Honest Illusions

This is one of my all-time favorite books. Probably tied as my most favorite with Catherine Anderson's Phantom Waltz. There's just something about this story that completely captures me. I've read it like four or five times now and it never gets dull. Honest Illusions is another of Roberts' "time progression" stories in that it moves through different periods of the characters' lives instead of only being set in the present. The book starts off in the now with a short prologue where the hero, Lu [...]

Final rating: 5/5 stars“In all the illusions, you’re the only truth I need.”I have so many feelings about this book. First of all, I want to congratulate Nora for making such a twisted bad guy. Good job, everytime it was his POV, i was angry. Good job indeed. Other than that, amazing and great characters, not only the main ones, but side ones as well, which were so deep and wonderfully done. I bought this book on a sale and I don't regret it - it was worth it, even though I only read trans [...]

From Book Lover @ Ami:'The hero abandons the heroine without a word for a few years because he is being blackmailed and doesn't want her to be involved in the mess. Unbeknownst to him, while he is gone she is giving birth to and raising his child. When he comes back, he tells her that he was so miserable without her that he had to drown himself in alcohol and sex. And that "the alcohol helped kill the pain some, but the sex helped more." I thought that was so bizarre that he would tell her about [...]

Things that were awesome-Magicians-Good relations in general (NO DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES)-Good relationship development (except for the transition uhh Luke became creepy)-and my favorite, THIEVES.Reasons why this book did not blow my mind-Wayyy too long-Cheesy ending -Umm I don't understand the villain. Perhaps because he was a sociopath or perhaps his motives were absolutely ridiculous. DUDE! THIS HAPPENED YEARS AGO! Build a bridge. GET OVER IT. Plus what does it matter to you, aren't you a soci [...]

Honest Illusions is, quite simply, Nora Roberts at her best. And since romance novels don't get any better than Nora at the top of her game, that's saying something. When I first read this book as a novice romance reader in 1997, I was blown away. Oh, ding ding ding! So this is why my sister reads these books! Six years and a thousand plus romances later, I found myself just as enthralled the second time around. This one, oh baby, holds up.Max Nouvelle is no everyday carnival side show magician. [...]

2,5/5Hace mucho tiempo, Luke y Roxanne crecieron como hermanos bajo la tutela de Max, un gran mago y estupendo ladrón de su época. Vivieron juntos parte de su adolescencia, pelearon, discutieron, fueron más rivales que amigos, hasta que un día toda esa energía se volcó en la atracción que cada día crecía más fuerte.Llegado un momento, ya adultos, después de cinco años de haber desaparecido sin haber dicho una palabra, Luke regresa. Roxanne lo odia. El libro comienza.Habrán de pasar [...]

When 12-year-old Luke Callahan first sees Magician Max Nouvelle and his young daughter Roxanne at a traveling circus, he is fascinated. Max sees Luke as a young version of himselfa lonely, abused child living on the streets. Max offers Luke a job, takes him into the family, and teaches him some magic tricks. Soon Luke has joined Max, Roxanne, and Max's assistant/girlfriend, Lily, in the act. As they become a family and travel the country with their magic act, Luke realizes that magic isn't Max's [...]

“O Jogo de Mãos” não é o primeiro livro de Nora Roberts que leio. No entanto, há algo nele que o distingue de todos os outros que já havia lido. Não é que tenham sido muitos, tendo em consideração a panóplia de obras publicadas pela autora. No entanto, há algo que transporta esta obra para um nível superior em relação às outras.Como não poderia deixar de ser, Nora Roberts apresenta-nos um romance repleto de tudo o que caracteriza o género. Ao longo desta obra, podemos ver um [...]

I can't describe the way this book made me feel, because somewhere between page 1 and 492 I lost myself. I became a wandering Nouvelle, making larger than life illusions, and falling in love with that good for nothing Callahan. I stole from the rich and gave to the poor; watched my closest friend become my worst enemy; made love on a cruise ship and then watched my lover walk out of my life, only to have the lying baster return five years too late to bring me crashing back to my knees.I suppose [...]

Сред всички илюзии,ти си истината от която се нуждая.

2.5 STARS - IT WAS OKAUDIOBOOKIt's possible that I'm not being completely fair with this review, maybe if I had read this book back in 1992 when it was written, I would have loved it, but it is now 2015 and this book is outdated in a lot of ways. I sometimes find it disconcerting when I read *current day* books that don't have our current technology, I find myself thinking "just freaking use your cell phone" and then remember they didn't yet exist when the book was written. So cell phones and in [...]

Life is hard for the 12-year-old Luke Callahan. In his attempt to safe himself from the hell he calls home, he is force to be a runaway, live on the street, earning money through pick pocketing. His life takes an unexpected turn one day when he meets Max Nouvelle, a magician, who breathes life into his world: takes him in, loves him like his own son, teaches him to be his apprentice and eventually shares his hidden secret with him. With Max as his father, Lily as his loving mother and Roxy as a [...]

3.5* A very enjoyable book, but not my favorite Nora Roberts. I think I'm prejudice because the protagonists are jewel thieves. Sounds silly, I know, but it bothered me throughout the whole book. Other than that, and a few standard plot devices (not bad, just well-used) I enjoyed the story and liked the main characters. The book was written in the early 1990's but doesn't suffer much from that. It still amazes me how many very good books Nora Roberts has written. Her suspense books are my favori [...]

Gosto sempre de voltar a Nora Roberts. São romances, sabemos à partida que vão acabar bem, mas que me deixam sempre com uma sensação de bem estar no fim.Gostei das personagens, adorei o Max e tive pena da reviravolta, mas foi um livro que me manteve sempre interessada.

This took a while to get into. I'm not sure if it was timing, or mood, but Nora Roberts writing usually sucks me in right away, and I didn't get sucked in until almost 2/3 o f the way in. Then I couldn't put it down. The characters were good, the story was good, and I loved the ending. There was a nice twist a bit earlier, and maybe that's what started getting me really into the book. Roxy kind of ticked me off at some points though. She was incredibly stubborn and childish at times. Although, h [...]

I'm sure that it's becoming apparent from my reviews that I am a Nora Roberts fan. English Lit degree to the contrary, I like light summer reading just as much as the next person; I just don't like feeling that I'm killing millions of brain cells while I read. Roberts bridges the gap nicely; writing romance novels with enough detail and research to keep the reader entertained as well as conscious. One of her finest books, in my opinion, is Honest Illusions, originally published in 1992.::: Famil [...]

Jogo de Mãos é um livro que fala de magia, amor, conquista, amizade, confiança e que me conquistou logo nas primeiras palavras. É um livro mágico que nos transporta numa viagem até ao mundo do ilusionismo e da família Nouvelle. O livro tem um dinâmica muito boa uma vez que não torna a leitura aborrecida. A cada capítulo somos confrontados com diferentes acontecimentos e com personagens muito bem construídas. Os ingredientes que serviram de estrutura à toda a narrativa estão muito be [...]

My first Nora Roberts, which I enjoyed, but I can't say I passionately loved, hence 3.5 stars.The story revolves around Luke, an abused runaway, Max, a magician (and part-time jewel thief) who takes Luke under his wing, and Roxanne, Max's fiery daughter. It was quite enjoyable and I liked the mains but I never went into obsession, largely because of two flaws: (1) they are thieves - I am sorry, that prevented me from really rooting for them. I am not into criminals and (2) the bad guy is a liter [...]

I have tried audio books a few times now and always have this persistent hope of capturing the joy I felt as a child listening to stories on the radio (yes I am that old) however I have realised that there are two main factors that always determines my enjoyment:1) The storyline2) The narratorIn this book both of these factors fell way off the mark and I could only stick it out to the halfway mark. I have outgrown Nora Roberts books a long time ago and should never have started this audio book b [...]

I quite like this story. I know some people have issues with her taking him back when he leaves for apparently no reason. She doesn't actually take long to invite him back into her bed, but there was a fair bit of the story to tie up before it finished and this was towards the end.I was upset about Max's fate and it is interesting to read a romance where all the characters don't have a HEA.I liked the early stories when they were kids and watching them grow up and change over the years.Luke SHOU [...]

Dit boek is niet één van Nora's beste maar zeker ook niet haar slechtste boek. Het thema van dit boek is magie / illusionisten en dievenbendes, eens iets volledig anders maar zeker niet slecht. De personages zijn zoals altijd goed onderbouwd en spreken ook onmiddellijk aan. Deel 1 en deel 3 lezen erg vlot en de spanning bouwt zich mooi op. Echter deel 2 vond ik langdradig, het mocht hier voor mij gerust met 50 pg minder. Vandaar de 4 sterren en geen 5.

This is perhaps my favorite stand alone Nora Roberts. I love the hero and heroine. I love the magic. I love the thievery as subplot. The villian is dispicable in all those good ways.I find myself reading this book at least once a year when i'm looking to curl up and engulf myself in other people's lives that are far more exotic than my own.

zanimljiva prica o trupi madjionicara,o Luku i Roxane koji su se zavoljeli u svijetu magije i kradje nakita, ali zivot je pred njih stavio razna iskusenja,samo je magija uspjela da ih ponovo spoji

Roxy and Luke grew up together, ever since her father took the runaway boy under his wing, and through time, their relationship changed from initial animosity to friendship, and in the end, love. But Luke's past came back to haunt him, and he left his family, and his heart, behind to protect them.But now, after five years, he's back, determined to get it all, especially Roxy, back no matter the cost.I must confess these "time progression" stories by Ms Roberts are hit-and-miss for me. Unfortunat [...]

story was nice . I think it could be a best book of it wasn't too long .

I don’t like blackmail plots where the victim gives in and just pays and pays.Two different blackmails were used to get characters to do things that did not fit their motivations. Not a good story for me.(view spoiler)[In one blackmail, the victim A is supposed to leave the person he loves (B) and not tell B. It was a stupid device to make them both suffer. I think A could have told B and asked B to keep it secret, and B would have kept the secret. But the author did not do that. Then later A [...]

4.75 StarsTHIS BOOK!?! One of the best books I have read in a LONG time!! The charactersgosh you just love them, you feel like you know them they feel like friends.I laughed, cried, was tormented, angered, intrigued-- Yes it has your typical romance novel elements, but it has depth, and plots twists, and heart. You love these thieves! You LOVE Lilly Nouvelle, she may look like trailer trash, but she is a Queen- a diamond in the rough. Mother earth! Max Nouvelle, a magician, a thief, and a philan [...]

I was sixteen when I read this for the first time. It captivated me. Wowed me. And I was instantly in love.All these years later, it's still one of my all time favorites. I love the story. Love the characters. Love the way it takes you back where it all started, and lets you see the kids that they were, growing up and falling in love, being a family and making a family for all those unfortunate souls.Nora Roberts guides you through the world of magic and illusions, and shows you raw feelings of [...]

Ganhei este livro num passatempo que a Saída de Emergência levou a cabo no fórum dedicado à autora e foi uma das minhas leituras de férias (já agora, aproveito para dizer que todos os novos lançamentos da autora têm direito a um passatempo, normalmente com a oferta de 3 exemplares).Quem conhece os livros da Nora Roberts sabe que os seus livros não primam propriamente pela originalidade ou imprevisibilidade, mas ainda assim é uma leitura que prende e cativa o leitor do início ao fim. E [...]

Sometimes I have a craving for something other than PNR. Then I often choose Nora Roberts. I really like to know that when you read a Nora Roberts book, nothing will surprise you, the romance is steady and the villain get´s what´s coming to him/her in the end. It´s safe and cosy like an fuzzy blanket in winter.So Honest Illusions gave me what I craved. Nothing more, nothing less.Since I have worked with a lot of magicians (not in the scale of the Nouvelles in the story, but still) rope-dancer [...]