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Review! Some Sort of Crazy by Melanie Harlow 

Who could possibly make her want to throw all that away?

Then Miles Haas comes back to town. Consistency is difficult for an author. There are very few I can say I have loved everything they have written. In the romance genre, Nora Roberts, Amanda Quick, her alter-ego Jayne Ann Krentz and Judith McNaught are on my list. It is a short list.

With “Some Sort of Crazy”, Melanie Harlow officially joins this list. I love her writing, and I am a tough and picky critic. I want a book that is engaging, has some humor, great writing, and characters I like.

I want to find myself up until 2am because I can’t bear to put the story down in the middle. I want a book where there is never a good place to stop to do something else, and one that I am still thinking about days after I have finished it. With SSOC, I got all of this. Heck, I loved it so much that even though I read an advanced copy, I still have it on pre-order and will be purchasing an actual copy of it as well.

Miles and Natalie. They are both wonderful and the story they share is amazing. At the beginning, both Miles and Natalie know what they want out of life, or they think they do, and are fairly unwilling to consider other paths or people who don’t seem to fit into the way they see their lives.

Miles is aware that Natalie is the exception to his rules against commitment, long-term relationships, and white picket fences. He admits (to himself) that with her, he would be willing to consider things he will not with other women. He mentions more than once that Natalie’s long-term relationship with Dan is the reason he has never pursued Natalie.

Natalie takes a little longer to arrive at the realization that Miles is the love of her life. Miles does not fit her life plan, at least initially she thinks he doesn’t. And, she is big on plans and is a bit stubborn, so giving up a well-formed plan isn’t easy for her. Especially a plan that has governed the choices she has made in her life. As she owns a business and a home, it is easy to argue that her plan is working. At least on paper.

Natalie, at the beginning, has a long-term boyfriend who we quickly discover is a cheat. I appreciated that this was resolved with little to no push and pull with Natalie trying to decide between Miles and Dan. She let go of the idea of Dan and moved on to Miles. It felt organic and natural, not forced. Part of the reason this worked so well is that it is a friends to lover story and told from the perspective of both Natalie and Miles. You know there is an attraction, you know it is mutual, and you know that both are aware that Dan is what is keeping them apart.

The break up with Dan and the connection that they already have is what allows Miles, who has been in love with her for years, to finally feel that it is ok to pursue a more-than-friends relationship with Natalie. The scene where she comes to Miles, drunk after her break-up with Dan, is wonderful and charming. It’s also really funny. And I loved this…a funny part of the story right after Natalie breaks up with Dan keeps the story moving and keeps it from dragging the reader into what could be a really sad part of the story.

Natalie discovers that sometimes exactly what you want isn’t exactly what you thought it would be. This realization allows her to find her happiness with Miles. Miles discovers that going with your heart, and not being afraid, allows him to be with Natalie, the love of his life and the woman he has wanted for 10 years.

There are a couple of twists that I will not spoil here, but they seemed organic. There were enough hints and clues to the personalities of Natalie and Miles that their reactions to certain situations are not surprising. Harlow also gives the reader enough info that the twists are not surprising, but not too much info that you see it coming. This is quite a trick, an enviable talent, and example of Harlow’s excellent story-telling ability.

Characterization and the ability to bring the reader along with the characters in her books is one of Harlow’s strengths. She writes about people, who react as people I know in my own life would. They seem real, they seem like people in a story, not characters in a story. They are the kind of people you would want to know. This makes it a pleasure to spend time getting to know them.

Read the book, read all of Melanie Harlow’s work. You will be so glad you did. I know I am. Labels: contemporary adult romance, Crazy, erotic, Happy, love, Melanie Harlow


