Walk of Shame

Love & Other Disasters #1

by Jennifer Dawson

The walk of shame.

Ah, yes, there’s nothing quite like shamelessly letting yourself be dragged off to a storage closet by a younger man to really put the cherry on top of your humiliation sundae. It’s been a long, slow trip to the bottom, but I’ve finally reached my limit. After spending the night with Christopher Fellows, and slinking out of his apartment in the wee hours of the morning, I have no choice but to take a serious look at myself. It’s time for a change. A real life overhaul, full of self-development, healthy living, and all that other stuff that’s supposed to be good for you. And what better way to find yourself than with a vow of celibacy and a trip to Belize? The way I figure it, if you’re going to get your act together, you might as well begin with a tropical jaunt to paradise to start your transformation off on the right foot.

What could possibly go wrong?


*previously released in the Feel the Heat box set

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Novella, Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance, Adult Fiction

ebook

First published January 10, 2017

About the author

Jennifer Dawson is the author of the popular Something New series, spicy, small town romance released with Kensington, and pens the dark and edgy contemporary romance series Undone.

Jennifer Dawson grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and graduated from DePaul University with a degree in psychology. She met her husband at the public library while they were studying. To this day she still maintains she was NOT checking him out. Now, over twenty years later, they’re married and living in a suburb right outside of Chicago with two awesome kids and a crazy dog.

Despite going through a light FM, poem writing phase in high school, Jennifer never grew up wanting to be a writer (she had more practical aspirations of being an international super spy). Then one day, suffering from boredom and disgruntled with a book she’d been reading, she decided to put pen to paper. The rest, as they say, is history.

These days Jennifer can be found sitting behind her computer, writing her next novel, chasing after her kids, keeping an ever watchful eye on her ever growing to-do list, and NOT checking out her husband.
Sign up for monthly Newsletter for exclusive insider peeks, new release information and more. https://www.jenniferdawsonauthor.com/...

Reviews

[NiCoLeTa E. {Addicted To Books} · Rating 3 out of 5]

***3,5 "I want us!" stars***



This was a quick and sexy reading about finding love and yourself all at once!!!
If you have already read the "Undone" series, both our main heroes are already known as side characters in there!!!

Ashley was Ruby and Layla's friend who was a little bit misjudged and Christopher was Chad's baby brother!!!
But don't you worry, if you haven't read the "Undone" series... This one could be read as a stand alone!!!


Ashley's life was a mess... For a very long time, she was hanging on a guy that didn't appreciate her as much as she deserved and then, he betrayed her and her choices made her look like... not herself!!!

And then, came Ruby and Chad's engangement night and she hooked up with the groom's baby brother and when she made the walk of shame after their night together, she decided to change her life once for good!!!!


"This is wrong. I have to make some changes. I can't keep going on like this. I can't keep looking outside myself for validation. For acceptance. I can't keep expecting some guy to fill me up and make me whole."

Christopher was the most amazing guy that she ever had and that frightened her...

What could she possible have with a guy five years younger than her??? A guy that he is still in school??? Okay, not exactly, but he was still doing his internship as a surgeon... And he was Chad's brother... Chad with whom Ashley had an embarrassing experience with...


"How do I articulate that the best sex of my life is forcing me to make changes in my life? It's counter intuitive."

So, she is deciding to change and to stop depending on men for her life to be better... So, she is taking an exotic trip by herself and she is swearing celibacy for a whole year!!!! She doesn't need any man to define her....

But fate has other plans for her....
Christopher is also there and he is determined to show her how good they can be together....
What Ashley didn't think was that Christopher could help her discover her real self!!!!


"I could love this girl someday. And I think she could love me back."

I liked very much Ashley and Christopher...

They were fitting very good together and i think that they were doing only good to each other....

"He's not afraid. He wants this. Wants me...
Wants us.
And I want it too."

Ashley had bad experiences and it was logical to be afraid... I liked that we found more about her because in the "Undone" series, i wasn't having the great impression of her, but i totally understand her now...

Christopher and his friends arised her real personality and she was just adorable...

"He makes me feel beautiful and alive and excited. He makes me forget how stupid I've been and all the poor choices I've made. Being around him, it makes me want just to be. And that is a luxury I've never allowed myself.
He scares me."

Christopher from the other hand was a very easygoing guy... He was full of life, very funny, calm and intriguing at the same time... I could call him an "easy force"!!!

I also liked that he wasn't giving up on Ashley and what they could have together!!!!

"I'm going after Ashley...
There is something between us that deserves exploration.
I'm not letting life stand in the way."

For once again, i enjoyed Jennifer Dawson's writing and I can't wait for her next story... whichever it is!!!!


***ARC kindly provided via NetGalley for the exchange of an honest review***

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 - "Maybe it's fate..." Stars!

Walk of Shame is the second novella by Jennifer Dawson I have had the pleasure of reading, and I have to say I am starting to get a little author crush!



I really liked Ashley and Christopher’s coming together, older woman and younger man is usually a trope I enjoy and the author used that aspect of their relationship perfectly. It wasn’t overplayed, but had a relevance to Ashley’s initial reluctance to see anything more than a one night stand as a possibility with Christopher.

Since men are my drug of choice, and the source of all my poor decisions, there’s really only one place to start. I’ll need to take a vow of celibacy…

As luck would have it though, they both unexpectedly end up at the same hotel in Belize, him for a conference, and her to make a few decisions about her life, and the vow of celibacy she took prior to getting settled soon becomes a bit of a problem, when Christopher starts to show her exactly what kind of guy he is, and that he definitely isn’t just looking for one night with her.

I could love this girl someday. And I think she could love me back.

Quick, sexy, a little funny and a whole bunch of enjoyable, I devoured this novella, being the first in the author’s new Love & Other Disasters series makes me all sorts of happy too, and I cannot wait for more books to be released. Jennifer Dawson gives great voice to her characters and this novella just highlighted that for me again.

ARC generously provided via Netgalley, and it was a pleasure to provide the above honest review.

[Tiblu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry I couldn't relate to Ashley's pity party....

Here's a young woman, who has everything you could imagine going for her, and we're constantly reminded gorgeous perfect Barbie looks fit body,well paid job,friends etc... Her only problem ? She's shallow and seems to think drinking too much and pop culture ( books and tv shows) can help her live a better (but still shallow) life.... Poor me,poor me I'm sexy and gorgeous and I have money why didn't the guy I left just use me, not love me? O woe is me.... I can't be w/this great sexy guy who likes me because I'm 32 and he's 27 , he's 5 whole years younger and I'm not done feeling sorry for myself.... Woe is me... If she got more interesting or less shallow after chapter 3 I could care less,if an h Is gonna be self absorbed w/her "problems" they should at least be real,like she or a loved one is sick and or dying, (or one of these women in too many books atm where the h is homeless,and just lost her job after catching her D-bag of a bf,fiancee or husband cheating on her and she has to no choice but to sell herself of her precious "virginity" (those make me soo sick) to save not only herself but her dying family of some (take your pick ) disease (you know those books that make the heroine sound like she's living the life of Job from the Bible? only she usually doesn't have servants,crops and Children to lose) and ,being left or abandoned by a man she was actually in a relationship w/,death, something Real!!
Not getting bloated or gaming a pound from drinking too many piña coladas ,sleeping around is ok but gaining a pound isn't ... Yeah bite me Barbie!!
No Thank you...

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 I loved this story :)

[lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - 4 stars

Who'd have thought Ashley would have her own book? Not me. She's one of the side characters we met in Layla's book in the Undone series, I think? and I instantly forgot about her until this novella.

So our Ashley had an epiphany of sorts while doing the walk of shame back home. She analyzed herself and her love life (or lack of it) throughout the years, and after cringing over the night's events (throwing herself at a guy 5 years her junior, who happened to be the little brother of her friend's fiance), she decided that the whole boy-chasing thing had to stop.

But fate had other plans. On her 'self-cleansing' vacation, she bumped right into Christopher, her last one-night stand, who also had plans of his own.

Please, universe, don't let me run into Christopher for the rest of this trip. Lead me away from temptation. Not toward it. (...) Oh my god! What the fuck, universe.

I fell in love with Ashley from the get go; I love being in her head, she's hilarious. I admire her determination to turn over a new leaf, start over, learn how to love herself and be contented with herself. I also adore Christopher, who didn't really make an impression on me when we first met in Ruby's book (I was more distracted by Cameron...........*swoons*) but the boy is hot and won't be ignored. I'm also taken with Christopher's circle of surgeon friends (Ted x Stella wowzerssss--glad they had their own novella).

I don't usually rate novellas a full 4 stars because they're so short, but I can't help myself with this one! I read this book last year when it was a part of an anthology, and I read it again now as a standalone and I still pretty much love it.

Now can we please have Cameron's book please?

[Claudia237 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a very cute little book. Ashley was absolutely adorable in her imperfection and Christopher was perfect boyfriend material. I ended it with a large smile on my face.

[Suraya (thesuraya) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Alex ♈ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't read previous series, so the heroine was new to me.
They used to hate her? A reason for me not to do it *lol*

She definitely had a very bad taste in men.
I wish she would have 'found' herself without a man and met the hero later...

He was ok.

Safe.

[Pavitra (For The Love of Fictional Worlds) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now, Jennifer Dawson is a brilliant author – I have devoured every single book she has written, and it is a safe bet to say that I would devour everything by this lady in the days to come!

This is the newest offering by her – but you might know one of the characters; Ashley from Debauched (Read My Review); wherein she propositioned Chad Fellows. But here’s the kicker, Ashley is on a bender; in her own words, she has never wanted for anything in her life yet has been bought to a down low by a man – a mans she fancied herself in love with, but was rejected again and again; leading her down a path where she doesn’t even recognize herself let alone respect herself.

The last of her decisions led her to jump into bed with Christopher Fellow, Chad’s baby brother and a man who is 5 years younger to her! Knowing that she needs some semblance of control in her life, she decides to go on a vacation to find herself and men are definitely not part of that plan.

What she doesn’t expect is for Christopher to turn up at the exact same place for a conference? Fate or Unconscious desires at work?

This is NOT a full-length story, more of a novella; but it has all the makings of a full blown romance – a little bit of angst, a lot of more of a plot, two brilliant suited MC’s and a writing style that sucks you right in from the start!

My only issue is that, the story ended quite abruptly; I honestly wasn't expecting that - it would have been a whole better experience if there had been an epilogue at the end, just to see how well Ashley and Christopher fared in the day to day lives!

While I am not going to talk much about the story, for you need to find out exactly what (and HOW) Ashley and Chad find their happiness; though I will say that this is another brilliant work by this author; and I can’t wait to see where she takes this series in the future!



For more reviews visit For The Love of Fictional Worlds :)
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[Ivy Deluca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this little novella of a walk of shame that turns into so much more (basically, the ultimate fantasy). Ashley has been a side character in Ms. Dawson’s Undone series, the hot girl who isn’t bad, but comes off a bit desperate and has let men treat her with less than respect in her search for love. Well, no more. Ashley has a final ONS with Christopher Fellows (the younger brother of the hero in Debauched) and when she wakes up she realizes she can’t keep going on like this. She's kind of horrified at Christopher being five years younger and the brother of the last man she threw herself at and didn't hook up with. Chris, on the other hand, very interested in Ashley and he is determined to make her see that.

This works well as a standalone, but if you are familiar with Ms. Dawson’s books, it gives a little extra that you wouldn’t get as a first time reader. There’s enough sexual heat and funny banter to keep the story moving along at a nice clip. If you just need a quick pick me up of a novella and are into the younger man/older woman dynamic with a side of smutty sex, I would recommend this.

**ARC provided by author for review**

For more reviews, visit

[Angelique · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good ,fun ,steamy book.can be read as standalone.
After being dumped by her friend with benefits.
and being rejected by chad
Ashley has a one night stand with christopher,the younger brother .
She goes on holliday to Belize to work on herself.
and look who is also on holliday.......

Walk of Shame is a great novel,fun,light,romantic and sexy.
not a heavy angsty read.
despit the book is a novella and not a full book.
the story is good and well worked out.

ARC is given in the hope of a honest review

[Haidee Sell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will preface this by saying j have read no other books by this author. The writing style was excellent, easy to read, and the plot not overly convoluted. I get the feeling there are previous books that tie in, but I had no problem following this one.

The characters were realistic, with real adult problems. This is a good change. I rarely read contemporary romance, usually PNR or historical, so this was refreshing.

My ONLY annoyance was the first person/current tense. That is my problem, not the authors. I tend to ditch first person/current tense within a chapter, and I managed to read the whole book without a migraine. A first for me.

I DO recommend this book. That's why I gave it 5 stars. My hatred of fp/ct is not a reflection at all on the writer, just my personal preference.

READ THE BOOK, PEOPLE

[Isha Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ashley used to believe in love, until one heartache too many. Now her life consists of random hook - ups, disappointing dates and watching her friends find their perfect match. Christopher gets his feet knocked out from under him when he meets hurricane Ash. Between raging hormones and a disappearing paramour his heart can hardly stand the shock of the blow. Walk of Shame is more low key than some of Ms. Dawson's works. Less sexy, more sassy with a hint of innuendo and a barrel of laughs. Jennifer Dawson continues to cross barriers by breaking stereotypes such as how irrelevant age is in romance and shining a light on truths it's easy to take for granted. The bottom line is Ash and Chris may be unconventional, but this author's strength lies in her "dare to be different" approach.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cute story about a girl who has finally had enough of her own disreputable behavior when she wakes up after spending the night with a guy five years younger than her - after just meeting him. She determines that she needs to swear off men and so takes herself off to Belize, only to find out her one-night-stand is also there for a medical conference. She swears to Christopher that she hadn't remembered him telling her about his conference and she wasn't following him. He believes her since he remembers that he never got a chance to tell her when he would be there, but he is not going to let her go. She may not believe that he is serious about her, but he will convince her - one way or another.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good things happens in closets

I really enjoyed Ashely and Christopher 's story. I'm glad that they put everything on the line and she didn't have to feel embarrassed. Christopher saw who he wanted and went for it. He didn't let her drown in self pity whoa is me attitude. Ashley make her own money and don't need a man for that. Trevor played with her emotions and she lost her self worth. So , going to Belize to funds herself never felt better. Never did she expect to see Christopher, her one night hot as he'll doctor there. It's fate. Now he just got to get her to believe.

[Claudia Pinillos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am 100% in love with this short read!! I really hope we get more from Christopher's friends cause I'm all here for X. But let's talk about Ashley and Christopher, I loved them!!

Christopher is all smart and sweet on the surface but he refuses to give up on Ashley once he realizes he wants her. Ashley is going through a rough patch and even though she can't deny her connection to Christopher, she's reluctant to pursue anything when he continues to show interest.

I loved the tropical setting and their adventures. Christopher is so attuned to her and helps her walk through her process, he's sweet when he needs her and quietly supporting when she has to figure things out on her own. I loved that about him so much.

[Robert D Grady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable quick Read

I enjoyed this book. It is well written and has a nice story line. I had not read any of the authors books before so all the characters were new to me and I found it easy to follow as a standalone story. Because of this, I will read the next one in the series as well.

[Craftybookworm11 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish it was longer

The novella was fairly good, but way too short imo. I liked Christopher a lot, Ashley was a little obnoxious, though I get she had been really hurt by Trevor. Also why did Ashley have to comment on being 5 years older every other page. Reminded me of Messica from Love is Blind.

[bookaholic ge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I voluntarily read an advanced reviewer copy of this book and I loved it!

It was funny and sexy and everything that you could want in a romance novel. This whole series is awesome and worth every penny!

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but sweet

[Chrystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick and Easy.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok, I think the heroine was side character in a previous series I haven’t read. I didn’t love it but novellas are hard for me.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, sweet, quick book! Love the author!

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just too short but nice

I liked this story but not a fan of novellas as like a longer story. I wish it had been more like the earlier stories such as the Cave series

[Doris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish it was longer, but a sweet escapist romance.

[Eri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Hiba · Rating 4 out of 5]

usually I don't like short stories but this one affected me and I cried a lot ;)

[Jin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ashley had everything she wanted in her life except her love life. She wanted happily ever after like her friends but nothing was going her way. She had a biggest crush since her college days to up until he marries someone else while she was waiting for happily ever after.
At her friends engagement party, she hooks up with her friends youngest brother and on her way back to her home, she finally realize she wants her life to turn. So she decides to take advantage of all her vacation time and lands in Belize.
She swore off all men but she runs into Christopher ( younger brother) who rocked her world. He keeps pursuing her and he feels she is the one for him.. But she is afraid of their age difference and their status..
Will she find her happily ever after.

It was sweet novella and strong 3 1/s stars... wish Ashely won’t dwell so much on her age gap.
Thanks to Netgalley for in exchange for honest review.

[Linda Gross · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC gifted in exchange for an honest review.

I must admit that I am a BIG Jennifer Dawson fan ever since I stumbled onto her Something Real series. When I open the cover of one of her books and read the first few pages, I am hooked.

The same goes with her new series, Love and Other Disasters. Walk of Shame is the first book in this series and follows the love story of Ashley and Christopher. It’s more than a romance. It’s the story of self-discovery too.

Dawson tells the story of Ashley who was “dumped” by the guy who she thought was “The One”. Finding herself slinking out of a virtual stranger’s apartment after a wild night of sex, she feels she has hit rock bottom. To find herself, she takes a vow of celibacy and takes off on a plane for Belize, right where the virtual stranger is attending a medical conference.

Imagine her surprise when sun bathing, she looks up into the face of the virtual stranger, Christopher, a doctor who is five years younger and the brother of a guy she tried to seduce.

Jennifer Dawson knows her craft. The story is delightful! You will not be disappointed.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a wonderful fully formed short story. If you want a quick read that has it all, here you go.

We meet Ashley. A single thirty something who always seems to fall for the wrong guy.

Christopher is in med school and sees a connection with Ashley right away.

Add in a tropical destination, hot sex, and a miscommunication and you have a wonderful read.