Book Review: Illusion by Frank Peretti

Illusion

Title:  Illusion 
Author:  Frank Peretti  
Reading level: Adult
Genre:  Christian Fiction/SciFi          
Size: Hard Cover, 512 pages
Release Date:  March 6th 2012
Publisher: Howard Books          
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone          
Source: ARE from Publicist in exchange for an honest review

First Line:  "Mandy was gone. She went quietly, her body still, though the raging pain of the burns could only have been eased by her loss of consciousness."*

Summary (from GoodReads):

Dane and Mandy, a popular magic act for forty years, are tragically separated by a car wreck that claims Mandy’s life—or so everyone thinks. Even as Dane mourns and tries to rebuild his life without her, Mandy, supposedly dead, awakes in the present as the nineteen-year-old she was in 1970. Distraught and disoriented in what to her is the future, she is confined to a mental ward until she discovers a magical ability to pass invisibly through time and space to escape. Alone in a strange world, she uses her mysterious powers to eke out a living, performing magic on the streets and in a quaint coffee shop.

Hoping to discover an exciting new talent, Dane ventures into the coffee shop and is transfixed by the magic he sees, illusions that even he, a seasoned professional, cannot explain. But more than anything, he is emotionally devastated by this teenager who has never met him, doesn’t know him, is certainly not in love with him, but is in every respect identical to the young beauty he first met and married some forty years earlier.

They begin a furtive relationship as mentor and protégée, but even as Dane tries to sort out who she really is and she tries to understand why she is drawn to him, they are watched by secretive interests who not only possess the answers to Mandy’s powers and misplacement in time but also the roguish ability to decide what will become of her.

My Thoughts:

When the chance presented itself to read Frank Peretti's new novel I jumped at it.  I hadn't read anything of his since middle school when I fell in love with his books This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness . Illusion did not disappoint.  It is a mind bending tale of love and loss, of hope and faith, and of man's unending desire to play at being god.

The characters and their back story are incredibly well fleshed out....so much so that it is impossible not to feel for their present situation. The secondary characters also each got a bit of their own tale...although I wish that we had gotten to know the motivations behind the villains a bit more.  On the whole though,  I almost felt like there was a little too much descriptiveness and detail (and I almost never say that) but there were definite points where the novel did feel as if it dragged a bit.

I tried my best not to get bogged down in the technical/sci-fi conundrums of the time/space issues inherent in this kind of story.  I think that Peretti did a great job of giving us more than enough detail to make it all seem "possible" and at that point it is our job to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the story telling.

I was captivated by the "unconventional" love story and the unbelievable mystery throughout and could not help myself from rooting for Dane & Eloise despite the uncertainty and oddness of their situation.  The conclusion of the novel was both spellbinding in it's beauty and grandeur (Indeed it was a "Grand Illusion" ) and left me immensely satisfied.

Was it worth my Time? 

*Quote taken from an Advance Reader's Edition and is subject to change.

Bloggiesta Weekend!

It's time! Do you plan to fiesta with us the weekend  of March 30, 31 and April 1? Do you have things you'd like to do on your blog that you haven't managed to get to in forever? Do you want to do those things with lots of other bloggers from all over? Talk things over with them? Bounce ideas off them? Learn from them? Teach them too?
If so, you will not want to miss the latest installment of Bloggiesta! A blogathon created nearly three years ago by Natasha of Maw Books so we could do those very things listed above!

I am so excited to participate in Bloggiesta weekend!  Join up here!!

My goals for this weekend are as follows:

1. Get to know my fellow bloggers better:)
2. Meet new bloggers by commenting on blogs:)
3. Catch up on writing reviews
4. Write & schedule 2 Cat Thursday (I always skip these) 
5. Write & Schedule Blog Tour posts for which I already have materials
6. Figure out what Google+ is all about and whether I want in
7. Try to figure out how to make meme buttons (with free software??)
8. Update my Challenges page
9. Update my Reviews page
10. Back up the blog (Backed up to file...but failed with wordpress would only upload 1/3 of posts and a fraction of comments...)
11. Design & order business cards
12. Learn at least one new thing
13. Participate in some fun challenges

Perilous Light - Release Day Party & Giveaway!

These books sound amazing and what beautiful covers they have!


(If you are on the home page and can't see the Giveaway either click on the post title or "read more" at the bottom to go to the individual post's page!) 

THE BOOKS:

Book Title: Beckoning Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #1)

Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy 

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Publication Date: July 15th 2011

As Charlotte steps through the gate, she has a strong feeling that nothing will ever be the same again.

Moving back to South Carolina after three years away, Charlotte knows she's going to have to face people from her past and adjust to a new high school, but she's completely unprepared for what else waits for her in Charleston. 

Drawn through an old garden gate, Charlotte discovers a hidden world where she meets Calvin, a boy to whom she is inexplicably attracted. As Charlotte is pulled deeper into this hidden world, it's up to her older brother Kevin to rescue her. No matter how hard Kevin tries, the rescue depends upon Charlotte fighting her intense feelings for Calvin while mastering a set of abilities that she has only just discovered she possesses.

Book Title: Perilous Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #2)

Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy 

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Publisher: InkSpell Publishing

Publication Date: March 30th 2012

Would you sacrifice everything for a world you barely knew? 

It has been over a year since Charlotte and Kevin first stepped through the gate into Energo, and neither has been able to settle back into a normal life. 

Even though she tries to deny it, Charlotte is in love with Calvin and can’t push him from her mind. She distracts herself with the antics of James and her growing friendship with Liam—the one person who seems to understand her. 

Kevin is starting to adjust to his new identity as a college student and basketball player, but he can’t seem to shake his feelings for Samantha, his fear for Charlotte’s safety or the sensation that basketball is no longer enough. 

When they unexpectedly return to Energo, both Charlotte and Kevin must face their fears and step up to become the leaders they were always meant to be.

THE AUTHOR:

Alyssa Rose Ivy lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. 

Find Alyssa Rose Ivy:  Blog | Facebook | Twitter
Find The AfterGlow Trilogy: Goodreads | Amazon 







THE GIVEAWAY:

Charity Hopping Around the World Giveaway Hop

Purpose: To promote a charity that you support.

There are lots of blogs participating and each has their own entry rules and geographic limits, so be sure to read the rules for each one.

(If you are on the home page and can't see the Rafflecopter either click on the post title or "read more" at the bottom to go to the individual post's page so you can see the widget!)

The Charity that I want to highlight today is:

 The Sierra Club

Since 1892, the Sierra Club has been working to protect communities, wild places, and the planet itself. They are the largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. Goals include: 

• a safe and healthy community in which to live
• smart energy solutions to combat global warming 
• an enduring legacy for America's wild places

Check out the Website or Facebook page.  Taking action can be as simple as signing a few online petitions!

Up for grabs is winner's choice of one of the following:

 

Impulse - Paperback
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks - Paperback
Stay Tuned - Paperback
The Family Affair - Review Copy
Zitface - Uncorrected Proof
All Our Worldly Goods - Paperback
Lord of Misrule - Paperback
Shaq Uncut: My Story - Hardcover
The Savior of Turk - Paperback
Oh, That I Had Wings (The Langdons, Book 1) - Paperback
Dancing in the Shadows of Love - Paperback
Notes From Underground Anthology - Paperback

How to enter:

1. You must use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter this giveaway.
2. You must follow via GFC for the initial entry.  Additional options may be chosen for extra entries. You may choose one option or all options of the extra options. Each option is worth one entry into the giveaway.
3. For each option you choose to enter with, click on “CLICK FOR INSTRUCTIONS” FIRST, follow the instructions, then click on “I DID THIS” and fill out the required information.
4. The giveaway ends on April 4th at 11:59pm EST.
5. At the conclusion of the giveaway, I will verify all entries.
6. Once the verification process is complete, I will use the Rafflecopter widget to select the winner and contact her/him.
7. The winner will have 48 hours from the notification email to respond with her/his full name, prize choice and mailing address. If I do not receive a response, the prize will be forfeited and another winner will be selected. Please be sure to check your spam filters!
8.  This Contest is for US addresses only!   

Please make sure that you have read my Giveaway and Privacy Policies Here

Guest Post: Holly Robinson Author of Sleeping Tigers

I am happy to welcome Holly Robinson to Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf today!  Holly is going to talk about a subject dear to my heart - her furbabies and how they inspire her!

Sometimes Animals Make the Best Muses

~~Holly Robinson              

It isn't easy to stay in your chair long enough to write a novel.  There are the usual demands on your time:  paid work, kids, spouse, house chores.  Then there's the distraction factor:  Who's on Facebook?  What's hot on Twitter?  And who ate the last Oreo?

There is also—and this is big, for most writers—the creeping self-doubt about your own work, which sometimes feels like a thick and hairy vine growing up around the legs of your chair and slowly winding its way up your legs until it squeezes your rib cage and chokes off your air supply.

That's where pets come in handy as muses.  I have two dogs and two cats, and each of them plays a big role in helping me create sentences.  My old Cairn terrier, McDuff, is so feeble that he can scarcely make it around the yard.  It's maddening, trying to walk as slowly as he does, but because he's creeping about, I have plenty of time to ponder things like plot arcs and character development.

On the other hand, when I need to clear out the mental cobwebs, I take Leo, my lively Pekingese, for a brisk walk through the woods, enjoying his little grin and fancy feathery tail waving through the weeds.
 

My cats help ground me as well.  The big tomcat I adopted from a shelter, Mini Wheat, is curled on my lap as I write this, anchoring me in my chair so that I don't get up every twenty minutes when the writing is a slog.  And Jaffa, our smaller gray tabby, is reliably curled on my bed, waiting for me to join her for a nap when I run out of steam.

As I wrote Sleeping Tigers—an adventure novel about a young woman who starts her own life over by trying to save her brother from destroying himself—all four of my pet muses kept me company.  The book takes place in San Francisco and Nepal, so there were plenty of details to research and remember from my own travels to these places, like what it feels like to breathe at 15,000 feet, or how scary it is to cross a bridge that seems like it's made out of toothpicks and twine.  It was exhilarating and exhausting, scary and fun to write this very emotional story.  Thank goodness my four-legged companions were there to help me cross the finish line.  

The lesson here?  Take your muses where you find them, and don't overlook the furry ones.

THE BOOK:

Sleeping Tigers

By Holly Robinson

Jordan O'Malley has everything she ever wanted: a job she loves, a beautiful home, and a dependable boyfriend.  When her life unravels after a breast cancer scare, Jordan decides to join her wildest childhood friend in San Francisco and track down her drifter brother, Cam, who harbors secrets of his own.

When Cam suddenly flees the country, Jordan follows, determined to bring him home.  Her journey takes her to the farthest reaches of majestic Nepal, where she encounters tests—and truths—about love and family that she never could have imagined.  

Funny, heartbreaking, and suspenseful, Sleeping Tigers reminds us all that sometimes it's better to follow your heart instead of a plan.  

THE AUTHOR: 

Holly Robinson is a journalist and comic whose work appears regularly in national venues such as Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, Huffington Post, Ladies' Home Journal, More, Open Salon and Parents.  Her first book, The Gerbil Farmer's Daughter: A Memoir, was published by Harmony Books in May 2009 and was released in paperback in June 2010.  It was a Barnes & Noble memoir selection as well as a Target Breakout Book.  
Ms. Robinson holds a B.A. in biology from Clark University and an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  She and her husband have five children, two cats, a single gerbil and two very stubborn small dogs.  They are currently renovating an antique house north of Boston, and will probably never finish it.

Find Holly:  Website | Blog 

Find Sleeping Tigers: Goodreads | Amazon | BN

Author Feature: Eileen Goudge (The Replacement Wife)

Eileen Goudge's The Replacement Wife which published yesterday has such an effect on me that I decided that I just had to find out a little bit more about this author.  What I found was such an inspiring story, I knew I had to share it.  Please take the time to learn a bit more about this extraordinary woman with me and to watch the videos at the end of the post about her journey and her most recent release: The Replacement Wife which I gave 4.5 Timepieces.  
See my review of The Replacement Wife here.

The Author:

Eileen Goudge is one of the nation’s most successful authors of women’s fiction, beginning with the acclaimed six-million-copy bestseller Garden of Lies.

Goudge is one of six children, and the joys and strife that come with a large family have informed her fiction, much of which centers on issues of sisterhood and family. At eighteen she quit college to get married, a whirlwind experience that two years later left her divorced, broke, and responsible for her first child. It was then that she started writing in earnest.

On a typewriter borrowed from a neighbor, Goudge began turning out short stories and articles. For years she had limited success—selling work to McCall’s, Reader’s Digest, and the San Francisco Chronicle—but in the early eighties she took a job writing for a new young adult series that would become the phenomenally successful Sweet Valley High.

Goudge moved her family from California to New York City, where she spent several years writing young-adult fiction, creating series such as Seniors, Swept Away, and Who Killed Peggy Sue? In 1986 she published her first novel of adult fiction, Garden of Lies, inspired by a childhood anxiety that, because she did not resemble her brothers and sisters, she had been secretly adopted—a suspicion so strong that, at twelve, Goudge broke into her father’s lockbox expecting to find adoption papers. (She did not.) The tale of children swapped at birth was a national sensation, spent sixteen weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and eventually yielded a sequel, Thorns of Truth (1998), which Goudge wrote in response to a decade of fan mail demanding she resolve the story.

Since then, Goudge has continued writing women’s fiction, producing a total of thirteen novels to date. Her most popular works include the three-book saga of Carson Springs—Stranger in Paradise (2001), Taste of Honey (2002), and Wish Come True (2003)—a small, secret-ridden town that Goudge based on scenic Ojai, California. She has also published a cookbook, Something Warm from the Oven, which contains recipes that Goudge developed as a reprieve from the stresses of writing novels.

Goudge met her current husband while conducting an interview over the telephone. Entertainment reporter Sandy Kenyon was so taken with the author that he asked if he could call her back when the interview was done, and after weeks of late-night conversations they met in person and were married in 1996.
Goudge lives with Kenyon in New York City.

Find Eileen:  Website | Facebook | Twitter

A Sampling of her Books:
(Click the covers to check them out)

See my review of The Replacement Wife here.

The Videos:

"It was a long and hard road," remembers Eileen Goudge. Twenty-five years ago, Goudge was a divorced single mother living on welfare in a remote part of Brooklyn. Today Goudge is a New York Times bestselling author with over a dozen books in print. Literature gave Goudge a second chance at life. "It was like I had the magic key to make something of myself," she says. Learn more about Goudge's struggle in this inspiring new video from Open Road.*

"That's what I love to do. Take elements from my life and throw them into a pot, and stir the pot and see what happens."

Bestselling author Eileen Goudge has always been fascinated with discovering people's motives. In her new novel, The Replacement Wife, she asks a difficult question—what would you do if you were told you had only six months to live?—and weaves it into a story of love, family, and fate. 

Here Goudge shares details from her research into the world of high-profile matchmakers and tells us about her experience writing The Replacement Wife.*

 




Isn't her story amazing and inspiring?

(*Video blurbs from open Road Media's YouTube descriptions)

Book Review: The Replacement Wife by Eileen Goudge

The Replacement Wife

Title:  The Replacement Wife             
Author:  Eileen Gouge              
Reading level:  Adult
Genre:  Contemporary          
Size: 482 pages
Release Date:  March 27th 2012
Publisher: Open Road Media          
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone          
Source: Open Road Media via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

First Line:  "We had a nice time," Kat said.

Summary (from GoodReads):

Camille Hart, one of Manhattan’s most sought-after matchmakers, has survived more than her fair share of hardships. Her mother died when she was a young girl, leaving her and her sister with an absentee father. Now in her forties, she has already survived cancer once, though the battle revealed just how ill-equipped her husband Edward is to be a single parent. So when doctors tell Camille that her cancer is back—and this time it’s terminal—she decides to put her matchmaking expertise to the test for one final job. Seeking stability for her children and happiness for her husband, Camille sets out to find the perfect woman to replace her when she’s gone. 

But what happens when a dying wish becomes a case of “be careful what you wish for”? For Edward and Camille, the stunning conclusion arrives with one last twist of fate that no one saw coming. 

At once deeply felt and witty, The Replacement Wife is an unforgettable story of love and family, and a refreshing look at the unexpected paths that lead us to our own happy endings.

My Thoughts:

This was a long and incredibly emotional read.  I'll preface this review by saying that you'll need to make sure that you have a box of tissues at the ready while reading and someone to hug when you've come to the conclusion...because you will need a hug.

Camille's character captures one's heart from the first few chapters...and how could she not.  She's a matchmaker...and not just as a means to live by...but because she genuinely wants to help people find love and companionship.  She has what appears to be the perfect family: two great kids and a stalwart husband who has stood by her literally "in sickness and in health" and who she loves so much that when the dreaded happens (her cancer returns) she worries not about herself and her future but for those of her husband Edward and her children.

I can't say that I agreed with much of Camille's logic, but I definitely felt her pain and understood her motives.  Certainly a lot more than I could understand those of her counterpart Edward. (But much as I want to I won't say too much on that count..I hate spoilers)  Suffice it to say that there were as many moments in this book that I wanted to yell at and strangle characters as there were moments where I couldn't read through the tears.  And there were many such moments.  Perhaps that is the greatest compliment that one can give an author....the experience of such a range of emotions all within one volume...at times all brought out by one character.

I will say that I feel that this book is a pretty good example of human nature. Of the lengths that we will go to secure the happiness of our loved ones as well as the lengths that we will go at times to escape their sadness as well...regardless of the costs.  I actually don't agree with the synopsis that this is a "refreshing look at the unexpected paths that lead us to our own happy endings", but it certainly does show the multitude of paths that we can take as individuals and as part of a family and the variety of consequences/results to which those paths may lead us.  Some of them happy, some of them not so happy, some that can be rebuilt into something meaningful and wondrous...and others that can't.  But ultimately, no matter the path, no matter the destination...we can survive.

This book broke my heart...and I think that you should all give it the chance to impact upon you as well.

Was it worth my Time? 

(I actually could not decide if this should be a four or a five star book.  My range of emotions was so extreme.  If I had 4.5 Timepieces I would have used that)

Teaser Tuesdays - Illusion by Frank Peretti

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Illusion - Frank Peretti

Summary from Goodreads:

Dane and Mandy, a popular magic act for forty years, are tragically separated by a car wreck that claims Mandy’s life—or so everyone thinks. Even as Dane mourns and tries to rebuild his life without her, Mandy, supposedly dead, awakes in the present as the nineteen-year-old she was in 1970. Distraught and disoriented in what to her is the future, she is confined to a mental ward until she discovers a magical ability to pass invisibly through time and space to escape. Alone in a strange world, she uses her mysterious powers to eke out a living, performing magic on the streets and in a quaint coffee shop.
 
Hoping to discover an exciting new talent, Dane ventures into the coffee shop and is transfixed by the magic he sees, illusions that even he, a seasoned professional, cannot explain. But more than anything, he is emotionally devastated by this teenager who has never met him, doesn’t know him, is certainly not in love with him, but is in every respect identical to the young beauty he first met and married some forty years earlier.
 
They begin a furtive relationship as mentor and protégée, but even as Dane tries to sort out who she really is and she tries to understand why she is drawn to him, they are watched by secretive interests who not only possess the answers to Mandy’s powers and misplacement in time but also the roguish ability to decide what will become of her.

Teaser:

"But now his eyes fell on the silver urn in his hands and he knew. Of course he knew. She was the dream.  The house was just a frame around the picture.  No wonder the house felt so empty. Just like him"*

 What's your teaser today?

* Quote taken from an Advance Reader's Edition and subject to change

Guest Post: Melissa Pearl Author of Golden Blood

I am so happy to have Melissa Pearl here on Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf today!!

My Writing Cave

by Melissa Pearl

When I think of the word cave, I imagine a dark, cozy place. My writing cave is not like that. I love to have plenty of space and light... which is why I set up my desk in our ridiculously large bedroom (if you knew how small our lounge was, you'd understand why I used the word ridiculous).

I spend my writing hours up in my room, which is the only quiet space in the house sometimes. I need quiet. I can't write with music distracting me. I like to step into the world of my characters and silence helps me do that. I often say the dialogue aloud when I'm writing or editing, so somewhere private is essential as well :)

When I was a kid, my parents found this old post office desk, which they hauled home, sanded down and revarnished. It was originally my brother's, but when he moved overseas, I inherited it and I love it. I want to keep forever.

My desk faces a wall covered with pictures of family and friends. On my right, I have a wall covered in poetry that inspires me, plus my writing goals are usually up there - although they're not right now. Must print my 2012 ones out - it's only March, right? I also read the brilliant idea of pasting up images of the characters in my WIP the other day. I really love this idea. So, once I get myself organized, there will also be pictures of actors and models who capture the essence of the characters I'm working on. 

Being a mother of a kindy kid and a baby, gives me very limited writing time. When bub goes down for his nap, I literally run upstairs and start working. I then get a second opportunity for his afternoon nap and I probably work two or three evenings a week. I also get two hours on a Sunday morning. That's one of my favourite times of the week :)

When I am intensely writing I find it really helpful to have a big chunk of time. My husband, very generously, gives me the odd weekend where I can hide away and write my little fingers raw. It is amazing how much you can get through when you have uninterrupted time. I'm not trying to boast in any way here, but I seriously think if I could have 7 - 10 days of uninterrupted writing, I could pump out a novel in that time.

However, I am very glad for my life, my children and all the other distractions, because I think if they didn't exist I would have square eyes, be skeletally skinny (I forget to eat when I'm writing) and have no semblance of a life. Balance is a beautiful thing.

The Book:

 Golden Blood (Time Spirit Trilogy #1)
 by Melissa Pearl 

Gemma Hart never knows when her father is going to whisk her back in time. Her toes start tingling and she has a few minutes to find a secret haven where she can disintegrate and appear in another time and place. While “across the line,” her training and skills are put to the test as she completes a mission that will change history for the lucky few her father has selected.

Gemma’s parents are adamant that secrecy is paramount to her family’s safety. If people knew what they were capable of, they could be “used and abused”, as her mother always says. Afraid she might accidentally utter the truth and break the ancient oath of her people, Gemma spends her school days as a loner. Only one thing can throw her sheltered life askew… Harrison Granger.

Harrison never expected to talk to the strange Hart girl, but after a brief encounter he can’t stop thinking about her. He begins a campaign to chisel away her icy veneer and is met with unexpected consequences. As he slowly wins this girl over, he enters a surreal world that has him fighting to keep his newfound love and his life.

 The Author:

I used to be a full time teacher (11-13 year olds) then I became a full time mother. During that time I also found my passion for writing. Over the last ten years I have been studying the craft and putting myself out there.

My first trilogy is being self-published through Smashwords & Amazon.

Golden Blood was released in November 2011 and has been getting great reviews, along with Black Blood (Bk #2), which came out in December 2011. Pure Blood (Bk #3) is due for release in February 2012.

It has been a totally thrilling ride and I can't wait to keep putting my stuff out there.

I live in New Zealand with my husband and two sons, but we are moving to China in August, as my husband has scored a great job working at an international school in Suzhou. It's going to be a busy and exciting year :)

Find Melissa:  Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Find Golden Blood: Goodreads | Amazon | Smashwords 

Check out the rest of the tour