Judith’s review of The Love Deception by Jennifer St. George

When Felicity Carter wakes up naked in a strange bed, she has no idea how she got there. And no recollection of meeting the gorgeous man calmly offering her breakfast. Shocked and embarrassed, Felicity flees – hoping that their paths never cross again.

The last thing she expects is to discover that her mystery man is Damon Fullbright, partner at the law firm where Felicity has just started work – and her new boss! Damon is appalled to find the young woman he rescued has been hired to work on his team. Apart from anything else, he doesn’t need the distraction.

Despite their early misconceptions, their appreciation for each other – both personally and professionally – begins to grow. But when Damon discovers what Felicity’s been hiding, how will he ever trust her again?

A gripping romance that combines courtroom intrigue with a dash of Barbados, The Love Deception is the latest book from Jennifer St George.

This is one of those books that I think will either delight the reader or turn them off completely.  The hero and heroine are not very likable, at least in the beginning.  In Felicity’s case, I would urge readers to not make a summary judgment about her.  She’s had a tough beginning and some very difficult family circumstances that have forged her into who she is and have propelled her into a law degree and practice.  Damon is also a product of his past and lots of the miscommunication between these two can be traced to his sense of betrayal and lack of honesty by people important to him in the past.  Nevertheless, due to the majority vote of the partners in the firm, Felicity is hired and they must work together.

Perhaps this would have been a more enjoyable read for me if I didn’t feel like bashing Damon over the head so often for being so thick.  Obviously, his willingness to listen to anything out of the ordinary from Felicity is shaped by their initial exposure to one another.  He thinks she plays fast and loose and is prone to social misbehavior.  He couldn’t be more wrong but it takes a while for him to find that out.  There are times when I wonder how these two can ever be attracted to one another.  No accounting for chemistry, I guess.

Yet this is a beautifully written novel with lots of twist and turns, unlikely developments, secrets revealed and half-truths told, yet at its core it is a love story about two people who keep running up against their mutual attraction as well as the necessities of working together on some fairly heavy duty cases.  The deal breaker is Felicity’s father and Damon’s involvement in his appeal.  So if you like complicated stories that involve even more complicated relationships that somehow keep being on-again-off-again, you will like this book a lot.  Some readers will dislike it for the very same reasons.

For myself, I found it to be an entertaining read.  It wasn’t long and was the kind of book one can pick up and enjoy on a summer afternoon or during a snow storm in the winter.  St. George has written a number of other stories that have become very popular and her fans will probably like this one as well.  In any event, I found it to be a good story that was worth the time to enjoy.

I give it a 3.75 out of 5

You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.

This title is available from Destiny Romance.  You can buy it here or here in e-format.