Review: Slave to the Rhythm by Jane Harvey-Berrick (Rhythm #1)

Note: This ARC was provided by Ardent PRose in exchange for an honest review.

We were dancing, together, our rhythm matching perfectly, because I was moving to his rhythm. His strong arms wrapped around my waist, and my cheek rested softly against his. With Ash, I could dance.

There are books that entertain you for the few hours that you spend turning one page after the other and then you go on with the rest of your day. Then there are those special pieces of literature that not only capture your heart and imagination, but hold them hostage for a far more extended period of time. The story, the quotes, the characters--they linger in your thoughts, evoking a range of feelings. This was what happened when I read author Jane Harvey-Berrick's Rhythm series starter, Slave to the Rhythm, and I was so caught unaware at everything that Ash Novak and Laney Hennessey's story was inspiring in me, but what a reading experience it was, one that continues to remain with me even days after I started and finished this emotional and inspiring read in a single sitting. This is one of my very top reads for this year.

Aljaž Novak left his life in Slovenia and came to the United States pursuing a dream that was filled with music and movement under a spotlight. But that dream soon turned into a nightmare for the twenty-three-year-old, and there seemed no way for him to wake up from it, with each passing day becoming more dire, not just for him but for those who had shared the same circumstances. Lost in the darkness that his life had become, Ash found a ray of light in the form of twenty-nine-year-old Laney Hennessey, and the role she plays in paving the way for his escape from the horrors of Vegas to the unknown in Chicago is only the beginning of the intertwining of their lives. Their friendship--a partnership unlike any either one of them has ever experienced--becomes the turning point and the most important relationship for these two.

This book had a variety of elements that, added together, brought about a completely different story, one that gives readers two of the most unforgettable main characters I've ever come across in all my years of reading. Ash's time in Vegas becomes increasingly horrifying, and it is something that I can barely imagine coming back from with one's soul and sanity still intact. Laney may have had more than two decades to learn to live with her Rheumatoid Arthritis, but the constant reminder that there are things she may never get to experience because of it is a weight she bears with grace and courage. These two brave souls have their own share of burdens but how they become more than survivors is inspiring indeed, especially since it's when they transition that they evolve into the other's source of absolute love, support, and acceptance.

Ash and Laney are inspiring as a couple and as a individuals, not just because they overcome so much but also because they are human and fall victim to their weaknesses, proving there is an amount of fragility mired within their strengths. There are moments that they become frustrated with one another and react without really thinking about how their words and actions could hurt the other, but just like with one another, I found myself never straying far from cheering for both of them. Their story held one surprise after the other and I simply let go and allowed myself to enjoy the journey with them instead of wondering what was waiting for us at each turn. I envisioned Slaves--A Love Story as it was being described in the book and wished it could actually be staged. Five-plus stars for the must-read that is Slave to the Rhythm. ♥

Date Read: 04 March 2016

Learn more about Jane Harvey-Berrick.

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