The Deception

At first it felt weird for me to read a romance told in the first person, but once I got into the story, I couldn't put it down. The characters, the plot, the setting were wonderful. I enjoyed reading about horses and I fell in love with the narrating voice of the heroine. It was not as hot as I would have liked, but the romance was so good that it didn't matter. I already bought another book by this author and can't wait to read it.

The Joan Wolf of the Reindeer Hunters is *not* the same novelist as this one, as incorrectly stated above. Writing style is completely different -- this Wolf is a much better writer and addresses a different type of story.

The plot of this novel is a Regency standard, an innocent encounter compromises the heroine and forces the hero to marry her. What Joan Wolf does with this plot is not typical. She adds mystery and humor with a dash of horse trivia thrown in. The characters are all interesting. It's definitely entertaining.

I love, and reread, all of Joan Wolf's first person romances, but The Deception is my very favorite. A tall, blond hero of Waterloo is forced into marriage with a horse trainer's daughter, the heroine is wrenched out of a poor but (relatively) happy existence to be married to a peer of the realm, the hero's younger brother is charming, the villian is thoroughly villianous. This story has everything. Our heroine has spunk, our hero desires her against her will, our hero's brother lurches from escapade to escapade as he tries to emulate his brother. And weaving through the story is a weak mystery - just enough to keep the plot moving - and a wealth of fascinating detail on dressage and the wonderful horses that perform it. Highly recommended.

Joan Wolf has been a favorite of mine ever since I read the regencies she wrote years ago. This latest book seems like a return to her most successful style of writing -- a high-spirited heroine, an aristocratic hero and the Regency period. Kate is a really engaging heroine and writing the story in the first person made it accessible.