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R&B singer Chantel Evans had it all, until the Princess of Love Ballads lost everything. First, a very public betrayal by her lover and the death of her mother lead to a career-ending mental breakdown. Then, at the same time, her attorney makes off with all her hard-earned fortune. The only chance she has of resurrecting her career is in the recording studio her mother left in her name. . .
When struggling country star Truman Woodley’s duet with a sultry young singer falls flat at Chantel’s studio, Chantel is faced with a rare second chance—until Truman’s vindictive ex-girlfriend turns the pair’s sparkling debut into grounds for a custody battle over their son. But Chantel has discovered more than sweet vocal harmony with Truman. She’s found something worth fighting for. And when Truman surprises her with a kiss after a live television performance, the whole world will find out just what it takes to be crazy in love. . .
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Books by Crystal B. Bright
Mama’s Boys Series
The Look of Love
Forget Me Not
Head Over Heels
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
Crazy in Love
The Love & Harmony Series
Crystal B. Bright
LYRICAL PRESS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
Copyright
Lyrical Press books are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2017 by Crystal B. Bright
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First Electronic Edition: October 2017
eISBN-13: 978-1-5161-0468-0
eISBN-10: 1-5161-0468-4
First Print Edition: October 2017
ISBN-13: 978-1-5161-0471-0
ISBN-10: 1-5161-0471-4
Printed in the United States of America
Dedication
This book is dedicated to anyone afraid of taking a chance on the unknown. Sometimes trying something new and different is a good thing.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Renee Rocco and Martin Biro for taking a chance on me again. I submitted Crazy in Love as a single title. I was shocked when I was asked to make this a series. Thank you for seeing more in me as an author than I see in myself at times.
Thank you to my new editor, Mercedes Fernandez. Hope we have a long-lasting working relationship.
Thank you, always, to Jim Stark. You may be tone deaf and often make up lyrics to songs when you sing them, but you are always music to my ears. I love you.
Author’s Foreword
I came up with the idea for this story—of a sexy R&B singer falling for someone who doesn’t seem like her type—back when Beyoncé was dating Jay Z. I didn’t understand how those two people could be together and, ultimately, fall in love. I wrote Crazy in Love to explain the attraction, but instead I changed the hero to a country singer. I liked the idea of mixing the two different types of music and how it doesn’t matter when it comes to making great music.
Hope you all find a bit of harmony in this series.
Keep reading,
Crystal***
Chapter 1
“Up. Don’t mess up your makeup.” Her manager tapped Shauna Stellar’s shoulder.
Shauna shivered at his touch. On a day like today, she needed the comfort and resented it. She stared at a picture on her large, rectangular phone. Her mother with her wild mane of chocolate-brown hair and wide, expressive dark eyes smiled in the shot. If Shauna inhaled deep enough, she could smell her mom’s flowery scent.
Moments like this, she missed having her mother sit by her side to tell her everything would be okay. Then again, with Shauna’s busy schedule, it had been a while since her mother had been able to do that. Now, she would never get that chance again.
Shauna knew Craig would stay around her, hovering, until she complied with his directive. Until she sat up and looked him in his eyes, he wouldn’t move on to his next task. Shauna waited a beat before connecting her gaze to his through the mirror.
“Good girl.” The large man in an expensive suit winked at her.
She started to open her mouth, wanting to scream at him for so many things right now. Why wouldn’t he let her be for a moment? Why did she always have to appear perfect? Why did she have to sing today? Why couldn’t she say no?
He held up his finger. “You open that mouth of yours for hot tea or vocal warm-ups. Nothing else until show time. You know the rules.”
Yes, Craig George’s rules. Shauna pressed her lips together.
“You need tea?” He didn’t even look at her when he asked the question. His stare stayed on his diamond-encrusted Rolex.
No. Having tea before a performance reminded Shauna of her mother. Before every dance class and singing lesson, Shauna had shared hot tea and great conversation with Fatima Evans. Tasting the bitter drink now would bring back too many memories and way too many missed opportunities that she didn’t want to admit.
Like him, Shauna didn’t answer until he acknowledged her again. When he connected his gaze to hers, she shook her head. The diamonds in her drop earrings brushed her cheek.
“You want to do some scales?” He snapped his fingers for her vocal coach who always came with her on the road.
As soon as she spotted him, Shauna felt her eyes get scratchy. She didn’t care if tears messed up her makeup. Besides Craig, her vocal coach had been with her from the start of her career at fifteen. Now she saw him as a reminder of Fatima, the woman who had given her life in more ways than one.
Again, Shauna started to say something. She needed to be heard.
“Get out of here.” Craig held the coach’s shoulders before he could get any closer to Shauna and turned him to the door. He pointed to a makeup artist. “You. Get in there and fix her up. The Princess of Love Ballads has to be impeccable.”
A