Illusions

Aspen #2

by Janet Dailey

Delaney Westcott is a security guard for the rich and famous who falls for a handsome cowboy named Jaret. When it ends suddenly, she throws herself into her work, vowing never to fall in love so deeply again. That is, until she finds herself in Jared's hometown on a dangerous job. Is she strong enough to refuse him now?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Mystery, Fiction, Adult Fiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1997

About the author

Janet Anne Haradon Dailey was an American author of numerous romance novels as Janet Dailey (her married name). Her novels have been translated into nineteen languages and have sold over 300 million copies worldwide.

Born in 1944 in Storm Lake, Iowa, she attended secretarial school in Omaha, Nebraska before meeting her husband, Bill. Bill and Janet worked together in construction and land development until they "retired" to travel throughout the United States, inspiring Janet to write the Americana series of romances, where she set a novel in every state of the Union. In 1974, Janet Dailey was the first American author to write for Harlequin. Her first novel was NO QUARTER ASKED.

She had since gone on to write approximately 90 novels, 21 of which have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List. She won many awards and accolades for her work, appearing widely on Radio and Television. Today, there are over three hundred million Janet Dailey books in print in 19 different languages, making her one of the most popular novelists in the world.

Janet Dailey passed away peacefully in her home in Branson on Saturday, December 14, 2013. She was 69.

Reviews

[Derry]

For no apparent reason, I had put off reading this book a friend gave me years ago. I assumed it was a sappy romance novel. Boy was I wrong! A strong female lead in Delaney Wescott with a job more typical for a man -- owner and chief asset of a personal security business. Interesting plot wrapped around a murder mystery. Loved it and read it very quickly.

[Linda]

An interesting mystery with romance and murder. The characters are real and interesting. Sometimes love is right under your nose and you still can't see it but with a job protecting a movie star and a murder investigation, love gets lost.

[Lisa]

Excellent! Another top line story from Janet Dailey!

[Deb]

A little romance and a little mystery, tied up with a cowboy and a beautiful woman doing a man's work. Sometimes love is right in front of you, waiting patiently when you least expect it with the person always at your side- who has your back.

[Baca Buku]

Quite a bad story. Predictable. Perhaps it was exciting when it first came out all those years ago, now it's just tired.
I wasn't going to read it until I saw that the narrator of the audiobook was actress Allison Janney! She is wonderful! Not enough to save this book though.

[Rachel Olson]

This book was very engaging. There were lots of layers, love interests, and action scenes that moved the book along. I thought the ending was a satisfying end to a book with a lot of twists. Read in just a few days- would recommend!

[Marianne]

This book was the best of any I've read by Dailey. IMO, not the best writing.
This at least had a sort of good plot.

[Alice]

Rather disappointed in this novel. It was OK, not gripping, good ratings on Amazon.com 4 out of 5 stars. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood.

[Veronica-Anne]

I enjoyed this novel. A warm and yet interesting mystery that kept me turning pages. A romance thrown in to garner the plot and a strong minded capable woman as the heroine. I look forward to reading more from this author. Recommended.

[Debbie Hoppe]

Fun and easy read. Great plot change at the end and fun to see a strong woman in the security role.
Low grade because of the slowness of the storyline.

[Janet Konstantinidis]

as always

As always, the story is interesting, well written, fast paced, exciting and satisfying. Her books are always a pleasure to read.

[Connie Moser]

Very good mystery. Had suspense, love story, twists and turns. An ending I did not see coming.

[Laura]

I found this book behind a computer at my bartending job, with no jacket and no known owner. It had been sitting there for weeks and the mystery behind what the book could possibly be about was getting to me, so I claimed it. While I don’t think it was a complete waste of my time, it’s definitely not my style of book. I love thrillers, but this one was predictable and ridden with misogynistic undertones, even though the protagonist was female. Maybe I’m just not a fan of romance, but the lead character’s unnecessary love triangle with literally every man in the book (save her father, obviously) was irritating to say the least. Ultimately, I expect this book to be sold at the magazine store in an airport, and to stay there.

[Anne Holly]

Quite surprised to be giving this book three stars, since I almost DNFed it a few times. It took me a week to read, because I walked away from it several times, and just didn't work up any steam for it until the last day.

A slow beginning, making it seem at times trashy (the shiny foil purple cover doesn't help negate this impression) and generally boring (can a book be both trashy and boring? yes, it seems so), would have earned it one star; the final quarter of the book, however, tagged on another two.

Not a bad mystery, really, though it kicked in quite late - once it did, I was gratified. The romance angle, however, comes with its most interesting twist, making it stand out for me - it's certainly unusual.

[Jenelle]

I bought Illusions at a yard sale and thought I'd never read it. I eventually decided to give it a try and was quite surprised that I liked it. If you're into James Patterson, you might like this too. I can kind of picture this book being a low budget Lifetime movie from the early 90s, but it was a good mystery with good writing. I did not see that ending coming. I think Ms. Dailey should be proud of herself and I wouldn't hesitate to read something else from her.

[Kathleen]

Easy Reading

[Partridge Public]

Dailey, Janet

[Jody]

Glamour, celebrities, romance and murder. Good mystery.

[Missy]

This book was pretty interesting. It was lighthearted and fun.

Released into the wild

[BookwormWithGoggles]

Felt like I was watching a movie. It was so easy to visualize the scenes. It was entertaining albeit a bit dated!

[Katharine Ott]

"Illusions" - written by Janet Dailey and published in 1997 by HarperCollins. Not her best effort.

[Crystal Karre]

page turmer right up to the last page!!!

[Jessica]

Definitely an older book but a great read.