Blog Tour: Close Up Magic by Michelle Garren Flye

Title: Close Up Magic
Author: Michelle Garren Flye
Series: N/A
Pages: 304
Publisher: Michelle Garren Flye
Date Published: June 1, 2013
Format: eBook
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Fantasy
Source: Provided by GoddessFish Blog Tours

Synopsis:
Reporter Stacey Matthewson has made a living writing sensational stories that knock celebrities off their pedestals. Now she’s got a hot lead on an even hotter magician who’s mystifying Las Vegas with his new show–the problem is, she’s had a crush on him for years. How can she write a story that might ruin him, especially when he proves himself to be so much more than she’d ever dreamed?

Magician Andre Hawke has a knack for making things disappear, but when it comes to his brother’s drinking and gambling, he’s got a problem. Hiring the sexy reporter who threatens to blow away his carefully wrought illusion might be the answer to his problems…or she might bring on a whole new set of them.

Stacey’s never believed in magic, and Andre doesn’t know who to trust anymore. Can passion overcome their inhibitions, or will betrayal stem the tide of love?

 Try an Excerpt!

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Andre caught up to her, wheeled around and started walking backward in front of her. He was amazingly nimble on his feet, able to avoid oncoming traffic without even glancing over his shoulder. Stacey shook her head. “Don’t you think you need to watch where you’re going?”

“Why?” He shrugged. “I can never see it until it’s past anyway. Most people can’t.”

She rolled her eyes. “I had no idea kissing made you philosophical.”

He tsked. “Kissing makes me horny. Life makes me philosophical.”

He was starting to get on her nerves. “Get over it, Andre. So we made out. We got carried away, that’s all.”

“I think it was more than that…for at least one of us.” His words teased her, but she wouldn’t ask him which one of them he was talking about. He kept walking backward, and this time, he was heading directly toward another man--a very large one--walking toward them. Stacey opened her mouth to say something but before she could, he’d walked directly into the other man, almost as if he’d intended to do it. He laughed out loud, catching himself by putting his arms around her. He glanced over at the large man, breaking off his embrace of Stacey to turn and shake his hand. “Thank you! That was perfect. Sorry about that, I’m trying to make a point, though, and you just did it very effectively.”

He turned back to Stacey. “You say you never saw it coming. I say we never see things coming. I mean, look at this particular incident. I was walking backward, couldn’t possibly have seen him, right? But what’s his excuse?”

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My Review:
It seems that Magicians are the new vampires in literature and it's easy to see why after reading Close Up Magic :) For whatever reason, I'm not a big fan of magicians. I'd rather watch the Chippendale's show if I'm in Vegas, to be perfectly honest...but for some reason Stacey and Andre and me almost from the first page.

I can feel for Stacey. Investigative journalism is a HARD line of work. Even if what you're investigating is celebrity breakups, drama, and scandal. It's also easy to make one simple misstep and have your career come crashing down around you, which is exactly what happened to Stacey. Check your facts people! It's a big problem! The next thing you know you will be the next person that Scarlet Johansen is suing for using her name inappropriately in an obscure French novel. Anyways, Stacey fell into this trap and has now been reduced to stalking B-list stars to uncover the dirt that unravels their careers before they really get going. Only...her newest assignment is a problem. She actually LIKES Andre and his magic show. She's followed him as a fan for years, but now her new assignment is to see what's under the magician's cape and to expose his magic show as a fraud.

Andre on the other hand is passionate and fascinating. His performances are dazzling and mesmerizing, which is what draws the scathing attention of celebrity gossip magazines. However, as Stacey finds out, Andre isn't one of the faceless frauds that populate Hollywood. He's dedicated to his job, he loves his friends and family, and he's just an overall nice guy. One that Stacey is having a hard time not falling for...even as she's being charged with bringing him down.  Andre has big issues in his past, and it was nice to see him trusting his instincts when it came to Stacey. Even though he finds out that she is here just to expose him, he kind of naturally knows that she is a good person underneath all the gossip and scandal.

It was hard for me to pick one genre for this story. It's definitely a contemporary romance, but it leaves just a hint of magic, just a bit of imagination which makes me believe that it is a bit of a fantasy book too. You aren't sure if it's saying that magic is real or not, but I can tell you that the threads of story and character were woven together..dare I say it...magically :) and I really enjoyed reading it. Definitely give Close Up Magic a shot if you are looking for a fun and fast read for over the summer!

Michelle will award a Magic Gift Basket, including a copy of "Magic for Dummies" by David Pogue to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US only), and one commenter at every stop will win a $5 Amazon GC.