REVIEW: Behind the Curtain

Behind the Curtain, by Beth Kery
Publish Date: May 2, 2017
Publisher: Berkley Romance
Format: e-ARC, provided by the publisher
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4 STARS

(Synopsis) There’s something about this woman…

On a break between overseas jobs, journalist Asher Gaites returns to his hometown of Chicago—and allows his friends to persuade him to check out a hot new singer. At a downtown jazz club, he’s soon transfixed by the lyrical voice and sensuous body of a woman who performs behind a thin, shimmering veil...

That could bring a man to his knees.

The veil gives Moroccan American Laila Barek the anonymity she needs since she has never been able to reconcile her family’s values with her passion for music. But one man is inexplicably drawn to her. And when Asher confronts her on a subway platform after a gig, he’s shocked to recognize the woman who walked away from him nine years ago...

Laila has never been able to forget the touch, the feel, the taste of Asher. And despite the doubt and fear that wind their way into their lives, they must trust the heat of their desire to burn down the walls the world has placed between them…

Behind The Curtain is a book that takes the trope of the forbidden romance to a whole new level. Because the relationship highlighted within its pages truly was forbidden on a very personal and profound level. And it asks the reader to think about exactly how far he or she would go in order to be with the person he or she loves. Would you forsake your family? Your culture? The fabric of your makeup? 

Laila and Asher meet one fateful summer in a beach town in Michigan. They were both on vacation and in very different places in their lives. Nineteen-year-old Laila was just starting out in life, and although a college degree in business isn't what she would've picked for her life, she understands the value in it and is excited to finally get to college and be on her own for a change. Asher is done with college and ready to start his first job, but it's not the job his father wants for him. Asher has bucked tradition and, rather than take over the family business, he's becoming a reporter. 

Asher's rich, society-conscious family would never approve of him dating a Moroccan-American Muslim girl. And Laila's very traditional family would never approve of her dating a white rich boy. Laila is set to start college in Chicago in a month. Asher is set to start a new dream job in Lost Angeles in a month. The timing and the situation could not have been worse for these two, but still, they fell deeply in love. And, when things came to a head and they had to part ways, it was devastating for both of them. 

Now, eight years later, Asher can't believe his ears when he hears Laila's beautiful singing voice coming from a veiled singing sensation named Yesenia. He has a second chance with Laila, but really nothing has changed. Her family still wouldn't approve. He is a week away from taking a new job in London. But, they have hindsight and maturity on their sides this time. Maybe that will make a difference this time. 

A little more than half of Behind the Curtain is told in the past. It's all told in one chunk, rather than switching back and forth between the past and the present as many books do in the case of a second chance love story. I prefer to get the whole story all at once like this. It's much less distracting this way. 

The thing with Behind the Curtain is that there is no completely happy ending. Both Asher and, particularly Laila, need to make some really difficult choices. It's so easy to say that you would do anything for love, but would you give up a family that you love and that loves you in return? Would that be an easy choice for you to make? It's definitely not an easy one for Laila. And that made for some delicious angst. And a not entirely clean ending, either.  

EARLY REVIEW: Looking Inside

Looking Inside, by Beth Kery
Publish Date: November 1, 2016
Publisher: Berkley Romance
Format: ARC, provided by the publisher
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4 STARS

(Synopsis) Are you just going to stand there and watch? 

Eleanor Briggs just can’t help herself. Every night, the sight of the man in the high-rise across the street is driving her wild. She longs to feel his touch up close and personal. To win him over, she’ll need to shake off her wallflower sensibilities and become the seductress she never imagined she could be. The only trouble will be finding the perfect way to meet him…

Or are you going to join in?

Sex is easy for millionaire entrepreneur Trey Riordan. Finding something of substance, however, seems impossible. That is until a simple night of reading at a local coffee shop becomes something far steamier when a beautiful brunette comes by and leaves a note telling him to look out his bedroom window at midnight. But when the time comes, neither of them will be truly ready for what follows…

It was the concept of this book that did it for me. The execution was pretty spot on too. The moment when the peeping tom invites the hottie she's been spying on to return the favor, her life got turned upside down, and it was so entertaining to read. 

After the loss of her sister, Eleanor is feeling an even stronger desire to break out of what she sees as a hum-drum life as an archivist at the local library. The best days are when she sees her neighbor enjoying sexy times when he forgets to close his bedroom curtain. She wants that passion for herself so badly. So, when she knows he'll be at the library, she drops him a note, asking him to look into HER window. And she gives him a show he can't forget. 

I can appreciate Eleanor's position. The only time she feels brave enough to say and do the things she really wants to is when she's not forced to look her crush in the eyes. How many times have we thought of the best comebacks hours later when we're laying in bed? Or only had the guts to tell someone off over the phone? Or to ask a boy out via a note passed in the hall? That's totally me. Eleanor figures, she can wow Trey from the next building over, and if he isn't as wowed as she hoped, she can hope to never run into him in the street. No harm, no foul.

Except, what man would NOT be entertained and intrigued by a woman who does this? Trey actively seeks her out, wanting to learn more about her and her motivations. And, he likes what he sees, despite Eleanor's attempts to hide her true self from him. 

The title of this book is perfect. It's more than just Eleanor and Trey looking inside each other's windows for a thrill. It's about each of them looking inside each other to figure out what really makes them happy. Trey has just been going through the motions with very few meaningful relationships in his life. Eleanor sees her sister as this larger-than-life woman who she could never hope to be, even though she's trying very hard. She just can't see that she's good enough already without pretending to be someone else. 

Looking Inside was a great book full of hot and sexy times and a bit of a twist at the end that I didn't see coming. Even better - it's a standalone, so the commitment is pretty low for this one. With a cover and a description like this, why would you not want to spend a few hours being a voyeur into these peoples' lives? 

REVIEW: The Make Me Serial

The Make Me Serial, by Beth Kery
Publish Dates: April 5, 12, 19, 26, May 3, 10, 17, 24, 2016
Publisher: Intermix
Format: e-ARC, provided by the publisher
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy Book 1: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4 STARS

(Synopsis) Harper McFaddan has made her name as an investigative journalist by being both compassionate and fearless. After tragedy strikes her family, she moves to the shores of Lake Tahoe to find some peace. But when mysterious software mogul Jacob Latimer comes into her life, her thoughts turn from her own healing to an urgent need to get closer to him... 

Jacob Latimer is the definition of a self-made man. The software entrepreneur built his corporation from nothing, but rumors abound about the shadiness of his rise to power and no one knows what secrets lurk in his past. Harper is the last person he should let into his life. As an investigative journalist, she’s the one person who could expose his hidden origins. But Jacob knows things about Harper’s past that make him irresistibly drawn to her. He wants nothing more than to make her his—and Jacob is a man who always gets what he wants...

The Make Me serial by Beth Kery is published in eight parts:

Make Me Forget (released April 5, 2016)

Make Me Tremble (released April 12, 2016)

Make Me Say It (released April 19, 2016)

Make Me Desperate (released April 26, 2016)

Make Me Risk It (released May 3, 2016)

Make Me Feel (released May 10, 2016)

Make Me Remember (releases May 17, 2016)

Make Me Forever (releases May 24, 2016)

Thanks to my friends at Berkley Romance, of which Intermix is a digital imprint, I was able to read all eight parts of this serial novel at once. And thank goodness for that, too. Because I suck at patience. As of yesterday, six of the eight parts have now been released, so it's the perfect time to get all caught up on Harper and Jacob's story before the final installment is available on May 24.

Their story opens with Harper Mcfadden moving to a small town on the shores of Lake Tahoe in an effort to escape both the hustle and bustle of San Francisco, as well as the memories of her parents, who were recently killed in an accident. She takes a job as the news editor of the local rag, which is a far cry from her previous job as an investigative reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. Not long after getting settled in, she's invited to a party at the home of filthy rich, but incredibly private, Jacob Latimer. The events of that night set into motion a hot and emotional affair that has far reaching consequences for both of them.

I love secrets. I mean, I'm all for open communication in relationships, but sometimes a good secret on the part of one or both parties just makes for a really good read. Unlike in some books, though, the reader is cued in to what the big secret is and why it isn't being revealed very early on in the series of books, so the real question becomes, what will happen once everyone realizes the whole picture.

The story is told from both Harper's and Jacob's POVs, which was really helpful since Jacob is very elusive and private. He has a lot going on in his head, and his thoughts, together with Harper's make a much clearer picture of what's going on. 

The story is split between the events of now and the events of Harper's and Jacob's childhood. This was a good thing, because there were times when the story in the present started to drag a bit. Harper and Jacob would have hot sex, then Jacob would shut down and Harper would get mad. Jacob would apologize and on and on it went. The flashbacks were fascinating, though, and really kept things moving. 

The Make Me series was a really good read. I loved learning about Harper's and Jacob's shared past. I loved speculating about how it was going to affect their present. And, I loved experiencing Jacob's and Harper's reawakening.