Review: Crazy Love by Jane Harvey-Berrick

☆☆➹⁀☆ 3.5-4 stars☆➹⁀☆☆

What it’s about:

Three stories of love and longing for New Adult readers.

Dazzled

Miles Stephens is a young actor from London. Out of work, unemployable, and fired from his last job, he unexpectedly gets the chance to star in a big-time Hollywood movie.

The film is a great success, propelling him to worldwide fame – but when the dream doesn’t match the reality, he turns to Clare, lifelong friend and girl next door.

Clare knows two important facts: when you break chocolate, the calories fall out; and that she’s totally in love with clueless Miles.

Playing in the Rain – A Novella

Ava Lawton can’t believe her run of bad luck. It’s supposed to be an exciting time in her life: fresh out of college, living in a new state, with a new job, and away from her family at last.
But when she’s forced to quit her job, everything falls apart quickly. Suddenly, she’s alone in a crowd, with no one to turn to.
At her lowest point, a stranger gives her a message that brings her hope.
Now is the time to live life her own way.
Now is the time to choose to be happy.
And maybe it’s time to let a beautiful stranger be part of her life.
Can summer love last a lifetime?

Listed in Huffington Post’s Best Ugly Cry reads http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mara-white/oh-you-little-heartbreake_b_8812004.html

Summer of Seventeen

It was supposed to be the endless summer of sand, sea, and surf. Supposed to be. But, Nick’s life is crashing out of control. His girlfriend and his best friend have declared war, his sister’s constant interference in his life is driving him insane, and there are money problems that won’t go away. Being seventeen isn’t supposed to be this hard.

When cool surfer Marcus arrives in town with a string of women following, Nick sees that there are easier ways to live. But with his life falling to pieces around him, it’s hard to know who to trust.

As the scorching heat of summer grows, events begin to unravel, reaching a shattering conclusion—and a summer he’ll never forget.

Amazon

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My Thoughts:

Crazy Love is a nice collection of Jane Harvey-Berrick books that will give new-to-her readers a good idea of the range of her writing.

I previously reviewed Dazzled in January 2016. It is a sweet friends-to-lovers romance with a heavy dollop of British humor added to the mix. The story is told in dual point of view by main characters Miles and Clare who are extremely likable characters. I loved their friendship, but it was a bit tiresome when time and again, Clare would run to Miles’ emotional rescue each time his attempt to fit in to the Hollywood scene failed. Although Miles’ is a good guy, he obtusely takes Clare for granted.
Miles is a Brit and an actor. He’s insecure and unsure of his ability after being fired from one acting job; maybe it’s just his natural British humility that makes him appear to be overwhelmed when he moves to America for a potential job. His misunderstanding of the local colloquialisms is hilarious. Once groomed by his publicist, he has a chance at becoming Hollywood hottest star. Miles soon finds out just how glamorous, harsh, and dog-eat-dog it is in the industry.
Clare is a fun, curvy, and witty college student and Mile’s best friend. She and Miles have been best friends for as long as they can remember. Clare is usually outspoken but she keeps her big-time crush on Miles a secret—mainly because she doesn’t believe it possible for anyone as gorgeous and talented as Miles to be interested in her.

I did find Dazzled a bit slow at times, but the behind the scenes view at actors on set and how movies are made was interesting. Jane Harvey-Berrick authentically portrays the heartache that comes along with the glamor of being a celebrity. The lusty bedroom scenes in a movie will never be the same for me after reading her depiction of all the crew on the set and everything the actors go through to make those scenes appear intimate.

Overall, Dazzled is a light-hearted, refreshing read. It was entertaining and enjoyable. A 3.5-4 star read for me.

Play in the Rain is a very quick read that is packed with emotions and messages. The main characters, Ava and Cody, are delightful. Their banter and easy chemistry is adorable. While there are several aspects of the story that I thought were implausible, I really enjoyed Ava and Cody’s journey. They have a summer of shared adventures while learning to not put living your life and finding love on the back-burner. A beautiful story, but the novella structure made for a rather abrupt ending. A 3.5-4 star read for me.

Summer of Seventeen is set in coastal Florida, and tells the tale of the struggle some teens have with the transition to adulthood and all its expectations.

Nick and his older sister, Julie, are struggling to find their footing as a family, and as individuals, after their mother succumbs to cancer. The weight of her new responsibilities changes Julie dramatically. Nick misses his mom terribly and seems to be floundering without guidance from a mature adult. We see the naivety of youth in his decisions as well as in his slow understanding of his financial situation. Nick and Julie’s situation is made worse by the lack of a supportive community. It is disheartening to read their struggles.

Summer of Seventeen was my least favorite story in this collection. Missing was the message of the importance of a good reputation as well as the impact the company you keep has on your reputation. Aside from that, the story was well crafted and deftly captured the struggles of boys becoming men, however, the characters—and their choices—didn’t compel me to care. A 2.5-3 star read for me.

About the author: Jane is a writer of contemporary romance fiction, known for thoughtful stories, often touching on difficult subjects: disability (DANGEROUS TO KNOW & LOVE, SLAVE TO THE RHYTHM); mental illness (THE EDUCATION OF CAROLINE, SEMPER FI); life after prison (LIFERS); dyslexia (THE TRAVELING MAN, THE TRAVELING WOMAN).

She is also a campaigner for former military personnel to receive the support they need on leaving the services. She wrote the well-received play LATER, AFTER with former veteran Mike Speirs. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk1CyB8c0xA )

Author Links: Web Facebook Twitter Goodreads Instagram