The Illusionist's Apprentice is a piece of art if you ask me - and you did - and I am telling you - it is a piece of art. The author really knows how to paint in broad strokes of emotions here and mystery there. A shade of murder here and a lightening of discovery of evidence there. All to show at the end who did it and when you find out who it was you are like - WHAAAAT????? I did not see that coming. You want to go back and read it again to see all the signs you might have missed. This is about Wren who was an illusionist - a dark and secret life. A man dies at a spiritualist meeting and that brings in Elliott who is doing the detective work. Now, they start working together to prove Wren is not responsible for his death. All along the book it shows the truth of Light vs. dark, Good vs. evil - GOD can take care of you if you let HIM. There is some kissing - a little detailed some of them. Emotions shown - I know you will go through many emotions with this book.

**This review will post to my blog at www.myinterdimensionalchaos.blogspot.com on March 17th. I will post a link to the blog post once it goes live. The review has already posted to Goodreads.com. **

Once the apprentice to the amazing Harry Houdini, Wren Lockhart now performs her illusions on the vaudeville stage. She is talented, but eccentric...shutting nearly everyone out of her life, dressing in men's clothing and ignoring most social conventions. She relies only on herself. Her past taught her that. The past she keeps secret. After a man is supposedly raised from the dead by another illusionist, Horace Stapleton, the resurrected man promptly drops dead. Stapleton was previously debunked as a fraud by Houdini and Wren knows he didn't raise anyone from the dead. So, what did happen? She is approached by FBI agent Elliot Matthews to help with the investigation. Stapleton is a fraud, but Wren knows he isn't a murderer.

Set in the Vaudeville and flapper era of the 1920's, this book has much historical color amid the vibrant backdrop of stage performers, illusionists and all the magic of the Jazz Age. The mystery is engaging and the characters are believable. I loved Wren's strength and independence. Elliot is intelligent, patient and determined. The action is great, and the story perfectly paced to build tension. I found myself carrying my Kindle with me everywhere so I wouldn't have to stop reading!

Kristy Cambron is the author of several novels including The Butterfly and the Violin. To find out more about the author and her books, check out her website at https://kristycambron.com/

**I volunarily read an Advance Readers Copy of this book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**

Despite the many wonderful things I’ve heard about Kristy Cambron’s books, this is the first of hers that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. There were several things about this book that intrigued me and I couldn’t resist giving it a go. The first to catch my attention was definitely the cover, then when I discovered it was a mystery set during the 1920s, I was hooked. I didn’t have much in the way of expectations, except the general ideas I have for any new books, but I can happily say that it did meet those and I’m looking forward to reading more of Ms. Cambron’s books.
I haven’t read many books set during the Roaring 20s and I was very excited to jump into a different time. Though I don’t know much about this time in history, the author did an excellent job of drawing me into the story and making it seem as though I was right there with Wren and Elliot, searching out the mystery and questioning what’s real and what’s just a clever illusion. I loved Ms. Cambron’s writing style and how it drew me into the story. Her words are almost poetic at times, with unique descriptions that perfectly fit the period. I do confess that it took me a couple chapters to really get into the story, but once I did, I didn’t want to put it down! I was curious about the mystery and anxious to learn how a man rose from the dead, only to keel over again moments later. Thinking back over the story now, I am wondering how accurate the portrayal of the FBI’s investigative methods is in this story. Granted, they didn’t have the copious amounts of modern technology that we have now, but it seemed odd that they pulled Wren in to help before they had much of anything to go on. Though that may have been common place, given how different everything would have been from our present television shows. Much of the story focused on Wren, her history and the person she became because of her past, while somehow also pulling the mystery along with it.
Wren Lockhart was a character that I struggled with for a while. She’s not particularly nice, or kind, or personable. Instead, she’s aloof, withdrawn, sarcastic, and defensive. Not traits that are overly endearing. But it was the glimpses of the broken person behind the mask that kept me from giving up on her. And after learning more about her past, my heart softened toward her. I could completely relate with Elliot Matthews, though, and his frustration with Wren’s relentless determination to be entirely independent. I’m sure it would embarrass him to hear it, but Elliot is such a sweet guy and definitely hero material. I loved how he continually tried to look beyond Wren’s defensive walls and see the hurting lady underneath.
Overall, this was a good story. Would I read it again? Maybe. Now that I know what’s going on and don’t feel as though I have to rush to the end to find out “whodunit.” I enjoyed the unique mystery and setting and am looking forward to finding Ms. Cambron’s previous books and diving into them.

As a history buff, I always love Cambron's novels. She is skilled at taking well-known seasons and figures in history and weaving magical tales around them. This time she's brought in moments of suspense that show she is a skilled writer no matter the bend she takes with her genre.
Wren is a strong female lead who pairs well with FBI agent Elliot Matthews. But I like that this story is so much more than their romance. It's about Wren's past and how that is affecting her present. It's about God's grace and our faith, and that is something else Cambron does well in her books. Cambron's own faith and love for God shine clearly on the pages without a heavy hand. It simply just is. As if you cannot separate the author from her faith, which makes the spiritual thread of this book so very natural.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The new characters. The underpinnings of faith. The moments of suspense. Cambron has hit her stride with The Illusionist's Apprentice, and I cannot wait to see what she does next.
I happily give The Illusionist's Apprentice 5 out of 5 stars and you can purchase it here. Happy reading, friends!

Take a peek behind the curtains at the enigmatic life of a vaudeville illusionist! The secrets of her trade are closely guarded but protecting the lessons she received from Harry Houdini could cost her everything.

Jenny Wren is a delightfully complex character with integrity, compassion, and a quiet faith. Only a select few are privileged to glimpse the young woman behind her stage persona and her seamless string of illusions. Wren is determined to rely only on herself and refuses to trust anyone completely.

Elliot Matthews has been driven and devoted to his position as an FBI agent from the start but this case (and Wren Lockhart) is like no other! He needs to gain Wren’s trust and cooperation in order to expose the truth.

The suspense, mystery, and multifaceted characters make this a book that is easy to get lost in and hard to put down. Although this is the first of Cambron’s titles I’ve had the opportunity to read, it will certainly not be the last!

I requested the opportunity to read and review this title through the author and publisher. The opinions expressed are my own.

Wow! I don't know what I was expecting when I requested this galley from NetGalley, but I don't think a mystery was even on my radar. I was both surprised and intrigued.

Kristy takes you behind the curtain of a vaudeville illusionist. We learn about Wren and her experiences as an apprentice to the great Harry Houdini. Wren has a gentle faith that draws you to her immediately. You cheer for her and cry with her.

Kristy brings the vaudeville time period alive. The sights, sounds, are vivid and real. I enjoyed this book tremendously and highly recommend it!

Cambron has mastered suspenseful historical fiction and this is no exception!

Wren Lockhart has a past that she would love to keep buried. But being the apprentice to Harry Houdini has made her keep even more secrets than just her past. Secrets that people would love to find out. Secrets worth killing for. After attending a spectacle put on by Horace Stapleton, who was once debunked by Houdini, she finds herself in the attention of the FBI. Stapleton led people to believe that he could raise someone from the dead, but the subject later died at the scene. So, the FBI calls on Wren to help them figure out how Stapleton did it. And why the victim died. Again. But when someone tries to gun down Wren and one of the agents, she begins to realize that her personal life is changing with the more danger she steps into. Someone may be trying to kill her. Someone she may trust with her life.

As always, Kristy Cambron has spun another amazing tale. If you are a fan of the movie The Prestige or The Illusionist, then you will definitely enjoy this book. Going backstage behind some of the greatest illusionists in history is phenomenal. And Cambron does the research to bring you there. From the theater settings to the street corners in London, you feel like you are in the scene with the characters.

There was a little bit of past/present narrative that dealt Wren exclusively, not like her earlier novels that split between characters in different times. Even so, this was still a fantastic read. One thing that I found interesting was her choice to use the word collaborate so many times. This has become such a popular word in today’s society that I wonder if it really was used that much in the time frame depicted in the book. Just seemed a little interesting to me and made me think about it. Which is a very good thing as a reader.

Wren’s character was fun to explore as a reader. She is a very closed off and private person and the story does a great job of explaining why. But when the romance between Wren and Elliott begins to bloom, that is when the fun really begins because her character has a transformation from being self-sufficient to allowing herself to be loved.

Overall this was very exciting, enlightening, and fun to read. I can’t wait to see what she is working on next.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

The Illusionist's Apprentice, written by Kristy Cambron, is the first book I've read by this author. I've heard so much about the great talent and was excited to be able to read something by this author.
We enter the book on stage...it's the Jazz Age in the vaudeville era and Cambron brings the reader right into the midst of illusions and mystery. I did find it felt a bit slow to be at the beginning. As the reading goes on, Cambron is great with showing the reader all that is going on and the excitement and suspense within the mystery. I could see the great talent of the author throughout her development of the characters and storyline. I think the reason I didn't really love it was, unfortunately, more of the era rather than the talent of the author.
I was given a copy of the book through Netgalley. All thoughts and comments are my own.

Excellent book! This book is a little out of my normal read but I LOVED it!
The suspense was fantastic, the romance was gentle and heart touching. I loved the hard fought for trust Wren and Agent Matthew's learned to have for each other. The book is full of well-written characters, each with their own backstory. There are so many surprising twists and turns. I would never have guessed the villain. I was very happy the way it ended.
There are plenty other reviews that give a full synopsis so I won't. I will say that this book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I was reading in the waiting room at the doctor's office, the man next to me (reading over my shoulder) asked if I could go back to the previous page, he was reading along with me! I told him where to buy his own copy when I had to leave.
I look forward to reading more of Kristy Cambron's books. I have pre-ordered this one and bought some of her previous books. Thank you, NetGalley for introducing me to this wonderful author!

This book was intense and I do mean intense! Full of rich historical detail , this Kristy Cambron novel had me on the edge of my seat in suspense, anticipating each new chapter. Her best work yet this is her most developed work to date and not to be missed!

Instead of a traditional review ( but stay tuned for an amazon post closer to pub date), I took this book on the road!

Check out my pics of Illusionist's Apprentice around Wren's world in Boston

One of my favorite things about Kristy Cambron’s books is they make me look at history and historical figures in a way I never have before. Sure I’ve heard the names John Ringling and Harry Houdini but other than a general knowledge of what they did to make a living, I’ve not thought about them too much more.
The Illusionist’s Apprentice made me take notice. In fact, it drove me to look him up online and learn a little more about his life, especially the part Cambron focuses on—his effort to reveal fraudsters.
But this book was about so much more than Houdini’s life (in fact, while he’s mentioned and has impact on some of the characters, he is not one in the book). This story is really about Wren Lockhart, Houdini’s apprentice and perhaps the only person who knows his secrets. A woman whose life has become an illusion in itself. While she puts on the trousers, stage makeup, demeanor, and confidence of Wren, she has another life she keeps well-hidden from the public.
Yet when FBI agent Elliott Matthews enters her carefully constructed life, he sees beyond the façade and desires to learn more about this intriguing woman. As the two work together to solve a mysterious death that occurred during another entertainer’s show.
Cambron paints a vivid picture of the vaudeville life from the costumes to the stage, the acts to the competitiveness to be known as the best, and the convoluted relationships. While there, readers also get a glimpse into the newly formed FBI, the prohibition era, and Boston.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

This is a compelling tale about magic, jealousy, love, loss, greed, revenge, secrets and murder.

The story is set in Boston in the mid-to-late 1920s shortly after the death of the renowned Harry Houdini and at a time when variety entertainment, including defy-defying feats, tricks and illusions were all the rage.

There are two main memorable characters in this novel; Jenny "Wren", a young Houdini protégé, famed in her own right and struggling with a dark past, an abundance of secrets, and a reluctance to trust; and Elliot, a FBI agent with a case to solve that not only involves a victim who momentarily comes back from the dead, but a list of suspects for whom deception is an art and a woman who may even steal his heart.

The writing is vivid and descriptive. The supporting characters are multi-layered, quirky and flawed. And the plot is unique and skillfully constructed with a good use of dialogue, banter and a past/present style that creates suspense and gives understanding and depth to the storyline.

Overall this is an extremely enjoyable, engaging read that does a remarkable job of interweaving historical facts, fiction, and mystery and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley, especially Thomas Nelson, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a great fan and follower of Kristy Cambron's books, but unfortunately this one just didn't appeal to me as much as her other books. Please don't get me wrong -- I enjoy the way she writes and tells a tale, and the history in this book was really interesting. Perhaps because there were a lot of things going on in my life when I read it, I just had a really hard time following this one. The story had just a few too many twists and turns that were hard to keep straight, and I had to go back several times to figure out who a character was or why they might have done what they did. I love the time period of the book and Kristy's descriptions are fabulous. I am looking forward to her next book and I am anxious to read it! Hopefully life will have settled down a bit by then and I won't be distracted.

An astounding, astonishing, entertaining, fulfilling, satisfactory read. A must have for the bookshop when it comes out!!!

I loved this story! It is full of fabulous historical detail, it has a swoon-worthy romance, and the characters just pull you into the action with them. Go ahead and pick up The Illusionist’s Apprentice today! You’ll gasp, you’ll sigh, you’ll wonder – just as if you were in the theatre watching one of Wren’s shows.

I immensely enjoyed Krisy Cambron's book The Ringmaster's Wife, so it was with great pleasure that I received a copy of The Illusionist's Apprentice from Netgalley to review. (My first ever Netgalley!)

This book is a story of trust, healing, and renewal. We meet Wren Lockhart, former apprentice to the great Harry Houdini and illusionist extraordinaire in her own right--her best trick, however, happens to be the concealment of her feelings. We meet Agent Elliot Matthews, a jaded FBI man with a talent for finding out the truth--but can he find love? When their paths cross, get ready for sparks to ignite--and not all of them friendly.

Again, Cambron blew me away with the characters she created. Wren, Elliot, & Co. were all developed with extraordinary complexity. There was so much to each character, and so much depth in each of their interactions, that I couldn't help but love this book. I also enjoyed seeing more of how Cambron developed the male characters in this book, as I didn't get a good feel for that in the last.

The plot was much stronger in this one as well. The mystery was so intriguing, I couldn't wait to see what happened next! It was a dangerous tightrope that these characters walked. Suspense around every corner, and secrets lying in wait in the shadows. When the dirty past of the characters is unearthed--along with a dead/not-dead/dead-again man, prepare for your heart to stop. These poor people have been through a lot, and it's not over yet!

The story was set in 1920s America, full of Prohibition-era crimes, hired guns, and death-defying acts from the world of vaudeville. It was the perfect setting for all that happened. I loved reading about the culture at that time, and especially the historical figures nestled in the book like easter eggs. (Bonus points for the references to Sherlock Holmes and his author!)

Also, the flow of this book was much smoother than the last. I didn't notice any of the awkward POV switches or misplaced dialogue tags that had bugged me in The Ringmaster's Wife, but perhaps that is because I have become acclimated to Cambron's writing style.

My one quibble is a spoiler, so read at your own risk. [ I found it hard to believe that Irina was involved. Even though an explanation was given, it still seemed like a stretch to believe. It felt a little forced, and I wish the author had come up with a slightly more creative solution. However, I must give kudos as I was not expecting it at all. (hide spoiler)]

Wrap-up: I loved The Illusionist's Apprentice. While I had hoped to see more of Harry Houdini and his shows, I quickly fell in love with Wren and Elliot and the mystery they chased. This book is chock-full of great characters, and will entice fans of suspense with its shrouded mystery.

Rating: 5 stars

Recommended: Yes. 14 and up. (Some scary situations, and references to abuse)

Content guide:
Language: 0/10
Sexual Content: 1/10 (light kisses)
Violence: 7/10 (characters are attacked, abused--eventually leading to death, and they get into scrapes--semi-detailed)
Other notes: one character has a drinking problem, and abuses his family,

For more reviews, see gabriellenblog.wordpress.com

Kristy Cambron has written an entertaining novel about an imagined apprentice of Harry Houdini, named Wren Lockhart. Houdini spent the later years of his life debunking mystics and others who alleged the ability to communicate with the dead. As the story opens, Houdini has died and one of the individuals defamed by Houdini, Horace Stapleton, is trying to jumpstart his career by appearing to bring a person back to life. Sadly, Horace’s attempt goes horribly awry causing the death of a man and resulting in Horace being charged with murder. Intensely private, Lockhart gets unwillingly drawn into solving the mystery and teams up with an FBI agent to determine what happened. Meanwhile, Lockhart appears to be the next killer’s next target.

I loved the sections related to vaudeville and illusions. Cambron includes numerous fascinating details regarding the spiritualists and illusionists of that time period which I thoroughly enjoyed. The mystery itself was fairly convoluted, and I felt the ending was unrealistic. However, I still enjoyed the book. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Illusionist's Apprentice was my first book by Kristy Cambron. I chose it because of its striking cover and would love great on library displays on end caps on shelves. Harry Houdini has always been a fascinating character, and this story centers around Jenny "Wren" Lockhart, an apprentice to the famed magician and illusionist. Lockhart's character is loosely based on Houdini's real life and last assistant, Dorothy Young. In the wake of Harry Houdini's death, Wren Lockhart took the skills learned from this great man and created an illusionist show of her own.

The mystery surrounds Horace Stapleton, a rival who had also been discredited by Houdini. The newly formed FBI is brought into investigate and enlists the help of Wren Lockhart. Be prepared for an intricate plot flashing back and forth through time. You think you have it figured it out, but it is just an illusion with its twists and turns. I would recommend this book to people who like more a cerebral mystery with a dash of romance.