Recently, I was given an ARC of Levitating Las Vegas by Jennifer Echols. This is my second book by Jennifer and is quite a bit different than the New Adult book Romance I read previously. This book is a New Adult Paranormal Romance. It is available now for pre-order and will be live on May 6, 2013. First off, I have to say this… I LOVE the cover!! Okay, now on to the story…
Synopsis
Nothing up her sleeves…or so she’s been led to believe.
Showgirl Holly Starr is sick and tired of assisting her dad, a celebrity magician, in his Las Vegas casino magic show. As soon as he keeps his promise to her and shares the secrets to his tricks, she can break out on her own. But can she really make it? For years Holly has taken medication to stave off crazy hallucinations that she can levitate objects. Just when she thinks she’s ready to make a career and a life for herself, her medicine—and her luck—run out.
Elijah Brown suffers from a similar delusion—that he can read minds—and he’s out of medicine too. Determined to save himself and his old flame Holly, he kidnaps her and takes her straight to the source, a town high in the Rockies where their medicine is made. What they discover there leads them to suspect their powers are not imaginary after all…and neither is the intense attraction they feel for each other.
They make a pact to stick together as they return to Vegas to confront the people who kept them in the dark so long. But soon they’re pitting their powers against each other in a dangerous world where the nightlife is seductive, domination is addictive, the sex is beyond belief…and falling in love is murder.
The Characters
Holly is our main lead female. She is someone that I truly liked from the beginning. All she has ever wanted in the story is to have some freedom to be who she really is. Sadly, that is taken away from her by those that love her the most. She is told she has a disorder called MAD and placed on medication from the time she is only 14 years old. She believes that she is crazy and, therefore, doesn’t engage with others much and certainly doesn’t build relationships with the opposite sex.
Elijah is our main male character. From the same exact day, and due to the same exact circumstance, Elijah is placed on the same medicine for the same disorder. He is also led to believe that he is crazy and stays to himself throughout his teen life. Elijah seems to be the nicest boy(friend) around and, despite his own wants and needs in regards to his gift, is willing to do whatever he has to in order to be with Holly. I loved him from the first time he came into play and loved him at the end.
My Thoughts
I found the beginning to be a bit slow for this story. I wanted to know where it all was leading because it wasn’t making sense to me. All the time in the casino and why these people were all there was just out of my grasp. Once the story got started though, it was a lot smoother. You were able to find out why everyone was there at the casino and what their connection was.
My first taste of what this was all about was the first time Holly levitated something.
“And then the plate of salad and edamame lifted off the kitchen table in front of her, zipped across the room, and smashed against the front door”
That is also when I figured out that this might be a true problem to hide! Her parents lie to her explaining to her that she has a condition called Mental Adolescent Dysfunction. I felt so bad for her. You aren’t given the information that it isn’t the truth, but you know deep down that this is not the whole story. They tell her that the “first episode is brought on by strong emotion”… this is why both her and Elijah are started on medicine the same day. Both are upset about the same thing… the fact that they could not be together.
You learn about the Rez a lot and how much trouble it causes for others. One thing I didn’t care for was that the Rez was causing some problems again at the end of the book and you are truly left hanging as to what happens. I mean, you get an ending that works but, for readers like me that want it all wrapped up with a pretty bow, it doesn’t feel good. You find your ending for Holly and Elijah but there is more to come and it is hard to figure out where that will lead with how the book ends.
In the end, I would give this book a solid 3.5 stars. I think it could have wrapped up better but it was an interesting read with fun characters and enough drama and suspense to keep you interested. I would definitely recommend this story if you are looking for a different kind of paranormal romance. And, be sure to grab other books by Jennifer Echols because, even though this book isn’t my favorite by her, she has some truly wonderful stories out there. One will be a review here in the future called Dirty Little Secret so keep your eyes out for that one too!
Pre-order Levitating Las Vegas
Where to find Jennifer Echols
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Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links may be present.
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