Crazy Love

Kendra C. Highley

Jan 2018 · Sold by Entangled: Embrace

About this ebook

Semi-pro SBXer Luke Madison can’t afford any distractions. He’s chasing his dreams in Aspen, not realizing the dire consequences of his actions. Now, if Luke can’t pull off a miracle, his family could lose everything, and there’s no way he’ll let that happen.

No pressure or anything.

Charlotte Brown is determined to become a doctor—a neurologist to be precise, and she’s always precise. She doesn’t have time for anything except school, waitressing at a mountaintop café, and studying. Meeting the ridiculously sexy Luke Madison won’t change that plan, even if kissing him makes her pulse race.

Neither can afford to slip up. If Charlotte doesn’t pass the MCAT this time, that’s it. Her dream of saving people—people like her mother—is over. And when Luke risks everything one last time, losing is not an option.

Even if it means losing each other.

Ratings and reviews

After reading Defying Gravity, the book where Luke is first introduced, I both wanted his story ASAP and wondered how on earth he was going to be redeemed. It takes a talented author to take a pretty unlikeable character who was full of himself and make you want to root for him. That happened 100% in Crazy Love. Luke is back home to pursue his dream of professional snowboarding but his family was counting on him to take over the family business upon graduation. The struggle that Luke faced between following his dream and doing the "right" thing for his family was ultimately what made me love Luke. Charlotte is in Colorado to focus on studying for the MCAT and save some money. She only has one more chance to pass so she doesn't have any time for distractions and that's exactly what Luke is: a ginormous distraction. I loved her determination and that she also was realistic about her goals with plans and backup plans. The buildup to the relationship between Luke and Charlotte was seriously swoon worthy. I loved that Luke was completely honest with Charlotte about what he had been like before meeting her and how she never just took whatever he gave. She stood her ground and called him out on things. My favorite thing about these two was that they supported each other. This story was sweet, swoony, heartwarming, and low on the drama. I loved this author's foray into NA and I hope that there's more to come in the future. *This is my voluntary review of an advanced reader copy*

4 stars — I kinda wish I’d read Parker and Zoey’s story before this one, just to see what Luke was like there. It’s not officially a series, but they do reference stuff from Defying Gravity, so it might have been nice to read in order. Ah well. Charlotte was an interesting heroine. I loved how sassy and no-nonsense she was, how she wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself…or rather, how she forgot to be afraid until afterwards. *snort* I also loved it when we got to see her in action with what is her passion (near the end of the story). She was a solid character, but not necessarily one that will stand out over time. Luke was interesting himself, fighting between what he wants out of life and family expectations. I appreciated that the conversations around that with his family were realistic, filled with emotions, but not without a resolution. I found it super weird how apparently not that close he was with them all year, but then felt pretty close once he was up there. Like, he hadn’t talked to his brother at all? I think that’s part of what I would have gotten more of if I’d read the other story first. Luke and Charlotte together were kinda adorable. I loved the way they crushed and flirted and moved onto more. I wasn’t expecting fade to black sex scenes, and while that disappointed me personally, take note everyone else who prefers those — this is a non-graphic new adult romance. Mr. Bzdyl was a total surprise highlight in this story. I loved his relationship with his wife and daughter, and I loved how he embraced Charlotte into his family, and Luke too. It was super adorable. Like that family MADE this story My other favourite part was the sports element to this story — I LOVED it! I’m a huge Olympics fiend, and so I loved seeing all the little details about snowboard cross competition. It really added excitement to the story, and also showed a realistic look at a competitor. It took a story that was solid and made it more IMO.

Charlotte Brown has got a job in Aspen at Christmas waiting tables at a family diner while she saves money and studies for her third retake (or is it the second retake after she took it?) of the MCAT. Charlotte's mother has MS and ever since her diagnosis Charlotte has know she wanted to be a doctor. I think this is the second book in a series and I haven't read the first book. Actually, I've checked and it seems to be a follow on from the Finding Perfect duology. The reason for my rambling is that the hero of this book, Luke Madison apparently featured quite heavily in Defying Gravity and may have been a bit of a douche. Anyhoo, Luke has returned home from college to Aspen, where his parents run a sportswear shop, he has made the monumental decision to quit school and go all-out to make a career out of snowboarding or SBX. He's sunk all his inheritance into paying for a coach and dedicating his time to training, no matter what his parents have to say on the subject. He also still has a crush on his younger brother's girlfriend Zoey, but the (unknown) events of last year have led him to take a long hard look at himself and he didn't really like the player he had become. Charlotte and Luke first meet at the diner, he is instantly attracted to her but she is put off, first because he looks like a pretty boy player and second because she wants to focus all her effort on studying. But after he comes to her rescue when a group of snotty, entitled, kids dine and dash Charlotte thinks there might be a better man underneath than she originally thought. But when the stakes are high, do either of them have time for love? I liked this but I didn't love it. Whilst I normally rail against the YA/NA need for excessive angst I felt this had too little conflict, too little grit. It all took place in such a short period of time as well so there was no development of conflict with Luke's parents or with Charlotte's mother's illness. Lots of things were hinted at ... and never happened. It was as though the book had a page limit and so all the sub-plots and angst got ditched just to get the basic story told. Although there is sexual content it still felt very PG romance, complete with a cartoon villain SBX rival. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

About the author

Kendra C. Highley lives in north Texas with her husband and two children. She also serves as staff to three self-important and high-powered cats. This, according to the cats, is her most critical job. She believes in everyday magic, extraordinary love stories, and the restorative powers of dark chocolate.