A Certain Fondness for Crazy

As I started to read my first Victoria Dahl book, Crazy for Love, I didn't really know what to expect. I imagined humor, I imagined steamy love scenes, but I certainly didn't expect to find a hero with anxiety issues. But, find him I did - and I loved Max for being strong, true, and admirably struggling to live with his control issues.

Max and his brother Elliott have decided to take a much-needed vacation. Elliott is a divorced workaholic from the CDC and Max is a sea-faring treasure hunter who feels responsible for the safety of everyone he encounters. Everyone!

Max has managed to hide his anxiety by playing the charming playboy and the ploy has always worked, until he mets Chloe, a fellow tourist in the cabin next door. She sees right through his act and makes him face the truth about himself and his life.

What Max doesn't know is that Chloe has a secret of her own. A month ago, she was supposed to be getting married, but then her fiance died in a plane crash. Suddenly, she finds out he hadn't died after all - he had staged the accident to escape from marrying her! That's when the rumors start flying and suddenly Chloe is a national tabloid star as Chloe the Bridezilla! When Chloe's identity is revealed, she and Jenn are forced to return home to prepare for the ex-fiance's upcoming trial.

Reading Crazy for Love was a wonderfully refreshing experience. Dahl masterfully creates a main character that is strong, handsome, and neurotic. His anxiety issues reveal his true nature and make him endearing as we see him struggle to live with the worry that he battles 24/7. Chloe understands him and loves him, while also trying to help him be honest with himself as he starts thinking about changing his life.

Another of the Harlequin's Big Summer Reads off the list - but now I have all the other Victoria Dahl books to look forward to! So long, housework!