Deception by Victoria Saccenti – Review by Angela Hayes

Deception by Victoria Saccenti
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3 Stars

“Meanwhile, lean muscled and tall, Joe walked with the elegance of a feline roaming its hunting grounds, a stride the military had drilled and honed. Once, he’d been a leader of men and had expected their obedience. Although he downplayed this aspect of his personality, the angle of his head and the tilt of his shoulders gave him away. While his casual clothes gave a relaxed appearance—his brand-new, perfectly fitting jeans, black pullover, and polished boots spoke of a man who paid attention to detail—even the two-day stubble worked for him. Joe wasn’t done with life yet. He was still hungry.”

“She placed her hand within his large warm fingers, and a new storm of contradicting emotions took her. Excitement, desire, and fear battered her from every direction, and at the center of the vortex, a certainty of peace and safety soothed her. For the briefest of moments, her mangled soul lost its scars. The rough ridges smoothed out. She felt protected and guarded. She wanted to weep and laugh.”

Deception is my first read by Victoria Saccenti. Never having read any of her work before, I really didn’t know what to expect going into this book. I discovered that the author has a very descriptive and ‘visual’ style to her writing- with an attention to detail that really brought his story to life. I loved that part of the book. I really liked the premise, offering something a little different from other books in the same genre.
I was really into this story- until the dialogue and interactions between characters. Something about it really put me off a bit. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it seemed a little forced and/or somewhat disingenuous. There were cheesy moments, and some of the ‘sex-scenes’ were a little awkwardly worded. This did seem to improve as the story progressed and I did enjoy the second half more than the first.
This book should have ticked all the boxes for me- but fell a little short. Maybe it was just me, as I have read a few of the other reviews for it and they all seem to have no problems with it- so I think I will revisit this book again in the future and see if I still feel the same way or whether I was just having an off reading day.
This book is a game of seduction, with revenge being the end game. But what happens when this spider web of intrigue and deception begins to unravel? What happens when feelings become involved? And what happens when the truth is revealed? You really need to read the story if you want to find out.
I really wanted to love this book so much more than I did. But I just couldn’t connect with it the way I’d hoped. Maybe next time.

Thank you, Victoria Saccenti!

Reviewed by @angelahayes

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