Carnival Q&A Book Review

December 28, 2017 / 0 comments

Carnival Q&A Book ReviewCarnival by Jane Harvey-Berrick
Series: Traveling #4
Published by Self-Published on December 26th 2017
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Format: eARC
Source: ARC
Purchase @ AMAZON  or  BN
Add to Goodreads
Rating 

Empty inside, cold in his heart, Zef turned to whisky and drugs to fill the void.

Instead, he ended up with a prison sentence and a new determination to get clean and make something of his life.

Since his release, Zef has been on the road, finding his spiritual home with a traveling carnival and working as a motorcycle stunt rider.

Live fast, live hard, keep moving.

He doesn’t want to be tied down to anyone or anything. Fiercely loyal, the only people he cares about are his brother and his carnie family.

Until a crazy girl who’s run away to join the circus crashes into his world.
But now his old life is catching up with him, and Zef has to choose a new road.

#NewRelease #Carnival #TravelingSeries #JaneHarveyBerrick

Q &A Review by Liezel & Angie:

What was it about Carnival that enticed you to read it?

Liezel: I was looking for something unique perhaps by someone I haven’t read before and although I’ve read Jane Harvey-Berrick’s books in the past it has been years. Four years to be exact which is definitely going to change!

Angie: I love books about the carnival life. The ones that are freaks. The unwanted. The unloved by townies outside of the carnival. But also the family that they create amongst each other. The love, loyalty, and strength they provide.

 

What did you like about this story? Disliked?

Liezel: I loved how the author captured the essence of a Carnival. It wasn’t the shows persee but it was the people behind it. I loved that everyone had their own story. This men and women weren’t born into it but it was as if they were coming together as if there were. I loved how she detailed their lives and demonstrated how the relationships were built. The characters weren’t at all blood related but the relationships were closer than most.

Disliked? It was difficult taking in Sara at first. Besides her disturbing their peace she was moody to the point of annoying but as I delved further into the story I understood completely where she was coming from and in the end, I end up loving her character as much as I did the others.

Angie: I loved how, if I closed my eyes, I could smell the corn dogs, the funnel cakes, and cotton candy. I could see the Ferris wheel and the carousel with the lion and it’s opened mouth. I could feel the wind on my face and hear the music in the air. That’s how immersed I was in this book. I loved the comradeship of the characters. I loved how I could see what Ollo looked liked and Bobo too. Heck, I could envision what all the characters looked like. I also love that this wasn’t insta-love and there wasn’t much sex in it.

I didn’t like Sara much at first. I know she was 18 but lord have mercy she was the most annoying 18-year old I have read about in awhile. I almost put the book down because of her. I’m not a fan of whiny characters and she went above that. I’m glad I pushed past her though. Zef and the other characters made up for her dialogue and she eventually calmed down. I grew to love her as much as the other characters and I see a strength in her that I didn’t see at first.

 

What are your thoughts about Zef and Sara? Did they pair well?

Liezel: It was completely unexpected considering the age difference and them coming from different walks of life but YES! The author proved to us that despite all that they were the perfect fit. I loved that it was gradual fall, that their relationship was based on trust and friendship that eventually evolved into love.

Angie: Zef calmed Sara as Sara calmed him. Despite the age difference and other factors standing in their way, they proved that no matter what that love was stronger than anyone and anything. They overcame so much together and separately.

 

Picture yourself as an act in a carnival… what act would you want to be?

Liezel: I don’t have any talents so this is a difficult one haha. But if I can suddenly develop one act I would want to be a part of the flying trapeze. I mean who in their right mind wouldn’t want to be P!nk.

Angie: I wouldn’t want to be in an act but I always wanted to run away to the carnival and be a fortune teller. I always thought I could read people pretty well and I have a sixth sense. The dreams of a child. Lol

 

Would you recommend reading “Carnival”?

Liezel: Definitely! All of the characters made a great impression and I am really forward to reading the previous books in the series. 

Angie: Yes I would!

The Verdict:

 

Excerpt:

It wouldn’t have been so bad if I’d landed on my good leg, but I didn’t, and the pain was so intense, my vision went black and all I knew was deafening silence.

I woke up a few seconds later wondering if I’d died and gone to Heaven, because the view was pretty damn good and surely an Angel was watching over me. But as my vision cleared, I realized that Sara was on her knees in the dirt next to me. I think she was screaming, but my ears were ringing so badly, I couldn’t tell.

“…call an ambulance?”

I struggled to sit up, but she held me down by my shoulders.

“What?”

Kes was next to me, lifting my visor carefully.

“Wait for the paramedics, man.”

Flames of pain were running up from my ankle to my thigh.

“I think I fucked up my knee again,” I groaned.

“Does anything else hurt?”

“Only my pride,” I lied.

Kes grinned and I heard Tucker’s relieved laugh behind me. I squinted up at him.

“Everyone else okay?”

“Yeah, Zef,” he grinned. “We’re all good. You certainly gave the crowd their money’s worth. Can you do that again?”

Then Sara screamed at him.

“Shut up! Shut up! He could have died! He’s hurt! He’s really hurt, and you’re just making a big joke of it!”

And then she burst into tears.

Tucker’s mouth dropped open, stunned into silence. I saw Kes gesturing to Aimee to take Sara away.

“No! I’m not leaving him!”

And she flung herself across my body, gasping and crying. I thought she was going to have a complete meltdown when the paramedics tried to pull her off me.

“Sara, honey,” I gritted out while my whole body felt like it had been run over by a charging rhino, “they’ll do a much better job of getting me onto a stretcher if you climb off of me now.”

“Oh!”

She stumbled back, wiping her eyes and nose as I helped the paramedics get me onto the stretcher.

The crowd was on their feet, expressions of interest or horror, depending on how macabre they liked their shows, so I gave them a quick wave and heard applause and cries of relief.

“We’ll see you at the hospital,” Kes called after me.

I gave him a thumbs up, then relaxed back on the stretcher, my knee throbbing like a mofo. Sara was walking next to me, still crying, so I lifted up my gloved hand and she clung onto it as if it would save her from drowning.

But waking up and seeing her sweet face, thinking it felt like Heaven, I wondered if I was the one who was drowning.

About Jane Harvey-Berrick

Writing is my passion and my obsession. I write every day and I love it. My head is full of stories and characters. I’ll never keep up with all my ideas!

I live in a small village by the ocean and walk my little dog, Pip, every day. It’s on those beachside walks that I have all my best ideas.

Writing has become a way of life – and one that I love to share.



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