Review: Deceived by Jess Michaels
Print Length: 218 pages
Publisher: The Passionate Pen (October 13, 2015)
From Goodreads.com: Josie Westfall spent a lifetime feeling alone and bullied and an unfortunate incident involving her best friend’s brother, Evan, only made things worse. Still, when she and her mother are invited to the wedding he will be attending, they can’t exactly refuse. She hopes to avoid him, but instead they are thrown together and she is shocked to find that she actually begins to like the man she’s thought of as an enemy for years.
Evan has always felt terrible about what he said to Josie years before, but he’s never quite been able to make it up to her. When he tries, he discovers Josie may have a few secrets and some information about his missing sister. Now he must decide, should he betray her by trading on the unexpected attraction between them and discover what she knows? Or could the possibility of love be worth more than anything else?
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My Rating: 4 stars out of 5
This is the first book I have read by this author, and it certainly will not be the last. Ms. Michaels has a way of drawing the reader in, and making even the most delicate topics seem realistic.
Although this is book two in the series, it is completely stand alone. I was able to understand everything that was going on, even when prior events were mentioned. I didn't feel lost, or as though I had missed out on a lot of prior details, although given how much I enjoyed this story, I will definitely be checking out the first book in this series (as well as the ones that come after).
For the most part, I enjoyed all of the characters. The one I feel I had the most issue with was Gabriel. I found myself wanting to smack him when he kept encouraging Evan to do what he (Evan) didn't feel right doing, and the way he accused him of not caring about their missing sister. While I understand his reasoning, I felt that there should have been a point for him where he put his grief for Claire aside and focused on Evan and Evan's happiness with Josie.
As far as the Hero and Heroine are concerned, I thoroughly enjoyed them both as separate characters and as a couple. While at first I was annoyed with the grudge Josie held against Evan for a wrong he committed when they were children, as the story progressed, I began to understand just where she was coming from and why she felt the way she did. Evan's treatment of her as an adult however, was admirable. He tried time and again to make things up to her and to get her to see that his feelings were genuine (even after giving her cause to doubt that). The spark and attraction between them was undeniable and I enjoyed watching it play out.
WARNING: This book does contain scenes of a sexual nature that occur before (as well as after) marriage. If this is not your cup of tea, but the rest of the book sounds appealing, it is possible to skip these scenes and not lose out on any of the plot.
This is the first book I have read by this author, and it certainly will not be the last. Ms. Michaels has a way of drawing the reader in, and making even the most delicate topics seem realistic.
Although this is book two in the series, it is completely stand alone. I was able to understand everything that was going on, even when prior events were mentioned. I didn't feel lost, or as though I had missed out on a lot of prior details, although given how much I enjoyed this story, I will definitely be checking out the first book in this series (as well as the ones that come after).
For the most part, I enjoyed all of the characters. The one I feel I had the most issue with was Gabriel. I found myself wanting to smack him when he kept encouraging Evan to do what he (Evan) didn't feel right doing, and the way he accused him of not caring about their missing sister. While I understand his reasoning, I felt that there should have been a point for him where he put his grief for Claire aside and focused on Evan and Evan's happiness with Josie.
As far as the Hero and Heroine are concerned, I thoroughly enjoyed them both as separate characters and as a couple. While at first I was annoyed with the grudge Josie held against Evan for a wrong he committed when they were children, as the story progressed, I began to understand just where she was coming from and why she felt the way she did. Evan's treatment of her as an adult however, was admirable. He tried time and again to make things up to her and to get her to see that his feelings were genuine (even after giving her cause to doubt that). The spark and attraction between them was undeniable and I enjoyed watching it play out.
WARNING: This book does contain scenes of a sexual nature that occur before (as well as after) marriage. If this is not your cup of tea, but the rest of the book sounds appealing, it is possible to skip these scenes and not lose out on any of the plot.
DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.
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Deceived is available from Amazon.com
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