Mandi's Reviews > The Shameless Hour

Favorite Quote: "I'm supposed to be writing a paper about female subjugation. But all I want is for someone to give me a good pounding."

Another outstanding book in the Ivy Years series. Our heroine is the high-spirited, energetic Bella who is the team manager of the Harkness hockey team and loves her job. And the players are all very fond of her. She has no qualms being in the locker room with half-naked men and can take the good-natured trash talking and give it right back. Not really sure what she wants to do with her life once school is over, she'd rather just concentrate on taking care of her hockey guys and not think about the future. Bella is very sexual and open about it and sleeps with a lot of guys. She isn't into full-time commitments, but she does love a friend with benefits. She is very confident in the sex department, but also lives a somewhat lonely life, not having girlfriends. The last guy she truly fell for ended up being gay (Graham from The Understatement of the Year) and this has made Bella a little extra lonely lately.

Rafe is a soccer star that comes from a hard-working Dominican family that owns a restaurant in New York city. Rafe has to work hard to keep up his grades at Harkness but is happy at school and loves playing soccer. His neighbor happens to be Bella, and he has always been attracted to her, but he has been in a serious relationship with a girl named Alison.

Bella smiled at me, and that smiled packed a punch. I'd always had a thing for Bella, not that I'd admit it out loud. I'd noticed her last year, when I was just a lowly freshman. There was something so lively about her. Bella had a perpetual sparkle in her eye, and color on her cheeks - the kind you get from laughing, not make-up.

Rafe is a virgin - he never wanted to give away his virginity in high school and Alison has wanted to wait while in college - but it's her birthday and she tells Rafe she is ready. But when he picks her up for their big date, she is caught kissing another boy. Heartbroken, Rafe ends up sitting in the hallway of his dorm, and comes upon Bella. She invites him up to her room and he ends up sleeping with Bella. Rafe is more of a traditional guy who wants to settle down with a girl and not just have a one night stand but Bella won't hear of it. But when something happens to Bella involving a fraternity, Rafe becomes one of her few allies and stands strong with her as she goes through a personal crisis.

When I first met Bella in this series, I wasn't sure about her. She is loud and doesn't have a filter and I thought she was going to be an annoying character. But once I got to know her, I really enjoyed her.

Did I mention no filter....

"You're going to have to take the wheel." She lifted her face and kissed me once. "But God, don't stop."

"Are you sure?"

Her eyes widened. "Rafe, we're just getting warmed up here." She climbed off me, and I missed her immediately. Bella stretched out on the bed beside me and tugged my arm. "Get your giant dick over here."

I love how confident she is in the sex department, but I also like that she doesn't have the perfect life. She is lonely and a little vulnerable and sad at times. But truly happy to bring home boy after boy and have fun at night. But Rafe doesn't have this attitude towards sex. He sees it more sacred and more of a big deal. So putting these two together with different attitudes is a fun exploration. And while the romance is hot as usual in this one, what stands out more is what happens when something big, and hurtful and chaotic happens - who stands by you and how you react. I don't want to spoil what happens to Bella, but it's something that people in college would have to be aware of. It deals with shame and humiliation and hiding away from it all. Through Bella's entire ordeal, Rafe never once wavers. He stands strong by her side and it's truly the most romantic thing of it all. I think the shame is handled so well. I cringed for Bella and it gave me all the squicky feelings. I like how the author explores Bella's open sexuality with this shame that comes down upon her. Her spirit gets broken, but not lost.

We also get introduced to several great supporting characters. Rafe lives with two roommates, Mat who is gay and into gambling and is super surly - I'm of course in love with him. And Bickley, who is british and wealthy and uses sarcastic humor to constantly harp on Rafe. It's very cute. Bella has her own room, but shares a bathroom with a girl named Lianne. Lianne is a beautiful girl who starred in a very popular movie, but hides in her room. She is also a secret computer whiz. SHe intrigues me greatly!

This entire series is terrific.

Rating: B+