Readers will quickly be drawn to this tale of a single father trying to do right by his family, while trying to reach his own HEA, in this New Adult romance with an unforgettable heroine trying to make her own dreams come true under the weight of family obligations. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of Shadows by Laramie Briscoe, along with getting my impressions of it, then add this entertaining and emotional read to your bookshelf too!
From USA Today and Wall Street Journal Best Selling author Laramie comes a single-dad, MMA love story. This small-town, standalone romance is packed full of emotion and steam.
"What I want you to do, Isabella, is find out what his real name is..."Those were the words spoken to me when I sat down to learn about my final grade in college.
They not only shocked me, but changed the trajectory of my life.
Shadows Sampson has always been bigger than life on the campus of our college. Most of the time seemed as if he's older than the rest of us. Like he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders.
When I get close? I find out there's more to it than I ever bargained for.
And when the truth comes out; against my will - I hope I can get the forgiveness I so desperately want.
"You've gotta win this fight. We can't push rent back again..."
Those words from my sister's mouth put an exclamation point on how bad our situation is.
Especially after I lost the fight of my life. The one that was going to get us out of this apartment building, the one that was going to put us on a path we'd only dreamed about.
But me? I'd lost the fight, my confidence, and the motivation for the life I'd always wanted.
Until a baby I'd fathered was left at my doorstep, and a seriously hot girl from my college started paying attention to me. With that girl? I fall hard, only to find out I'm the subject of a story for her final grade.
Turns out, that's my motivation.
Quitting isn't an option. Not until my knuckles are bloody and not one person stands in the way of what I want.
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MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
Upon reading the synopsis of this book, I knew I was hooked! From its familiar yet satisfying romance of a single father trying to take care of family while weighed down by obligations and fate, to his instant attraction to a woman on a mission she wants no part of while trying to live her own life, I became fully invested and utterly charmed with each turn of the page. The characters became like family, the emotions real and heartfelt in their intensity, in a story that had me rooting for the main couple every step of the way.
Set in the often high pressure world of college, readers are introduced to MMA fighter Shadows Sampson, a man who's tough as nails on the outside. He shows himself to be scary yet determined to achieve the goals he sets himself. Behind his calm and cool exterior though is a life in chaos, changed a few months prior after the loss of a big fight and becoming the father of a brand new baby. Life has now turned complicated for him, endless bills and heavy obligations, trying to do whatever necessary to make a better life for those who are now counting on him. Shadows is a delicious hero, one with a big and loving heart who's his own biggest critic...constantly hating himself for not always getting what he wants for others. He's wearing himself down into the ground and my heart ached for all the weight pulling him under. For him, life has become a constant race, a physically and emotionally draining race...and I was rooting for him to find even one moment of happiness along the way. That happiness comes the moment he meets Bella, a young woman he saves while working at a college bar. There's an immediate connection between the two, a sense of love and support that warmed my heart and put a smile on my face. There's lots of secrets between the two of them though, secrets that kept me on the edge of my seat while waiting for them to see what's really important.
Isabella Winters is an immensely appealing heroine, one who's more than she seems. She's getting close to graduating with a degree in journalism, becoming the first in her family to graduate at all, and because of that she's feeling the pressure...courtesy of them. Add in demands from her professor (who I had issues with) to uncover what MMA fighter Shadows is hiding from the world and you'll end up with a powerful romance, one that will pull at the heartstrings. Throughout their time together they both need to decide who they're going to be and how they're going to achieve their desires. They need to balance wanting to be there for others while living a life for themselves, something that will take heartfelt talks and a few tears along the way to achieve.
This was ultimately a romance that brought together two very appealing people, two people on the cusp of adulthood who are trying to achieve their own dreams while also being weighed down by obligations from others. From the very start this was a sweet and sensual romance, one full of angst and secrets and lies that brought this couple together in a mature way full of heartfelt talks and truths. Being together brought out the best in them, endeared them to me, and strengthened this tale based on a familiar premise.
My rating for this is a B+
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
AUTHOR INFO
Laramie Briscoe is the USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author of over 30 books, with sales of over half a million copies.
Since self-publishing her first book in May of 2013, Laramie has appeared on the Top 100 Bestselling E-books Lists on Apple Books, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. Her books have been known to make readers laugh and cry. They are guaranteed to be emotional, steamy reads.
When she's not writing alpha males who seriously love their women, she loves spending time with friends, reading, and marathoning shows on Netflix. Married to her high school sweetheart, Laramie lives in Bowling Green, KY with her husband and a Pudelpointer named Gus.
