what had made Lisa who she was. While I thought that this book was good, it was probably my least favorite of the series. Not that I didn't really like or enjoy it, I just preferred the previous books to this one.

Lisa ran from a past that very few people knew about. Now at college and surrounded by her friends, there are only a few people who actually know who she is and what she came from. She has been receiving threatening letters though and finds herself changing PO boxes constantly while trying to maintain her secret. She hasn't been able to be with a guy since everything happened and thinks that maybe she never will after her past. But when the sexy new professor Tristan Blake appears, she reacts in a way unlike she has with anyone else. Tristan has reasons for taking a job as a professor at the university though, and no one knows why he is really there. His father thinks that he is taking a break from running the company but Tristan is determined to figure out exactly what happened to his half brother. But as Tristan and Lisa find themselves unable to stay away from one another, they soon realize that there is a lot that each of them have been hiding. Even though the chemistry and connection between them is strong, their secrets could rip them apart from one another and destroy everything that they are building.

I liked Tristan. I found him interesting and different from the other characters that we have seen in this series so far. He ran hot and cold with Lisa, but as his story was revealed it was clear why he was the way he was. He was trying to piece together what had happened, and he thought that he knew a lot when in reality he didn't know everything. I could tell that he really struggled with his feelings for Lisa but not for the reasons you would first think. The fact that he was her professor never really seemed to be a factor to him much. Lisa was vulnerable, and she was suffering far more than you would ever guess at first glance. Through the first few books you get to see her as this great friend who has everything together, but the more you see of her the more you realize that she had put up this facade. Very few really knew her and even those didn't really seem to see the whole picture. Tristan really seemed to understand her though, and it was great to see her begin to open up to him. They had great chemistry and I liked them together a lot.

Overall, this was a really good addition the the series and I am glad that I got to know Lisa better. It was hard to see some of what she had been through and I really felt bad for her. She was surprisingly strong and resilient despite everything that she had been through. I really loved watching as Tristan helped to heal her and show her that she could move forward with her life. She felt safe with him and I liked that he gave her exactly what she needed. I really love this series, and I cannot recommend these books enough. Rachel Van Dyken is a great writer and I love her writing style. She always draws you in with a great story and characters that are flawed but real. The characters are what make her stories so great, and I always find something about them that is easy to relate to. I look forward to seeing what she writes next.

**ARC Provided by Inkslinger PR**

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