Tuesday, October 18, 2011

A Necessary Deception by Laurie Alice Eakes

4 out of 5 stars
Lydia Gale felt obligated to aide Christophe Arnaud, the Frenchman who helped her dying husband, obtain parole from the British prison. She never imaged her kind gesture would later force her into being blackmailed. While she must prepare her younger sister for her debut into society, she must also now introduce certain men into high society . . . or face being turned in as a traitor. When Christophe Arnaud shows up in her parlor, assuming a different name, she must determine whether he is a traitor and French spy in England or if the man is truly who he claims to be. While her family continues to depend on her for this important season in her sister's life, she must decide if she can trust this man or not . . .not just with her life, but with her heart. 

A Necessary Deception is a unique regency novel that uses history to the fullest advantage.  

It is an absolutely fascinating story that weaves the intrigue of espionage during turbulent times in Europe, with a heart-stopping romance that breaths life and elegance into the Regency period of England's history. Most Regency romances don't usually take this approach. It's both refreshing and captivating. I couldn't read this story fast enough. 

Laurie Alice Eakes's approach to this novel brought me back to my high school history class when I learned about the Scarlet Pimpernel (while I can't be 100% sure, I think he made a cameo in this novel via mention from one of the main characters). To be honest, A Necessary Deception is like Jane Austin meshing with the Scarlet Pimpernel. 

Readers have started to see a lot of novels that focus on the War of 1812 making their way into Christian fiction. Most of these novels, however, focus on the American point of view. I found it interesting to see this view point on the war from the British. 

While the villain in this story felt very predictable, I believe Eakes delivered such an interesting approach to the emotional plot that taking our time to reach that predictable moment was both enjoyable and entertaining. 

My major qualm with this book is that it uses too many unfamiliar French terms. I wouldn't have minded if the sporadically-used French words were cognates. I could have guessed their translation with ease and felt smart. The terms, however, didn't resemble any English words. I still don't know what they mean, and to be honest, the story sucked me in too much to set the book down and Google the word. 

A Necessary Deception is definitely an enjoyable read. History buffs and regency romance fans will love this novel. I believe even those who enjoy contemporary espionage novels will like this one!   

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Publishers in exchange for an honest review.  

Available October 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group



About the Author


Laurie Alice Eakes is the author of Lady in the MistA Necessary Deception, and several other novels. She won a National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency in 2007 for Family Guardian. Laurie Alice writes full-time from her home in Texas, where she lives with her husband and sundry dogs and cats.

                              Website                                    
                     www.lauriealiceeakes.com  


Purchase 


Available from Revell Publishers in eBook and print formats, October 2011.

  




Free Download!



Download Laurie Alice Eakes's  previous novel, Lady in the Mist  for free on your Kindle, Nook, or CBD Redaer!










Next Release

(#2, the Midwives series)

Releases February 2012



No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

ShareThis