Review by Cam: Crazy From the Heat by Mercy Celeste

Title: Crazy From the Heat
Author: Mercy Celeste
Publisher: Self-published
Rating: 4/5 Smooches

Blurb:

Life is like high school. 
For Grey Talbot teaching high school history was a choice. When a gorgeous blond punk of a kid walks into his class with attitude to spare, Grey fears his choice might just be his undoing. 

High school kids kept getting younger and Paul Gaines stayed the same. Moving from one city narcotics unit to the next, his youthful looks and slender body made him a perfect undercover cop for the job. 

Meeting the professor wasn't part of the deal. The man was smart sexy and off limits even if he was younger than Paul. 

For Grey getting involved with one of his students, even if that student wore a badge meant playing with fire. Fire that could burn them both. 
Warning: This is a Mercy Celeste book. Proceed with caution. Contents are hot! 

Review: 

I took me forever to review this. Partly because my Personal life got insane and partly because I had a little trouble saying what I wanted. Whenever you review a friend's book you have to be careful of not seeming biased.. as was brought to my attention recently. 

I love the premise. I liked the characters, Grey and Paul, although some of the ages threw me off a little. However for all the folks out there crying foul, that a 30 year old couldn’t look like a 17 year old: People see what they want to see. A 30 year old could easily look like a young man in his early 20’s, and a 17 year old could easily look like a young man in his early 20’s so there is a believable overlap where a 30 year old, put in the correct situation looks like a high school kid.

It’s a great story, and I enjoyed the hell out of it. If it had editing errors, I didn’t really notice. I admit I was nervous about the power dynamic at first, but I was quickly relieved of those when I seen how it played out. 

This is definitely a story that is slightly outside of believable, and it had a 21 jump street vibe... and I'm okay with that. I don't need my fiction to read like true life. That would be boring!

I liked the ending. It tied up all the loose ends, it clarified some things. The characters were strongly portrayed. I got a very good sense of who they were, and I was invested in the outcome of their story. As always, I wish it were longer. But there are very few books I don’t feel that way about. Mercy Celeste is a top caliber story weaver. She has a way of creating a world and drawing you in. It is a talent not always prevalent or showcased in today’s popular fiction. 

I always look forward to Mercy putting out more work, no matter what genre or pairing it's written in.  That being said, this isn't my favorite Mercy book, so if this one isn't your cup of tea, she has a diverse selection to choose from. 

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