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The Irish Bastards #1

Living with Shame

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At thirteen, I snuck a kiss.
At sixteen, I fell in love.
At eighteen, I despised loving him.
He lied, cheated and killed. He also protected, provided and gave me solace.

I ran the streets, doing whatever I pleased, until Shame showed up to claim me. For five years, the most notorious street gang in Boston became my family. The day I turned eighteen, I didn't want to leave. My heart belonged to Shame. I simply needed to convince him I was more than the little girl he rescued.

I promised to love him, but could he ever love me back?

Not all love was easy.
Not all love was meant to be.
And not all love could survive.

From the author of The Irreparable Series comes a story of forbidden romance. With all the angst you expect from KJ Bell, Living With Shame will bring you to your knees and have you begging for a happy ending.

358 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 15, 2017

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About the author

K.J. Bell

16 books512 followers
K J Bell currently lives in California with her husband and three children. As a mother of three, when she’s not writing, she’s usually carting one of her children to their various activities.

She enjoys reading, and music, and is equally addicted to both.

Writing is a passion she simply can’t live without.

She loves hearing from her readers and can be found on various social media sites


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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
Profile Image for ❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books.
2,322 reviews9,242 followers
May 2, 2017
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LIVING WITH SHAME: by K.J. Bell is the first book in the (The Irish Bastards #1) series where we’re introduced to thirteen year old Breeze Clery and Shame AKA (Seamus O’Rilley). This is spoken in ‘Dual Perspectives’ and transitioned from ‘Present to Past’ until the very end where we're thrown back into Present time again.

A long and complicated story about a forbidden love between Breeze & Shame (Seamus O’Rilley). But to understand all that we need to go back, back to the past, back to where it all happened.

This starts us off in the future, then swiftly takes us back to how these two star crossed forbidden loves met.

At the age of thirteen Breeze and her bestie were going to a party inside the clubhouse of the Irish Bastards, a gang of hardened thugs who ran the streets of Southie. If asked they were to say they were eighteen because no one under the age of eighteen is permitted within the grounds, that was the one rule the club adhered to.

Walking into the clubhouse that night Breeze felt like she’d finally come home, a feeling unknown to her, a feeling like this is the place she was meant to be, where she belonged.

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Breeze’s mission was to find the man that was the talk on the streets who everyone referred to as ‘Shame’ to see if he stood up to his reputation.

His unruly dark hair begged to be brushed and his urban attire screamed, I’m badass. He had possibly the most beautiful lips I had ever seen on a guy, but his full beard reminded me he was a man.

After being questioned by Shame how old she was and replying that she was eighteen Shame sealed his lips to hers.

At thirteen, I snuck a kiss.
At sixteen, I fell in love.
At eighteen, I despised loving him.


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I dipped my head and sealed our mouths together. Her lips tasted as sweet as they smelled. The kiss itself though, so innocent, a sweet-natured longing that meant this girl was forbidden. - SHAME

He knew after that kiss that she wasn’t eighteen, that she was lying to him about her age.

That same night like thieves in the night, they stormed into Breeze’s house because of a debt her father owed to the club and unable to come up with the funds to cover it, as collateral damage he took Breeze as payment for the next five years she works off within the club.

You never knew when love would grab hold of you. I didn't. I never saw it coming with Shame, but love took me hostage the moment I laid eyes on him.

Things aren't easy for Breeze, leaving home was out of her hands, moving in with Shame she was set on a road of unchartered feelings for a man ten years older than her, a push and pull ensued she'd push her feelings on him and every time he'd pull away knowing that it was wrong on more than one level, add in underage and being associated with him could get her into situations where she could be killed.

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This review is going to be a jumbled mess, this book put me through the wringer and spat me out the other end leaving me gasping for more. A roller coaster of epic proportions, times I loved Shame others I just wanted to stomp on him, he was a hard guy to connect to, hot, cold, up and down, he gave me the worst case of whiplash I have ever encountered in a guy. And then throw in the feels this book threw at you you're on a fast track of heartfelt emotions.

But for all his shortcomings you kind of fall in love with him along the way. I've never read a book like this before, yes it was centered around a forbidden love, was it dark and gritty to what I'm used to yes in some ways but not fully, most dark bits in the book were glossed over and done so quickly you were left wondering wtf had happened. And these guys do not ride harleys *gasps* not a one!! But the storyline grabs you right from the get go and doesn't let you go until your left dangling needing, craving, wanting, screaming for that next book in the series.

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Profile Image for  Sonya ♕Chatterbooks book blog♕.
987 reviews1,140 followers
May 1, 2017

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K.J Bell certainly knows how to get your attention and let me tell you, she hijacked the hell out of mine! This story was so addictive, I barely came up for air while reading this one. I INHALED this story so much, I think I have a permanent high and quite frankly, I don’t want to ever let go of this feeling. These characters were messy, unforgiving, and made my palms twitchy with the need to smack the hell out of them. But you know what? They were also loving, fearless, and they protected what was theirs and when you have characters like that, you’ve got yourself one hell of a story.

“Love knows no bounds is a lie. Love has nothing to do with it. It is magnetism that truly bonds us.”

Have you ever wondered why certain people came into your life? It could’ve been for a couple of minutes, hours, months or years and you’re thinking: What was the purpose? To make it better, or to set you on a path that would lead you to your own destiny? I believe who we meet in life, serves a purpose for everything and whether or not we understand it, our story has already been written. Reading this book, I now know WHY certain people are in our lives.

Breeze has always had to look out for herself from a very young age forcing her to grow up a little too fast. Deciding to take a little walk on the wild side with her best friend, Breeze comes face to face with the Boston leader of the “BASTARDS” gang. Little does she know that walking into his club, is going to forever alter her life and set a domino effect into motion. When you’re around a man like Shame, life as you know it, will never be the same.

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Seamus “Shame” O’Rilley has been through his fair share of loss over the past few years. Now king of the BASTARDS club, his only mission is to make sure his family is protected and no one crosses his turf. Meeting a girl that made him feel centered for the first time in his life, was soul awakening. Finding out that she was off limits? That was soul crushing. Do you remember when I asked “Why do certain people come into your life”? Shame is about to find out his “WHY “and it’s a journey that’s going to be five years in the making.

“We were perfect when we gave up control and allowed our bodies to do the talking. The rest of the time, though….we were severely flawed. “

They say through tragedy, we will soon find something beautiful. In the beginning, I was honestly bracing myself for the beautiful because I felt the tragedy was going to come and overpower my view on this story. I was so wrong! The beauty was in every chapter even when the characters had their flaws and that’s what I loved about this story. It was different and every action served a purpose and even though I couldn’t see it at first, the story held you in it’s grip and refused to let you go until you understood.

This was a slow burn and I think it couldn’t have been done any other way because Breeze and Shame’s relationship needed time and I loved how the author portrayed their internal struggles. Now I have to be honest, there were some things I was not comfortable with and I wanted it to be different but everything happens for a reason and after reading that ending, I now know that for a fact. If you’re looking for a sweet story with a little bit of angst, this book is not for you. If you want a love story that is years in the making and a man who would do whatever it takes to protect that woman, then this is for you. This is not an easy read but no one ever said the best love stories are.

Please be advised: This ends on a semi cliffhanger. Part two release date is TBA.

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Profile Image for Qhuinn (hiatus).
120 reviews2 followers
May 17, 2017
The heroine of this story is a 15 or 16 year old virgin, and the hero has feelings for her, but he doesn't act on those feelings, mostly because he's so much older than she is. Instead, he has a girlfriend/fuck-buddy that he sleeps with, in plain sight of the heroine. This goes on for pretty much the entire book. Also forgot to mention that the h and H live together. The hero claims to love the heroine and wants to protect her, but when he comes home to find his girlfriend choking the life out of the heroine, he doesn't break up with her. The hero asks them to both apologize to each other and basically kiss and make up. In the end, that same girlfriend ends up kidnapping the heroine with the intent of selling her into sex trafficking. And big surprise, the heroine ends up getting gang raped by the men holding her, all because the hero was too stupid to notice he'd been sleeping with the enemy. This book should've came with a warning or something.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Simona Misevska.
547 reviews
June 28, 2017
2,5-3 stars
Well this book definitely surprised me but unfortunately not in good way.I love to read mafia books and i read more gritty and dark from this one but Living with Shame is basically a underage girl living with the 10 years older then her and loving him.The age difference is not my problem,until she is 18 they didn't have physical connection ,what bother me the most is that in the book doesn't have enough romance and that is crucial for me.The ending is cliffy and didn't see that coming,i thought is standalone.All in all the plot is promising but the whole content of the book is mixed up.
Profile Image for Cristina.
1,093 reviews213 followers
Read
September 5, 2023
Oh God, I just read a review where the h gets gang raped. Plus, the H is sleeping with someone else the entire time? What.the.heck?
Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.
😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Erika P.
1,017 reviews174 followers
July 11, 2019
"I had rules I lived by. Always. But with Breeze I had broken every single one of them. I didn't know if that made me weak or strong, if it made me a better man or one more loathsome than my reputation. As I stared into her twinkling green eyes, so full of love and appreciation, I didn't care about my code or the rules."

Let me start off by saying that I am hooked on this series due to the way this ended. I loved how it began at a certain part in the present, then took you back and explained how it all happened. The pull between Breeze and Shame was undeniable, but I wish she would have been a tad older when they met, but it was never inappropriate. Strictly forbidden for years, they struggled to find their places in each other's lives...push/pull. Without giving it away, I got mad at Shame dozens of times for various things but now knowing the whole story, it all fit together perfectly.The book is chock full of characters you love, ones you hate, and ones you can't wait to see again. Shame's painted as a ruthless leader of a club, but the heart that peeks through is so completely endearing. The Author gave you so many twists and turns to discover, while figuring out what the couple was going to do, it was like a literal roller coaster of emotions that I didn't want to get off of. The Author left it so you will be dying to read the next!! I thank the Author for providing a copy to voluntarily review!

~~~Erika, Book Haven Book Blog
Profile Image for Erin.
72 reviews13 followers
May 17, 2017


5 stars-
I am not sure if I have enough words to truly capture the epicness of this books. Author KJ Bell has once again hooked me heart and soul with her characters. She knows exactly how to combine raw and gritty with sexiness and humor to form a story that will leave you in a book hangover for days.
Living with Shame is the first book in the Irish bastard series. Shame is the leader of the Irish Bastards, a club that is not known for being model citizens. He knew exactly what he wanted until Breeze crossed his path. He had saved her from her drunken father, but can he save her from the most dangerous person of all ..... himself.
Profile Image for Books Laid Bare.
2,275 reviews37 followers
May 16, 2017
I can say only one thing about this book and that is ...Be Prepared.
The quality of the writing and the depth of feeling that the book drew from me caught me off guard. The author presented a story that was as raw as I could have possibly imagined from a book with this title but what I hadn’t anticipated was the fact that it was also so heartfelt and intensely passionate, everything about it was powerfully emotional and realistically challenging.
Some may say that this is not for the faint hearted and I suppose that for some it may be too much but I think if you are prepared for the fact that this will test you, you should power through…not doing so in my opinion means that you are missing out on a superb read.
Breeze and Shame are the lead roles and the story as painful as it is, is told from their alternating points of view, my heart broke for them in some respects when all they wanted was their happy ever after in whatever form that took but there were those around them that we set to ensure that they had a battle to get where they needed and wanted to be.
If you like guy that may be everybody’s definition of a bad boy but who loves his girl with every ounce of his being, then this is the guy for you…totally besotted!!!!
I found the pace and pulse of the book had me on the edge of my seat on more than one occasion and at one point I had to take time away in order to compose my thoughts enough to carry on at one point but that was only because I felt myself getting completely absorbed, I could feel my heart breaking and the breath being sucked from my lungs.
I would be remiss if I didn’t say that being the first in the series, this ends on a cliff hanger and will definitely leave you scratching around on the internet looking for the date of the next release…yep, guilty!!!
Profile Image for Lori R..
1,334 reviews69 followers
May 17, 2017
KJ Bell is back, y’all! Living With Shame is a delicious, forbidden romance that will have you gripping your kindle tightly, all the while devouring each page until the very end.

I absolutely loved this book. It fulfilled my expectations, and then some. After reading the blurb, I knew it was going to rock my world. Once I started reading, I didn't want to stop... I couldn’t stop. It's starts off with a bang and sucked me right in. The superb writing and storytelling of this author made me connect easily with the characters and fall in love with them immediately.

Breeze is a beautiful, young girl who looks and acts much older than her 13 years. With no mother around and because her father is an alcoholic, she’s left to fend for herself. Often neglected, she’s able to come and go as she pleases. And she does. And she catches the eye of one sexy, much older Bastard.

Shame is head of the Irish Bastards, instantly attracted to Breeze the second he sees her walk into the clubhouse. Kisses are stolen, sparks fly... and their journey begins. You should probably buckle up, because it's a thrilling one.

As I read this story, I experienced all the feels I love in a good book. Some moments had me angry, some had me smiling, and a lot of them had me wanting to scream out in frustration. The struggles these two went through was enough to drive me mad. Angst, angst, and more angst - LOVED every second of it! I constantly thought about these characters and what was going to happen next if I wasn’t reading.

I am not surprised with how much I loved this, because I am a huge fan of this author. I had a good feeling she was going to knock it out of the park - and she did. If you love forbidden romance, I am confident you will enjoy this. I highly recommend it!

"The disgrace and the loneliness, the feeling no one else could understand was my shame to bear. But not the man … my Shame … he was easy. I was his burden and he was my constant and I had loved him since I was thirteen. Living with Shame had never been easy. It had always hurt. But, of course I would forgive him. I loved him. I would always love him."
Profile Image for Sangria.
583 reviews1 follower
May 25, 2017
So, I really, really wanted to love this book and follow this story, its only like for me, but honestly I need romance in my criminal books and there's just not enough in it. Also, I would of preferred that scene with the h didn't happen after all she'd been thru. It was overkill.

I might read the next book, it's strange too, I've read some seriously gritty mafia books but this one....I don't know why I can't seem to get past it. I like this author a lot too and was definitely excited to read it. I know many will love it. It's just like for me though.

Extra points for an Irish book. There's slim pickings out here and lots of Irish families. Strange.
279 reviews
May 23, 2017
I was lucky enough to receive a ARC of this book. I have missed KJ Bells books. This book was so different from what I was expecting, in a really good way. Her writing kept me riveted right up until the last page. She was so spot on with the details I felt like I was right there. I can't wait to see what happens next
Profile Image for CYNDY.
1,145 reviews26 followers
May 19, 2017
*****5 Living With Shame Stars*****
K.J. Bell gives us a story about forbidden romance, humor, passion, strength, horrible and sad and dark moment; she wrote one hell of a story (I need part 2 now please). You will be glued to the pages sitting on the edge of your seat to see what happens next. Breeze and her best friend are at party that she knows they should not be at only being 13 years old and all but she wants to catch a glimpse of Seamus (Shame) O’ Riley leader of the Bastards Club. When Shame lays his eyes on Breeze he knows she like no else his ever met but there one question he needs the answer too, how old is Breeze? After he already Kissed Breeze, Shame knew that kiss was too innocent; Breeze becomes payment for her alcoholic father’s debt per Shame she to work for Shame until she turns 18. Breeze and Shame have this crazy undeniable pull to each other; they struggle to find the right spot in each other lives; it’s strictly forbidden for years. There are so many twist turns and secrets to discover. THIS IS MUST READ!
*****ARC from Social Butterfly PR for review*****

http://cyndysreads.blogspot.com/


Living With Shame
Profile Image for Mimi.
112 reviews30 followers
June 4, 2017
A self help book/ inspiration guideline somehow mixed with this extra angsty read.

I was a little shocked at first to find out how young the main character was, but as it went through the story, I found I enjoyed it.

It was extremely angsty and both characters made mistakes.

I did find it a little awkward when Shame was so open and how thick he laid on the whole torture soul/mommie complex act with Sabrina when she was first introduced. Especially, when his whole character was against the fact, and he was most certain a daddy's boy. I know it was a major story plot, but his openness seemed extremely forced.

I also found it hard to believe that it took so long for the club to explain where their turf started and ended.

I was a little sad on how George RR Martins it got with some of the characters.

Also, at the beginning a certain old hobby was mentioned and I felt like those talents the female lead had could have been put to good use as the story progressed.

Ultimately, I found this an amazing surprise. I don't think I would have cared for the book or characters as much if it wasn't set up exactly the way it was. I felt like I was growing up and experience the ups and downs, the struggles and mistakes.

quotes:

"Because we perceive a situation to be horrible and crippling, doesn’t make it so. We can change our perception. It requires a bit of regrouping, but it can be accomplished. We simply have to learn to control our thoughts, guide them to visualize a situation more positively and let go of our expectations of others and ourselves."

 “Maybe a normal life isn’t something you build at all. Maybe normal is loving the life you’re given.”

" Simplifying our lives means avoiding complications. It means we have to stop being lazy. It means we have to live a moral life. It means we can no longer justify our mistakes. It is being accountable for our choices. Life is only as complicated as we make it, and we sure do love to complicate our lives."

" When things are out of order, we scramble to find some way to put everything perfectly back into place. The truth is there is nothing wrong with a little turmoil. Adversity opens the mind and allows us a chance to reposition ourselves somewhere better."

" Of course boys were a distraction. They had been since the start of man. I was fairly positive cave boys had scribbled the trickery on the walls. Idiot!"

" And in our quest to victory, we often forget how dangerous games can be. We forget people could get hurt. Or worse . . . we could lose."

" Stumble: On the road of life, we will stumble, and we will probably fall. We will make bad choices. The key is to learn from our mistakes so we don’t stay down."

" We also have a bad habit of pretending we are not miserable. We hide, but eventually we are found. We cannot run from the inevitable reminder of our failures forever. And we shouldn’t. The only way to end the misery, is to own the responsibility"

"When is it okay to fight? There is no right answer. We have to stand up for ourselves. We have to defend those we love. If we do not take a stand, we will suffer because we are human. It does not mean we have to condone violence. We simply have to choose our battles. There is no more powerful feeling than taking a punch for being true to who we are."

" Soon is an awful word. As is maybe, probably, eventually, and we will see. Still, they are words we cling to for the slightest bit of hope. Even when faced with the impossible, we all want to believe there is a chance."

"Sometimes, soon is exactly what we need. Soon can be that tiny bit of light at the end of the tunnel. As long as we can see it, we will not give up. The kicker is, soon, can also be an excuse some people use so they can avoid never."

" Soon . . . is never soon enough. Soon . . . is never the answer we want. Soon . . . is never satisfying. But we will always take it, because soon . . . is something we can hold onto."

" Perception: Our perception of a situation determines how we feel. Whether faced with something life changing, or something minor, how we perceive it is how it will affect us. The truth is if we see our situation as helpless , we will feel helpless. If we decide it sucks, it will suck. If we want things to be different we have to change how we think."

"There are two versions to every story, the right version and the wrong version, the truth and the lie. It is often hard to distinguish, because the people who believe their tale superior have manipulated both versions."

 "When two versions of a story have legal consequences, sorting out right and wrong gets tricky. Especially, if the wrong version is actually right , and the lie is safer than the truth."

"What do we do when the nightmares keep us up, and we cannot simply forget? For most, we get angry, we fight, and then we live in denial until we have to succumb to our own mortality."

 “Change is a good thing.” That is what people say to make other people feel better about their current circumstances. The truth is, until the situation is resolved, no one knows if change is good or bad. We can fight against change, roll with it, or take complete charge of it. Whatever we decide , change is inevitable, so we better be prepared.

"Every now and then , life forces us to make an adjustment . We are inherently able to adapt. It is in our DNA. It is why we are able to survive whatever life throws our way. Without the ability to adjust, we would become hostage to our fears, lose who we are , and become stagnant."

"Making an adjustment is not easy. We are programmed to accept things how things are . When we have to adjust, our instinct is to dig our heels in. It is when we stop resisting and deal with change we discover new things. We learn life has wiggle room. This is when we discover we can be whomever we want, and we don’t have to lie dormant."

"Clarity can be fickle. It eludes us and sometimes we never find it. When that happens, we are left with our best effort. We can only pray we do not choose poorly, and that we are not about to fall on our face. Worse than not finding clarity, is finding it, only to realize , doing the right thing is going to sting."

"Throughout life, we experience many revelations. The first one most of us remember is when we realize our parents are human. When we love for the first time, we face the awful revelation a human heart can in fact break. Over time, our friends reveal themselves to be nothing more than acquaintances. But there are also happy revelations. When you realize you are stronger than you thought, or becoming a parent and realizing you will never love harder. Then there are surprise revelations, and good or bad, those are the ones that change us."

" There are times we are not ready to see a revelation. We refuse to trust what we see, even if it is right in front of us. Sometimes it is because we are jaded by our past. We cannot sustain another let down, so we close our eyes."

"It is only when we open our eyes we can experience a revelation. But when we have been hurt deeply, when we have experienced a loss of control, we squeeze our eyes shut. Denial is far easier than facing the truth."

"The stories we read in newspapers or see on the evening news are typically unimaginable. In our mind, such horrible atrocities would never happen to us. We are smarter. We are different. We are untouchable. In truth, we are ignorant."

"Each of us deals with the unimaginable in our own way. Regardless of how we go about forgetting, one thing is certain; we will survive."

" How one rises from defeat defines their character."

"When someone we have always known to be strong is suddenly delicate we become lost. We feel like failures. We fight against closing ourselves off completely. We want to because it is easier than the horrific feeling of not being able to restore the faith a person once had in you."

" Finding ourselves in an emotionally delicate place can feel stifling. If we can somehow find the strength to take a breath , and reach for the person closest to us, we can survive. We can once again find our strength. We are only as fragile as we choose to be."

"Sometimes the unexpected doesn’t just blindside us, it knocks us flat on our ass and holds us down. In the blink of an eye our life has changed. Then we have a choice; get up and fight back or give up."

"Being blindsided by the unexpected is life. A wake up call is good for the soul. Sometimes we need a good kick in the ass to remind us what we are fighting for. No matter how damaged we think we are, there are always people in our lives who need us to recover. There is no time for living with Shame."
Profile Image for Carrie White.
301 reviews28 followers
May 19, 2017
Wow these bastards rocked book 1!!! Extremely antsy to get more of Shame, Breeze & the gang.
This was my first time reading any of Ms Bell's work and I'm definitely hooked.
A suspenseful, forbidden romance with enough violence to bring you to your knees gasping for air!
Profile Image for anuelina.
327 reviews
May 30, 2019
What what what? I need that second book right now. I want to know what happens to Shame and Breeze. I really need to know! This isn't real, I thought I just one-click the next book, but there weren't any. Anyone knows when the second book comes out?

And yeah. I loved this book!
May 14, 2017
ShameTeaser

This book killed me! I was gutted, anxious, and loving every freaking page of Loving with Shame. This book surprised me. Yes the Blurb was amazingly good. This is why I was so happy to have the opportunity to read it. K.J. Bell writes like no other I have read before when it came to a Street Gang. I was pleasantly surprised.

The feels!! It has angst, madness, love, hurt, and just every other feel you can imagine. There were some parts in the book that were hard to get through. But it made it the story line come together. Shame was not what I would have expected. I had a love-hate relationship with the sexy bastard. But in the end I was head over heels for the yummy bearded hottie. He has a lot of baggage. He has to hold his feelings for Breeze because she is forbidden. That part gutted me how he would have to go through life to try to forget her. But then I would hold out for hope since she is the first person to make him feel alive again.

Breeze is strong willed and learns how to hold her own. She does not have the typical lifestyle. Shame takes her away at the young age of 13. To protect her and make sure she will survive the streets, the war. Shame is her fresh breath of air. That attraction and love at first sight. The sorrow that she goes through and still has the will to survive. I was behind Breeze through it all. This story has a hold of your heart. The end was just WOW!

The story is a dual POV. Just like the book says, there are two different sides to a story. I loved how Living With Shame was written. You get the thoughts of Breeze and Shame in the same scenarios. Living with Shame is completely and utterly devastating but with a lot of love. If you don’t understand what that means, read the book and you will get it ;)
Profile Image for SunshineGirl79.
476 reviews2 followers
May 19, 2017
**I won an ARC and am voluntarily writing a review.**

I am not sure how I feel about this book yet. It is not my typical romance/erotica book that I read. I have ventured out before and will continue to do so. Living with Shame has lots of "club/gang" action which is not my usual thing.

The story starts off with the present, jumps back to years before and moves forward and back to present day. Quick action happens right from the start of the book that leads us to learn about how the two main characters first meet and end up in the current situation.

Shame is the head of the Irish Bastards in a small town whose rival are the Villains. Shame first meets Breeze when she is a minor (lying about her age) and he comes to her rescue, so he claims, because of knowledge he has in town about the rival club, the Villains. For many years, Breeze lives with Shame to protect her until she is an adult. Once she is of age, more information is brought out about the Villains, Shame's family history and the connection between Shame and Breeze. The book ends with a few scenes that are a continuation of the beginning action/situation that Shame and Breeze are in.

There were many times when I skimmed text. There were many times when I smiled, laughed and even cried with the storyline. The book does end in a cliff hanger, but I am not on the edge of my seat waiting for the next volume.
1,264 reviews45 followers
August 4, 2019
Breeze finally thought that this time things would be different, that nothing would keep her and Shame apart this time. Their love was complicated, but she could never resist him. Shame wants Breeze to stop running and she want him to stop making her run. But this time they both know it feels different.
Shame wanted to make sure that no matter what happened that Breeze didn’t get the blame, but the problem, his lawyer wanted to know how they met and how Breeze became involved in the conflict between the clubs and that was a long story.
Shame took Breeze as payment for the debt, he liked her more than liked her, but she was too young, he was her to accomplish things, to prove someone in the town could make it.
Breeze tried to have a normal life and a normal relationship, but it always came back to Shame, even though he tried pushing her away there was still a pull between them.
Shame knew he would do anything to protect Breeze and once he’s decision is made there’s not stopping him, she needs to be safe and have a normal life. He has to make a choice, but does he make the right one.
Ends in a cliff hanger can’t wait to see where the story goes in book two.
Profile Image for Breanna.
965 reviews17 followers
May 1, 2018
Wow!!!

Wow! I seriously loved this book! I could not put it down! It was jam packed with suspense, seriously intense desire and a whole lot of action. Shame is the leader of the Irish Bastards, he has so much depth to his character. He’s known to be ruthless, yet he has a big soft side reserved for a small few. Breeze may be young, but she’s more solid than than anyone else in Southie. She’s fierce and full of love. Their dynamic is slow burning and absolutely perfect. I seriously cannot wait for the next in the series! I’ve read this book now a few times now and it just keeps getting better!! I definitely recommend reading it! You won’t be disappointed!
Profile Image for Charray.
27 reviews2 followers
June 9, 2019
Di you love a good Boston Irish story?

I loved this book! From the moment I met Shame I fell in love with him, just like Breeze! If you like the Boston Irish, take a chance on Shame, KJ Bell did a great job on this and the story continues....I'm looking forward to the next installment!
Profile Image for Rosemarie McKenzie.
395 reviews12 followers
May 13, 2017
OMG you guys!!!! KJ Bell kicked some major add with this book. Living Shame was one fantastic thrill ride that once I hopped on I didn't want to hop off. I went to bed at 12am because I couldn't put the book down, I was held captive and I was a willing prisoner.
Profile Image for Amy Houser.
43 reviews7 followers
May 22, 2017
Can't wait for book two

I loved shame and breeze! What an epic love story with more to come. This is my first book by this author and I love the writing style. Ill be waiting for the next book. Definitely recommend this book.
Profile Image for Reading Wahine.
135 reviews10 followers
May 28, 2017
Full of angst

This story is full of angst and has a sexy danger vibe. I'm so glad there was nothing that happened with them while Breeze was underage. The story was really well developed and had a lot of intrigue and mystery. Can't wait for book 2!
342 reviews8 followers
July 13, 2017
The story of Breeze and Shame was a good story. The way each chapter was done was good there was a point to each chapter. Shame being tolerant and patient with Breeze was another thing I loved about it. I am now a fan of KJ Bell.
1,198 reviews1 follower
May 4, 2019
4 stars

I liked this book, but I really didn’t see how Shame and Breeze could possibly feel that strongly towards each other when he was very mean to her the majority of the time. I’m all for anti-heroes, but I just didn’t feel the relationship in this one.
Profile Image for Kathi.
242 reviews2 followers
July 21, 2019
What a ride this book was. It started with the present then took you all the way back to when it all started and how the present came about. By the end of this book I was hanging on every word and can not wait to read the next one!
Profile Image for Ivette Pacheco.
205 reviews2 followers
May 19, 2017
Ok, the wait is over and like always KJ Bell puts me through hell and back, I thought I learned my lesson with Tug and The Hustle but Noooo, she came back with vengeance and delivered Irish Bastards #1, please wake me up when IB #2 is Live because I want more!!!
Profile Image for Frances.
75 reviews2 followers
May 25, 2017
Shame

It would be a shame if you didn't read this book it is full of twists and turns and bad guys and all around family kitty and love you can never be without .
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