Adult Romantic Suspense Review "Being Me" by Lisa Renee Jones

Title:  Being Me
Author: Lisa Renee Jones

Publisher:  Gallery Books

Publication Date:  June 11, 2011

Genre:  Adult Fiction / Romantic Suspense
Format:  Kindle 896 KB  |  Paperback 384 pages

Buy this book on Amazon:  Kindle Edition  |  Paperback

Author's Website:  http://www.lisareneejones.com/ 
Author's Goodreads Profile:  Lisa Renee Jones

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Fascinated by the dark fantasies in the journals she’s discovered, and the two men who have now found a place in her life, Sara McMillan finds herself torn between her new life and her past. Now, more than ever, Sara identifies with the lost journal writer, Rebecca, and is certain that something sinister has happened.

In the arms of the sexy, tormented artist Chris Merit, Sara seeks answers about Rebecca and ends up discovering things about herself she never knew existed. Chris forces Sara to reconsider who she is and what she truly wants from life, but not before his dark desires threaten to tear them apart. Her boss, Mark Compton, offers her the shelter to understand just what those needs mean to her, and what they might have meant to Rebecca, but can she trust him to lead her to a final conclusion to Rebecca’s story?

My Thoughts...

It's not been too long since I reviewed the first book in this series, If I Were You.  I enjoyed this book almost as much as the first one. This book begins smack dab where the last one left off with Sara in the storage locker just as the power went out. I am just glad I didn't have to wait too long for this book to come out!

Sara is still enjoying her job at the gallery.  She intends to stay there so she does end up resigning from her job at the school.  She hasn't forgotten about Rebecca though.  She is more determined than ever to find out what happened to her.  She is also desperate to find out what has is going on with Chloe, she hasn't talked to her since she left the country to marry her mystery man.  She hasn't been in contact with anyone at all.  Sara gets increasingly more worried when the start of the school year comes closer and she still doesn't show up and she hasn't called to let them know that she won't be returning to work.

Chis is hot as ever in this book.  He shows us a couple different sides in this book.  He is spending a lot of time out of town doing charity events for a hospital where he donates money.  He has taken a particular interesting in a young man that is dying of cancer.  He has becomes very close with his family as well since he spends so much time with him.  When he's with Sara his is becoming increasingly over-protective of her and he wants to know where she is when she isn't with him. We see a much darker side of Chris as well when something tragic happens and he retreats into the world that he is trying to hide from Sara.

Some secrets are revealed in this book, some much darker than others.  Some story lines are closed and new ones opened up.  We learn more about Mark in this book...not much, but a little bit.  I think that I liked him better in this book than I did the last one though.  Through getting to know him and seeing a lighter side of him it's clear to see how women are so taken with him even though they can see how dangerous he can be.

The ending of this book didn't leave me particularly happy.  It's not really a cliffhanger like the last one, but it's an ending that changes the dynamic of the whole story.  I am anxious to see where the next book takes Sara, I just hope we don't have to wait to long for it to be released!

If you enjoyed the last book then you definitely need to pick this one up.  It's dark and sexy, most definitely an adult read.  Same content "warnings" as in the last book.  I do think that this is a read again series for me, I just like the characters that much and I do think that Ms. Jones writes a very good story.

*Disclaimer:  I was provided with an ARC Galley of this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Adult Romantic Suspense Review "If I Were You" by Lisa Renee Jones

Title:  If I Were You
Author: Lisa Renee Jones

Publisher:  Gallery Books

Publication Date:  September 12, 2012

Genre:  Adult Fiction / Romantic Suspense
Format:  Kindle 896 KB  |  Paperback 384 pages

Buy this book on Amazon:  Kindle Edition  |  Paperback

Author's Website:  http://www.lisareneejones.com/ 

Author's Goodreads Profile:  Lisa Renee Jones

Synopsis from Goodreads:

When Sara McMillan finds a stack of journals in a storage unit, she’s shocked and enthralled by the erotic life the writer led. Unable to stop reading, she vicariously lives out dark fantasies through Rebecca, the writer—until the terrifying final entry.

Certain something sinister has happened, Sara sets out to discover the facts, immersing herself in Rebecca’s life. Soon she’s working at the art gallery Rebecca worked at and meeting Rebecca’s friends. Finding herself drawn to two dangerously sexy men, the manager of the gallery and a famed artist, Sara realizes she’s going down the same path Rebecca took. But with the promise of her dark needs being met by a man with confident good looks and a desire for control, she’s not sure anything else matters. Just the burn for more.

My Thoughts...

This was probably one of the better books I have read this year, in fact this rates right up there with the Crossfire books for me!  You know how much I love Gideon Cross!  I loved the suspense and I really liked that at some point I got so caught up in Sara and Chris that I forgot all about Rebecca.  Then suddenly I am at the end and I get hit with a cliffhanger!  Which kinda stunk, but it's not too bad since the next book will be out in just a couple of weeks.

Since this is the first book of a trilogy, I kind of feel like we are just getting to the good stuff.  This first book is really a set up book.  We get a nice look at all the characters, just enough to suck us in so are foaming at the mouth for the rest of the story!  I feel like I know Sara pretty well.  She is a high school English teacher because she needs to pay the bills, but her dream is to work in the art world.  The only thing we really don't know about her yet is what is going on with her father.  That's her big secret.  Sara  is determined  to find out what happened to Rebecca, but for the time being she is enjoying her new found romance and summer dream job.

I don't know what I can say about Chris other than that I think he is pretty amazing!  He's a bit of a bod boy, which I love, and he's talented, famous, he can cook and he's super hot!! He has some deep dark secret that he's afraid to reveal because he's afraid that Sara will run fast and far when she hears it.  Unlike the other women he's had in his life he actually wants to keep Sara.

Then we have Mark.  I'm not sure what I think about him quite yet.  I think we have WAY more to learn about him. He has pretty much handed Sara her dream job on a silver platter, but she soon learns that there are quite a few strings attached there.  He's into some pretty dark stuff and Chris is more than happy to share some of those secrets with Sara.  Mark and Chris have a past that both are reluctant to share the details with Sara, but it's clear that they are both connected to Rebecca in some way.  

SO many questions and not many answers in this installment.  How are Mark and Chris really connected other than the obvious?  Which one is in Rebecca's journals?  Or was it both men?  Who is the man at the storage locker?  How is he connected to Rebecca?  Is Rebecca still alive?  I have no doubt that at least some of these questions will be answered in the next book. 

This book has been compared to Fifty Shades and I have to say that I don't agree.  Sure there are some elements of S&M, but in a completely different way.  The men in this book are both very domineering and rich men. I enjoyed this book more and I hate that so many books get compared to that series even though I did enjoy that series.  This series will stand on it's own without that comparison.  It's well written and the theme is completely different.

I think that if you enjoy a good romantic suspense story with nice love scenes then you will like this book.  It's definitely an adult read though.  There is profanity, some S&M and some very well written steamy love scenes, so be aware!  I know that it's been optioned for a TV series by Starz and I know that I will have to subscribe to Starz when it starts because I definitely want to be watching that!