Optical Illusion

Paint #1

by Emma Jaye

Smile, wiggle, lie, apologise, and run for the hills.

That's the formula Chris has used all his life, but this time, he has something he’s never had to lose before, a family that cares. The problem is, his new brother’s very edible friend isn’t fooled by his act. If his secrets are revealed, they won’t want him and he has nowhere else to go.

Thanks to a suicide bomber, ex-military police sergeant Jase Rosewood is back in the English countryside. His plans for quiet recuperation are ruined by the effervescent, go-go dancing twink who has everyone wrapped around his little finger. Luckily for the gullible Matt, Jase can smell a liar a mile away, and Chris Bacon, if that’s even his name, stinks to high heaven. Assigned ‘Chris-sitting’ duty while Matt's on honeymoon, Jase has a week to discover what is hidden beneath the bright camouflage. It's a job, just like any other, so why does it feel so different?
Unfortunately, Jase isn’t the only one drawn to the boy who can’t stay still, but instead of wanting to reveal his true colours; they want to dull them forever.

Contains issues of physical abuse, but not between the central couple.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Disability, Contemporary, LGBT, Abuse, Contemporary Romance

382 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2016

About the author

Emma is the #1 Amazon Bestselling Author of m/m series such as Paint, Incubus, and Lies.

Known as the Queen of MM angst her books include Sci-fi, paranormal, and contemporary romance and always puts her characters through hell before giving them a HEA. She blames her rebellious muse (who looks like Chris from the Paint Series) for the erotic aspects tickling the angst, and the humor cuddling up with the erotic.

When not writing or reading she herds Birman cats and sons; Both groups argue that the other is too large.
For a free book, join her NL: https://readerlinks.com/l/1869132/new...

If you want to keep up with her spicy, quirky imagination, you can find her here:
Author Page: http://bit.ly/2wox9M0
Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2PCQuSs
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2MRtGQk

She always answers questions and comments from readers, so feel free to get in touch.

Reviews

[Sheziss · Rating 1 out of 5]

***DNF 14%***



I had a problem with this book since the very beginning. I wasn’t horrified right away but the writing style doesn’t agree with me, and it made it complicated for me to focus on the story, because it was damn distracting and formulaic.

What do I mean with this?

The author tells things. Facts. Info. Then she tells more things. Facts. Info. Then some more. And more.

I’m reading a chain of events, but with no real meat beneath. It’s like: I wake up, I brush my teeth, I go to work, I come back home, I sleep. Maybe I eat 5 times a day.

But no soul, no emotion.

Jason is in love with his BFF, Matt. Matt rejects him. Jason goes into the Army. 10 years later, he survives an explosion. He is kicked out of the Army. He meets Chris Bacon in Matt’s wedding (oh, my heart, that hurts!), who is a reflection of Matt.

We are told several times how alike they are.

It sounds so sad and pathetic: Matt doesn’t want Jason, but no problem, because Chris is there to replace him. 10 years younger.

Such a coincidence! Such good luck! Win-win!

Needless to say, I was wary ever since.

Chris is sick. Chris is poor. Chris is awesome. Suddenly, everybody wants to have him in his house.

The envy of every abandoned dog.

He needs to go to the doctor, to Matt’s exgirlfriend, Sarah, who is a GP.

I’d have paid to see that doctor interview.

The medical stuff sounded so weird to my ears. Maybe it’s because of the language barrier, maybe it’s because the health system is different from the one in the place I live in. But things are not clear for me in this matter. It seems Chris only spends a little while in the consultation but then he has to have been for a longer while, because, he is given prescriptions for two antibiotics, vitamins, iron, and sleep pills. As simple as that.

The space-time sphere is so surreal in this book.

We are never told how Chris feels. Dizzy? Feverish? Does he cough anyhow? Does he suffers from fatigue? Malaise? Does breathing takes him a huge effort? Does he have any pain, in the chest, in the stomach, wherever? Questions, questions, questions!

Matt gets him and takes him to the doctor.

Out of the blue.

I mean, I had no hint Chris was sick until they go to the pharmacy, because we are never explained how Chris feels.



Describing how a MC feels in a romantic novel is so basic I have no idea why the narrator didn’t mention any of this. I’m not even talking about the feelings for another person but about the most elemental of sensations. Yourself, your body, your inner voice.

We only get to see how he runs super fast and gets into the nursering home to see Matt’s father. BAM. And how fierce and snarky he is. BAM. And how pitiful he is. BAM. Just because.

The character development was superficial at least.

Then they mention the blood transfusion.

“How he keeps up the pace when he’s still so anaemic I don’t know. Sarah said that when she first saw him, if she’d thought he would stay in hospital, she would have admitted him, stuck him on an antibiotic drip and given him a blood transfusion.”

That’s serious, it means the hemoglobin is very low, less than 8g/dl (in some cases, they are recommended with less than 10g/dl). If he needs to be admitted, then admit him. Period. And if he needs the transfusion, you give him the damn transfusion, you don’t dance around complaining to your exboyfriend about doing it or not because oh-so-poor Chris suffers so much and he is so pitiful and oh-my-god, how the hell did he do this all alone!

He ended up giving his own address, and the name ‘Chris Bacon’ but the lack of a date of birth and previous doctor details were a problem for the receptionist.

I don’t understand this. Why has Matt to talk with the receptionist? Wouldn’t it be more logical to be Chris the one who gives his own data (I take for granted that in the UK in the 21st century, people have a tendency to know)? When Chris goes out of the consultation, he gets out immediately, instead of going to reception in order go give such information.

Oh no, he doesn’t. Let’s keep the doctors (and the administration) in the dark.

We are ninjas, hey!

Mmm.

Everything is so DRAMA-DRAMA-DRAMA. I needed all of this to be proved, not to be magnified simply for a dramatic feel.

The scene that made me realize I wasn’t sure if I was reading romance or a children book was the vomit scene after the wedding celebration.

“Fucking wonderful. Consider my previous offer of a blowjob rescinded.”

“Aw fuck Tigger, do you have to say stuff like that?” Mike moaned.

Chris grinned to himself. Payback was a bitch. “You should try it sometime mate, it tastes a bit salty, bit slimy, like uncooked egg white with extra salt. If you swallow quick when it hits the back of your throat, you hardly...” The sound of an electric window motor came from the back, followed by retching.

“You caused it, you get to clean it in the morning,” Jase said as if he was discussing the weather.

“I’ll do it when we get home if you like.”

“When we get home, you are going to bed,” Jase said firmly.

“So do you guys want some real live bacon baguette for breakfast, while I get my runny eggs?” The sound of another window opening and two stomachs emptying was music to his ears.

1. I don’t get which is the topic of the conversation here.
2. It’s ridiculous how puerile jokes are still present in adult romances.
3. Why is Chris Bacon considered so cool by them all? He’s such a stupid arrogant brat.

I just that I have the feeling the author doesn’t read his own words twice. Doesn’t consider them first. I get the impression she just writes without stopping for a short while in order to wonder: “Does it make sense at all? Maybe this one sentence is distracting for the reader? Does this paragraph sound absurd anyhow in the big scheme of things? Do I really want to portray the characters this way? Can it be I’m taking it all too fast, or maybe too far away in the dramatic sense? Should I write this or that with more depth so that it doesn’t strike as too rushed and nonsensical?”. IDK, certain details give me red flags constantly and distract me from the main story.

We can’t like them all…

*****

Review with Chelsea!



***Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.***

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars.

I jumped into this book not knowing too much about it, and I was sucked into the story from the very beginning.

Jase joined the military when he was very young and after he was rejected by his very straight best friend, Matt. Years go by, and Jase is forced into retirement from the military due to injuries from a suicide bomber. He is returning home to attend his best friends’ wedding. It is then he meets the life of the party, Chris. Jase’s protective side roars to life and Chris seems like a smitten kitten when it comes to Jase, aka Eddie Bull. Even though the sexual tension was strong, how can two totally opposite people ever survive each other? Jase was an over protective, mega alpha, who was working on returning to civilian life. Chris was younger than Jase, and was living day to day. He was full of life, but his sparkling smile was hiding so much pain, and Jase knew it.

Chris survived a horrific childhood filled with drugs, abuse and so much more. He has ADHD and his coping mechanism were not healthy, at all. He is confused as to why alpha Jase would want anything to do with him. He just doesn’t see what a beautiful person her really is.

This book was heart wrenching at times. Learning more about Chris, and what he goes through, the angst is real. Yes, it is a semi-dark read, but don’t let that stop you from reading a beautiful story about survival, acceptance and most importantly, love.

I must warn you, after reading the very last paragraph of the book, you may want to throw your kindle across the room and scream WTF!!!! Don’t worry, book 2 (Blank Canvas, Paint #2) will be released in October.

Thank you to the author, Emma Jaye, for her generosity in supplying the M/M crew from Turning Pages at Midnight with ARC of both books. I would also like to thank my GR friend, Fabi, for putting this book on our radar. We had a very entertaining buddy read, and as always, the M/M crew was …ahem….AWESOME!!!

[Jewel · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars
​
I've never read this author before, but Optical Illusions sounded interesting, so even though I knew it had a cliffie, I decided to give it a shot since book 2 will be out shortly​​.​ I had originally read that this was to be a two book series. However, on the Amazon page for book two, there is a third book listed.

Chris ​Bacon​​ ​is the mysterious half brother of Matt, Jase's best friend. But he refuses to actually share information about himself or his past. If it weren't for the fact that Chris looks so much like Matt and that the DNA test came back confirming the relation, it would seem that Chris was there trying to scam. But he is reluctant to take money and he makes himself more than useful, so most people turn a blind eye to what he doesn't wish to reveal. Chris was flamboyant, colorful and creative and had the ability to charm most anyone.
​
Chis was all over the place. Quite literally. Bouncing from topic to topic, task to task, never really slowing down. He's also insomniac, and few things seemed to help. Chris was such a hot mess, with no impulse control or self preservation whatsoever. And that gets him into a world of trouble.

Jase Rosewood​ spent his youth being in love with his straight best friend Matt. And when Jase got confirmation that Matt did not return his affections, Jase thought some distance would be just the thing, so he joined the military. A decade in, a severe injury has sidelined him and so he came home just in time for Matt's wedding. And there, he meets Chris. Jase is very ordered and in control. In the military, he was an MP, so he has some experience in finding the truth, and he intends to put those skills to use with a certain young twink.​

​While the story started out somewhat interesting, it quickly escalated into the overly dramatic for my personal tastes. I found the build up to ​the reveal of ​Chris's secrets to be too much so when all was finally revealed, I was a bit disappointed.​ ​I had already guessed​​​ pretty much all of it.

Then, there was a plot twist about a third of the way through, that, without giving any specifics away, I do have to say it was wholly unbelievable to me, as well as unnecessary. It's only purpose seemed to be to just victimize Chris even more than has already happened in his life. To offer more unnecessary drama. And the way that drama played out was brutal and its resolution unsatisfying.

And after that, Chris bounces back to his normal like he's never experienced anything traumatic in his life. It wasn't believable to me that he would have so little issue recovering.

Optical Illusion had some promise, but the execution failed for me in almost every respect. I liked Jase and I liked Chris, as individuals, anyway. They never worked as a couple for me because Chris always seemed too young and too vulnerable, especially after everything he's been through. But the rest of the story didn't really work for me. And as I warned in the first paragraph, this book ends with one hell of a cliffie. However, I doubt I'll continue with the series since I didn't much care for this book.

--------------------------
Review copy of Optical Illusion was generously provided by the auther, via IndiGo Marketing, in exchange for an honest review.

[M'rella · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should be called "Project "Chris"". The good people of this book take Chris in to set him straight in life (not in that way, no), to provide for him, to support him, to educate him, to cherish him... and so on.

But let me start from the beginning.

We first met poor Chris when he was very young, very poor and very homeless. Matt (his alleged brother) and his family and friends went "awwww" upon meeting the poor chap and immediately decided to start taking care of him.

Then, poor Chris, who was still poor, still kinda homeless, with a cherry case of ADHD on top, turned out to be real family (as in Matt's half-brother). So everyone sent more "awwww"s his way and doubled their efforts in taking care of him.

That kind of poor, of course, was not enough. We still have three quarters of a book to go.

And so the poor Chris proceeded to get even poor-er by being kidnapped, beaten, drugged and raped.

When his very mean (but very honest and, in a way, caring "we will not! cut your fingers off!" - true story!) kidnappers finally released him, they did it in such a humiliating and hurtful way, that it left poor Chris even more poor-er, with a cherry an attached complimentary DVD on top. That DVD was full of first grade blackmail material - an orgy - in case he wanted to go to police: "This will be all over the net, if you do."

Family and friends produced more "awwww"s from their collective lungs and tripled their efforts in taking the best-est care of him, to the point where Chris and his homeless situation, his upbringing, his health, his mental state and his behaviour were analyzed, over-analyzed and in the end dissected and pulverized into molecular dust.

Sometime in the last 20% of the book the said dust began to settle. Chris's inner Jory (from "A Matter of Time", in case someone's wondering) started to come out to reveal a young, talented, no-matter-what bright and vibrant man in charge of his own frigging future, hanging out with millionaires and bonding with strong silent military/police types ....

But remember the "poor" part? Here is the kick in the shins (literal for Poor Chris - ha-ha): the book ends with a wicked cliffy. The question is: how much more poor-er-er can Chris get in book 2?

Despite the fact that I am giving this book 2 stars, I have to keep going. I am curious as to how much friends, family, small ex-military units and the medical team of this book are going to agonize over further injuries sustained by Poor Chris.

PS Forgot to add: everyone in this book was gorgeous and hunky, even the bad guys... except for that one unfortunate bad guy who was straight and in no way even remotely bi - he was ugly.

Gorgeous cover, though.

[Line · Rating 3 out of 5]

Freebie at amazon.com right now: https://smile.amazon.com/Optical-Illu...

------------------------------------

Uuuuuhhhhmmm, what a ride... Holy shizzle this was crazy!

So Jase is discharged from the military after a bomb killed his partner, and wrecked his foot in Afghanistan. He is in the hospital and haven't told anybody that he is home and injured. A call from his best friend, asking him to be the best man at Matt's shot-gun wedding, means he leaves for the English countryside.
At the wedding he meets Chris. Chris is the bastard child of Matt's father and the woman who took care of Matt's mother after she had a stroke. And Chris is... Crazy! Wild! ADHD! Loving! All-over the place! Chris does not sleep and when he finally does it is after one of his MANY hook-ups with stangers.
Chris' mother did not have a maternal bone in her body, and she died leaving Chris alone at 14, since she hid from their family. After this, Chris was shipped from home to home, being all over the place because of his SEVERE ADHD.

I liked Chris a lot! He was such a 'fun' character. He was broken yes, and has A LOT of trouble imagining that he deserves a life full of love and care, thanks to his shitty heroin-addict mother and her choices.
But he is so giving and trying to anticipate what everybody needs and making sure that everybody has fun in all they do. He was so well-portrayed as the child of an addict, and I adored him!

Jase is done with the military due to his injury and he has no clue, what to do with his life. He is charged with taking care of Chris (and investigating him), while Matt is on his honeymoon, and Jase has got his work cut out for him.
Chris doesn't want to tell Jase anything, but Jase (as a MP) knows just how to get Chris to reveal things about himself.
The two days they get together, moved pretty quick for me, especially their building relationship. I loved that Jase was strong and firm when dealing with Chris, but the hint of insta-love/lust, did not work for me with these two characters.

The book was a 4-5 star read for me, up until this point. I was thoroughly entertained (it had a feel of a sort of soap-opera with better 'acting' and a lot of humor.)
But then Chris is kidnapped, because Matt does not want to move people illegally on his lorries, and Chris is pumped full of heroin, beaten and then RAPED, which was filmed as blackmail material, so they would not go to the police.
This was SO freaking unnecessary and horrible -IMO.
What started as a character-driven story with a great chance of development between the MCs became this dark, gritty, horrible story, and I was sitting there with my mouth open, thinking: was this really freaking necessary?

And then, then we have the RIDICULOUS development, that Chris does not go to the hospital, he does not need therapy or other types of professional help, and he bounces back from this 'ordeal' within a few days... I'm sorry: WHAT THE FREAKING FUCK??
(Here my rating would have been a 1-2 star, but since it started out strong and I still liked Chris, it ended up being the middle-ground.)
I get that he is a strong person, and that he HAS survived on his own for a long time, but this plot moved from 'believable' to 'no-freaking-way-land' i .2 seconds.
I should mention that it is one of my pet-peeves when a MC is abused in some way, and then bounces back with no professional help whatsoever; just the love of the other MC and a will of steel, because: "I am a big, strong man, and I don't need no help!"


It is not dangerous or making you LESS of a man to get HELP! And the book looses all credibility when a MC gets over a horrible situation, after two days and with a wee bit of willpower! (IMO)

The humor and the situations with Chris at school made me laugh though, and I loved that Jase wants to protect Chris. However I need some of the 'willpower' that Chris used for the 'ordeal' to be used when Jase dictates his life.
The ending was... UGH! But the beginning of book 2 was there, and I'm pretty sure I will read the next one...
Hopefully without shouting and rolling my eyes quite as much.

[Fabi NEEDS Email Notifications · Rating 5 out of 5]

will review after release --- nm, I got the go ahead to post early and I was biting at the bit to do so

This is a beautiful story I had the honor of beta reading.

JASE
My heart broke more than once for Jase. In love with his best friend Matt, he takes a chance only to realize that it's never going to happen. There will never be a happily ever after with his staunchly straight best friend. He joins the military and an entire decade goes by as he buries those feelings while fighting in foreign lands for morality and his country. He may have remained in the military if not for an injury that basically put him out of commission.

Back home, his best friend is getting married. But that's not the only surprise. There's a new addition to the family that has Jase's head spinning and his protective instincts coming out full force.

CHRIS
Chris is an amazing young man who has endless positivity. The odds are so terribly stacked against him. They always have been. Yet, he soldiers on with incredible good nature and an upbeat outlook.

I want to hug him and wrap him in bubble wrap and keep him safe forevermore. Can I? Can I please? He is a precious shining star.

Chris has burrowed his way into my heart and will hold that corner for a very long time.

This is a story you simply have to experience for yourself. It isn't light, even though there are many humorous moments. It isn't completely dark either, although there are some very dark parts.

This is a two book series. While the end of book one leaves you hanging off the cliff by your fingernails, I am assured that there's an ultimate HEA at the end of book 2. The best news I have is that book 2 is ready and will be published only a few short weeks after book 1 is released.

I highly recommend this book. It is an original, both heartbreaking and heartwarming, brilliantly told story.

[Chelsea]

So Sheziss and I did a BR and it didn't go so well.....

Dnf 24%



I’m stopping here because if I continue I’ll be rating this book poorly and I don’t want to do that. I think If I had been in a different mood (one hella crazy one) I could have enjoyed this more. As it is, I couldn’t get into it. At all.

I didn’t like Chris. Like at all. He claims he’s ADHD but I’m sure he’s bipolar at the very least, his mood swings were like….



He was incredibly childish and I just couldn’t give two fucks about his history.

There were three POV’s in the first 10% and I usually don’t like any more than the two main characters POV’s. Anymore and it just becomes too crowded and side characters feel irrelevant.

I was also really wanting to read about a romance, but there wasn’t even a hint of romance poking it's head out. From what others have said it was probably on the way, but I wasn't enjoying the story enough to wait around for it.

While the writing wasn’t bad, the story and the characters were OTT and all over the place. If I didn’t have a mountain of other good books to read I probably would have persevered with this for a bit longer, but I just didn’t want to waste my time on a book I was not enjoying.

Obviously this book did work for some people, so read a variety of reviews and then be prepared for entering a crazy world with one rather manic main character.



See Sheziss' review here :-D

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A copy of this book was graciously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review .

This is my first book by this author , and colour me impressed !

It touches on subjects that I wouldn't normally seek to read about . Abuse , rape and promiscuity
But in the context of the story , they were relevant and added elements helping to understand the characters motivations .
But what really made the story for me , was how invested I was in the two main characters , and that would be VERY invested indeed !!

Jase the ex-soldier , recovering from his injuries and adjusting to life outside the army .
Chris the young artist , dealing with quite possibly one of the worse upbringings ever ( yet still able to see some positives in it ) and ADHD .

It was the author's descriptions of Chris's feelings and the coping mechanisms he developed to deal with his ADHD , that were truly impressive . I defy you not to want to give Chris a hug ! How he managed to keep carrying on , and living in the moment , I don't know .
That being said , Jase would need the patience of a saint , luckily he does and seems to have an uncanny knack to sense what is really going on in Chris's head . Although he doesn't always get this right , but that just makes them both more human .

This is a fast moving story , with a great cast of secondary characters , I hope Nate gets his own book !
However , the story does end abruptly and on a cliff hanger, although it is my understanding the second book is out soon .
I will definately be progressing to the second in this series , as I am determined to see these two get their HEA .

Review to follow

[M]

DNF at 38%.

So. Let me explain why this made me spit-fucking mad and I couldn't finish.

Here you have Jase. Ex-MP because he got injured in Iraq. Comes home to be the best man at the wedding of his best friend/first unrequited love. Gets settled with baby-sitting duty. Tada, he has a pet project - his best friend's little half-brother. 18, abused, has ADHD, severe abandonment issues and suffers from extreme insomnia.

Now, it might be me, but God, am I ever tired of the savior trope. Especially if it's executed the way it is here. Jase not only forces Chris to strip down in front of others to search him for drugs, he (and Matt before that) force him to take sleeping pills, going as far as sneaking them into his food. Listen. I know watching a loved one or any person suffer is hard. But guess what? In a situation like this it's not about your suffering, so forcing your will on someone again and again - drugging them ffs?! - is not HELPING. You think you know better and it's only for their own good? Good for you. Off you fuck. God, romancelandia. What is wrong with you.

Okay, where was I? Right. So Jase is being a hyper-controlling asshole disguised as the good-hearted knight in shining armor for the poor abused, non-neurotypical kid with Issues. Putting the fact aside that it would have been so nice to not have that trope shoved down my throat AGAIN and so violently, it got worse plots wise.

Attention. Spoilers for the 1st 38% are up ahead.

Instead of character development or relationship building, we get a Plot Twist. Out of fucking nowhere people traffickers kidnap Chris to blackmail his brother and his hauling company. Obviously they go for the abused kid-brother nobody knew about until a couple of months ago. OBVIOUSLY. I mean, he's there and convenient, and the rest of the family or the kids would have been way too easy.

So Chris is kidnapped and drugged every day for weeks. Instead of going to the police or really doing anything that might help, the gang of guys keep it all to themselves. Which is clearly the thing to do because A) one if them is an injured Ex-MP - screams EXPERT, right? and B) Involving the police is just silly. Chris would die immediately. I don't know why I didn't came to that logical conclusion myself.

This was 30% or so.

Weeks later Chris is a pitiful, resigned junkie, the guys are waiting to get him back once the traffickers are satisfied - Excuse the fuck out of me?! - and Jase has his first mental breakdown because since absence makes the heart grow fonder, he now has deep feelings for Chris. I guess nothing screams 'relationship building' as loudly as watching your beloved get drugged and slapped around on a phone screen every night.

At the same time Jase also starts digging up every sordid detail of Chris' past - the one he wanted to keep secret desperately? - and share his findings with two people or ten. Because sharing is caring, right?

You wondering why I kept reading/stopped a little while later? Yeah. At 38% we were not done adding more to Chris' suffering. The story needed a night of being roofied, raped&filmed.

And at this point, folks? I'd had enough. And before you explain to me that if I'd just hang in there, things would get all healing/comfort/lovely/tear-jerking beautiful: I don't give a flying fuck. This is an example of rape and abuse being the cheapest plot device to drive a book. It's abuse porn in the worst way. Taking the abused kid and abusing them more and more and more? Taking the one promiscuous character, homeless go-go dancer who sold their body for a warm bed before - which the other MC had a big problem with - and adding rape to it? All in 30% of a >300 page novel and out of fucking nowhere? Yes, that's exactly what this is.

And I do not want any part in it. Keep it all and leave me the hell alone.

[Pati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! I am completely torn as to how to rate this story!

When I was at 65% I actually sent an email to the author, who had provided me with an ARC, to warn her of the numerous errors.... this is what I said at that point.....

"I am at the 65%..... gutted, truly gutted. This story is wonderful so far! Before you publish this, if at all possible it needs a final proof read. There are many errors.... missing words, wrong words, misspelled words (you'll instead of you're; your instead of you're; as instead of a) and some tense errors.... words ending in 'es' instead of 'ed'; was instead of were. Etc. The further into the story I get the more errors are appearing. I will admit to you that errors drive me completely insane! They rip me right out of a story every single time! They usually ruin a story for me. Though so far in this book, though numerous, they are merely an annoyance because the story itself is so compelling." .....

As my GRs friends know I do hate errors. However, I truly was only mildly annoyed by them because the story was so engrossing and I love Chris to pieces!! While there are some very horrific scenes and a hell of a lot of angst there is also humor. Right up until the end of this 381 page (Adobe pdf file page count).... right up to the very last paragraph.... I was all prepared to give this a solid 4.5 star rating. The half star deduction being that I do have some problems with Jase at times.

However, that last paragraph and three very major words destroyed all of that for me....
"to be continued..."

NO!NO!NO!! A Serial is 'to be continued' NOT A SERIES!
NOT AN ALMOST 400 PAGE NOVEL!!!
NOT without prior warning that this is a major cliffhanger serial story!!

I'm pulling out my hair!! I have memory problems! I love that boy!! I need to know what happens to him!! I need him to get his HEA!! Not be left hanging for who knows how long until the next book comes out and even then who knows if that'll also be a cliffhanger. SMH...sob...sob...sob.

I'm at a total loss as to how to rate this after that non-ending.... After loving it so much I can't give it a 1 or 2 star. However because of that non-ending I cannot give it a 4 or 5 star either. So for lack of anything better I'll give it a middle of the road three star for now. If I still remember Chris and his story by the time that the second part of this serial comes out AND if the second part isn't also a cliff hanger then maybe I'll feel the need to change it. But those are very big ifs.

For those of you who like cliff hangers and dark subjects I would highly recommend this book. For those like me, who hate cliffhangers.......

UPDATE: I've raised my rating to 4 stars after hearing back from the author and being let in on the news that book 2 will be following closely behind book 1. Yay! I'm thrilled at this news because as I said I love Chris and must know the rest of his story. :-)

Thank you, Ms. Jaye for letting me know. Keep up the terrific writing!

[Santy · Rating 5 out of 5]

07-Sept-2016

Okay Review time! *claps hands*

I don’t even know where to start with this one. I had too many thoughts buzzing around in my head as I finished the book.

Let me begin with our central character(at least for me) Chris. Chris Chris Chris.Sigh.
Chris was one hell of a character. Outwardly flamboyant, provocative , obnoxious , exuberant, funny and overactive, Chris had a very very dark past he was masking with these behavior traits.

In the book, he went through many more horrors that frankly would’ve felled many people. Chris, however recovered and strived to overcome them with an inner strength that was admirable. His methods were unorthodox to say the least…lol.. but it did go a long way on the road to recovery.

Jase was another solid character. He was Chiris’s rock and often-needed guide thoughout the book . He was a central figure on his road to recovery and even though he sometimes got a bit heavy- handed, he was just what Chris needed.

The writing in this book was great. Emma Jaye grabbed and pulled me under the spell of this story from the 1st chapter and never let me go till the “end”[ the story ends on a cliff hanger]. It was funny, heart wrenching, emotional and intense. I also loved how the secondary characters were well developed and not just place holders in the story.

For a first,self-published book, Emma Jaye wrote the hell out this!

As I indicated earlier, the story ends on cliff hanger like no other and I just can’t wait to read book 2!!

***e-ARC graciously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.***



04-Sept-2016

Loved this! Review to come!!

[Fani · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Do you think we can change the tradition of the best man sleeping with the bridesmaid, just this once? Because he is fucking ed-di-ble. Actually, that’s what I’m going to call him, Eddie Bull. ‘Jason Rosewood’ is much too soft a name for that. That uniform is fucking hot. Officer and a gentleman eat your heart out. Quick, give me your bouquet, I’ve got something more important to hide than an invisible baby bump.”

“Optical Illusion” is a m/m romance about two people, broken both mentally and physically, who having survived so long on their own, finally find the support they need in each other and begin their journey to heal.

Chris was a very entertaining character, he was so full of energy and so funny, every time he was talking I couldn’t stop laughing.

“Oh I love it when you come over dominant, Sarge. Is it alright if I call you Sarge, or would you prefer Sir? Should I salute?”

Of course, despite all his positive energy Chris was a very troubled person, he had a difficult life which made him more vulnerable and accepting towards the bad treatment he was receiving by others. It was so heartbreaking to see many people trying to take advantage of him and him still fighting to stay strong and positive not matter what he was facing.

Jase, even though he was a stable and more quiet character, he had also an interesting back story. I’m not going to say a lot about it just that for various reasons he decided to join the military which resulted in him being seriously injured and sent back to home. I really loved the way Jase cared for the people he loved and having this strong, silent type of character in the story emphasized even more Chris’s energetic personality and produced so many humorous scenes.

In the space of an hour, he’d gone from wanting to strangle this mouthy little shit, to wanting to save him and back again, several times.

I liked their romance so much, seeing these two characters fall in love and despite all their differences find things they can relate with in each other’s life was so heartwarming. The story might began with Jase trying to help Chris, but as I kept reading it was obvious that Chris also improved Jase’s life by bringing color and positive energy.

“I want to be with you, for as long as you’ll have me, because I’ve never met anyone with more life in them than you have.”

For those of you who are looking for a good M/M romance I would definitely recommend this book.

Please Note: This book has some dark themes such as rape and physical abuse (both non descriptive) and the story ends in a cliffhanger.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Pianka *call me PIU* · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Optical Illusion” is a fantastic read with very unique characters, who will light up your day and also make your heart hurt. It’s about healing and abuse and family and more importantly LOVE at its glorious form. I went in with very high hopes and I was not disappointed one bit.

Jase Rosewood has been in love with his straight best friend, Matt from the very beginning. When his hopes to win Matt’s love romantically crashes and burns, Jase joins the military. An accident overseas destroys his career and the military leaves him with no choice but to retire. He comes back home to attend Matt’s wedding as his best man. That’s where he meets Chris Bacon (a.k.a Crispy Bacon*giggles*), Matt’s long lost brother and the life of the party. Jase is instantly interested and Chris does not delay to develop a crush on the gruff soldier. Matt leaves Chris under Jase’s care when he leaves for his honeymoon. Jase’s protective instincts come out in full force as he tries to figure out the enigma that is Chris. No one knows about his life before Chris meets Matt and Jase will try his best to unravel Chris’s mystery and protect him from himself. Chris is always “ON” but behind his cheery façade and ever present smile lies in despicable pain and suffering and Jase is the only man who can heal, protect and Love him like he deserves.

I have never read about any other character like “Chris”. He was cheeky and fun and always ready with a sexual innuendo, which frustrated Jase to no end. But there was so much going on behind his made-up lively appearance. His childhood was like the house of horrors. He has abandonment issues and sex is nothing but a currency to him. Chris had gone through so much in his short life but he never stops to provide happiness to others. He was both so strong and vulnerable at the same time. He needed someone like Jase to ground him and cherish him and provide him with a steady life filled with Love.

This read has a lot of abuse and rape so please proceed with caution. My heart bled for Chris when he goes through so much pain. He is precious and I loved him with my whole heart. At times I felt like giving him a bear hug and holding him tight to soothe his suffering. Jase made an excellent match for Chris. He truly understood Chris. Though his over protective nature creates a little discord between the couple, I have full faith that they can weather anything to get their HEA.

The author did an awesome job in portraying Chris’s condition and the various coping mechanisms that he has developed on his own to survive. He is a handful and Jase has his work cut out for him. And, Chris is totally worth it.

This story is dark and at times really painful but Chris is the one shiny light who made me keep on reading. He is unique and innocent and so very beautiful.

Apart from Jase, all the other characters including Jase’s family, Matt, Matt’s new family, his employees and even Chris’s co-workers made an amazing support group. I would love to read more about the sexy paramedic Nate’s HEA.

You will truly miss out if you do not read this heart wrenching story. It will make you cry and also make you laugh. The book ends in a huge cliffhanger which almost gave me a heart attack but I am one of the lucky ones to have received an advance copy of the next book for review*wink* YAY!!! Don’t worry, the next book will come out pretty soon so do not delay in experiencing this brilliant story ASAP.

Highly Recommended!!!

[Gerbera_Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

** 2.5 stars **

The story started well for me. Two childhood friends at the cusp of manhood. Despite Jase having feelings for his best friend Matt, their friendship continues. Both move one with their lives, and fast forward 10 years another man appears to turn everything upside down. Told mostly from dual POV, the book features a variety of characters, plenty of angst and steam. I would have loved the book more if not for some things that I couldn't get past.

First, Jase, the ex-military MC, while still having a crush on his best friend Matt, suddenly transfers his attentions to Matt's younger brother Chris, an almost carbon copy of his older brother but 15 years younger. Hmmm.

Chris's ADHD at first is fascinating and helps to figure out the why of his behavior. His subsequent abduction brings a lot of angst, and shows the struggle all of them felt when he was gone. It was heartfelt and made me cry at some point. But after about 45% Chris's behavior turns silly, childish and downright bratty. And every time he should have faced any kind of consequence, it was chalked up to him having ADHD or difficult childhood, and all was forgiven. It got old real quick.

After about 70% the book dragged with all the everyday stuff both Jase and Chris did interspersed with Chris's weird behavior and Jase's attitude that frankly made the relationship slightly unhealthy and uncomfortable for me. I can't say that I liked either Chris or Jase by the time the book was over.

I wondered how the author would finish their story when everything between them was volatile and difficult, and it ended in a cliffhanger. Had I known that I might have to endure another book of Chris's inexcusable behavior, I would have reconsidered reading it. I think when trying to show the full extent of Chris's ADHD and emotional suffering he has gone through, author veered from deep and meaningful into ridiculous and over the top.

I did like the setting and the British colloquialisms frequently used in the book. Most of the secondary characters were well written and made me curious about what their stories were. I don't know if I will continue with the series, since the blurb for the next book is frustratingly confusing. We will see.

P.S. Another pet peeve that I have to mention is that the book ends at 91% and the rest is filled with the 1st three chapters of the second book. I didn't need or want to read it, and it pissed me off even more. Grrr.

[True Loveislovereview · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris is an enigma, and his life is complex and finding his roots doesn’t make it easier..
Jase has mixed feelings about Chris.. he want swipe the brats smile from his face but also want to kiss it away.

Chris is just one big pain in the ass. Working Jase up... constantly ruffles his feathers. Chris doesn’t know how to keep himself under control. His self esteem is below zero. Keeping up appearances seems to work to most but not to Jase...

“Being wanted was his number one turn on.”

Then... there is a terrible disturbing turn of events. A nightmare...
To survive there can only be to conditioning himself

Chris can mislead as the best... even Jase who is watching him close... very close

“sex curing his insomnia”

An intense story, very intense! There are no negative points to mention, everything was right in this read even with all the events going wrong. Read the blurb...
I’m eager to read #2 and that’s just what I’m gonna do now.
So maybe I’ll expand this review later. For me a mustread!!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up to 3 because Tig-ger!!!! and still no 1/2 stars here on GR.

Somehow I feel like I missed something with this one...

If I was rating this book based strictly on Chris this would probably be at least a 4 star rating because I really liked Chris. Chris is a young man whose education came from the school of hard knocks and I think he may have repeated a year or two but in spite of all that he's a pretty upbeat and resilient young man. Along with a laundry list of medical issues Chris has been through some pretty spectacularly bad life events. So the fact that this young man keeps going, keeps trying and putting himself out there for the world to trample is pretty impressive.

Unfortunately my rating is for the book in it's entirety and that didn't go as well. I had a bit of an issue with the fact that his half-brother Matt and Matt's best friend Jase who also ended up being Chris's boyfriend, not one but two of the people who were suppose to be looking out for Chris's best interest were also two of the people who drugged him. Yes, it was 'just a sleeping pill' and yes, it had been prescribed for Chris because on his laundry list of medical issues is insomnia and I have to admit I don't know about anywhere else in the world but where I'm from if you drug someone without their consent and they are conscious and you don't have medical PoA for them it's illegal. It doesn't matter how good your intentions or what your reasons were, so now we have 2 of the people that Chris is suppose to be able to trust that have not only betrayed his trust but I'm betting they've broken the law to do it.

I actually started out liking Jase but as the story progressed I felt like he shifted from being attracted to the Chris he met, to wanting to help Chris be 'the best person he could be' which not a bad thing until it started to feel like Chris being the best person he could be meant that he had to change and be the person that Jase wanted him to be, which meant no more GoGo dancing, no more wearing make-up. Really? Jase pick your battles in the scheme of things why does a little make-up matter? To me this felt totally like a control issue on Jase's part and this may well be my issue I'll take ownership of it but sometimes there's a fine line between helping someone and trying to control them and Jase crossed it on more than one occasion so his white knight armor got a little tarnished in my eyes.

The ending of this book is one humongous cliffie...I mean serious vertigo inducing, hang on to your stomach as you look over the edge of that cliff and I have to admit I'm not sure if I'm going to make the leap on this one or if I'll just cut my losses and walk away from the edge. i guess I'll need to think about it.

Optical Illusion was a story that should have pulled at my heartstrings, made me cry for all that Chris had been through. I should have been wrecked and yet filled with happiness that he found a good place. He found family, friends and a good man who was falling in love with him. I get that but you see the problem was I didn't "GET IT"...I didn't feel it. I saw the words and I understood the story, but I didn't feel the connection. I'm not going to say it was me but neither will I say it wasn't me. There are a lot of reviews out there from people who got it. They got the story and they made the connection but there are also ones who like me didn't.

I think it comes down to sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't. In the end all we can each do is decide for ourselves.

********************
A review copy of 'Optical Illusion' was graciously provided by the author via IndiGo Marketing in exchange for an honest review.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 "warts and all" stars

A copy of this book was graciously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

This book sucked me in real fast. I think what I liked most was the way we were introduced to all characters. No long description or thorough introspection ; the writing is fast-paced, concise and full of fun.
And for me the writing and the characters' development was what made the reading so good.

I spent my time wondering who I loved most, Jase or Chris ? And I still don't have the answer.

The best way to describe Jase is to say that he cares .
He cares about his straight best friend Matt, he cares about his parents, he obviously cared about others during his tours in the army, and when he decides that he cares about Chris he does so with everything he is. Even if he is at first surprised with his own attraction to Chris.
"It was as if Chris had a light inside him and everyone else, including himself, were moths being drawn to him."

He asks himself all the right questions, and he makes life changing decisions based on his honest answers. He is caring, honest and dependable but above all he respects Chris, he doesn't want to stifle him, he doesn't want to change who he is.

And Chris is a lot to take .

His neglected childhood that makes him so insecure about anything long term
"It felt as if he was about to discover that his foot didn't fit the glass slipper after all and that Prince Charming would move on to someone far more worthy." ,
the sexual promiscuity he is used to, his hyperactivity that rules his life.
And the author did a great job describing ADHD : from others' perspective "He’s like a camp Duracell bunny that never runs out of power." and with Chris talking about it "... Sleep and his hyper demon playing a never ending game of hide and seek." .

Jase is the responsible guy who asks himself questions, provides answers and acts on them taking long term decision affecting his life.
Chris is the hyper active AND hyper sensitive artist who lives from one day to the next and wants to do it all.
"Artist in the morning, model in the afternoon, dancer in the evening and porn star at night. Sleep's for the wimps."

But they both care about others, they're both so afraid to disappoint and they are great together.

So yes great, fast read with a story plot that for me is more here to serve and highlight characters' development than to provide plot twist as such.
Just a warning though, this book IS NOT a standalone.

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 1 out of 5]

I made it to 38% before I had to stop paying close attention. Why there are no trigger warnings for this book is a mystery... So I'm gonna let you know there should be, and that my review is going to contain spoilers. It's also gonna contain some general bitching, which shouldn't be strange to you if you've read any of my other reviews.

The first thing I noticed about this book were the grammar issues and overall sophomoric writing. Jaye hasn't the first clue how commas are supposed to be used. They're missing in critical areas while being inserted in other places they clearly don't belong.

The second thing I noticed were the little inconsistencies in the plot. For example, Jase and Matt are ribbing each other about their respective life paths, and Jase says that at least he's traveled farther than Bognor Regis, implying Matt is unworldly for only making it as far as his family's regular vacation spot. Then there's this:

"Jase had accompanied them (Matt's family) on many occasions, just as Matt had joined his (Jase's) family on holiday, except the Rosewoods went abroad. Spain and Portugal had seemed so exotic when they were kids."

Sooo... Has Matt only traveled as far as Bognor Regis, or has he been to Spain and Portugal with Jase's family?

There's a part where Jase locks Chris inside his truck to keep him from running off. Since when do civilian vehicles have this feature?

When they want to do a DNA test to make sure Chris and Matt are brothers, Chris says they need a sample from Matt's dad... Why?

At Matt and Kate's wedding reception, the reader is treated to this extremely confusing passage:

"Several of the drivers had offered him alcohol but after the half a pint of lager Mike had pressed onto him, he switched to lemonade. As soft drinks went, he preferred diet coke, but they only had regular here and he didn't need the caffeine sending him higher. Alcohol had the effect of speeding him up even more, or it did until he overloaded and crashed dramatically. He didn't exactly make the best decisions when he was sober but when he was drunk, 'no' seemed to slip out of his vocabulary entirely. He was lifting yet another ice cube filled pint to his lips when a hand gripped his wrist. "That's your fourth pint in an hour, your ninth tonight. You'll flood yourself. I don't suppose Matt and Kate want to spend their wedding night in A and E watching you get emergency dialysis.""

So I was thinking, " Maybe he just thinks Chris has been drinking and Chris will set him straight that it's just lemonade." But... No. Nope. Chris just got irritated at the overbearing remarks and got mouthy.

So WTF was the point of that paragraph? And Diet Coke has just as much caffeine as regular, so... Not gonna lie, I'm real confused about that entire mess of words.

When Jase has a wank to keep from having a wet dream:
"Semen stained sheets wouldn't be any easier to explain to his mother now than they'd been fifteen years ago."

Why would the mother of a 27-year-old man demand an explanation for semen stained sheets? Just why? Why is this even a consideration? Why can't he wash his own damn sheets?

Jase's whole dynamic with Matt is ridiculously pathetic and wreaks of a real issue in terms of the way the author views homosexuality and interpersonal relationships in general. First is the way Matt reacts to Jase coming out to him and trying to go in for a kiss. He nearly shoves Jase to the ground, has his little gay panic moment, then tells Jase they'll just pretend it never happened. Which hurts Jase, obviously, as it's extremely dismissive and unsupportive. But Jaye seems to sympathize with Matt's character here, as he's not once called to account for his homophobia, but instead praised by Jase later when Jase glows with the praise that Matt "still talks to him".

What. The actual. Fuck.

I'm just gonna hammer this point home. Imagine someone you know telling you, "Yeah, I was in love with my best friend and tried to kiss him once, but he went a little homophobic, shoved me, acted ashamed and freaked out, told me to never do it again, and then ignored the whole thing. But it's okay, I should have known better than to try and get my gay cooties on him. I'm lucky he still talks to me." Does that sound right to you? Because it shouldn't.

Matt is just a dick in general, though. He jumps to outrageous and offensive conclusions about Chris and Chris's mother when he first meets him. Good first impression on the brother you didn't know you had. He does the same later when he accuses Jase of having rough sex with Chris, going so far as to punch Jase, despite the fact that he acted like he wanted Jase and Chris to get together. He also already knew about Chris's promiscuity because he's the one who told Jase about it.

If you're getting the idea that the writing in this book is all over the place, you're not wrong.

More ignorance: after a video call, someone says to "pull that video up again". It was a live call. Not a video message. And at one point, Jase just orders copies of Chris's birth certificate and Chris's mom's death certificate. This just... No. Just no. Emma Jaye doesn't know how the world works, and it's painfully obvious.

So the trigger warnings...

Chris is promiscuous, and for the most part, we the readers don't have a front seat to the action. But there is one scene with his boss at a club that borders on dubious consent.

After that, Chris is abducted by human traffickers as leverage against Matt to force him to pick up illegals using his trucking business. I'm not kidding, the story veers that far into melodrama. We're also treated to a short scene of Chris, high on the heroine his abductors have gotten him addicted to, being roofied and gang raped. That was where I had to stop. I have a hard enough time with rape and general sexual brutalization, but it's extra offensive in a story where it's not at all necessary, just another tool the author used to make this character as pathetic and beat down as possible to elicit sympathy from the reader. If Emma Jaye can't craft a sympathetic character without employing such low tactics, she should consider another career.

[Ariana (mostly offline) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title and the cover of this book raise the expectation that art will be one of the major themes. I'm sorry to say that it isn't really. Yes, art is what Chris, one of the MCs, is good at and he does draw a lot and he goes to art college eventually , but that's as far as the 'arty' slant goes.

The rest of the plot was a baffling mix of romance, comedy and crime, leaving me a bit lost at times figuring out what it was exactly the author wanted to achieve. The highly unexpected and unrealistic plot twist about a third into the book left a huge What? hovering above my head, and the following drama was harrowing and felt strangely disconnected to what came before and after.

Don't get me wrong - I thought that both MCs were well-drawn characters, particularly Chris who I liked very much. I think Emma Jayne did a really good job describing his condition and the way he felt. For me this was the best part of the book.
Jase was an alright character, but for some reason I struggled to really get into his head. He's like an elephant in a china shop when it comes to Chris, showing the same amount of sensitivity and understanding. I had even more trouble grasping how they suddenly ended up at 'boyfriend status'. They kind of went from knowing each other for two days to a full-blown relationship without anything in-between to really substantiate it (unless you count worry as a deciding factor to start a relationship with someone?)

But not only that happened too quickly - Matt accepting Chris as a brother took about 15 minutes, Chris was well loved by virtually everyone he ever set eyes on within 7 weeks, and let's not even talk about Chris getting over what happened to him during his ordeal within record time. I know that the author makes clear that some of his bravado is putting up a front, but still - I found it hard to find jokes about spanking and banter about sex acceptable after what happened to Chris.

Some other stuff characters said or did also left me scratching my head for example Natt's OTT reaction when he suspects Jase to have 'abused' Chris sexually. a) why would he so easily believe that his BEST friend would do a thing like that? b. why would Jase not take more exception to the accusation? It was really a bit unfair. OR: Chris not even blinking an eye when Jase enrols him at art college, although they hadn't discussed it at all. OR: Matt just happily accepting (and treating) Chris as family although he doesn't know him at all. OR: Kate telling Chris stuff she shouldn't although she is working in health care these being only a couple of examples of weird things happening.

All in all, this is a pleasant read and I liked it ok, but there was something about this story that simply didn't grab me by the proverbial balls.

ARC received from author via Indigo Marketing And Design in exchange for an honest review.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story might be a bit too much to handle for some reader. There are simply too much bad things happening and too much page count. Once I overlook the long plot and the graphic abuse that happened, I find myself actually liking the story because it feels very different from the usual m/m contemporary.

Jase is ex-military with a busted leg who returned to his hometown where his childhood crush, Matt still reside. Instead of worrying about his friendship with Matt, Jase's life is turn upside down by Matt's recently-discovered-half-brother, Chris.

This story is all about Chris. He is a extremely loud and proud twink who works as a go go dance at the local gay club. This guy is a whack job and drives everybody nuts about his ADHD and offensive innuendo. He is kinda adorable in his own way. However, behind his bravado hides a lonely child that was neglected by his family and society.

The heroes, Jase and Chris as an individual is likable. Whether they work as a couple or not is still something I'm coming to grasp with. Jase is mature and straight laced, while Chris is like a hyperactive, immature teenage brother that often gets into trouble. Before the whole fiasco that befall Chris, there are already too much baggage to handle. But after the event, is even worst. I think it reach a point that there are simply too much.

Jase turned into Chris's protector and sometimes I'm not sure the relationship between them feel romantic or not. It also hard for me to reconcile the fact that they hardly know each other during the short period of time before everything that went down. As for the rest of the supporting characters, there are a few of them, but mostly I feel that everyone life revolves around Chris. The guy is just magnet for trouble and attention.

What I really like about the story is the unpredictability, the surprise, the humor and of course I like things being offensive and although knowing Jase and Chris are very different individual without much similarity, I'm still hoping that the author will sold me on their romance.

I think some readers might find it OTT with the drama that happened with Chris. As if the poor guy haven't suffer enough, the story even end with a cliffhanger with more drama to come. Holy shit. I think I might just wanna salute the author for being so daring to write such a story. And I'm curious enough to want to read the next one.

[Nero Seal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always loved books where everything is totally not as it looks like. Well, Chris is definitely the one who can’t be cracked easily. Having a great deal of issues he keeps smiling, drawing and making the people around him happy, right till the moment anybody wants to get too close.
In the other hand there is Jase, who probably hates secrets more the anything and who would love to keep that pretty ass of Chris to himself.
What happens when ex-military who specialized on cracking hard nuts meets the natural liar? The hell of a mix of hot fights, great sex, that even hotter, and piece of information about what really could be hidden behind that cheerful smile we see on people’s faces.
Optical Illusion is hot, painful, definitely dark and the criminal tone adds to the main impression.
But keep your pity to yourselves, cuz Chris is definitely not the one who likes to receive it, maybe only after the hard spanking?

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is hard for me to review. I had to sleep on it.
There were parts of me that were absolutely in love with this book and parts of me that were super angry with this book.

I think this is my first book by this author, it was recommended to be a friend. And I’m kind of annoyed with her and the author. I’ve got a pile of reading to do and it’s going to have to wait for me to read book two while it’s fresh in my mind. I bloody hate, and I do mean HATE cliffhangers, especially in a book like this that has sooo very much going on! Abuse, rape, kidnaping, drugs, promiscuity, to name a few, and some people will think there is way too much happening in one person’s world and dislike this book for that. However much it was difficult for some to read, I for one appreciated that it had so much going on as this much does get thrown at people in real life and to see someone start to come out the other side of that is quite intriguing.

One of the things I loved about this was the author’s descriptions and details of ADHD. I have never had anyone describe it that way to me and it made me understand and empathize that much more for those who go through this.


I really enjoyed some of the characters and hope to see more of them in the next book, especially Nate!! I’m really unsure how I feel about Sarah. She irks me!

[Anita Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I beta read Optical Illusion and decided to review it.

This isn't a very hard review for me because I love dark erotica, and I love Chris. From the moment he stepped into my mind's eye, he hasn't left. I think about him even now. I don't want to give any spoilers away, but the writer has done a great job at depicting his 'problem'. I was back and forth, up and down wondering what the heck was wrong with him--how could I help him!--and then bam, he let it out in the most uncomfortable situation where I just wanted to hit everyone who was holding him down and tell them to leave him the F**K alone. The poor kid goes through hurricane Katrina and then (I can't give it away; sorry guys) It's just such an intense read throughout; watching affections and love bloom; seeing the darkness come into the light. Watching Chris suffer was heartache. At one point, I had to shut the book to gather my strength.
My favourite scene is when Jase pushes the coffee toward his affection (I won't say who). I'm such a geek for small innuendos and that was ..... sighs. And then when Jase makes a prompt decision to sort his life out for his affections... double sighs.
My first M/M, which I was never a fan of, but I'll definitely read an Emma Jayne novel again, for the romance if nothing else because it's so heart squeezingly good.

Five smashing stars.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given a copy of this book free by the author in exchange for an unbiased review.

After being injured in Afghanistan and sent back to the UK, Jase meets Chris, his best friend's half brother at Matts wedding.
Jase agrees to look after Chris whilst Matt goes on his honeymoon.
Chris suffers from ADHD, is hardly able to sleep for any length of time.

I was exhausted reading about Chris.To have to look after or even be in the company of somebody as hyper as him would be exhausting.

I sat down and read this book straight through. It was a page turner as you wanted to find out what happens to the two. At a point in the book Chris is kidnapped. I am glad that although there were details of what happened, it wasnt graphic. Seeing Chris trying to recover was heartbreaking.
I would recommend this book to those readers who like angst in their stories.
The only negative for me is that the book ends on a cliffhanger at 93% rather abruptly. I was left looking t the pages saying is that it. Luckily book 2 is available to carry on reading.

[Funzee Shu · Rating 5 out of 5]

...even if you irritate the hell out of me ninety-nine percent of the time. You intrigue me and I’d like to explore that further...

I didn’t know about this book or the author IF I didn’t accidentally saw the arc/ebook offer from the publisher at one of the MM group I’ve been following.
The blurb grabbed my attention instantly and made me curious. Intriguing by the possibility of the good premises shown on the blurb, I decided to give this book a try….

Jase and Matt are inseparable best friend since childhood. And for years, Jase has secretly in love with Matt, but unfortunately Matt is straight. On the last day on their senior year, Jase brave himself to finally let Matt know about his feeling to him. When things didn’t went well and almost ruined their friendship, Jase then decided to join the military following his father path. Their friendship still lasting for decade, but the things between them had completely changed.

After almost lost his life on the suicide bomb incident, Jase finally leave the military life and back to his hometown and attending Matt wedding as his best man while recovering himself from the injury.

Jase know for sure that there’s nothing left between him and Matt except for the friendship, but seeing the man he’d once loved marrying a woman was not that easy, because he can’t denied that the memories was still remains. But then he met this beautiful young man at the wedding that caught his full attention…
And his heart start to beat again…

What he didn’t expected is…that the beautiful young man turned out to be Matt’s half brother…

When Matt leave for honeymoon and want Jase to ‘keep an eye' to his brother and do some digging about his past, things start to get ‘complicated’…

And this…is what made the next whole reading become a very INTERESTING read!

Because Chris definitely is a trouble maker. And it needs a lot of patience to keep him out from troubles and to understand him completely. But the more Jase know about Chris’s past life and the WHY, it made him want to protect Chris and keep him safe even more…

But with Chris’s past, trust issues and ADHD, it’s definitely not an easy things to do. And trying not to include his feeling toward Chris is an impossible either…because Jase completely knew that Chris already owned his heart since the day he saw him for the first time...

Like I’ve said before, this is my first Emma Jaye's book and I didn’t expect to like this story this much!

The pace is a bit slow and with the complex plot I must admit that not everyone will enjoying the reading like I do. But like Jase who needs a lot of patience to understand Chris’s minds and needs, it needs A LOT of patience to read this book especially with the complexity that happen in the story and the long starting range that start with Jase and Matt story before it finally entered into the ‘main’ story between Jase and Chris. But if you have little bit MORE patience, I can assure you that the story really worth your time and enjoyable enough to read.

I started this book with scepticisms, but at the end I'm falling deeply in love with both Chris and Jase characters with all their baggage. I have this constant urge to hugs Chris almost the entire reading and have fully respect to Jase for what he'd done to Chris, to always be at Chris's side and to understand him completely...

The first book ended with cliffy end that will grow your curiosity, but thanks god I read this book when the second book had finally out, so I can jumped to the next book without need to do the hysterical scream like what others reader must faced when they read this series long time ago. Because if not I will pulling my own hair waiting for what happen next!

See ya in the next book review!




*ARC is kindly provided by the Author through publisher in exchange of a fair, unbiased and honest review*

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emma Jaye is a new-to-me author. I was gifted with Optical Illusion, the first book in her Paint series, and I'm so happy I was.

At its core, Optical Illusion is the story of two broken men - Jase, who was wounded in the Middle East while serving with the British Army, and Chris, the illegitimate son of a prominent businessman.

The two meet when Jase returns to town to act as best man for his best friend, Matt. Turns out, Chris is Matt's newly-discovered half-brother. The two men's eyes meet in the church as Chris walks Matt's bride (Kate) down the aisle. "Roll that tongue back in, soldier," Matt quips to Jase, at the same time Chris turns to Kate and whispers, "Do you think we can change tradition of the best man sleeping with the bridesmaid, just this once?" And so their story begins.

Jase is stable, strong, and a major control freak. Chris is vivacious, snarky, and oh so lovable. When tragedy strikes, their world is turned upside down, and both are forced to face their demons and their feelings for each other head on.


Optical Illusion was a surprisingly good read. Emma Jaye's writing provides a depth to the individual characters and their backgrounds that I rarely see in other books. She paints a vivid picture of the two men's lives, highlighting their stark differences, while at the same time providing insight into what made them who they are.

The ending was a bit frustrating, but it also whet my appetite for the second book in the series.

At times, I laughed. At times, I cried. And my heart broke for both Jase and Chris in their quest to find their way to each other.

I loved this book! It's a must read.

[Coco.V]

💝FREE on Amazon today (9/1/2018)!💝

Blurb:
Smile, wiggle, lie, apologise, and run for the hills.

That's the formula Chris has used all his life, but this time, he has something he’s never had to lose before, a family that cares. The problem is, his new brother’s very edible friend isn’t fooled by his act. If his secrets are revealed, they won’t want him and he has nowhere else to go.

Thanks to a suicide bomber, ex-military police sergeant Jase Rosewood is back in the English countryside. His plans for quiet recuperation are ruined by the effervescent, go-go dancing twink who has everyone wrapped around his little finger. Luckily for the gullible Matt, Jase can smell a liar a mile away, and Chris Bacon, if that’s even his name, stinks to high heaven. Assigned ‘Chris-sitting’ duty while Matt's on honeymoon, Jase has a week to discover what is hidden beneath the bright camouflage. It's a job, just like any other, so why does it feel so different?
Unfortunately, Jase isn’t the only one drawn to the boy who can’t stay still, but instead of wanting to reveal his true colours; they want to dull them forever.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 Stars*

Emma Jaye delivers on a story full of intrigue, drama and complexity. I love her ability to really create characters and adding richness to the book.

The character development is one of the most refined I've seen. The author truly gives that sense of understanding that people are unique in their own ways and doesn't shy from showing both flaws and positive aspects for each character. I love especially that she gives that same level of detail to secondary characters. Overall the world building is solid, especially as the book develops.

The storyline itself covers a wide range of events. It does start a bit slow but after that buildup it becomes captivating. I did deduct half a star because of its start. The book is an emotional journey and one that stays with the reader long afterwards. I immediately had to get book 2 because I became so hooked on this series.

4.5 Stars for an emotional and complex read! Highly recommend!

[The Novel Approach · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am having a hard time writing this review because there are a lot of aspects of this book that I really enjoyed, and there were a couple of issues that have sort of stayed with me.

What worked? The characters are dimensional and written very well. The overall plot (which was at times a little over the top) has some darker themes with enough humor to keep a good balance, and managed to keep me invested, so I had no problem devouring the book pretty quickly. I felt the ADHD and results of child neglect were done really well. I also really enjoyed many of the secondary characters and was interested what will happen with them—especially Nate, Russel and Alex.

I adored Chris’ character; my heart went out to everything he went through growing up, and all he continues to go through during the course of this story. He has had one load of crap thrown at him after another and yet he continues to survive. He is unapologetic for who he is and how he copes, or what brings him joy. Despite his overtly sexual nature, and the amount of responsibility he has had despite his young age, he is extremely naïve and trusting. He truly is just looking to belong, looking for people to accept him “warts and all”, though he doesn’t believe he deserves that acceptance. He is impulsive, reckless and stubborn, but he is loyal.

Jase, I couldn’t help but internally clap my hands for his character and his ability to cut through the BS when he saw it. He is calm and controlled and seemed to counteract Chris’ more hyperactive nature. His dominance seemed to settle Chris. Jase created a balance for Chris, and a stability that was needed. After something severe happens, Chris’ presence in Jase’s life also does positive things for Jase. It forces Jase out of the stagnant place he had found himself, compelling him to look at moving forward by securing a job and make plans for his future, and his desire to give Chris an opportunity to explore his artistic talents.

Chris and Jase went from meeting and basically sniping for two days, then the major trauma, and then they are pretty much boyfriends. It was fast, but I wouldn’t necessarily say it was done poorly. Their chemistry was obvious before everything happened, and it was believable that Jase would want to be there for someone he had developed feelings for. I won’t lie; at times I found myself frustrated with Jase’s choices and behaviors. It seemed that Jase’s feelings went from attraction and “accepting” Chris for his vibrant personality into him consistently trying to change Chris for what he felt was the better. I got the need to help with Chris’ routines and food intake, and areas to help him focus to get better control of his ADHD and insomnia, but it was the aspects of his personality that Jase seemed to want to stifle that irked me. It didn’t seem that he wanted Chris, but wanted the person he could mold Chris to be; little things, his dancing (that obviously brought Chris joy) and his make-up wearing to name a few. But those things also made Jase more realistic in a way, too. Not everything he did and said was exactly what Chris needed.

I enjoyed the banter of the two. And there was definitely chemistry. Chris has a wicked sense of humor and though Jase’s was on the drier side, when he let it out I found myself amused. It was also interesting to watch the techniques Jase employed to get Chris to open up to him about his past, which he had been vehemently keeping secret.

There are a pretty severe couple of chapters, and the blurb warns about the abuse, so the trigger warning does apply. It was distressing and it did sort of come out of the blue, but that isn’t necessarily a problem for me, as not all events have a build-up or require one. I did have an issue with the aftermath, though. I just don’t feel that the aftereffects were dealt with realistically, and Chris’ recovery was pretty rushed. I found myself screaming internally about how quickly Chris bounced back, with pretty much zero therapy of any kind. The author did try to reflect that some of what Chris showed to everyone was exactly that, a show. But on the other hand, everyone took it at face value and didn’t really try to even convince Chris that seeing someone and talking to them or a professional just might be a good idea. No one; not his brother, his sister-in-law (a nurse), the doctor, the paramedic/friend (who is a drug counselor), Jase… no one. It’s like he was given a few days to recover, and there was a bit of a nonchalant “hey if you wanna talk to me about it,” and when he didn’t, they just let it drop. Granted, Chris is a runner, and there was a fear of pushing him to the point where he would do exactly that, but… seriously no one really even broached the subject of therapy?

That being said, the story itself had a good premise, and despite the issues I mentioned, I did enjoy the majority of the book, all the way to the three dreaded words:

To Be Continued

Yes! There is a cliffhanger. And I am talking a full-on whammy of a cliffhanger. I definitely want to continue to read book two because I did get engrossed in their story and do want to know how it will play out.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy a story with some darker themes, a bit of humor, damaged characters and a plot that, at times, is a little over the top.

Reviewed by Lindsey for The Novel Approach Reviews

[Jenny Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Optical Illusion- Emma Jaye
*I received this book by it’s publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Unrequited love… sucks doesn’t it? We can all relate, at least once in our lives we’ve fallen for someone we shouldn’t have. Someone who didn’t feel the same way about us, mine was my twin brother’s best friend. How cliché right? So, my heart broke for Jase when he finally confessed to his best friend since as long as he could remember and the rejection hurt just as much as seeing him with his girlfriend Sarah, he followed in his dads footsteps and joined the army. Fresh start and distraction right? If only….

Cut too ten years later and their friendship had survived a couple rough years but an injury has Jase back home, right in time for Matt’s wedding…This is where we meet Chris Bacon; a.k.a. Crispy Bacon, who does end up being Matt’s brother but it takes us a bit to work that out. We do go from Jase’s POV, then to Chris’s, then to Matt’s, then back to Jase’s, so the beginning was a bit of back and forth but it was easy to follow along. I really felt bad for Chris and I didn’t like the way Jase treated him in the beginning; I knew he was hiding something but I didn’t think it was anything terrible, I felt like it was something he was ashamed of.

Now, while Chris’ brother Matt is on his honeymoon; lots of things happen. Jase is watching over Chris, because he’s so secretive not even his brother knows who he is or where he came from, but with his new wife and stepson as well as a baby on the way, Jase wants to make sure he’s not going to bring them trouble…. but Chris gives him all sorts of trouble, which he can’t decide if he loathes it, or loves it. They’re attracted to each other but it’s kind of weird because Chris is Matt’s brother and Chris can’t let anyone get close to him, that’s why he puts on a front all the time and keeps everyone at arms length. Then, this is where things get really interesting….

Apparently, Matt has neglected to mention that someone has been sending what he thought was idle threats to him about his company…. They weren’t idle and they’ve taken his brother. I won’t get into what all they do, but it’s bad and heartbreaking and Matt and Jase try everything they can do get him back. As if the poor kid hasn’t had a hard enough time as it is in life…. Everything works out though and I can’t say things are back to normal, but they’re trying to be. I loved the way Jase cares about Chris, I wasn’t sure in the beginning and then I wasn’t sure if it was legit feelings or if he was playing him to keep him safe, but it was obvious pretty quickly how much he cared for him. They were good together and Jase was what Chris needed when he needed it most.

I also loved Nate and am really hoping he has a story with Alex, that’d be good. What really disappointed me in this whole thing was not knowing there was a cliffhanger, I effing hate cliffy’s if I can avoid them and from the sneak peek at the next book, I’m not sure I’ll like where this is going. I feel like my emotions have ran a marathon with this one so I’m not sure if I”ll be reading it or if I’ll give it a while and wait for the others in the series to come out.

We shall see I reckon… Overall it was a really good read, I wish I would have gotten a HEA or at least the hint of one, but, here’s your warning now…. HUGE cliffhanger! Read at your own risk! I wish someone had said that to me before I’d started.

If you like angsty, intense, dramatic reads with no conclusion, don’t pass this one up!