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Love's Illusions
Chicago, 1971. A marriage broken. A second chance at complicated love.
Jackie Moretti always believed in fairy tale endings. A promising art student in Chicago in the early 1970s with a happy marriage to her childhood sweetheart points to a bright future, until Jackie's world cracks in two.
Six months into the marriage, it becomes alarmingly clear that Jackie's husband Stephen is not the man she thought she married. Even when confronted with overwhelming evidence, her husband cannot admit the truth and blames her for the destruction of their relationship. She tries to cope with the pain by taking on a new job at a local bar, diving into a series of one-night stands, and numbing herself with drugs.
Sexy mechanic Michael Nowak grabs Jackie's attention from their first encounter. The small-time dealer provides both sex and drugs to distract Jackie from her downward spiral. When their feelings turn from lust to something more, Michael gets roped into a larger-scale criminal operation than he ever thought possible. Can their love survive depression, regret, and struggles of the heart or will the second city swallow them whole?
Love's Illusions is the first installment in a series of women's modern historical fiction novels. If you enjoy books set in the early 1970s with compelling characters and immersive writing, then you'll love Jolene Cazzola's debut novel.
Buy the book today to see if love can overcome the struggle within!
Jackie Moretti always believed in fairy tale endings. A promising art student in Chicago in the early 1970s with a happy marriage to her childhood sweetheart points to a bright future, until Jackie's world cracks in two.
Six months into the marriage, it becomes alarmingly clear that Jackie's husband Stephen is not the man she thought she married. Even when confronted with overwhelming evidence, her husband cannot admit the truth and blames her for the destruction of their relationship. She tries to cope with the pain by taking on a new job at a local bar, diving into a series of one-night stands, and numbing herself with drugs.
Sexy mechanic Michael Nowak grabs Jackie's attention from their first encounter. The small-time dealer provides both sex and drugs to distract Jackie from her downward spiral. When their feelings turn from lust to something more, Michael gets roped into a larger-scale criminal operation than he ever thought possible. Can their love survive depression, regret, and struggles of the heart or will the second city swallow them whole?
Love's Illusions is the first installment in a series of women's modern historical fiction novels. If you enjoy books set in the early 1970s with compelling characters and immersive writing, then you'll love Jolene Cazzola's debut novel.
Buy the book today to see if love can overcome the struggle within!
302 pages, Paperback
First published October 13, 2015
7 people are currently reading
304 people want to read
About the author
Jolene Cazzola
4 books52 followersAn accidental author... maybe? For most of my life, I never, ever, thought of myself as a writer – writing wasn’t even something she enjoyed doing. Then about a year ago, after some conversations with friends about the regrets of losing personal history, the idea of preserving experiences started to grow and flourish in my mind. Without any real thought about publishing, I began writing, just getting feelings and ideas down on paper. Love’s Illusions is the result.
Finding I truly enjoyed the 'writing journey', the next book in the Love's Illusions series is currently underway. The creative process, be it in the visual arts or literary arts, both required the desire and stimulus to move from simply 'thinking' about an idea to the actual production of that idea. In many ways, Love's Illusions equates to my visual arts work with glass and light.
I have both creative and analytical sides, holding MFA and MBA degrees. I spent much of my adult life working in social service and a niche area of medical billing.
I currently lives in Jacksonville, Florida.
Finding I truly enjoyed the 'writing journey', the next book in the Love's Illusions series is currently underway. The creative process, be it in the visual arts or literary arts, both required the desire and stimulus to move from simply 'thinking' about an idea to the actual production of that idea. In many ways, Love's Illusions equates to my visual arts work with glass and light.
I have both creative and analytical sides, holding MFA and MBA degrees. I spent much of my adult life working in social service and a niche area of medical billing.
I currently lives in Jacksonville, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 23, 2016
The era was the early 1970’s, a time when divorce, homosexuality and abortion were still topics whispered from mouth to ear, eyebrows would raise and religious zealots would pray for the sinners, as well as that their friends wouldn’t learn the taint of the good family name. Follow young Jackie Moretti as she discovers the truth about what happens after the rice is thrown and married life begins in earnest. Jackie was young, trusting and naïve. Long after her husband left, she held that fairytale dream that he would come back, but when she finally realized it would never happen, that maybe she had something better to live for, Jackie began to re-build the shambles her life had become as she began to love herself and carve her own path.
Author Jolene Cazzola shares a tale of one young woman, caught between the rosy dreams of being married and the reality of a mate who has been living in denial and hides behind a lie in an effort to maintain his secret. Jackie finds a friendship with benefits in the arms of her recreational drug dealer, only to find that what they have is more honest and secure than even Jackie’s relationship with her dysfunctional family.
This is a story of coming of age, of learning to find the inner strength from within and to follow the path YOU need to follow, not the path of least resistance or the path chosen for you by others with their own agenda.
Ms. Cazzola shares a strong voice with her readers as she tackles life in an era many of us can still remember.
I received this copy from Jolene Cazzola in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: October 13, 2015
Publisher: Jolene Cazzola
ISBN-13: 9781519148025
Genre: Women's Fiction
Print Length: 280 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Author Jolene Cazzola shares a tale of one young woman, caught between the rosy dreams of being married and the reality of a mate who has been living in denial and hides behind a lie in an effort to maintain his secret. Jackie finds a friendship with benefits in the arms of her recreational drug dealer, only to find that what they have is more honest and secure than even Jackie’s relationship with her dysfunctional family.
This is a story of coming of age, of learning to find the inner strength from within and to follow the path YOU need to follow, not the path of least resistance or the path chosen for you by others with their own agenda.
Ms. Cazzola shares a strong voice with her readers as she tackles life in an era many of us can still remember.
I received this copy from Jolene Cazzola in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: October 13, 2015
Publisher: Jolene Cazzola
ISBN-13: 9781519148025
Genre: Women's Fiction
Print Length: 280 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
September 27, 2017
Sorry, not my cup of tea. I just couldn't get into it.
I found the main character Jackie to be whiny and naive. I would not be able to have a conversation with her.
I found the main character Jackie to be whiny and naive. I would not be able to have a conversation with her.
October 12, 2015
BookViral Review
An exciting and sexy read from the very start, Love’s Illusion is the new release from debut author Jolene Cazzola. An author who instinctively understands the devices of suspense and tension and uses them to maximum effect, Cazzola ably avoids the genre pitfalls of stringing a series of contrived events one after another in a tedious stream of clichés and in doing so delivers a genuinely atmospheric read. With an upbeat narrative aptly framed by the books title there are a number of cleverly articulated surprises that always seem congruent with time and place with rich thematic undertones that bring the historical aspects of her novel to life. On this level she advances her plot with a fine eye for detail but without the weight of undue complexity though ultimately it’s her characters and the more erotic elements that keep the pages turning. Jackie and Michael simply have great chemistry. They might be lacking in morals but there is an air of vulnerability about them which makes them highly endearing as the temperature rises!
With all the hallmarks of a popular and enduring series, Love's Illusion is certainly deserving of your attention and is strongly recommended.
An exciting and sexy read from the very start, Love’s Illusion is the new release from debut author Jolene Cazzola. An author who instinctively understands the devices of suspense and tension and uses them to maximum effect, Cazzola ably avoids the genre pitfalls of stringing a series of contrived events one after another in a tedious stream of clichés and in doing so delivers a genuinely atmospheric read. With an upbeat narrative aptly framed by the books title there are a number of cleverly articulated surprises that always seem congruent with time and place with rich thematic undertones that bring the historical aspects of her novel to life. On this level she advances her plot with a fine eye for detail but without the weight of undue complexity though ultimately it’s her characters and the more erotic elements that keep the pages turning. Jackie and Michael simply have great chemistry. They might be lacking in morals but there is an air of vulnerability about them which makes them highly endearing as the temperature rises!
With all the hallmarks of a popular and enduring series, Love's Illusion is certainly deserving of your attention and is strongly recommended.
October 2, 2015
It's 1971 Chicago, and 20 year old art student, and part-time bartender, Jackie Moretti, is looking for connection in the age of sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll. Her relationship status: It's complicated. Her soon to be ex-husband has a major secret, and her new boyfriend may be hiding things as well. She's got her classes at the Art Institute of Chicago to contend with, as well as the wily patrons and owner of the dive bar where she works. One thing that's clear is that there are no simple solutions, and that even the shining hope of love, may itself just be an illusion.
The characters in Love's Illusions grab a hold of you and do not let go. Jolene Cazzola manages to bring you along for the ride through depression, complicated relationships, laughter, confusion, camaraderie, and growing up. It'a story about facing the truth, coming to terms, and exploring new avenues. The author's characters stay with you long after the book has ended, and make you wonder what would they be doing next. I enjoyed this book, and would highly recommend it!
The characters in Love's Illusions grab a hold of you and do not let go. Jolene Cazzola manages to bring you along for the ride through depression, complicated relationships, laughter, confusion, camaraderie, and growing up. It'a story about facing the truth, coming to terms, and exploring new avenues. The author's characters stay with you long after the book has ended, and make you wonder what would they be doing next. I enjoyed this book, and would highly recommend it!
November 2, 2015
I think the problem with many contemporary romance novels is that they come across as saccharin coated with no real depth. This is in contrast to Loves Illusion which leans towards the more likely hit and miss relationships that often follow a painful breakup. I liked the characters in this book because they feel real! They make mistakes and somewhere along the way they are forced to sort things out and decide what it is they really want. Life is unscripted and it this which the author captures so well in Loves Illusion.
September 25, 2015
Reviewed By Natasha Jackson for Readers’ Favorite
Love’s Illusions is the story of Jackie Moretti and the men she’s loved, lost and discarded. An art student with a bright future, we meet Jackie in the most unconventional way but it speaks to Jolene Cazzola’s plans for this young woman. She is hard party-er but she’s young and it’s the 1970s, until she isn’t quite so young. Jackie eventually gets married, but it doesn’t last long because Stephen was keeping a lot of secrets, many he refused to own up to. But between drinking, drugs, and a drug dealing maybe boyfriend, Jackie has bigger problems. That’s the backdrop of this interesting story filled with dysfunction, reality and heartbreak.
Jolene Cazzola has crafted a story that is engaging and heart wrenching. Watching Jackie’s life spiral was kind of devastating, but at times you just wanted to shake some sense into her. The decisions she’s forced to make aren’t easy and that’s what gives Love’s Illusions a helping of reality that keeps you engaged. This story was not just well written, it was all consuming at times. This story makes you want to find out what happens next, to root for Jackie to get it together to find the love that she so desperately wants. My favorite character was Michael; he was a bad boy with a heart of gold and when he and Jackie were on the cusp of something great you could feel the emotions leaping off the page. More than anything, the sober reality of Love’s Illusions is what makes it such a captivating read.
Love’s Illusions is the story of Jackie Moretti and the men she’s loved, lost and discarded. An art student with a bright future, we meet Jackie in the most unconventional way but it speaks to Jolene Cazzola’s plans for this young woman. She is hard party-er but she’s young and it’s the 1970s, until she isn’t quite so young. Jackie eventually gets married, but it doesn’t last long because Stephen was keeping a lot of secrets, many he refused to own up to. But between drinking, drugs, and a drug dealing maybe boyfriend, Jackie has bigger problems. That’s the backdrop of this interesting story filled with dysfunction, reality and heartbreak.
Jolene Cazzola has crafted a story that is engaging and heart wrenching. Watching Jackie’s life spiral was kind of devastating, but at times you just wanted to shake some sense into her. The decisions she’s forced to make aren’t easy and that’s what gives Love’s Illusions a helping of reality that keeps you engaged. This story was not just well written, it was all consuming at times. This story makes you want to find out what happens next, to root for Jackie to get it together to find the love that she so desperately wants. My favorite character was Michael; he was a bad boy with a heart of gold and when he and Jackie were on the cusp of something great you could feel the emotions leaping off the page. More than anything, the sober reality of Love’s Illusions is what makes it such a captivating read.
May 11, 2016
Way better than the average romance, at least for someone like me who can relate to the early 1970s time frame in which this two-book story is set. I thoroughly enjoyed all the references to music, fabrics, clothing styles and the like, taking me back in time (that's why I even shelved it on the history shelf.) You also get to read about attitudes of the time about women, homosexuality, cohabitation, divorce, drugs, mental illness and more.
This is the story of a young woman art/education student whose marriage has fallen apart after her husband left her, apparently for a man. There are lots of emotional ups and downs and you have to read the second book (Love's Journey) to find out what happens.
This is the story of a young woman art/education student whose marriage has fallen apart after her husband left her, apparently for a man. There are lots of emotional ups and downs and you have to read the second book (Love's Journey) to find out what happens.
January 24, 2016
Loves Illusions is one of those books that will be hard to forget. From the beginning it grabbed you up and held your attention. The author did a phenomenal job at holding, and guiding your attention visualising what the character Jackie was going through. With drugs, and many losers on the burner, she's going through everything, and then some. She's been married, then divorced over lies, and secrets. As she lives hell on earth she meets Michael another bad boy type, into drugs and other bad stuff, but he is also the type that would do anything for Jackie. This book is about love, pain, living, secrets, and so much more. A definite 5 star ! I received this arc in return of an honest review
June 2, 2016
I have received this book of Love's Illusions, in exchange, I'm leaving this review.
I have to say that I feel that Jackie depression hits too close to home. Although, I didn't agree with most of her perception of her dealings with life. But I guess with the times of the 70s was so much more different than today and people deal so differently. I'd be honored with the opportunity to read the n ext journey of Michael and Jackie! It was a great experience to read this book.
I have to say that I feel that Jackie depression hits too close to home. Although, I didn't agree with most of her perception of her dealings with life. But I guess with the times of the 70s was so much more different than today and people deal so differently. I'd be honored with the opportunity to read the n ext journey of Michael and Jackie! It was a great experience to read this book.
December 23, 2015
This was an okay book, but I would not recommend it.
I received this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway.
I received this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews