Illusion by Andrew Neiderman

Product info (from Goodreads):

Jillian Caldwell, late twenties, works for an advertising agency in New York. Ron Cutler, early thirties, comes to her for a promotional project for his upstate New York Department stores. A romance ensues. Shortly after Ron presents Jillian with an engagement ring, he disappears. Phone calls do no good. There is no number in his name and the department store knows only a John Cutler.

Jillian goes upstate to search for Ron and discovers Ron has been dead for five years. When she confronts John Cutler, Ron’s father, he finally confesses that his wife was unable to have children and he impregnated another woman, paying her to have his child. Jillian finds the woman and discovers more revolting facts. Will she be able to love the false Ron despide all the lies?

My impressions:

I can’t help myself – ny short review will be full of spoilers. In fact I am going to make it one big spoiler and I won’t even mask it. So if you are tempted by the blurb to read Illusion then go away immediately.

Illusion was inadvertently scary but the effect was close to riddiculous. The idea of falling in love with a man you hardly know seemed to be the sanest plot device around, especially when compared to an idea of a secret twin who wishes to emulate his dead brother so badly that he practically becomes his alter ego. In my humble opinion the false Ron (and his real name was Paul, let’s make everything as spoiler-ish as possible) was a prime candidate for a mental asylum. Still none of other characters perceived him like that: neither his mom, nor Jillian, nor John Cutler, his biological father. By the way how was it possible at all that he hired a woman to have his child and never even enquired about the pregnancy? Multiple or single – is it that hard to ask?

Final verdict:

If you want to read a really creepy romance this is a perfect book for you. It would be far better had the author planned it that way.