Just an Illusion – The B Side (The Illusion Series Book 2)

My heart!!!!!!!

Side B has done a number on my feelings!!!
Oh my freaking Gosh!!!!! Sooo many feelings!!!
You can’t help but Fall harder for Noah while Sawyer is there in the background.
You connect further with Mel and Noah while Mel grows closer to all the family members.
Holidays and celebrations.
Their family unit is a strong one.
So many happy moments for them, so many memories, so much love.
If you thought you loved Side A…. just wait for Side B! And make sure to have Unplugged ready and waiting!

Overall Grade:

Just An Illusion Side B begins where Just an Illusion Side A leaves off: resolving the cliffhanger. Amelia has made her choice of the brothers, and her heart is all in on developing that relationship. Even though she has misgivings about any talk of the future and commitment, over the course of the book, her ability to accept a future with the chosen brother evolves over the course of the story. By the end of this book, she is “all in”: married and pregnant. Throughout this book, the band continues on tour and takes a break to celebrate the holidays. This also creates a bit of tension between the brothers and Amelia because the brother who wasn’t chosen still loves Amelia. Unfortunately, this book ends in tragedy. Amelia’s healing is undone, and her future seems uncertain.

With this second book of the trilogy, I fell deeper into the story. It was still dense. Kelly is very thorough in her storytelling, creating so many scenarios for her characters. A lot happens in this book. From the beginning of the book until its end, you won’t recognize Amelia. Many of her misgivings are seemingly resolved through being loved fully, and she finally accepts she can have a happy ending. Until she doesn’t. There is a HUGE twist with this book, and you should be prepared for it.

From time to time, I struggle with Amelia. On the one hand, she acts in control, sometimes shut down emotionally. Then, a scene later, you’ll find her totally surrendered to love. It is sometimes odd. I would have preferred for her, and a few other characters, to be a bit more consistent at times, but the progression of her story is sweet in Just An Illusion – Side B. When this book ends, you are fully invested. There is no place but forward with this trilogy.

Mel and Noah are total relationship goals. He still is the sweetest, most swoonworthy book boyfriend. I can’t put these down and am wondering why it took me so long to discover this trilogy! I love how these books aren’t centered around one couple even though it is told from Mel’s POV. You get lots of Belle and Darren as well as the other guys. It’s just so well written and sucks you in. This ends on a cliffhanger way worse than Side A. I am still reeling from it. Grabbing some tissues and continuing on with the conclusion, EP.

There are books that you read and like, there are books that you read and love ~ and then there are books that stay with you long after you finish them. Just An Illusion (Side A, Side B, and EP) is one of those books that stay. This story is so much more than a rock romance, or I should say its also a rock romance. Just An Illusion explores how we see the world based on our experiences and how those perceptions are not always what are actually there. It also takes on fate and why things happen and if there is always a reason for them.

Amelia Greyson is a writer whose first book made it to the bestseller list. When her best friend, Belle a blogger with a rock magazine, gets an exclusive interview with the hottest band, Bastards and Dangerous (BAD) Amelia tags along. It is just fate that not only do sparks ignite for band member Noah but the band is looking for someone to write their biography. Amelia agrees to tour with them for a year to learn all about them but is determined to remain professional with no personal entanglements but fate has other ideas.

D. Kelly’s Amelia is a woman who is jaded and walled off but still has a tiny flicker of hope buried beneath years of built-up frost. Through new experiences, she finds that love comes in many forms, that it is patient and kind, something she didn’t believe before Noah. Noah is a man with every material thing the world has to offer at his fingertips but is looking for those less tangible; connections, passion, the future his mind craves. Noah could have easily been an obnoxious rocker, instead, D. Kelly made him a man of great depth of emotion and understanding. The third of the leads is Noah’s twin, Sawyer. Sawyer is the personification of the tortured artist. Childhood trauma and life mistakes have made trust an issue for him, making Sawyer closed off. All three of these characters, as well as the important secondary characters of Darren, Wyatt, and Belle, are wonderfully written. So much so that you can easily imagine them jumping off the page and coming to life.

The first of the trilogy, Side A is the getting to know them all part though it does have its heartbreaking and warm moments. As Amelia and Noah become a couple and Amelia comes to terms with her past, there is no lack of humor, tears, and revelations. Side A will grab you from page one and reading continuously to the very end. D. Kelly’s writing is fluid and balanced, her pacing on point, the character interactions versus inner monologues perfectly proportioned.

The second book, Side B delves even deeper into the emotions of all the characters. Each, from leads Amelia and Noah through to secondaries Belle and the rest of the band, role in the story has time in the spotlight to shine and show who they are, giving the story a rich and full palate of feelings. From drama to tender moments, to humor and heartbreak, this story has it all and it’s all gripping and drenched passion and ferocity.

Altogether, these are fantastic books that I highly recommend. Get them all in one shot, sit down and devour them, it is so worth the ride.

I WAS NOT READY FOR THIS! We pick up right after the major life-threatening drama between Noah, Amelia, and Noah’s ex with the outcome we all expected. After recovering, the band picks up right back where they left off with the tour, with an added bonus from Belle, and it seems that things are going well for the group. Noah and Amelia seem to continue to grow closer and he really helps her overcome things she has struggled with regarding her past. On the other side, Amelia has continued to be secure in her decision to be with Noah, although the feelings are still lingering about Sawyer. Regardless, the couple decides to take it to the next level and I feel that there’s some major character growth for Amelia to decide to go through with it all. Throwing in some more surprises, it seems like Amelia and Noah are getting their happy ever after, but nothing, and I mean NOTHING will prepare you for the cliffhanger we get here! While the first book definitely sucked me into this series, this book really solidified my newfound love for this author and appreciation for her writing. I am so eager to find out all the answers to present Amelia and her writing!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Just an Illusion – The B Side is the second book in the Just an Illusion series. It is a contemporary romance that begins where the last book left off, and just as I was left waiting excitedly for this book to come out, I now wait for the third book to be written and released with even more anticipation. This book is so well written, and it has made feel so invested in this story about Noah, Mel, Sawyer, the rest of the band BAD, and their families. I feel that I really can’t give away any details about anything in the book without causing spoilers for the readers of the first book. Just know that you will not be disappointed! Dee Kelly has given us highs and lows, sadness and happiness, and left us wanting for the next book just as I expected she would. I definitely recommend this book if you have read the first book in the series, and if you haven’t read the first book, read it first and then read this!

Okay, just finished reading book two, and OMG, I did not see that coming. I finished the book crying. What a great read. Heading into book three, and I’m scared at the warning at the front telling me to have tissues on hand. How bad is this going to get? We will just have to see.

The book starts right where Side A left off. Something shocking has just happened and Amelia and all the guys have had to face the consequences. We see the aftermath of that event and how they all deal with it. Be prepared to laugh and to cry because many things happen here as well and will leave you breathless when you reach the end, which, thankfully for my poor heart, isn’t the very end since we get a #3 book in June.

In this book we see a completely different Mel. It seems like being with Noah is changing her, and although I didn’t like some of her choices, she is a pretty strong character. Noah is not my piece of cake, but I understand where he comes from. I am not too fond of Noah and Mel’s relationship much because I think he is too possessive and too good at times, but reading the book I understand WHY the things that happen to them have to happen. It is hard to talk about that without spoiling you the book, so I won’t. 😉

This book showed us a new side of Sawyer, which is, hands down, the character I came to love the most of the series. He is damaged, but he tries to be true despite it is difficult for him to hide his feelings for Mel. We see how he tries to cope with Noah and Amelia’s decisions. I wish and hope we see even more of him in Just an Illusion – EP (or Unplugged?) which is the 3rd and last book of this series. I love his relationship with his twin brother Noah so much and I know that his twin is aware of what he is doing for the sake of his relationship with Mel, but seeing Sawyer as the only BAD member without a woman is tearing my heart to pieces because I can relate. My biggest wish would be for him to finally find someone he loves IF this trilogy won’t resolve in his favor with Amelia.

Like Side A, we have bits told by Amelia in the present time and in the past. Now I realize why she has to write the story: something life-changing happened in her and BAD’s lives that needs to be told because otherwise she won’t be able to figure her feelings out for the “him” she’s exchanging emails with. We are still in the dark about who “him” is and I have a theory but I won’t talk about it because otherwise I would need to spoil the book and I don’t want to.

This book frustrated me in a good way more than Side A. I am seriously a mess right now, incapable of thinking about anything else besides the story and the characters. When you believe things are going like you want, the author is able to show you that life isn’t always generous. The theme of fate is thrown a lot in the book because of Noah’s character. I am skeptical as to believe it does exist or not. I think that we are the creators of our destiny and that despite everything that happens in Amelia’s life, she will be able to go on and give herself another chance at love. I still have hope for her and Sawyer! 😛 So I will be waiting for the last book of the Just an Illusion series with impatience. <3

I am absolutely speechless! D. Kelly you are without a doubt amazing. With each page I turned and each chapter I completed I fell more in love with the words that completed this story. The bond between these characters is so fierce you can’t help but be pulled into their story. The last few pages of this book definitely has left me without words and in desperate need of the next book. Be prepared to take one heck of an emotional roller-coaster ride with this book!

What a wild ride! I’m sitting here devastated by the conclusion of part 2 of this amazing trilogy. The lives of the BAD family and friends are going to be turned upside down by another event beyond their control. We are once again left hanging to the edge of a cliff to find out what happened to our love birds while dying a little inside because we know everyone’s lives will forever be changed by the loss that they will soon discover in EP. Make sure you have some tissues handy and maybe a bottle of wine to help ease your sorrow.

D. Kelly continued creating a story and characters that you truly care about and want to root for. She also kept me confused about what I wanted to happen next. It’s evident that Mel is happy with the love she chose, but there were lingering doubts in my mind sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted her to be completely infatuated and in love with her man. And I’m pleased with how their relationship progressed through the months. However, I couldn’t quite let go of the possibilities that might have existed with the other brother. I’m sure there are other readers that felt the same way, at least I hope there are. There’s just something about me wanting everyone to find love. It’s especially true in this instance where the men are twins and the three are living together in close quarters most of the time.

The present day pages of these books are killing me! The author leaves us in constant flux, making us wonder what happened over those three years and to what and whom Mel needs to give an answer. I kept bouncing around with my assumptions and predictions for her future and what might have happened to get her and the man she loved to this place. I couldn’t put the book down! I NEEDED to know what would happened next!

As I said in my review of Side A, I’ll leave it here so you can go on this journey without knowledge of Mel’s choices or any clues as to what transpires along the way. For me, I loved every second of this book and all the unknowns. It only made Mel’s and the twins’ journey equally more heartwarming and heartbreaking. I hope you love it as much as I have so far.