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Brown Family #3
Inside Out
In the wake of an attack that left her nearly dead, Ella Tipton has spent each day putting her life back together. She doesn't have any room for romance, but that doesn't mean she has to stop admiring the scenery.
Sexy security professional Andrew Copeland is no stranger to women, but he knows Ella is something different. Determined to get her to let him in, Andy does the one thing he can think of to get close: he offers her hands-on training in self-defense-and before long, all that skin on skin contact with have them both turning inside out.
Sexy security professional Andrew Copeland is no stranger to women, but he knows Ella is something different. Determined to get her to let him in, Andy does the one thing he can think of to get close: he offers her hands-on training in self-defense-and before long, all that skin on skin contact with have them both turning inside out.
320 pages, ebook
First published November 2, 2010
138 people are currently reading
4139 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Dane
112 books4,996 followersLauren Dane has been writing stories since she was able to use a pencil, and before that she used to tell them to people. Of course, she still talks nonstop, and through wonderful fate and good fortune, she’s now able to share what she writes with others. It’s a wonderful life!
The basics: Lauren is a mom, a partner, a best friend and a daughter. Living in the rainy but beautiful Pacific Northwest, she spends her late evenings writing like a fiend when she finally wrestles all of her kids to bed.
The basics: Lauren is a mom, a partner, a best friend and a daughter. Living in the rainy but beautiful Pacific Northwest, she spends her late evenings writing like a fiend when she finally wrestles all of her kids to bed.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 383 reviews
November 20, 2010
4 ½ stars – Contemporary/Erotic Romance
Although I enjoyed this, it’s my least favorite book in the Brown Siblings series so far, which is still a bit like saying it was only Dove chocolate instead of Godiva or Vosges. I just love this series, especially the hunktastic, sweet, caring alpha bad boy Brown and Copeland men...YUM and YOWZA!
What I liked most:
I really liked survivor Ella’s and former playboy with hidden substance Andrew’s characters and their relationship development from friendship to love.
I loved the natural, deep-rooted, familial camaraderie that exists between all the characters, especially my favorite Brown sibling Brody with his fiancé Elise and their daughter Rennie and the protectively close sisterhood of best gal pals Ella, Erin, and Elise. I just can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed all of the character interactions, and not only between the main H/h.
The letter writing and sharing of poetry between Andrew/Cope and Ella was sooo incredibly romantic...*sigh*.
Ella is such a lovable, genuine heroine who’s nurturing nature, loyalty, quirky sense of humor, strength, and sometimes silly personality make her a great friend of all the Brown and Copeland characters and a whole lot of fun, too.
I loved it when Ella went all badass, protective lioness and stood up to Andrew’s bitter, bigoted father. I was cheering...You Go Girl!
What I didn’t like quite as much:
The heat between Ella and Cope was much milder than the previous books, and although I enjoyed their natural ease and companionship with each other, I would have preferred a bit more steam, kink, and dirty talk. Their connection was intrinsic and relationship deeply passionate, but I wanted to see it expressed a little more in the love scenes. Yes, I needed the sex a little (or a lot) hotter, so sue me!
I’m surprised to be saying this, but I actually felt like things were a little too smooth sailing between Ella and Andrew. Not that I wanted some contrived, big misunderstanding or fake melodrama, but their relationship progression seemed rather easy, sedate, and a bit anticlimactic.
The Ella, Elise, Erin name thing drove me crazy and was so darn confusing and distracting at times. And they’re not overly common names either, so it seems a bit unrealistic that three best girlfriends would all have somewhat unusual names that start with an ‘E’. At least Raven isn’t an ‘E’ name, which is probably the main (only) thing that I actually like about her at this point.And I have a feeling that she’s going to be paired up with Adrian...ugh. But I really hope I’m wrong about that. *Edited on 11/20/10: YAY! Lauren Dane has posted the back cover copy for Never Enough, and the heroine paired with Adrian isn’t Raven! Thank you, Ms. Dane! I want Raven to get her HEA, too, but not with Adrian. They just don’t fit, and the heroine, Gillian, that LD has written for Adrian sounds like a perfect match for him!*
So even though it’s not the best of the series and Andrew/Cope isn’t quite as truffleliciously yummy as my favorite tattooed bad boy Brody, Inside Out is still a great romance with wonderful characters. I can’t wait for Adrian’s story, and whether he’s saddled with Raven or not, I’m hoping Lauren Dane makes Never Enough a worthwhile ending to this fantastic series. 4 ½ stars!
Although I enjoyed this, it’s my least favorite book in the Brown Siblings series so far, which is still a bit like saying it was only Dove chocolate instead of Godiva or Vosges. I just love this series, especially the hunktastic, sweet, caring alpha bad boy Brown and Copeland men...YUM and YOWZA!
What I liked most:
I really liked survivor Ella’s and former playboy with hidden substance Andrew’s characters and their relationship development from friendship to love.
I loved the natural, deep-rooted, familial camaraderie that exists between all the characters, especially my favorite Brown sibling Brody with his fiancé Elise and their daughter Rennie and the protectively close sisterhood of best gal pals Ella, Erin, and Elise. I just can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed all of the character interactions, and not only between the main H/h.
The letter writing and sharing of poetry between Andrew/Cope and Ella was sooo incredibly romantic...*sigh*.
Ella is such a lovable, genuine heroine who’s nurturing nature, loyalty, quirky sense of humor, strength, and sometimes silly personality make her a great friend of all the Brown and Copeland characters and a whole lot of fun, too.
I loved it when Ella went all badass, protective lioness and stood up to Andrew’s bitter, bigoted father. I was cheering...You Go Girl!
What I didn’t like quite as much:
The heat between Ella and Cope was much milder than the previous books, and although I enjoyed their natural ease and companionship with each other, I would have preferred a bit more steam, kink, and dirty talk. Their connection was intrinsic and relationship deeply passionate, but I wanted to see it expressed a little more in the love scenes. Yes, I needed the sex a little (or a lot) hotter, so sue me!
I’m surprised to be saying this, but I actually felt like things were a little too smooth sailing between Ella and Andrew. Not that I wanted some contrived, big misunderstanding or fake melodrama, but their relationship progression seemed rather easy, sedate, and a bit anticlimactic.
The Ella, Elise, Erin name thing drove me crazy and was so darn confusing and distracting at times. And they’re not overly common names either, so it seems a bit unrealistic that three best girlfriends would all have somewhat unusual names that start with an ‘E’. At least Raven isn’t an ‘E’ name, which is probably the main (only) thing that I actually like about her at this point.
So even though it’s not the best of the series and Andrew/Cope isn’t quite as truffleliciously yummy as my favorite tattooed bad boy Brody, Inside Out is still a great romance with wonderful characters. I can’t wait for Adrian’s story, and whether he’s saddled with Raven or not, I’m hoping Lauren Dane makes Never Enough a worthwhile ending to this fantastic series. 4 ½ stars!
July 3, 2011
Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. After reading Lauren Dane's
Making Chase
I was all ready to go on a Dane binge. It hadn't been at all what I expected and so I was really looking forward to raiding her backlist and reading the other books that I had so mistakenly overlooked! I decided to start with this one because the summary and main characters appealed to me and the reviews were great.
Essentially, the book felt like a novella that went on way, way, WAY too long. Nothing happens. There are no real obstacles, most of the drama comes from secondary characters, and Ella and Cope are so constantly going gaga over the other in their thoughts and verbally to others that all I was waiting for was for them to carve their names into a tree and getting matching tattoos. Many of the issues I had with Inside Out were ones that I also had with Making Chase, however that book had enough redeeming qualities to counterbalance it. While this one did also have some good points, the negatives far outweighed the positives and will probably PBSwap it.
{ Praise }
* Let's face it, Cope/Andrew is a delicious hero. Big, bad, and tattooed, but also very sweet, intelligent, and sensitive. I loved that part of his "thing" to overcome in the book was him realizing that he is much more than just a pretty face who can get any girl he wants. He has so much more to offer and has definite hidden depths; I loved that Ella recognized it and that she helped him do so as well. If he had not been so sickening in his gaga-ness of his feelings for Ella in the majority of the book, he would have without a doubt made it on my favorite heroes list.
* I thought the beginning started off very well; for that part of the book, I liked both Ella and Cope, enjoyed their interactions, and really felt the chemistry. Dane builds up the tension between them and does so very, very well. I enjoyed it so much, actually, that it made the downward spiral of the rest of the book that much more painful.
{ Lack of Any Real Plot }
Nothing really happens in the book. They get together and there aren't any major obstacles to their relationship. The biggest drama that goes on is from book 1's love trio, with Erin have difficulties with her pregnancy and everyone (understandably) freaking out and stressing as a result. The book's climax (if it can even be called that?!?!) with the relationship's turning point is even triggered by everything going on with Erin. I did not at all see it in coming, and not in the sense that I didn't know it was heading in that direction (though obviously that as well), but Ella gives a (not so) little speech, Cope is caught off guard by this ultimatum, she confirms it ... and I'm going back and rereading what I apparently missed because I never heard an ultimatum - was something left on the chopping board by mistake? Anyway, Ella and Cope work it out within a few hours, so it was all very anti-climactic and seemed silly, just an attempt to have some type of dramatic thing to trigger the book's HEA and conclusion.
{ Annoying Hero and Boring Heroine }
* While yes, I loved Cope, thought he was a terrific hero, and would love to have a guy fall like that for me, at times all I could think was, Enough already! There is so much internal monologue going on with him and always on the exact same subject: Ella. And how amazing Ella is. And how odd that Ella doesn't know she's fabulous because she is. And how had he managed to wait so long to make his move. Because he had admired her for so long. Because she's so amazing. And on and on and on. That and the following criticism had me desperately wanting to skim by the time I was nearing the end of the book.
* Ella was okay, but for some reason I wasn't able to connect with her really. While I liked her well enough in the beginning, as time went on she began to seem a little boring and flat. I wanted to like her, because Dane gives her a compelling past and in that sense she comes across as a very strong woman, but in the end I didn't think she was a very well-defined character.
* I disliked that Ella was always going on and on - verbally and mentally - about how hot Cope was and what a great body he had. This would have annoyed me no matter what, but in this case it was especially aggravating since it plays into part of his character's "thing" - though the connection is never made and Ella doesn't seem to realize the potential harm in this. Cope is known as a laid-back, fun-loving, (HUGE) ladies' man (get your mind out of the gutter; I'm referring to the large number of ladies he attracts, nothing else) and that is what he shows most of the world; while there are actually a lot of hidden depths to him, he sometimes doubts this and wonders if he has anything to offer other than his pretty face and if that's all people see him as.
{ Not Great as a Stand-Alone }
* If you haven't read the other Brown Siblings books (which I have not), you're somewhat lost. A lot of times I knew some of the things in the characters' pasts that were being alluded to because I'd read so many of the previous books' reviews recently, but I was still somewhat lost with some things and would have been completely lost if it hadn't been for that.
* Again, not having read the previous books I didn't have a huge attachment to the other characters and found them to be much more imposing here than Chase and Tate's families were in Making Chase. In some ways, the book seemed almost as much about their drama and good times as it was about Cope and Ella's relationship. Also, while I knew the premise of book 1 and so was in some ways prepared for the Erin-Todd-Ben relationship, it was kind of weird to read about. I don't want to be judgmental, but it took some getting used to. And I'm very, very curious to know which one of them is the father and/or if they want to know or care.
{ Minor Complaints }
* We're never given full details about Ella and what her ex did to her; I think there was overlap with previous books, so maybe that's given in more detail then, but since this is her book I think it should be included here as well. We're never even told point-blank what her scars on her legs are, though her father makes a reference to her being burned by the ex, so I'm assuming that was during the attack and led to the resulting scares. Don't know though.
* Really? You have to make the three main female characters be named Ella, Erin, and Elise? No other letters in the alphabet you can start the names with? Was very confusing when I started the book because the other two are quite frequently present and I still wasn't sure who was who and how they were all connected.
* What was up with Ella's voice being described so many times as high, squeaky, and cartoonish? Yet Cope loved this and thought it was cute. This isn't really a criticism - real women have high voices, why not a book heroine, but it was just so ... odd? And that they would describe her as sounding like a cartoon, but having that be a compliment? Definitely not how I would take it if someone said that to me.
* There is a significant age difference between Ella and Cope that we're not even made aware of until more than halfway into the book. He's 36 and she's around 26 (or maybe one year older). Now ten years isn't huge, I know, but especially since they are not written as being at different points in their lives and Cope refers to people "their age," it really caught me off guard and threw me more than it probably would have had I known this beforehand.
* Needed a better editor. Some words were repeated and others missing.
{ Contemporary Romance Classification }
One of the reasons I had not read Dane's books previously was because I understood them to be erotica. Just like with Making Chase, I really didn't find that to be the case here and it read more like a regular contemporary romance to me. Maybe towards one end of that genre, because some scenes are more detailed and there are a few crude lines, but I really didn't find anything to take it out of the regular CR category.
{ Bottom Line }
Having written out all the things I disliked, I'm realizing how few positives (read: barely any) were actually there to counterbalance them. I did enjoy the book's start and Cope is sexy and sweet, but neither of these things could save it for me. Unfortunately, I would say that if you're dead-set on reading it, get it from the library (if your library has it).
(Written July 2, 2011)
Essentially, the book felt like a novella that went on way, way, WAY too long. Nothing happens. There are no real obstacles, most of the drama comes from secondary characters, and Ella and Cope are so constantly going gaga over the other in their thoughts and verbally to others that all I was waiting for was for them to carve their names into a tree and getting matching tattoos. Many of the issues I had with Inside Out were ones that I also had with Making Chase, however that book had enough redeeming qualities to counterbalance it. While this one did also have some good points, the negatives far outweighed the positives and will probably PBSwap it.
{ Praise }
* Let's face it, Cope/Andrew is a delicious hero. Big, bad, and tattooed, but also very sweet, intelligent, and sensitive. I loved that part of his "thing" to overcome in the book was him realizing that he is much more than just a pretty face who can get any girl he wants. He has so much more to offer and has definite hidden depths; I loved that Ella recognized it and that she helped him do so as well. If he had not been so sickening in his gaga-ness of his feelings for Ella in the majority of the book, he would have without a doubt made it on my favorite heroes list.
* I thought the beginning started off very well; for that part of the book, I liked both Ella and Cope, enjoyed their interactions, and really felt the chemistry. Dane builds up the tension between them and does so very, very well. I enjoyed it so much, actually, that it made the downward spiral of the rest of the book that much more painful.
{ Lack of Any Real Plot }
Nothing really happens in the book. They get together and there aren't any major obstacles to their relationship. The biggest drama that goes on is from book 1's love trio, with Erin have difficulties with her pregnancy and everyone (understandably) freaking out and stressing as a result. The book's climax (if it can even be called that?!?!) with the relationship's turning point is even triggered by everything going on with Erin. I did not at all see it in coming, and not in the sense that I didn't know it was heading in that direction (though obviously that as well), but Ella gives a (not so) little speech, Cope is caught off guard by this ultimatum, she confirms it ... and I'm going back and rereading what I apparently missed because I never heard an ultimatum - was something left on the chopping board by mistake? Anyway, Ella and Cope work it out within a few hours, so it was all very anti-climactic and seemed silly, just an attempt to have some type of dramatic thing to trigger the book's HEA and conclusion.
{ Annoying Hero and Boring Heroine }
* While yes, I loved Cope, thought he was a terrific hero, and would love to have a guy fall like that for me, at times all I could think was, Enough already! There is so much internal monologue going on with him and always on the exact same subject: Ella. And how amazing Ella is. And how odd that Ella doesn't know she's fabulous because she is. And how had he managed to wait so long to make his move. Because he had admired her for so long. Because she's so amazing. And on and on and on. That and the following criticism had me desperately wanting to skim by the time I was nearing the end of the book.
* Ella was okay, but for some reason I wasn't able to connect with her really. While I liked her well enough in the beginning, as time went on she began to seem a little boring and flat. I wanted to like her, because Dane gives her a compelling past and in that sense she comes across as a very strong woman, but in the end I didn't think she was a very well-defined character.
* I disliked that Ella was always going on and on - verbally and mentally - about how hot Cope was and what a great body he had. This would have annoyed me no matter what, but in this case it was especially aggravating since it plays into part of his character's "thing" - though the connection is never made and Ella doesn't seem to realize the potential harm in this. Cope is known as a laid-back, fun-loving, (HUGE) ladies' man (get your mind out of the gutter; I'm referring to the large number of ladies he attracts, nothing else) and that is what he shows most of the world; while there are actually a lot of hidden depths to him, he sometimes doubts this and wonders if he has anything to offer other than his pretty face and if that's all people see him as.
{ Not Great as a Stand-Alone }
* If you haven't read the other Brown Siblings books (which I have not), you're somewhat lost. A lot of times I knew some of the things in the characters' pasts that were being alluded to because I'd read so many of the previous books' reviews recently, but I was still somewhat lost with some things and would have been completely lost if it hadn't been for that.
* Again, not having read the previous books I didn't have a huge attachment to the other characters and found them to be much more imposing here than Chase and Tate's families were in Making Chase. In some ways, the book seemed almost as much about their drama and good times as it was about Cope and Ella's relationship. Also, while I knew the premise of book 1 and so was in some ways prepared for the Erin-Todd-Ben relationship, it was kind of weird to read about. I don't want to be judgmental, but it took some getting used to. And I'm very, very curious to know which one of them is the father and/or if they want to know or care.
{ Minor Complaints }
* We're never given full details about Ella and what her ex did to her; I think there was overlap with previous books, so maybe that's given in more detail then, but since this is her book I think it should be included here as well. We're never even told point-blank what her scars on her legs are, though her father makes a reference to her being burned by the ex, so I'm assuming that was during the attack and led to the resulting scares. Don't know though.
* Really? You have to make the three main female characters be named Ella, Erin, and Elise? No other letters in the alphabet you can start the names with? Was very confusing when I started the book because the other two are quite frequently present and I still wasn't sure who was who and how they were all connected.
* What was up with Ella's voice being described so many times as high, squeaky, and cartoonish? Yet Cope loved this and thought it was cute. This isn't really a criticism - real women have high voices, why not a book heroine, but it was just so ... odd? And that they would describe her as sounding like a cartoon, but having that be a compliment? Definitely not how I would take it if someone said that to me.
* There is a significant age difference between Ella and Cope that we're not even made aware of until more than halfway into the book. He's 36 and she's around 26 (or maybe one year older). Now ten years isn't huge, I know, but especially since they are not written as being at different points in their lives and Cope refers to people "their age," it really caught me off guard and threw me more than it probably would have had I known this beforehand.
* Needed a better editor. Some words were repeated and others missing.
{ Contemporary Romance Classification }
One of the reasons I had not read Dane's books previously was because I understood them to be erotica. Just like with Making Chase, I really didn't find that to be the case here and it read more like a regular contemporary romance to me. Maybe towards one end of that genre, because some scenes are more detailed and there are a few crude lines, but I really didn't find anything to take it out of the regular CR category.
{ Bottom Line }
Having written out all the things I disliked, I'm realizing how few positives (read: barely any) were actually there to counterbalance them. I did enjoy the book's start and Cope is sexy and sweet, but neither of these things could save it for me. Unfortunately, I would say that if you're dead-set on reading it, get it from the library (if your library has it).
(Written July 2, 2011)
November 2, 2010
Even though this was not my favorite book of the wonderful Brown Siblings series, it still was a very good read. Yes, in terms of in your face sexuality it's no Laid Bare, and in terms of heartthrob hero and feel good romance it's no Coming Undone. But it is a beautiful, character driven story about cafe manager/future social worker Ella Tipton (who we first met in "Laid Bare") and former cop and now partner in a security firm Andrew "Cope" Copeland. Along with LD's rich-in details-storytelling, we get a heartwarming friends-to-lovers story, with subplots about Erin's (from Laid Bare) risky pregnancy, and a troubled family relationship between his father and brother Ben that Cope is trying to mediate.
The story starts slowly between Ella and Cope, as they each discover their feelings for each other are more than that of just friends after 6 years of knowing each other. Cope treads carefully with Ella though, because she survived a harrowing attack from her abusive former boyfriend that put her in the hospital, which damaged her not only physically, but mentally. Cope had always had feelings for the younger (she's 26, he's 36), pretty redhead, but the timing was never right for a relationship beyond friendship to develop. But now the former boyfriend is in jail, Ella is on the mend, and Cope is tired of dating women who mean nothing to him. So he finally makes a move on Ella, who's not sure if she's reading him right. Cope is known as an outrageous flirt and a bad boy--is he really serious? About her? Could the sexy, tattoed, black haired, blue-eyed, nipple pierced hunk who's been starring in her recent super hot fantasies be interested in her that way?
I loved both Ella and Cope. Lauren Dane has a way of writing her characters that makes you want to be either their best friend (as with Ella) or their lucky girlfriend (as with Cope). Both were extremely likable. I loved that they were both blushers--even ladies man Cope! I loved how Ella grew stronger and stronger as the story developed and conquered her fears and grew more confident. I loved how she was able to see the real Cope, not just the easy going facade he presented to the public. I loved how she saw him as the more serious and deeper "Andrew", the artist who enjoyed poetry and carpentry, as well as the fun loving "Cope". Cope had doubts and fears about himself and wasn't always as self-assured as he seemed to be, and Ella was able to get him to reveal that vulnerable side of himself. I loved how Ella discovered and supported all his hidden talents. I loved how she 'got' him, and I loved how Cope recognized and appreciated that fact. I also loved the little notes they mailed to each other--very sweet and romantic.
I loved how Cope got nervous around Ella. That was really cute for such an experienced 'bad boy'. I loved how he took it slow with her, yet let her know he was very interested. I loved the respect he showed her, the care he took with her, and his whole protective attitude. I loved how he pursued her, and gave her confidence in herself and her sexuality. I loved how he loved his friends and his family. He had a certain role in his family and I felt bad for him that his father (who was an ass in this story) didn't appreciate him fully and that he was sometimes taken for granted, even by his brother and his friends.
Now, the love scenes--very hot, yet tastefully done. Not quite as erotic as the other two stories in the series. But I felt that was appropriate for the characters. Ella was coming out of an abusive relationship, one in which she was controlled and was scorned for her sexual desires, so it took her a while to regain her confidence in that area, and Cope wanted to be very sure that Ella was ready for him. And she was, believe me! The only problem I had with the love scenes was that it took a little while (page 150 or so) for them to get to it!
Fans of the series will be happy to see all the couples of the previous stories have prominent roles in this one, as well they should. This is not only a love story between the hero and heroine, but between them and their friends and family. Erin, Todd, Ben, Brody, Elise, and Adrian are all there to lend support and offer advice. I love how they all love and support each other--they are there for each other in the good times and the bad, and they all have each other's backs. Wonderful friendships in this book.
There were a few things in this book that were kind of quirky. First of all, all the similar sounding names--Ella, Erin, Elise, and Adrian--sometimes it was hard to keep straight in my head just who was talking! And Ella's abusive boyfriend (Billy) and Cope's father (Bill)--strange coincidence. Ella's habit of saying "gah" and "Pfft". Don't know if that's a regional thing or just a Dane-ism, but I think I've read that in some of her other books. None of this took away from the story, it just made me stop and wonder about it for a bit.
I think fans of this series will be pleased with this love story, and the subplots surrounding it. Ella was an easy to like, strong and relatable heroine, and I was pulling for her to get her HEA with Cope. I adored Cope, thought he was excellent boyfriend (and husband) material (even though he had a moment of fear that almost wrecked his future with Ella). Not only was he described as drop dead gorgeous, but he was a good person inside. Ella and Cope together? A steamy hot, perfect match. My take on this story? A solid 4 star read. Now bring on Adrian, the last un-hitched Brown sibling...
The story starts slowly between Ella and Cope, as they each discover their feelings for each other are more than that of just friends after 6 years of knowing each other. Cope treads carefully with Ella though, because she survived a harrowing attack from her abusive former boyfriend that put her in the hospital, which damaged her not only physically, but mentally. Cope had always had feelings for the younger (she's 26, he's 36), pretty redhead, but the timing was never right for a relationship beyond friendship to develop. But now the former boyfriend is in jail, Ella is on the mend, and Cope is tired of dating women who mean nothing to him. So he finally makes a move on Ella, who's not sure if she's reading him right. Cope is known as an outrageous flirt and a bad boy--is he really serious? About her? Could the sexy, tattoed, black haired, blue-eyed, nipple pierced hunk who's been starring in her recent super hot fantasies be interested in her that way?
I loved both Ella and Cope. Lauren Dane has a way of writing her characters that makes you want to be either their best friend (as with Ella) or their lucky girlfriend (as with Cope). Both were extremely likable. I loved that they were both blushers--even ladies man Cope! I loved how Ella grew stronger and stronger as the story developed and conquered her fears and grew more confident. I loved how she was able to see the real Cope, not just the easy going facade he presented to the public. I loved how she saw him as the more serious and deeper "Andrew", the artist who enjoyed poetry and carpentry, as well as the fun loving "Cope". Cope had doubts and fears about himself and wasn't always as self-assured as he seemed to be, and Ella was able to get him to reveal that vulnerable side of himself. I loved how Ella discovered and supported all his hidden talents. I loved how she 'got' him, and I loved how Cope recognized and appreciated that fact. I also loved the little notes they mailed to each other--very sweet and romantic.
I loved how Cope got nervous around Ella. That was really cute for such an experienced 'bad boy'. I loved how he took it slow with her, yet let her know he was very interested. I loved the respect he showed her, the care he took with her, and his whole protective attitude. I loved how he pursued her, and gave her confidence in herself and her sexuality. I loved how he loved his friends and his family. He had a certain role in his family and I felt bad for him that his father (who was an ass in this story) didn't appreciate him fully and that he was sometimes taken for granted, even by his brother and his friends.
Now, the love scenes--very hot, yet tastefully done. Not quite as erotic as the other two stories in the series. But I felt that was appropriate for the characters. Ella was coming out of an abusive relationship, one in which she was controlled and was scorned for her sexual desires, so it took her a while to regain her confidence in that area, and Cope wanted to be very sure that Ella was ready for him. And she was, believe me! The only problem I had with the love scenes was that it took a little while (page 150 or so) for them to get to it!
Fans of the series will be happy to see all the couples of the previous stories have prominent roles in this one, as well they should. This is not only a love story between the hero and heroine, but between them and their friends and family. Erin, Todd, Ben, Brody, Elise, and Adrian are all there to lend support and offer advice. I love how they all love and support each other--they are there for each other in the good times and the bad, and they all have each other's backs. Wonderful friendships in this book.
There were a few things in this book that were kind of quirky. First of all, all the similar sounding names--Ella, Erin, Elise, and Adrian--sometimes it was hard to keep straight in my head just who was talking! And Ella's abusive boyfriend (Billy) and Cope's father (Bill)--strange coincidence. Ella's habit of saying "gah" and "Pfft". Don't know if that's a regional thing or just a Dane-ism, but I think I've read that in some of her other books. None of this took away from the story, it just made me stop and wonder about it for a bit.
I think fans of this series will be pleased with this love story, and the subplots surrounding it. Ella was an easy to like, strong and relatable heroine, and I was pulling for her to get her HEA with Cope. I adored Cope, thought he was excellent boyfriend (and husband) material (even though he had a moment of fear that almost wrecked his future with Ella). Not only was he described as drop dead gorgeous, but he was a good person inside. Ella and Cope together? A steamy hot, perfect match. My take on this story? A solid 4 star read. Now bring on Adrian, the last un-hitched Brown sibling...
July 21, 2012
Opening Line: "She arched on a gasp as the heat of his mouth met her neck."
Inside Out is the 3rd instalment from Lauren Dane’s deliciously erotic 'Brown Family' series. And while I absolutely adored the first 2 books Laid Bare and Coming Undone I’m sad to say that this one was a huge disappointment for me.
The writing is still engaging (except for Dane’s new obsession with the words “Gah” and “Pfft”) and once we get to the love scenes they’re well done, although I wouldn’t call them erotic especially when compared to (Laid Bare) I also enjoyed returning to a cast of familiar characters unfortunately nothing really interesting ever happens here with them. It’s more like an advanced character study or slice-of-life then erotic romance with very little in the way of a developing storyline, especially when you consider its 306 pages long.
Instead we’re just given endless and often repetitive conversations amongst a group of friends. Centering on Erin’s risky final stages of pregnancy, Ben’s angry, bigoted father and some rather high-schoolish discussions on how much Ella/Andrew are totally crushing on each other; which is then dissected by each member of the group and reasons given to why they shouldn’t or shouldn’t be dating. This was monotonous. I kept waiting for the real story to begin or some kind of conflict between the H/h to develop as they began to fall in love. Regrettably none of these things ever materialized and honestly I was bored.
Another huge problem for me and I’m sure at least part of the reason why I never connected with this book was the similarity of everyone’s names. With an Ella, Erin, Elise and Adrian I was often at a loss as to who was doing the talking. The hero was also referred to as either Andrew, Drew, Andy or Cope which had me double checking that I’d somehow missed the introduction of a new character and to top off the name game there were also 2 different antagonists a Bill and a Billy. Gah!
Ella and Andrew have been tip toeing around a mutual infatuation for years but it’s taken that long for Ella to be emotionally ready to return gorgeous ladies man and perpetual flirt Andrew’s steamy glances. She’s still wary but at last feeling ready to reclaim the vibrant and outgoing person she was before her ex boyfriend destroyed her confidence then attacked and almost killed her. *I’m sorry but this is the same back story given for the last two heroines in this series*
Okay so basically Andrew and Ella start dating and through some romantic poems, a mixed tape and several visits to see Erin in the hospital they fall in love. There isn’t much drama where these two are concerned and as I said no real conflict. I did enjoy seeing another side of Andrew’s (up until now) playboy character and witnessing how shy and out of his element he became with Ella. And the love letters he sends her will have you sighing. Watching Ella find herself again was also interesting but as I said had been done before. Of course all the other characters are back and feeling more like a family then ever Although we don't get another Chapter 16 like in(Coming Undone) or into Todd or Ben’s heads.
I do recommend this to fans of the series, especially after going over some of the other reviews as I seem to be in the minority when it comes to my low rating. I wish I’d liked it more. Cheers
Inside Out is the 3rd instalment from Lauren Dane’s deliciously erotic 'Brown Family' series. And while I absolutely adored the first 2 books Laid Bare and Coming Undone I’m sad to say that this one was a huge disappointment for me.
The writing is still engaging (except for Dane’s new obsession with the words “Gah” and “Pfft”) and once we get to the love scenes they’re well done, although I wouldn’t call them erotic especially when compared to (Laid Bare) I also enjoyed returning to a cast of familiar characters unfortunately nothing really interesting ever happens here with them. It’s more like an advanced character study or slice-of-life then erotic romance with very little in the way of a developing storyline, especially when you consider its 306 pages long.
Instead we’re just given endless and often repetitive conversations amongst a group of friends. Centering on Erin’s risky final stages of pregnancy, Ben’s angry, bigoted father and some rather high-schoolish discussions on how much Ella/Andrew are totally crushing on each other; which is then dissected by each member of the group and reasons given to why they shouldn’t or shouldn’t be dating. This was monotonous. I kept waiting for the real story to begin or some kind of conflict between the H/h to develop as they began to fall in love. Regrettably none of these things ever materialized and honestly I was bored.
Another huge problem for me and I’m sure at least part of the reason why I never connected with this book was the similarity of everyone’s names. With an Ella, Erin, Elise and Adrian I was often at a loss as to who was doing the talking. The hero was also referred to as either Andrew, Drew, Andy or Cope which had me double checking that I’d somehow missed the introduction of a new character and to top off the name game there were also 2 different antagonists a Bill and a Billy. Gah!
Ella and Andrew have been tip toeing around a mutual infatuation for years but it’s taken that long for Ella to be emotionally ready to return gorgeous ladies man and perpetual flirt Andrew’s steamy glances. She’s still wary but at last feeling ready to reclaim the vibrant and outgoing person she was before her ex boyfriend destroyed her confidence then attacked and almost killed her. *I’m sorry but this is the same back story given for the last two heroines in this series*
Okay so basically Andrew and Ella start dating and through some romantic poems, a mixed tape and several visits to see Erin in the hospital they fall in love. There isn’t much drama where these two are concerned and as I said no real conflict. I did enjoy seeing another side of Andrew’s (up until now) playboy character and witnessing how shy and out of his element he became with Ella. And the love letters he sends her will have you sighing. Watching Ella find herself again was also interesting but as I said had been done before. Of course all the other characters are back and feeling more like a family then ever Although we don't get another Chapter 16 like in(Coming Undone) or into Todd or Ben’s heads.
I do recommend this to fans of the series, especially after going over some of the other reviews as I seem to be in the minority when it comes to my low rating. I wish I’d liked it more. Cheers
November 3, 2010
i loved this so much. i've given 5 stars to the first 2 books in this series and see no reason to stop now. i love how lauren dane writes this group of friends/family. they all have their flaws and get on each others nerves, but they all love so deeply and are so loyal to each other. ella was fantastic and i really loved reading how her relationship with cope progressed. i loved reading about them flirting and him stealing a kiss or touch. it was romantic, hot as hell at times and almost too sweet to believe.
i also loved catching up with brody/elise/rennie and erin/ben/todd. and i cannot wait for adrian's book. got to see a little of raven too and am wondering what's to come for those 2. can't believe i have to wait til september for that. it's well worth the wait though. love this series.
i also loved catching up with brody/elise/rennie and erin/ben/todd. and i cannot wait for adrian's book. got to see a little of raven too and am wondering what's to come for those 2. can't believe i have to wait til september for that. it's well worth the wait though. love this series.
November 15, 2010
I loved the latest in Brown Siblings series. I read this during a very stressful week in my life, and it made me relax and smile. Ms. Dane creates wonderful characters I feel like I know and sometimes it seems like they are real people.
I loved Ella and Cope together. Bad Boy gets Shy Girl is a story that works for me every time. I am still not sure why this is labled 'erotic'. It seemed more of a contemporary romance to me with some extra steam.
I will say that Ms. Dane's women say the words "pffft" and "gah" too much. I don't know anyone that actually says 'gah!'. Do you?
I loved Ella and Cope together. Bad Boy gets Shy Girl is a story that works for me every time. I am still not sure why this is labled 'erotic'. It seemed more of a contemporary romance to me with some extra steam.
I will say that Ms. Dane's women say the words "pffft" and "gah" too much. I don't know anyone that actually says 'gah!'. Do you?
December 29, 2021
5 Inside Out Stars
Ella and Cope
I am soo glad Ella is a survivor. Not I say that because she isn’t your typical survivor, 4 years have gone by since her attack. And she is a stronger character for it.
Now I would never want that to happen to a character just to make them stronger but in this case its just how it played out and I love that she doesn’t act like a victim she is up front about her fears and Cope is there to help.
Cope is kind of in the middle of family drama because Ben being his brother is involved with a male and a female that we meet in Laid Bare and their father is having trouble being ok with it. Cope wants to make everything better and Ben is just done with it all.
Ella it is sweet talking Ella that kind of makes them all see reason. Though I don’t know if the dad will ever be ok with Ben’s relationship but at least now he will be accountable for his own actions.
I loved this LOVE STORY sooooo freaking hard. Ella’s story is strong and bold unique. I love that she has this small squeaky voice but this huge personality. I love that Cope sees her for who and what she is. I love that they have tis deep connection and can be open and honest.
I just loved this story. <3
*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*
Ella and Cope
I am soo glad Ella is a survivor. Not I say that because she isn’t your typical survivor, 4 years have gone by since her attack. And she is a stronger character for it.
Now I would never want that to happen to a character just to make them stronger but in this case its just how it played out and I love that she doesn’t act like a victim she is up front about her fears and Cope is there to help.
Cope is kind of in the middle of family drama because Ben being his brother is involved with a male and a female that we meet in Laid Bare and their father is having trouble being ok with it. Cope wants to make everything better and Ben is just done with it all.
Ella it is sweet talking Ella that kind of makes them all see reason. Though I don’t know if the dad will ever be ok with Ben’s relationship but at least now he will be accountable for his own actions.
I loved this LOVE STORY sooooo freaking hard. Ella’s story is strong and bold unique. I love that she has this small squeaky voice but this huge personality. I love that Cope sees her for who and what she is. I love that they have tis deep connection and can be open and honest.
I just loved this story. <3
*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*
April 26, 2024
Eğer bu kitap bir şekilde elinize geçerse onu sakince bulduğunuz yere bırakın ve arkanıza bakmadan uzaklaşın.
November 8, 2014
I can sum this book up in one word – ‘meh’. I was disappointed with it. I liked the first book of this series – Laid Bare, and loved the second – Coming Undone, and then this one was just meh.
Cope and Ella have been secondary characters in the series so far, and I was excited to see flirty manwhore Cope finally settle down with shy, quiet Ella. Having known each other for 6 years, and both harbouring secret crushes on each other for most of that time, Cope finally works up the courage to make his move pretty early on in the story, though the relationship develops very slowly. Ella has been through a traumatic time (which I won’t go into because I don’t want to spoil events from the previous books), and Cope treads lightly with her, being all gentle and tender , making sure she feels safe and comfortable with him. Even the smut is toned down heaps compared to the earlier books of the series.
Ella is a total Mary Sue - so caring, and loving, always putting others first. And of course, everybody loves her for it. Cope is “a nice guy, but he comes in bad boy wrapping paper.” He is Ben’s brother (Ben of the ‘Ben, Todd, and Erin’ relationship – who I actually enjoyed getting to know a little better in this one), and there’s a secondary storyline focussing on family issues for Cope and Ben , as well as Erin having some problems. We also check back in with Brody and Elise, but there's not much more of a plot beyond that, the book just follows the lives of the group.
The biggest issue I had with this book is that everybody is so in touch with their feelings that they just vomit love and sunshine all over each other… all the time! The circle of family and friends is a very tight-knit group, and are in each other’s lives in a huge way, but they are constantly talking about their feelings, and sharing their love for each other, it all just gets a bit eye rolling.
And adding on to this, Cope and Ella are in total Disney love with each other. They too are afflicted with the need to blurt out everything they’re thinking and feeling, and at times, it seemed almost a little too perfect with how every little thing they do, say, feel or smell (yes, smell) about the other was just AMAZING and totally perfect. For example, Cope comments on her perfume – “I love the way it smells. Warm. Sexy. Provocative.” He sounds like a commercial! But they both comment on EVERYTHING like this! And there is soooooo much inner monologuing going on (usually thinking about how wonderful and perfect the other person is), and between that and the somewhat cheesy dialogue, I wanted to smack their heads together and tell them to Alpha themselves up a little bit!
And then, because there’s no real conflict, it felt like something was invented out of mid-air, and it’s the most stupid-ass conflict EVER! And then it’s all over, and cue the HEA. Which again was lovely, but very ‘hooray for love.’
I am glad I read it because I’m keen to continue on with the series, and some pretty important things happened with each of the characters. Plus we started to get a set up for Adrian’s book which is next – and the one I’m really keen to get to. But overall – it was just an ok read. 2 stars.
Cope and Ella have been secondary characters in the series so far, and I was excited to see flirty manwhore Cope finally settle down with shy, quiet Ella. Having known each other for 6 years, and both harbouring secret crushes on each other for most of that time, Cope finally works up the courage to make his move pretty early on in the story, though the relationship develops very slowly. Ella has been through a traumatic time (which I won’t go into because I don’t want to spoil events from the previous books), and Cope treads lightly with her, being all gentle and tender , making sure she feels safe and comfortable with him. Even the smut is toned down heaps compared to the earlier books of the series.
Ella is a total Mary Sue - so caring, and loving, always putting others first. And of course, everybody loves her for it. Cope is “a nice guy, but he comes in bad boy wrapping paper.” He is Ben’s brother (Ben of the ‘Ben, Todd, and Erin’ relationship – who I actually enjoyed getting to know a little better in this one), and there’s a secondary storyline focussing on family issues for Cope and Ben , as well as Erin having some problems. We also check back in with Brody and Elise, but there's not much more of a plot beyond that, the book just follows the lives of the group.
The biggest issue I had with this book is that everybody is so in touch with their feelings that they just vomit love and sunshine all over each other… all the time! The circle of family and friends is a very tight-knit group, and are in each other’s lives in a huge way, but they are constantly talking about their feelings, and sharing their love for each other, it all just gets a bit eye rolling.
And adding on to this, Cope and Ella are in total Disney love with each other. They too are afflicted with the need to blurt out everything they’re thinking and feeling, and at times, it seemed almost a little too perfect with how every little thing they do, say, feel or smell (yes, smell) about the other was just AMAZING and totally perfect. For example, Cope comments on her perfume – “I love the way it smells. Warm. Sexy. Provocative.” He sounds like a commercial! But they both comment on EVERYTHING like this! And there is soooooo much inner monologuing going on (usually thinking about how wonderful and perfect the other person is), and between that and the somewhat cheesy dialogue, I wanted to smack their heads together and tell them to Alpha themselves up a little bit!
And then, because there’s no real conflict, it felt like something was invented out of mid-air, and it’s the most stupid-ass conflict EVER! And then it’s all over, and cue the HEA. Which again was lovely, but very ‘hooray for love.’
I am glad I read it because I’m keen to continue on with the series, and some pretty important things happened with each of the characters. Plus we started to get a set up for Adrian’s book which is next – and the one I’m really keen to get to. But overall – it was just an ok read. 2 stars.
November 18, 2010
There is no story. No interesting personality conflicts. It’s mostly conversations with and about friends. I was bored.
STORY BRIEF:
Four years ago Ella’s abusive boyfriend Bill tried to kill her and left scars on her legs. He went to jail. Since then Ella has been slowly healing psychologically. Cope has always been a ladies man – sleeping with lots of women, never wanting to settle down. Cope and Ella have admired each other from afar but never acted on it. This back story is briefly told to us, not shown. The story now begins with their flirting. For some reason Cope decides to step up the flirting and offers to give her some hands-on training in self-defense.
Ella and Cope are close to several people, their group of friends. Erin is pregnant and has some complications with the pregnancy. Erin has two husbands - Ben and Todd – a marriage of three. Ben’s father cannot accept Ben loving a man which causes some conflict during this story. Cope is not open with his parents, and they have no idea that he is doing a great job at remodeling his house. Elise and Brody are part of this group of friends. They are getting married in two months, so the story includes preparations and conversations about the coming wedding.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
There was no story. The entire book consisted of conversations among the people described above. The major conflicts were “I’m worried, will my baby be ok?” or “I’m sad because my dad said this.” Nothing interesting happened. I was bored throughout. All the characters were nice people except the one dad. So there were no interesting personality conflicts which might have helped.
Friends repeatedly tell Ella that Cope really likes her. They’ve never seen him look at another women the way he looks at her. Cope sends something romantic to Ella. She sends something romantic back. One of her issues is trying to be stronger and to stand up for herself as opposed to being mouse-like (the way she used to be with Bill). Cope and Ella didn’t seem to have any relationship conflicts other than who was going to pay for dinner and whether or not she should cook. There are several sex scenes between Cope and Ella. I found them lacking - not enough emotion.
Regarding self-defense training, the product description says “all that skin on skin contact will have them both turning inside out.” I recall only a paragraph or so about this training. It wasn’t hot like I thought it would be. It was a very minor part of the story.
CAUTION SPOILERS:
As typical for romance stories, there is a major separation toward the end. The reason for the separation is Cope saying I’m worried that I will do something bad in the future and drive you away and then I will miss you. I am afraid of being hurt like that so I am breaking up with you. This is my pet peeve #6 (breaking up because you fear you might be hurt in the future). Was the author suffering writer’s block? She’s a good author; she could have come up with something better.
The content in the last chapter was similar to an epilogue. Andrew announced to the group of friends that when he and Ella were in Las Vegas last weekend for other activities, they snuck away and got married. I thought now this might have been an interesting event to develop and show. But there were no details. I was disappointed that it was “told” and not “shown.” This is an example of the book being about conversations with friends rather than showing a story.
DATA:
Story length: 306 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Number of sex scenes: 8. Estimated number of sex scene pages: 32. Setting: current day Seattle, Washington area. Copyright: 2010. Genre: erotic contemporary romance.
STORY BRIEF:
Four years ago Ella’s abusive boyfriend Bill tried to kill her and left scars on her legs. He went to jail. Since then Ella has been slowly healing psychologically. Cope has always been a ladies man – sleeping with lots of women, never wanting to settle down. Cope and Ella have admired each other from afar but never acted on it. This back story is briefly told to us, not shown. The story now begins with their flirting. For some reason Cope decides to step up the flirting and offers to give her some hands-on training in self-defense.
Ella and Cope are close to several people, their group of friends. Erin is pregnant and has some complications with the pregnancy. Erin has two husbands - Ben and Todd – a marriage of three. Ben’s father cannot accept Ben loving a man which causes some conflict during this story. Cope is not open with his parents, and they have no idea that he is doing a great job at remodeling his house. Elise and Brody are part of this group of friends. They are getting married in two months, so the story includes preparations and conversations about the coming wedding.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
There was no story. The entire book consisted of conversations among the people described above. The major conflicts were “I’m worried, will my baby be ok?” or “I’m sad because my dad said this.” Nothing interesting happened. I was bored throughout. All the characters were nice people except the one dad. So there were no interesting personality conflicts which might have helped.
Friends repeatedly tell Ella that Cope really likes her. They’ve never seen him look at another women the way he looks at her. Cope sends something romantic to Ella. She sends something romantic back. One of her issues is trying to be stronger and to stand up for herself as opposed to being mouse-like (the way she used to be with Bill). Cope and Ella didn’t seem to have any relationship conflicts other than who was going to pay for dinner and whether or not she should cook. There are several sex scenes between Cope and Ella. I found them lacking - not enough emotion.
Regarding self-defense training, the product description says “all that skin on skin contact will have them both turning inside out.” I recall only a paragraph or so about this training. It wasn’t hot like I thought it would be. It was a very minor part of the story.
CAUTION SPOILERS:
As typical for romance stories, there is a major separation toward the end. The reason for the separation is Cope saying I’m worried that I will do something bad in the future and drive you away and then I will miss you. I am afraid of being hurt like that so I am breaking up with you. This is my pet peeve #6 (breaking up because you fear you might be hurt in the future). Was the author suffering writer’s block? She’s a good author; she could have come up with something better.
The content in the last chapter was similar to an epilogue. Andrew announced to the group of friends that when he and Ella were in Las Vegas last weekend for other activities, they snuck away and got married. I thought now this might have been an interesting event to develop and show. But there were no details. I was disappointed that it was “told” and not “shown.” This is an example of the book being about conversations with friends rather than showing a story.
DATA:
Story length: 306 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Number of sex scenes: 8. Estimated number of sex scene pages: 32. Setting: current day Seattle, Washington area. Copyright: 2010. Genre: erotic contemporary romance.
November 7, 2010
I'm going to give it 4 stars just because I loved the characters. This book did not have to intense smokin' hot sex that I have come to expect from LD's books, especially the Brown Siblings, but that said it was a very good story, a little light on the action and at times the writing seemed a little choppy but all in all a good story. This is still one of my favorite series, and I am anxiously awaiting Adrian's story, even if that does mean the end of the series :)
November 5, 2010
I wanted, SO BADLY, to give this a 4 or 5, but...I couldn't. The spice and heat between characters in a Lauren Dane book that I've come to expect wasn't there, and I'm not quite sure why. It might be because they have such a long, shared past. It might be because these characters are so different from the previous characters in the series, as well as from her other series.
Cope and Ella are the glue holding people together, they're the nurturers of the group, and Cope is often taken for granted by the men. They forget that he's not just the fun-loving, happy go lucky friend always game for a drink and game of pool. I was surprised at his depth, and his outside interests. Ella's always been the "can't wait" character for me in the series, and she lived up to my expectations. A woman who is unwilling to allow the awful things that have happened to her, and the well meaning intentions of her family, to keep her from being a strong, capable woman.
**SPOILERS**
I loved seeing these two characters come to that place where everything aligned, and the flirting became FLIRTING, and then romance, and then...LOVE. Now the romance-y scenes, those gave me the punch in the gut. The beautiful mail between the two, the thoughtful gestures and caring - those were what I expect from a Dane novel, and they were plentiful. I loved that the characters had this short-hand, and learned each other - Copes's poetry and his carpentry come to mind. But the sexy scenes were....eh. He was so hot for her, and their sex fizzled. It was always the same (her on top), and honestly, I thought their scenes without each other had more spice and more need. I enjoyed that they took turns giving up control, but we never see scenes where he has the control. And I never felt his dirty talk was all that dirty. I appreciated that she wasn't perfect in the sack (because why would she be?), but he has more experience so it would have been nice to see him take charge, but I don't think that was the only reason why those scenes didn't hit me in the gut with that "wow" feeling when two people are just right.
I'm looking forward to Adrian's story, and hoping that it will be with Raven. Her development in this book has shown that she isn't just a bitch, and that she might have a very interesting history that has made her who she is, and so afraid of emotional attachments. And she might be the one to shake him up.
Cope and Ella are the glue holding people together, they're the nurturers of the group, and Cope is often taken for granted by the men. They forget that he's not just the fun-loving, happy go lucky friend always game for a drink and game of pool. I was surprised at his depth, and his outside interests. Ella's always been the "can't wait" character for me in the series, and she lived up to my expectations. A woman who is unwilling to allow the awful things that have happened to her, and the well meaning intentions of her family, to keep her from being a strong, capable woman.
**SPOILERS**
I loved seeing these two characters come to that place where everything aligned, and the flirting became FLIRTING, and then romance, and then...LOVE. Now the romance-y scenes, those gave me the punch in the gut. The beautiful mail between the two, the thoughtful gestures and caring - those were what I expect from a Dane novel, and they were plentiful. I loved that the characters had this short-hand, and learned each other - Copes's poetry and his carpentry come to mind. But the sexy scenes were....eh. He was so hot for her, and their sex fizzled. It was always the same (her on top), and honestly, I thought their scenes without each other had more spice and more need. I enjoyed that they took turns giving up control, but we never see scenes where he has the control. And I never felt his dirty talk was all that dirty. I appreciated that she wasn't perfect in the sack (because why would she be?), but he has more experience so it would have been nice to see him take charge, but I don't think that was the only reason why those scenes didn't hit me in the gut with that "wow" feeling when two people are just right.
I'm looking forward to Adrian's story, and hoping that it will be with Raven. Her development in this book has shown that she isn't just a bitch, and that she might have a very interesting history that has made her who she is, and so afraid of emotional attachments. And she might be the one to shake him up.
October 18, 2013
Naked you are simple as one of your hands;Lauren Dane delivered this installment of the Brown Siblings with inspirational poetry, sage advice about love, the tightness of those you "call" family, and...group talk sessions that made badass men talk about their feelings like they were at Husbands & Boyfriends Anonymous!
Smooth, earthy, small, transparent, round.
You've moon-lines, apple pathways...
Morning (Love Sonnet XXVII) by Pablo Neruda
It was like imagining this
Maybe I will write a full review to come. The writing was good; I just cared a little about the main couple, but neither had substance, especially because there were no significant/unique problems. They were a couple made-in-Mayberry with conflicts either manufactured mostly in their heads or as a by-product of the previous book, Laid Bare. Repetitive, if you ask me. 2 stars for the fleeting pieces of enjoyment in between the snooze breaks
November 15, 2010
Favorite Quote: Then there was quiet as she met his eyes and smiled, and Christ, he just sort of fell all the way into balls-out love for Ella Tipton.
Andrew Copeland, or “Cope” is a security specialist and has had his eye on Ella Tipton for some time now. He is known as a playboy, never having one woman for very long, and having lots and lots of women in his time. He hasn’t pursued Ella because she was in an extremely abusive relationship, and hasn’t wanted to push her for a relationship. But now she is almost done school, and seems to have put her past somewhat behind her so Cope does what he does best – puts on that charm and flirtatious smile, and Ella melts all over it.
Ella cannot believe the man she has been lusting after for years is actually, seriously flirting with her – with intention of dating. He overwhelms her, makes her nervous and just outright scares her – but oh does she want him. Although her past won’t totally be forgotten, Cope has ways of helping overcome her fears, and showing her what it is really like to be in a loving relationship.
This is my first Lauren Dane book. I know, I know what has taken me so long? I have been deliciously tortured on Twitter with every – “omg this Lauren Dane book is so hot” tweet for so long now. In a sense, I wish I would have started back with Laid Bare and Coming Undone before I had read this one. While this reads well as a stand alone, the couples from the previous books play a prominent role in this one, and I am sure I would have enjoyed revisiting them if I had started with book one. With that being said, I very much now want to go back and meet them!
Lauren Dane writes hot dirty talk. That right there is a fact. Not only is the sex hot, but Cope and Ella have no problem talking through it – and that just makes the romance dirty. Need an example?
Reaching back, she divested herself of her bra.
“Wow.” He whistled with wolfish appreciation. “Those are fucking magnificent. You have no idea how many times I jerked off thinking of them.”
Do we need one more with a reference to Cope pleasuring himself? Oh I think we do:
This time she nipped his bottom lip, sucking it into the heat of her mouth, and his cock wanted to burst through the front of his sweats. He’d be masturbating about three seconds after he got through his front door at this rate. Again. His cock would fall off at this rate.
Don’t worry – his cock stays firmly in place.
Cope is so concerned with making sure Ella knows she is just not another fling, that he takes things mighty slow. Which means we get lots of slow, sensual tension, before the big show.
Ella is a strong heroine who is still fighting internal and external scars from her abusive relationship. She is really cute when she can’t believe the sexy Cope wants her. She gets flustered and blushes so easily – I really enjoyed those traits in her. But what she has found is this wonderful family – Cope, Todd, Ben, Erin, Brody, Elise and Adrian. These people surround one another, almost to a stifling degree. The amount of times we are told how wonderful each of the friends are does become repetitive at times. But I love how all the friends interact, and support each other. The guys can sit around talking about boobs, but they are also there for each other for the more serious moments.
I enjoyed the conflict Cope has with his father, which I assume started in the previous book. His father does not approve of his other son Ben, being in a ménage relationship with Ben and Erin, and I felt like their confrontation was done really well.
I had a blast reading this book. I enjoyed Cope and Ella’s relationship very much. Inside Out is very hot, and very fun and I will definitely be checking out her previous Brown Siblings books!
Rating: B
Andrew Copeland, or “Cope” is a security specialist and has had his eye on Ella Tipton for some time now. He is known as a playboy, never having one woman for very long, and having lots and lots of women in his time. He hasn’t pursued Ella because she was in an extremely abusive relationship, and hasn’t wanted to push her for a relationship. But now she is almost done school, and seems to have put her past somewhat behind her so Cope does what he does best – puts on that charm and flirtatious smile, and Ella melts all over it.
Ella cannot believe the man she has been lusting after for years is actually, seriously flirting with her – with intention of dating. He overwhelms her, makes her nervous and just outright scares her – but oh does she want him. Although her past won’t totally be forgotten, Cope has ways of helping overcome her fears, and showing her what it is really like to be in a loving relationship.
This is my first Lauren Dane book. I know, I know what has taken me so long? I have been deliciously tortured on Twitter with every – “omg this Lauren Dane book is so hot” tweet for so long now. In a sense, I wish I would have started back with Laid Bare and Coming Undone before I had read this one. While this reads well as a stand alone, the couples from the previous books play a prominent role in this one, and I am sure I would have enjoyed revisiting them if I had started with book one. With that being said, I very much now want to go back and meet them!
Lauren Dane writes hot dirty talk. That right there is a fact. Not only is the sex hot, but Cope and Ella have no problem talking through it – and that just makes the romance dirty. Need an example?
Reaching back, she divested herself of her bra.
“Wow.” He whistled with wolfish appreciation. “Those are fucking magnificent. You have no idea how many times I jerked off thinking of them.”
Do we need one more with a reference to Cope pleasuring himself? Oh I think we do:
This time she nipped his bottom lip, sucking it into the heat of her mouth, and his cock wanted to burst through the front of his sweats. He’d be masturbating about three seconds after he got through his front door at this rate. Again. His cock would fall off at this rate.
Don’t worry – his cock stays firmly in place.
Cope is so concerned with making sure Ella knows she is just not another fling, that he takes things mighty slow. Which means we get lots of slow, sensual tension, before the big show.
Ella is a strong heroine who is still fighting internal and external scars from her abusive relationship. She is really cute when she can’t believe the sexy Cope wants her. She gets flustered and blushes so easily – I really enjoyed those traits in her. But what she has found is this wonderful family – Cope, Todd, Ben, Erin, Brody, Elise and Adrian. These people surround one another, almost to a stifling degree. The amount of times we are told how wonderful each of the friends are does become repetitive at times. But I love how all the friends interact, and support each other. The guys can sit around talking about boobs, but they are also there for each other for the more serious moments.
I enjoyed the conflict Cope has with his father, which I assume started in the previous book. His father does not approve of his other son Ben, being in a ménage relationship with Ben and Erin, and I felt like their confrontation was done really well.
I had a blast reading this book. I enjoyed Cope and Ella’s relationship very much. Inside Out is very hot, and very fun and I will definitely be checking out her previous Brown Siblings books!
Rating: B
November 4, 2010
4.25 stars!
I don't believe I've ever been more anxiously yearning for a book or more giddy to finally read about a character I've lusted for from the moment he set foot in the first book of this series: Mr. Andrew 'Cope' Copeland. My heart was literally thumping when I opened the digital copy and started reading.
Andrew 'Cope' Copeland is a sweet, gentle and caring man wrapped in a flirty bad boy. He’s confident and easygoing, sensitive and intuitive. With every page Cope had me crushing on him more and more and while he wooed Ella he lured me not only right into his web of sensuality but also romanced me with his caring and fun personality.
And I was happy with how Ella invariably kept calling him Andrew instead of Cope. She sees and exposes sides of him he keeps hidden from everyone. They all know Cope, laid-back pretty boy, but only Ella gets to see Andrew, sensitive and vulnerable.
Ella Tipton is a woman with a rough past that turned her from carefree and vivacious to cautious and stronger but still the vivaciousness seeps through now and again. She’s a fighter. Resilient and brave, focused and empathic. Few authors make me really (fall in) love their heroines, Lauren Dane is one of those few. Through Cope she made me fall for Ella as hard as he did.
Cope and Ella are perfectly matched. Others perceive them both others in a certain way but they have this need to have someone look past the outward and obvious stuff and get to their cores. I love it when a main couple goes from friends to fantasizing about each other to being lovers to a relationship. And that's exactly what Lauren Dane gave me in INSIDE OUT.
The secondary cast of characters in INSIDE OUT was comprised solely of (extended) family members, both on Cope and Ella’s side. It was awesome to see the characters from the first two books make an appearance and form a wonderful supporting cast to bring out the family dynamics, support and the feeling of togetherness I adore in this series.
Parents again play an important role in the back-story and character-depth. Ella's don't get her yen for independence and feel rejected when she tries to make a life for herself without completely leaning on them. They don't see that she needs it to feel a semblance of being in control of her life. Yet despite their disagreement on this, there's also warmth and love between the Tiptons and they see and understand more than Ella thinks.
Following the small thread in LAID BARE Cope's parents, especially his dad, are still struggling so much with Ben's choice of lifestyle, that they overlook Cope, who has always stood in Ben's shadow, Ben being the favorite golden boy in his parents eyes. In some parts of the story (when you read the scenes, you'll know which parts I mean) I wanted to punch Cope's dad in the face, hard!
As much as I adored INSIDE OUT for its emotional impact, its strong family and friends dynamics, its wonderful main couple and their lovely, touching journey into a deep and profound love I did miss the dirty hot sexy times and the sexual intensity that blew me away in LAID BARE and COMING UNDONE. I had the feeling that the awesome erotic and sexual zing that was present in LAID BARE has dwindled down a bit in the following books.
On the one hand I thought it was cute how sweet Cope was by reigning in his lust and taking it slow with Ella, considerate of her troubled past and fragile emotions where it came to men and sex, but on the other hand I was thinking: 'Come on Cope! Get down and dirty already!' and getting impatient waiting for the scorching hotness to set the pages on fire, which was muted by Cope's constant need to accommodate Ella and make sure he did nothing to scare her off. There's a time for sweet, gentle and cute and there's a time for sweaty dirty smexing and since I expected a sexy contemporary, not to say erotic romance (based on the two previous books) I must admit to myself that the sweaty dirty was not present enough for me in most of the book.
My problem was that there was a lot of talk (from Cope and other characters) about him being a "dirty" boy but I didn't see it in the sex scenes much. Don't get me wrong: I liked the sex scenes, liked Cope as the hero but a little more dirty would have made him live up more to my high expectations. I also understand that a great part of the minor issues I had with INSIDE OUT were due to my own high, and probably unrealistic, expectations so I want to make sure that anyone reading this review understands that this is a case of : “it’s me, not you Lauren.”
That being said, I absolutely loved the way Lauren Dane shows the power of friendship and love in all its facets in the books of this series and INSIDE OUT is no exception. The intricate bonds and emotions between lovers, friends and family members that run like a thread throughout the book, is one of the strong points that I adore in this series. They are what give the books and the characters a depth that goes beyond any hot sex scene could.
Lauren Dane never fails to bring me new and refreshing stuff when it comes to sex speak. Some new-to-me terms I picked up: eye-f#cked and sex voice. And there was a remarkable obsession with licking (if several body parts, not just the obvious ones) in this book. I'm not complaining about this, just noticed it as it was mentioned from the start on the very first page, it was on both Ella and Cope's mind a lot throughout the book and it was in every sex scene.
In conclusion, INSIDE OUT is a must-read and can’t be missed once you’ve started this series. Though it didn’t meet my (enormously) high expectations in the erotic sense, for me it was a sexy contemporary romance that redefines the meaning of romantic and it was an emotional depiction of the bonds within a group of family and friends, colliding family members and love in its purest form.
I don't believe I've ever been more anxiously yearning for a book or more giddy to finally read about a character I've lusted for from the moment he set foot in the first book of this series: Mr. Andrew 'Cope' Copeland. My heart was literally thumping when I opened the digital copy and started reading.
Andrew 'Cope' Copeland is a sweet, gentle and caring man wrapped in a flirty bad boy. He’s confident and easygoing, sensitive and intuitive. With every page Cope had me crushing on him more and more and while he wooed Ella he lured me not only right into his web of sensuality but also romanced me with his caring and fun personality.
And I was happy with how Ella invariably kept calling him Andrew instead of Cope. She sees and exposes sides of him he keeps hidden from everyone. They all know Cope, laid-back pretty boy, but only Ella gets to see Andrew, sensitive and vulnerable.
Ella Tipton is a woman with a rough past that turned her from carefree and vivacious to cautious and stronger but still the vivaciousness seeps through now and again. She’s a fighter. Resilient and brave, focused and empathic. Few authors make me really (fall in) love their heroines, Lauren Dane is one of those few. Through Cope she made me fall for Ella as hard as he did.
Cope and Ella are perfectly matched. Others perceive them both others in a certain way but they have this need to have someone look past the outward and obvious stuff and get to their cores. I love it when a main couple goes from friends to fantasizing about each other to being lovers to a relationship. And that's exactly what Lauren Dane gave me in INSIDE OUT.
The secondary cast of characters in INSIDE OUT was comprised solely of (extended) family members, both on Cope and Ella’s side. It was awesome to see the characters from the first two books make an appearance and form a wonderful supporting cast to bring out the family dynamics, support and the feeling of togetherness I adore in this series.
Parents again play an important role in the back-story and character-depth. Ella's don't get her yen for independence and feel rejected when she tries to make a life for herself without completely leaning on them. They don't see that she needs it to feel a semblance of being in control of her life. Yet despite their disagreement on this, there's also warmth and love between the Tiptons and they see and understand more than Ella thinks.
Following the small thread in LAID BARE Cope's parents, especially his dad, are still struggling so much with Ben's choice of lifestyle, that they overlook Cope, who has always stood in Ben's shadow, Ben being the favorite golden boy in his parents eyes. In some parts of the story (when you read the scenes, you'll know which parts I mean) I wanted to punch Cope's dad in the face, hard!
As much as I adored INSIDE OUT for its emotional impact, its strong family and friends dynamics, its wonderful main couple and their lovely, touching journey into a deep and profound love I did miss the dirty hot sexy times and the sexual intensity that blew me away in LAID BARE and COMING UNDONE. I had the feeling that the awesome erotic and sexual zing that was present in LAID BARE has dwindled down a bit in the following books.
On the one hand I thought it was cute how sweet Cope was by reigning in his lust and taking it slow with Ella, considerate of her troubled past and fragile emotions where it came to men and sex, but on the other hand I was thinking: 'Come on Cope! Get down and dirty already!' and getting impatient waiting for the scorching hotness to set the pages on fire, which was muted by Cope's constant need to accommodate Ella and make sure he did nothing to scare her off. There's a time for sweet, gentle and cute and there's a time for sweaty dirty smexing and since I expected a sexy contemporary, not to say erotic romance (based on the two previous books) I must admit to myself that the sweaty dirty was not present enough for me in most of the book.
My problem was that there was a lot of talk (from Cope and other characters) about him being a "dirty" boy but I didn't see it in the sex scenes much. Don't get me wrong: I liked the sex scenes, liked Cope as the hero but a little more dirty would have made him live up more to my high expectations. I also understand that a great part of the minor issues I had with INSIDE OUT were due to my own high, and probably unrealistic, expectations so I want to make sure that anyone reading this review understands that this is a case of : “it’s me, not you Lauren.”
That being said, I absolutely loved the way Lauren Dane shows the power of friendship and love in all its facets in the books of this series and INSIDE OUT is no exception. The intricate bonds and emotions between lovers, friends and family members that run like a thread throughout the book, is one of the strong points that I adore in this series. They are what give the books and the characters a depth that goes beyond any hot sex scene could.
Lauren Dane never fails to bring me new and refreshing stuff when it comes to sex speak. Some new-to-me terms I picked up: eye-f#cked and sex voice. And there was a remarkable obsession with licking (if several body parts, not just the obvious ones) in this book. I'm not complaining about this, just noticed it as it was mentioned from the start on the very first page, it was on both Ella and Cope's mind a lot throughout the book and it was in every sex scene.
In conclusion, INSIDE OUT is a must-read and can’t be missed once you’ve started this series. Though it didn’t meet my (enormously) high expectations in the erotic sense, for me it was a sexy contemporary romance that redefines the meaning of romantic and it was an emotional depiction of the bonds within a group of family and friends, colliding family members and love in its purest form.
September 15, 2011
Erm.
I recognize that I may have been expecting a different book than this was. What I was *expecting* was a fairly steamy, somewhat non-traditional romance (non-traditional in that the female lead is a domestic abuse survivor, and the male lead's brother is a partner in a three-way marriage that comes up pretty frequently in the book). This was not that book.
I wouldn't really call this a romance at all... yes, there's some steamy kisses and sex (if you notice it amidst all the talking), and there is a relationship... but it's more like 200-odd pages of happily ever after and relationship dissection. There's absolutely no tension about getting the girl (or guy)-- these two have been making goo-goo eyes at each other for the past six years, and he finally decides to make a move. There's love (gobs of love, oodles of love, love and admiration professed at length and in detail every other page), but there's very little *romance.* If it weren't for the occasional sex scene, this book would be bland enough to be a sweet.
The problem is that everyone in this book-- EVERYONE-- talks like they're either professional therapists, or have been in therapy for decades. Nothing is held back; men seriously discuss their internal anguish and uncertainties with one another regularly, the couple has extensive discussions on how much, why, and how they love each other every time they're in the same scene. Everyone (except the obligatory nay-sayer) relates to one another and shares feelings EXACTLY as therapists tell you you're supposed to... and no one actually talks like a real human being. I nearly laughed out loud when one of the guys joked about being made to talk about love and stuff. (Like, when do they SHUT UP about it?) I've seen less relationship dissection in a John Cusack movie.
And how many times to we need to be reminded about what a sexy hottie the guy/girl is? Do we really need a detailed physical description every other chapter? (Red hair, freckles, alabaster skin, check. Brown hair, blue eyes, muscles, horned dragon tattoo, nice ass, check.)
It's all very gratifying, I'm sure, but there's TOO MUCH OF IT. I could see this working as a short story, but it goes on far too long as a novel. The only character development-- the martial arts training mentioned on the back cover-- takes place almost entirely off-page.
The only person I could see recommending this book to would be someone who had been in a horribly abusive relationship, and needed to see an example of what an ideal relationship looked like. I certainly wouldn't recommend this to someone looking for romance.
I'd rate this 1 1/2 stars, only because I could see this book as useful to *some*one (just not me).
I recognize that I may have been expecting a different book than this was. What I was *expecting* was a fairly steamy, somewhat non-traditional romance (non-traditional in that the female lead is a domestic abuse survivor, and the male lead's brother is a partner in a three-way marriage that comes up pretty frequently in the book). This was not that book.
I wouldn't really call this a romance at all... yes, there's some steamy kisses and sex (if you notice it amidst all the talking), and there is a relationship... but it's more like 200-odd pages of happily ever after and relationship dissection. There's absolutely no tension about getting the girl (or guy)-- these two have been making goo-goo eyes at each other for the past six years, and he finally decides to make a move. There's love (gobs of love, oodles of love, love and admiration professed at length and in detail every other page), but there's very little *romance.* If it weren't for the occasional sex scene, this book would be bland enough to be a sweet.
The problem is that everyone in this book-- EVERYONE-- talks like they're either professional therapists, or have been in therapy for decades. Nothing is held back; men seriously discuss their internal anguish and uncertainties with one another regularly, the couple has extensive discussions on how much, why, and how they love each other every time they're in the same scene. Everyone (except the obligatory nay-sayer) relates to one another and shares feelings EXACTLY as therapists tell you you're supposed to... and no one actually talks like a real human being. I nearly laughed out loud when one of the guys joked about being made to talk about love and stuff. (Like, when do they SHUT UP about it?) I've seen less relationship dissection in a John Cusack movie.
And how many times to we need to be reminded about what a sexy hottie the guy/girl is? Do we really need a detailed physical description every other chapter? (Red hair, freckles, alabaster skin, check. Brown hair, blue eyes, muscles, horned dragon tattoo, nice ass, check.)
It's all very gratifying, I'm sure, but there's TOO MUCH OF IT. I could see this working as a short story, but it goes on far too long as a novel. The only character development-- the martial arts training mentioned on the back cover-- takes place almost entirely off-page.
The only person I could see recommending this book to would be someone who had been in a horribly abusive relationship, and needed to see an example of what an ideal relationship looked like. I certainly wouldn't recommend this to someone looking for romance.
I'd rate this 1 1/2 stars, only because I could see this book as useful to *some*one (just not me).
April 17, 2011
After reading Coming Undone, I wasn't expecting to love this book as much as I did, thinking that nothing could top the second in Lauren Dane's Brown Sibling Series. I was so wrong, infact, I think that Inside Out is probably my favorite so far in this fantastic series.
Ella Tipton is a survivor of a traumatic, abusive attack from an exboyfriend. For years, she's worked at the local cafe', owned by Erin Brown, and for years she's had her eye on the smokin' hot Andrew Copeland.
"Cope" has quite the reputation with the female's being that he's all kinds of sexy and hot, but secretly, he's always had an infatuation with Ella. Only after being sure that Ella is ready to open herself for another relationship does Cope finally make his move. This is the story of how Ella and Cope fall inlove, overcoming Cope's playboy/bachelor status, and Ella's fear of a dominant controlled relationship.
All of the Brown Siblings are back for this story as well as Elise and her daughter Rennie, Ben and Todd, and the always controversial Raven.
Ms. Dane has such a way with writing characters and in my opinion, this is where her work as an author truly shines. Reading about characters in her books makes the totally real almost to the point where you forget that this is fiction and not reality. I get so swept up in reading about the family that she's created not only with the Brown siblings (Erin, Adrian, and Brody), but also with all the others who are brought in to the tight circle of family and friendship. I want to petition to become a Brown myself! LOL!
Although this book does have some very sexy scenes( grab some cold water when Ella walks into Cope's house and sees him all hot and sweaty working with his hands!!!!), it is rather tame compared to the highly erotic Laid Bare and Coming Undone. Instead, this book is full of "give you goosebumps, make you sigh, butterflies in your stomach" romance. Cope is a much deeper person than he's led others on to believe, and when reveals that side to Ella with his romantic poetry and beautiful sketches of her, I was swooning and melting.
Inside Out has probably one of the HEA I've ever read. My cheeks still hurt from smiling so much! If you're looking for a true, feel good, happy ending romance, then you should definitely read this book. FIVE STARS!!
Ella Tipton is a survivor of a traumatic, abusive attack from an exboyfriend. For years, she's worked at the local cafe', owned by Erin Brown, and for years she's had her eye on the smokin' hot Andrew Copeland.
"Cope" has quite the reputation with the female's being that he's all kinds of sexy and hot, but secretly, he's always had an infatuation with Ella. Only after being sure that Ella is ready to open herself for another relationship does Cope finally make his move. This is the story of how Ella and Cope fall inlove, overcoming Cope's playboy/bachelor status, and Ella's fear of a dominant controlled relationship.
All of the Brown Siblings are back for this story as well as Elise and her daughter Rennie, Ben and Todd, and the always controversial Raven.
Ms. Dane has such a way with writing characters and in my opinion, this is where her work as an author truly shines. Reading about characters in her books makes the totally real almost to the point where you forget that this is fiction and not reality. I get so swept up in reading about the family that she's created not only with the Brown siblings (Erin, Adrian, and Brody), but also with all the others who are brought in to the tight circle of family and friendship. I want to petition to become a Brown myself! LOL!
Although this book does have some very sexy scenes( grab some cold water when Ella walks into Cope's house and sees him all hot and sweaty working with his hands!!!!), it is rather tame compared to the highly erotic Laid Bare and Coming Undone. Instead, this book is full of "give you goosebumps, make you sigh, butterflies in your stomach" romance. Cope is a much deeper person than he's led others on to believe, and when reveals that side to Ella with his romantic poetry and beautiful sketches of her, I was swooning and melting.
Inside Out has probably one of the HEA I've ever read. My cheeks still hurt from smiling so much! If you're looking for a true, feel good, happy ending romance, then you should definitely read this book. FIVE STARS!!
December 8, 2011
Decided to reread this when I was looking for books with men who have tattoos.
This truly is a breath taking read. There is a romantic quality that draws you in to the beginning of a beautiful relationship. I loved the subtle declarations of their love.
Cope has a reputation for being a bit of a player, but he has just been sowing his oats until he felt the time is right to try for Ella.
Ella has spent the last several years overcoming a brutal attack. With each day she finds the strength to move on and achieve the simple goals she sets for herself. When longtime friend Andrew "Cope" Copeland sends confusing signals she doesn't know what to think, until he asks her out on a date. Both Cope and Ella are taking it slow, shifting gears from friends to lovers, they will have moments where one will feel vulnerable but the one thing they have is the other to be strong.
This truly is a breath taking read. There is a romantic quality that draws you in to the beginning of a beautiful relationship. I loved the subtle declarations of their love.
Cope has a reputation for being a bit of a player, but he has just been sowing his oats until he felt the time is right to try for Ella.
Ella has spent the last several years overcoming a brutal attack. With each day she finds the strength to move on and achieve the simple goals she sets for herself. When longtime friend Andrew "Cope" Copeland sends confusing signals she doesn't know what to think, until he asks her out on a date. Both Cope and Ella are taking it slow, shifting gears from friends to lovers, they will have moments where one will feel vulnerable but the one thing they have is the other to be strong.
November 4, 2010
I loved this book. Cope is wonderful. While Brody was a great hero in his book, I think I liked this one better. This story was more relationship driven and we got to see a little of everyone in the Brown/Copeland inner circle.
Great addition to the series. I can't wait to read Adrian's book. **Ms Dane, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't pair Adrian with Raven. Thank you.
Great addition to the series. I can't wait to read Adrian's book. **Ms Dane, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't pair Adrian with Raven. Thank you.
November 30, 2010
I think Lauren Dane is a hell of a writer. There really isn't a lot of external plot to this book, it's all internal conflict but it keeps you turning pages. Her skill is evident in the fact that even though I wondered where she was going with story, I went right along with her. Plus the woman can write a love scene hot enough to burn your fingers.
March 9, 2014
Several times I thought... do I go on? Yes I did, maybe I shouldn't have! This was just so so for me. I didn't find the connection between Ella and Cope. Ella's character didn't ring my bell and Cope seemed a bit wishy washy. Oh well. The beauty of reading is that there is always another book to read. :)
November 23, 2010
“Inside Out” by Lauren Dane is the third book in her Brown Sibling series, even though technically neither the hero (Cope) nor the heroine (Ella) is a Brown sibling. But, they are close friends of the gang and Cope is Erin’s brother-in-law so that’s how they fit into that. These are fantastic books and a really heart-warming (although at times gut wrenching emotional) series. I did enjoy this third book but I must admit that it was my least favorite installment.
Ella. She is such a genuine and sweet person. And after all the sh*t she went through at the hands of her ex, she truly deserves happiness. I was her personal cheerleader when she overcame some of her fears in this book. And I was totally high fiving her and smacking her on the butt when she confronted a certain ass hat that no one else would challenge. I mean talk about a kick ass chick! Lauren does a wonderful job at writing Ella. Actually she does a wonderful job writing all of the characters in this series. It’s what makes this series great.
Cope. Andrew Copeland. He’s been the resident playboy in this series. When I found out that Cope and Ella would be each other’s HEA, I was really glad. Little did we know that he has actually been pinning over Ella for years. Years! Cope is loving and loyal to his friends and family. Since he’s known Ella for ages, he knows exactly what she’s been through and what it has taken for her just to get to where she is today. He wouldn’t push her, which is what she needs. Because of his feelings for her, he’s willing to do whatever she needs to help her heal. And little did we know that there is this entire sweet side that he’s kept hidden away. He’s actually a sweet poet and a very talented carpenter and artist! Who knew?! I love him for Ella. And Ella, again because she’s known him for a while, feels confident that he won’t force her into situations that makes her uneasy. Really, Lauren has made a perfect match.
That being said, I just found that this installment was lacking some of the sparkle that the first two had. Not that this wasn’t a well written story. The characters are lovely and I’m happy with where the story took them. Maybe it’s because this story wasn’t about one of the Brown siblings per say, although they certainly were in this book a lot… Sometimes it almost seemed like this story was about Erin and her pregnancy more than Ella and Cope. But other than that, I can’t say what was lacking exactly. All of the pieces were there but I just didn’t feel the same magic that I’ve felt while reading “Laid Bare” and “Coming Undone”.
I hope you don’t get me wrong here. This was a good book with a solid story. You don’t have to read the first two books in order to appreciate this, but you would miss much of Ella’s back story if you didn’t. But then, you wouldn’t have those two books to compare and you might enjoy this book even more. Either way, Lauren Dane does delivers a nice love story.
3.5 stars
Ella. She is such a genuine and sweet person. And after all the sh*t she went through at the hands of her ex, she truly deserves happiness. I was her personal cheerleader when she overcame some of her fears in this book. And I was totally high fiving her and smacking her on the butt when she confronted a certain ass hat that no one else would challenge. I mean talk about a kick ass chick! Lauren does a wonderful job at writing Ella. Actually she does a wonderful job writing all of the characters in this series. It’s what makes this series great.
Cope. Andrew Copeland. He’s been the resident playboy in this series. When I found out that Cope and Ella would be each other’s HEA, I was really glad. Little did we know that he has actually been pinning over Ella for years. Years! Cope is loving and loyal to his friends and family. Since he’s known Ella for ages, he knows exactly what she’s been through and what it has taken for her just to get to where she is today. He wouldn’t push her, which is what she needs. Because of his feelings for her, he’s willing to do whatever she needs to help her heal. And little did we know that there is this entire sweet side that he’s kept hidden away. He’s actually a sweet poet and a very talented carpenter and artist! Who knew?! I love him for Ella. And Ella, again because she’s known him for a while, feels confident that he won’t force her into situations that makes her uneasy. Really, Lauren has made a perfect match.
That being said, I just found that this installment was lacking some of the sparkle that the first two had. Not that this wasn’t a well written story. The characters are lovely and I’m happy with where the story took them. Maybe it’s because this story wasn’t about one of the Brown siblings per say, although they certainly were in this book a lot… Sometimes it almost seemed like this story was about Erin and her pregnancy more than Ella and Cope. But other than that, I can’t say what was lacking exactly. All of the pieces were there but I just didn’t feel the same magic that I’ve felt while reading “Laid Bare” and “Coming Undone”.
I hope you don’t get me wrong here. This was a good book with a solid story. You don’t have to read the first two books in order to appreciate this, but you would miss much of Ella’s back story if you didn’t. But then, you wouldn’t have those two books to compare and you might enjoy this book even more. Either way, Lauren Dane does delivers a nice love story.
3.5 stars
October 29, 2010
OK, I'm a horrible review writer. But there is no other way to describe this book other than to say it moved me. I laughed, I cried, I loved the relationship between Cope and Ella.
I normally feel horrible when I receive a copy of a book before it's official release date because I feel it doesn't benefit the author. However, since I had it on pre-order, I didn't have control of when this was shipped to me. I was thrilled when I got it, I have no shame in now admitting. The characters were engaging and passionate, their relationship a lesson in learning to love and accepting love and all it's different facets from the thrill of the first date to the realization that you don't want to live your life without this person. Ella was a heroine who struggled to overcome a great deal of personal tragedy in her life and made herself better for it. Cope proved to be a man of many talents and finding that one woman to love him, that he loved in return, made him a far richer and romantic hero than I ever imagined he was going to be. I finished this book in six hours. I simply could not put it down.
Ms. Dane outdid herself. I have loved, respected, and kept many, many books she has written on my keeper shelves. With this book, she has firmly earned her spot on my auto-buy list and a permanent place on my keeper shelves for as long as she'd like to occupy them . I look forward, with great anticipation, for the next book in The Brown Series.
I normally feel horrible when I receive a copy of a book before it's official release date because I feel it doesn't benefit the author. However, since I had it on pre-order, I didn't have control of when this was shipped to me. I was thrilled when I got it, I have no shame in now admitting. The characters were engaging and passionate, their relationship a lesson in learning to love and accepting love and all it's different facets from the thrill of the first date to the realization that you don't want to live your life without this person. Ella was a heroine who struggled to overcome a great deal of personal tragedy in her life and made herself better for it. Cope proved to be a man of many talents and finding that one woman to love him, that he loved in return, made him a far richer and romantic hero than I ever imagined he was going to be. I finished this book in six hours. I simply could not put it down.
Ms. Dane outdid herself. I have loved, respected, and kept many, many books she has written on my keeper shelves. With this book, she has firmly earned her spot on my auto-buy list and a permanent place on my keeper shelves for as long as she'd like to occupy them . I look forward, with great anticipation, for the next book in The Brown Series.
August 23, 2010
I've read every book in the Brown's siblings series and each one is as good as the previous release. This book is about Ella, who we met in Book One (Laid Bare). This is the first time we've gotten into Ella's head and I really like this chick. After a traumatic event that took place 3 years earlier, we see Ella recovering from the inside out (pun intended). I like that she LIKES herself, that she's not so broken that she sees herself as weak. The hero, to my surprise, has his own problems. From the previous books, he came across as the loose hipped playboy gorgeous type...but in this book we learn why. He's not a nasty 'ho or anything like that, but there is a method to his madness that came as a complete surprise.
One a final note, the previous books had a keen sense of suspense. You never knew if somebody was gonna die, or get attacked or kidnapped, etc. This book didn't really have any of that, BUT there was enough emotional turmoil from "regular old family stuff" that made me root and cheer for the hero and heroine, as well as wish I could jump into the book and kick a couple of people's asses!
One a final note, the previous books had a keen sense of suspense. You never knew if somebody was gonna die, or get attacked or kidnapped, etc. This book didn't really have any of that, BUT there was enough emotional turmoil from "regular old family stuff" that made me root and cheer for the hero and heroine, as well as wish I could jump into the book and kick a couple of people's asses!
May 10, 2011
A good read, but I just felt it took too long for anything to happen. It was the same thing over and over: he was a major player, but he knew she was different for him. She was badly abused in a previous relationship so she wanted to take it slow- played over and over, at the coffee shop, the bachelorette party, the engagement party. The sexual tension kept trying to build and there was a lot of talk about it, but I never felt it at the intensity I think it could have been. What I did like about the book was the H & h were so likable and had a great, easy friendship. Also all the characters from the previous books played a major role throughout the book (which I loved because I forgot a lot about their books and stories) and their story lines were almost more involving. I really enjoyed the ending though and how everything came together.
October 21, 2012
I am really enjoying this series. Although both of the main characters are technically not "Brown Siblings", they are really dominant characters in the previous books, so I'm glad they got their own story.
This book is a bit different than the other ones though. In the other books, the couples started their relationships all hot and heavy, not waiting long at all to sleep together. In this one, they developed their relationship slowly. It made sense, though. Ella is still recovering from her last relationship with an abusive jerk who tried to kill her when she broke up with him. Cope understands this, and he takes it slow partly because he doesn't want her to be afraid of him, and partly to shed his image as a player.
All this serves to create some major sexual tension. Don't worry, though. When it happens, it's totally worth the wait.
This book is a bit different than the other ones though. In the other books, the couples started their relationships all hot and heavy, not waiting long at all to sleep together. In this one, they developed their relationship slowly. It made sense, though. Ella is still recovering from her last relationship with an abusive jerk who tried to kill her when she broke up with him. Cope understands this, and he takes it slow partly because he doesn't want her to be afraid of him, and partly to shed his image as a player.
All this serves to create some major sexual tension. Don't worry, though. When it happens, it's totally worth the wait.
April 28, 2011
Wow! Lauren Dane knows how to write a romance. She does such a good job of fitting the story with the characters. I love the circle of friends that developed from the first book in this series. If you have not read this series, you would do well to start with the first book, Laid Bare and then read the books in order. You will get more enjoyment out of the success of the relationship between Ella and Cope covered in this book.
March 19, 2011
I really liked books 1 and 2...
But I LOVED this book. I didn't have expectations one way or the other, just knew that I'd enjoy Cope's book, but I was so enamored by this beautifully sweet and steamy love story. I was completely smitten with both Cope and Ella, and this will go down as one of my favorite contemporary love stories. My heart fluttered so many times!! I would reread this even, and I'm not a big reread person.
PS: I still have no love for Raven.
But I LOVED this book. I didn't have expectations one way or the other, just knew that I'd enjoy Cope's book, but I was so enamored by this beautifully sweet and steamy love story. I was completely smitten with both Cope and Ella, and this will go down as one of my favorite contemporary love stories. My heart fluttered so many times!! I would reread this even, and I'm not a big reread person.
PS: I still have no love for Raven.
November 5, 2012
Meh. High 2 low 3 star range. I really liked the first book. Thought the brother was too perfect in the second book. Waited for something to happen in this book. Where's the conflict? Where's the sexual tension? Yawn... where's the end of the story? Actually that is not fair. The last two chapters have lots happening and are the saving grace of an otherwise boring book.
November 4, 2010
Read: Nov 3 2010
Reread: Oct 22 2011
As with Laid Bare and Trinity (Cascadia Wolves, #7), I'm conflicted about this book. I think I'm developing a love/hate relationship with Lauren Dane, because there's always things I really, really like in her stories, but her writing style just isn't really me. And yet I keep coming back, and it's all because of her wonderful characters.
The Brown Siblings is an original contemporary series (which don't necessarily have to be read in order, though I think it adds to the overal story). As with all the Brown books so far, the heroine is a strong character with a painful past - this time in the form of an abusive ex-boyfriend - and the hero is the bad looking but kind, sweet and supporting rock you can lean on type. Both are part of the Brown Siblings friends circle, and the story follows them, and their friends over a longer period of time.
These are my kind of people: indie music, tattoo's and piercings, and very nice people in a tight group of friends. Reading a Brown book always feels a bit like coming home. Both Cope and Ella were introduced in the previous books; Cope as the flirty womanizer who always happens to bump in when there's food being served, and Ella as Erin's employee going through a rough time.
Ella and Cope have been friends for 6 years, and they both reach a point in their life where they are ready to do something about the attraction they feel for each other. Enter slow but delicious romancing. The thing I like best about this series is that Dane takes her time to develop the relationship. No one week of adventuring together and finding true love. Dane's characters fall in love slowly, and work on their relationships. However, since Cope and Ella have been friends for 6 years before this book, the story is developed over less time than the previous 2 books, and I regret not seeing them as friends first. I think the story would have fared better if some of that friendship had been shown in the previous books, but to me Ella and Cope seemed very unrelated until this book.
While Cope and Ella's story was sweet and they fitted great together, I never got into it completely. These people need to lighten up. Which is strange because they go dancing and have lunch together, and meet for beers and pools. It's obvious they are a fun loving crowd, but they take everything so terribly serious. Allmost all dialogue felt like a combo between graveyard speeches about how great someone is and self-help class monologues. People don't speak like this. Especially not flirty tattoed mangods (I'm not sure there's anyone who speaks like this, really). It just doesn't fit.
It didn't help that the same conversations were held multiple times with various people. I get that this is a very tight group of friends, but to feel so entitled to but in, I thought they could care and understand Cope a bit better. I was seriously unimpressed by how the people I came to love in the previous books weren't the great friends I expected them to be. I think they seriously failed if they didn't know about Cope's carpenting, house and art skills. It didn't ring entirely true either. The people I met in the earlier books wouldn't have missed something like this.
Early in the book there was another big out of character moment when they all go dancing and Ella claims Whitney Houston's It's Not Right as one of her favorite songs. Compaired to the playlist she later makes for Cope, and the musical tastes of the friends she goes dancing with, this was a serious WTF moment. This might seem like a minor thing, but I love how the music is a big part in this series, and used to define the characters, and this just totally didn't fit with my view on Ella and her friends.
Even with the stilted writing and the slight out of characterness I have to give Dane props for her overarching character development. I love that the triad relationship of the first book is still happy together, but that it's causing problems in their community and family life. It rings very true to me (I don't know any triads, so I'm not sure) that coming out as a triad means facing adversary and judging people. I like the realistic way that Bens family is(n't) coping with him being in a relationship with a man and a woman. I think Dane is one of few authors who pulled the menage relationship out of the erotica and into the romance genre.
In the end I still feel dissapointed. I know I'm not a 100% fan of Dane's style, so I was expecting to be slightly annoyed with it, and planned on just enjoying the characters. And even with the awesomeness that was Ella and Cope combined, the great connection they made, Cope's evolution, and the further developement of the Brown siblings and friends, the writing really annoyed me more than I expected. So despite all the things I loved about it, I can only give it 3 stars, and recommend it to readers who enjoyed the previous books, don't mind Dane's style, and want to know what happens further in the Browns' life.
Reread: Oct 22 2011
As with Laid Bare and Trinity (Cascadia Wolves, #7), I'm conflicted about this book. I think I'm developing a love/hate relationship with Lauren Dane, because there's always things I really, really like in her stories, but her writing style just isn't really me. And yet I keep coming back, and it's all because of her wonderful characters.
The Brown Siblings is an original contemporary series (which don't necessarily have to be read in order, though I think it adds to the overal story). As with all the Brown books so far, the heroine is a strong character with a painful past - this time in the form of an abusive ex-boyfriend - and the hero is the bad looking but kind, sweet and supporting rock you can lean on type. Both are part of the Brown Siblings friends circle, and the story follows them, and their friends over a longer period of time.
These are my kind of people: indie music, tattoo's and piercings, and very nice people in a tight group of friends. Reading a Brown book always feels a bit like coming home. Both Cope and Ella were introduced in the previous books; Cope as the flirty womanizer who always happens to bump in when there's food being served, and Ella as Erin's employee going through a rough time.
Ella and Cope have been friends for 6 years, and they both reach a point in their life where they are ready to do something about the attraction they feel for each other. Enter slow but delicious romancing. The thing I like best about this series is that Dane takes her time to develop the relationship. No one week of adventuring together and finding true love. Dane's characters fall in love slowly, and work on their relationships. However, since Cope and Ella have been friends for 6 years before this book, the story is developed over less time than the previous 2 books, and I regret not seeing them as friends first. I think the story would have fared better if some of that friendship had been shown in the previous books, but to me Ella and Cope seemed very unrelated until this book.
While Cope and Ella's story was sweet and they fitted great together, I never got into it completely. These people need to lighten up. Which is strange because they go dancing and have lunch together, and meet for beers and pools. It's obvious they are a fun loving crowd, but they take everything so terribly serious. Allmost all dialogue felt like a combo between graveyard speeches about how great someone is and self-help class monologues. People don't speak like this. Especially not flirty tattoed mangods (I'm not sure there's anyone who speaks like this, really). It just doesn't fit.
It didn't help that the same conversations were held multiple times with various people. I get that this is a very tight group of friends, but to feel so entitled to but in, I thought they could care and understand Cope a bit better. I was seriously unimpressed by how the people I came to love in the previous books weren't the great friends I expected them to be. I think they seriously failed if they didn't know about Cope's carpenting, house and art skills. It didn't ring entirely true either. The people I met in the earlier books wouldn't have missed something like this.
Early in the book there was another big out of character moment when they all go dancing and Ella claims Whitney Houston's It's Not Right as one of her favorite songs. Compaired to the playlist she later makes for Cope, and the musical tastes of the friends she goes dancing with, this was a serious WTF moment. This might seem like a minor thing, but I love how the music is a big part in this series, and used to define the characters, and this just totally didn't fit with my view on Ella and her friends.
Even with the stilted writing and the slight out of characterness I have to give Dane props for her overarching character development. I love that the triad relationship of the first book is still happy together, but that it's causing problems in their community and family life. It rings very true to me (I don't know any triads, so I'm not sure) that coming out as a triad means facing adversary and judging people. I like the realistic way that Bens family is(n't) coping with him being in a relationship with a man and a woman. I think Dane is one of few authors who pulled the menage relationship out of the erotica and into the romance genre.
In the end I still feel dissapointed. I know I'm not a 100% fan of Dane's style, so I was expecting to be slightly annoyed with it, and planned on just enjoying the characters. And even with the awesomeness that was Ella and Cope combined, the great connection they made, Cope's evolution, and the further developement of the Brown siblings and friends, the writing really annoyed me more than I expected. So despite all the things I loved about it, I can only give it 3 stars, and recommend it to readers who enjoyed the previous books, don't mind Dane's style, and want to know what happens further in the Browns' life.
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