This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

Terrific romance and love the supporting characters!

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚💙💜🖤❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📘📗📕📙📘
World building: 🌏🌏🌍🌏🌎
Character development: ☺️🤓🥸😎🙃

The Hero(s): Kashton Colello - his parents died when he was young and he came to live with the Francis family after that. Now he is some sort of security consultant for them and has a villa on the Francis Family estate.

The heroine(s): Bailey Hayes - when kidnappers break into her home, she finds out that her father is Peter Francis. Peter is a tech genius and billionaire who has a wife and three kids of his own.

The Love Story: Bailey is moved onto the Francis families most secure estate, but she is not introduced as Peter’s child, instead her cover is that of an old friend of Kashton’s. She stays with him in his villa on the estate.

This was an odd story. I liked Bailey a lot but felt bad for her since much of her new family acted like she didn’t exist and shouldn’t be included. I liked her brother Matt, but he was completely an elite rich kid who parties too much and uses people for his amusement. It is obvious he has some major issues. The two younger kids have issues as well and their mother Quinn is every bit as bad as Peter, if not worse.

Kash is so hot and he is good to Bailey but he has so much mystery. The more Bailey finds out about him, the less she knows. She can’t understand his position in the family and the way other people react to him, like they do to her brother Matt. It’s like people want to know them and girls want to be near even if it is to be used.

Bailey is pretty much a hacker genius and she just wants to have family. She sees how poorly her siblings are treated and feels for them. She has a good heart, which is what Kash is attracted to in her. There is some great chemistry between them. Tijan books have a bit of steam but not too much explicit eroticism, so the heat/steam level is lower than I generally like in books, but the romance is nice and I like the way Kash and Bailey are together.

I was a bit disappointed in the ending, I felt much of the book was leading up to something that barely happened. Though I know many people like endings like that. I felt sort of like I did in Sleepless in Seattle where the whole movie is about the relationship between two people, then at the end they meet and it is over. I guess I wanted to see more of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks together.

I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

3 out of 5 stars

I should start off by saying I love me some Tijan. I’ve read almost all of her books and I know I’m either going to get a guilty pleasure read I can’t put down (like The Fallen Crest series) or something with surprising emotional depth (like some of her newer standalone books). With that said, this book was a bit of a mess. The first 40% I honestly couldn’t tell if my extreme confusion was due to poor writing or if the author purposely wanted me to be confused. I think the attempt at intrigue fell short and just left the reader wondering wth was going on. I actually had to reread multiple parts to see if I had missed or misunderstood something. The heroine was also not very badass at all for having had so many genius capabilities. It was a bit of a disappointment that she didn’t jump in to save the day ever. Additionally, the romance angle felt very insta-love.

Now I know this review doesn’t come across as very glowing. However, I will still read the next book in the series. Would I recommend this book to someone who has never read Tijan before? No. I don’t think it does her justice and I think they would probably avoid ever reading her backlog. With that said, readers used to Tijan (who haven’t set high expectations for this book) would probably find this book entertaining.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Bailey, our heroine, has her life unneeded when she finds out that she is an illegitimate child who has people after her father. Kash, who is close to her father and works for him, decides to personally oversee to Bailey’s safety. I liked the premise of the book and the suspense in the story. I was not as enamored with the romance though as Bailey and Kash seem more to have a physical relationship than a relationship made of love. The author tells me Kash cares for Bailey, but I wanted to see it and I only saw a little of that love. I am hoping that the next book deepens their relationship and shows that there is more between the two than sex. The book does end on a cliffhanger so if cliffhangers are not your cup of tea, be sure to avoid this read. I do not mind cliffhangers so I eagerly await the next book!

This story is unexpected but in the best way possible!

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this story but I just knew I had to read it! What I got was a crazy twist and turn of events that my mind is still racing from! All I know is that I know nothing! The secrets and hidden truths in the web of Bailey’s life are intriguing and thrilling! There’s a lot going on but when you’re a family of secrets what else is there to expect!

I can not wait to see what comes next I just know that this is only the beginning!

Admittedly the plot was a little all over the place with this book. Parts of the book were also a bit repetitive, that being said I found this book to be completely addictive and I couldn't put it down. The characters drew me in from page one and I was hooked. Very much looking forward to the next novel in this series.

The Outsider is a first-person narration following Bailey, a computer coding whiz-ard who, after an attempted kidnapping of her, learns she is a daughter to a wealthy computing tech founder. Bailey falls into insta-love/lust with Kash, her bodyguard who has intense secrets of his own.
The writing felt disjointed, there was a lot of telling and no showing, especially with Bailey’s so-called genius coding skills. There was no explanation or background of how she accumulated these skills. And the last third of the book had too many things going on, so much so, that it was unbearable.
There were also really skeevy scenes in this book where Bailey watches her newly-acquired brother having sex with someone while he stares at her. Like, whaaaa—???? Skeevy and disturbing to say the least.
I also thought it was very strange and unrealistic that Bailey didn’t have any friends, especially as she is still a young woman in college. The author never made mention of her protagonist being a loner, therefore I’m confused why she doesn’t have a support system outside of her newly-acquired family members. There were too many holes in the plot line and writing style for this reader to enjoy the story, combined with a narrator who was emotionally unstable and bratty to boot made this a book I don’t want to retreat to.

I received an ARC from the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I'll start by saying that I am definitely not in the target audience of readers for "The Insiders" but will readily admit to a bit of a Tijan addiction. Tijan's books are definitely a guilty pleasure! Whenever her books come out, I automatically download them to read and will wait patiently for any new installments. With that being said, Tijan did not disappoint with this new series. After a failed kidnapping attempt on her life, Bailey Hayes finds out that the deceased father she never met was a total fabrication. It turns out her father is Peter Francis, a multimillionaire computer icon, whom she has always idolized. Bailey is a more than a bit of a computer wiz herself. Kashton Colello who is pretty much an honorary member of the Francis family brings Bailey to the family compound in hopes of protecting her. Bailey slowly gets to know her half siblings (even if they don't necessarily know she is their sibling) and starts to wonder what her role will be in this new family. Further, Bailey can't help wonder who Kash really is and what his story is as she and him can't deny their mutual attraction. Great new characters to get to know and a solid romance make this a great read!

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of THE INSIDERS (Book 1 of 3), by Tijan, in exchange for an honest review. Bailey finds out she’s the daughter of her idol, tech billionaire Peter Francis, in the worst way possible. Men break into her home in the middle of the night to kidnap and possibly kill her. The men mention her father, but they don’t name him. Bailey is only saved by a nosy neighbor’s timely call to the police. When officers escort Bailey from the premises, they take her to her father’s business where she’s placed in the custody of Kashton Colello, who runs security for her father. Kash gives Bailey the choice of returning to her normal life where she and her mother will likely be murdered or go with him to her father’s compound and hide out until the kidnappers are caught. Bailey meets her three half-siblings but is forbidden from revealing her identity. If Bailey meets her father, she is to call him Mr. Francis. Kash takes Bailey from her mother and extended family, demands she not contact them, dumps her at his house in the compound, and leaves. Obviously unwelcome, Bailey must navigate through unfriendly and unfamiliar territory alone or be left defenseless and in dire peril. The only way Bailey can go free is if her kidnappers are caught. To complicate matters, Bailey finds herself drawn to Kash who has mastered mixed signals.

I liked this book and look forward to reading the next in the series. I recommend this book to fans of suspenseful romance featuring peril, kidnapping, computers, dissolute youth, wealth, culture clash, and estranged family.

This is my first book by this author and will not be my last. The main character, Bailey, is very likeable and I liked her narrative. I do think that the story moved a bit slowly, a bit repetitive in spots, and could have been wrapped up sooner, Still, I think there is a follow-up story here, and I would read it.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

I've read a few of Tijan's previous books and have always enjoyed them so I was really excited when I was approved for this ARC. Unfortunately, I didn't find the same satisfaction with this book as I had with her other works.

Bailey is a genius who lives with her single mother and just graduated college and will be off to graduate school in a few months. She suffers a kidnapping attempt and is all of a sudden whisked off to her father's estate who she previously thought had passed away. Bailey tries to navigate a new family, being under constant security, missing her mother, and uncovering deep family secrets as well as falling for her bodyguard.

Kash, Bailey's bodyguard and love interest, is the gruff type and in the beginning is very no nonsense with Bailey. We later learn he has deep secrets of his own about his past and his family. His and Bailey's chemistry was off the charts and I loved how deeply he cared for her. He was a bit unavailable emotionally until he laid it all out for Bailey. And I didn't like how he would come back into town at night, have sex with her and then leave the next morning and this would go on for weeks when he kept telling her he would tell her everything but always put it off....it just felt dirty.

I did like the premise of the book and I thought it was an exciting and fast paced read...I really didn't want to put it down. But also, multiple times the writing felt confusing and disconnected. I often had to go back and reread a few paragraphs because I couldn't follow what had happened. I also felt the villain of this book was easy to pick out and pretty predictable.

Also, the cover for this book is confusing. Obviously the woman with dark hair in front is Bailey but I don't know who the other two characters were. If the male was supposed to be Kash he is portrayed way younger than what was told in the book. And I have no idea if the blonde woman is supposed to be Quinn or Bailey's mom? If so, a very young portrayal again.

To be honest I guess I just expected more from the author but because of the intriguing nature of the story I will read the next book in the series. I just hope the writing will be more cohesive.

7.64/10

The Insiders by Tijan is a new adult romance novel that follows our main protagonist named Bailey Hayes. Bailey is a genius with a photographic memory, but her life has been pretty normal until the night that she was almost kidnapped by The Arcane group. After that, she discovers that her father is a billionaire named Peter Francis--the tech whiz that she has admired for her whole life. She learns that she is being targeted in order to get to Peter Francis, and she can either go into the witness protection agency, or she can be protected in Peter Francis's estate. Bailey has to learn to adapt to this new lifestyle of secrecy, her three new siblings that don't even know her true identity, and her personal security guard who makes her heart race every time she sees him. Meanwhile, The Arcane haven't stopped trying to find a way to get to Bailey, and they might even be closer than she could ever imagine.

Now, I wasn’t positive if I was going to like this book, but I was going to power through no matter what because this is the first book I’ve ever read on Netgalley. I really want my feedback ratio to be one hundred percent. At first, I thought it was going to be a LONG journey, but towards the end of the novel, I found myself sad that I will have to wait to read the next book in the series.

The characters bothered me SO MUCH in the beginning. Let me tell y’all, because of this book I finally understand what people mean when they say that books are trying TOO hard to be angsty. I was really unsure of how I felt about our main couple, Kash and Bailey. I didn’t really feel a lot of chemistry between the two in their first couple encounters. The book really wanted me to think there was chemistry though because Bailey would talk about how hot he is in every single chapter–even in the serious moments when there was danger right around the corner. Ultimately, I do think Kash and Bailey are a cute couple though. I wish that there were more moments that showed why they actually love each other and not just lust at first sight taking center stage the whole time.

In the story, there were some moments when more depth and details would’ve been appreciated. I found that the novel would something lack in descriptions of characters. I also want to know more about Kash’s history with Victoria. Hopefully, we’ll learn more about these characters in the next books since The Insiders is the first book of a trilogy. Then there are characters, like Torie, who seemed to kind of pop-up out of nowhere. All of a sudden, Bailey and Torie are best friends even though we barely know anything about her. Also, Bailey seemed WAY too normal after she woke up after being drugged and beat up. She had bruises everywhere and had a bad reaction to the drug, yet she could get up and out of bed right away.

I feel like I’ve been nagging this book the whole time; however, I actually found it to be pretty enjoyable. This book is definitely not for the faint of heart when it comes to…intimate scenes–I meant it when I said that Kash and Bailey’s relationship is fueled by lust. Kash is one of those protective boyfriends, and I love it so much. She needs someone like him, especially when Matt is always getting her in trouble. I think Seraphina and Cyclone are adorable, and I like the whole family dynamic. I think Peter’s speech towards the end was also a nice scene. It showed that Peter does care and wants Bailey in his family, but it also shows how he’ll always be Peter Francis, someone who can’t look bad to the public eye. The ending was definitely a cliffhanger, and I’m both nervous and excited to see where this series will go.

3.75/4 STARS

I LOVE Tijan’s writing, and the plot was really intriguing.

I truly enjoyed the story, Bailey’s character, her connection with Kash, the way she struggled in the middle of her “new” family, so why… WHY couldn’t this book be a standalone????

This kind of ruined the whole experience to me because it felt a little too long until things got interesting, and then it was over… Even the “bonus” didn’t make it feel better…

I really hope the wait won’t be too long, because I got attached to Kash and Bailey, and we’re left with so many questions…

So, yes, since I always make a point to write a fair review, this is what you should take into consideration:

If you are a fan of Tijan’s stories AND if you can handle the wait between books, THIS BOOK IS TOTALLY FOR YOU

In my case, I guess I should have waited until the last book to read the whole trilogy. I’m greedy and impatient like that!

That’s the main reason I “only” rate it with 3.75/4 stars.
The frustration I felt was too big.

Gah! I hate to wait!!!!

Did I say I hate to wait?

There! I said it: I HATE TO WAIT!!!!

The Insiders, by Tijan, was a book I was looking forward to reading. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t figure out what was going on. I felt like the story line was all over the place and I kept waiting for something to happen and bring it all together. It just didn’t seem cohesive at all to me and I found that I wasn’t interested. I’m sure it will appeal to some but this one wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

Rating this less than 5 stars really hurt. I was so excited to see that Tijan was being traditionally published, however the actual story itself didn’t wow me. I never really saw a point to this story. With that, it also ends on a cliffhanger to let me know that there will be more of this story that the author could’ve wrapped up in this one. When I first heard about this book, I didn’t know it was going to be a trilogy.

I do have to say that Tijan always knows how to bait me. She sprinkles some secrets and a love interest that I want to know more about and she has me hook, line, and sinker. I like her ability to weave a story and make it to even if I’m not loving it I have to keep reading. That right there is why I’m giving it three stars.

This had your typical Tijan characters that I would have normally loved. It was just missing that flair to get me really hooked.

Will I read the next one? Most likely for anything just so I can see how this ends.

*I will post to the blog closer to the release date.

Yet another fantastic release from Tijan.

The Insiders is a fast paced romance with a twist. Already having read and loved Tijan’s books in the past, as soon as I read the synopsis for The Insiders I was intrigued and excited, and it did not let me down.

From the first page the story jumps right into the action. I very much enjoyed the main character of this story, Bailey.

Bailey is a tech genius just like her father, Peter Francis. Though, she is not aware of this until she is almost kidnapped because of her connection to her father. Things spiral on from this point as the web of lies and secrets surrounding Baileys life and her newfound family, unravels.

I enjoyed getting to see into the techy side of things with Bailey and how amazing she is with computers. As someone who is a disaster with electronics, that was really cool to read about.

Like I said in the beginning of my review, The Insiders is a fast paced story. It takes off from the beginning and I was thoroughly hooked throughout the story. There is enough intrigue and mystery surrounding Baileys new family to keep you glued to the pages. The romance between Kash and Bailey was interesting in the mix of everything going on in the story, and Tijans writing keeps you engaged.

I Loved this fast paced, and engaging romance! And am highly looking forward to the next one.

**Thank you to the publisher, St. Martins Press, and NetGalley for the early review copy. My review will be posted to my socials and amazon on release day.**

I have read Tijan books forever, I am talking back to Wattpad days. Reading this book was confusing at first because I had to make sure she wrote it. It was amazing like all her other books, but it was so different. The characters were just as broken and lush as always, but it felt like a different tone. I love Kash and Bailey, but I definitely feel like there is more we are unaware of with Kash. The ending was not what I was expecting and it left more questions....like was that really a car accident or was the person behind it? I need more!

3.5 Stars

Have you ever been addicted to a book and had no idea why you were addicted to it? That's how I felt with The Insiders. It was kind of a mess in some ways, but brilliant in others. 

Tijan has an obvious voice in her writing. There's something about the way that she writes that pulls me in. There is a familiarity in the rambling, redundant train of thought her characters have. In some ways it's like coming home, in others it makes all her female main characters feel a little too much alike. Luckily, each has at least one unique quality that prevents them from being carbon copies. Bailey was an incredibly intelligent young woman with a photographic memory. She was close to her mother. She was an introvert without athletic ability. She did have daddy issues like many other Tijan characters, and that was a major part of the plot. Bailey, like the rest of Tijan's female characters, was an underdog I couldn't help rooting for. 

Bailey's love interest in this book was Kash, her father's right hand man. I have to admit I had a hard time buying into the instant love thing going on between Bailey and Kash. I totally got the physical attraction by the descriptions, but the mental connection was what was missing for me. That being said, I appreciate the way the men in Tijan's books stand up for their women, support them, and love them. There's always a jealous female or two, but they don't break the emotional connection the MCs have. The Insiders was entirely in Bailey's POV so Kash felt like a complete mystery throughout most of the book. It wasn't until almost the end that I understood his reasonings and feelings a bit more. I'm hoping in future books he's going to get a POV. Even though I still feel like I don't know him well enough after this book, I could feel his dedication to Bailey. 

As always, Tijan's side characters were fantastic. Bailey's other younger siblings were sweet in their own ways. I hated and loved Matthew, the poor messed up guy that he was. I can also tell there are some female friendships for Bailey that are going to turn out to be strong connections I'll love in future books. Bailey's parents played a big part in this book. I liked her mom, but the jury is still out on her dad for me. Heck, even the "bad guys" were great characters who snuck up on me. I won't say who they are, but I liked them. 

Now I'm going to get down to the messiest thing about The Insiders for me. The plot. I hate to say it, but the majority of the books felt like it was lacking a plot. Everything felt surface level. Bailey was on this almost redundant road to nowhere. Nights with her man, hanging out with Matthew, connecting with the little kids, all while worrying about her relationship with her father and her possible kidnappers. It kind of felt like things were going nowhere until BAM! everything came into focus towards the end. Once revelations starting coming, they didn't stop. It was like fast forward had been pushed and everything started happening all at once. I finally got it then, the lead up. I understood and liked this book even more. It's weird to admit, but I didn't mind when the book was I felt like there wasn't much of a plot. I was still addicted. And that addiction paid off in big ways. Some I saw coming, some I should have seen coming, and some that truly surprised me. 

So, yeah. Sorry this review is a little rambling. I just wanted to make sure I got everything across about how I felt about The Insiders. It was a hard book to rate. I couldn't decide if it deserved 3 or 4 stars from me. It wasn't my favorite book by Tijan (How can anything beat the FCH series?), but it I enjoyed every minute of it. It left me wanting to know more about basically everything. I'm happy this will be a three book series, so that I can get to know Kash better and find out what happens in Bailey's life.

Bailey is an excellent hacker who lives with her single mom, working towards graduate school. But when she is targeted in an attempted kidnapping, she is suddenly brought in to her unknown father’s family and she has to navigate now being the outsider in her new role. Add in protection from Kashmir Colello and Bailey soon finds herself way out of her depth.

I loved the first two thirds of this story as it developed the whole situation. But then it fell off the rails as it tried to incorporate Kash’s story into it. Needs more development to understand the premise. But it still makes me want even more Tijan!

From the synopsis this isn’t the kind of story that I would choose to read. But I have read several other books by Tijan and liked them. I am so glad that I did read this book. I was drawn in from the first page. And throughout the story I kept trying to figure things out. I was on the edge of my seat. Bailey is thrown into a different world when she goes to live with her father she’s never met. She is there for her safety. Kash is close with her father and his family. He watches over Bailey to keep her safe. But there is so much mystery surrounding him. This is an original story with great characters.