The Kiss of Deception

The Kiss of Deception is one of those books that reminds me why I don't like reading advanced copies from the publishers.  When you read a book early, it is an even longer wait until the next one comes out.  I was first drawn to this title by its cover.  I think it is a beautiful cover.  Once I started reading the story, I was immediately sucked in.

On the day Princess Lia is set to marry an unknown prince from a foreign land, she decides to run for it instead.  The marriage was arranged by their fathers, and she has no interest in a marriage without love, especially to who she thinks is a stuffy, old papa's boy who didn't even care to meet her before the wedding.  She flees to a small town and instantly falls in love with life she finds there.  She finds work as a barmaid, and has no intention of ever looking back.  One day two young men walk into the bar and immediately catch her eye.  Both are attractive in their own way and both have their sights set on her.  One is none other than the prince she was to marry, come to check out the girl who jilted him.  The other is an assassin sent by a neighboring land to kill her.  Lia begins to form friendships with both boys, but soon discovers she is falling in love with one of them.  She doesn't realize the danger surrounding her until it is too late.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book.  Rafe and Kaden were fun to figure out.  It was pretty obvious to me early on which one's the prince and which one's the assassin, although the author doesn't come out and tell us until Lia begins to learn the truth of it.  She is a very strong and likable leading lady.  Her fire and independence makes it obvious early on that court life was never for her.  Duty is not something she bows to easily.  She is fierce when it comes to her brothers and friends.  I am really excited to get to know her more in the books to come.  I don't want to say too much about the boys so as not to give away their identities, but they are both likable and interesting in their own ways.  This book is well paced and full of intrigue.  There is an air of suspense that kept me reading.  I hate that it ended and now I have to wait until sometime next year for book two.  I really enjoyed the writing and am excited for the story to continue.  If you are looking for a good low fantasy book, give this a try.  Happy reading!