Book links:
Synopsis:
When Hollywood calls, is the price for fame too high?
Miles Stephens is a young actor from London. Out of work, unemployable, and fired from his last job, he gets the chance to star in a break-out role in a big-time Hollywood film.
The film is a great success, propelling him to worldwide Hollywood fame – but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, and the pressure starts to get to Miles.
Throughout, he is supported by his friend, Clare, the girl next door whom he grew up with – and who is secretly in love with him.
Miles finds out that fame and fortune isn’t everything he’d dreamed about.
My Review:
Dazzled is the newest release from author Jane Harvey-Berrick. I am a huge fan of Jane and always look forward to new material from her and while this was a little different from the style and feel of her previous books, I really enjoyed it!
Miles and Clare have been best friends for as long as they can both remember. And for as long as she can remember, Clare has been madly in love with him. After all, what’s not to love? Miles is gorgeous, talented, kind and humble….the perfect package. Surely he would never be interested in the plain Jane she was. He deserved so much more, according to her. So when he’s called away to Hollywood to audition for and snags the role in the anticipated next big hit, she supports him like she always has. This is what he was meant for and she would be there for him whether it was to build up his ego when the Hollywood life crushed it, or protect his kind heart when the media tried to break it. She would also continue to pine over him in secret and love him from afar…in other words, doing what she’s been doing for years.
This was a whole new world for Miles. Hollywood, stardom, fame, fortune, tabloids….all of it. It was so overwhelming at times and the only thing keeping him grounded was his rock. His best friend, Clare. He doesn’t know how to handle these kinds of things and sometimes it ends up coming out sideways and unfortunately Clare was the one who paid for it. She was the only one here in this fake, plastic world that truly cared for him and he knows he isn’t showing her just how much he appreciates her. His constant salvation, she was the person who mattered most in his life. He also knows she can’t stay with him forever in Hollywood. She had a life back in the UK and eventually she will leave him. Will he be able to bear it? Could it be she means more to him than just a friend?
Clare and Miles have a strong relationship with a strong background that makes their journey an emotional ride. Miles is the shy artistic one while Clare is the strong opinionated one. They really balance each other out quite well and it felt very real. Miles really broke my heart while reading him trying to cope with all of the new things in his life….and he doesn’t cope very well at times. Poor guy. I just wanted to bring him home with me and make him tea and chocolate chip cookies. Clare was a real spitfire! Loved her tenacity and fierce loyalty when it came to defending Miles and being his rock. Plus, her snark was brilliant! She was quick witted and a total smart ass at times and it was a treat! I also loved that Jane had two Brits in the U.S. making fun of the slang differences. Lift vs. elevator is just an example. Again, this was different from Jane’s other works in that it was more lighthearted to me compared to the intensity of The Education of Sebastian, for example. Still just as enjoyable, though.
Thank you, Ms. Harvey-Berrick, for a fun and witty read!
Four Loves
About the author:
I love to write.
Out of the crowd of voices in my head, I love to thread together their thoughts and tell the kind of stories that I want to read.
I’ve written my whole life, in one form or other, but it’s only since I started writing adult/new adult books that everything finally made sense.
I’ve lived in the metropolis and now I live in a small village by the sea. Inspiration comes from unexpected places and often when I’m walking my dog.
I hope my stories make you laugh and cry, and feel every emotion in between, because then I guess it’s job done.
Without you, there’s no me. Thanks for reading. jhb x
Five Loves
Sasha is part gypsy. Born June 9, 1974, stories have always played an important role in her life. Her passions have always been storytelling, Hollywood, history, and travel. It’s no surprise that her books include a little of each. Her first play, ‘Greek Gods and Goddesses’ was written for her Girl Scout troupe. She’s been writing ever since. She loves getting lost in the worlds and characters she creates; even if she frequently forgets to run the dishwasher or wash socks when she’s doing so. Luckily, her four brilliant children and hero-inspiring hubby are super understanding and supportive.
Three-and-a-Half Loves
Casey Blue is a hopeless romantic always striving for the perfect love in which to write about. Her ideal swoony boy constantly changes. She is the Hyde to Jekyll and Hyde; whatever her other half does, she’s a little 
naughtier! J She is addicted to caffeine and loves Jelly Bellies. She loves imperfect characters because in the end we are all imperfect. She has been writing her whole life but ‘Feeling This’ is her first New Adult masterpiece. She is happily married with kids and lives in the sunny state of Florida.
Diane Alberts has always been a dreamer with a vivid imagination, but it wasn’t until 2011 that she put her pen where her brain was, and became a published author. Since receiving her first contract offer, she has yet to stop writing. Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, a cat, and a Senegal parrot. In the rare moments when she’s not writing, she can usually be found hunched over one knitting project or another.
Christina Hobbs & Lauren Billings write under the combined pen-name of Christina Lauren. Separated by the pesky state of Nevada, these co-author besties talk several times a day, agree that Ruby Pumps is the best nail polish color ever, and would, if given the choice, spend all day staring at the ocean from the San Clemente pier.
Four-and-a-Half Loves
Four Loves