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The perfect woman.The perfect wife.
As a celebrity, everyone believes that Shay Gardener’s life is picture-perfect, but only she knows how untrue that really is.
After experiencing a tragic miscarriage and a hasty divorce, Shay’s life couldn’t be more imperfect or lonelier. Behind the bright smile is actually a woman in pain. But to maintain her public image, she keeps her demons within where they continue to torture her every day and every night.
Ash Coppard can see the pain that Shay bears. As a friend, he wants to console her, but as a man, he wants nothing more than to protect her from further harm. But when a scandal threatens to ruin her career, can Ash protect her from the spotlight even when the problem is himself?
In this sensual friends-to-lovers story, Shay will have to decide what is more important to her—the career that she has devoted her entire life to or Ash, the friend who has suddenly become more to her.
Being in the public eye is a dangerous place and with everyone watching them, one wrong move could mean the end of everything. Can Shay shake off the scrutiny directed at her without putting both their hearts at risk? Or will this scandal end both their careers as well as their last chance at love?
Available on #KindleUnlimited
“So, what did you do today, Shay?” Greyson asked as he took a bite of his hot dog.
“Uhh.” Shay scanned her friends gathered around her, wondering how truthful she should be. Normally, if it were just her and Dacey, then she wouldn’t mind telling her how much she was suffering. But with Ash and Greyson around, she felt a little more self-conscious. “I didn’t do much,” she said instead. “All I did was go to the market.”
“Is no one going to ask me about my day?” Ash asked.
“No one cares,” Greyson shot back, which got everyone laughing.
Ash crossed his arms over his big chest. “Fine, I see how it is. In that case, I’ll go home, but only if Shay sees me out.”
Dacey paused mid-chew. “You’re really leaving? We were just joking, Ash.”
“Yeah,” Greyson said quickly. “You can stay.”
But Ash was already up on his feet. “Nah, it’s getting late and I still have some stuff to do at home. Thanks for the food though.”
Greyson grimaced. “You just came here to eat, didn’t you?”
But Ash was no longer listening to him. He turned to her with his hand extended, and for a moment, Shay just stared at him in confusion. Was he really serious?
One could never really tell what was going on with Ash Coppard. She didn’t understand why he wanted her to see him out, especially since this wasn’t even her house, but instead of arguing, she put her hand in his. The spark that went through her at the first contact surprised her. Without a word, she followed him inside where they stopped by the front door.
“Thanks for coming with me,” Ash said as he turned to her. “But I didn’t want to ask this in front of the others.” What was he talking about? And more importantly,what did he want to ask her? Ash leaned into her, filling her nostrils with his masculine scent. “Are you okay?” he whispered.
Shay blinked. Huh? That was what he wanted to ask her? She nodded slowly. “Yes. . . why wouldn’t I be?”
“Come on, Shay. You can be real with me.” He shifted his weight on his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you really okay?”
Shay was stunned by his words but she was even more surprised by the worry in his eyes. Ash was usually the happy-go-lucky type who rarely showed concern like this, but right now she could tell that he was truly worried about her.
Wow.
Whether it was because she had been caught off guard by his concern or because she simply wanted someone to talk to, but in that moment, Shay felt compelled to tell him the truth. “I have my moments when I’m not,” she admitted, “but it’s not as bad as before.”
His smile was soft and intimate. “I’m glad to hear that. But if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m always here to listen.”
“Okay.” While she never considered herself close with Ash, these days they were spending more and more time together because of Greyson and Dacey. Still, Shay never really divulged what was really going on with her with him before, so what had prompted him to ask her if she was all right today? Had he sensed her distress? Had he known that she had been crying earlier?
“I’ll see you again soon,” he said as he suddenly turned for the door.
Huh? That was it? He was going to leave just like that?
Despite her confusion, she was relieved that he wasn’t going to push her for more. “All right.” Shay smiled as she watched him return to his car from the door. But before he could reach it, he stopped and turned back to her.
“Hey, do you want to go for some ice cream?” he suddenly asked.
“Right now?”
“Yeah.” His smile was bright and there was something in his eyes that made her feel warm and wanted. “Come on, it won’t take long and it’ll be a nice treat.”
“But what about the others?”
“Don’t worry about them. We can always bring something back for them.”
Shay warred with herself. Should she go or should she stay? Normally, she didn’t go anywhere with Ash without Greyson or Dacey, but for some strange reason, she wanted to go with him tonight. “All right.” She had no idea what strange compulsion had her getting into his car, but it felt right as she slid inside.
The clean leather scent of his seats filled her nostrils, but there was also another scent that hit her, one that was far stronger and more masculine. It was Ash’s scent, and as he joined her in the car and started the engine, she inhaled deep, not really sure why she liked his smell so much. His scent was a rich combination of pine and something else she couldn’t decipher. It made her think of silk sheets and scented candles.
Shaking that absurd image from her mind, Shay refocused on the road ahead of her. As they drove in comfortable silence, Shay wondered what Dacey would think when she found out where she had gone. Hell, she didn’t even know why she was in this car right now either.
When they arrived at the ice cream shop, Ash gave her some time to pick out exactly what she wanted. She had a hard time choosing; there were so many amazing flavors. But in the end, she decided on chocolate chip in a cup. It had always been her favorite but she knew that she couldn’t indulge too much because her filming started tomorrow.
Ash, on the other hand, wasn’t holding back and went for a waffle cone and a double scoop of butterscotch ice cream. “Mmm,” he said as he took his first taste. “This is amazing. Do you want to try?”
“No, thanks. I’m not a fan of butterscotch.”
The clear insult on his face made her laugh out loud. “Are you out of your mind? Butterscotch is amazing!”
Shay shook her head. “I’ve only had it once when I was a kid and decided it wasn’t my thing.”
“I can’t believe this! You’ve got to try this. Seriously, it will blow your mind!” Ash was already shoving the cone into her face, so Shay had no choice but to taste it. The moment the ice cream hit her tongue, she felt her eyes go wide. Wow! It tasted much different than she remembered!
“See?” Ash said with a smug grin. “I told you it was good.”
“It is,” she agreed. “I didn’t think it would be but it’s amazing.”
His smile was teasing. “I bet you want more of mine now, don’t you?”
When she nodded, he laughed. “All right, I’ll let you have some. But only if you let me have a taste of yours.”
Shay handed hers over without another word. As they exchanged desserts, her mouth started to water. Who knew that butterscotch ice cream could have this effect on her?
She moaned in pleasure as the sweet and salty flavor exploded on her tongue. It’d been a long time since she had allowed anything to bring her pleasure like this, but perhaps she had denied herself too long, punishing herself for what had happened that even the simple things like eating ice cream was like a balm to her. She should really treat herself more often. She had Ash to thank for bringing her here to help her realize that.
When she opened her eyes again, she found Ash smiling at her. Oh, God. How long had he been staring at her?Did she have to moan out loud like that?
Embarrassed by her reaction, it took her a moment to realized that he wasn’t looking at her like he usually did. Now, there was a softness to his expression that she hadn’t seen before. Shay reached a hand up to her face, feeling suddenly self-conscious.
She wasn’t normally shy about him, but tonight, her emotions were all over the place. But every time he looked at her like that, she felt her heart skip a beat.
Lost in her emotions, Shay was completely caught off guard when a bright flash exploded all around them. “What the—”
As more flashes occurred in quick succession, Shay stepped back, blocking their eyes from the bright lights. What the hell was going on?Beside her, Ash let out a rough curse.
Oh no, she thought a moment later. No, it can’t be!
For a moment, she had totally forgot about her celebrity status. She didn’t think that anyone would follow her at this late hour, especially when she was just going out to grab some ice cream, but the paparazzi had followed them.
“Shay!” one cameraman called out. “Who is this guy? Is he your new boyfriend?”
“Boyfriend?”Was that what they thought Ash was?No. No way. She was about to set the record straight when Ash grabbed her by the hand and pulled hard.
She let out a cry as he continued to drag her toward the back of the shop. The bewildered employees said nothing as he looked for a back exit. Finally finding an exit, they burst through the doors, running down the back alley like they were being chased.
3 out of 5 (good)
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is set in Moonrise Beach, a series by this author, and Ash and Shay are part of that series, but this is their story. I have not read that series, and I do not feel I missed anything for not doing.
This is one of those reviews that will be hard to write. I'm not sure I liked this book, but can't figure out why!
So, I'll comment on what I did like and maybe it will come to me? Let's try.
It's fairly well written, from both Ash and Shay's points of view. Greyson also gets a chapter, he is Ash's best friend and is married to Dacey, Shay's best friend but I'm not entirely sure what the point of HIS chapter was.
It moves along steadily. The pace of the story and the way Ash and Shay build their relationship moves along nicely, neither wants to rush into anything and spoil their friendship.
I felt some of the things that had happened to Shay could have been dealt with in a deeper way, but what does happen was not glassed over. I just felt it needed more, you know?
I think that's my biggest issue. While everything was dealt with in a sympathetic manner, it all needed to be MORE. Yes, my overwhelming feeling about this book was, I needed more, and ya'll know I like to share my book feelings.
When I find a new to me author I ask myself this: Will I read more of this author? My answer for this author is: possibly, but only if the blurb grabs. I will not go back and read the Moonrise Beach series though.
3 good solid stars
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Ana Jolene is the author of the Glory MC series, a New Adult Dystopian and the Contemporary Romance series, Moonrise Beach.
Growing up as a rebellious kid didn’t allow for much reading time. It wasn’t until Ana was in university that she found her passion for books and has since then devoured every book placed before her. Ana holds a B.A. in Psychology and has worked in both IT and Administration. But she’s had the most fun in the bookish world, working as a reviewer, columnist, and assistant to multiple sites and best-selling authors.
Ana currently lives in Toronto with her family and an extremely lazy Shih Tzu whom she adores. To learn more about Ana and her books, please visit her website www.anajolene.com and subscribe to the newsletter to be notified of the hottest new releases and giveaways!