Review: Hold Your Judgments...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 10, 2013
A famous quote by Mother Teresa comes to mind when I think of this book by Synithia Williams. She said, "If you judge people you have no time to love them."Shayla has a reputation for being of loose moral character and the town's trouble maker, a reputation that she lives with by grinning and bearing it despite the hurt it creates. Practically everyone in Helena, the town she was raised in and returned to following a scandal,  treats her as if she has a scarlet letter "A" affixed to her chest. But Shayla is misunderstood and would love desperately for at least one person to believe in her, understanding who she truly is. There was such a person long ago...Devin.Devin hasn't done such a great job in moving on from the hurt he experienced  at his high school Homecoming years ago. Despite the fact that he runs a successful medical practice and is handsome as sin, Shayla and the memories of her actions pushed him to loneliness and a tad bit of bitterness towards her. But when Shayla returns to Helena, bitterness changes to desire and amidst the gossip and sneers of Helen's residents, love finds its way back to him. Can Devin see past the misunderstandings and can he trust Shayla again with his heart? Can Shayla learn to love herself enough to stand up against the town's gossip?Synithia gave me the story I was looking for making this book worth the wait. I'd asked her about Shayla immediately after reading "Worth the Wait" and I was almost positive that Shayla had a story that would be deep, if uncovered. I was right and Mrs. Williams developed Shayla in a way that left no room for judgment. Unless you walk a mile in someone else's shoes you can't cast aspersions and Shayla's mile had to have been one of the hardest journeys ever taken by someone. She wasn't innocent-not by a long shot, but the troubles that found her were usually cast out by others who had nothing better to do and didn't know the whole story because Shayla never told it. If you are looking for a love story full of enough drama to keep you engaged, along with enough heat from the passion between Devin and Shayla, this is the book for you. Great job Mrs. Williams!