RATING: BUY IT

Sadist. Masochist. Domination. Submission.

When these are your leanings, how does one discover that side of themselves? And what happens when you discover it at a young age? When you’re exploring your sexuality for the first time? In Shame Me Not, Fiona Cole takes us on that journey.

Shame Me Not is the story of Anabelle + Kevin. They meet at sixteen years old when Anabelle and her mother move in next door to Kevin and his family. They bond almost immediately and quickly become best friends. But each finds themselves exploring opposite sides of the same coin—sadism and masochism. One who craves domination. The other craving submission. But discovering that so young comes with a very heavy set of baggage—confusion, apprehension…and shame.

Shame Me Not takes us on a journey spanning ten years. From their high school days, through college and finally, to the present day when they are 26. It explores their sexual discoveries, family, friends and what it means to grow up wanting to feel ‘normal’ and how our circumstances can often impact what turns us on and what satisfies us sexually.

It also explores what it means and how it feels to not be ok with ones own proclivities. When the shame of what satisfies you sexually is too much to bear. When we label things as right and wrong, good or bad and when we decide what’s abnormal and how doing so impacts so many aspects of one’s life—how we see ourselves, how we relate to others and who we choose to be with in life.

Shame Me Not never feels like it’s teaching a life lesson, and that’s part of its beauty. You read it and only care about the story and your experience of Anabelle + Kevin, but in the end, it feels so much deeper than that. More about self-acceptance, in all aspects, and how denying that leads to being disconnected from your true self.

As of 07.29.17, Shame Me Not is available on Kindle Unlimited.