In I Belong to You (Inside Out #5) by Lisa Renee Jones, Mark Compton is a man who knows what it’s like to lose 
everything held dear to him. He’s lost two women he’s cared for very deeply over the past ten years and refuses to get close enough to anyone else for that to happen again. Until he meets Crystal Smith. Then Mark’s world is altered forever. The control he exerts over his private and professional life disappears when Crystal is near him. He no longer is the Master, but a slave to her touch and her attention. So when threats are made against her and Mark’s family, he will do everything in his power to protect them. Even if that means getting his hands dirty along the way.
“This isn’t about one night anymore, Crystal. If I stay, I won’t walk away again. I’ll try to own you,” he warns. “I want you that badly.”
Crystal Smith has learned so much from Dana Compton since she began working at Riptide auction house. But with Dana now undergoing treatment for cancer, she takes over managing the company while supporting her dear friend. Dana’s son Mark enters the picture, helping his mother through the difficult process while keeping an eye on Crystal. The sparks that fly between them are probably obvious to everyone, but she’s not willing to give up control of her life to a domineering alpha male. Especially when she finds out the details of Mark’s previous relationship and his dominant ways in the bedroom. But ignoring him turns out to be more difficult than Crystal thought. He might just be the right man to help her deal with her past and love and protect her in the future.
‘He’s both night and day, good and bad, in all the ways every girl wants a man to be bad.’
Lisa Renee Jones has done an incredible job with Mark and Crystal’s romance in I Belong to You. Be prepared for the raw, agonizing pasts they revealed to each other, and for the hope and tenderness that grew out of those confessions.
‘We’re two people who seem to everyone else to have blessed lives, but both of us live in glass houses, captive to the same stone. And that stone is a trauma in our pasts.’
I was truly bowled over with how intense and wonderfully written this novel turned out to be. I kind of jumped in here after only reading the Master Undone novella, so I had a pretty major learning curve to say the least. But Ms. Jones was able to convey everything I needed to know about Crystal, Mark, and the rest of the characters as the story progressed, so it was fairly easy to follow along. I really loved how everything in this story fit together, from the vividly detailed emotions in each scene, to the mystery of who was really out to get Mark, to the way family dynamics played a part in decisions made by both himself and Crystal.
Mark and Crystal made a compelling couple. They were both so controlling in their personal and professional lives that those tendencies caused friction every time they were together. I loved that Crystal wasn’t naturally submissive and had Mark on his toes attempting to find control in their encounters. That push/pull in their relationship made their scenes so much fun to read, while they verbally sparred and tried to outwit each other. I couldn’t get over the tormented pasts they both endured, once we found out all of the details, and how they bravely were able to move on afterward. Mark and Crystal were tailor-made for each other with their inner strength and fierce loyalty. And don’t even get me started on the love scenes. Wow! I didn’t find them in the least bit crude or gratuitous like some erotic stories. Instead, I thought they fit this couple perfectly, with a blend of light BDSM and vanilla. 😉
Fans of the Inside Out series will be happy to finally find out what traumatic event turned Mark to become the Master. And I think his transformation here with Crystal in his life will leave you breathless and completely sated.
Book Info:
Published November 18th 2014 by Gallery Books | (Inside Out #5)
Master…
Being that person, that man is how I define myself, how I allow the rest of the world to define me as well. And now, with a terrible loss shredding me inside out and someone trying to destroy my family to punish me, control is more important than ever. It is everything. It is what I need. It is all I need. Or maybe I just need…her.
