SLAVE TO THE RHYTHM – THE RHYTHM SERIES BOOK ONE by JANE HARVEY-BERRICK

“In the daylight – that’s when we’ll work things out. Now, in the darkness, we’ll just hold each other. Tonight, let’s believe the fairytale.”

If there’s one thing we can say about Jane Harvey Berrick’s writing, it’s that she always manages to capture our imagination with the beauty and visionary of her stories and never is that more apparent than in parts of this story. There was one particular moment where we felt as though we became a part of the story, watching with anticipation and enthusiasm as a production number was brought to life right before our eyes, bringing forth the energy, excitement and wonderment of the theatre. We were there for every breathtakingly beautiful moment of that scene!

‘His smile lit the dark corners inside me.’

Slave to the Rhythm began with a heart pounding realness that had us holding our breaths as Ash Novak’s dream becomes a living nightmare. What appeared to be a new start in life was a spiral into hell for him and it was with an uneasy sense of foreboding that we became part of Ash’s plight.

Was it fate, that he met Laney? She was like an angel descending on him in his time of need and what this young lady lacked in physical ability she more than made up for in tenacity and heart. Laney loved to save people and Ash definitely needed saving.

‘Now I understood. I was in Hell.’

We did expect a little more grit than what eventuated considering the underlying theme of human trafficking and the Russian Mafia’s involvement. We had expected our hearts to be racing and the suspense to be in abundance and whilst Slave to the Rhythm did begin this way, it petered out to something else.

We never felt the ‘danger’ Ash supposedly faced and the build up to the story didn’t match the middle.  It felt a little too safe considering what and who Ash was up against. We really, really loved the ‘afters‘ which provided us with so much emotion and enjoyment, this part of the story shone like a beacon and we’ll never forget the awe we experienced whilst reading it.

Slave to the Rhythm, may not have brought the heart pounding suspense had expected, but it certainly delivered on the thrilling visual of the dance together with the romance, beauty and  emotion we love in a story. We felt the connection between these two characters who were both damaged in their own way. Together these two halves really did make a whole and they stole our hearts.

‘Ash had come into my world through rage and violence, but every time I saw him, I smiled; when he walked into a room, he lit it up.’

We think readers will devour this story and you can bet we’ll be eagerly awaiting Luka’s book… what a story he will have to tell!