If I Were You by Lisa Renee Jones (ARC)

If I Were You by Lisa Renee, won't be released until August 24th, but upon the request of the publisher and author, and hearing what it was about, I was definitely intrigued, and excited to get my hands on this book!

And let me just say, I was not disappointed!

Before I go on and on about what this book is about, I'll just give you the Goodreads description, so I can actually talk more about what I thought!

Fifty Shades of Grey meets Basic Instinct

Book 1: If I Were You
Book 2: Being Me
Book 3: Revealing Us

About IF I WERE YOU…

How it began…

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 expires.

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.

Now to what I thought:

First off, I need to get this off my chest:

This honestly doesn't happen to me often, but once in a while, when I get to know a character in a novel I'm able to imagine an actor as that person...If I Were You had one of those characters!

Chris Merit=Chris Hemsworth!!! I swear!!

Okay, so I know both their names are Chris, and that may possibly be why I thought of Hemsworth, but just the description of this super hot example of the human male species...hmm...made me think totally of the super CUTE, HOT, SEXY, amazingly beautiful Chris Hemsworth!!

I would post a picture, but unfortunately other than book covers, I've decided to only post pictures that I take myself (due to a really interesting article I read this morning), so just go on Google Images and look up Chris Hemsworth, if you happen to not know what he looks like.  (Hint: he was in the Avengers and Thor).  

Like the Goodreads description indicated, there are quite some parallels to EL James' Fifty Shades series.  I definitely saw some similarities, and while the first and second Fifty books have both kept me intrigued, there was something about this book that just absolutely kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end!

Sara McMillan (the main character) has been through a lot.  She's went from one demanding, controlling man to the next.  From her father to her ex-boyfriend.  That's when Chris Merit comes into her life!

Like I mentioned in both of my Fifty Shades Reviews (Fifty Shades of Grey Review & Fifty Shades Darker Review) I have a serious problem with controlling relationships!  But there definitely is something intriguing about these books!

Sara is interesting. Her past really got to me.  I'm honestly looking forward to finding out more about it.  Same with Chris.  

Overall rating:

 

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed reading EL James' Fifty Shades series.  But even so, this book was quite a bit tamer than Fifty, so some people may like this one.  It's got quite a bit of mature adult content (involving graphic sex), so keep that in mind when deciding if you want to read it or not.

If you're interested, check it out here on Amazon !! And congratulations to Lisa Renee Jones!! If I Were You was just signed to Simon and Schuster!!! WHOOOO-HOO!!!

 

Thanks everyone!

Tomorrow I will be posting my In My Mailbox post!! Plus announcing the Grand Prize winner for Meg-A Readers!! :)

The Romance Bookie :)