SUDDENLY IN LOVE (LAKE HAVEN #1)

SUDDENLY IN LOVE                             JULIA LONDON

Mia Lassiter is thrilled to finally put her artistic skills to use working for her aunt’s interior design shop in her hometown of East Beach. While renovating an old mansion overlooking stunning Lake Haven, she encounters a scruffy but attractive man named Brennan—the owner’s son. She doesn’t realize this sexy recluse is actually Everett Alden, the world-famous rock star in hiding who’s nursing his own artistic and personal crises.

As their personalities clash, tension simmers between the struggling artist and jaded musician, and their time spent alone together in the gorgeous old house only serves to turn up the heat. Soon, Mia and Brennan’s creative passions boil over to inspire passions of another kind…

But reality comes crashing in when Mia’s celeb-obsessed cousin discovers Brennan’s true identity—and reveals it to the world. As paparazzi swarm the mansion, Brennan is thrust back into his rock star lifestyle. Will Mia lose her soul mate just when she’s finally found him? Can their love survive the glaring spotlight? 

MY REVIEW:

     “Poor little rich kid.”  A phrase I remember hearing one time that just stuck with me.  When I heard someone say it to their kid I thought, how can that be? But as I have gotten older I get it.  Everett Alden (Brennan) fits it to a tee.  The mouse has been chasing his tail so long and listening to everyone else on how to get the American Dream and all that money means that he missed the ride there.

     You see Brennan started their home band in his friend’s garage.  Chance and Trey were his buddies at 14 and they all three started Tuesday’s End together.  After almost 20 years things were spinning out of control for all of them.  Chance and Brennan were fighting over creative differences and Trey got heavy into heroin to the point where they couldn’t rely on him.  He had just been released from his third time at a treatment center when he overdosed or committed suicide who knows either way he was missed.

     Brennan is the one out of control now or at least feeling that way.  Staying with his mother or should I say hiding out at his mother’s for a month now.  To the point where his mom is concerned all he is doing is drinking and sleeping and asking him to go into treatment.  He wants just time to heal with some peace and quiet but mom is a little eccentric so that won’t be happening anytime soon.  Mainly to be left alone. 

     Then there’s the other person that is now irritating Brennan beside his mother.  Mia Lassiter.  Not only is she bossy as all get out, but she is trespassing on the property, but worst of all she has curves for days.  Since he has given up all the evils of women and all that they bring he needs her removed.  Which will be a little hard since she works for her Aunt Bev’s design shop that his mother Nancy just hired.  He is now one pissed off celeb.  That’s another thing he’s not sure she doesn’t know his true identity. 

     Mia is not in her dream job at all.  After all she is an artist, she has an art degree to prove it.  Just not the talent to go with it.  So she has been told not once but several times to do something else.  Good techniques but no passion.  It has broken he heart and her spirit.  She has always been made fun of and told that she is different for the way she has chosen to dress and act.  She has her own sense of style not like everyone else and she likes to sew her own things.  Unique.

     Like Brennan she has fallen into bad luck.  She lost her lackluster job at the textile job she had.  Her average, regular sex boyfriend left her, and she was overdrawn on her bank account so she lost her apartment and car.  So, now she is a gofer for her aunt and she gets to live back at home.  Yay!

     This encounter with Mia drives Brennan crazy because each time after the first sees him in a new position in bed with her.  Since he swore off women that does not make him happy.  Not to mention his mother not understanding his need, no requirement, for solitude.  To get his crap together.  All Mia sees is a lazy, no good, alcoholic living with his mommy.  “A poor little rich kid.”  Or does she?

     Because what happens when you have found your carbon copy of you?  Yet, they are trying to hide from the world to be that square peg in the round hole?  What happens when the world catches up?  Can they figure it out?   I really enjoyed this story.  The characters have many layers and are so funny yet there is an underlying depth to each of them also.  This was provided by netgalley.com.  I give this 5++++ stars.  Follow us at:  www.1rad-readerreviews.com.