Review: Get ready for a major twist!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 20, 2014
Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.Zoey is a recent transplant to New York City from Georgia. She is transferred to a new branch office for the publication she works for and she uses the opportunity to make a new start. Having lost her fiancé, whom she had been with for thirteen years, to the war in the Middle East, she sets out to heal herself and find happiness away from the things that bring back so many memories. Shortly after arriving in New York, she meets Harvey. He works as a tour guide, and is eager to show Zoey all around the city. They begin to spend a lot of time together and Zoey quickly finds herself beginning to fall in love with the mysterious Harvey; who always seems to show up at the right time, and has never invited her to his house, or introduced her to any of his family...is Zoey ready to put her heart on the line? Especially to someone who seems to hold just as many secrets as she does?Brice is a recent transplant to New York City as well. He has come from Tennessee and works in the IT department at the same office as Zoey. Originally Brice begins flirting with Zoey's younger sister Emi, however Zoey quickly learns that she is the object of his affection, not Emi. Zoey is still healing from losing the love of her life when she begins to fall for Harvey, then Brice comes along, leaving her confused. She is interested in both men as they both complement her in different ways, and she is certainly not ready to be an exclusive relationship with either of them right now, not when she has so much work to do to recover from her heartbreak.Illusion holds a lot promise and with some editing, it could be a five star read. It has a very original storyline and is full of twists, turns, and emotions. I know that advanced copies are often times not completely edited, however there were several malaprops and the dialog could be a little choppy at times, which made it a little distracting. I wouldn't mind re-reading the final to see if these have been fixed. I found myself not liking the character of Zoey very much. Ms. Beale took on some very weighty issues, mental illness in particular, and she did a very good job of handling them in a positive light, however it just felt like Zoey could have done so much more to help herself, rather than coming across as a whiner. Emi, being the younger sibling, seemed to be so much stronger than Zoey. I really did like Brice though, and I found myself rooting for him from the beginning. He was sympathetic and caring, exactly what Zoey needed.Once I got into the book, it was a fast read. I give Illusion 3  to 4 stars, simply based on originality alone. It really did have a great twist to it and made for interesting and enjoyable reading.