Being Me (Inside Out #2) By Lisa Renee Jones Review

Being Me By Lisa Renee Jones

Release Date: June 11th 2013 by Gallery Books

Series: Inside Out #2

Paperback : 368 Pages

Characters : Sarah McMillan, Chris Merit, Mark Compton

First Sentence : "Journal 8, entry 1"

Last Sentence:“Good-bye—Love, Rebecca”

Summary:

The sexy second installment in the Inside Out erotic romance trilogy, following If I Were You—in the seductive tradition ofFifty Shades of Grey. 

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?

Review:

This is the second installment in the Inside Out trilogy and the first thing you need to know is it does not stand alone. You must read the first book to understand the second and the third am sure.Being Me begins at the exact place If I Were You, left off. Sara is at the storage unit and if you’ve read the book, then you remember the massive cliffhanger so yes, you have to read this one to find out what happens next :D

I found book 1 to be more suspenseful than book 2. Being Me was all about Chris and Sara.It focused on their growing relationship i.e two damaged souls seeking each other out, yet afraid of the repercussions a relationship with this much depth could cause. Sara as we know had an awful childhood. Book 1 even hinted at an abusive relationship. And in Being Me we get the full details of her relationship with her father and her ex. Sara is very afraid of telling Chris the truth about her past. She sees that Chris is a damaged man. She sees the weight he carries on his shoulders, and when another tragedy happens, she worries that telling him her story will not only break them apart, it will also push him over the edge.
We still don’t fully get to understand Chris, especially since he’s convinced that fully knowing him will drive Sara away. But what we do know is that as tormented as he is and trust me when I say we really get to see his torment, and he has this amazing love and sweetness and I absolutely loved the way he always wanted to protect Sara.
Than there is Mark. We only get to know slightly more about him. But not nearly enough. The reason I say that this book wasn’t as suspenseful as book 1 is that I feel as if Sara forgot her quest to find Rebecca. She would of course remember that Rebecca’s missing and that Ella is also missing but I felt like these were afterthoughts. Of course it’s only because her relationship with Chris was so consuming.

As I enjoyed this angsty haze, the last few chapters happened. Actually ‘happened’ is the wrong word, more like exploded! The suspense that was lacking was here in spades and if this was a TV show I’d have been at the edge of my seat. Yes, secrets are revealed, an in-control man loses control and a relationship faces an ultimatum.