If I Were You

Quickie Review:

If I Were You is the first book in the "Inside Out" series and this is a series I have been wanting to read since these books first came out with Fifty Shades. I always loved these OG covers, they had such a sexy vibe to them. And I have to say I really had a blast with this book. It definitely had some dynamics to the story that the author really made work. I can see why these were so popular. This has a setup so fascinating. Our heroine. is a high school teacher, but for a summer job, she gets her dream job working at a art gallery. Her boss is a controlling alpha male, but he is not the one who really intrigues her....its Chris Merritt whom she has an intense connection with. There is a sizzling chemistry between the two, but Chris has a dark history and is full of secrets. As they begin to explore their connection.....secrets become revealed that could alter everything between them.

I really enjoyed seeing what happened between these two. I really adored Chris, he had such an aura of mystery surrounding his character and I was beyond intrigued by him. But you can also tell that he is hiding many secrets and pain from his past. Chris and Sara's boss, Mark, definitely have a history together and this story only makes that history fascinating to become revealed. Then we have the connection to Rebecca and her journals. Not sure I will read those novellas unless Rebecca has a good ending.

Overall I found If I Were You to be a fascinating read and I am intrigued to see where this series will be headed.

I'm not sure what to make of it all ... yet. Who is lying and who is telling the truth? Where the Hell is Rebecca and what about her neighbor friend? Something is definitely rotten in Denmark. Sara, Sara, Sara ... I would be just as confused as you however instead of listening to the "men" I think you need to listen to yourself. Also don't trust those new friends ... I don't trust Ava. I think she is trying to lead Sara in the wrong direction under Mark's instruction. Mark, I loathe thee. LOATHE! Chris ... you are the damaged man that I love to read about but will Sara be enough? This book has given me so many feels. I look forward to reading book 2, 3 and the novella from Chris' POV.

I did not realize when I started this book that it was part of a series. Thus, I was disappointed by the ending. I was thinking there would be a resolution, only to have it be left open ended. I was also under the impression it was going to be a mystery with some romance. It was mostly romantic wine and dine with a smidgen of mystery. Well written, flowed and made sense but not what I was really looking for when I picked this up.

If I Were You has a fantastic plot that is original with Sarah possessing journals of someone she does not know and is trying to find out what happened to her. As she looks more into the disappearance of the journals owner Rebecca, she feels like she is living her life. This is a great start to a trilogy with loving, but also damaged characters. Whom some are just trying to better them selves and leave their tormented past behind them. Chris is the sexy famous tattoo artist who wears his faded jeans, leather jacket and biker boots to any and all upscale events. His Art is shown in the Art gallery. I found it sexy that he can speak French, Italian and Spanish. He is funny and charming, but is troubled on the inside and at times this does leave him a bit moody. Loved how he donates most of his Art to charity, a children’s hospital. Lisa Renee Jones did an amazing job, slowly peeling away Chris’s layers through out the book. Mark is the boss of the Art Gallery, who is powerful, controlling and arrogant. Chris and him do not get along, but you feel like they were friends at one time and something or someone got in the middle of them. I look forward to reading more about Chris and Marks past and how they met. After Sarah’s mother Died, she left her rich father who is powerful and controlling, to be her own person and not what he wanted her to be. Sarah’s father is just like Mark and he brings out the rebel in her. When she is around Mark she becomes a smart mouth but she also finds herself doing what he says. Chris on the other hand makes her laugh and she is relaxed around him. Lisa Renee Jones knows how to write a sexy hero and tastefully erotic scenes. I love heroes that are jealous, possessive, protective, dirty talker and dominate in the bedroom. Best part is when a hero tells the heroine she is beautiful while naked. A hero is sexy when he grabs the heroine panties and rips them off her. What girl would not want a hero to take off his shirt and put it on her naked body instead of going to get another one. I am a sucker for nibbling on the lips and a hero that presses his forehead against the heroine. But these have to be written well to make me smitten. Kudos to Lisa Renee Jones for creating a hero that is swoon worthy and well written. Halfway through the book is when the heat really starts. When it starts it never lets up. If I Were You starts off slow, but it did held my attention with the journals and getting a look inside Rebecca’s Life. After the heat sets in I felt like the journals and its plot got put on the back burner. I only wish it ended different. I new it would be a cliffhanger and love those, but it was not what I expected. It did not make me go “Oh No.” Sometimes I would have to read a paragraph over because I did not know who was talking. It seemed like they were blended together. I look forward to reading the rest of this series and highly recommend If I Were You. ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Oh Lisa why did you leave me hanging like that??? I really enjoyed this book because it was something different from the other BDSM books. We are not introduced to this life style really until close to the end when Sara goes to the private club with Chris. She wants to please Chris so badly but she doesn't want to lose herself like Rebecca did. I am torn between Mark and Chris in the beginning as Sara is. Mark seem more dominant and that he has to really have control of everything and I do mean everything where Chris is a rebel that needs to have control but with Sara he just cant seem to keep it. Sara is slowly breaking Chris down and he is not used to that neither is she, she was in a controlling relationship but now she is finding that she is enjoying gaining some control over Chris and the relationship. And where the heck is her bff, whats the deal with Ava and Mark, where did Rebecca go? There are so many questions that need to be answered and I cannot wait to find out.

Some people I know have read this book and they highly recommended so I decided to give it a shot. WOW ! I am so glad I read this but holy cliffhangers!! I want to read the next book NOW and I will as soon as I get the chance. I absolutely love love love this book and if you are into this genre of books (erotica romance) I highly recommend this book. It is very well written and you will want to read the next book right away.