Review: All is not as it seems....and it works, and works well
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 3, 2014
I was a little nervous when I started this book because I have a son in high school and was really afraid of where the teacher/student affair was going. But imagine my relief, and surprise, when Paul’s undercover persona is almost instantly blown and Grey realizes that the hot kid in his class is actually not a kid at all. That worked for me…big time.I loved the “Spicoli” references throughout the story as Paul really did look the part of Sean Penn in Fast Times from Ridgemont High. The fact that the “student” was actually older than the teacher was different, but I find that I like different and that’s why I am drawn to Mercy Celeste’s books. I love her style, I love her willingness to walk on the wild side, and I love that she is able to throw real world, real life references into her stories and they fit.So in this Crazy book, we have an undercover Narc posing as a student. The fact that Paul, who at 30 years old could look 17 was a little much, but I could work with it. I loved the whole taboo that was making Grey squirm. He knew Paul was a grown man, a man actually older than himself, but it still bothered him that Paul was technically his student. The ramifications, no matter the circumstances, would be brutal to his career.Paul and Grey are two very naughty boys inside the bedroom, and out. The tattoo’s, the surprise piercings, the hot sex, and the feels between them were very plausible. I found myself rooting for them because they both deserved a little happiness.Mixed in with all the naughty school boy – naughty teacher taboo is the reason Paul is at the school in the first place. There is a drug problem and the supplier just may be a teacher. Let the fun begin. Is it Grey? Is it the bitchy-slutty teacher Sarah? Is it a set-up? What the heck is going on anyway? We get that at the end, and even though I was rooting big time for who I thought it was and wanting them to suffer…I was wrong.I did not see that ending coming…at all!!! And I love when that happens. Just when all the pieces start falling into place, when all the odds are stacked and there is no way I could be wrong…I was still wrong. That’s so great!There is nothing I can say to not give it away; you have to read it yourself or it takes away the surprise and overall enjoyment of the story. Needless to say, I love Ms. Celeste’s books, I love the trouble her boys are always getting into, and I love reading a little bit of taboo and controversial story lines from time to time. Yes, I saw the editing issues and yes, the cover is not very attractive, but all in all, it did nothing to ruin my enjoyment of this book and I easily let it go.