Before You

Cassie and Ty #1

by Jenna Bennett

It’s all fun and games

I had a simple plan for spring break.

Sun, sand, and a hot guy. Sex on the beach, with no strings attached.

A chance to get rid of this pesky virginity once and for all.

And when I met Tyler McKenna, I thought I had it made.

Until someone gets hurt

But then girls started turning up at Key West landmarks. Girls who looked like me, but with one crucial difference: They’d all been drugged and relieved of their virginity.

The virginity I still have. The virginity Ty refuses to take.

And now I’ve begun to wonder whether there isn’t more to him than meets the eye.

Suddenly, sex on the beach doesn’t sound so good anymore…

Genres: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense, Romantic Suspense, Chick Lit

150 pages, ebook

First published February 25, 2014

About the author

Jenna Bennett writes the USA Today bestselling Cutthroat Business mysteries featuring Southern Belle and new-minted real estate agent Savannah Martin in Nashville, Tennessee.

As Jennie Bentley, she writes the New York Times bestselling Do-It-Yourself Home Renovation mysteries from Berkley Prime Crime, featuring designer and amateur sleuth Avery Baker and her boyfriend, handyman Derek Ellis, who renovate houses in Waterfield, Maine.

She also writes a variety of romance for a change of pace.

aka Jennie Bentley

The DIY series:

FATAL FIXER-UPPER (November 2008)
SPACKLED AND SPOOKED (August 2009)
PLASTER AND POISON (March 2010)
MORTAR AND MURDER (January 2011)
FLIPPED OUT (October 2011)
WALL TO WALL DEAD (September 2012)
HOME FOR THE HOMICIDE (December 2013)

The Cutthroat Business series:

A CUTTHROAT BUSINESS (May 2011)
HOT PROPERTY (June 2011)
CONTRACT PENDING (July 2011)
CLOSE TO HOME (September 2011)
A DONE DEAL (December 2011)
CONTINGENT ON APPROVAL (November 2012)
CHANGE OF HEART (May 2013)
KICKOUT CLAUSE (October 2013)

Soldiers of Fortune series:

FORTUNE'S HERO (December 2012)

Various:

ISLAND GETAWAY (October 2012)
VIRGINIA CREEPER (October 2013)
BEFORE YOU (March 2014)

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Before You by Jenna Bennett is part of the Sex on the Beach multi-author series, the stories are linked by three main characters who have all gone on holiday together for spring break and who are looking for a little romance to go along with their sun, sand and cocktails. The characters spend most of their time apart going off and having their own adventures but they do meet up occasionally so you'll get glimpses of all three of them in each story. The books can be read in any order and they each work fine as a stand alone story so you can choose whether you want to read one, two or all three of them.

I'm someone who hates to write negative reviews but sometimes there is just no other option and I'm afraid that is the case with Before You. It's hard to explain why without giving spoilers but to put it briefly I was annoyed by the complete and utter stupidity of the two main characters, Ty acts like a complete ass, Cassie lets him walk all over her and I didn't feel like there was even a tiny amount of chemistry between the two of them. It's bad enough when I don't respect the main characters but top that off with the instant love after they'd spoken three (yes THREE) times probably for less than an hour in total and the fact that the mystery was so obvious that I think my cat figured it out before the main characters did and you've got a book that I was seriously disappointed with. That's all I can say without spoilers so if you don't want to know more about the plot look away now - if you like spoilers or have already read the story then feel free to carry on reading for a more in depth review.

SPOILERS BEGIN HERE:

Okay, so you've been warned and decided to carry on reading - I'll apologise in advance for the rant this is bound to turn into! Let's talk about our two main characters. First you have Cassie who if I'm honest is a bit of a wet blanket, she's utterly clueless about a lot of things and so naive that I struggled to believe that she was older than 15. I know her father is a preacher but she's supposed to be 21 and she's been living away from home attending college so you'd think she would have grown up just a tiny bit. She meets Ty and pretty much falls in love with him from first glance. He walks her back to her hotel on 3 occasions and leaves her at the door without so much as a goodbye kiss and she's already telling herself she has fallen for him. I should probably add that he told her he has a girlfriend but she is still daydreaming about kissing him - not particularly something that makes me likely to admire her character.

Then you have Ty. Now I'd figured out at their first meeting that he was an undercover cop (it later turns out he's an undercover FBI Agent but I was close enough). He is at Key West to investigate a serial rapist and he walks Cassie back to the hotel to make sure she doesn't become another victim (it's a pity not all of the girls on the Keys have a police escort home!). Over the course of the next few days they bump into each other a few times and each time he walks her back to the hotel safely but although she is with him when they discover one of the victims he never admits his involvement in the investigation. Fair enough, I can get on board with the fact that he shouldn't disclose his identity to just anyone when he's undercover so I'm not going to hold that against him.

What I couldn't understand is his actions when Cassie nearly ends up one of the rapist's victims. He goes to find her one evening to walk her home and finds her drugged out of her mind, barely able to walk and obviously not aware of her surroundings so what does he do? You'd think that a police officer (I didn't know he was FBI at that point but finding that out makes his actions seem even worse!) would immediately take her to hospital to get her checked out wouldn't you? Surely, that is the only course of action, right? I'm afraid not - Ty is obviously from a different planet from the rest of us because he takes her back to her hotel room, half undresses her and lets her sleep it off for TWELVE hours! Are you shocked yet? I would think that ANYONE (let alone a trained police officer!) would worry that she's been drugged & he has no idea what is in her system. What if she has an adverse reaction to the drugs and ends up dead? What if she was given an overdose? What makes him qualified to decide it's safe to let her sleep? She should have been admitted to the hospital IMMEDIATELY!

Now forget about the drugs for a minute and jump forward to the following morning. When she finally wakes up (dressed in just her underwear and a t-shirt) he tells her what happened and says she needs to go to the hospital straight away so they can take blood samples to check what drugs she was given & that if she doesn't hurry they'll all be out of her system (well that wouldn't be a problem if you took her to the hospital TWELVE hours ago now, would it?!). I also have to point out here that while some date rape drugs can stay in your system for up to 72 hours others - GHD for example - are gone in LESS than twelve hours. It took me less than 5 minutes and a single google search to confirm that (click here for more info)! I really hate it when authors fail to do their research.

He also tells her she needs a pelvic exam just in case she was raped even though he doesn't think she was. WHAT??? You mean to tell me that there was even the teeniest, tiniest little possibility that she was RAPED and you didn't TAKE HER TO THE HOSPITAL??? Are you fucking kidding me? He makes her dress in the clothes she'd been wearing the night before because the police will want them as evidence (no shit Sherlock and I'm sure the fact that you've contaminated them by undressing her yourself wouldn't be an issue *insert eye roll here*) and then it's off to hospital they go. They are driven by a police car because Ty finally thought to call for back up but he tries to just drop her off at the door to the hospital telling her a detective will be there soon. Again, I know he's trying to stay undercover but he hasn't called any of her friends, she's just woken up out of a drug haze and is disoriented because she has no idea what happened to her, she's terrified because she was possibly the victim of a rapist and he STILL doesn't offer to go in and hold her hand while she waits for the doctor? She has to actually ask him to stay with her. Well those sure are the actions of a wonderful hero aren't they? Are you swooning yet?

The book actually has some good messages about not accepting drinks from strangers, not leaving your drink unattended and even not getting so drunk that you aren't in full control of your actions but as far as I'm concerned that is all completely negated by the message it sends about what to do if your friend is drugged. Date rape drugs can be lethal, this quote comes directly from the NHS website: Date rape drugs are particularly dangerous when mixed with alcohol because they combine to have a very powerful anaesthetic effect. In extreme cases, it can lead to a coma or even death. If an FBI Agent just puts Cassie to bed and lets her sleep it off what do you think teenagers are going to do if it happens to their friend? They're going to do exactly the same thing. Is this really a safe message we want to be passing along to teenagers (or anyone else for that matter)?

This review is already a heck of a lot longer than I planned it to be but there are a couple of other things I have to mention so please bear with me. I think that Ty was using the "I have a girlfriend" card as a way to stop getting involved with her because he was working but that little point is never clarified. Even after he admits he was lying to her and comes clean about who he really is she doesn't bother to ask if he actually has a girlfriend or not. The final chapter is one of the most ridiculous sex scenes I've ever read about - her begging him to take her virginity was just embarrassing, both for her and for me as a reader. It's even more cringeworthy considering how close she'd come to being raped the night before (this is a 2nd rape attempt not the one already mentioned previously). Cap that with the fact that she wakes up the next morning and he's vanished without even leaving a note and I just wanted to punch Ty in the face for being a complete asshole!

For the epilogue we skip forward several months. Cassie is back at school in Chicago and hasn't seen or spoken to Ty since he took her virginity and walked away without a backward glance yet she's still pining over him and wishing he'd get in contact (it's not like she can call him - he didn't bother to give her his number). He turns up after all that time with a sheepish grin on his face and she just walks into his arms happy to see him. I'm supposed to believe in this romance? I'm supposed to accept that this asshole is a worthy hero that I should be swooning over? I shouldn't be waiting for Cassie to punch him in the face and tell him to get stuffed? I'm sorry but ROMANCE FAIL.

In case you don't believe me here are the final few sentences of the book, remember this is the FIRST time she sees him after he walked out on her over 2 months ago:

He stopped in front of me. “Hi.”
He looked a little nervous, like maybe he wasn't entirely sure of his reception.
I smiled. “Nice shirt.”
He glanced down at it, and back up at me. “Thanks.”
“Wanna inspect my body?”
“Yeah,” Ty said, and reached for me.

Yup, that's it - the end. The "Wanna inspect my body" comment makes more sense if I point out that he's wearing a t-shirt that says "FBI - Female Body Inspector" on it.

WORST. ROMANCE. EVER.

[Wendy'sThoughts · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Key West, Spring Break Mystery Stars * * *

Before You by Jenna Bennett is part of the Sex on the Beach group of quick novels which all reference each other. They follow 3 best friends; women who are in college, all searching to have some fun during Spring Break in Key West. Each of these novellas can be read alone or in the order with this being the last.

As we have seen, all of the three girls have come to this Spring Break with a purpose...to put it bluntly ... to get laid. Now seems to be the time for Cassie, the quieter of the three to figure out how to get rid of that pesky V card. She is cute, smart and there is absolutely nothing wrong with her... she just hasn't found anyone she really felt like being with in that way. As she looks around the bar, she checks off what she is not interested in... no Ivy Leaguers or jocks...

She gets tapped on the shoulder and offered a drink by Tyler, a looker who doesn't fall into any of those categories... he is this guy who is kinda cool with a t-shirt that says "FBI in big letters and then underneath Female Body Inspector". He just seemed right... not arrogant or full of himself, with green eyes and dark blond hair... he was not bad at all in the looks department... the jeans also hung just that way to make a girl drool.

As Cassie and Tyler banter, she learns of him going to school in D.C. Cassie gets a little close to being drunk... she has let him know she is very interested in taking him back to her room and the hotel. Tyler walks her back to the hotel but passes on the coming up to the room... says he would not want to take advantage of a tipsy Cassie... would want her to remember him...

The next day Cassie is walking down by the beach early in the morning and runs into Tyler... and they discover a girl who has been attacked. She has the same hair color as Cassie and was down for spring break, too. The police are called; both Cassie and Tyler are questioned. This event does not seem to be isolated as there may have been others last year at this time.

From this point forward we have an additional elements to the book. We get a murder mystery, travel and history guide of Key West and a sort of sweet romance.

We learn women are being drugged and attacked... they look like Cassie and the local police are very upset. They cannot nail the guy and are having all of the police out in force at night to try to stop it. Cassie has a very active mind and seems to keep ending up in places where bodies are found. She also has Tyler hanging out with her too. She really likes him but something is just off with him... can she trust him?

This is the last book of the series and it ties everything up for the other couples. I did have a few issues with this, though. As interesting the history of Key West was... and it was... there was an awful lot in this short book. I also figured out who was the attacker and the mystery surrounding Tyler quite early. My friends tease me and call me Nancy Drew when buddy reading so... it could be my expert detective skills from all of the crime and mystery reading from my past. The other thing which really had a serious bearing on the rating was the relationship of Cassie and Tyler and how it was left at the end of Spring Break. It didn't feel right, but again that is just me.

What really did work was the friendship of the women; the important message of personal safety during any time out there and finally never be pressured to do anything by anyone. All of those elements have meaning and to get them while reading about hot guys with cute smart girls works for me.

A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.

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[♡Julalicious Book Paradise♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original review on Julalicious Book Paradise

Rating: 3.75/5

This third book in the Sex on the Beach series is written by Jenna Bennett and her writing merged perfectly with the two others, but I will admit that it wasn't my favourite story.

I liked the characters enough, but I wasn't rooting for them like I did with the two others. I felt like these two were more made to be friends than potential lovers.

The story is interesting though even if I had never expected that kind of storyline after reading the two previous books, but it was just something else and it shows how this spring break is really different for the three friends.

Cassie and Ty dance around each other the whole book and even if some stuff is explained towards the end, a lot is still left for us to wonder. Maybe that's why I didn't get into their potential romance like the others.

And for the ending, I wasn't such a big fan I will admit. I really felt like it left us with not much to hold on. I'm happy there is a second book to this because I really hope that I can actually fall for their romance. I'd like to believe that I am wrong and that there is more chemistry between them than what the first book.

But even if it's not my favourite book of the series, I still enjoyed it and I will read other books written by this author.

[RO Mejia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Take on this Journey:

Before You, by Jenna Bennett, part of The Sex on the Beach Series, is a wonderfully fast paced, intrigue-filled ride. I loved every second of it. Ms. Bennett does a great job intricately placing all the chess pieces on the board, crossing all the T's, and leaving the reader satisfied when it's all said and done.

Mackenzie Forbes, a Country Music Star on a getaway incognito, has to find a guy that won't sell her out for the top dollar he can get for an exclusive on her to the press. She has been a star since the age of 16, and is recognizable everywhere she goes. Mac is hoping to blend in with the rest of the crowd by dying her hair brown and wearing a big floppy hat. She's trusted the wrong guy before and made the wrong decisions before, and after it got all over the press, she was known to everyone as a slut. Little do they know, that she still has her V-card.

She has decided to take her two best friends, that she trusts above anyone else in her life, on a Spring Break Vacation to Key West for a week of sunning and fun. The three have already got everything all planned out, including all getting their V-Cards taken, having the ride of a lifetime, and seeing each other minimally so they can have the freedom to enjoy each of their own journey's to the fullest. Cassie and Quinn refuse to have Mac get them a penthouse, like herself, so they each get their own rooms on a different floor, which Mac has treated them to.

Mac finds herself a guy who looks older than them, with a body full of tattoos, Quinn gets herself an Ivy League guy, and Cassie is left all alone to fin for herself at the local bar. She see's a really good looking guy, cute as hell, great body, sense of humor, and a year younger than her. She even makes him show his license to make sure that he is who he says he is. He finds her beguiling and innocent. There is just something that hits him, though he doesn't want to get involved with anyone. Ty asks Cassie if she would like to take a walk, so they walk down the beach, and when they get to the end, there is a young girl, who looks similar to Cassie, with the same build, color hair, and pink clothes. Coincidence, no one knows.

Ty tells her to call the police, and there begins an ongoing investigation for a serial killer that has been in Key West on prior Spring Breaks, but never caught. Little by little, Ty becomes overprotective of Cassie, but says he has a girlfriend, when Cassie asks him if he'd like to come up and spend some time with her. This novella goes full circle. It is full of suspense, intrigue, mystery, romantic, and exciting. I loved this whirlwind story of Spring Break, fun times, great banter, and falling in love. There is so much to this story that I can't write or I would spoil it for the readers. Suffice to say, that there is a lot of substance to the story, and a great story line that goes full circle. There isn't a dull moment in this chaste love story, with things not really as they seem.

I think everyone will enjoy this Spring Break Getaway, with the Captivating Ty, with a smile that will leave you drooling and frustrated for Cassie. I give Before You, by Jenna Bennett, 5 Intriguing, Scary, Suspenseful, Romantic, Love is Where You Least Expect it Stars!!!

[Allyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book by Jenna Bennett and Will not be my last. I absolutely loved this book. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. I even stayed up till 2 am finishing, knowing my toddler would be up before the sun. I have know read all three books in the Sex on the Beach series and have loved each one.

This was Cassie and Ty's Story. Out of the three friends that went to Key West, Cassie was the most serious. But at 21 decided it was past time lose her virginity. Each friend had met a guy the first full day they were there. But Ty acted like a friend to her, instead of wanting more. I admired Cassie she was friendly, caring, strong, compassionate as well as brave. Her vacation was a more stressful than planned, with finding drugged abused females.

The more time Cassie and Ty spent together the more she like him, he just wouldn't accept the advances. As the days progress Cassie finds out that Ty hasn't been truthful with her plus her life could be in danger. Ty was strong, caring, charming, protective as well as stubborn. They were both really good together and I kept hoping that they could find a way.

I just cannot say enough good things about this book. It was an excellent read that will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat, turning page after page. I highly recommend this book , really all Three in the Sex on the Beach Series. I was given an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, All thoughts and Opinions are my own.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars. I'll round it to two since since she did take the time to write the book and kudos to the author on that. I love to read books and have tons of respect to the authors who write them, because that I couldn't do.

I don't usually expect much depth from a novella. With that said I also didn't expect a detailed history of Key West complete with ghost stories. So much of the book was dedicated to this superfluous information that the story between Cassie and Ty couldn't possibly develop. In addition the PSA riddled through the book that you shouldn't take drinks from strangers or always keep an eye on your drink didn't need to be drilled in my head. I got it at first mention.

I had figured out pretty quickly in the story that Ty wasn't who he said he was and then later who the rapist was. So there was no earth shattering turns and twists, which is no big deal,I like predictable in my books.

The entire book lacked any connection romantically between the characters. Then the ending...WTH? Really? Poorly played.

SPOILERS NOW!!!













This could have been so much better had the history and PSA been left out the story could have developed. I find it hard to believe that Cassie would lose her virginity to a man who is undercover FBI after taking part in the sting to bring the rapist down. Furthermore I don't buy the jackass move that Ty makes leaving after their brief encounter saying not a word and leaving no note, no call me, nothing. Then we are suppose to believe that he just shows up in Chicago from DC weeks later? And that she happily walks into his arms. Uh huh. No way. Then to turn the page and see there was nothing else. That was it. Story over. Not a fan. I will be reading the other books in the story but I wouldn't recommend that someone pick this one up as part of it.

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed by this book as part of this series. I would have liked the book as a stand-alone because then I wouldn't have had any expectations. Having read the other two books before this one I was expecting two things - 1. The main characters pov and her love interest's pov. 2. Chemistry.

I liked the main characters. I know that if we had two points of view the suspense about Ty wouldn't have existed, most people probably figured it out when he first met Cassie so it could have been left a surprise for her...

It was obvious that Cassie & Ty liked each other but I felt like they were just getting started when the book ended... The epilogue was like chapter 3 of one of the other books.

The suspense wasn't really suspenseful. I wish that the book would have focuses on the romance and the rest was subplot.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before You by Jenna Bennett is part of three books in the Sex on Beach Series. Cassandra Wilder are down in Key West on Spring Break looking for fun in the sun and to have a fling.

Cassie believes she finds her Spring Fling when she meets Tyler.

Tyler seems to be a little mysterious.

This story was great it was romance with a twist of suspense. As you read the story you maybe think one thing and in turn into something different.

I love Cassie she was sweet and wonderful character. I enjoyed Ty who is mystifying.

I love how the story is told. It is a must read.

[Nancy The book junkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming soon!

[Fiza · Rating 4 out of 5]

4* out of 5*

series review coming up

[Genoa Hartmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sex on the beach series is super fun fluff and I love it all!

[What Makes Patri · Rating 3 out of 5]

We are The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club, to know more about this book, go to the post in our website:

Before You (Sex on the Beach) by Jenna Bennett

If you are interested, you can visit our website:

The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club

The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club's Review:

Rate: 3 stars

Review:

Before You is one of the three books in the Sex On The Beach series. Jenna, Jennifer and Jen had a great idea and its shown in their books. Three friends and one spring break in Key West where they plan to have the time of their lives.

What I liked about this series is that each story is dedicated to one friend and it explains her story during the Spring Break. In Before You, Jenna Bennett explains the story of Cassie and how she ended up mixed up in a dangerous situation during her time in Key West. However, this is one of the reasons she meets Tyler McKenna, the only boy that refuses to take what others wouldn't think twice: her virginity.

As I said before, these three books are kind of entwined and each story you see glimpses of the other two. I liked that the author was truthful to this aspect and brought from time to time the other two girls into the story, matching the exact same details from their stories and adding some personal thoughts.

The main characters are Cassie and Tyler, this time. Cassie is shown as the shy girl that never risks anything and wants to be seen. She's the main character and you read this story only from her point of view, so you also get to see sneak peaks of Mackenzie's story and Quinn's story from her point of view and gives you a different perspective.
Tyler's always mysterious, but kind. You like him because you know the main character's bound to end up loving him, so you get to pass his mysterious personality and just see how nice he's all the time. Although, If I were Cassie I would have told him a few things after the third time of evasiveness in his responses. It was pretty clear that Tyler was hiding something and were two obvious options.

To me, this story was the most different from the Sex On The Beach series. Each story is focused in a romance story, but this one gives more importance to the suspense side of the story: finding the rapist that is punishing girls who're in Key West only for Spring Break and trying to find the reason why the rapist has a special interest in the main character. I felt like the romance was not as important in this story as the other two stories and I felt kind of disappointed.
In the end, it also felt kind of rushed everything and I was expecting some kind of explanation from Ty, but it never came. And it made me mad that Cassie opened her arms without that explanation.

Despite this, the suspense part of pretty intense and kept you doubting all the time of your decision of the bad guy. I had three possible rapists in my list, but when the main characters discovered something new it made me doubt. Although, there was one character that always was in the list and ended up being the bad guy.

If you like romance stories with a suspense side on it, this could your story. I had a rough time 'cause I was expecting more romance than suspense, but I'm sure that If you don't mind this you'd really like Before You.

[Carie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked reading about Cassie--I enjoyed the mystery and, overall, I identified with Cassie a bit more than with the other two girls. I really liked her! I also appreciated that this book had much less focus on explicit sexual encounters--there was some sexual content, but it was more subdued, less graphic, and limited to one or two encounters. I also liked the way this story dovetailed with the other two and filled in a lot of the blanks.

But, despite what I liked, I was disappointed in a few things. First, I missed the second POV in this book, though I did understand why it might have been excluded. Second, I didn’t think the romance was as strong and I had a hard time believing much would come of it in the future (I had a VERY hard time believing Ty was really that into Cassie--maybe because we didn’t get his side of things, but also because he didn’t really pursue her much or act like he cared if he spent much time with her or saw her again, and the kissing/sex with her didn’t seem that special to him--or even like it meant much of anything to him at all :( ). And, I really didn’t care for the ending of this book--it was rather abrupt and failed to give any much-needed explanations (why was Ty even there to see Cassie anyway? There was no discussion, no explanation of past bad behavior--nothing! And why did he just callously ditch her after they had sex anyway, with no goodbye or contact or note or anything?! Horrible!! What a jerk :( Didn’t seem like he cared much about her AT ALL--beyond just worrying about her safety (like he might anybody) and giving her the sexual encounter she wanted without much spark or chemistry :( ). I actually felt rather sorry for Cassie in this novella--especially compared to the adventures/escapades of her two friends. She was alone most of the time and didn’t quite get the romance/ending I was hoping she would :( I did enjoy her site-seeing in Key West--it brought back lots of memories for me and made me want to go back there someday, but it was a bit much and I felt for her being all alone and not really being the object of interest or focus of anyone’s undivided attention (except in a bad way!) or anyone’s real romantic interest :( It was pathetic and sad :( She deserved much better!!

Regarding the mystery/crimes in the book, I thought the culprit was pretty obvious as we neared the end of the book and it bugged me that Cassie and Ty (especially Ty!) were so stupid about it (especially after they decided that the rapist must be local and someone who knew about Ty—why on earth wouldn’t Stan IMMEDIATELY come to mind because of the circumstances surrounding Cassie’s drugging/attack?! )! I also thought it was really obvious that Ty was law enforcement of some sort. And I thought it wasn’t believable that Cassie wouldn’t involve her friends more in what was happening--or that they wouldn’t drop everything to be there for her once they were told of her attack. Weird!

But, despite all this, I enjoyed the read. I’m hoping we get more story with Cassie and, hopefully, a more attentive and adoring Ty (or a new guy who will cherish Cassie and treat her MUCH better!) in the future.

In addition to the aforementioned sexual content, this book did have some vulgar language and mature/violent themes.

[Bruce Curran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Great Read From Jenna Bennett

“Before You” is the story of two young adults, Cassie and Ty, and how they came to meet during Spring Break in Key West. Cassie is a young college student in Key West for Spring Break with two close friends. While twenty one, this is her first spring break and she is hoping to meet someone. When she draws the wrong sort of attention, she is drawn into a serious situation and takes an active part with the police in bringing a serial rapist to justice.

The story is well written and well-paced and though it features a fairly young pair of main characters, I think most will enjoy the story regardless of age.

A romantic suspense novel with some humorous moments and some insightful moments into the pressures that face young people today, Ms. Bennett has brought her A game. The two main characters she has created are mature and I think that adds quite a bit to the story. It should be noted that this book is a bit different than the other two as it focuses on a mystery as well a relationship. The other two are more traditional borderline erotic romances.

I have followed Jenna books for several years starting with her Berkley Prime Crime DIY series (as Jennie Bentley) and more recently her self-published Cutthroat Series about a young realtor in Nashville. She has a light hand and is skillful at weaving interesting plots. Her writing flows well with natural sounding dialog and well developed characters.

She has obviously done her homework and quite a bit of information about Key West is woven into the story. Her characters are well developed as always. This is a book you will read uninterrupted.

There are two other books to this trilogy. “Beyond Me” is Quinn and James’ story and is written by Jennifer Probst. “Between Us” is Mackinzie and Austin’s story written by Jen Mclaughlin. Each author details the interactions of their characters during the spring break holiday. Each book ties together through the three friends (Mackinzie, Quinn and Cassie) and together they make up the “Sex on the Beach” Trilogy. Sex on the Beach it seems, refers to a popular drink among the spring break crowd. There is not a lot of sex in this book though the plot would qualify as an adult situation. The books are fine standalones; though after reading “Before You” I am now curious about how the other two authors handled the stories of the other two friends. Both are available on Amazon so I had no trouble finding them. This was the last of the three published.

I enjoyed the interaction of Cassie and Ty and think that there is room here for more exploits for them in the future.

Now for the disclaimers. You have probably figured out that I am a fan of Ms. Bennett’s writing. I was offered a preview copy of this book for an honest review. I should also point out I am not the target audience for this type of book, being older and male. My wife introduced me to this genre several years ago when I complained I had read all the “uber” secret agent books I could stand and wanted something that was a good story but not as dark. A little suspense, a little mystery, some humor and everything works out in the end, in other words good entertainment. This book meets all my requirements and I think this book has a broad appeal beyond the typical Romantic Suspense reader. Great Job Jenna!

[Veronica · Rating 1 out of 5]

WTF! This is not a romance book and definitely doesn't go with the series it's apart of. Readers beware!!

[✰ Bianca ✰ BJ's Book Blog ✰ · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST. SPRING. BREAK. EVER.







Cassie is in Key West with her best friends Mackenzie & Quinn. While her friends are out on the town enjoying their flings, Cassie is sitting in a bar waiting for any possible flings to show up.
That's when she notices him.
Tyler...and his funny T-shirts ☺



A super-sexy and sweet guy who doesn't seem to want to get her into bed - because after a bit of extreme flirting, by her, he only brings her to the door of her hotel room. Hm.

The next morning while out for a walk on the beach she sees him again - half naked!!! Jogging! ☺
They walk and talk, but then they find an unconscious and probably raped girl and they need to call the cops....

Tyler still doesn't seem to want to have sex - even though Cassie asked him up to her room. He says he likes her a lot but.... grrrr - she wants to get rid of her virginity!!!!

We don't really know what's going on with Ty - he's a bit mysterious!!

WHAT WILL HAPPEN??? IS HE SOMEHOW CONNECTED TO ALL THOSE GIRLS WHOSE DRINKS ARE DRUGGED? IS HE A GOOD OR A BAD GUY??

YOU HAVE TO READ IT TO FIND OUT!!!☺

THAT WAS ANOTHER WONDERFUL ROMANCE!!!!

A tiny bit disappointing because it was not as sexy as the other 2 - because Ty and Cassie don't really start anything sexy until later on - VERY late - like 5 minutes before the end ;)

But it's still a really interesting, romantic, suspensy Beach-Story!

There was a bit too much local history told here - it was interesting, but it was too much...
but....

I STILL LOVED IT!!!

[Raquel · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I've loved the previous two Sex on the Beach novellas, but this one left a little bit to be desired... Cassie and Tyler's story is not like the rest. More than a romance story, Before You has a thriller/mystery aspect to it, and I'm not sure if it was because there wasn't much time (this is a short novella, after all) for development, but I just couldn't get past the first few chapters.

You'd think I'd be able to relate to Cassie's character on the count that we're both preacher's daughters, but her voice left something to be desired. I found Cassie dull and a bit clueless at times. Cassie spent 75% of Before You trying to figure out who was attacking the girls and the other 25% obsessing over Tyler and wondering why it was that he wouldn't take her to bed. Normally I'm all about playing hard to get, and while I liked Tyler, I thought their romance was underdeveloped. They meet, there's a connection and all of a sudden Cassie knows that he's The One. I found that very hard to believe. Neither Cassie nor Tyler give each other much details about their life, so how could they automatically fall in love? Lust, yes. Love, no.

The mystery surrounding the girls' abuse was at best tolerable. I can't say I was completely enthralled, because I wasn't. And honestly, I skipped a couple of chapters here and there, trying to get to the end. I'll give Ms. Bennett props because I didn't see the rapist coming, at least not until the very end, but I thought she could've done so much better.

Before You follows Cassie and Tyler on a short adventure that is just short of interesting. I persevered because I'd read about Cassie in Between Us and Beyond Me, and I wanted to know how her story would end, but I can't say I liked her very much. Nevertheless, you'll just have to find out for yourself if this is the right story for you.

For more reviews, visit my blog at Bittersweet Reads.

[Kristyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassie Wilder is a student at the University of Chicago on spring break in Key West. She is a virgin and had decided to get rid of it while on vacation. Being a virgin is a burden to her. It causes people to whisper about her and guys to avoid her. Luckily for her one of her best friends is America's Sweetheart and she has the means to put them up at a nice hotel and make their Spring Break amazing. On her second day in Key West Cassie catches the eye of handsome Ty McKenna. He seems to be interested but she doesn't exactly have the experience to really be able to tell. He seems to be overly cautious and convinces her to call her roommate to check on her, and then to go back to her hotel early. She invites him to her room hoping to finally get rid of her virginity with a guy she is attracted to, but he says no, and leaves her alone. The next day a girl is found unconscious and raped on a beach and she finds herself swept up in the mystery of who is raping virginal blonde girls in Key West.




Before You is a romance with a hefty dose of mystery and suspense. The relationship with the couple seems to be lacking. At one point Cassie thinks she is in love with Ty. I didn't feel like that was authentic. The mystery part of the story was good. It leads you around following mysteries and trying to figure out both who the rapist is and who Ty McKenna is. The story wasn't overly complicated and had a nice and consistent plot. The mystery evolved at a nice pace that felt natural and not rushed. The romance was just ok for me. I like Cassie and Ty together and felt their connection but the assertion that after two days she could be in love with him seems a little too cliché. I would recommend this book to enjoyers of mystery and romance who want to read something that isn't too dark and serious. But it's not for people who were looking to read a book with a lot of romance.

[Miodrag ★❥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 sex on the beach stars

Let's see, first book of the Sex on the Beach Anthology Beyond Me by Jennifer Probst, was ok to me, one nice book, then I read earlier today Between Us by Jen McLaughlin, second in the series, and God I loved this one, it was better than Beyond Me and now I've read Before You by Jenna Bennett and I'm absolutly shocked how good this book was.

I don't want to review it, because I couldn't do it without spilling all out, then it wouldn't be fun reading for others, I will just tell this, it's not what you are expecting from this book to be, this book is so much more than just a romance novel like first two in the series, and I totally loved it because of that! OK, wait, I just needed to tell this, I loved Ty and Cassie ahh <3 <3 I wish this book had more pages... it was too short! lol

AUTHOR(S): Now, I will just say Thank you to Jennifer, Jen and Jenna for writing those three awesome books, yeah I liked Jennifer's book, but I liked Jen's book more and I even liked more Jenna's book, but all in all, I loved all three books and I really enjoyed in this series. Great job guys, I really would love to see something similar like this in the near future, I had so much fun reading! I'm totally going to check other books from you!

RECOMMENDATION: If you still haven't read any of Sex on the Beach Anthology books, I say give it a shot, they are really good, and if you love romance books, then those are just right for you and if you like something more than just a romance, then you totally should read Before You. Just one more thing, you can read one out of those three books, but it will not be the same as reading all three, I would suggest to you all if you are starting with this series, read all three books! It's much more fun!

[Jeanie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love it! I have been a Jenna Bennett fan for some time, so I was delighted to get to read Before You in advance of it's release, especially since it falls into my favorite genre, romantic suspense. In spite of the series title this book is romantic as opposed to to steamy.

A 5 star recommendation in spite the 4 star rating!*

I fell in love with the book from the beginning even though it is NA and I am far from "new". I have found this category of books to be one that I can often related to, and Cassie Edward's story is a prime example. I can remember being in college and a little invisible and mostly okay with that but wondering if the right guy or experience would change that. Her famous friend Mackenzie decides that is time to lose her virginity during Spring Break in Florida and encourages her friends to do the same. Cassie goes along on the trip, but she hasn't decided whether or not to make the big move. She meets a hot guy who seems interested in her but he is holding back, darn it. The focus of her trip flips when women who look a lot like her are raped and left to be found in public places and it seems to be more than a coincidence.

Each book in this three part trilogy is written buy a different author.I have not read books by the other two but I have heard good things about them. I will definitely be buying the other two books. If they are even half as good as this one, I will get more than my money's worth.

At around 120 pages the book sounds short but it doesn't feel it; the characters and action are well developed.

*At Goodreads I seldom rate a book higher than a 4 on first reading because I am comparing them to all the books I have read, but it may not be Exodus, but for recommendation purposes it is definitely a 5!!!!!

.

[Gloria Herrera for As You Wish Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spring Break in Key West... time for debauchery, orgies, and lots of drinking. Time for excesses and feeling free of any and all responsibilities. That is normally what your average college student thinks of Spring Break. For Cassie, it is the time to leave her small town ways behind for a week and finally loose her virginity. Her best friends Mackenzie and Quinn leading the way, Cassie expected this week to be like no other in her life. How right she was!

This week in Key West would be unique. A chance meeting at Captain Crow's Bar and some great conversation - here was Ty and things were looking up! Although her expectations were to hook up, Ty quickly assured her this would not be. He was polite, gentle and very protective. What started as a possibility evolved into a friendship.

But someone was attacking and raping girls during Spring Break... and they all looked like Cassie. Our story becomes a suspense thriller as Cassie and Ty work together to figure out who is raping these girls and why they all match Cassie's description.

This was a unique romance where anticipation was the word of the day. Anticipation as to what would happen next with the rapist? Who and where were the common questions. Cassie's near miss with the rapist just added to the mystery and terror I felt for Cassie. Anticipation as to the attraction between Cassie and Ty. The chemistry between them could not be denied. Finally, anticipation of a future ... would their friendship survive Spring Week?

Great book to read and enjoy!

[Brittany *** A Beautiful Book Obsession** · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

Going to do this review a little differently than I do most.

To start my review, I want to just paste in exactly what I wrote to Jenna Bennett after finishing this book.

"Absolutely LOVED Before You!! Cassie and Ty were one of my all time favorite couples. The story was amazing and sucked me in right from the start. Ty, well let's just say I couldn't get enough of him." -Me

Yes, I loved this book! I know I have seen a lot of reviews talking about the lack of romance between the two characters Cassie and Ty, but personally I loved them both. It was clearly obvious that Cassie was into Ty and wanted nothing more than to jump into bed with him. After all she was on spring break looking for a guy to have some no strings attached fun with, not to find a soul mate. Ty was that guy who looked out for Cassie, had a dominant side to him as well as sexy!

I knew that he was into Cassie from the start. Why else would he flirt with her, but of course things were complicated. Cassie finds her self in a predicament where she is coming across women who have turned up from being drugged and raped.

I loved the suspense that was in this story, and yes I was able to figure out things about the character before it happened, but I found it fun. I loved the mystery to the story as well as the couple. We never knew if they would really work or not. I do hope that there will be more story for Cassie and Ty. Would love to know what comes next for them. <3 Hope everyone enjoys this book as much as I did.

[Samantha ♔ Sam's Book Basket · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆☆☆ 4 — 4.25 STARS!!! ☆☆☆

→ FULL REVIEW: Clickety click ;) + CHECK OUT MY INTERVIEW WITH TY AND CASSIE HERE!

**ARC PROVIDED BY AUTHOR IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW**

The first book I read off the series and W-O-W!!! The perfect blend of suspense, heart-racing romance and excitement. I loved the characters and despite the fast-paced trait of the novella, I loved the story itself and how it oozed mystery. Suspense and romance? Sign me up!

The characters were ah-may-zing.

Cassie was this quiet girl. But she's smart, which I definitely admired. I love how she isn't the type who just falls into someone's bed for the sake of losing her virginity.

Then we have Ty. Ty is schmexy and he's harboring secrets of his own. But he's a complete gentleman with Cassie and he's super sweet!

I love the whole Sex on the Beach series. I'll be posting the rest of the reviews on GR soon :D



- - -

To see more of my reviews, go to Sam's Book Basket ;)

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Received an ARC for an honest review*
3.5 Stars

Cassie has one task given to her by her best friend - while on Spring Break in Key West...hook up with some hottie stranger and lose her V-card. Shouldn't be too hard until girls that look like her start to show up drugged and taken advantage of.

Cassie thinks she's met the perfect guy she can hook up with in Tyler but he's got secrets of his own. Suddenly she's thrown into a mystery where she appears to be the target. The one man she wants is the one she can't have and he may know more about what's going on then he lets on.

I may be the worst person to read a story plot like this one. I love mystery/suspense novels and this has nice little twists but because of that I had it all figured out practically from the beginning.

I think my biggest issue with this novella was that Cassie was in Key West with her two best friends, Mac and Quinn, but they were very absent. It's written in that way though; they just set up check in times every couple days, but given a serial rapist was on the loose and targeting her, I found that sorely unbelievable. But...

I enjoyed Cassie and Ty together. He tried to keep her at arms length but couldn't. He had a need to protect her. Cassie on the other hand is quite tenacious and when things come to a head she's not one to back down. Everything they go through makes the wait of them finally being together so worth it. You'll root for their HEA!

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find this review and more at kimberlyfaye reads .

Before I start this review, I have to be up front and say I don't read a lot of mystery books. I used to read mysteries almost exclusively while I was growing up, but I've moved away from that in recent years. That's not to say I don't enjoy a book with a hint of mystery – I often really do. While Before You can't fully be described as a mystery, I found that the mystery aspects of the book outweighed the romance and I was a little disappointed.

I liked Cassie. She was real. She didn't play into all the stereotypes and I found her interesting. Ty was sexy and swoony and keeping a secret. A secret I predicted. Cassie and Ty had good chemistry, but I didn't find that it leapt off the pages. That may be because their fling moved at a glacial pace. It's a fling! Get it on already. ;)

All that said, Before You was a very good book. I just wanted more romance. Not sex, necessarily, but sweet romance, flirting... whatever. The characters were likable and I was surprised by the reveal of the person responsible for the attacks. I didn't really see that coming. It was a well-written book and a quick read. It's the first of Jenna Bennett's books that I've read, but it won't be the last.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[✰ BJ's Book Blog ✰Janeane ✰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Received for honest review

Before you is Cassie's story, and the one that I liked the least of the three. Don't get me wrong, I really liked it, just not as much as the other two novellas.

Cassie meets the guy she thinks she can have her fling with, only to find out that he has a girlfriend back home, but he would love to be her friend.

Denied.

Tyler is cute and sexy, but also confusing as hell. Talk about mixed signals. He says he really likes her, but won't sleep with her. Poor Cassie doesn't know which way is up around him.

He does also have a penchant for quirky/funny tshirts

Add to that someone attacking girls who look like her, and it is a wonder that Cassie doesn't go completely loco!

This novella had a lot more going on in it than Mac and Quinn's. A lot more that was not the sexy romance kind of thing. It is an intriguing storyline, but was not what I expected after reading the first two book

I did really like Tyler, but I wanted to shake him and ask "what the hell man!?!" Is he up to no good? Does he really have a girlfriend back home or is it all talk? Is he a good guy or a bad guy?

Uh uh, I will never tell.

Ms Bennett has written a mysterious novella, a lot darker than the other two in the anthology, but still a great read. Just don't expect any sexy times to happen very quickly!

[Roxanne Kade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was extremely intrigued to read Cassie's story. Things were pretty vague with her in Beyond Me, and I wanted to know more about her and this mystery man who was making her so miserable.

I loved that this book was so very different from the others. More a mystery thriller than a romance, it was exciting and quite suspenseful. I was on the edge of my seat, wondering who the culprit was, and as the pieces started to fall into place I kind of had an inkling of who it was, but there was always that sense of doubt. I have to admit, I did suspect Ty for a while there. The way he acted towards Cassie was a little strange and raised many questions.

There were a few surprise twists that threw me off guard and that only made this story more enthralling.

I have to admit though, as much as I love a good mystery, I really missed the passion and romance. There was obvious chemistry between Ty and Cassie, but he was always pulling away; with good reason. I just felt that even when things heated up with them, it was lukewarm.

Again, this is the perfect spring break read. Not only is it very informative, and any girl planning on getting a little crazy this spring break should really give this book a read, but it was fun in a cloak and daggers kind of way. It complimented the other stories in this series and really offered something a little different. Very enjoyable.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before You by Jenna Bennett is one of the three novellas in the Sex on the Beach collection. All three stories intersect one another. They follow three best friends who are on Spring Break down in Key West, Florida. While the other two texts in the collection center around being carefree and experiencing a week full of sex, Cassie's book has a more romantic suspense feel to it. Cassie's quest to lose her virginity leads her to Ty, and while they do hit it off, he keeps her at an arm's length, making Cassie feel like she's reading the signals all wrong. As Cassie continues to try and put the moves on Ty, some truths are revealed that changes the dynamics of their relationship and also puts Cassie in a dangerous position.

Before You was a bit too different from the other two texts in the collection. While I enjoyed some of the local history provided, it got to be too much. I didn't feel as much of a connection to Cassie and Ty's story because the text was more about solving the mystery more so than Cassie having Spring Break fling. It was still an entertaining and interesting read; I just would have liked the focus to be more on Cassie and Ty's connection.

Complimentary copy of book was provided by author for an honest review.

3 poison apples (The Fairest of All Book Reviews)

[Rumpled Sheets Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful and short love stories that leave you begging for more.

Three standalone connected novels.

Three friends Cassie, Quinn and Mackenzie went on a summer vacation with one goal.

In Beyond Me we have the story of Quinn Harmon and James Hunt. These two are totally opposite. But that is always the best combination. Quinn is a nerdy girl, shy and hard worker. James likes to have good time, to party, to sleep around.

This book is for sure the hottest one in the series.



In Between Us we have the story of Mackenzie Forbes and Austin Murphy.

Mackenzie is a country music star. She is sweet and adorable. Austin is a tattooed hot bad boy who works as a bartender that caught her eye.

Sweet, steamy, sassy and sexy novella made of pure fun.



In Before You we have the story of Cassie and. Before You is different from the first two book. It is suspense and romance thriller novella.

The book keeps you on the edge and in the anticipation of what will happen next.



Each story has their own unique twists and turns that keep you hooked on them more and more and guessing. I simply devoured them.



≧◔◡◔≦ 4.5 ✰ read ≧◉◡◉≦

>>>Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review<<<

[Monique Machuca-Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

DETERMIND TO LOSE HER “V-CARD,” WILL CASSIE FALL VICTIM IN A SERIAL CRIME INSTEAD?

Before You is Cassandra “Cassie” and Tyler “Ty” story from the Sex on the Beach series.
Three best friends leave the University of Chicago to spend spring break in Key West with the plan to find a “Spring Break fling,” but they did not plan of the life changing experience each of one of them had. Each novella in the Sex on the Beach series tells each of their journeys.

Cassie is a virgin and she determined to lose her “v-card” during Spring Break, because she felt awkward still having her “v-card” at the age of twenty-one years old. She was not only from a small town in Ohio, but she was also the daughter of a preacher thus feeling that the entire town’s male population was staying away from her.

After arriving in Key West, Cassie meets Ty at the local bar. Cassie is determined that he is the one for her, but Ty only wants to be friend. Cassie is persistent with Ty, but she discovers he has been lying. When Ty tells Cassie the truth and the reasons for the secrets, she discovers there have been several females murdered, drugged, and raped on Key West.

Jenna Bennett’s novel, Before You, receives - 4 AMAZING STARS!

**JUST BOOKED received a gifted copy by the author for an Honest Review**