Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Velvet Undercover 

by Teri Brown

 hitting shelves October 20, 2015

from Balzer & Bray

Samantha Donaldson’s family has always done its duty for the British Crown. In the midst of World War I, seventeen-year-old Sam follows in their footsteps, serving her country from the homefront as a Girl Guide and messenger for the intelligence organization MI5. After her father disappears on a diplomatic mission, she continues their studies of languages, high-level mathematics, and complex puzzles and codes, hoping to make him proud.

When Sam is asked to join the famed women’s spy group La Dame Blanche she’s torn—this could be the adventure she’s dreamed of, but how can she abandon her mother, who has already lost a husband to the war? But when her handlers reveal shocking news, Sam realizes there’s no way she can refuse the exciting and dangerous opportunity.

Her acceptance leads her straight into the heart of enemy territory on a mission to extract the most valuable British spy embedded in Germany, known to the members of LDB only as Velvet. Deep undercover within the court of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Samantha must navigate the labyrinthine palace and its many glamorous—and secretive—residents to complete her assignment. To make matters worse she finds herself forming a forbidden attraction to the enemy-a dangerously handsome German guard. In a place where personal politics are treacherously entangled in wartime policy, can Samantha discover the truth and find Velvet before it’s too late…for them both?

From author Teri Brown comes the thrilling story of one girl’s journey into a deadly world of spycraft and betrayal—with unforgettable consequences.

My thoughts: First off, gorgeous vintage-y cover. LOVE.  Secondly, I loved Teri Brown's YA debut, Born of Illusion, so I am super excited to see her take on another fascinating era of history with a strong and clever heroine. Can't wait!!! 

Born of Deception by Teri Brown {review}

Born of Deception by Teri Brown
♦publisher: Balzer & Bray
♦release date: June 10, 2014
♦hardcover, 336 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: Born of Illusion, book 2
  review of book 1
♦source: from publisher for honest review (via SF book review)

Budding illusionist Anna Van Housen is on top of the world: after scoring a spot on a prestigious European vaudeville tour, she has moved to London to chase her dream and to join an underground society for people like her with psychic abilities. Along with her handsome beau, Cole Archer, Anna is prepared to take the city by storm.

But when Anna arrives in London, she finds the group in turmoil. Sensitives are disappearing and, without a suspect, the group’s members are turning on one another. Could the kidnapper be someone within the society itself—or has the nefarious Dr. Boyle followed them to London?

As Cole and Anna begin to unravel the case and secrets about the society are revealed, they find themselves at odds, their plans for romance in London having vanished. Her life in danger and her relationship fizzling, can Anna find a way to track down the killer before he makes her his next victim—or will she have to pay the ultimate price for her powers?

Set in Jazz-Age London, this alluring sequel to Born of Illusion comes alive with sparkling romance, deadly intrigue, and daring magic.

Review: Teri Brown’s YA debut, Born of Illusion was a favorite of mine last year with its glitzy 20’s setting, showy stage magic, and a mysterious plot that held me captive from beginning to end.  In Born of Deception, Anna Van Heusen is striking out into the world on her own, excited to be free of the emotional chains of her mother.  She’s joined up with a traveling vaudeville troupe with her new solo magic act.  Her London destination also means meeting up with Cole, and being introduced to a secret society that is meant to research and help people with her kinds of abilities: not stage magic, but real magical gifts.  She arrives to find the society in upheaval and people are going missing, some even turning up dead. She must use her gifts and her connections, new and old, alive and dead, to help her discover who is behind the attacks.

While I didn’t love this second book as much as the first, Teri Brown’s strong writing and story-weaving is still there. The 20s setting still shines, and I loved that we get an even more descriptive look into the life of show business back then.  There are at least twice as many characters as last time, all fun additions to the story.  Especially the new man who happens into her life as a much need ray of sunshine.  Billy is a self-made cowboy, and does rope tricks in the vaudeville show.  He’s handsome and charming and jovial, a stark contrast to the sullen and serious Cole.  It does turn into a bit of a love triangle, but actually the choice between the two is more indicative of Anna’s struggle to decide what she really wants in life, not just in love.  I was actually not a fan of Cole and Anna’s relationship this time around. It concentrated far too much on jealousy.  She was literally flaring into jealousy every time he spoke to another woman, and Cole was doing much the same---it got annoying after a while. 

The conflicted mother-daughter relationship continues to morph and grow, which I really enjoy reading about again.  Anna’s really starting to question if she wants a life of show business or a settled life; it’s interesting to see how love has changed Anna’s mother…and then again, not changed her. It definitely makes Anna consider her options.  Also, she learns that a life with Cole might be more dangerous that she thought.  

The mystery of the murders is twisty and suspenseful and fun, nothing really mind-blowing, but still very entertaining.  It gets dark at times, and with so many additional characters coming into play, it kept me guessing.  I wasn't head-over-heels with this follow-up like I was with Born of Illusion (and I think that this is the only follow-up planned in this series), but then again, in my eyes, the first book was a lot to live up to. 

Find Teri Brown online:  Website  •  Twitter  •  Facebook

Purchase Born of Illusion:  Amazon  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Born of Deception
by Teri Brown

hitting shelves June 10, 2014 from HarperTeen

description:
Budding illusionist Anna Van Housen is on top of the world: after scoring a spot on a prestigious European vaudeville tour, she has moved to London to chase her dream and to join an underground society for people like her with psychic abilities. Along with her handsome beau, Cole Archer, Anna is prepared to take the city by storm.

But when Anna arrives in London, she finds the group in turmoil. Sensitives are disappearing and, without a suspect, the group’s members are turning on one another. Could the kidnapper be someone within the society itself—or has the nefarious Dr. Boyle followed them to London?

As Cole and Anna begin to unravel the case and secrets about the society are revealed, they find themselves at odds, their plans for romance in London having vanished. Her life in danger and her relationship fizzling, can Anna find a way to track down the killer before he makes her his next victim—or will she have to pay the ultimate price for her powers?

Set in Jazz-Age London, this alluring sequel to Born of Illusion comes alive with sparkling romance, deadly intrigue, and daring magic.

My Thoughts:   With Born of Illusion still holding a spot as one of my favorites of 2013 (check out my review), Born of Deception is definitely going to be at the top of my most anticipated reads for 2014!!

Amy & Becky chat with Teri Brown: interview with the author of Born of Illusion + Giveaway!

Hello, all!  Amy & I recently had the opportunity to do a joint interview with Teri Brown, author of Born of Illusion.  If you haven't checked this book out yet, I highly recommend it! It easily became one of my favorite reads of this year! Check out my review here.

Because I loved this book so much, I want to spread the joy! :)  I've giving away a copy of Born of Illusion---be sure to enter at the bottom of this post!

~Interview with Teri Brown~

♠ Did you have a love for stage magic before writing Born of Illusion, or is this a new knowledge you acquired while writing this book?
Who doesn't love magic? I've always enjoyed watching stage magic, but I guess  I didn't have the appreciation for it before that I do now. Writing the book definitely opened my eyes as far as how much time, effort and thought actually goes into it.

♥ Was Harry Houdini always a character you wanted immersed in the storyline? If so, which character came first Harry or Anna? 
 I guess I would have to say Harry--in a way.  I first thought of doing a book about Harry Houdini's illegitimate daughter, but I didn't know Anna at all when I first thought of the  concept. She developed along with the plot. So Harry came first.

♦ Your inventions were perfectly described for the readers mind, were they your own creations?
The magnetic invention was  completely mine… I needed something that would add atmosphere to Anna's séance. The levitation table is a real  prop that is used now, though I think it would have been very new back in the twenties.

♣What helped you stay immersed with the 1920’s?  Was there a certain movie, book or music?  
I surrounded myself with research books. I  may do a lot of my research on the web, but I really like having hard copies. It makes the time period more visceral for me. I also listened to a lot of old time jazz while writing Born of Illusion and Born of Deception. It set the mood for me, I guess.

♠ The mother daughter relationship only endeared you more to Anna’s character, was it challenging to write such a complicated relationship between them, or was it one that came naturally as the characters developed?  
It actually came pretty naturally. I think mother daughter relationships are always complicated no matter how strong and normal the relationship is. If it isn't normal, than the complications and issues can be endless. The relationship Anna and her mother have has a lot of nuances, partially from circumstances and partially due to differences in personality.

♥ Was it planned from the beginning who the antagonist would be?  
Yes and no… The original conception was very flat and then the idea of including a fictionalized version of the real life group, The Ghost Club, emerged and things just grew from there.

♦ What were you doing when the idea for the story came to you?
You know, I can't really remember the exact moment it came to me…. is that weird?

♣ What is your favorite thing about writing a Y.A. novel over an adult novel?  
My heart belongs to YA, but I am not sure that means I enjoy one over the other… and it's hard for me to differentiate. I just tell the story as it comes to me! 

Win Born of Illusion!

Now you know the scoop on this amazing book---enter to win a copy!  

Open internationally • Must be 13 or older • Ends 8/30/13 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Becky's View: Born of Illusion by Teri Brown

Born of Illusion by Teri Brown
♦publisher: Balzer & Bray
♦release date: June 11th, 2013
♦hardcover, 384 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: Born of Illusion, book 1
♦source: ALA

Anna Van Housen is thirteen the first time she breaks her mother out of jail. By sixteen she’s street smart and savvy, assisting her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, and easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums and mentalists in 1920’s New York City. Handcuffs and sleight of hand illusions have never been much of a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her true gifts secret from her opportunistic mother, who will stop at nothing to gain her ambition of becoming the most famous medium who ever lived. But when a strange, serious young man moves into the flat downstairs, introducing her to a secret society that studies people with gifts like hers, he threatens to reveal the secrets Anna has fought so hard to keep, forcing her to face the truth about her past. Could the stories her mother has told her really be true? Could she really be the illegitimate daughter of the greatest magician of all?

Review: Born of Illusion was undoubtedly one of my most anticipated reads of 2013.  The 1920s era setting, the promise of both stage magic and real magic, a volatile mother/daughter relationship, and a mystery involving the great Houdini himself ---the entire concept had me seriously pining for this!  Happily, I report that I was not disappointed.  Born of Illusion is a new favorite of mine.

Stories set in the 20s always seem to have such a grandeur about them.  Whether it’s the bustling streets, the fancy cars, the glittery gowns…the whole era just seems to sparkle on the page.  With Born of Illusion, that sparkle is amped up ten-fold by the addition of illusions and stage magic.  Teri Brown perfectly describes every slight-of-hand so you can almost see it, right down to her protagonist’s wry smile when her tricks are pulled off to perfection. 

Ann Van Housen was a fantastic character.  Torn in so many directions: between wanting a normal life and her love for performing magic; between her wish to share her biggest secret with someone and the dire need to keep it safely hidden; and between her love and protectiveness for her attention-hungry mother and her greatest desire to be out from under her controlling, sometimes even cruel, thumb.  Oh, and between two handsome, and very opposite, men.  Owen is the life of the party, while Cole is quiet and mysterious (and British, extra points for that!). While the romance is a great part of the story, Anna’s relationships with everyone else were just as important to the story and fascinating to read---aside from the complicated dynamic between her and her mother, many new people come into her new life in New York and what she discovers more than anything is how much people can surprise you. 

As much as this book stands strongly on it’s own, with a rich story full of magic, romance, secret societies, and a thrilling ending, I was completely overjoyed to find out that this will be a series. I am beyond excited at the idea of spending more time in the world of Born of Illusion!

Find Teri Brown online:  Website  •  Twitter  •  Facebook

Purchase Born of Illusion:  Amazon  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Born of Illusion
by Teri Brown

hitting shelves June 11th, 2012 from Balzer & Bray

description:
Anna Van Housen is thirteen the first time she breaks her mother out of jail. By sixteen she’s street smart and savvy, assisting her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, and easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums and mentalists in 1920’s New York City. Handcuffs and sleight of hand illusions have never been much of a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her true gifts secret from her opportunistic mother, who will stop at nothing to gain her ambition of becoming the most famous medium who ever lived. But when a strange, serious young man moves into the flat downstairs, introducing her to a secret society that studies people with gifts like hers, he threatens to reveal the secrets Anna has fought so hard to keep, forcing her to face the truth about her past. Could the stories her mother has told her really be true? Could she really be the illegitimate daughter of the greatest magician of all?

Born of Illusion is the first book in a new series. Each book in the series will introduce a new historical figure, whose legend is shrouded in magic, along with the young woman whose fate is irrevocably tied to his. The through line in each of the books will be The Ghost Club, the real life secret society that was founded in 1862 by the likes of Charles Dickens, Sir Conan Doyle, and W. B. Yeats to advance mankind’s knowledge of the paranormal. The first three books in the series will deal with Houdini, Aleister Crowley and Rasputin.

My thoughts: I could not be more excited about this book!! A historical story set in the 20s about Houdini's supposed daughter?? Secret gifts and strange societies?? This may very well be one of my top 5 books that I'm anticipating in 2013!  I'm even more excited to hear that it will be a series tied to the The Ghost Club!!  The whole concept just sounds so amazing!