Review: Magic Unfolds by N.L. Greene

Summary

For the first time in her life, Becky had hopes of fulfilling her own dreams when Blaine Winters inexplicably arrived into her quiet life, teasing her with astounding possibilities she never thought imaginable. Not only did he reveal that magic was indeed real, but he also stirred feelings in her that she had only read about in clichéd romance novels. But just as quickly as he appeared, he was gone. Then Becky’s life was turned upside down by a family emergency. With the overwhelming demands of running an elite law firm as well as her ex becoming more of a threat each day, she didn't have time for whimsical thoughts or personal exploration anyway.
Now that Blaine has mysteriously disappeared from her life, she can put her family first and focus on what she needs to do. If only it were that easy. Blaine may be gone and all of Becky’s little girl dreams of a world filled with magic with him, but that doesn't mean all’s forgotten. Nightmares are plaguing her, someone is watching her, and there are powers within her that she can’t seem to control.

Will Becky finally get her chance at magic after all, even if she doesn't want it?

Review

I loved Magic Unfolds. I did not have too high of expectations because the first installment, Illusions Begin left me disappointed and wanting more. While I wanted the first book to be shorter, I craved for Magic Unfolds to be longer, a never ending cycle in the book worm world. 
The relationships that N.L. Greene builds are really what makes the book special. Becky and her relationships are built and destroyed, over and over again, highlighting her personality traits and perseverance. The love interests and friends she makes are so quickly taken away each time, and none of them have come back yet. 

The only part that frustrated me, besides the cliff hanger ending, was the whole Ethan plot. He clearly likes her and she clearly is trying to friend zone him but he does not seem to get it. I wish that it became clear to him in this book because I don’t like the possibility of an unnecessary love triangle building with Becky, Ethan and Blaine. 

Everything else aside, I think Becky is a great role model. She stuck up for herself against a man who was trying to take advantage of her in more than one way. It is a great example and role model for someone reading this book to see because it shows Becky standing up for herself and taking the necessary steps to get Lance out of her life. 

The ending, really, it could be classified as torture. A true cliff hanger that left me not only angry but extremely eager to read the next installment, which better be out soon because I need to know what happens. 

Reviewed by Rachel Keane

Publisher: CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date: 4/10/2014
Pages: 264

Review: Illusions Begin By N.L. Greene

Summary

Katherine Rebecca has always done exactly what was expected of her. Her prim and proper upbringing taught her the importance of family, sacrifice, and social stature. She has followed in her parents’ footsteps, being trained and groomed daily almost from birth, to take over the family law firm. It was never a question of IF she wanted to but WHEN she would take the reins of the company. She worked rigorously toward that predetermined goal her entire life. She gave up friends, boyfriends, and an exciting social life in order to propel herself through school and college. Katherine Rebecca strives to please her parents. More than anything, she basked in their praise and approval. But now, at 21 years old, she finds herself leading a life that is nothing like the life she imagined for herself.

Becky has always possessed a deep love of magic. Ever since she was a small child she has been fascinated with magicians, illusions, mystery, and the vague hope that there was some sort of real magic in the world. But this is a secret no one knows, or at least that’s what she thought. Until one day Becky finds a mysterious business card in her pocket that leads her to an equally mysterious man. He opens up a whole new world of possibilities to her, one with a tantalizing proposition that she never thought imaginable.

Could magic actually be real?

Review

Let’s begin with, I was not expecting the form of ‘magic’ in this book to be magician magic. I anticipating a more magical magic, although I had not seen the cover until I began to write this review. And if I had seen the cover before I read it, I would have anticipated a much more sexually based book as the cover is quite scandalous. Anyway, that is not to say that the form of magic made the book any less interesting. The concept: Becky is a smothered child and too afraid to speak up to her loving parents who expect only the best. She can’t find the words or time to tell her parents about her secret love, magic. Until a moment when she meets a mysterious man who wants to show her a whole different side of magic.

I wish the book moved a little faster. I felt that the pace went way too slow and there was an abundance of information that was necessarily thrown at us. For such a short book, it should have moved from event to event much quicker. That being said, the last chapter or so moved at a great pace and the story suddenly became more interesting because before this point, it was boring.

The book really focused on character development with most of the book centered around Becky’s family and personal life. It was different to get a detailed sense of a characters background by actually seeing the events occur and not just hearing about them. It allowed Becky to gain more sympathy from the audience, especially since she was living her life in a way that only pleased her parents.

Illusions Begin was extremely well written, and one of the reasons I continued reading through the slower portions. N.L. Greene clearly chooses each word with care and crafts a story that while slow, was unique and captivating. I wanted to read more.

After the last chapter, I was excited to hear that the story continued, but as short as this book was it was not short enough for me. I felt like it dragged on forever with unnecessary details. If you make it through this book to the end, the story does become more interesting because as I said, the story line is not the usual plot. It is a great introductory book to what I hope is a paranormal series, but I do think it could have easily been one chapter, not an entire book.

Review by Rachel Keane

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication date: 1/9/2014
Pages: 294