Intomesee: In Pursuit of a Passionate Life

by Maha Erwin

Imagine a world where hospital resources are exploited for elective transformations, compromising the care of those in genuine need. Dr. Aimée Bouchard-Fitzgerald struggles to give her patients the respect they deserve in this strange, fluid world. She's suddenly fired from her job when accused of misidentifying a patient. Aimée sees this as an opportunity to start anew and focus on her life. She's determined to find love, prioritize her happiness, and break free from the pressures of a demanding career.

Aimée's fresh start takes a dramatic turn when a reckless night leaves her feeling lost and ashamed. Desperate for a solution, she turns to "Into-Me-See," a drug that promises to realign her body with her inner self. As she struggles to regain her footing at work, she uncovers the unsettling consequences of radical body modification. Will Aimée muster the courage to speak out against the medical malpractice and biological manipulation that imperils the lives of her patients, coworkers, and community?

374 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 16, 2024

About the author

An American expat living in Europe, Maha defends free speech. Leveraging her experience in the healthcare industry, she sheds light on the darker aspects of sick care, exposing the perils of addictive medications, the vicious cycle of hospitalization and readmission, and how scientific integrity can be compromised.

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for a read that is both entertaining and makes you stay on your toes as you follow the maze of a plot? Want something just off the beaten path of literary offerings? INTOMESEE by Maha Erwin tells the story of Aimee, experimental drugs and her journey through a world where consequences are the furthest thing in anyone’s mind as free love, one-shot sexual intimacy are the norm.
Ms. Erwin barrels out of the gate with a rather cleverly written sex scene that is far from sexy or alluring but more like a slapstick comedy filled with self-centered individuals who attempt to ensure they get their “peace” of the pie. Only the untimely video chat with her eccentric relative is funnier until…the unspeakable happens.

Aimee is a mess, a woman in crisis. Her life is one chaotic episode after another, bad decisions, witty repartee, and self-denial as she bounces from one chaotic scene to another. Her supporting characters are hit and miss, personality-wise, but that only showcases what life is like for Aimee.

Prepare for less than smooth transitions, another plot ploy highlighting life as Aimee? From scenes of sexual passion, or lack of to scenes of deep introspection, this is a bold tale from an author who has a tale to tell, characters to bring to life and isn’t afraid to say, like it or not, this is my story and I’m sticking to it! Edgy, sometimes frustrating, but always intriguing, one MUST get to the end to reflect on the true genius of this tale. Not for everyone, but definitely something to look at! And how about that title, there are two ways to pronounce it, a secret message of the times?

I received this copy from Maha Erwin in exchange for my honest review.

Publisher: Maha Erwin; 1 edition (June 29, 2016)
Publication Date: June 29, 2016
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Print Length: 260 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Nicki Elson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a different kind of chick-lit story that’s well worth the read. Aimée is a hot friggin’ mess. She’s not just a little out of sorts or in a slump. She’s in the midst of a crisis, and the authors do a great job of pulling the reader right inside it—and somehow, they managed to make me laugh along the way. Just read the first chapter to see what I’m talking about. This story starts out with a major bang and continues at a swift pace from there, with Aimée in one crazy situation after another.

What I think is especially well done in this story is that it delivers a solid background for Aimée’s issues. At first I had trouble relating to such a manic character, but then I met her parents and a whole lot became clear. Definitely started rooting for her at that point.

Another thing I admire about this book is that the male characters aren't sugarcoated. Their flaws are exposed and portrayed honestly. A douche is called a douche.

Random observation: Intomesee makes great use of dog. A lot of times when there's a pet in a story, it feels forced or thrown in as an afterthought, but the darling Stud was consistent throughout the story and was a necessary, enjoyable element.

Loved, loved, loved the way this one ends. Aimée shows real growth. There were many moments when I was afraid for her going in a bad direction, and then our girl would come through with strength and wisdom and awesome Aiméeness.

Amid the fun, readers are treated to bits of philosophy and reflection that make you think beyond - always a bonus when that happens.

[J. Saman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an intriguing and fascinating read. We meet Aimee who is a mess. Her life is in chaos coupled with the many bad decisions that she makes. She lives in a world of self-denial, free love and a lot of experimental drugs. Despite the heavy subject matter, there are many humorous moments that add a bit of much needed levity. Aimee was a fun character to read and her quirky side characters brought a lot to the story. This book has some pretty graphic sex scenes that were more entertaining to read than steamy.
There were many points where I was afraid this was going to end badly for Aimee, but she showed a tremendous amount of growth and for me, that sold the story. I had trouble with some of the transitions, but overall I felt it flowed well and the dialogue was done in an easy to read way.
I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys adult chick-lit.

[Ruth B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intomesse is the story of Aimée, it's a mix of bizarre situations, experimental drugs, and eccentric characters. I had some issues enjoying this book, however, it's fast to read and a good book.

The plot is quite solid and it's easy to follow the story. I had a hard time understanding Aimée, she is definitely not one of my favorite characters. She sounded a bit dramatic or anxious, I really don't know but there was something about her I didn't like.

The book has a good writing style, it has smart dialogues and the authors managed to create a different kind of chick-lit book. I also have to add that the book has a strong sexual component, there were many graphic scenes which also made the book a bit better.

*** I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. ***

[Maha Erwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My novel is a genre-bending story that combines sci-fi, dark humor, and mystery, exploring three fundamental questions:

[passion] Can we ever be truly close to others?
[danger] What does it mean to be yourself in a world where nothing is as it seems?
[transgression] What could be the repercussions of breaking the rules of what's considered acceptable?

[Lidija · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I enjoyed about Intomesee is the ‘love you, hate you’ games that the main characters play. This is what I like about Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind, and to me this book seems as a contemporary adaptation of the ‘hate at first sight’ classics. Honestly, these romance books are not about hate, but more about attraction- I don’t want to be too obvious about my attraction, so I push you away.
The protagonist – Aimee - is not the type of woman that Matador typically goes for. She thinks, she is not worthy of him – he’s an elitist, an explorer of all sorts of kinky things, he is more successful, more dynamic, more..... everything than she is. Basically, he cares about the money and showing off and less about integrity.
Are they a good match? So many doubts and questions, can she keep his interest after the first date and for how long? She fights with herself all the time (which is normal when you think a man is out of your league.). Should she try her luck with someone else? She’s been hurt too many times, her pain is raw. If she is going to be with Matador, she must be be smarter than he is, act more naïve then she lets on, because this is the way she protects her heart.
What Aimee doesn’t know is that Matador is into her because she’s different than all other women he dates, with a mind of her own and being bull headed like him. She doesn’t care what other women think of her (except her mother).
As a romance reader, I like these types of tug-of-war games and find them fascinating. I enjoyed reading Aimee's battles with herself, because basically they spoke to me. Similar past experiences I had, I dealt in a similar way.

[Inez Stephney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of the book. I’m fascinated by the idea of rebels and alpha males, and when I heard about this book, I gave it a try. It is quite good, I think. The story focuses on Aimee and her wanting to find passion in her life, and when she gives up trying to find a guy for the night, and decides to just flirt, she bumps into Matador, again and again. I was afraid that there is a sudden appearance of this bad boy rebel, but fortunately that is not the case, the relationship evolves slowly as such things do in the real world. It was a fresh take on the good-girl-meets-bad-boy, girl-hates-boy, girl-falls-for-boy. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but it’s sad but beautiful at the same time. Instead of the Matador saving Aimee from herself, she saves him. Cool. Also the story unfolds naturally between Aimee and her coworkers and Aimee and parents. These extra relationships really show what intimacy – or in-to-me-see means from the protagonist’s perceptive. Besides, the vocabulary and the dialogue are topnotch; there are loads of interesting expressions that the foreign characters use. You have to sit on the tip of your chair in some chapters, especially the sex scenes.

[Leslie Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book originally attracted me because the main character has a dachshund (and I like anything that has to do with dachshunds). I noticed quite a bit of text that could use editing - misspelled words, wrong words, etc. I also had a bit of a problem with some of the slang used, specifically the word "hella." It didn't sound natural. "Hells" or just plain "Hell" would have made more sense in the context. I wasn't a huge fan of the personality of the main character, but I did rather like Purine Ma's and The Matador's characters, as well as the fact that they were doctors. I enjoyed the descriptions of what the doctors did in the hospital that they worked at, and I really liked the whole premise of a "female viagra," for lack of a better term. This book has some pretty sexy "kink" scenes, so this is definitely an "adult" book, as opposed to young adult. My other complaint is that some of the situations just seemed like they were out of left field, as far as probability goes. Overall, I liked the book - it had good aspects as well as some that detracted from it - but it was entertaining, nonetheless.

[Karen Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a huge fan of formula novels that closely follow tropes so it was refreshing to find Intomesee. This book is full of unique characters and a story line that kept me guessing all the way to the end. At first the language threw me for a loop but I came to enjoy the quirkiness of Aimee and her friends and lovers. I also loved the details of scenes in the hospital in particular, but of locations in general. You can tell the author(s) are well traveled.
My one complaint would be the difficulty I had getting into the story and getting a feel for Aimee, who she is and what issue she would be looking to solve in this story. However, as I said, once I adjusted to her language style, I really enjoyed the book.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who, like me, gets tired of reading the same characters and stories over and over. I like unique and Maha Erwin definitely delivers that.

[Scott Butcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I found this book a great read as well as a fascinating insight into 'San Francisco' think. Poor Aimée falls from one bad situation to another. She blames herself for the death of a close relative; carries on a series of disastrous liaisons; becomes embroiled in a community of the sexually... ah... deviant, Baysiders; un-represses disturbing childhood memories of her mother. And it all goes down hill from there, but maybe, somehow, Aimée finds the passionate life she seeks, maybe not. This all happens in an atmosphere of doctors, entrepreneurs, gangs, and everything you ever thought might by part of life by the Bay.

It took me a couple of pages to get used to the style of writing, very descriptive, which was appropriate to story, lots of humor too. In the end I found it absolutely enthralling. I was also pleased by the ending, it seemed true to the story.

[Angela Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is intelligent, witty global sex romp among the medical field. It starts off with a “bang” with 2 docs going at it. One in scrubs!
Aimee a mature doctor struggling with flaws, battling her parents, and aging,
She meets the challenges and launches in erotic adventures with abandon with a sharp tongue and witty dialogue. At times it feels she’s a train wreck then manages to recover her balance, ready for the next exciting encounter. Bickering with parents and sex partners, dealing with body image and aging. It was a welcome departure from perky young heroines in chic lit.
I’ll never look at my male or female doctors again without thinking about this book and what they may do in their free time or in their offices! I get the sensation the authors had a great time writing this book! Well done!

[Wall-to-wall books - wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a real hard time with this book. I really really wanted to love it but just didn't. The whole first chapter was just sex, sex, and more sex. Which was a huge turn off for me. I know some people would like this though LOL. Then as I got more into the book I just began to dislike Aimee more and more. One review described her as a bed hopping whore LOL that's exactly how I felt!!!!

There were some funny, definitely quirky and amusing parts to this story and that's what kept me reading. So amidts the confusion, the dislike of characters and all the sex - it was kind of fun... at times :-/
Just not really my kind of book. So not bad - just not my cup of tea.
If you are into a lot os sexual content and a wild ride - this is definitely the book for you!

I voluntarily posted this review after receiving a copy of this book from the authors. Thank you!

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend gave me her copy of Intomesee during my summer holiday. I was looking for something else since I got annoyed by book three of the “Beautiful Bastard” series. Chloe and Bennett annoyed me. All they do is fight, screw, flight – their games got old and repetitive. Intomesee is same same but different. It’s a romance novel with steamy sex scenes. It’s also a chick lit about real, complex people. Aimée is older, smarter and sillier. All the men she thinks she loves are not beautiful bastards. They don’t fight with her for the sake of it either. They care about her and show it. Warning: If you’re into pure escapism, go elsewhere. But if you liked Jennifer Weiner’s book “Good in Bed,” then you’ll be into Intomesee.

[Cara Downey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tug-of-war between Aimee and Matador was entertaining not boring at all... there were times when I felt like yelling at Aimee and telling her to get thicker skin where her self esteem was concerned... then I realized that (even though this was a book) sometimes its hard to see yourself as beautiful and all of the above in comparison to someone else. Matador was-is-an excellent companion for Aimee because he is interested in her for her... plain and simple. I recommend Intomesee... it's a fun, entertaining read. The reason I say Matador is a good match for Amiee is because of the flaws in his character… yes, he was an ass to her at times but despite that Amiee was still able to shine… in the end Matador realized that his interest in Amiee was simply because of who she is :-)

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a different kind of chick lit, look no further. Aimee has a unique balance of emotional grit, common sense, and foolishness uncommon among the main characters of the genre. The layered storylines are unpredictable but keep you thinking about your own life, the mistakes you’ve made along the way, and how you pushed through to change the circumstances you willfully created.

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Intomesee" is one of the most unique stories this reviewer has ever read.

Read full review in the 2016 December issue of InD'tale Magazine.