Title: Crazy Love Author: Michelle Pace
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: February 18, 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance
More Info: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon US
Purchase: Barnes & Noble
Purchase: Amazon UK
After dropping out of law school, Sam Beaumont fears coming home will either be like sucking poison out of snakebite or drowning in a bathtub of gin. He dreads the whirlwind of being a blue-blood in Savannah, and between his mother and his brother a peaceful existence is out of the question.
Miles away from her ugly past, Annie Clarke is thriving in pharmacy school. Uncomfortable with her own success, she begins to fall back to her self-sabotaging ways.
Then along comes Trip Beaumont, a hot, edgy artist. Every instinct in her says run, which only makes him that much more tempting. The day she finally agrees to go out with him, his younger brother, Sam, shows up. Sam’s first words about Trip chill her: “Don’t be fooled by the act. Prince Charming is a toxic monster.”
Annie soon sees that Sam’s callous exterior is a direct result of coping with a family as dysfunctional as her own. Could love shield them both from spiraling into madness, or will their crazy worlds collide like renegade storm fronts leaving devastation and destruction in their wake?
Excerpt
Sam
“There you are, Dahlin’.” She barely lifted her gaze from the paper as I obediently pecked her leathery cheek. “Are you going to the gallery today?” One of Mama’s pet projects is a gallery on River Street. She’d named it Imogene’s, after herself. Two nights before, she had announced that she’d arranged for me to work there while I decided what I want to be when I grow up. Or more likely while I continued to decide what I don’t want to be. “Yes, Ma’am.” I planned to do nothing of the sort, and she probably suspected as much. And so we continued our age-old dance. She and I were bizarre tango partners, but we were well rehearsed.
“I’ll hit the gym after.”
“You really need to go and visit your brother. He must think you’re avoiding him.” She sipped her chicory-laden coffee and fixed her steely eyes on mine. I’m not sure what she was looking for as she searched me for a reaction, but I’d be damned if I were going to flash any tells.
I am avoiding him. I want to see him about as much as I want to scratch my back with a cheese grater.
“Fine. I’ll go see him. Is he still living down the street from Vi?” Trip’s wife, Violet, had kicked him out about two years ago. I had to give her credit; she’d stayed with him a hell of a lot longer than I’d wagered she would. To Vi’s misfortune they had a child, so the divorce wasn’t exactly a clean break. Stalking her was one of Trip’s favorite pastimes. It was bizarre how committed he could be when he made up his mind to persevere. Too bad he couldn’t just make up his mind to stay sane and sober.
“No. That landlord had unreasonable expectations.” Mama drawled. “He’s living in the Victorian District. I’ll text you the address.” As she picked up her cell phone, her peach painted lips twisted as if she’s just sucked on a lemon. Undoubtedly, the former landlord’s “expectations” included tenants who were neither drunk nor disorderly. These were terribly unrealistic expectations where Trip was concerned.
“Honestly, I don’t know why he doesn’t just live here.” She set down her phone, then folded her paper and tossed it aside.
“I imagine it’s not very bohemian to be thirty years old and live with your mother.” I offered, taking a bite of superb Eggs Florentine. Money problems or not, Cosmo found a way to retain both her chef and housekeeper.
My Review:
You know how there are some authors who just have pure, raw, natural talent? Talent that’s so bright that it cannot help but to shine even when it sits in a pile of poo? Michelle Pace is one such author for me. She has an honesty that draws you instantly not only into the story, but inside the characters. Pace puts pen to paper and the scene becomes alive. I could feel the balmy breeze from the willow trees in Savannah. I could smell the sweet tea, because really, what else is there to drink in the South? I could hear the sweet twang of people talking that can only be heard in those parts. And I say those parts because that’s what folks say. This being Pace’s first solo work, I was highly anticipating it. Sufficed to say, she not only delivered, she excelled!
Crazy Love wasn’t a conventional love story, and it wasn’t all hearts and roses, but that’s what endeared me to it all the more. Annie was beaten down and broken, but despite all that, she never gave up. She fought for herself and fought for what she wanted. She fought for those she loved, and fought for what was right. She was the kind of gal that you would not only want in your corner, but be lucky to have there. Her spirit and personality bled through the pages, spread bare for the entire world to see.
I loved the relationships that she had with each of the men in her life, be it friendship, or more. The dialogue that they shared was brilliant and I found myself craving to see what the next page held in store for them. This was an honest story, one where Pace stayed true to the characters. They ALL had their flaws, and she flaunted them unabashedly. Because the truth is, their flaws didn’t make them weaker, it made them stronger. It made them human. It made them real, and relatable, and approachable. This was a story about what happens behind the curtain, and I loved every single minute of it!
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