In Michelle Garren Flye’s Close Up Magica sexy magician and an entertainment reporter quickly find love in this fast-paced and engaging love story In the wake of an apparent betrayal, will their love prove to be nothing but an illusion? Please click HERE to read my review in its entirety. ( )

Thirty year old New York freelance entertainment reporter Stacey Matthewson is known for her sensationalist stories exposing secrets of famous stars. But her career took a downward turn two months ago when she screwed up, and now all her sources have dried up.

Thirty-two year old Andre Hawke is an up-and-coming hot magician who is taking Las Vegas by storm. He has charisma that easily draws people in with his mesmerizing illusions and a reputation for being a charming womanizer.

Stacey has been an admirer and has followed Andre's career since she first saw him perform his magic show years ago in a small New York theater. But now she is flying to Las Vegas to be the first to try to get an exclusive from him since finding out about a scandal that involved a betrayal by Tony, his twin brother/agent. This is her chance to revive her faltering career. What she doesn't count on is his ability to break down her inhibitions when he counters her proposition with one of his own, and offers her the position as his public relations representative.

Can a little bit of magic go a long way to break down the history of mistrust and betrayal in Stacey and Andre's past and lead them to finding true love? Or is it just an illusion?

In Close Up Magic, author Michelle Garren Flye weaves an entertaining tale of romance with a touch of magic that will captivate the reader's attention. Written in the third person narrative and set in Las Vegas, the reader follows Stacey and Andre's relationship develop with a mixture of humorous verbal banter, drama, magic and passionate interactions.

Both Stacey and Andre share a past history of mistrust and betrayal within their family dynamics. Stacey has always lived her life by maintaining control at all times. She doesn't believe in magic, there hasn't been many reasons in her life to believe in it. She also isn't the type to fall in love, she never has, and falling in love requires trust and she never has been able to trust a man. Andre is a charismatic and intelligent man who also has trust issues. He is passionate about his craft and surrounds himself only with a close knit group of family and friends, and will only reveal his secrets to people he completely trusts. What starts out as a business arrangement magically builds into something more when their instant mutual attraction to each other takes over. They want to love each other, but they struggle with inner turmoil over trust and betrayal issues that holds them back from taking a leap of faith, and with family drama added into the mix, it's not easy to trust another with your heart until a little bit of magic brings them back to each other.

Author Michelle Garren Flye weaves an enjoyable romantic tale that is interwoven within the themes of magic, trust and betrayal. The reader can't help but become engrossed in the development of Stacey and Andre's relationship as their story unfolds with drama, passion, witty humor, family issues and inner turmoil. I think the author's underlying message that true love can be found if you are able to let go of your inhibitions and give your heart and trust to someone becomes clear with this touching scene between Stacey and Andre: the symbol of the red origami phoenix bird with the following message in silver ink written on it's wings: "Sometimes you have to do something that frightens you just to be sure that you're still alive."

With an engaging secondary cast of characters; witty dialogue and humorous interactions; Close Up Magic is an enchanting story that will make the reader believe in romance and magic!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

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