Someone to Believe in

by Kathryn Shay, キャスリン・シェイ, Oindrila Mukherjee

Book Overview

"A master at her craft,"* award-winning author Kathryn Shay delighted readers with her firefighter trilogy. Now she continues to light up the pages with the story of a man and a woman on opposite sides of the political fence, but the same side of desire.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425205304
• ISBN13: 9780425205303
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
• Length: 357 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Someone to Believe In

Senator Clay Wainwright and Bailey O'Neal have been on opposite political sides for years. Bailey is a champion of helping young people leave gangs, and in the past as a prosecutor, Clay successfully prosecuted Bailey for hiding one of her young charges after he had committed a crime. Although time has passed and they haven't seen each other face to face since then, the political war between the Senator and the Activist has raged in the papers. Now, both have been asked to try and bury the hatchet and make peace. When they meet again, Clay and Bailey are shocked to discover that they not only like each other, but they are intensely attracted to one another also. Before long they are involved with each other, but are hiding it from the world. As political enemies, and with the past standing between them, the deeper they fall in love the more hopeless it seems that they can make it work. Once again, Kathryn Shay delivers a romance that is steeped in realism. Both Clay andBailey feel like real people, who live in the same world that we do. Clay and Bailey, like all of Kathryn Shay's heroes and heroines, are not perfect, but you love them anyway. Someone To Believe In is a wonderful story of two people who's lives are so different, and how love brings them together in spite of that. Kathryn Shay is quickly becoming an author whose books I can count on placing it on my keeper shelf. Melissa reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover - & - Conservative vs. Liberal

The cover of this book made me think it would be a juvenile, prim and proper story. It was anything but with almost too many love scenes that were detailed to the point of "too much information." However, this was an outstanding story with fabulous characters; an authentic "page-turner" from the get-go. I thought the author balanced Clay's republican view and Bailey's democrat view very well, which couldn't have been easy. I'd have to side with the senator, though. Page 251 describes perfectly their differences. Bailey and Clay both supported the many shelters that helped 'regular law-abiding kids,' but since funds were limited, the kids didn't get much. Bailey wanted a separate shelter for 'gang kids' who would get job training so they could get the skills they'd need to succeed. Clay's point was that ALL the kids deserved the training, but Bailey didn't see it that way. Clay didn't feel the 'good kids' should get less of a chance than the 'bad kids,' most of whom were hardened criminals,and he was absolutely right.

Intensely emotional

Kathryn Shay's books are on my must-buy list for a reason: nobody does intense emotions better. In Someone to Believe In, Bailey O'Neil and Senator Clay Wainwright have a real conflict. They've been public enemies for over a decade--ever since he sent her to prison for a year. She's known as The Street Angel for her work with kids in gangs. He's also concerned with youth gangs, but believes Bailey's going about it the wrong way, that she should leave things to the authorities, and that she shows a blatant disregard for her own safety. The conflict doesn't go away just because these two fall in love. On the contrary, it makes their differences more important and painful. They make it in the end, of course--it is a romance, after all--but it's definitely not an easy journey. The good: The writing. Nobody does emotionally charged romance better than Kathryn Shay. The emotions of all the characters are right there on the page, and they're understandable. The topic. Ms. Shay has done her research, making the problem of youth gangs real, and the differing opinions of how to deal with them clear. The characters. Even the secondary characters--Bailey's son, brothers, co-workers, and Clay's son, and his political rival--are three-dimensional with clear motives and goals. The bad: I really had to agree with Clay: Bailey took too many stupid chances with her safety, particularly since she had a young son depending on her. It made me less able to connect with her as a character. The final conflict went on a bit too long, and made me impatient. The verdict: This isn't a sweet, happy love story. It's painful and emotional, and you'll stay up way too late reading it to find out how Clay and Bailey manage to earn their happy-ever-after. But it's worth it.

An Amazing Read!!!

Ms. Shay has written a very complex and moving read with characters that simply jump off the pages! The conflict that she created between Bailey and Clay was so real that I felt as if I had stepped into someone elses life rather than picked up a book! Both of them were true to their belief's and as a result this was a push and pull read unlike any I've read in a while. Bailey is known as "the Street Angel" and her mission in life...save as many kids as she can from gang violence. If this puts her in harms way so be it. She is surrounded by her large Irish family and even though they don't totally agree with her stance...they love her enough to support her. On the other side of this fence stands Senator Clayton Wainwright. He agrees that something must be done in order to change the realities of gang life but he thinks that Bailey's take is too radical. These two strong willed people pit themselves against each other in print and even at times in person. Than one night changes everything. Clay sees Bailey in a different light and same for Bailey. But is attraction enough to base a relationship on? What about their different viewpoints that work against each other? Clay and Bailey are great characters! Their struggles are real and how they each handled the situation added to the telling of the story. Ms. Shay has done a very good job at portraying both sides of this very serious coin. This is the first time I've ever read Ms. Shay and I must say that I plan on looking for her backlist. This read offers it all romance, conflict, and resolution. This is a fast read and one that I highly recommend. Official Reviewer for Romance Designs

Couldn't put this book down!

This isn't my first book by Mrs. Shay and definitely won't be my last. Shay gets better with each book released. The story moves along extremely well and the characters seem to come alive right before your eyes. Senator Clay Wainwright and Street Angel Bailey O'Neil (name given due to her reaching out and helping gangsters get out of their gangs and off the streets of death) are bitter adversaries in the press. Have been for over 10 years. He sent her to prison, and she persecutes him almost on a daily basis now that she's released and he's up for another term as senator. The story starts out with Bailey's trial 11 years earlier, while Clay is still district attorney. We see the support Bailey has from the citizens of New York, even from the Judge and the Jury. Clay doesn't quite get why many support a woman who harbors young criminals and allows them to hide out from the law. Only serving a one-year prison term, a much wiser and stronger Bailey is still up to her old tricks, with Clay, now a popular Senator up in Washington, still fighting against her unorthodox ways. Where he is much more conservative and upholds the law religiously, Bailey isn't against helping kids get out of gangs any way she can and still stay within legal grounds because someone close to her suffered because there was no one else to turn to for help. Now with Congress dishing out over $400 million dollars to social agencies and women shelters, etc, Bailey wants to expand her shelter for gangsters ESCAPE and build a much bigger program GUARDIAN to house, educate, and protect those kids willing to leave their gangs behind. She needs this funding from Congress but there's a one-man roadblock preventing this: Clay Wainwright. He feels she breaks the law and that this money should go to kids who aren't thugs and abused women and schools that need it. We see that Bailey doesn't break the law, in fact puts her very life on the line to help a young woman escape a dangerous life. Tazmania, the young woman, is a great secondary character who pulls you into her life and makes you understand how hard it is to leave her homies. Taz reminds Bailey so much of her sister who died from being in a gang and the bond that develops between these two are very touching. Bailey's relationship with her parents and four brothers is also beautifully woven in and will make you want Aiden and Paddy to have their very own book. We also learn that even families with a lot of love make mistakes and can overcome them. Clay also has problems with those close to him, but not having that same support from his family that Bailey has. He has a young son, Jon, who sides with his rival for his seat in Congress; an on-again-and-off-again relationship with Jane (a snooty, spoiled, rich society dame); an ex-wife who resents him for not having enough time for their marriage; parents forcing a relationship upon him he doesn't want; on top of growing feelings for the Street Angel and a governor wanting him a