Review: Crazy Love by Mel Bossa

Title: Crazy Love

Author: Mel Bossa

Publisher: JMS Books

Length: 300 Pages

Category: Contemporary

At a Glance: While this is an interesting and compelling book, I felt that there was just a bit too much going on in the story.

Reviewed By: Sadonna

Blurb: Billy spends his evenings dreaming of love and excitement. His roommate Francis wonders why Billy would waste his time fantasizing about a straight mechanic he works with who won’t even look his way.

But Xavier isn’t straight, he’s bisexual. And he’s been stealing looks at Billy without getting caught. Billy’s blue eyes make him feel proud, something he hasn’t felt ever since his father left him to fend for himself. Part Mohawk, Xavier deals with racism both at work and at home, and is planning to hit the road and never return.

From their first kiss, the attraction between Billy and Xavier is undeniable, setting off a chain of events. Soon they’re running off together, determine to start a new life in Mexico. But the open road, like their crazy love, is new, exciting, and at times … dangerous.

Review: Billy is pursuing his future. He lives with his roommate, Francis; is working in a job that actually has a future; and is crushing on hot mechanic, Xavier. Billy is putting in the computer system at the garage where Xavier works and doesn’t believe that Xavier would give him the time of day. But, Xavier has been crushing on Billy too, and when they go out, things get interesting.

Xavier’s home life is a mess. He lives with his cousin and his very religious and overbearing aunt. He gets no support and is denigrated at every turn because of his Native American heritage—his father left the family to move back to the reservation and learn about his ancestors, leaving Xavier to fend for himself.

When Billy and Xavier decide to road trip to Mexico and start over, things start out ok, but before long, things go horribly wrong and they are left pretty much stranded. Without the means to get things back under control, Billy and Xavier have to reach out for help getting home. And then things go from bad to worse with their relationship: Xavier is struggling with so many other issues, and Billy needs more.

I really did like this story but there was a lot going on here. Besides the romance there is so much happening with Xavier’s fraught relationships with his family, and especially his feeling of abandonment by his father. His disconnect from his cultural identity as well as the harsh words from his aunt serve to put a lot of pressure on him that push him into some pretty unwise decisions. Billy is a supportive character, but he also ignores the obvious at times, which was frustrating. While the story was compelling, I think another round of edits might have helped the pacing and overall flow. Still, I’d recommend it for those who are especially interested in the effects of cultural denial.

You can buy Crazy Love here:
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