A Necessary Deception - review

A Necessary Deception by Laurie Alice Eakes is a Regency Romance/Mystery which makes for an interesting plot. With elements of espionage, intrigue, and, of course, romance, fans of both mystery and historical romance novels would enjoy this novel. The story is well-researched and the relationship dynamics are believable. In spite of all the good things the book had going for it, I found it a little hard to care about or keep track of the characters, and that was distracting to me-- so I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I thought I would. I have heard other people loved it, so maybe it's just me.

Here's the publisher's synopsis:

When young widow Lady Lydia Gale helps a French prisoner obtain parole, she never expected doing so would put her family in jeopardy. But that’s just what happens when a shadowy figure corners her during an evening stroll and blackmails her with the threat of treason.

She returns to her family just as the London Season is getting underway, and is shocked when the French prisoner appears in her parlor calling himself by a new name, Christien de Meuse, and carrying a letter from the shadowy man.

While she should be helping her younger sisters, bookish Cassandra, who’s about to get married, and headstrong Honore, who’s about to enter into London society, Lydia can’t help being preoccupied with the mysterious Frenchman. Nor can she deny her attraction to him. Is he a spy or a suitor? Can he be trusted? Is she putting her family in danger or sparing them from harm?

With an eye for detail and in-depth knowledge of the period, Laurie Alice Eakes brings alive the drawing rooms of London’s elite.

 Available October 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Thank you to Revell for sending me a review copy.