I liked this book but I have to say the subject of the book really turned me off. There just didnt seem enough depth in the book for me.

Shame by Ainsley Booth is an intense read about infidelity and forgiveness. Deep storyline. #AinsleyBooth #NetGalley

This book is the second in the series and I do feel that the reader needs to read the first book. In my opinion this book cannot be read as a stand-alone book
The book is a short read, but a very gripping read
The book tells the story of grace and Luke and (trigger warning) their infidelity
The book is a real rollercoaster of emotions, written from both pints of view
I really enjoyed this book

This is a standalone novel for Grace and Luke. It is also book two of a two-book duet about two different couples. The book deals with something that can be quite devastating - a husband cheating on his wife. Having lived through it myself, I can promise you its not fun. That is what made this a very good read, and I will read more by this author in future.

I think we all relate to this book at some point in our lives because finding that work place and home life balance is hard. I think all of our brains put a tinge of fear that the other will cheat because of this. I think I am glad i tried this author out again because this round is much better. Seriously dont read this if you can relate or cheating is a fear you have!

DNF. I admire what the premise is trying to accomplish and was intrigued by the thought of forgiving infidelity. Would I buy be able to buy the apology? It's not usually something I read. But there just isn't enough groveling for my taste -- the book is very well-written, but I'd need 10000x more groveling if I had to buy a "forgiveness for cheating" romance. Just not for me, but it may be for you! I DNFed because it wouldn't be fair to myself or the book if I finished.

This book did a good job of detailing a marriage in crisis and how a couple can grow apart and yet find their way back to each other. It was raw, painful and real, and yet ended on a note of hope and reconciliation. It wasn't my normal read, but I'm glad I gave it a chance.

This was a good second chance romance where the hero cheated and now has to do everything in his power to win the trust and affection of his wife back.

Ainsley Booth outdid herself in Shame! A page turner I couldn’t stop reading!

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

I had high hopes for this one. Cheating to me is a no-no in any form so I am always keen to see what my opinions are when reading books about it. I love it when the cheater gets their comeuppance. I am also interested in the backstory. Why do people feel the need to do it in the first place?
This book left me wanting to know more.
It wasn’t a bad book by any means and I enjoyed reading it. I just felt that something was missing for me to give it a higher rating.

I generally avoid novels that are less than 300 pages but I do like a romances about couples who are on the brink of divorce so I took a punt on Shame. I really liked the first half (I stayed up until the early hours) but the second half was underwhelming. I firmly believe that I would have enjoyed Shame more if there was another 110 pages and the author really delved deeper into the breakdown of the marriage and what led to Luke's betrayal and why they both stayed in an unhappy marriage and hen slowly built back up. For me also, apart from the romance there wasn't much of a plot. Yes, Grace had an art exhibition but I felt that there could have been more of a plot.

Although, I've read and enjoyed Ainsley Booth's work before, Shame was a bit of a let down. In the future, I'll stick to books that are a bit lengthier.

Heat Factor: It’s a slow burn, but then there’s some dirty talkin’ daddy kink funtimes
Character Chemistry: Angst level 1000
Plot: Marriage in trouble after cheating
Overall: I wanted this to be the cheating romance we never get, and I think it largely succeeded

This book is going to be a hard pass for a lot of people, and that’s okay. For me, I tend to find the conversations surrounding cheating in romance to be frustrating and dehumanizing, in that they tend to be more declarative statements than conversations, so I was excited to see that Booth wrote a marriage in trouble book that involved trouble that is extremely challenging to navigate, which is to say: a husband cheating on his wife.

Here’s what I thought this book needed in order to succeed:
- He’s not a serial cheater who thinks he can do what he wants, and he has to feel real regret for his actions
- She needs to feel the social expectation that women automatically leave a cheating partner and struggle with that as she figures out what she wants
- He’s got to grovel, but also she has to decide to fight for the marriage eventually, too
- They have to substantively solve the problems that derailed the marriage beyond just “he’s a cheater so he has to grovel”

And Booth does carry us through the difficult emotional journeys these protagonists are traveling after Grace finds out that Luke is having an affair. It is an incredibly difficult read. Grace punishes Luke in really hurtful (though arguably not undeserved) ways while they’re separated as she works through her grief at his betrayal, and while it’s easy to get where she’s coming from, it’s hard to read. Luke finally seeks therapy (better late than never!) to try to repair his marriage, yes, but also because his whole life has been kind of a giant emotional mess that he really did not handle well.

I spent a good chunk of the book wondering if it was even worth fighting to save this marriage, which is probably exactly where the reader should be as Luke works on himself and Grace reasserts her own personhood. The argument must be made that the protagonists have something worth saving, but part of that is the protagonists themselves deciding they have something worth saving. Eventually Luke has to let go and Grace also has to fight for the marriage…

It was as things were coming together toward the end of the book that I realized that the black moment was really at the beginning of the book. This makes the whole book the dramatic resolution rather than just, say, the last twenty percent of the book. This, combined with the fact that part of reading this book is accepting that the characters are making the decisions they’re making whether we think they’re good decisions or not, might make the ending feel not as satisfying as, say, a grand declaration of love after 300 pages of angsty emotional constipation.

There were also very few secondary characters, and almost none of them were women. Further, Grace and Luke didn’t disclose Luke’s affair to anyone close to them. So Grace didn’t much feel the struggle of trying to make her own decisions while dealing with a social expectation from people close to her that obviously she would end her marriage. She started out with that presumption herself, but it is my understanding that many people in her position feel a real lack of support from their support systems as they process their feelings after being cheated on, and I would have liked to see that portrayed on page. But there was a lot going on emotionally already, so I suppose something had to give.

Grace does say:
"There is a brutal double standard for women who have been cheated on. On the hand, they are blamed for it. They weren’t sexy enough, they ignored their husband’s needs. And then, when they find out, they are expected to leave.

"You think people are rewarded for staying with a spouse that betrayed them? Not by people who see them as having agency. Agency means we leave. Period. Agency means, when I’m hurt, I run.

"I’m not exactly running. But I feel pretty fucking lonely in this place of fighting for what I want."

Which I would argue is the thesis of this whole book.

I picked up a copy of this one from Netgalley as the blurb caught my eye. Shame tells the story of Grace, a character who I liked as she tries to move forward after she discovers her husband Luke has cheated on her. It, not an easy journey, especially as Luke wants forgiveness and to rebuild their marriage.

I had a friend who was in a similar situation a few months ago. So I felt that the author did an excellent job of capturing the emotions of infidelity, such as the pain, betrayal, hurt, anger, loss of and building trust again, healing, self-discovery, and moving forward.

Overall, an interesting, emotional and well-written quick read and with some added kink.

I really think, for me, this book had potential but missed the mark. My biggest issue with it is the fact that it's marketed as a standalone. It is, I guess. If you read book one you probably really enjoyed this one. I think my problem is that there are so many vague references to things that I assume happen in book one that it really took away from my reading experience. I would have loved it if the author would have dedicated a sentence or two to give readers who are coming into the series with this book an idea of WTH happened with Sam. Had I not known there was a book one I think I would have, at times, been super confused. Instead I just became increasingly annoyed. I don't need spoilers. In fact, I loathe them. But just a tiny hint would have made such a big difference for me. A sentence or two that would leave me curious and excited to, maybe, start at the beginning.

The second instalment of The Secrets and Lies duet. This centres around Grace and Luke (Sam’s brother) and the after effects of an affair on a relationship.

A very emotional read.

This book was unlike anything I had read before. I am not necessarily loving this genre, but it did keep my attention. It is about a couple in which one of them cheats on the other. Neither of them is necessarily happy in their relationship, so they each decide to go elsewhere to gain more. This book shows the process of breaking up and then what comes next (don't want to give a spoiler here). It's difficult not to become engaged with the characters--they are really well written and I enjoyed getting to know them. All in all, it was a quick read, and I am glad that I read it, but felt like I needed a shower after. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Good book that dropped you into the story fast. You don’t get a lot of buildup to get through. Just, boom, right into the drama. It’s wonderful.

I received Shame by Ainsley Booth for free in exchange for an honest review. I didn't think that I would like it very much going in after having read the small blurb about the book. I was wrong. I very much enjoyed this book. I liked the exploration of what went wrong in the relationship and how they were able to get back on track. It was a different read for sure as usually once a character cheats, that's it-- they are done. This was more real life.

3.5 stars. Grace and Luke have been together for nearly 2 decades. As seen in Tempt, Grace feels like she is shouldering the bulk of the relationship on her shoulders while Luke appears checked out and dismissive. Shame begins where Grace has discovered Luke's indiscretions. He never intended her to find out and he certainly didn't seem to be on the path to stopping either. Regardless, this is the wake up call that Luke has been needing given that all the other signs were already there. There are some worthy aspects of this story in terms of recovery and healing, learning to trust again and forgiveness. Grace did not make it too easy for Luke and his remorse and self-loathing was genuine. I had wondered if Luke actually loved Grace to veer off the beaten path like he did, but Luke's actions were a self-reflection of his view of himself rather than a distaste for his wife. Still, I think there were opportunities to explore more of the misdeeds and to open up further communication to solidify them more as to where things went wrong and how they perceived one another. Luke does make every effort, even beyond his comfort, to amend his relationship, but perhaps I had hoped Grace would let him suffer a little longer and let him know just how deeply he hurt her rather than turning the power back over to him because of her submissive nature. Also, this transverses into their intimate life so Grace has to open up her true desires and Luke must be willing to accept them. I think there was potential to include more, but overall I still enjoyed their journey back to each other.

ARC received for review

I almost didn't request this because I lived it and it wasn't fun. In the end my enjoyment of Ms. Booth's books won out. She is an amazing job with a hard subject and Grace & Luke got their HEA. There were rough spots and set backs, but in the end true love wins with some kink thrown in. Plus there's a bonus epilogue you can request that's my favorite kind (4 of them spaced out over the next 18 years). I just wish there was one for his brother's story. I still want their friend Alex to get a story.