If I Were You (Inside Out #1)
by Lisa Renee Jones
Published August 2012
How it all started…
One
day I was a high school teacher on summer break, leading a relatively
uneventful but happy life. Or so I told myself. Later, I’d question
that, as I would question pretty much everything I knew about me, my
relationships, and my desires. It all began when my neighbor thrust a
key to a storage unit at me. She’d bought it to make extra money after
watching some storage auction show. Now she was on her way to the
airport to elope with a man she barely knew, and she needed me to clear
out the unit before the lease expired.
Soon, I was standing
inside a small room that held the intimate details of another woman’s
life, feeling uncomfortable, as if I was invading her privacy. Why had
she let these items so neatly packed, possessions that she clearly cared
about deeply, be lost at an auction? Driven to find out by some unnamed
force, I began to dig, to discover this woman’s life, and yes, read her
journals—-dark, erotic journals that I had no business reading. Once I
started, I couldn’t stop. I read on obsessively, living out fantasies
through her words that I’d never dare experience on my own, compelled by
the three men in her life, none of whom had names. I read onward until
the last terrifying dark entry left me certain that something had
happened to this woman. I had to find her and be sure she was okay.
Before
long, I was taking her job for the summer at the art gallery, living
her life, and she was nowhere to be found. I was becoming someone I
didn’t know. I was becoming her.
The dark, passion it becomes…
Now,
I am working at a prestigious gallery, where I have always dreamed of
being, and I’ve been delivered to the doorstep of several men, all of
which I envision as one I’ve read about in the journal. But there is one
man that will call to me, that will awaken me in ways I never believed
possible. That man is the ruggedly sexy artist, Chris Merit, who wants
to paint me. He is rich and famous, and dark in ways I shouldn’t find
intriguing, but I do. I so do. I don’t understand why his dark side
appeals to me, but the attraction between us is rich with velvety
promises of satisfaction. Chris is dark, and so are his desires, but I
cannot turn away. He is damaged beneath his confident good looks and
need for control, and in some way, I feel he needs me. I need him.
All
I know for certain is that he knows me like I don’t even know me, and
he says I know him. Still, I keep asking myself — do I know him? Did he
know her, the journal writer, and where is she? And why doesn’t it seem
to matter anymore? There is just him and me, and the burn for more.
My review:
If I Were You is so hot it sizzles. When Sara begins reading journals that were found in a storage locker, she wants to find the woman who wrote them so she can return her things. However, in the process of trying to find Rebecca, Sara goes from a quiet, no-frills teacher to taking over Rebecca's job at a prestigious art gallery. She is finally living her dream of working in the art field, and making a huge income to go along with it. But Sara soon finds herself doing things she never thought she would.
If you like erotic romantic suspense, I highly recommend this book, but my recommendation comes with a warning. This has a huge cliffhanger ending. When purchasing If I Were You, you might as well pick up the next book at the same time because you will want to jump right in to continue the story.
A copy was provided for review.
About the author:
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author
Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT
SERIES, and is now in development by Suzanne Todd (Alice in Wonderland,
Austin Powers, Must Love Dogs) for cable TV. In addition, her Tall, Dark
and Deadly series and The Secret Life of Amy Bensen series, both spent
several months on a combination of the NY Times and USA Today lists.
Since beginning her publishing career in 2007, Lisa has published
more than 40 books translated around the world. 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.
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author
Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT
SERIES, and is now in development by Suzanne Todd (Alice in Wonderland,
Austin Powers, Must Love Dogs) for cable TV. In addition, her Tall, Dark
and Deadly series and The Secret Life of Amy Bensen series, both spent
several months on a combination of the NY Times and USA Today lists.
