was an just an ok read. choppy in parts, the flow was a little off

The story opens with R&B star Chantel Evans having a melt down on stage the same night that they buried her mother. Now months later broke her manger, uncle and the same man who told her to go on stage. Says she has no money, but owns the recording studio that her mother had, and also she had signed one act before her death. A country band with the lead singer Truman Woodley who is easy to anger. This would come up in the story from time to time. From the time of the first met though they liked one another neither one would give in to the other if there was a suggestion made about a song. Truman felt since he wrote every song each and every word could not be changed and would not listen. This would go on for more than half of the book until his custody battle for his son and he finally decided to come up with a solution. From the very beginning I liked both Chantel, Truman, his son and her cousins, and most of the guys in the bad except for Sully. I also did not care for her uncle and the way he treated her and always said he was looking out for her but I felt he was really looking out for himself. The story between Chantel and Truman really takes off when they take off to Charlotte going after his son who was taken by his ex-girlfriend. During this drive and the time together their relationship really blossoms and you find out so much about both of them that you begin to rote for them to make it. But alas you are only half way and their story still has a way to go. The last part of the book for me is actually better than the beginning and that is what makes this authors books so enjoyable to read. Having her other series I am glad I found her starting a new one. I enjoyed the story, characters, and the plot. Overall a very good book.

R&B + Country = Sweet L♥ve

We meet Chantel on the worst day of her life. She's just attended the funeral of her beloved mother. Her unsympathetic manager is forcing her to go on with her concert. So tired, and not wanting to disappoint her fans Chantel walks onstage and starts to babble and within minutes she does a face plant off the stage.

When we meet her again, she's just finished a stint in a convalescent home. Being away hasn't been good for her image or her finances. She's left virtually penniless by her unscrupulous lawyer and accountant, save for a recording studio her mother left to her. Chantel doesn't know the first thing about managing a recording studio but she's about to learn really fast because right before her mother died she signed Country Group Truman Woodley and The Sliders to her record label. This is their big break and they're not sure if it's the right fit but they're willing to find out.

As Chantel and Truman work together to bridge the musical divide they each have their own set of problems. Truman is dealing with keeping the band financially afloat, baby mama drama and a bandmate that resents him. Chantel is learning to stand on her own two feet, owning and learning from her mistakes and realizing that it's okay to say no without guilt. Together they will find that they are each other's greatest love, inspiration and support right when they need it the most.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book provided by Kensington Books via Netgalley.

I am going to do my best to keep this review from jumping all over the place. That may be hard because, although I enjoyed the overall story of Truman and Chantel, I feel this book was all over the place.

First, some of the good. I really liked Truman from the start. He seems like a guy just trying to do what’s best for his friends and his family. He really cares about making a name for the band…not just himself. He realizes the sacrifices they are all making, that it’s not just him. And although Chantel (aka Shauna, but I’ll be calling her Chantel for this review) did some things in her first scene that had my back up, I also sympathized with her and could see the scared young girl underneath it all. Plus, when Truman and Chantel are together I definitely felt their chemistry. That’s always a good thing in a romance book.

Chantel was hard to get a read on. I think part of that was intentional, she was coming into her own and learning to be independent. But some of it was just disjointed. Until about halfway through, it was hard to see her true heart. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that’s about the same time Truman’s son Gage starts playing a more significant role in the story.

There is a big, crazy family that is part of Chantel’s world. And to be honest, sometimes it confused me. I got the cousins…no confusion there. But sometimes I wonder if Chantel’s manager Craig was an actual uncle. Maybe because I’m not part of that same world, but I didn’t quite understand everyone living there when they didn’t need to (I only understood Chantel living there) so that’s where a lot of my confusion came into play. Craig was not a great person (although his wife is wonderful!) and he was the most confusing of characters for me. I had a hard time figuring out if I should hate him or not. That would be fine if this book was a mystery, thriller, or suspense novel. But it’s not any of those so I feel his character had to be more clearly defined.

Some of the word usage was so stilted and unusual for me. This time I am sure it’s not a cultural thing…it is an editing thing. There is word usage that is downright wrong and makes no sense. I could tell the difference between words and phrases that just are not part of my regular vernacular and those that were just stilted and out of place. It really didn’t help with the flow of the story. Especially since that flow was already a bit choppy.

There are times Truman’s band mates make a big deal out of trivial things, and times they let something that seems like it should be huge just drop. There’s a particular character, Sully, that is a real jerk and nobody calls him out on it until it explodes into something major. It just doesn’t make sense. Especially with the rest of the band being such great guys and some of them being family men.

It’s a real shame there wasn’t a better flow to this story. It has a great premise and an important message. Like I said, there is chemistry there. But overall it fell flat for me since I kept getting pulled out of the story by stilted language and changes in character personalities. I’m not sure I’ll give the next in the series a chance or not. Especially because it seems to start out with a woman falsely accusing a man in power of sexual misconduct. This is bad timing for something like that.

I was excited to read an interracial love story and was disappointed I couldn’t like it more. Now, that has nothing to do with the couple being interracial, but there are so few of these stories out there in the grand scheme of things that it’s a shame this one didn’t play out more smoothly. I see this author has other books and series dealing with interracial love and think I may check one of those out in the future. When I read a book by a new to me author that has promise, I don’t like giving up after only one try.

I loved the premise of the story, and its potential for something really good. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me.

The writing was fine, but there was just a little something missing.

What happens after your world falls apart? What do you do when this is your last shot at your dreams? We find out in Crazy in Love, by Crystal B Bright.

After Chantal Evens, stage name Shauna Stellar, has a breakdown and collapses on stage the day of her mother’s funeral, the public writes off the super star as crazy; a lost cause. But can she find her way back into the once adoring hearts of her fans?

Truman Woodley is juggling a lot of balls in the air, trying to make it as a country music singer. Between worrying about his young son, constant battles with his son’s mother, and bandmates tired of the nickle and dime gigs they’ve been playing, Truman has to try to make an album with the R&B ‘Princess of Love Songs’, whom he assumes is an unknowledgeable diva.

Can Chantal make a comeback and bring Truman along for the ride? Or will she fall on her face again, ruining his career before it even gets started?

The thing I liked most about this story was that the author, Crystal B Bright, managed to both touch on several sensitive subjects, such as interracial dating and the dynamic of co-parenting with a difficult ex, without become depressing, preachy or political. The author focused on their growing love and respect instead of falling into many of the normal cliches’. She showed that, even with such heavy topics, its possible to write a classic romance with modern themes. The reader gets their boy meets girl, building romance, conflict that almost tears them apart but in the end a happily ever after.

I felt the characters were well flushed out, with strength and flaws that were believable and endearing. And the intimacy between Chantal and Truman was a natural progression of their growing love and attraction rather than the catalyst that jump starts their relationship.

Overall I truly enjoyed this romance. I got to laugh and cringe and cheer on the couple as they sang their way to a happy ending.

This book started off rough for me to be honest. It began slowly and didn't really grab me at first. It picked up some and grabbed my attention about the mid way point. I'm trying to remember if that is the point in which we meet Truman's son (a 5 year old who lives with his crack smoking leech of a mother), but I can't be sure. I just know that once he enters the story I started enjoying it a bit more. The bandmate bit on the bus seemed over fetched. I get he was supposed to be the bad apple but...behavior like that doesn't just start out of nowhere, it builds over time usually. And his previous mentions in the book were no where near the actions on that bus. I knew there would be a moment when he'd eventually say what he hadn't been saying but that? I don't know...

I will say that I liked the end. The custody thing seemed rushed and the end result unfortunately also seemed unlikely, but it definitely makes clear that the first priority should be the child and not the fighting parents. And the fact that two years later they are both happily remarried and co parenting like champs really made me smile. I wish it were always like that.

I was hesitant to read this NetGalley book at first after I saw that the author wrote it because she just couldn't understand how two people as different as Beyonce and JayZ can be together. I personally think they aren't really that different and two egos like that are perfect for each other, but who am I? All in all I did like the book, though it's not likely that I will read it again. I will however check out what other stuff Crystal B. Bright has written.

2.5 Stars

This book had a lot of potential but unfortunately the first half was extremely slow and bland. The second half does pick up but I felt a lot of the plot could have either been fleshed out more or just left out.

I did love the idea of a country singer and R&B singer falling for each other. I also felt the author touched on some good points as far as how some people would react to this, but I wish she would have expounded just a little more.

Overall, I found Crazy in Love to just be an ok read, but it held my interest enough that I would read a future Bright novel to see how her writing has grown.

the cover is cute so I was hoping to be wowed. I liked it, but it didn't deviate from interracial romance that i've read before. 4 stars

Shauna Stellar, nee Chantel Evans, reigning R&B princess has hit rock bottom. After a public breakdown on the day she buried her mother, she was dropped by her record label and her accountant and lawyer ran off with her money. All she has left is her manager, the recording studio her mom left her, and the last artist her mom signed to produce: a country music group fronted by Truman Woodley.

After ten long years trying to make it in the music business, Truman thought he and the band had made it big with this record contract. When it turns out the owner’s nutcase daughter has inherited the contract, the guys urge him to get out of it. Doing business with an unstable R&B star seems like a detour they don’t need.

The romance in Crazy in Love is slow to start. Shauna has misgivings about producing, especially producing a country group. The group is split between those who want to give her a chance and those who resist any attempt to change their sound. There are the requisite misunderstandings muddled by insta-lust before our hero and heroine land on the same page. I thought the build to the relationship was handled fairly well. It was believable without straining credulity.

The supporting cast is… guys. They’re adorable. There’s Chantel’s flirty cousin who takes an immediate shine to one of Truman’s bandmates. Chantel’s other cousin is a popular rap star so we get a bit of posturing before the band and the crew find a happy equilibrium. They’re funny without stealing the show from main couple.

On the whole, I can easily see this book being in my regular pick-me-up rotation. The characters were charming, I liked the story, and I immediately looked for more books by the author when I finished it.

And now for all the things that gave me pause about the book.

Shauna/Chantel and her long-time manager, Craig are characters I struggled with in the book. Both characters are written inconsistently, and it’s hard to get a read on whether you’re supposed to like them at any point in the story.

For example, when you meet Shauna, she’s emotionally overwhelmed immediately following her mother’s funeral. (Understandable!) She’s also, frankly, a diva, wondering why her dressing room doesn’t have all-white furniture and a dish of Now and Laters (apparently standard features of her rider). Throughout the story, Shauna/Chantel spends a lot of time running out of rooms. (Is she easily overwhelmed? Does she have IBS? What’s happening?)

We’re meant to make something of the Shauna/Chantel split, but it never quite gels as it should. Early in her career, Chantel adopted the Shauna public persona to help her perform. But the line between the two personas is never clear. I don’t know what behavior Chantel puts on in an attempt to be Shauna--or even how the Shauna character is protective for her--and what’s Chantel letting herself come out. If this was intended to be something of significance, it was poorly executed.

For his part, Craig gets a weird character arc as well. His first scene features him pushing Shauna to perform a concert just hours after the funeral. So, he’s greedy and insensitive. Months later, after Shauna is ready to return to performing, he informs her that she’s broke but can stay with him and his wife. Now he’s encouraging and generous. Then he tries to shut down the relationship between Shauna and Truman. I’m not opposed to complex characters in a story, but we don’t get enough of Craig’s perspective. As a result, this comes across more as whiplash than anything else.

There are other bits of tacked on drama that aren’t done very well, but serve as road blocks on the way to the HEA. Truman and Shauna do openly address whether Truman’s country fans are ready for him to go public with a black partner? Even one of the bandmates struggles with it. The story doesn't get bogged down in the racial politics of R&B and country music, and the tensions are pretty quickly glossed over. (Truman "doesn't see color" and "music is music". Love is love is love is love, y'all.)

Additionally, Truman is battling an ex for custody of his five year old son which leads to a bout of Noble Idiocy. The synopsis makes it sound like this is a more dominant portion of the story than it is. Fear not, dear reader, the Happily Ever After arrives right on time.