Twenty-three year old
model Charley Whitlock built a quiet life for herself after disaster struck
four years ago. She hides beneath her beautiful mask, never revealing her true
self to the world... until she comes face-to-face with her new photographer —
sexy, possessive Jude Anderson. It's clear from the first time she meets him
that she's playing by his rules. He says jump, she asks how high. He tells her
to unzip her cream Dior gown; she knows she has to comply. But what if she
wants him to take charge outside of the studio as well?Jude Anderson has a strict "no model" dating policy. But everything about Charley sets his body on fire.
When a tropical photo shoot in Hawaii forces the stubborn pair into sexually charged situations, their chemistry can no longer be ignored. They’ll have to decide if they’re willing to break their rules and leave the past behind or if they’ll stay consumed by their demons forever.
Will Jude persuade Charley to give in to her deepest desires?
I’m seriously suffering from a book hangover after this story.
It’s a story about the pain some people keep locked up inside themselves. It’s
about clawing away from that pain and trusting someone enough to let them in
and allowing them lead you away from that darkness.
On the outside, Charley Whitlock has it all – her beautiful
WASP features have led her into modelling, her well-to-do upbringing made her
want for nothing growing up, yet for the past four years, she has been
vacillating between pure darkness and trying desperately to pull herself from the
greyness bordering on the light. The dark past she carries with her threatens
to take over her life more often than she would like, but Charley is a fighter,
and she’s determined to not let it rule her life.
Jude…what can I say about Jude? I wish he were real. He’s my
new book boyfriend…I wish he were real. Although our first introduction to Jude
is not a pretty one, we soon find out that there is a bit more to this cool,
sexy photographer than meets the eye. He may shoot bikini-clad models now, but
there is much more to his snide demeanour and cool indifference. Masking his
pain behind fast women and one-night-stands, Jude is just trying to function.
He’s trying to forget. He’s trying to make it through every day without his
demons coming out of the shadows to drag him back under again.
Fiercely protective of what he sees as his, Jude is the
whole package: sexy, alluring, sometimes smug and completely weak-knee
inducing. He is the bad boy, the tease, the sex-god…but he’s also got a sweet
side – he’s considerate and kind, protective and loyal.
From the first moment that they see each other, Charley and
Jude both know that the chemistry between them cannot be ignored. They play cat
and mouse with each other, flirting and pushing the limits of their friendship
until it goes past the point of no return. After and embarrassing mistake from
Charley, she thinks that Jude isn’t interested in her at all – shattering her
self-esteem until Jude sets her straight.
An intense roller coaster of events lands them in Hawaii
where the spark between them ignites into a fire that burn white-hot. But
Charley can’t seem to push past her own dark past, even when Jude bares his
soul to her, and tells her everything about his charred and ruined past. The
thing with Jude that is so amazing though is the fact that he see the pain
behind Charley’s eyes, yet he’s determined to save her, to stop her hiding away
in isolation. Charley is heart-breakingly broken, but to Jude, she’s perfect.
I really couldn’t find any fault with Behind his Lens. The plot is incredibly well-paced. I ravenously
devoured the pages until I could get to the end, and when that inevitable
happened, I found that I didn’t want it to end. The whole flow of the book was
great with spot-on descriptions and intense imagery especially when it came to
describing the depth of Charley and Jude’s pain and regrets, their hurt and
their trauma.
The chemistry between Charley and Jude is so incredibly
well-written – the description of the different scenes and the emotive writing
makes you believe in their attraction. With many heart-rate-spiking,
panty-soaking loves scenes between Charley and Jude, for the erotica and romance
readers out there, there is certainly enough steam on these pages to satisfy
you.
Grey did such a great job with building her characters that I
truly felt like I knew Charley and Jude. When they were happy, I was happy;
when they were hurting, I was hurting. With great supporting characters like
Noami and Bennett, they act as the life buoys in both of their lives, keeping
them afloat when the waves of their pasts threaten to crash over them
completely. It was also refreshing to have both Jude and Charley with their own
voices – I love seeing the perspective of a man, to see what he’s thinking.
I would highly recommend Behind
his Lens to all those romance readers out there. If you like your leading
men strong and dominating, then Jude is the man for you. Charley compliments
and softens his rougher edges and Jude’s strength bolsters Charley and makes
her want to fight her demons.
About R.S. Grey
I am a lover of books, chocolate, reality TV, black labs, and cold
weather. Seriously, if I had it my way I would be curled up on the couch
with all of those things... everyday.
I live in Texas where I spend my free time writing and reading. My favorite authors are Mindy Kaling & Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm a comedy geek and love all things "funny". Women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling are definitely the biggest inspirations for my writing, though I think my work tends to skew a bit smuttier than theirs.