Book Wenches

Title:  Shattered Illusions
Author:  Karen M. Nutt
Author’s website: www.kmnbooks.com
Publisher:  Tease Publishing LLC
Release Date:  July 2009
ISBN: 978-1-60767-058-2
Length:  Short
Format:  Electronic
Genre:  Paranormal Romance
Source: R
Sensuality Level: 1
Rating: 4.25

Reviewed by: BD Whitney

Cold and wet after having been caught in a thunderstorm during her usual walk along the cliffs, Brona returns to her home to find her sister missing and evidence that someone has intruded inside. Convinced something terrible has happened, she creeps through the house until she hears voices. It is with relief that she notices that the voices are those of her beloved husband, who must be home early from his business trip, and her sister Tara.

Brona’s joy in welcoming Liam home is shattered, however, when she witnesses her husband kiss her sister. But even as she suffers an agony of betrayal, Brona realizes that something is not quite right. Why does Liam wear such an expression of grief? Why can neither of them see her when she is standing right next to them, and why can she not shake the feeling that there is still an intruder in the house?

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Karen M. Nutt’s Shattered Illusions might be short, but it packs quite an impact into these few pages. This somewhat eerie story of love, loss, and realization combines mystery and the paranormal as a woman finds out that her life is not quite what she had believed it to be.

I found this story to be a pretty compelling read. It swept me along with Brona as she cycles through fear, joy, betrayal, and ultimately acceptance and peace. Her adoration for her husband shines through the narrative, making it a very poignant love story. Even when she feels angry and betrayed, Brona can’t deny her feelings, and when she finally acknowledges the truth of the situation, her devotion to her husband leads her to realize what she must do to bring him peace.

The setting for Shattered Illusions is perfect for a ghost story. Ms. Nutt sets the stage carefully: a stormy windswept night along Irish cliffs, lightning and thunder, darkness and silence within the house, accompanied with the unsettling feeling that one is not alone. It is chilling enough to raise the hair on the back of your neck.

While the moment of truth is not entirely a surprise, Ms. Nutt does a good job leading up to it. She builds the tension gradually until it comes to a head in the shattering of Rona’s beloved mirror. And while that image may be a little heavy-handed, it is a very effective tool for delivering the climax.

If you’re in the mood for a bit of a chill as well as a love story, you could do worse than reach for Shattered Illusions. I’m glad read it, and I’ll probably be seeking out more of Ms. Nutt’s stories in the future.

–Bobby

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