JOLENE CAZZOLA

The  bar was empty except for a few regulars lounging on the ratty couches  in the stage area, this stranger, and a couple of Rick’s buddies at the  bar. On my next round of the room I said, “We’re closing, so if you want  another quick beer, it’s now or never.” Again, he didn’t answer, this  time turning his back on me. Asshole, I thought. But something in his  eyes was making me nervous; I did not like this guy – so when I  approached him for the third time to let him know that the bar was now  closed, and it was time to leave, I stood back further than I normally  would have, well out of his reach. Without a word, his face blank, he  lifted his now fire-filled eyes to meet mine, looking through me as if I  was some kind of enemy to be destroyed... Then without warning, he  smashed the bottle on the slate. Luckily for me he hesitated for a  split-moment, glaring through me before lunging in my direction, holding  the bottle by the neck – jagged edge pointing in my direction.

 

All hell broke loose in that second. Everything that happened in the  wake of the smashing bottle happened in seconds, but to me, the world  took on a sense of slow motion. I heard stools crashing over and caught a  glimpse of Rick leaping over the bar from the corner of my eye. Someone  yelled “Duck Jackie!” as Rick, his friends, and the regulars from the  end of the room lunged at the stranger. I ducked and stumbled backwards  over a stool falling onto my ass a few feet away, adrenaline coursing  through my veins, heart hammering in my chest.

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Review - Natasha Jackson on Readers Favorite wrote

 

Love’s  Illusions is the story of Jackie Moretti and the men she’s loved, lost  and discarded. An art student with a bright future, we meet Jackie in  the most unconventional way but it speaks to Jolene Cazzola’s plans for  this young woman. She is hard party-er but she’s young and it’s the  1970s, until she isn’t quite so young. Jackie eventually gets married,  but it doesn’t last long because Stephen was keeping a lot of secrets,  many he refused to own up to. But between drinking, drugs, and a drug  dealing maybe boyfriend, Jackie has bigger problems. That’s the backdrop  of this interesting story filled with dysfunction, reality and  heartbreak.

Jolene Cazzola has crafted a story that is engaging and heart  wrenching. Watching Jackie’s life spiral was kind of devastating, but at  times you just wanted to shake some sense into her. The decisions she’s  forced to make aren’t easy and that’s what gives Love’s Illusions a  helping of reality that keeps you engaged. This story was not just well  written, it was all consuming at times. This story makes you want to  find out what happens next, to root for Jackie to get it together to  find the love that she so desperately wants. My favorite character was  Michael; he was a bad boy with a heart of gold and when he and Jackie  were on the cusp of something great you could feel the emotions leaping  off the page. More than anything, the sober reality of Love’s Illusions  is what makes it such a captivating read.
 

Review - Francine Zane on Readers Favorite wrote

 

In  Love’s Illusions by Jolene Cazzola, Jackie is happy until she isn’t,  and for good reason. No one wants to find out their six-month-old  marriage is based on a lie. She leaves her marriage and walks a  tightrope, balancing her family, college courses and friends against  sex, drugs and depression. As Jackie fights to understand why her  marriage fell apart, she is forced to explore her relationships with her  new ‘bad boy' boyfriend and her parents. What she learns leads her to  some uncomfortable conclusions, but she is determined to build healthier  relationships going forward.

Love’s Illusions is not the traditional contemporary romance. While  it does have romantic elements, the true story is that of Jackie and how  she deals with the pain of broken vows. The story is set in the 1970s,  but the betrayal that Jackie goes through and her struggle to cope is  something to which women of all ages can relate. Jolene Cazzola manages  to effectively explore many hot topics both for the era and women in  general, such as the Vietnam war, sex, drugs, abortion, depression,  feminism. I enjoyed reading Love’s Illusions.