ARC Review: Inside Out by Lia Riley

I will admit that this review is a hard one for me to write. I have been waiting for Inside Out and the conclusion of Bran and Talia's story, and I have loved these characters since I first read about them. But I found with Sideswiped I had a few problems, and I was worried that Inside Out would be the same for me. Unfortunately, I have to say that it was. While I wanted to love this one, I just couldn't. I was happy with how things ended and I am glad that Talia and Bran were able to figure things out, but this one had a few things that I just had some issues with.

Inside Out picks up after the events of the first two books. Talia and Bran are once again together, but have been struggling with their new relationship status. While Talia was in Africa and Bran was in the Sea Alliance, they hardly got to speak to one another. Now as they are finally reunited, they are forced to face yet another obstacle that stands in their way. Though they have always made it through together before, will they be able to this time?

Bran and Talia have been two of my favorites since I started this series. I loved them both almost instantly and I think that is because they are so different yet real. I will say that in Sideswiped I had issues with both. It was clear to me after reading that story that they both had a ways to go before they could ever really be ready for a serious commitment. They both had things to face, and a lot of growing up to do. I think that we got to see some of that with this book. Talia and Bran have never had it easy, but they were able to make it through because of the love and support between them. I felt like they both were really there for one another in this book, and it was nice to see each one encouraging the other when they needed it most. Bran and Talia have always had chemistry and a connection, but this book really felt like it had been a bit dimmed for me. For some reason, I just wasn't feeling the spark that I had felt between them before.

For me, Inside Out just felt like something was missing. It felt almost like a really long epilogue to me that was a bit drug out and slow. I liked how things ended for these two, but I honestly don't think that we needed this much more. There just didn't really seem to be a story to tell, and I found my attention wondering a lot. As I tried to get through this one, my interest would waver and I would have to walk away for awhile before coming back to try again. I'm a bit disappointed that I found myself wanting to skim with these characters, because I really have loved them and reading their story. If you have already read the previous two books in this series, I think that you will still want to read this one even with the criticisms I had. If you haven't already read those two books, then you definitely need to read those before starting Inside Out. I think Lia Riley created some great characters though, and I will look for more from her in the future.

**ARC Provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing)**

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