So, part of my new years resolution was to get more reading done. I used to read a book a day before this author gig took over my life, and I’ve really been missing it. So in 2019, I intend to change that. And, in order to keep myself accountable, I’m starting a new segment on my blog called “What’s Jane Reading?”
The first book on the chopping block - Shallow by Cora Kenborn.
While I’ve been a follower of Cora for quite some time. I’m a member of her group, The Twisted Alpha Addicts, and find her to be as delightful as she is hilarious. (The woman is a stitch, y’all. Join her group, if only for Mason Jar Confessionals on Sunday nights! You will NOT be sorry!)
I always liked the look of Shallow. It had a great blurb, a beautiful cover, and seemed hella intriguing. Who doesn’t love a good enemies-to-lovers romance, amirite? I added it to my TBR when it released in November 2017 but, sadly, life got in the way and I just never got around to it. Recently, Ms. Kenborn did a sale on the book and I figured, WTH? Carpe Diem and shit, right?
Now I ask myself WHY did it take me so long to dive into a Cora Kenborn book?? After finishing Shallow, I feel like I've been missing out! This book was FANTASTIC! Ms. Kenborn is so adept at weaving a story you can't put down. I kept saying "just one more chapter" but when I got to the end, I HAD to keep going. I read the entire second half in one sitting - and this is NOT a short book!
Shiloh was such an incredibly well-crafted character, I could literally SEE the change taking place in her with each proverbial turn of the page. My heart pulled for her. I desperately wanted her and Cary to find their happy ending. They needed it. They deserved it. The two the were peas in a pod; their love so sweet and their chemistry incendiary. One moment, I was laughing out loud and the next, I was fanning myself from the heat lifting off the pages.
Shallow was perfect and sweet and hot and gripping and everything a romance novel should be. Ms. Kenborn NAILED it when she wrote this one. Like, seriously. It’s perfectly crafted, and so, so well written, that I was immersed in the story from the first word. This book is so much more than enemies falling in love. It’s a story about redemption, forgiveness, and remaining true to your heart when the odds are stacked against you.
Five heartfelt, beautifully flawed, perfect stars.
The higher the star...the harder the fall
Shiloh
The tabloids call me a walking headline with an A-list attitude. That suits me just fine. The spotlight is my comfort zone and I own it. However, life in the fast lane has its price, and a fatal mistake forces me back to the place I swore I'd never return.
Now I'm face to face with my biggest regret.
I walked away from a sweet boy and came home to a sinful man. One who lives to break me. I don't understand this ruthless side of Cary, but I can't resist him. We're toxic together but too addicted to stop. He says he hates himself for wanting me. I hate him for wanting me too.
I warned him I'd ruin him once. It's not my fault if he ignores me twice.
Cary
Seven years ago, Shiloh said she'd ruin me. For once, she was telling the truth. I loved her more than anything, but so did she. Once I sacrificed my future for her, she turned her back on me, and I've spent every waking moment hating her for it.
After her perfect Hollywood life implodes, she's court ordered back to our small town and under my control. The timing of her downfall is perfect for the payback I've always craved. Unfortunately, she still tempts me, and revenge doesn't taste as sweet as the woman I vowed to destroy.
Change of plans. Now, I don't just want her pain. I want her everything