Book Review: "A Necessary Deception" by Laurie Alice Eakes

Summary from BN.com: When young widow Lydia Gale helps a French prisoner obtain parole, she never dreams she will see him again. But just as the London Season gets under way, the man presents himself in her parlor. While she should be focused on getting her headstrong younger sister prepared for her entrée into Society, Lady Gale finds herself preoccupied with the mysterious Frenchman. Is he a spy or a suitor? Can she trust him? Or is she putting herself and her family in danger?

I don't why international stories don't fare as well in Christian fiction but I adore them. I especially love stories that take place during the Regency era. While I'm not a huge regency buff, I do enjoy the time period, fashions, customs and history of the era. In this book, readers are introduced to characters who are debating with being loyal to their country or helping out those truly in need. A masquerade ball takes on more than one meaning as national alliances are tested. Romances with those those in enemy territory ensue. Spies, secret midnight rendezvous and never knowing who is really who are just some of the elements included in this story.

I would have liked to have known more about Lydia's relationship with her father. It seems that it has never really been on good terms. I wonder if in future books more about his relationship with his daughters is explained.

There were many times when I was horribly confused by the story. There was a big cast of characters to keep up with as well as many having disguises and multiple identities. I didn't know who was who or what side someone was on. It was very hard to keep track of in the story. Eakes also has a technique in her writing that I do not like at all. She will end a chapter on a cliffhanger and then in the next chapter we have moved on to something else. I feel like nothing gets tied up or actions happen off screen which is very frustrating. I have found many readers who are also frustrated with this so I'm hoping that in the future Eakes stops doing this because it is something that can make or break the entire book.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about the story. The setting, historical aspect and details of the story were fabulous. As I stated I do love regency era books and I really loved the international aspect of the story. I do want to read more about British/French relationships and I would like to hear more about the characters. I just did not really enjoy the writing of the book. It was just a bit confusing and not as strong as it could have been. I will have to wait and see if I decide to continue with the series in the future.

A Necessary Deception by Laurie Alice Eakes is published by Revell (2011)

This review copy was provided by the publisher