Being Me

Written by Lisa Renee Jones

Narrated by Grace Grant

Being Me is the second sensual adventure in New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones’s “totally swoon worthy” and “absolutely enthralling” (Under the Covers) Inside Out series.

I arch into him, drinking in his passion, instantly, willingly consumed by all that he is and could be to me...

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?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jun 11, 2013
• ISBN: 9781442363991

Lisa Renee Jones

Visit Lisa at www.lisareneejones.com

Reviews for Being Me

[beethovensfruit · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

i'll organize my thoughts more thoroughly tomorrow probably but right off the bat:

1. ava flying into a jealous rage at the end was... bad. really bad. it was obvious that ava and mark were together, like way too obvious, but ava tried awfully hard to have some sort of friendship with sara for most of these two books. i think renee jones realized halfway through the book that ava sleeping with mark could cause some drama between her and sara and raaaaaan with it before fixing any of their other interactions. there's a quick moment when sara realizes that ava hates her after chris has left for the funeral, but it's an unjustified leap and feels really out of character for ava. and then at the end here, ava flies completely off the handle just for a quick exciting climax to carry us out. it's cheap and lacks any sort of foundation.

2. chris sucks so hard. i don't give a shit about his trauma - or sara's to be honest - and frankly unless i hear he wants to drink sara's blood or some shit, i refuse to believe his ~dark needs~ are actually that terrible. like hey man, maybe if you laid everything out on the table instead of running from your fears, there wouldn't be 3 more books in this series

[amandanan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5. Not quite as enticing as the first installment.

[uanbookaddict · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

**This was provided as an ARC through NetGalley for an honest reiview.**

"It's his imperfections that make him perfect."

Oh my! I am not sure what I was expecting from this book, but I am pretty sure I got it and then some! Let me just tell you that you will get the answers you were looking for in this book.... and you will be floored! But, also, you will have more questions raised... Let's just hope they get answered in the next book; yes, there will be another book! YAY!

This book is imperfectly perfect on so many levels. Passion. Intrigue. Excitement. Thrilling. Terrifying. Loving. Revenge. I could go all day with the one-liners!

"If I need to get lost, I'll get lost in you."

I found myself lost in the book all of the way through... Now not lost as in confused. I was lost in the story and the new turns of events that made the story much more than it was in If I Were You. These books were almost two different stories, yet the same stories, that collided into one another and created an explosion of a story!

I find myself telling you all this... But, I am not going to go into details about the book. I am sure you will find that on other reviews, and you can find some in the book blurb... What I will tell you is that mysteries are unfolded and created. Love is in the air... or is it? Or isn't it? Oh, I can't tell you! I am not a spoiler!
Now Lisa has told us that we need to read Rebecca's journals before we read this. To be honest, I am not sure why. I thought they gave me insight to who "he" was in the journals.... They actually just made me more confused. Now, as I type this, I am thinking about it. They did help in some ways, and I can see why they need read first. Their impact will be lost if you read this before them! So, yes, read them before you read this!

"Baby, the ways I'm going to fuck you are too many to count, but not tonight. Tonight, I'm going to make love to you." (I won't tell you who said that and to whom it was said to! HAHA! Read the book to find out!)

[jkgrage · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Still dark and creepy at times but at least some things were resolved in this book. Looking forward to book three.

[kate.good · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a hard review to write without giving too much away, and trust me…there is a LOT to give away in this book!

Usually the second book in a trilogy is a lot of build-up to the climactic third and final book. Not the case in this trilogy! We learn a lot of secrets in this book. Mysteries are (mostly) solved and stories are revealed. There is a lot going on.

Being me starts off right where If I Were You left off. And it keeps going strong. If I Were You was a major cliffhanger, and Being Me thankfully addresses that early on.

Then we get to the good stuff. Chris and Sara. Throughout the entire book Chris is trying to be who he thinks Sara needs, and Sara is trying to get him to show her his true self.

"Let me love what you hate. Let me do that for you." - Sara

Chris is naturally dominant/controlling/protective

”I’m going to own you, body and soul I will bind you, I will fuck your ass. Your mouth. I will do what I want. And none of this even comes close to where I’ve been and where I will never take you.”


Well then!

Unfortunately, Chris thinks that if he is who he naturally is with Sara, she will run away and he can't lose her. Chris isn't giving Sara enough credit to allow her to be strong for him.

““It’s his imperfections that make him perfect.”


You can feel the attraction, the need for each other that runs through them. Unfortunately, neither of them are communicating enough to get through to each other in a healthy way. They are both holding back pieces of themselves and those pieces can cut them apart if they don’t deal with them. We get closer to a healthy Chris and Sara in this book, but certainly not all the way. There are plenty of things that will need to be explored in book three, for sure! One thing they certainly have going for them is steam factor. Holy moly! Those two can steam up a room! I wouldn’t mind Chris pushing me up a tree, that’s for sure.

Along with the Chris/Sara story you have the Rebecca mystery. Sara still is searching for her and reading her journals to try to figure out what happened to her. I can’t talk about that part too much, it will give too much away. Just know that there are twists and turns ahead! When you think you have it all figured out, you don’t. Trust me.
If you enjoyed If I Were You, you will love Being Me. It’s a great series! Go get it!

***ARC courtesy of Gallery, Treshold, Pocket Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

[gloria.herrera · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am totally immersed in this series. Absolutely fabulous writing by Lisa Renee Jones. This second book takes us through the mystery of Rebecca's disappearance and the dangers this brings to Sara. Like in the old title by Daphne Du Maurier, the reader will be obsessed to find out what really happened to Rebecca.

The love developing between Sara and Chris is loaded with complications and certain destruction. These characters develop and mature as the story progresses and we get glimpses of the possibilities for a future where both lovers can heal. "All or nothing" becomes the driving force in the plot line. It is real life at its rawest and our characters must face their demons or be emotionally destroyed.

Eagerly awaiting the conclusion - Revealing Us.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[thelustyliterate-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Being Me, the second installment in the Inside Out Series, is another unfortunate letdown. Any hopes for a better plot, more engaging characters or a memorable romance is dashed quite early in this listless stepping stone of a story.Our mostly absent hero, Chris, remains his crazy self: obsessive, withholding, inconsistent and emotionally stagnant. When he does return, he’s in a reduced state, sad and weak in mind and spirit. This Chris is unsympathetic and so unsexy. Yet still, Sara, albeit apprehensively, remains ever devoted and faithful. What does she see in him? Sure the sex is hot, but it’s just not enough. Her loyalty and need of Chris is utterly confounding!Good old Mark, the best character in the series has a more prominent role, thankfully. He’s still up to his old tricks of playing empty mind games. But, despite this, I like Mark. He’s an entertaining constant amongst the chaos. Yes, he lurks and manipulates, but he’s so magnetic and steady when he menaces. Mark’s strength and seeming invulnerability contrasts with Chris’s foibles further reducing Chris’s already low appeal.When Chris and Sara do re-connect, Chris’s huge reveal is so lackluster and anti-climatic it would be comical if it wasn’t so infinitely tragic.Again, pass.ARC courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[emilymcgee-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh my! This book left me reeling. Being Me deals with so many of the plot problems of this series. We find out what happened to Rebecca, who "Master" is, more hints about Chris' secret/past. What the reader does not find out is what happened to Ella, and the fate of Sara and Chris. Being Me had so many ups and downs, I felt the character growing one minute and then taking steps backwards. One thing I know for sure is that Ms. Jones has aptly named her novels. I felt that Sara started to make the distinction between her life and Rebecca's, and found herself, but Chris' reluctance to share any of his own demons squashed their growth as a couple. As much as I love Chris, there were several moments where I just wanted to smack him! I felt that he was controlling his universe at the expense of Sara. Yes, he supposedly just wanted to keep her safe, but by the end Sara was agreeing to some ludicrous demands from him. I actually finished this a couple days ago, but I was left with mixed feelings. I then realized that, or I like to believe, that Sara was giving into his demands because she wants to make a new life, away from Rebecca's and away from her father and Michael. Sara finally comes to peace with the woman in the journal and is ready to start anew with Chris, but finds that even though she agrees to some of his demands, ultimately he is just trying to push her away. The turmoil for every character in the end about tore my heart out, I certainly did not see the plot twist coming when I began Being Me. I feel that the choice Sara is forced to make at the end is not whether she loves Chris or not, but if she can save him from his past the way he saved her from becoming Rebecca. Now, I may have this whole "in their heads" examination wrong, but that is one thing I love about Ms. Jones' writing is that she leaves a big part of her stories to the reader's interpretation. This is a fantastic addition to the Inside Out Series and I cannot wait to get my hands on Revealing Us! Stay tuned for my review on The Master Undone.Happy Reading!

[lisa.hines · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

You can find this review at My Favorite Things (Heffroberts.blogspot.com)Being Me by Lisa Renee Jones is the second book in the Inside Out Trilogy.Holy flipping cow! When things heat up, or when the proverbial poop hits the fan...Lisa Renee Jones will absolutely not disappoint. Wow! I am so glad I have a galley copy of book three...I know it's out in a couple of weeks, but what on earth is in France? I must know. But I enjoy the audiobook versions so much I may wait anyway. Grace Grant is a fantastic performer! Decisions, decisions!"**Audible Audiobook "Review: Inside Out Trilogy #2: Being Me"**What made the experience of listening to Being Me the most enjoyable?Grace Grant's performance. This is the 6th book I have listened to her perform and have started to choose which book on my to read list is next based on if she's the narrator.Who was your favorite character and why?Chris - I really like Chris. He's so caring and sweet yet damaged and dark. It's a quirky combo.Have you listened to any of Grace Grant’s other performances before? How does this one compare?All of Grace's performances are stellar. This one is probably one of my favorites, right next to Beautiful Bastard.Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?If I had enough time to spare, then yes I would have liked to listen to it all as fast as my ears could hear it. This 2nd book of the trilogy is packed tight with drama, emotion, twists and WTF moments!**QUOTES**Suddenly, he is in front of me, towering above me. I feel him in every pore of my existence even before I dare to lift my gaze to his. I know what I must do but I am scared. I told him I wasn’t.I told myself I wasn’t. But I am. - SarahI have never felt as part of a man as I do in that moment. Never felt so a part of another human being. I do not know what to do with the emotions inside me. I do not know how to be this close to someone and still hold on to myself.- Sarah

[dlinglis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

WOW! I love the chemistry between these characters and the relationship between Chris and Sara just feels so real. The mystery aspects of the story line just give these books an added edge over all the other Twilight FanFic / 50 Shades of Grey books out there. I definitely recommend this series if you like a little mystery to go with your heat!I received Being Me as an ARC from NetGalley. Since I cannot read a series out of order I had to read If I Were You first and I am glad I did. This book is not a stand alone book in a series. It is the continuation of the story. And I was so glad I could go right into the next book without waiting.I finished If I Were You in about a day and Being Me in about another day. Fortunately it is only a few weeks now until Revealing Us comes out (although I do have to read The Master Undone first.

[mybookaddiction_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The journals are still haunting Sara. Where is Rebecca? Why hasn’t she returned to retrieve her journals? Her most private thoughts of her passion and pain left for anyone to find. Chris Merit the famous painter has been pushing Sara to go places she never knew she would go. Chris is forcing her to work through her pain all the while Chris is using the pain for pleasure. Sara is struggling to be controlled by Chris and her “Bossman” Mark. Sara has hidden secrets that are coming to the surface. She is worried that Chris will leave when they are revealed. But her secrets are not the only ones to be revealed in this thrilling erotic series.We join Sara in the storage unit from the book IF I WERE YOU. Sara was looking for more clues and was stopped dead in her tracks by a pop. Chris, her Dark Knight in shining armor once came to the rescue. Many questions are answered but most of all we know who HE is. He, meaning Rebecca’s master to her submissive.We are introduced to the true dark side of Chris and the vulnerability of Mark. I was surprised that we found out so much information about the characters. The author dug deep into the lives of all of them. Everyone had deep secrets. Some worse than others. Some secrets can be forgiven, others not so much. I enjoyed the fact that Sara really came into her own. She knew her boundaries and her boundaries are trust. Not only her trusting Chris but trusting herself to enjoy the pleasure in pain. This book will leave you satisfied, but wanting more. Just like Mark and Chris would have wanted. We are being punished by having to wait for the final installment of the series. A must read. This book was received for the purpose of an honest review.Rating: 4.5Reviewed By: RaeHeat Rating: Wild RideCourtesy Of My Book Addiction And More

[janersm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Being Me leaves off right where If I Were You left off, so if it's been a while since you read the first book, you might want to read it again to understand the first few chapters. This book is better than the first, though. Of course, there are still aspects to it that need improvement. It seemed like the best parts of the book were right toward the end and that the series will end on a much better note than it began.The characters actually developed throughout this story, which was cool to see. (Sometimes that doesn't happen within a series, so I always do an inner happy dance when it does.) Chris and Sara are finally opening up more and more to one another, but I feel a bit annoyed at how Sara gets judgmental about Chris not opening up to her quickly enough. It takes her a long time to disclose things to him, so it seems like an unfair/hypocritical thing to judge him for his reticence. There are some character developments that are bit out of left field, and I guess that's to be expected with a book under the banner of the mystery genre, but it's still frustrating.While the books seem to be set up with the idea that Sara has to find out what happens to Rebecca, it ends up feeling like it's more about what happened to the two leads in their past and what might happen in their future, as well as figuring out what might have happened to Sara's friend, Ella. Basically, in this book, you're going to figure out what probably happened to Rebecca, but you don't get all the answers to the rest of the questions that you might have. I'm going with probably instead of definitely because it's always possible that the reveal of Rebecca's fate is a bit of misdirection. I'm hoping that it isn't, though misdirection wouldn't shock me at this point.