Tag Archives: Inside Out Series

Review: I Belong To You (Inside Out #5) by Lisa Renee Jones

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Title:  I Belong To You
Author: Lisa Renee Jones
Publisher/Year: Gallery Books 11/18/14
Length: 223
Series: Inside Out #5

Overview

The stunning conclusion to Mark and Crystal’s relationship in the passionate, all-consuming Inside Out series by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones.

Master…

Being that person, that man, is how I define myself, how I allow the rest of the world to define me as well. And now, with a terrible loss shredding me inside out and someone trying to destroy my family to punish me, control is more important than ever. It is everything. It is what I need. It is all I need. Or maybe I just need…her.

My Thoughts

It’s a mixed bag here – i don’t know that I wanted to get to the end of this saga and journey, yet how we were taken there was so well worth the ride.  I think that we got the finality of the story that we were hoping for and while it was expected, the path was definitely filled with a lot of tension and anxiety.

From the novellas that we’ve read with Mark’s story, you definitely got the impression that his ghosts were from something more than just Rebecca, that the story was much deeper, and it takes us just about the entire story to get the full details, and i’m not at all surprised to learn about what made him into the Master that we know.  The other piece is that we’re also given hints throughout the story of what ghosts and monsters haunted Crystal to make her into the woman that she is, and yet where i thought our author was going with things isn’t really the path that it went – but still was enough to justify who she became.

Both had love lost, both faced the horrors of losing someone that meant the world to them at the hands of someone else, and i think that it’s that dynamic that not only makes for a good relationship, but makes for a good dynamic shuffle which is what we get.  Mark is quick to admit that he allows more liberties with Crystal and that she does for him what no one else has, and it’s really up to Crystal to determine what she will allow from Mark and what that means to herself.

All while this is going on, since it’s no small feat, there’s the fact that Ava has escaped, and no one knows where she is or who she’s with – really – until we learn that she’s with a mercenary named Wright who doesn’t follow anyone’s rules and is quite the hired killer.  Mark assumes that the threat is now on him and his family, Crystal included, and while he’s got his own security team on it, he’s going rogue a bit and hires his own ‘hunting party’ to see what they can find.  I don’t know about anyone else, but part of me spent much of the book wondering if they were looking too focused and narrow on Ava/Ryan/Ricco and that it was perhaps someone else, and that’s a thought that i carried through up until the end.  I think that the closure that we got though suits the story.

The other piece is that i’m still of the group that believes Rebecca isn’t dead – no body no death right?  And i’ll admit that as crazy as it sounds, part of me had a moment or 2 where i thought that she was behind it all.  yes, crazy i know.  Anyhow, i think that it was well written and worth the continuation of this story.

The heat and passion that we’ve come to love and expect from Ms. Renee Jones is here in full effect – The dominance rolls off Mark in such waves that you can’t help but to get caught up in them.  Crystal is worth the fight and gives Mark a run for his money which makes their sceneing even hotter.  I guess what we’ll all have to wait for now is the side series that was hinted at with Sara/Chis when they went looking for her roommate/best friend.  I’m excited to see where that story goes.  so….Enjoy!

Review: My Control (Inside Out #4.5) by Lisa Renee Jones

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Title: My Control
Author: Lisa Renee Jones
Publisher/Year: Simon & Schuster 9/8/14
Length: 47
Series: Inside Out #4.5

Overview

I have lost who I used to be, letting guilt and heartache define who I am, letting darkness control me. Only one woman has seen what no one else has seen in me: the man I do not wish to exist. His lack of control led to tragedy, and I cannot allow that to happen again. But even as she offers ease, she challenges me like no woman ever has—and my hunger for her has driven me to the edge of sanity. But no more. She is about to find out that the Master has returned…

My Thoughts

I love how the bigger main series leads into these installments about Mark – and how you could in theory read this as a standalone, yet you get so much more if you’re reading everything.  So….it’s been a little while since i was last in this series, so i’ll admit i was a little foggy on where things were left with Crystal and Mark, but it’s not hard to pick back up.  If you’ll remember, there were new leads and information leading to discovering what happened to Rebecca, and of course that meant that a lot of folks were now being looked into, luckily it seemed as though Mark, Chris and Sara were off the hook, and attention was being directed towards Ava, Ryan and a younger kid.  This is the part of the story that overlaps with what we saw in ‘No In Between’ with Chris and Sara once they returned to the US.

Anyhow, in this next installment of Mark’s story, where we’re left with him is figuring out how to deal with his internal confusion about how he feels about Crystal and how he doesn’t want to allow those feelings to come through, partially because of what happened with Rebecca and partially because it goes against everything that he is.  The challenge of course is that nothing’s ever easy, and if Crystal weren’t so strong (at least in appearance), then this would be much shorter lived.

True to form of our lovely author, you feel the tension and attraction rolling off these 2 even if we don’t get into much sceneing between them.  it’s such a short installment that i’m not surprised that we really only had 1 scene between them, but at least it was hot.  I think that there’s a lead into something much bigger between them and i can’t wait to see what comes of it.  Mark seems to think that Crystal is hiding behind her faux strength, and i think that his need to control and dominate will bring that out.

The question arises though at the end of who’s safe and who’s going to be the next target.  We have always questioned Ryan especially after reading No In Between and there’s even more reason to now that we’ve gotten this novella.  Mark seems to think that Crystal’s next on the target list and he’s going to do what he can to protect her.  so….off we go into the next story – to see what’s to happen, if Rebecca is truly dead (which you guys all should know by now that i don’t believe to be the case) and who did it.  Enjoy!

ARC Review: His Secrets (Inside Out #3.1) by Lisa Renee Jones

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Title: His Secrets
Author:  Lisa Renee Jones
Publisher/Year:  Gallery Books 2/24/14
Length: 60 Pages
Series: Inside Out #3.1

Overview

In this dark and sensual e-novella, which ties into Lisa Renee Jones’s bestselling Inside Out series, Chris’s dark point of view comes to light as he tries to win—then hold onto—Sara’s heart.

In a world where my only escape has been my art, Sara has been the light in my darkness. And there is darkness, the kind of inky black that can bleed from my life into hers.

She doesn’t see it. She doesn’t understand what I’ve shown her. And my biggest fear is that soon…she will.

My Thoughts

We knew that Chris had his demons, but i guess the question that we were left with was whether he would ever admit them to Sara and if they would be able to move past it.  In this novella, we learn that while he doesn’t have the intention to share that stuff with her, he has no choice. Of course you know how these stories work, just when things seem like they may calm down on one aspect of their lives, something pops up.

When we last left this couple, they were in Paris, Sara’s being investigated for all sorts of stuff, her passport’s been stolen and some how they’ve managed to get it back, they are still tracking Ella and have an idea of where she is but not how to get to her, and well, with all that going on, at least they’ve found a way to be happy – Chris proposed, and Sara accepted.

So, this story takes us to the point when they are just about to return to the States so that Sara can deal with the legal nonsense and just hours before they are due to leave, Chris gets a phone call from Tristan that his past is haunting him again, Amber has gone to Isabel and that’s never a good thing.

Plans are put on hold, and Chris has to decide what he’s willing to do, if he’s been pushed to far, and if dealing with this will break him and Sara apart.

I think that we all know that Sara’s made of the good stuff – the strong stuff, so in my eyes, i wasn’t concerned, however i think that’s one of the nice things that Ms. Lisa Renee Jones does for us.  We are put into a position where we think that things are all good and safe, and then she throws us for a loop.  Sara does things and says things that i didn’t expect and their future is all up in the air.

While i really enjoyed this short and quick read, i’m always left wanting more.  I get the point of these novellas, to continue the story, perhaps from a different point of view, but i’m always left wanting and wishing that it was an even more complex story.  i guess we’ll have to wait – especially since the epilogue takes us to a GREAT place that excites me a bit.  I can’t wait to see where the line of questioning to Mark takes us.

Review: Rebecca’s Lost Journals (Inside Out 1.1-1.4) by Lisa Renee Jones

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Title: Rebecca’s Lost Journals
Author:  Lisa Renee Jones
Publisher/Year:  Gallery Books 4/15/14
Length: 224 Pages
Series: Inside Out #1.1-1.4

Overview

The Journals
Rebecca Mason has known heartache and sorrow in her life, losing everyone she loves. She’s on her own in San Francisco, lost in every way, until she decides to chase her dream of working in the art world. It is there that she meets a rich, seductively powerful man who will become the Master she never knew she wanted and who will change her life forever. He will lead her on a dark, passionate journey where pain is pleasure and pleasure is pain, and where every limit she once had is no more. In this man she will find solace, an escape from the ache inside her. And in him, she will discover a darkness she may never escape. Here, in her journal entries, she lays bare her soul, revealing her obsession for the one man whose erotic demands captivated her imagination—and enslaved her forever.

My Thoughts

I don’t know what i was expecting, but i think that it was more.  That’s not to say that this wasn’t a good grouping of Rebecca’s story – giving us the insight into where it all started, but I have to say that i thought that we’d get into the drama more since that’s what we read through in the series so far – the heat and passion.

We meet Rebecca before she even comes into the Gallery world which is nice and we see her make her own way.  When we first learned about her in the Inside Out series, we learned that everyone loved her and adored her and respected her, which is why it was so heartbreaking that she wasn’t around anymore.  It was interesting to see how those relationships were developed.

What’s nice is that we continue to have the mystery behind ‘Him’ – her master.  We never learned his identity in the series and still don’t know it now.  It’s nice that it’s not just something that was left out for the benefit of our reading pleasure in the larger story line.  We also begin to understand where the fears came from which were alluded to in the series, so that’s nice as well.

I really enjoy Ms .Lisa Renee Jones’ writing and this series especially has really drawn me in.  I hope that we get more of Rebecca’s journals and that we see where the story takes it sour turn – i’m sure that we won’t be left wanting more after that.

Review: The Master Undone (Inside Out #2.5) by Lisa Renee Jones

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Title:  The Master Undone
Author:  Lisa Renee Jones
Publisher/Year:  Pocket Star 8/12/13
Length:  66 Pages
Series: Inside Out #2.5

Overview

I told him goodbye, and I will not call him. I know if I do, it will be my undoing, and I’ll once again be caught up in his spell. I will once again be…lost.

In her private journals, Rebecca laid bare her soul, revealing her obsession for the one man whose erotic demands captivated her imagination—and enslaved her forever. Now, with Rebecca no longer in his life, her former Master is lost—questioning everything he thought he knew about himself, and the control he holds in such high regard. One woman will reach out to heal him and then turn away, leaving him haunted. She is nothing he thought he wanted, and somehow everything he needs. He tells himself to forget her, but he cannot escape his desire for her. He has to have more..

My Thoughts

It was a nice surprise this evening for me to find that there was a novella in the mix while i am waiting for Revealing Us to come out next month.  Where we left off in Being Me was quite a cliff hanger of anxiety and sensual tension, and i didn’t know if i could wait.

In The Master Undone, we pick up right after Mark (Mr. Compton) has learned the whereabouts of Rebecca and he’s having a rough time dealing with that information.  He has also learned that his strong stoic mother has Stage 3 breast cancer and has to undergo surgery, so his story opens up on a flight back to NYC so he can be by her side.

One of the great things that we already know about Mark is that he’s quite controlling and powerful, but we also got a glimpse at his sensitive side when he was dealing with Sara. This is something that comes up again in his own short tale, the battle between the need to control and the need to keep someone else safe.

This is when we meet Crystal, the manager at Riptide, Mark’s NY auction house when she is sent to pick him up from the airport.  She’s just his type, yet he’s not quite ready to go there with anyone.  She’s alpha and type A just like he is, and that can either make for a deep canyon growing between them, or lead to some great sexual tension and sex.  you think about where you want that one to go.

What i hope though is that we get to see more of her since this novella was just a few short chapters.  We know that Mark’s mother adores her and that they seem to have personalities that would keep one another on their toes – it’s just a wonder if Mark will allow anyone in and what that end result will be.

Lisa Renee Jones gave us a nice tease of what’s to come, and I can’t wait for the next installment to become available in just a few more weeks.  Just a bit of steam and heat in this short tale leaves me wanting much much more!