Love Like Crazy

by Crystal, B. Bright

A chance to shine . . .
 
The closest Avery Shields expects to get to the music industry is her janitor position at Charisma recording studio, and singing secretly in her local karaoke bar. Working two jobs and studying full-time, she’s doing all she can to earn her parents’ trust after making mistakes in high school. But now a gorgeous stranger is filling her head with dreams of singing professionally—and filling her nights with desire…
 
Lazarus Kyson’s A&R career took a hit after he was wrongfully accused of harassment. To restore his reputation, he needs to discover a new talent. And when he least expects it, there she is: singing while she cleans the Charisma offices. As stubborn as she is talented, she refuses to audition. If he wants Avery—her voice and her heart—he’ll have to open himself up for the first time for a love too crazy good to let go . . .
 
 
Praise for Crystal B. Bright
 
“Engaging characters you want to get to know better.”—Library Journal on The Look of Love

• ISBN10: 1516104722
• ISBN13: 9781516104727
• Publish Date: 17 April 2018
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Kensington Publishing Corporation
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 233
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/isbn/9781516104727

Reviews

[llamareads]

This is the second in a series, but the first I’ve read, and I think it works fine as a standalone.

“I don’t need to—”
This time he stopped her. “Dream? You don’t think you deserve to dream?”

After being accused of sexual harassment by a budding starlet (when, in actuality, she was propositioning him), Laz is fired from his music industry job. His only hope is to find the next great talent, and he’s pinned his hopes on a demo from one Destiny Star. She’s got an amazing sound, and if he views her as his ticket into a new job as a manager. Unfortunately, he has no idea who she is. When he ends up hiding after hours in a record label’s restroom, he’s surprised to hear someone who sounds exactly like her – and it’s the cleaning lady. While Avery loves to sing, she knows better than to hope to make it in the music business – and if she ever forgets, her family, especially her father, is there to remind her. Plus, she’s graduating from college in only a few short weeks, so she really doesn’t have time for Laz’s shenanigans.

“You’re putting thoughts in my head that I could be someone other than a student who works as a cleaning lady and a waitress. Or rather, used to work as a waitress.”
“No. The important question is who put the thought in your head that you couldn’t be more than a cleaning lady or waitress?”

I liked that Laz had so much faith in Avery, even if it was partly mercenary. While initially their relationship raised some red flags for me, the consent was very clear and it was obvious that they both were falling for each other. One of my biggest pet peeves was that for a woman who’s been working multiple jobs while attending school, Avery didn’t read as very mature. Her reactions to mishaps in their relationship and in the music industry were immature, though I’m sure a lot of that could be explained away by how sheltered her family wants her to be and how ridiculously unsupportive they were. This is definitely one of those romances where it feels like one conversation could have avoided a lot of heartache, if only both Avery and Laz hadn’t been so stubborn! Unfortunately, this is one of those tropes that really rubs me the wrong way, so I found myself getting frustrated with the characters.

Overall though, while this book was more frustrating and depressive than I expected – the music business is not for the faint of heart! – I enjoyed reading this book, and I’ll be looking up the first in the series for sure.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.