In a wonderful first installment of what is sure to be yet another incredible serial, Beth Kery introduces us to an amazing set of characters. This introduction is set in the beautiful Lake Tahoe, where we meet the sinfully sexy software mogul Jacob Latimer, and the smart and sassy investigative journalist Harper McFaddan. Amidst the undeniable chemistry between these two, we witness the ominous foreboding that there is a whole lot more to this story. Ms. Kery once again has done an impeccable job concocting a plot where lives intertwine and interlace in a way that leaves you hungry for more. Oh and did I mention that this snippet ends with one of the best self-gratification scenes ever? Well… it does. It absolutely does! This reader isn’t likely to forget these characters anytime soon

This book was originally 8 installments in a series. When I started reading the series, I was reading each installment in it separately. My impression after reading the whole thing together is different than what it was when the parts of this book were actually separate books.By putting all these installments together as one book, you wind up with a long book that feels like it is repetitive in some spots and, dragging in others and just going in completely random directions in other spots. Each part of the book has it's own subplot, rising action and climax but the central issue in the book is not resolved until the very end. I have to be honest, even though some of the installments in the series would have been a high 4 star rating for me, after reading the whole book, I was exhausted. I actually skimmed over sex scenes because each one was similar to the one before, they took up a lot of pages and I just wanted to get to the flipping point.

The premise of this book about Harper and Jacob is intriguing. So if you read the blurb of this book you know that Harper moves to Tahoe to start over after she basically loses her whole family. Jacob is the mysterious tech billionaire whose enigmatic sex appeal is legendary on the lake shores. From the very first time Harper meets Jacob she is drawn to him with such intensity it's as if her body somehow remembers him. And that may be more true than Harper knows. Harper and Jacob embark on a "no strings" relationship but that sure doesn't seem to be no ties because oh how Jacob loved him some tied up lovin.

Harper quickly discovers that she has a strong desire for sexual submission. This suits Jacob perfectly because he wants to dominate. At the same time it becomes more and more clear to Harper and us that what Jacob really wants is to take care of Harper. I love a tortured alpha male. I was totally here for Jacob to be tormented by the strength of his attraction towards Harper. Jacob is used to being in control. Losing that control was not something he either enjoyed or reacted well to. Harper struggles to understand where Jacob is coming from when one minute he is smoking hot and the next ice cold.

As the book progresses we learn more and more about the history between Jacob and Harper. It's a history that not even Harper is aware of and it explains why Jacob has such intense feelings about Harper. The background between this couple is shrouded in mystery and unanswered questions. And all of this is fun for like 60% of the book. After that point, we are going around and around the same territory again. Not to mention the book is jumping back and forth between 20 years ago and the present. The POV between Harper and Jacob also switches more often than I like. By the end of the book, I was just like, oh for crying out loud tell us why Harper doesn't remember Jacob. And then the author does and I wanted to punch somebody in the face. If I had gotten the way overly simplistic explanation like 100 pages into this book I might have been ok. It was not worth waiting 8 installments worth of book for. I think you will enjoy parts of this book more than the whole thing. If this book is ever edited down and some of the redundancy removed, it could be really good.

Make Me was published as a serial, and I'm super excited that this is now available in book form. (*whispers* I'm not the biggest fan of serials—too impatient, I like reading stories all in one go.) I loved Beth Kery's Make Me when it first came out, and re-reading it for the “compilation” release just brought that home. The end just made me want to hug something - which is saying a lot. 

There's so much that I can't discuss without spoiling the story for you—and it's the crux of everything, so it's killing me not to lay out all the wonderful, subtle, beautiful complexities of Make Me, so I hope you'll read it and come back to discuss the book with me. That being said ... 

In my head, I thought of Make Me as en erotic romance, of course, but also and possibly more importantly, as a psychological thriller, of sorts. It read to me like something that could be a case study for a psychology course. Of course, an extremely entertaining study—and I think it'd make a lot more people much more interested in psychology. I definitely loved it. There's so much going on in wonderful and intricate layers that just draw you in. There isn't suspense and action in the traditional sense, but it definitely gets in your head. It makes you examine a person's psyche, how experience shapes the person one might become, and more.

Although Jacob seems to be the untouchable stalwart billionaire magnate, he's so vulnerable and unsure. In fact, pretty early on he admits the drive to make sure he isn't (once more) reduced to nothing is what drives him. While they have a shared tragic history, Harper's method of overcoming that was entirely different. There's something there, but she couldn't access it. I loved the juxtaposition of two parallel histories that were dealt with in such disparate ways. And then bringing them together in a beautiful love story. 

Beyond that, I actually loved the mundanity in the books - the uncertainty, the “will s/he, or won't s/he” some of the “does s/he like me? Know me? Remember me?” While often authors are too heavy handed, or veer into “wangst” territory, I never felt that was the case in Make Me. You sympathized with Harper and Jacob. Both of them had moments where they were unsteady, unsure, but I here it made them relatable. They're both so high powered and established, but so very human. Reading about them individually was a delight, and together - pure pleasure.

While at times Jacob seems pretty heavy handed, and almost is a jerk, I felt he had a lot to work through—the hurt of being abandoned, literally ghosted despite trying for years, so I felt there was balance. There's also the fact that Harper checks him when he does get out of hand. They're perfectly matched. He's loved her his whole life, and has been waiting for her. It makes the perfect in control tycoon lose his cool, and that was just fun to see.

There are a lot of necessary flashbacks in the book, and usually I'm not a fan, but it's an integral part of the story—the development of Jacob and Harper's characters, what ties them together and yet separates them. I thought it was incredibly well done, and enjoyed them. Even as they broke my heart. They do a lot to explain why Jacob is the man he is today—why he's so adamant about looking only to the future, and so particular. 

Make Me is achingly erotic, but also emotional. The moments revealed between Harper and Jacob throughout their lives—the letters. They'll rip your heart out. And this scene: “...You want to know if I love you?” he asked, stepping toward her. She resisted an urge to step back, he looked so fierce. “I worship the ground you walk on. I love you more than anything on this earth. I'd sacrifice everything for you.” 

Their chemistry is incendiary. However, there are tender, sweet moments too. Beyond that, Jacob and Harper also have fun. This book just has it all. Make Me is smart, overwhelmingly sexy, and an all around delight to read. If you missed this as a serial and like erotic romance, I highly recommend this book.

What is meant to be will always find its way. 

There is not much more exciting as a reader and/or blogger than meeting a book you’ve been dying to read or an author whose work you’ve wanted to meet for a while. The giddy delight I get when I meet a new or new-to-me author’s words is BOOKWORM BLISS! That rush during that initial read is off-the-charts incredible! I popped my Beth Kery book cherry and oh what a blast this brilliant book was from beginning to end!!! Spellbinding, smoldering, and suspenseful, Make Me burns the body and steals the soul in a story that is PURE MAGIC!!!

I fell in INSTANT LOVE with Make Me, an achingly addictive love story that held me hard, heating my body…hijacking my heart…HIJACKING ME. The entertaining and enticing writing was delicious…a delight to devour. This book BURNED—so blazing HOT—where I melted into molten lava! 

The meticulous and magical writing was pure intensity and intoxication. I could not put this fierce and flaming tale down. Alluring. Amusing. All-consuming. I WAS ALL IN!

Beautiful copper-haired and blue-eyed Harper McFadden is an investigative journalized who left the big and busy life in San Francisco for a slower life in Lake Tahoe where she hopes to find peace. Instead she finds the elusive and gorgeous software mogul, Jacob Latimer. Tall and muscular with dark hair and hazel eyes, Jacob is a hot god. 


“We all feel the need to hide away at times in our life. To forget the past.”

“I can help you forget, Harper.”
  

Harper and Jacob’s chance meeting feels like fate, and Jacob, who doesn’t get close to anyone, may let Harper unlock the key to his heart. Jacob may be what and who Harper needs to heal from her painful past.


“I can’t think straight when you kiss me.”

“I can’t think straight when I kiss you either.”
 

Their chemistry is combustible, forged by fate and powered by passion. I felt that passion penetrate through the pages to me!!! 


“I want you at my mercy. I want to know that every ounce of pleasure that you get, every rush of sensation, every orgasm, was due completely to me. I want to own it.”
 

Jacob’s sexy and seductive words made me wanton, turning me into a minx. I sank under his spell. This man…so enthralling and enticing is PURE PERFECTION. I was OWNED by Jacob. I WAS OWNED BY MAKE ME .

Harper and Jacob’s connection is palpable, more than a physical need. Their emotional link is a strong bond, one that’s strength will be tested upon a reunion with the painful past. 


“It’s a feeling of connection. Who knows where something like that comes from? Maybe you don’t feel it but—“ 

“I feel it.”
 

Oh I felt the connection too with Make Me. This achingly addictive and alluring book left me BREATHLESS. I LOVED this soul-searing and scintillating story! 

A sinfully sexy story swathed in suspense, Make Me was SHEER BRILLIANCE! The twists and turns keep me hanging on THE EDGE, as Make Me endlessly enthralled me. I’m still MELTING for more Make Me . 

★★★★★ smoldering stars

Jacob Latimer has a past and it's not a good one. He's worked very hard to reinvent himself from that scrawny, helpless little boy to one of the most powerful men in the world. But when he runs into Harper one morning on the beach, everything he's built threatens to crumble. And all because of the one girl he could never have.

Harper McFaddan moved to Tahoe Shores to regroup. After losing her parents, she feels lost and the pace of the big city becomes too much for her. When she meets Jacob, he's not familiar to her at all. There's nothing about him currently that connects him to the boy who saved her many years ago. But as they get closer and closer, Harper's memory starts to realize that there may be more to this man then meets the eye.

I'm normally not one for erotica but this one held my interest. I pretty much read the whole thing on the edge because I was just waiting for Harper to connect the dots. It was a very predictable plot but honestly, I feel like most eroticas are. There's a formula and, hey, if it works, why fix it?

I enjoyed reading about Jacob and how he was able to turn his life completely around. I mean, this was a kid who came from nothing and is now one of the richest in the world. The sex scenes were done well and not overused like a majority of eroticas I have read. Yeah, I know, how dare I want plot amid my sex! And while their backstory was interesting, it definitely was heavy with the drama. And man, did the drama just keep coming. It was also extremely long, but since this was a serialized story, the individual parts made sense to be a little long because when you're only getting a little at a time, you always want more. But put all together, it made for a rather lengthy read for romance.

Overall, it wasn't anything that was exactly new (rich, playboy dom wants demure, wholesome girl) but I enjoyed it.

4.5 Stars
Harper is an investigative journalist who needs a change after tragedy strikes and she loses her parents. Hoping a change of location and a slower pace will help her heal, she moves from San Francisco to a small town in Lake Tahoe and takes a job editing a local newspaper. Her new simple life takes a turn when she meets the mysterious bad boy software creator, Jacob. She can't help being intrigued by him and wanting to uncover the mysteries surrounding him and his business.

Jacob is private. He avoids the media and tries to keep out of the spotlight. A former investigative reporter is the last person he should be involved with, but he can't help his attraction to Harper. Can a man who depends on secrets and privacy for survival let someone who asks questions for a living into his life?

Make Me combines all 8 serial volumes into one book. I'm very happy to have read this all at one go, not sure I could have dealt with the suspense at the end of each volume. Kery always brings the heat and gives readers compelling characters with sizzling chemistry. Jacob and Harper continue that tradition. They had instant chemistry and I ate up each page these two shared. Add in a heaping dose of suspense and I could not read this book fast enough. This is a perfect story for anyone who enjoys a well written suspenseful erotic read.

This series / serial is so much better when you have all the installments in one place.

This 8 in 1 serial gives followers of the Make Me serial the whole picture in one sitting so if you haven't read it yet, or have only read parts of it I highly recommend picking up the finished book.

Although there are still parts of Jacob I still don't completely care for I liked that I got a more developed understanding of who he was.

I think the thing I can say about Make Me is the fact that Kery joins two broken souls and helps them find an escape through sex.

There's a lot of cross discovery both in the present and in the past but Harper and Jacob have a lot they bring to the table as well.

I think the character that held my attention most was Harper - she stood out to me the most even when she tended to sort of fade to the background to let others shine, I liked who she was, I liked what drove her and although expected at the end I liked the way Kery brought everything together.

This book just wasn't for me.  Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

4.25 stars--- MAKE ME (originally released as an eight part serial) by Beth Kery is a stand alone, erotic, romance story line focusing on billionaire Jacob Latimer, and investigative journalist/editor Harper McFaddan.

Told from dual third person points of view using memories, flashbacks, dreams and present day MAKE ME follows the building relationship between Jacob Latimer and Harper McFaddan-a second chance of sorts-for two people whose lives, almost two decades earlier, intertwined their heart and souls.

Harper McFaddan recently moved to Tahoe Shores from San Francisco to start a new chapter in her life (following the death of her parents) but meeting reclusive billionaire Jacob Latimer finds our heroine caught between wanting to move forward and being pulled into the past. Jacob Latimer is a software entrepreneur whose secrets run deep; and little to nothing is known about his past. What ensues is a slow building romance between Jacob and Harper, as Jacob struggles with revealing the truth to the woman who calls to his soul. 

MAKE ME is a sexually aggressive and graphic storyline with scenarios of bondage, rope play, and anal $ex that may be issues for some sensitive readers. Jacob is a man who likes control both in and out of the boardroom, and finds himself needing to claim Harper as his own. His fears of ‘losing’ Harper cause many anxious moments for a man whose reputation is cold and aloof. But little do most people know that Jacob is a man who has a need to protect those who cannot protect themselves.

The majority of the story line focuses on the relationship between Harper and Jacob interspersed with a series of flashbacks and dreams that will trigger memories from the past. We are introduced to Jacob’s inner circle-the people who know him best-yet the same people who know nothing about the boy he once was.

MAKE ME is an imaginative and spirited story line about betrayal and loss; grief and heartbreak; falling in love and letting go of the past. The premise is dramatic; the characters are captivating and intense; the romance is a slow build of passion, desire, wants and needs.  MAKE ME is an erotic tale about fated lovers whose lives were destroyed by a single moment in time, but brought together for a second chance at forever and love.


THE READING CAFÉ: http://www.thereadingcafe.com/make-me-1-8-by-beth-kery-review/


GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1815020538

I love a good second chance romance and Make Me is that and more.  Originally it was 8 novella's that have now been combined into one full-length novel and I am so glad I found the full version; it is quite a ride.

Harper McFadden is looking for a change of pace - leaving her reporter job with the San Francisco Chronical she takes an editor job in Lake Tahoe.  After losing her beloved parents the year before the change is just what she is looking for.  One day jogging along the lake she runs into the sexy multi-millionaire, reclusive Jacob Latimer, and her whole world changes.  The more she gets involved with Jacob the more she is remembering things of her past that he is subconsciously is reminding her of - though that is not possible she has never met Jacob before that day on the shore, or at least that's what she believes.

Jacob Latimer doesn't let people near him and when he sees Harper again after all these years he is hesitant in letting her into his life again, especially since she doesn't seem to know who he is.  Jacob is completely different than the boy who knew Harper all those years ago.  Needing to be in control both inside and outside the bedroom he knows that the closer he gets to Harper the more he may lose control completely, something he knows he can't afford to do.

I have to say the journey that Ms. Kery takes you on is a dark one with glimpses of light throughout.  The way Harper and Jacob meet as children is scary but the relationship these children have to create in such a short amount of time is well written.  Flash forward to them as adults and the dark places Jacob goes to, makes sense when you look at the abuse and heartbreak he experienced.  Harper is willing to go on this journey with Jacob even when she isn't always sure why she is.  The relationship these characters have stands the test of time.  Told in dual POV's you get to see both sides along with the mix of the flashbacks as Jacob remembers his past.   The author definitely is not shy with the BDSM throughout the book but as you get to know Jacob more it makes sense.

All in all I really enjoyed this book and recommend the full version rather than reading the 8 novellas.