This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and/or violence.
Escaping Reality by Lisa Renee Jones
Series: The Secret Life of Amy Benson
Published by Self Pub on July 22, 2013
Genres: Contemp Romance, New Adult, Romance, Romantica
Pages: 252
Format: eBook
Source: NetGalley
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five-stars

Infinite possibilities….
Infinite passion…..
Infinite danger….

His touch spirals through me, warm and sweet, wicked and hot. I shouldn’t trust him. I shouldn’t tell him my secrets. But how do I not when he is the reason I breathe? He is what I need.

At the young age of eighteen, tragedy and a dark secret force Lara to flee all she has known and loves to start a new life. Now years later, with a new identity as Amy, she’s finally dared to believe she is forgotten–even if she cannot forget. But just when she lets down her guard, the ghosts of her past are quick to punish her, forcing her back on the run.

On a plane, struggling to face the devastation of losing everything again and starting over, Amy meets Liam Stone, a darkly entrancing recluse billionaire, who is also a brilliant, and famous, prodigy architect. A man who knows what he wants and goes after it. And what he wants is Amy. Refusing to take “no” as an answer, he sweeps her into a passionate affair, pushing her to her erotic limits. He wants to possess her. He makes her want to be possessed. Liam demands everything from her, accepting nothing less. But what if she is too devastated by tragedy to know when he wants more than she should give? And what if there is more to Liam than meets the eyes?

*Review first posted to Book Savvy Babe blog on August 6, 2013*

I absolutely LOVE this book.  Lisa Renee Jones has been on my author-radar since the release of her romantica novel, If I Were You.  With each book I read by Lisa Renee Jones, I am more and more impressed.  Escaping Reality is the first book in a new series, and I am blown away by how much I loved Escaping Reality.

I was drawn into this book by the cover.  The cover caught my attention, then I saw the author was Lisa Renee Jones, and I knew that I would be reading the book.  This book is about Amy, a young woman running for her life.  She is lost, confused, and very much alone.  She doesn’t know who to trust, with good reason, and she lives life on a day-to-day basis.  I connected with Amy instantly and was pulled into her story from the very first page.  Amy’s story begins with a mysterious note and directions to run to another new life.  On the plane to her new life, Amy meets Liam, an enigmatic, alluring, mouth-watering man.  Liam quickly gets under her skin and won’t leave her alone.  Soon, Amy begins to realize how lonely she is and she starts to question her circumstances and the people around her.  In Amy’s life, no one is what they seem.

Escaping Reality is a fast-paced book, full of unexpected plot turns blended with steamy romance.  This book kept me guessing, wondering what the various characters motivations were, who was good, and who was bad.  Lisa Renee Jones really knows how to keep a reader hooked.  The story unfolds piece by piece, but the more light shed on some areas cast more uncertainty on others.  I was completely engrossed in this book and read the entire book in one sitting.  I was not ready for Escaping Reality to end, it has one of those endings that leaves the reader hanging and desperate for more.  In the days since I finished reading the book, I have replayed the story in my head, thinking over the events, characters, and possibilities.  I can not wait for the second book in the series, I plan to read it the second I get my hands on it.

Escaping Reality is a book that took me by surprise and pulled me into the suspenseful, thrilling, erotic story of the mysterious Amy Benson.  Escaping Reality has earned a place on my favorites shelf.  It is not an easy book to classify.  It is a contemporary romance, but it is also part thriller, suspense,  and erotic romance.  Escaping Reality falls under the New Adult genre on shelves, but to me it was less New Adult, more contemporary romance.  Amy is 24, not too young, in my opinion.  The other characters are all adults as well.  So, to me, Escaping Reality is on the line of NA/ Contemporary Romance.  No matter how you classify the book, Escaping Reality is an amazing read.  I definitely recommend this book to all romance readers!

bsb

five-stars