Illusions Begin REVIEW!!!!

So, this week has been... miserable? I mean, starting the week off with a 103degree fever and a diagnoses of strep throat will do that, right? And it comes at the BEST time in the world for it... by best I really mean worst possible.

This book has seriously been the highlight of my week. Well, that and antibiotics. But mostly the book.

I TORE through Becky's story yesterday. I mean, there were tons of other things I needed to do... like laundry, dishes (did I mention our dishwasher is broken?), or you know... bathing.... Okay I did that one, but only because I shoved my Kindle into a freezer bag and took it into the bath with me (yes, I'm a genius).

Illusions Begins, by N.L.Greene starts with a common childhood memory. We've all been to the circus, most of us have been dozens of times. But for 6 year old Katherine Rebbecca this is a pivotal moment in her structured life. She falls in love, at that young age, with the world of magic and it fundamentally affects her. As she grows, Becky comes to realize that magic isn't more than illusion, slight of hand, and well-thought tricks, but that realization doesn't decrease her fascination with the subject. In fact, she becomes obsessed with it, spending all her free time studying the masters of the craft, teaching herself the ins and outs of the industry by careful observation and unyielding determination.

But she does this all in secret, terrified of disappointing her loving parents. To them she is their brilliant daughter, poised to take over the family law firm after completing her degree in half the time. She is stifled by the double life she is leading, weighed down by guilt for not loving the dream career that she has. Because it's not her dream. It's not magic.

She is weighed down by the responsibility she has, tormented by her scumbag ex-fiance... and there's this mysterious guy that's been following her around. Appearing suddenly, and with impeccable timing, in a city as large as New York it's unlikely to be the same guy... impossible even. Why, only magic could make his too-frequent appearances possible, and everyone knows that magic isn't real.



So, go grab this book. Read it, love it, review it.

Find out more here.

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19155463-illusions-begin?from_search=true

GO buy it here. Now. Amazon- www.Amazon.com (yes, this will take you to the book page).


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Striking, What a Beautiful Cover... Reveal.

How pretty is this cover?

So, by now you should know that I'm a huge fan of Indie Author, Rachel Higginson. You should be too. To help convert you, later this week I'll be posting an interview with the lady about her upcoming book with cowriter Lila Felix, Striking.

It has blacksmiths in it. Blacksmithing=awesome. So go on over to Goodreads (by clicking here) and put it on your 'to-read' shelf... along with all her other books. You won't regret it.

To tide you over until then, here's the synopsis:

Can two hearts be forged into one?

Cami Montgomery stole a car and smashed it into the front of a building in upscale Beverly Hills after a lousy date with the epitome of sleaze balls. The worst part, her parents are following through on threats after this latest plea for attention. Banished from her L.A. paradise and plunged into the Appalachian Mountains with her industrious aunt and uncle, Cami is about to find out how precious life really is.

Stockton Wright has been thrust into a hard life. He sacrifices everything to give his family and community what they need. He’s exhausted from life and work—and he’s only twenty four. What he needs is some change, and some sunshine. Even he will agree to that. He just doesn’t expect to find it in a stuck up, pompous, entitled Californian.

Cami bursts into Stockton’s life like wildfire, consuming all his thoughts and tangling him in her web. What starts out as a contentious rivalry evolves into a desire neither of them expected. When hammer meets metal, will they crack under pressure or be forged as one?

Cami and Stockton might just end up being exactly what the other one needs, but first their love will have to be drawn out in fire.

Love & Decay, Episode 3

We catch up with Reagan and company still traveling south, only this time they're on foot. And smelly. Well, Reagan is at least. And considering she shot a zombie in the head from zero feet away, it's understandable; being covered in rotting brain matter certainly doesn't make you smell like roses.

Luckily she has one completely drool-worthy man to wash her hair for her, though she doesn't feel lucky so much as trapped by Hendrix, and her own, feelings that have no place for the whole world-ending situation they were in. And having corpse washed out of your hair should not feel like an intimate moment, but I suppose the zombie apocalypse make's all sorts of weird situations seem normal...

Our group is going south on-foot, they're low on ammo, the only shelter for miles is a dilapidated shed, and some zombie too far to kill is screeching into night.

Or could he be calling for backup?

Reagan and Haley had been hearing rumors of organized zombies to the south. Zombies capable of working together; zombies capable of forming an army. And as our gang of bad-ass zombie killers are surrounded by a mass of rotting undead, Reagan can't help but think that this fight feels different.



Man, oh man. The tension between Reagan and Hendrix is just delicious. Higginson manages to create a lot of sexual tension in a very PG manner, and I'm not entirely sure how. Because nothing inappropriate is done or mentioned... but oh do you want it to be. Another great installment, and of course I can't wait for the next one. Which should be next Friday.

• Love & Decay, episode 3 is $.99 on Amazon
• a new episode in this novella series comes out every two weeks
• There is graphic violence, and a few swear-jar words, but appropriate for younger readers (13+)

Love & Decay, Episode 2

This weeks installment of Rachel Higginson's new zombie series takes place one week after the events in Episode 1, and our crew has settled into a (somewhat) comfortable routine of southward migration. Comfortable, that is, until they come across a road block of zombies... Of course, they're used to zombies.

What they aren't used to are settlements that use zombies as a blockade AND test for would-be visitors (or passers-through). Settlers that have very particular ideas on the role that a women should play in this new world. And it's not a role that sits right with Reagan, Haley, OR the Parker brothers.

It especially doesn't sit well with Hendrix. He of the smoldering eyes and not-so-subtle hints of feelings that are far too inappropriate for an apocalyptic setting. While his brother may be fine with elementary-style flirting his way into the heart of Haley, Hendrix is willing to wait for Reagan to realize, what in his mind, is inevitable...

But, while Reagan in unequivocally drawn to Hendrix despite his infuriating attitude and over-evolved sense of protection, his older brother Vaughan is making a confusing situation even more difficult with his easy jokes and genuine good-guy attitude...

Who knew that the end of the world would have so many hunky bachelors to choose from?

Fun facts

• This is the second installment, and is due to release the weekend of July 26th
• episode 2, like the first one, will only cost $.99
• This series is modeled after t.v. shows.... 12 total episodes (novellas), one released every two weeks, and a small hiatus after all 12 are 'aired' before the next 'season' starts. So you don't have long to wait until the next installment.