Two culture collide and fate has to intervene to make sure love happens. Laila and Asher are different and yet it works so well. I liked the peak into the Moroccan American cultural.

Shivers. I have honest to god shivers. This author is simply incomparable. She writes such raw, emotional, sensual stories that are unlike any I’ve ever read. What makes them so memorable is that they’re just so…real. They’re immeasurably satisfying but without having to be wrapped up in a perfect little bow at the end. I truly believe that Behind The Curtain is Kery’s best book to date and easily my favorite by her. It was such a beautiful and poignant second chance romance that was packed with as much heat as it had feeling. I love every page of it.
It was the sweetest kiss: questing and sun-warmed and gentle. Laila had never known there was a part of her that was frozen, deep down inside, until she felt it thaw beneath Asher’s mouth.
Eight years ago, behind the veil of youthful innocence and nativity, Asher Gaites and Laila Barek fell in love. It was was lovely, pure, and true. Asher was just out of university and about to take on his career outside of his parent’s influence and pull. Laila was a sheltered young woman just discovering the wonders of love and lust. They had all the odds stacked against them; Laila’s conservative Moroccan family, Asher’s upcoming move to a different state to begin his job, yet none of it could stop them from falling head over heels…only to be ripped apart.
Eight years has passed since that wondrous Michigan summer. Asher is now hardened and renowned journalist that’s traveled all over the world one war torn country at a time. Getting together with his two best friends for drinks, the last thing he expects is to see a performance that rocks him to his very core. He sees nothing but her shadowed figure behind a sheer veil and hears nothing but her haunting voice as she sings, but something about the woman strikes him as familiar. He can’t get her out of his head and he doesn’t know why. He has no idea that the woman behind the veil is the girl that got away. The girl that he never got over. The girl that he never forgot.
She saw it then for the first time: that hard glint of determination in his light eyes, the stubborn set to his jaw, the diamond-hard focus. It suddenly struck her that Asher Gaites-Granville wasn’t like anyone she’d ever met in her life. He was like a force of nature: powerful and undeniable.
I absolutely LOVED the way the story unfolded. The author did an incredible job with transitions of past to present. It was flawless. You start in the present, then get the entire flashback to the past, to then continue in the present. There’s no back and forth. It’s fluid and perfect and utterly spellbinding.
Asher only got more intense with the years while Laila really grew up into a strong young woman. I loved watching them discover each other again and experiencing everything right along with them. Did I mention that no one writes a sweat inducing love scene like Beth Kery? Because OMG!
Do you hear that? Do you hear how wet you are? I could die in this pussy,” he grated out darkly. He was right. She was soaking wet. She could hear him moving in her flesh. “You know I fantasize about it. About fucking you raw. You know it, but you wanted me to say it. Didn’t you?” She cried out in unbearable excitement as he stroked her harder
If you haven’t read a book by this author yet, you can’t start with a better book than this one. It was so much more than just a romance. I loved every page of it and simply can’t recommend it enough.

This is my second book by Beth Kery and I'm speechless, I love her writing and her stories are simply brilliant!Behind The Curtain was an intense,emotional,heartwarming and passionate story!The characters were incredible and the romance heavy!

"From the moment I first saw you, heard you even, something told me you were mine."

This is one of these books that it's better to go blind!Don't read the synopsis this way you'll enjoy it even more!This is what I did and believe me it worked!

Laila is smart and beautiful. Laila and Asher's chemistry is magical!You can feel their attraction!

I loved the premise of this one!If you haven't read this author then you should start with this one!!I'm sure that if you read it you'll never stop!

I loved this story and even more than that, I loved the storytelling. It was sensual and heartbreaking. It has first love and loss and undying passion and everything I want in a romance.

Laila and Asher came from entirely different worlds, but the spark between them when they first met was undeniable. From their initial encounter in a secluded lake, they were made for one another. But because of cultural differences and family obligation, they could only exist together in this secret world of their own making. Their friends that watched the relationship grow recognized the love for what it was, but duty to family traditions and the relative youth of the lovers made a future impossible.

Told in the form of flashback and current day, we get to see the beginning of Asher and Laila’s relationship, and the aftermath that the separation caused. How the stamp each one put on the other allowed them to grow professionally, while at the same time they each stagnated personally.

When they accidentally stumble upon one another eight years later, the attraction has not waned and they fall quickly back into the passion and need they had for one another, recognizing that this is the person they have each been searching unsuccessfully to replace.

Like all of Beth Kery’s stories, the storytelling is amazing and so engrossing that I can’t put it down. My only complaint was that it ended so quickly.

The resolution felt right to me since I felt it was realistic. People didn’t change their spots and the reactions of family and friends were what I expected, and it felt like an organic conclusion to this phase of their romance. But I wanted more! I was with Laila and Asher for the entire journey of their relationship and I felt cheated that I didn’t get to share the details of the aftermath. I was at 95% done, wondering how the author was going to wrap up the story so quickly and assumed that there would be a sequel. I was pleased that there wasn’t; not that I didn’t want to spend more time with this couple, but because everything that needed to be said had been. Their relationship, from the first meeting until this point was beautiful and deep and so poignant. But I would have liked to have the ending follow along with that same deeply sensual pace that defined their relationship, rather than the abrupt end that I received.

Nevertheless, this is a story not to be missed. The journey was its own reward.

I think every time I gush about the works of Beth Kery I hope that she acquires a new fan. I’ve regained a new enjoyment of her recent release in Behind the Curtain; a love story that spans the better part of 8 years, follows two people from different backgrounds as they navigate through the hardships of developing a relationship amongst several obstacles and cultural barriers. The story is told through a shift in time, starting with current day and moving into the genesis of the relationship and back to present day. I found myself cheering for this love to finally live and when it does, it’s quite satisfactory. Beth Kery is often known for her erotic tales but I was pleasantly surprised in her depiction of the younger version of these characters and I would read a new adult theme romance by her should she take the plunge.

Lola picked this as the Cherry on Top for the month...

I posted a review of this on my FB book blog. It is run under a pseudonym and I'd appreciate any links or quotes from it be attributed to the blog name QuickieRomanceReviews and not Amy Alessio. Thank you for letting me read this!

Beth Kery never fails to deliver! Behind the Curtain by Beth Kery was another incredible read, her unique characters and strong story line draws you in from the first page. What I loved about this book besides the hot hero of course was the diversity of it! The strong cultural feel to the book brought me to the ending way to soon. Loved it!

First things first, because it is what I do .... #CoverWIN!!

Now on to the book .... what an emotional ride this was! One of the loveliest second chance romances that I have ever read! I've said this many times before, it's very rare when a story has such an impact on your heart that it just settles there for the long haul. Most of the time, it's the characters that will settle in your heart, if anything at all. You can still enjoy the heck out of a book, but when a story reaches in to your soul and captures it, that's magic, and it's rare. This story did that for me. Maybe it was the cultural struggles or religious struggles or family struggles ... I don't really know how to pin point it to just one thing ... because it was the entire story as a package.

I really loved how the story flowed from the past to the present. It was seamless and flawless. The journey that Laila and Asher went thru to achieve their kismet HEA was a roller-coaster of heart-break and heart-warmth all wrapped up in a cloud of feel good. The voice of this book was incredible. I felt everything. It was an incredible read!

Copy provided by NetGalley for review

4.25 stars--BEHIND THE CURTAIN by Beth Kery is a stand alone, erotic, romance story line focusing on journalist and heir to a media fortune Asher Gaites, and singer/song writer Laila Barek. BEHIND THE CURTAIN is a second chance story of discrimination, family, heartbreak and betrayal for two people who fell in love years before.

Told from dual third person points of view (Laila and Asher) using both the present and the past, BEHIND THE CURTAIN follows the building but forbidden relationship between Moroccan-American/Muslim Laila Barek, and WASP/heir to the Gaites-Granville media empire Asher Gaites. Eight years earlier, Asher and Laila met while on vacation in Crescent Bay, Michigan but due to our heroine’s strong ties to her family and their cultural beliefs, a then twenty two year old Asher and nineteen year old Laila, had to keep secret their friendship and love fearing cultural backlash and discrimination. But secrets are revealed, lives are destroyed, and Laila is forced to push Asher out of her life. Fast forward eight years wherein Asher will come face to face with the woman he has always loved, a woman who has stepped out of the family bubble but not far enough to defy the people she loves. What ensues is the rekindling relationship and romance between Asher and Laila, and the fall out when their relationship is, once again, revealed to the people in charge.

BEHIND THE CURTAIN has a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including Laila’s over protective and culturally distinct extend family, her cousins and best friends Zara and Tahi, as well as Asher’s pals Jimmy Rothschild, and Rudy Fattore. I am hoping for future story lines focusing on the couple's friends.

BEHIND THE CURTAIN symbolizes the secrets, the lies, the life lived in the shadows for a woman whose strong family background, cultural differences and belief systems are in opposition to everything she wants, and the man that she loves.

Beth Kery writes a story of forbidden romance, a Romeo and Juliet love affair between two people whose lives went in opposite directions: one hides behind a veil of secrecy while the other travels the world searching for freedom from the ties that bind.

BEHIND THE CURTAIN is a unique, exquisite and intimate look at an ill-fated relationship doomed from the start. There are moments of joy and love; heartbreak and sorrow; acceptance and moving forward. The premise is inspiring; the characters are colorful, dynamic and passionate; the romance is fated and moving. BEHIND THE CURTAIN is a slow building yet refreshing change of course from the usual romance story lines offered. The book is divided into two parts-the past and the present-there is no flip flopping, back and forth between time lines. Asher and Laila do get their happily ever after-at a cost.

Copy supplied for review by Netgalley

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My introduction to Beth Kery was her erotic One Night of Passion series, originally started under her pen name Bethany Kane back in 2011. I love that series, and it put her on my radar. Since then, however, the majority of her books have been released as serials which are not my cup of tea. Behind the Curtain in contrast is a complete novel, and one I am quite happy to have gotten into my hands. It contains some of my favorite themes – a summer ‘first love’ relationship that is bittersweet, and a second chance/reunion romance to bring the couple back together. It’s also a study in cultural differences and the realities of how they impact relationships. Heartbreaking and intense, this romance – with a happy ending that is all the more precious for its challenges – is one that won’t be leaving my memory any time soon.

Behind the Curtain starts in the present, in Chicago. Asher Gaites is a foreign correspondent and a well-known name in international journalism, having been nominated for a Pulitzer prize for his writing about families in war torn Syria. He’s reluctantly home to tell his parents in person that he’s rejecting the trust fund he’s eligible to inherit now that he’s turned thirty, and has taken a job as bureau chief in London. While home, he reconnects with some longtime friends who take him to a jazz nightclub. There, a woman who sings from behind a veil sparks in him the memories of a summer love affair . In fact, her voice is so evocative that he can’t stop wondering if she could be the girl of his dreams. A little detective work brings them face to face, and it is indeed her.

The story then slips eight years back into the past when Laila Barek is with her traditional Moroccan-American family at Crescent Bay. She meets Asher when he comes across her at a secluded beach, and again when she and her cousins meet him and his friends at a local shop. The attraction between them is instant, and somewhat frightening for Laila who is inexperienced with men, but neither can resist the force that draws them to each other. They have only a short time to spend together but it doesn’t stop them from making some decisions that will affect them for years to come. It doesn’t seem possible that they will get their happy ending – until fate brings them together again. Has their time finally come, or will their hearts be left broken once again?

This romance held me in its grip from start to finish. The story doesn’t move back and forth with tidbits of the past , but delivers the whole of their fateful relationship in one go, taking up half the pages before moving to the present once again. It’s got lots of angst, as the reader knows that they aren’t going to get their happy ever after as young adults, but at the same time, you can’t help rooting for them to overcome the obvious barriers between them.

Both Asher and Laila have family backgrounds that they realize will make a future together pretty well impossible. Asher is from a very wealthy, high society family. They have a media empire and the summer Asher spends in Crescent Bay is meant to give him one last taste of freedom before assuming his position in the family company. Asher comes across as a young man struggling under the weight expectations, yet determined to go his own way no matter the consequences. In this frame of mind, when he meets Laila he knows she won’t fit his parents’ picture of the ideal partner for him. But he doesn’t care. The passion he feels for her is unlike any other he’s experienced and he can’t get enough of being with her, no matter if they are just talking or sinking deeper into a physical relationship.

Laila comes from more restricted and protective background. As a Muslim woman, her family has certain expectations for her behavior and for the most part she abides by them. At the lake with her extended family, she is given more freedom because she’s with her two female cousins and they explore the local hangouts together. She’s a lovely young woman, a bit shy, who has a passion for writing poetry and music and for singing – talents she shares with no one, until she meets Asher. He’s the first person to accept all of her as she is and it’s no wonder she gets swept up in a romance with him, despite knowing it will likely not end well. He’s handsome, he’s thoughtful, he’s understanding (to a point) of her family obligations, and he’s clearly attracted to her. The summer days she spends with Asher change her character, make her bolder and stronger. When they go their separate ways, both hearts shattered, she finds a way to achive her desire to be true to herself while still maintaining a strong relationship with her family. The author does a deft job of showing the complicated reality for many young women of ethnic descent who must try to find balance between American culture and their own.

The sexual relationship between Asher and Laila develops somewhat tentatively at first but rapidly escalates, with the knowledge for both that their time together is limited. Asher is a patient and caring lover, understanding that Laila is inexperienced but eager to learn and their love scenes are fraught with emotion. Youthful lust tries to overtake common sense on more than one occasion. Asher is torn over the risks Laila takes risks to be with him, selfishly wanting to see her as much as possible while understanding the real danger it could mean if her parents find out. As older adults when they meet again, they are emboldened by the knowledge that they can do as they wish, and their passionate affair picks up easily, with some very steamy scenes. There’s no doubt that they love each other, and have been in love since that first summer. But just because they are older doesn’t mean that their families will accept them as a couple. This time however, they have the maturity and understanding of how it feels and what it means to be apart to enable them to fight their way through to a very well deserved happy ending. Behind the Curtain is an evocative and passionate second chance romance.

This review has been posted at All About Romance and feedback updated with the link. An abbreviated version will be posted at sale sites during release week.

I've been somewhat jaded with the some of the authors,  I once enjoyed and no longer put on auto read.  However, I found this cover intriguing and sensual,  rich with possibilities making me pick up this book. The inside drew me into a love story beset with cultural taboos and snobbery that divides two lovers who while being American come from two very distinct worlds.  An interesting tale illuminating the many faces of the people who make up this melting pot we call America.Moroccan American Laila lives a restricted and protected life very different from the average teenagers she goes to school with.  She understands the differences and restrictions but doesn't feel strongly enough to buck the system she's born into. Then one summer she meets Ashley Gaites and his friends. He slowly but surely draws her out of her cocoon and for the first time she's tempted to expand her horizons and experience the forbidden.   She's definitely not brave enough to stand up for what she wants when her secret romance is exposed.   So the two lovers are parted and each moves on with their lives even as they carry their summer romance in their hearts.
Asher has been at a cross roads in terms of what he wants from his future but the summer and its aftermath sets him on his future path to becoming a Pulitzer prize winning journalist. He covers the hot spots of the world and relives his summer romance by learning more about Morocco and expanding his vocabulary even as he shares the gritty and heart rending plight of the children and families in the war torn corners of the middle East. 
We pick up with Asher and Laila upon Asher's return to the US.  While both he and Laila have moved on with their lives neither has forgotten the other or the halcyon summer romance they once enjoyed.  Asher is transfixed by the mysterious singer who's the new sensation in his home town.  Thanks to Asher, Laila has developed her talent as a singer and songwriter and found a way to manage her cultural heritage and her love for music and the art by using a curtain as a part of her act.
As Asher and Laila re-discover and rekindle the flames of their summer romance once again, will they be able to break out of the shackles that once held them back and forge a future together?  Can their love bridge the gaps that continue to exist between their very different and distinct cultures? How will each one of them finally confront their families and their pasts and stand up for what they desire? Explore these answers with Laila and Asher as they confront the world and make their choices across the sensual landscape of an unbelievable romance.

I liked this one, but frankly I wasn't wowed by it like I had hoped. It wasn't bad, there's nothing about it that I can point to and say "Ugh, this is why I'm only giving it 3 stars". It simply ended up being one of those books where I wasn't fully engaged in the story and in the end sat back and thought "Well, I liked it okay."


The pacing felt off to me, and the story seemed to drag quite often. More than 1/2 the book is set when they first met (she still in college, he had just graduated), with considerably less time spent with them reuniting and making it work a second time around, nearly 8 years later. While I enjoyed seeing their relationship growing the first time around, I didn't fully connect to the quickie jump to "Hey, let's try this again -- forever" and would have liked more time and story in the present day.


The sex though -- I have no complaints there. There's a scene (present day) on the train and that was hella hot.


One small annoyance of note: how many times in one book can the heroine's eyes be referred to as "almond shaped green eyes", and also that a certain hairstyle drew attention to said "almond shaped green eyes"? The answer: more than once is too much. A minor thing, sure, but repetition like that should be caught in editing.


This was my first Kery book and while it may not have blown me away, I did like it and will try another from her.

HAWT!
Behind the Curtain - Beth Kery

*3.5 STARS*

BEHIND THE CURTAIN is the latest novel by Beth Kery and it was a scorcher! From the moment the sultry siren behind the curtain was introduced, I was completely intrigued. And my interest continued until the last word due to the interesting storyline and unique characters, not mention the how hot the story was.

Asher and Laila met by chance on a secret beach one summer and they experience a love neither one of them ever thought possible or expected, but life took them away from each other. It's now 8 years later and Asher has found Laila again by chance. The feelings between them all come flooding back, but a lot of time has gone by. They will have to decide if they will be able to move on from the past or if the same thing that tore them apart when they were young doom them to the same fate again now.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Laila is a Muslim-American woman of Moroccan descent and Asher is a WASP. It was an interesting pairing. I liked the dimension that her upbringing brought to the book. Also, we start at in the present but then are sent back to 8 years earlier. And in a different way then I've seen done in other books, we stay in the past until that part of the story was completely resolved. I loved that because I wasn't confused by time going back and forth and trying to remember where we are in time.

I thought the ending was a little rushed especially since we spent so much time in the past. I was hoping that the present was able to be developed a little more. With that being said, I enjoyed seeing Asher and Laila from the beginning. It made their meeting again in the present so much richer.

As I stated previously, BEHIND THE CURTAIN was very hot. It wasn't just the sex, but the chemistry was just insane! Asher and Laila were just explosive together and you could literally see my kindle steamy at certain points.

BEHIND THE CURTAIN is my first novel by the author, Beth Kery, but it will not be my last. I liked the great storyline and the intense chemistry between the characters.

*Advanced Reader's Copy provided by NetGalley and Publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Does love really conquer all?

Behind the Curtain was unlike any Beth Kery book I've read before. This 2nd chance romance took me back to a time of young love that was cut short by the interference of family. They were so young, and struggling with finding themselves, but they had no problem finding each other. "She felt a pull toward him, like a magnet had been installed in her lower belly. And he was pure iron."

The author did a beautiful job of drawing me into their struggle. I was their biggest cheer leader as they fought to be together. And I was right there in the middle of their sorrow when it all came crashing down around them. I waited anxiously for them to find each other again, crossing my fingers and toes, hoping that history would not repeat itself. Hoping that they would be strong enough to withstand the battle a second time.

The passion between Asher & Laila was intense. Their connection was almost psychic. They were meant to be together. Too bad their families didn't agree. If they want it, they are going to have to fight for it. They are going to have to sacrifice. How much will they have to give up for love? Will it be worth it? Are they willing to find out?

Be still my heart. What a tragic and thought provoking story the author spun. I enjoyed it tremendously and look forward to whatever she has for me next. The line forms here...

I am the first to admit I love second chance romance and Beneath the Veil is the ultimate second chance romance and I loved it.

Laila Barek has grown up in a strict Moroccan American home where family is everything and her parents not believing in mix marriages. Up until now, Laila has been ok living this sheltered life especially since her family means everything to her. Spending her summer on the banks of Lake Michigan she meets Asher the complete opposite of what she is used to but she finds herself attracted to him like no other. When their feelings grow Laila needs to make a decision her family or the boy she fell in love with one summer. Flash forward 8 years the decision was made but when Asher walks in her club unexpectantly old feelings resurface and now Laila needs to make another choice.

Asher fell in love with the beautiful exotic girl that summer. He knew that he was different than what her family wanted for her being of different ethnic backgrounds he thought for sure their love would overcome and was devastated when it didn't. Then all the years later when he sees Laila again he knows once and for all he can't ever let her go.

Ms Kery takes us on such a beautiful, sometimes heartbreaking ride that not only explores first loves but the differences and parallels between her two main characters. Both Laila and Asher have issues with their parents and are trying to get their approval but their experiences are very different and sometimes those differences cant be overwhelming especially when you are young. Told in 3rd person the reader feels like you can see what is happening to both of these characters through a lens that was refreshing and I think a good choice by the author. The secondary characters are rich and definitely help to drive the story though I did want a little more closure for one of the characters. That being said its definitely Laila and Asher's story and so well told.

A modern twist on the classic Cinderella theme with an erotic twist.

Leila and Asher met when they were young and fell in love so fast that they didn't quite know what they had. Fast forward about 10 years and they meet again, by chance, and all the feelings come rushing back. Leila is still very tied to her family, so she must decide if her life, and her choices, are good enough to make sure she can live without them. A fun, steamy read!

Our patrons love Beth Kery. We always buy her for our collection. Fans will be especially happy that this is an entire novel and won't have to wait for short installments.