Revenge is a dish best served cold. But for Mercy Pryce her revenge will scald one’s soul and leave behind a burnt-out husk if she has her way.

Mercy has returned to her hometown of Cartleigh, New York after twenty years. The lakeside community is the perfect location for Yakim Zeldovich, her Russian billionaire employer’s state of the art manufacturing facility. Acting as a consultant for Zeldovich, she’s on an undercover mission, not as an angel of mercy, but one of mischief, deceit and torture. Her ultimate goal is to ruin Cartleigh because of a horrible trauma she suffered in high school. The one responsible for her wrath is Colton Hahn, Cartleigh’s beloved mayor, and the object of her retaliation. The town’s golden boy, who she once adored as an impressionable teenager, brutally raped her and left her for dead at seventeen.

Consumed by years of grief and growing rage, she has targeted Colton, who may also be responsible for the death of her best friend, Marina, his fiancé. She will avenge Marina and finally take down the monster who tried to ruin her life.

Her success may come at a horrible price. But it will all be worth it if she can take away everything Colton holds dear, including him surrendering his heart and soul to her in the process.

Very engaging with great twists! Had me hooked right from the beginning. The title is very fitting and came to mind throughout!

The main character and narrator, Mercy Pryce is unlikeable from the get-go. She is conceited, self-important, indignant, self-righteous, convinced of her cleverness, and jaded. She is cold and calculating, and she relays sexual acts in a clinical manner. I never quite figured out how Leona fits into her relationship with Yakim. And I never believed she had any love in her heart for anyone.

This is all about revenge, and although what Colton did to her was horrible, what was worse was her unwillingness to move past it. She and Yakim were two of a kind, driven by an eye for an eye concept of justice. It was impossible for me to empathize with her because she was only slightly less despicable than Colton. Colton was a sociopath, but I can’t say that Mercy wasn’t also one. Yakim might be a decent person, but really the only human and likable characters were Ari and Ruby. I can’t recommend the book because I felt no connection to any of the characters and didn’t particularly care what happened to them. I don’t feel happy or hopeful or even thoughtful. I just feel annoyed.

KT Grant, has captured the meaning of intense and smoldering in “Shame of it All.”
The protagonist experiences trauma in her childhood, a losing of herself, and bubbling hot rage.... which results in a plot conspiracy of sex and revenge, to complete the ruination of the one who ruined her.
After 20 years, it’s time to come full circle.

Notes: Strong Language, Profanity, Mature/Sex Subject Theme

NetGalley and the publisher provided an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion. All opinions are my own.