
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reviewed by: Michellle
ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review

Jane Harvey-Berrick creates a devastatingly beautiful romantic suspense in her newest release, Slave to the Rhythm. In the backdrops of mafia, human trafficking, violence, and dance, Ms. Harvey-Berrick brings color, rhythm and light into a haunting and unexpected tale of survival, dreams, and love.

Right off the opening pages, Jane Harvey-Berrick captures our attention as she brings light to the despicable, raw and gritty side of human trafficking. She allows her readers to see the cruel and haunting side of manipulation and crushed dreams. America has always been seen as the land of opportunity and where dreams come true. But in this raw tale, Jane allows her readers to feel the sense of dread, hopelessness, and raw emotional tale of a young man named Ash who was deceived when he came to the United States.

Ash came to the United States from Slovenia in hopes of fulfilling his dreams to dance but instead he finds himself caught up as just another property of the Russian mafia. Like a puppet on a string, everything that Ash holds dearly is destroyed as the men in the mafia made it known that they own him. His life, dreams and passion to dance are held prisoner. Trapped. Imprisoned with the fear of death, Ash finds himself a slave.
Laney is a young woman who is also held imprisoned for a different reason. Her body. Laney has chronic joint pain that forces her to be held captive by a wheelchair. Although she experiences episodes of pain, Laney doesn’t let her condition define her. So when she heads to Las Vegas for a girls weekend with her friends, she meets Ash in a club. Laney is attracted to Ash and his raw grace and beauty as a dancer. And so when she accidentally stumbles and see Ash getting beaten by a group of men, Laney saves and takes Ash in.
In this second half of the story, the story of Laney and Ash begins to take place. When Laney rescued Ash, she gave him a sense of hope. Hope that one day his dreams to dance and grace a stage is a possibility. Their friendship was simple. It was raw, beautiful, and emotionally gripping. And so when their friendship crossed over to a deeper romantic relationship, readers could feel the rhythm of their hearts.
Slave to the Rhythm was an emotionally, raw, gritty, and yet profoundly beautiful. Jane Harvey-Berrick showcases a literary tale that weaves darkness, beauty, hope, and light into one gripping story of survival. She allows readers to grasp the notion that no one can stop your dreams from coming true only you can do that. And in such, Jane Harvey-Berrick will capture your hearts as she reminds us all that love is like dancing, you just have to surrender to the music or in this case become slave to the rhythm.

Jane Harvey-Berrick
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