***Lesley and Jenn's review of Being Me by Lisa Renee Jones***

Synopsis
I arch into him, drinking in his passion, instantly, willingly consumed by all that he is and could be to me. . . .

Sara McMillan is still searching for Rebecca, the mysterious woman whose dark, erotic journal entries both enthralled and frightened her. Tormented by a strong desire to indulge the demands of her new boss while also drawn deeper into her passionate bond with the troubled artist, Chris Merit, Sara must face a past as deeply haunting as Rebecca’s written words. In one man’s arms, Sara will find the safe haven to reveal her most intimate secrets and explore her darkest fantasies. But is safety just an illusion, when the truth about Rebecca has yet to be discovered?

Lesley and Jenn's Review

ARC received via Netgalley.

Being Me is the second installment of the Inside out Trilogy. I must say this one was a suspenseful ride.  J and I (L) just so happened to –I guess you would say -buddy read this book.  Let’s just say it turned out to be awesome to vent and question along the way with someone. Since this review is so hard to do without spilling the goods, I thought it would be nice to get a two person view on this amazingly mysterious read. Hopefully, a way to talk about it without talking about it.

L: I’m going to start by saying that the author does a wonderful job at keeping you unbalanced throughout the story. I felt like until there was an absolute answer to a question in the book you really didn’t know who or what really happened. I had so many theories running through my head, that it was driving me slightly insane. I was dying to finish the book to put the little voices in my head to rest.

J: Ha! Exactly! Do you guys ever have the problem of your eyes moving faster than your brain and you have to stop reading, go back and make sure you read it correctly?! From the very beginning, I was a ball of nerves! Is she alone in the storage unit? Or is it her imagination? I couldn’t read fast enough! I wanted Sara to hurry up and figure out what she wanted from and with Chris. But, that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to this book.

L: Oh. My. J you are right about that.  Is Chris going to let her in already or just push her into the Boss man’s arms? Is someone going to attack her? Is it Chris or maybe it’s the New York business friend of Mark’s? I just want to be like so and so did this and I can’t believe that happened but I really can’t because that would be giving the goods away. I will say this though, a lot of questions were answered in this book but a few were left unknown. I also feel that a few more suspicions have been added to fill in those answered slots. How is that for cryptic! LOL The author has managed to keep it fresh the whole way through, creating some intense moments. There are some moments where your heart is going to beat out of your chest and maybe break a bit.  I know mine did.

J: I couldn’t agree more! Some very big questions were finally answered but instead of feeling relief I was more heartbroken. I wasn’t expecting that! And, just like L mentioned, when one question was answered another was not. L also reminded me of a couple things that I hope we get answered in Revealing Us. I was so worried about wanting to know the identity of the Master that I completely forgot about something rather important. At least it is to Sara. And just when you think she is making progress with Chris, he turned my world upside down! At this point, L and I are chatting back and forth about what was going on and I was a wreck! Beer was my friend that night.

L:  It’s hard sometimes not hyper focus on one particular part of the story. I thought J and I both focused on different things so, we balanced each other out.   Hell, I was going into deep conspiracy theories. HA!  You know what surprised me a little? It was the fact that even though Chris is this domineering control freak, there wasn’t a whole lot of BDSM style scenes with Sara. They were still steamy but I almost felt like they could’ve been more. I don’t know maybe that’s just me and I have a sneaky suspicion that things may get more interesting in that department.

J: I agree. With someone that said he had so much darkness in him, only small bits came out. He was probably afraid Sara would run again! With the way Mrs. Jones ended the story, I feel like we will be going on another wild ride with Revealing Us. I have also found that I really enjoy doing a buddy read. Going back and forth with thoughts really helped me to devour this book. I loved reading the journal entries that lead us up to the story. Every little clue that Sara found took her down the rabbit hole a little more.

We give Being Me 4.5/5. Both of us dove into the story and didn’t stop until the end. Love a book that grabs hold and won’t let you go. I am still going to be on the edge of my seat until I get the next book. Honestly, I don’t know where in the heck this one is going to go and I LOVE THAT!  

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT TRILOGY which has sold to more than ten countries for translation with negotiations in process for more, and has now been optioned by STARZ Network for a cable television show, to be produced by Suzanne Todd (Alice in Wonderland).

Since beginning her publishing career in 2007, Lisa has published more than 30 books with publishers such as Simon and Schuster, Avon, Kensington, Harlequin, NAL, Berkley and Elloras Cave, as well as crafting a successful indie career. Booklist says that Jones suspense truly sizzles with an energy similar to FBI tales with a paranormal twist by Julie Garwood or Suzanne Brockmann.

Prior to publishing, Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by Dallas Women Magazine. In 1998 LRJ was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.

Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her at www.lisareneejones.com and she is active on twitter and facebook daily.