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 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.
A standalone story in the TRAVELING SERIES.
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I received an ARC of this book and this is my voluntarily, honest review of it.
‘Carnival’ is the lastest story in ‘The Traveling’ series and this time we get the story of Zef. We already read about Zef in the previous books of this series but we also met Zef in the book ‘Dangerous to know & love’ (this is the story of his younger brother Daniel). In that story he didn’t made a great impression on me so I was very curious about the Zef in this story.
After a few difficult years (where he was addicted to drugs and went to prison) Zef has finally find his place in the world. He found a new home in the carnival and not only that, he also found a new family there too. People who accept him just like he is. But even when surrounded by people who care about you, life can be lonely when you don’t have someone special in your heart and arms.
The last thing that Zef expected was to fall for the young girl that he found hideaway in their truck. A young girl that obvious run away from home. Slowly Zef and the young girl Sara are becoming friends. And although Zef wants more, Sara is also keeping him at a distant. She’s keeping secrets from them. Secrets that could destroy everything. Will Sara stay after Zef discovers her secrets or will she run away again??
I must confess that I have very mixed feelings about this story. To my surprise and delight I liked Zef more in this story than I expected. He was a silent, strong and loyal man. I’m glad that we got to read much from his POV. Sadly, I must say that I had a ‘problem’ with Sara. Because no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t connect with her. Yes, she is very young (she’s 14 years younger than Zef) and so it’s understandable that she will sometimes act as a young adult but still…..I love reading New Adult stories so I’m used to reading about young adults but Sara’s character and naivety couldn’t convince me. I found it (personally) hard to believe that Zef would fall for someone like her. But then love is never logical, is it.
It was great being in the Carnival world again. To catch up with the other members of the carnival, Kes and Aimee, Ollo, Tucker and Tera and even Zef’s younger brother Daniel and his girlfriend. It was a happy reunion with them all.
One of the many things that I really appreciate about this series is the fact that these guy aren’t billionaires or glamour boys. They have bad luck, good luck, they have to work hard but no matter what, they are there for each other and I love that about this series very much!
I would recommend that you read the other books of this series first before you read this one. It will give the story more depth if you do.
3.75 stars
I love the Traveling series, and was happy that the author decided to write another book focusing on Zef. He looks and comes across as tough but he he will do anything for the people he loves. He made some mistakes in his past and paid for those. Now he is on the right path and lives a simple carnie life. This simple life is disturbed when he finds a young woman hidden in the back of the rig. It’s obvious she is running away from something but isn’t ready to open up. Zef does his best to stay away from her, but she sees something in him that draws her in. And eventually the pull between these two is too strong. You will have to read this book to see what will happen next.
“Sometimes you didn’t choose the life; sometimes the life chose you.”
I really enjoyed Zef’s character and the author gave such a great view into his mind and life. The story is mostly told from his POV, which made it more difficult for me to connect to Sarah because I didn’t know what was going on in her mind. She had her immature moments which made it harder for me to see her as the right person for Zef. She made some stupid decisions in the past as well, which she will have to own up to. I was glad she became more mature towards the end but in my opinion I felt like the development in Zef and Sarah’s relationship was rushed. I didn’t believe when they proclaimed their love for each other, it just didn’t feel real to me. I loved Zef, and I feel like I could’ve loved Sarah if there was more chapters told from her POV. Overall it was a more than okay read for me. I loved reconnecting with all the previous characters and the whole carnival setting is just one of my favorite. There were a couple of things not working for me in this book but I still think it was a nice addition and conclusion to this series.
Carnival was quite the emotional send-off to the Traveling Series. Well done!
Oh my stars! I have been waiting for Zef’s story and this one so did not disappoint! The emotions that I felt for both Zef and Sara as they are thrusted head long into an unexpected roller coaster relationship. But these two play so well off of each other regardless of the age difference and the circumstances surrounding Sara joining the crew.
I love the passion in this story. Not only between Zef and Sara but for life itself. My heart shattered in moments. Especially with Ollo. That was gut wrenching and plays such a massive part into the story, not as it drives it, but guides in a way. It is honestly really hard to describe.
Overall, I found this one just as brilliant as the first book in the series. The Traveling Man series has always been a favorite of mine and seeing past players from the previous books and seeing how life has continued for them was amazing to see. Overall, if you have read any of the books of the series, this one will be a massively welcomed addition to it. I think Zef rivals Kes a bit!
3.5*
I’m rounding up to 4* for Zef. I really liked him, much more than I expected from his appearances in the previous books in this story. He showed what a huge heart he has in this book and I really loved seeing that. I love the family that Jane created throughout this series and am sad to see it come to an end. While there were a few things I didn’t love about this book. I did love the way things were brought full circle. My heart even broke a little.
What pulled the rating down for me was Sarah. I didn’t quite feel the connection between her and Zef. And the age difference really bothered me, specifically because of the way she acted. She was very immature at times and that made it hard for me to believe that Zef, someone 14 years her senior, would fall for her. As the story progressed I did warm up to her a bit, and that was mostly because of Zef. He deserved love and happiness in his life, and if she was the one who could give that to him, well who am I to judge.
This has been a really entertaining series. I loved the atmostphere of the carnival and feeling like part of the family. It is hard to say good-bye, but I think with this book Jane did a wonderful job of bringing the series to a close.
One of my favorite ‘older’ series is ‘The Traveling Series’ by Jane Harvey-Berrick. I love these angst-y books about the carnival, the not-so-normal life these people live, and the characters of course are amazing. Carnival tells the story of Zef, one of the side-characters from the previous books. He was a bit of a mystery before, but I love his sweet story.
“I’m not the kind of guy women want for a boyfriend,” I said, her own words tearing free an honest response that surprised me. She stared up, a small frown creasing her smooth forehead. “Why not?” I shrugged, uncomfortable with her continued questions. “I’m just not.”
Zef is a bit done with his live. Well, he loves the carnival and working side by side with the guys he considers his brothers, but lately it isn’t enough. Kes and Tucker have found their Ones, and secretly Zef wants the same thing. He’s done with being wild, with random hookups and wants to settle down as well. Sara is on the run; after her life spiraled out of control, she saw no other option but leaving. It’s not really what she wants, but given her circumstances it’s the only choice she has. Zef and Sara start out as friends, but slowly their relationship starts to change into something more.
“I felt happy for the first time in a long while. A very long while. Zef made me happy. And I was going to do everything I could to make him happy, too.”
Carnival is the fourth book in ‘The Traveling Series’, and brings the reader back to the world of Kes, Tucker and Zef. Zef and Sara’s sweet romance is the main story, but there a bunch of other storylines in the background. I love to see all the people again, and learn more about a few of them. Carnival is, unlike the other books in the series, a sweet story about two people dancing around each other, with some laughter and tears. Carnival is told mainly from Zef’s POV, and while this is his and Sara’s book, it’s also about Zef becoming a better man and about the carnie life.
I didn’t know much about Zef, but in Carnival I really like him. He messed up, did his time, and is now ready to move on to a new life. I feel a bit double about Sara; I want to hug her and tell her all will be okay, but sometimes… But then again, she’s so very young, only 18 years old. I don’t know what I would have done in her circumstances. The age difference between Zef and Sara doesn’t bother me (but I understand his reservations), they just feel right together.
“I had everything I could want, which isn’t so much as it turns out. I had my friends and family; a woman who loved me, despite all my flaws and failings; I had a son that I’d lay down my life for. And I had the carnival. Life was good.”
Carnival by Jane Harvey-Berrick is the fourth book and the conclusion to the Traveling Series.
Carnival is a standalone, contemporary, heart wrenchingly romance novel.
Meet Zef. He´s with Kes´ carnival. He´s a bike stunt rider. The carnival people became his new family. He craves the freedom after he was locked down for 2 years. He doesn´t do relationships, ´til a crazy barely legal girl stumbles out of his truck.
Sara run from trouble and her home and hides with the carnies. She has a crush on Zef, but both are too too – too cautious, too lonely, too old, too young, too scared.
Carnival is a beautiful, beautiful and heart wrenchingly story. I started reading and was not hooked, I was HOOKED. I read the book in one sitting, I couldn´t put it down. The writing is great, the story is brilliant and I love the characters and the words. I could feel the characters emotions in the words.
The other book in the Traveling Series are, Traveling Man, The Traveling Woman- both tell Aimee and Kestrel´s story- and Roustabout, Tucker and Tera´s story.
I recommend the book and the series and give 5 beautiful stars. Thank you, Jane Harvey-Berrick !