Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: Illusions
AUTHOR: S.A. Ozment
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 210 pages
BLURB:
Ever since arriving in Hollywood, Skylar Murphy has been loving life. He’s starring in a hit television show and on the verge of grabbing the lead role in the most anticipated movie of the decade. Poised on the edge of superstardom, he doesn’t want or need any complications to distract him from that goal. Whether he’s sleeping with a woman or a man, his noncommittal, no-strings-attached love life suits him perfectly, and despite his rep for playing gay roles, the world still thinks he’s straight.
At the launch party for his new show, Skylar meets Aiden Moore, an openly gay firefighter by day and cater waiter to the stars by night. Skylar is immediately attracted to him, but Aiden rejects him. When an arsonist appears to have targeted Skylar, their paths keep crossing. Always up for a challenge, Skylar works to win Aiden over, and he agrees to a date. Soon enough they can’t stay away from each other. Despite hiding their relationship away from the ever-present paparazzi, they’re happy together until a jilted fan joins forces with the arsonist to sabotage their future.
REVIEW:
I feel so redundant saying things like this but they have to be said. I really liked some parts of this book and really disliked other parts of this book and with that said, the good/bad cancel each other out which leaves a basic general/average review. My biggest issue with these two men was the fact that every single thing about their relationship seemed incredibly forced. Nothing was natural, in my opinion. And this is the biggest crux of the issue. If there were more focus on Skylar and Aiden building their relationship, than Skylars budding career, then I think this whole thing would have been an absolute success. Also, another issue, all of the twist and turns were pretty obvious from the get go. I think any radical animosity coming towards anyone should be looked in to, but that never happened. Even though, without a doubt, I liked the book, it was incredibly predictable and not surprising. The author is a very talented writer and I would be interested in other stories depending on the content, but there would need to be some changes, for sure.
Skylar is at the cusp of super stardom. He has no discrimination when it comes to either male or female. Whoever he’s attracted to is who he’s going to be with at the time. From his childhood experiences he doesn’t believe in love and is into any interaction for the fun of it only. But he is intrigued when the waiter turns him down. That’s not something that happens so his fire is without a doubt ignited.
Aiden is a firefighter at heart. On his days off he’s a waiter at parties in the Hollywood Hills. He is never taken with the superstardom he witnesses, if anything he’s turned off by it. So when he meets Skylar he’s not prepared for being attracted to an actor on the cusp of super fame. After several run-ins due to suspicious fires at Skylars workplace, Skylar and Aiden are pulled together.
I actually liked this author’s writing style. I have no fault in the mechanics with which these stories were written. Talent was apparent.
Aiden and Skylar’s attraction became pretty explosive which was nice. I loved the fact that these two men let go and really allowed themselves to feel.
Some pretty obvious miscommunications, as well as stubbornness allowed this new relationship to drift off course. From the miscommunications to the end of the story it was all pretty predictable, which was disappointing? I was looking for surprise.
Overall, this book hit average on my meter. The writing was pretty good but the plot was predictable so I ended up being bored towards the end.
RATING: 
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