Book: Being Me (Inside Out trilogy, book two) by Lisa Renee Jones, Simon & Schuster Audio, June 11, 2013
Book Info: Romance, Audiobook received for review from Simon & Schuster Audio. Running time: 9 hrs, 37mins. Read by: Grace Grant. Also available in PB, 368 pages from Gallery Books.
Rating: 3 / 5 Stars
More Info: Goodreads | Audible | Amazon
Publisher’s summary (from Audible)
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?
Being Me is book two of the erotic suspense mystery Inside Out trilogy. The last book, If I Were You, ended on a huge cliffhanger so I was eager to get back to this series. After reading the book, I’m interested to see where the story is going, though I’m not as hooked on the series as I was before. The pacing in Being Me was a little slower and the balance of mystery and romance was a little too heavily weighted on the relationship drama for me. We did finally get some answers to the Rebecca mystery though so that’s a good thing!
Luckily Being Me picks up where the last book left off so we don’t have to wonder any longer what happened after the last book’s white -knuckle conclusion. Sara is looking for clues that will lead to the missing Rebecca, and assuming her life in the process. She’s also worried about her friend who left the country with a guy and hasn’t been heard from since. Lots to worry about, and meanwhile there’s her shaky relationship with Chris to maintain. Everyone has secrets to uncover and the reader is just as in the dark as Sara.
I think there was too much relationship angst and sexcapades in this one for me. I still want to know more about Mark’s story and with less time in the art gallery in this book, that story took a backseat to Sara and Chris. Towards the end there is some progress made on the mystery and Mark side of things so I feel like we will get that payoff.
Maybe I’m starting to lose interest in reading about the wealthy controlling guys found in these books, or they are all blurring together but this one did not stand out as something special like the first book in the series. We did get some answers but it seemed like it took too long to get there, you know? I do appreciate the secrets that were uncovered though and have hope that there are more surprises to come in the series finale.
The narration duties are once again put in the capable hands of Grace Grant. Grant also narrates the Beautiful series by Christina Lauren, and is a natural at reading erotic romance. She brings the listeners into the mystery and gives each character their own voice. She captures Sara’s indecision, inquisitiveness and love struck side. She also is strong with the male voices, including Sara’s boyfriend Chris’ bad boy artist vibe, and her boss Mark’s aggressiveness. Though this installment didn’t always hold my interest, I probably would have been less invested if I weren’t listening to the audiobook.
The final installment in the trilogy, Revealing Us, comes out in September. And there’s a lot of supplemental material available to read while you wait if you choose, in the form of Rebecca’s Lost Journals, and The Master Undone (see the series order here). I haven’t read any of the bonus novellas yet, but perhaps that does enhance the reading experience.
Check out an audio sample of Being Me:
